How should I split the budget for AVR+Speakers+Sub? Please advise!

[Burning Grunt]

Hi All,

So far, I was a silent reader on this forum. But now the time has come to take deep dive ito musical nirvana/theatrical experience. :yahoo: I am planning for a good 5.1 HT system. My room size is ~20'X15'. I will be playing 60% movies (through my WDTV) and 40% music (right from Indian Classical to Linkin Park through my WDTV and iPod touch, if possible). I have a budget of 1L (actually 90k, keeping 10k aside for cables) for (AVR + speakers + Sub). I am planning to go for audition this weekend in Bangalore.

But I am confused how to split the bucks. I think I should invest ~40-45k into AVR and rest into speakers. I have short-listed Yamaha 663/863 (inclined to 863), Denon 1909 and Onkyo 606/706 (I hope they fit into my budget range). I would like to go for individual speakers but I am not sure if it is possible in ~40-45k budget. Otherwise I will go for some good speaker package from Wharfedale (diamond 9)/MA/Klipsch/QA (suggestions please).

If I am able to buy individual speakers then how should be the split? And anything available within this budget range?
FS/BS - 15k
SUB - 15k
Centre - 7.5k (I am doubtful about centre speaker cost as I feel its quality matters most when playing movies)
Surround - 7.5k

One more doubt! As I live in an apartment (first floor), I don't want any trouble from ground floor residents. So should I consider down-firing sub? I am just a novice so I have no idea if this is a concern.

Please advise.

Thanks!

PS: Does anyone know new address of Decibels Inc? I read somewhere that it has moved to Jayanagar.

 

[afj]

imo at that budget level spend a bit more on your speakers. if youre going for a sub you dont really need floorstanders and bookshelves are lower on wattage (but big enough for a standard flat). so you can buy a good SQ amp of a lower wattage too to match the speakers (onkyo, marantz are my choices) and pair it with the monitor audio bronze / kef iq series / wharfedale diamond series - 4 bookshelves, a centre and a sub. im not too clued up with prices in india but i guess you would be looking at something between 50-60k on the speakers (guys correct me if im wrong) and another 30k odd on an amp.

 

[Raghav]

I would strongly suggest you to buy the speakers separately as you have mentioned. You just have to tweak the budget a little.

You could buy the AVR for 35k. Marantz 5003 is one that would be very good. marantz

Also Denon 1910 is available for around 41k. 1909 being the old model could be for 35k. Denon 1910 has very a very good video upscaler from Anchor Bay.

One other AVR, you must check out is Pioneer VSX-1019, especially since you use an iPod Touch. The Pioneer is iPod compatible (iPod info is displayed on TV and can be operated using the AVR's remote) No need for a dock.

Now you are left with 50-55k for your speakers and sub. For this you can audition the following separate systems.

1. Wharfedale 9.1 + 9CS + 9DFS + SW150 - approx. 48k
Wharfedale 10.1 + 10CS + 10DFS + SW150 - approx. 54k

2. Polk Audio RTi A1 + CSi A4 + OWM 3 surround + PSW110 - 54k
Polk Audio TSi 200 + CS10 + TSi100 + PSW110 - 49k MRP

I do not like the TSi series much, but mentioned it as you can audition and decide for yourself when you check the higher RTi series

Raghav

Hi All,

So far, I was a silent reader on this forum. But now the time has come to take deep dive ito musical nirvana/theatrical experience. :yahoo: I am planning for a good 5.1 HT system. My room size is ~20'X15'. I will be playing 60% movies (through my WDTV) and 40% music (right from Indian Classical to Linkin Park through my WDTV and iPod touch, if possible). I have a budget of 1L (actually 90k, keeping 10k aside for cables) for (AVR + speakers + Sub). I am planning to go for audition this weekend in Bangalore.

But I am confused how to split the bucks. I think I should invest ~40-45k into AVR and rest into speakers. I have short-listed Yamaha 663/863 (inclined to 863), Denon 1909 and Onkyo 606/706 (I hope they fit into my budget range). I would like to go for individual speakers but I am not sure if it is possible in ~40-45k budget. Otherwise I will go for some good speaker package from Wharfedale (diamond 9)/MA/Klipsch/QA (suggestions please).

