Help with choosing AVR & Speakers

param22k

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Hi everybody! I'm new here, and I'm a nice guy..

I'm planning to buy a home theatre system to go with my PS3 and 32"LCD.
I was earlier planning to spend about 30k on some hts package from sony, etc. But then someone suggested that I build my own HTS. Great idea, the only problem being that I'm starting to exceed my budget in my imagination!
Anyways, I have a few of queries:

1. I found somewhere on the internet that Onkyo TX-SR606 is for approx 35-36k. Is that right?

2. I'm thinking of SR606 for HDMI Audio & Video Processing only (& maybe for 1.03a HDMI as well). Is there HDMI AV Processing in cheaper models from other brands? Should I consider SR576 also?

3. I'll also need 7.1 speaker package to go with the 606(?). Any suggestions on a cheap and good package? I can't go over 50-60k for total AVR+7.1Speaker package. Are there any local speakers (like Enbee in the 1980s) that can be considered? I've no idea about the local speaker scenario these days.

I hope my questions don't seem dumb. I'm just so confused right now. And thanks for your help in advance.

Cheers
 
param22 said:
Hi everybody! I'm new here, and I'm a nice guy..

I'm planning to buy a home theatre system to go with my PS3 and 32"LCD.
I was earlier planning to spend about 30k on some hts package from sony, etc. But then someone suggested that I build my own HTS. Great idea, the only problem being that I'm starting to exceed my budget in my imagination!
Anyways, I have a few of queries:

1. I found somewhere on the internet that Onkyo TX-SR606 is for approx 35-36k. Is that right?

2. I'm thinking of SR606 for HDMI Audio & Video Processing only (& maybe for 1.03a HDMI as well). Is there HDMI AV Processing in cheaper models from other brands? Should I consider SR576 also?

3. I'll also need 7.1 speaker package to go with the 606(?). Any suggestions on a cheap and good package? I can't go over 50-60k for total AVR+7.1Speaker package. Are there any local speakers (like Enbee in the 1980s) that can be considered? I've no idea about the local speaker scenario these days.

I hope my questions don't seem dumb. I'm just so confused right now. And thanks for your help in advance.

Welcome to the forum, nice guy. We are looking forward to ehlping you fianlsie your system quickly. At the
same time, please do stay on and help others who look for advise, help etc.

We have already gone through this exercise for antother new member. In any case I will repeat it for your benefit.

{1} & (2)
With regards to the Onkyo 606, the listed price is 35,000. With good bargaining you should be able to get it between 30 to 35,000.

Param, don't get confused with 'HDMI Audio and Video Processing'. HDMI, means High Definition Multimedia Interface, a new way of connecting multiple audio/video components to each other. HDMI does not do any processing either on audio or on video. It just carries both the audio and video signals together in one cable.

Since you are looking at 606 and 576, let me explain the main differences between the two.

Power: 606 - 175 watts per channel. 576 - 160 watts per channel
Video Upscaling: 606 - upto 1080i, pass through of 1080p. 576 - none (video pass through via HDMI)

Audio Processing

Signal to Noise Ratio: 606 - 106dB 576 - 100dB
Dolby Decoder: 606 - DD Plus, TrueHD 576 - Dolby Digital Plus, DD-EX, PLIIx
DTS Decoding: 606 - DTS-HD Master Audio 576 - DTS, ES, NEO6, 96/24

Other than the power, the two advanatges that the 606 has are upscaling upto 1080i, and the capacity to play SACD and DVD-A music.

(2) Assuming your total budget is 60K and you spend 35K on the receiver, you will have 25K left. I would not look at a 7.1 speaker package now, as there are very few DVD available that drive 7.1 channels. They are mostly coded for 5.1. So even if you install a 5.1 you would not miss anything. You can also install additional 2 rear speakers at a later date.

The best bet is to go in for a 5.1 speakaer package from companies such as as KEF (KTH series), Wharfedale (Cinema Package), Mordaunt Short (Genie or Alumni Series), and Yamaha. If you are looking at Indian speakers, you can look at Sonodyne's Geneie 1 HTS. Other Indian companies you can look at are Sanen Acoustic who has a number of HTS systems (Sanen) or Pace Electronics who makes Bose style subwoofer cum ssatellite systems.

There are a number of other manufacturers in Mumbai, Chennai, and Bangalore, but I am not sure of the Delhi market.

If you can, what you should do is visit Delhi for a day or two, audition some speakers you like and is within your budget. Then armed with the specs, we can decide which is the best for you.

You also have to set aside roughly 5,000 for cables and connectors. This is the bare minimum.

Can some one from Delhi advice Param with details of dealers who sell HTS speaker packages for around 30,000.

Cheers
 
Welcome to the forum, nice guy. We are looking forward to ehlping you fianlsie your system quickly. At the
same time, please do stay on and help others who look for advise, help etc.

We have already gone through this exercise for antother new member. In any case I will repeat it for your benefit.

{1} & (2)
With regards to the Onkyo 606, the listed price is 35,000. With good bargaining you should be able to get it between 30 to 35,000.

Param, don't get confused with 'HDMI Audio and Video Processing'. HDMI, means High Definition Multimedia Interface, a new way of connecting multiple audio/video components to each other. HDMI does not do any processing either on audio or on video. It just carries both the audio and video signals together in one cable.

Since you are looking at 606 and 576, let me explain the main differences between the two.

Power: 606 - 175 watts per channel. 576 - 160 watts per channel
Video Upscaling: 606 - upto 1080i, pass through of 1080p. 576 - none (video pass through via HDMI)

Audio Processing

Signal to Noise Ratio: 606 - 106dB 576 - 100dB
Dolby Decoder: 606 - DD Plus, TrueHD 576 - Dolby Digital Plus, DD-EX, PLIIx
DTS Decoding: 606 - DTS-HD Master Audio 576 - DTS, ES, NEO6, 96/24

Other than the power, the two advanatges that the 606 has are upscaling upto 1080i, and the capacity to play SACD and DVD-A music.

(2) Assuming your total budget is 60K and you spend 35K on the receiver, you will have 25K left. I would not look at a 7.1 speaker package now, as there are very few DVD available that drive 7.1 channels. They are mostly coded for 5.1. So even if you install a 5.1 you would not miss anything. You can also install additional 2 rear speakers at a later date.

The best bet is to go in for a 5.1 speakaer package from companies such as as KEF (KTH series), Wharfedale (Cinema Package), Mordaunt Short (Genie or Alumni Series), and Yamaha. If you are looking at Indian speakers, you can look at Sonodyne's Geneie 1 HTS. Other Indian companies you can look at are Sanen Acoustic who has a number of HTS systems (Sanen) or Pace Electronics who makes Bose style subwoofer cum ssatellite systems.

There are a number of other manufacturers in Mumbai, Chennai, and Bangalore, but I am not sure of the Delhi market.

If you can, what you should do is visit Delhi for a day or two, audition some speakers you like and is within your budget. Then armed with the specs, we can decide which is the best for you.

You also have to set aside roughly 5,000 for cables and connectors. This is the bare minimum.

Can some one from Delhi advice Param with details of dealers who sell HTS speaker packages for around 30,000.

Cheers

Hey Venkat, thanks a lot brother. Your reply was quick and your advice is well taken.

I guess I should go for the SR606 then. After posting here I called the Onkyo area manager in Delhi. He told me they're setting up new place in Ludhiana. Got a call from their guy in Ludhiana and he's asked me to come to his place where he has a temp demo room (till they setup showroom here). He didn't give me a price for SR606, but quoted SR575 at 30k. SR576 is not available. Lets see how it goes tomorrow. I'll check out their speaker specs and get back to you guys with those. Any advice on some particular specs I should ask him?
Also, I don't wanta go off topic but is it advisable to try and get the SR606 off Amazon? They're selling it for about $360. Just curious...

Thanks again Venkat n cheers.
 
Hey Venkat, thanks a lot brother. Your reply was quick and your advice is well taken.