If I am able to buy individual speakers then how should be the split? And anything available within this budget range?
FS/BS - 15k
SUB - 15k
Centre - 7.5k (I am doubtful about centre speaker cost as I feel its quality matters most when playing movies)
Surround - 7.5k

One more doubt! As I live in an apartment (first floor), I don't want any trouble from ground floor residents. So should I consider down-firing sub? I am just a novice so I have no idea if this is a concern.

Please advise.

Thanks!

PS: Does anyone know new address of Decibels Inc? I read somewhere that it has moved to Jayanagar.

 

[sud98]

If you are keeping a lakh as the budget and primarily for movies, the Yamaha 663 would be a good choice, somewhere in the forum it was said its available at 33k with bill and warranty.

For 60k odd, you could go for the Wharfedale series pretty neat buy, you could change 9.1 to 9.2/10.2.

As a general rule, spend most of your money on the speakers as the last the longest. This is primarily because, AVR is very spec intensive, and support for newer devices keep coming in 4/5 years. While speakers you may upgrade primarily because you have more cash to spend

Also, not sure of your source, as ipod touch might need a dock if you want to play quality sound but its an optional item.

Between the receivers 663/863, going for an upscaler (which is the primary diff between the two) would make sense depending upon the display you have. If you are having a large display >42", it would make sense to invest in it, else not.

 

[Burning Grunt]

Thanks a lot! Right now I have Samsung CRT but I am planning to buy for 46"/50" plasma by next month end.

 

[Sumit]

Hi!

Considering your budget and your needs:
1. Don't go for 863. It is a gr8 AVR but won't leave you much for the speakers. Buy 663/606/1909/5003 yam/onkyo/1909/Marantz instead. They shd all be <35 k for sure.
2. Speakers: you have a pretty big room size. Almost identical to my HT size, 21 X 15. I am skeptical if Bookshelves will do the job. But, then you have neighbours to worry about. I think you could consider small floorstanders. It also depends how far you shall sit from the Tv/screen.
IMHO if you can get a pair of floorstanders for demo it would be great. Then u will exactly know what you need. Consider wharfedale, Modaunt short, PSB. These are all good brands and don't cost an arm or a leg.

One thing that I have learnt the hard way is that one should not be hasty in buying stuff. If today you have a budget of 1L and say you are not able to buy certain stuff because it crosses your budget then I'd say wait.

Buy the AVR and front speakers first. then buy the sub and surrounds. But, buy the one which shall satisfy you. In this way you shall enjoy your HT for a long time to come. I have made mistakes like these and it bugs me till date.

Spend more on your speakers. Center speaker is very important for HT. it is active more than 60% of the time. Do NOT cut corners here. The center I bought is basically half the size of my fronts. It has two 6.5 inch drivers!! Your room size is same as mine. You need a big center to do justice to the room. I am very satisfied with PSB. You might wanna check them out.
PSB Speakers | Music and Home Theater Loudspeakers

Cheers!

Sumit

 

[Burning Grunt]

Viewing distance is ~12ft.

 

[Sumit]

Viewing distance is ~12ft.

BG> I think you should have a look at the "Showcase my audio video thread". This will give you a good idea w.r.t. space constraints and equipment used. I have also posted my equip pics at http://www.hifivision.com/my-audio-video-setup/1167-showcase-your-audio-video-setup-here-16.html

Now, assuming you shall hanging your tv on the 15' wall ( Makes sense) and you mentioned that you are going to sit at around 12' from the tv. I think big standmounts should be sufficient but you would enjoy more with capable small floorstanders like PSB image 45. But, this can only be decided by you.

I think the next step for you is to start auditioning and then come back here with your comments. We here shall guide you to get best for you money.

One more thing.....You might have to acoustically treat your room. Check out the threads related to room acoustics. I can help you make required trap boxes and give you accurate orientation as well because we have identical room sizes!!!

Cheers!

 

[anm]

I would suggest buying a decent integrated amp from used market between 10-20k, or something from sonodyne/ norge etc. spend rest of the money on very good quality speakers with decent bass.
I had an onkyo surround sound system - but even since I have moved to 2 channel integrated amp + jbl FS, I find my movie experience much better - even with the sub out of the duty. And these JBLs are not very good speakers - they are just 30k brand new at jbl showroom.

There are two approaches you can take - buy a lot of mediocre stuff with lots of low end / mediocre speakers, and keep on upgrading. Journey is more fun.

Or buy high quality front speakers that can last 3-4 years, and upgrade on other components gradually. I can recommend this approach, to save some headache of disposing mediocre components that keep on piling up.

regards

Hi All,

So far, I was a silent reader on this forum. But now the time has come to take deep dive ito musical nirvana/theatrical experience. :yahoo: I am planning for a good 5.1 HT system. My room size is ~20'X15'. I will be playing 60% movies (through my WDTV) and 40% music (right from Indian Classical to Linkin Park through my WDTV and iPod touch, if possible). I have a budget of 1L (actually 90k, keeping 10k aside for cables) for (AVR + speakers + Sub). I am planning to go for audition this weekend in Bangalore.

But I am confused how to split the bucks. I think I should invest ~40-45k into AVR and rest into speakers. I have short-listed Yamaha 663/863 (inclined to 863), Denon 1909 and Onkyo 606/706 (I hope they fit into my budget range). I would like to go for individual speakers but I am not sure if it is possible in ~40-45k budget. Otherwise I will go for some good speaker package from Wharfedale (diamond 9)/MA/Klipsch/QA (suggestions please).

If I am able to buy individual speakers then how should be the split? And anything available within this budget range?
FS/BS - 15k
SUB - 15k
Centre - 7.5k (I am doubtful about centre speaker cost as I feel its quality matters most when playing movies)
Surround - 7.5k

One more doubt! As I live in an apartment (first floor), I don't want any trouble from ground floor residents. So should I consider down-firing sub? I am just a novice so I have no idea if this is a concern.

Please advise.

Thanks!

PS: Does anyone know new address of Decibels Inc? I read somewhere that it has moved to Jayanagar.

 

[Burning Grunt]

I checked Wharfedale 9.5, 9.CS, 9.DFS and SW150 at Vector's. I found 9.5 quite good in stereo mode. Centre channel was awesome during movies. The sub was good when the sales guy played some chinese movie with DTS. But when my 'Lakshya' DVD with 5.1 Dolby was played, I found sub lacking a punch. When we played rendition by Pt Shivkumar Sharma in stereo mode, I found that Santoor sound was coming from right-FS and Tabla sound from left FS. This may be due to poor recording. The system was connected to Onkyo 702 (never heard of it) and Pioneer DVDP. He quoted 73k for 9.5, 9.CS, 9.DFS and SW150. Is it a fair deal? And will SW250 do the justice?

I also auditioned Onkyo 706 paired with Klipsch (forgot the name of the floorstanders and rest of the set) at recently opened Onkyo showroom at Forum Value Mall, Whitefield. The speakers were rocking. I didn't find a chance to check my disc. The cost he quoted for 706+Klipsch was way above my budget; he quoted 1.5L after 25k discount. And sales person (Mr Dass) even said that I have to look for an electrician to fit/drill all the cable housing.

I plan to audition AVRs next weekend.

Sumit> Thanks a lot for your valuable suggestions. But I have to make one correction here (my apologies for misguiding you to guide me! :lol. I have an L-shaped room (living room + dining space). Later I felt that I should consider only living room/space dimensions for my HT. In that case, my HT sound space will be 15'X8'. Therefore, I don't think I need very big FS.

I am also not sure if I will be able to give acoustic treatment to my living room. If you have any suggestions, I will try my best to implement.

 

[Raghav]

going by the size of your living space (15 X 8), I feel you should go for 9.2 instead of 9.5s. What you save here you can spend on upgrading the sub or the AVR.

Raghav

I checked Wharfedale 9.5, 9.CS, 9.DFS and SW150 at Vector's. I found 9.5 quite good in stereo mode. Centre channel was awesome during movies. The sub was good when the sales guy played some chinese movie with DTS. But when my 'Lakshya' DVD with 5.1 Dolby was played, I found sub lacking a punch. When we played rendition by Pt Shivkumar Sharma in stereo mode, I found that Santoor sound was coming from right-FS and Tabla sound from left FS. This may be due to poor recording. The system was connected to Onkyo 702 (never heard of it) and Pioneer DVDP. He quoted 73k for 9.5, 9.CS, 9.DFS and SW150. Is it a fair deal? And will SW250 do the justice?