I guess I should go for the SR606 then. After posting here I called the Onkyo area manager in Delhi. He told me they're setting up new place in Ludhiana. Got a call from their guy in Ludhiana and he's asked me to come to his place where he has a temp demo room (till they setup showroom here). He didn't give me a price for SR606, but quoted SR575 at 30k. SR576 is not available. Lets see how it goes tomorrow. I'll check out their speaker specs and get back to you guys with those. Any advice on some particular specs I should ask him?
Also, I don't wanta go off topic but is it advisable to try and get the SR606 off Amazon? They're selling it for about $360. Just curious...

Thanks again Venkat n cheers.

At this juncture, if you have decided on a 606, all I can say is look for speakers that can handle about 150watts at 8 ohms with a frequency response of 10Hz to 100KHz. Don't worry much about the frequency response, as these specs will be very expensive. Just look for wattage and good sounding speakers.

Forget about the Amazon, unless you have some amazing contact in Customs.

Cheers
 
hi!

visited the local onkyo guy. the fu was trying to sell me a yamaha+jamo606 for 1.5Lac!! crazy. When I insisted that I knew what I wanted to buy and asked for a quote on SR606, he told me to buy it from delhi as he sells only high-end systems. I think he meant "I sell only to ignorant fools who listen to my demo setup and give me 1.5L for something that costs 60k". hehehe, he wasn't even telling me which speakers he was using. just kept telling me "Sir, just listen to the sound quality and you'll buy the package for 1.5L". had a hard time getting out of him the fact that the speakers were jamo606. sigh...
i guess i'll have to drive down to delhi to look for a dealer there.
any suggestions on where i should go look for the avr and speakers in delhi.

Cheers
 
The best place will be Onkyo's showroom at the following address.

K-1/79, Ground Floor,
Opp. South Park Apartment (Gate No.1),
Chittaranjan Park,
New Delhi - 110 019.
Ph:011 - 4160 3109, 4050 2619,
Telefax: 2627 8935,
Moblie:98117 76762
Email:[email protected]

For speakers, you will have to contact the companies I mentioned and find out their dealers or showrooms in Delhi. I would suggest you arm yourself with a list of showrooms / dealers you will visit with and the product you will audition before you leave Ludhiana.

If you need help, let me know and I will see waht I can do.

Cheers
 
hi, I have an update ....

Met this sonodyne chap in ludhiana. He has suggested the following system to me...
denon AVR1908 --> 40k
sonodyne genie2 speakers 2nos --> 8k each
sonodyne 200w SubWoofer --> 25k

This would give me a 2.1 system initially. Later he says we can add 3 more genies to get 5.1 ....

Any comments on this setup?
Is AVR1908 better than SR606?

Also visited mordaunt-short dealer. He suggested
906i tower pair --> 27k
with their bipolars and sw... don't remember the price for those.

Also called wharfedale dealer in chandigarh, he suggested
diamond 9.5 --> 27k
3 surround speaker set --> 10k
SW --> 18k


I'm really getting confused now!!
 
hi, I have an update ....

Met this sonodyne chap in ludhiana. He has suggested the following system to me...
denon AVR1908 --> 40k
sonodyne genie2 speakers 2nos --> 8k each
sonodyne 200w SubWoofer --> 25k

This would give me a 2.1 system initially. Later he says we can add 3 more genies to get 5.1 ....

Any comments on this setup?
Is AVR1908 better than SR606?

Have you auditioned the Denon and Sonodyne together? The Genie 2 has good reviews from AV Max. But in my opinion, it may lose it's musicality in a short time. This is because the speakers are enclosed in die cast aluminum. I have a feeling, that driven for some time, the body will start resonating.

At the same time, I have heard the Sonodyne with Denon and it did sound nice, though a little forward. Mind you this audition of mine was a long time ago.

Is Denon better than Onkyo? Well there is a thread in this forum where this has been discussed, though not seriously. I would say the Onkyo has more power and more features. It will drive your speakers for movies very well and sound good for music too, unless you listen at very high volumes. The Denon may run out of steam when driven hard, but may sound good for music. The Onkyo is supposed to have more Dynamics. Please read the reviews at TV, home cinema and hi-fi reviews and news from the experts at whathifi.com.

It is important that you audition both and then decide for yourself. Download the specs for both models and see. If you have some confusion, we will always be happy to help.

Also visited mordaunt-short dealer. He suggested
906i tower pair --> 27k
with their bipolars and sw... don't remember the price for those.

MS are good speakers, though I have not heard them. The Onkyo and MS combination is very popular around the world.

Also called wharfedale dealer in chandigarh, he suggested
diamond 9.5 --> 27k
3 surround speaker set --> 10k
SW --> 18k

I am using the Wharfedale Diamonds with my Onkyo 875, and I am quite happy with it. I get very precise sound for movies, and I get good sound for movies. Wharfedale, particularly the Diamonds, are good for both movies and music.

I'm really getting confused now!!

Patience my friend. You are getting into something that many of us have spent years researching before deciding. You get into HT and music at this scale, it is a life long passion. Please, please audition the systems and speakers. Do not buy anything without an audition.

We will all help you as much as we can.

Cheers
 
Hey guys

I've been checking up on various speakers on the net, and at the moment I feel the following would be best for me. Ofcourse I'll make up my mind only after auditioning them in chandigarh...

front speakers --> wharfedale diamond 9.5 --> 27k
centre & surround --> wharfedale wh-2 kit --> 10k

Now there are two questions I need help with.

1) diamond 9.5 are spec'ed as power=30-150w & impedence=6ohm. The wh-2 are spec'ed as 120w & impedence= 4-8ohm. The SR606 is spec'ed as 175w/ch @ min 6ohm. Will this combination work without me blowing the speakers?

2) Which subwoofer should i go for? At the moment I only have info on the following:
Wharfedale SW150 --> 18k
Sonodyne front fired --> 25k

I read somewhere on the net that sw150 didn't work well with diamond9.5 as the sw didn't add much to the bass from the 9.5. A minimum of 250w active sub was suggested. What would such a sub cost (range)? How about the sonodyne? Is it worth the extra money?

Thanks and Cheers
 
Hey guys
1) diamond 9.5 are spec'ed as power=30-150w & impedence=6ohm. The wh-2 are spec'ed as 120w & impedence= 4-8ohm. The SR606 is spec'ed as 175w/ch @ min 6ohm. Will this combination work without me blowing the speakers?

Having a little extra power on the amp will not matter much as long as you don't play the amplifier at insane volumes.

2) Which subwoofer should i go for? At the moment I only have info on the following:
Wharfedale SW150 --> 18k
Sonodyne front fired --> 25k

I read somewhere on the net that sw150 didn't work well with diamond9.5 as the sw didn't add much to the bass from the 9.5. A minimum of 250w active sub was suggested. What would such a sub cost (range)? How about the sonodyne? Is it worth the extra money?

If you buying Wharfedale for front and other channels, you should buy only the Wharfedale also for sub woofer. This is essential for what is called timbre matching. If you find the SW150 a little wanting, you can go in for one of the other models. The SW250 goes lower than most Sonodynes (30Hz) and pumps out 250 watts.

In terms of working with the 9.5, on the Onkyo AVR, you can set the frequency crossover of the speakers including the sub woofer. In addition, the Onkyo allow you to 'double' the bass by routing the bass from the Front L & R to the sub woofer.

If you understand and set these crossovers well, you should get excellent response from your speakers.

Cheers
 
Venkat,

Thanks for taking the time to respond in detail - your messages are always very informative. Today i auditioned the following, to go with my TXSR 606 :

a) Wharfedale Diamond 9.5 / 9 DTS / 9CS / SW150 (Offered to me @ Rs 55K)
b) Jamo 606 HCS 5 (with SUB150) (Offer price Rs 43.5K)
c) Polk Audio (Offer price Rs 80K) - can't remember the model no.

I auditioned the Polk and Jamo at one location and the Polk seemed to be far more musical. Jamo seems to generate a heavy sound (probably due to the side firing drivers) and wasn't as musical.

Wharfedale was good and i am inclined towards them. Would you advise that i buy the 9CM instead of the 9CS.

Look forward to your note.

Regards, BDS
 
Wharfedale was good and i am inclined towards them. Would you advise that i buy the 9CM instead of the 9CS.

Look forward to your note.

Regards, BDS

BDS:

Wharfedale is a good choice. Many people in this forum who have heard it recently have liked it, and that is good.

Regarding 9CM vs 9CS, the frequency response is the same for both speakers. The 9CM has two 6.5" woofers and a mid range as against 2 x 5" woofers in the 9CS. Both have the same tweeter. The 9CM can handle power from 30-150 watts while the 9CS from 20-120 watts.

What will be the difference with these specs? The power, per se, will not make too much of a difference. Because of the larger woofers and an additional mid range, the 9CM will deliver dialogues with more clarity, and also present a larger sound stage. Having said that, you will not lose anything if you have the 9CS. Why is this? To take advantage of the 9CM's additional capabilities, the movies must be mixed extremely well with special emphasis on the dialogues and the sound stage around the center of the screen. I have seen very few movies like that. One that comes to my mind is 'The Haunting'. Most movies will be mixed to emphasise on the front R&L, and the sub woofer.

Let us put it this way - if you can afford it, go for the 9CM. If you rather spend the extra money or other things such as cables etc., go for the 9CS with a smile on your face, knowing you have not missed anything.

The 9CS will go well with the 9.5s and the SW150.

Cheers
 
hey guys

Finally got my system together :). This is what I've got...

Onkyo SR606
Wharfedale 9.5 (Tower)
'' PC12 (Sub)
'' 9CS
'' 9DFS (Surr)

Got it all connected. Haven't had time to play any games, but Bob Dylan sounds awesome with this system ..... Oh and my total spending was 96k.

Cheers
 
Congratulations!

Please do stay on the forum and do tell us what music you listen to and what movies you enjoy.

As you use the system, after a break in period, the system will start sounding sweeter and better. Please do keep us updated.

Cheers
 
Congratulations!! enjoy the music......(and the movies)......could you also be nice enough to give us a break-up of the cost?

And on a lighter note.....all this setup to listen to Bob Dylan???? :eek:

hey guys

Finally got my system together :). This is what I've got...

Onkyo SR606
Wharfedale 9.5 (Tower)
'' PC12 (Sub)
'' 9CS
'' 9DFS (Surr)

Got it all connected. Haven't had time to play any games, but Bob Dylan sounds awesome with this system ..... Oh and my total spending was 96k.

Cheers
 
Venkat,

Thanks for taking the time to respond in detail - your messages are always very informative. Today i auditioned the following, to go with my TXSR 606 :

a) Wharfedale Diamond 9.5 / 9 DTS / 9CS / SW150 (Offered to me @ Rs 55K)
b) Jamo 606 HCS 5 (with SUB150) (Offer price Rs 43.5K)
c) Polk Audio (Offer price Rs 80K) - can't remember the model no.

I auditioned the Polk and Jamo at one location and the Polk seemed to be far more musical. Jamo seems to generate a heavy sound (probably due to the side firing drivers) and wasn't as musical.

Wharfedale was good and i am inclined towards them. Would you advise that i buy the 9CM instead of the 9CS.

Look forward to your note.

Regards, BDS

Hello BDS. Could you please tell me where you auditioned the Wharfedale speakers in Mumbai ? were you able to auditon them with 606?

Venkatcr bro thanks a lot for all the info and support to us noobs ..
 
Vinoo,

Check out Link Road at DN Nagar (opposite DN Nagar police station). Andheri West. You will find 3 showrooms there. 'The Shop' is the largest and the prices seem to be the highest as well - they deal with Onkyo / Elac / Mordaunt Short / Pure Ac etc. 100 mts down the road you will find the other 2 shops. One of them stocks MS / Wharfedale etc. The other stocks Mission / Jamo / Polk. These 2 shops are much smaller but offered the most competitive prices.

BTW, I finally got myself Jamo 606 HCS 3 (with Sub 200) at 43.5K - and I am guessing, i got a good deal. At first, i thought the floor standers had a very heavy sound (too much bass). However, after installation, the music sounds excellent with SR 606. Though I haven't quite figured out how to handle the bass for the movies - any advise will help (Venkat are you still there!!).

Hope this helps,

BDS
 
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