Sumit> Thanks a lot for your valuable suggestions. But I have to make one correction here (my apologies for misguiding you to guide me! :lol. I have an L-shaped room (living room + dining space). Later I felt that I should consider only living room/space dimensions for my HT. In that case, my HT sound space will be 15'X8'. Therefore, I don't think I need very big FS.

 

[marsilians]

Typically I suggest the following split for the components and order in which one should purchase:

3. 30 - 25% for AVR (even used is a good option)
1. 45% for speakers
2. 30% for sub


This will get you system for the longer term as you will tend to replace teh AVR much sooner than the speakers

10% is a decent estimate fro the cables. Just don't go crazy over monster and other brands. Cheaper cables will get you pretty much the same response.

Wrt the brands, I say go audition and then provide some options so people can suggest.

Hi All,

So far, I was a silent reader on this forum. But now the time has come to take deep dive ito musical nirvana/theatrical experience. :yahoo: I am planning for a good 5.1 HT system. My room size is ~20'X15'. I will be playing 60% movies (through my WDTV) and 40% music (right from Indian Classical to Linkin Park through my WDTV and iPod touch, if possible). I have a budget of 1L (actually 90k, keeping 10k aside for cables) for (AVR + speakers + Sub). I am planning to go for audition this weekend in Bangalore.

But I am confused how to split the bucks. I think I should invest ~40-45k into AVR and rest into speakers. I have short-listed Yamaha 663/863 (inclined to 863), Denon 1909 and Onkyo 606/706 (I hope they fit into my budget range). I would like to go for individual speakers but I am not sure if it is possible in ~40-45k budget. Otherwise I will go for some good speaker package from Wharfedale (diamond 9)/MA/Klipsch/QA (suggestions please).

If I am able to buy individual speakers then how should be the split? And anything available within this budget range?
FS/BS - 15k
SUB - 15k
Centre - 7.5k (I am doubtful about centre speaker cost as I feel its quality matters most when playing movies)
Surround - 7.5k

One more doubt! As I live in an apartment (first floor), I don't want any trouble from ground floor residents. So should I consider down-firing sub? I am just a novice so I have no idea if this is a concern.

Please advise.

Thanks!

PS: Does anyone know new address of Decibels Inc? I read somewhere that it has moved to Jayanagar.

 

[KHK]

Wharfedales are excellent speakers, but I'll be wary of the low sensitivity of 86db. What u gain ($$) by buying these VFM speakers, u will lose in your amp, as u need a powerful amp to drive them.

Try Polk audio and Tannoy Mercury series. If the MA bronze comes in your budget, nothing like it.

If u r buying a plasma next month, i suggest postpone it by a few months, and divert some money here.

If you are genuinely interested in "40% music" then, the DACs in your ipod or WDTV will not do justice to your rest of the system. Invest 20k in a good DAc like Cambridge DACMagic.

 

[Sumit]

going by the size of your living space (15 X 8),
Raghav

The size of his room is 20 X 15!!!

 

[Raghav]

It is a L-shaped room, where the Home Theatre area is only 15 X 8. Thats what I understood from below.

My room is also L-shaped with a sitting area in the extension. I plan to install a stereo Zone B from the AVR there. BG can do the same in his Dining area.

Sumit> Thanks a lot for your valuable suggestions. But I have to make one correction here (my apologies for misguiding you to guide me! :lol. I have an L-shaped room (living room + dining space). Later I felt that I should consider only living room/space dimensions for my HT. In that case, my HT sound space will be 15'X8'. Therefore, I don't think I need very big FS.

 

[Sumit]

It is a L-shaped room, where the Home Theatre area is only 15 X 8. Thats what I understood from below.

My room is also L-shaped with a sitting area in the extension. I plan to install a stereo Zone B from the AVR there. BG can do the same in his Dining area.

Ooops!! You are right here. And, in this case I agree with you w.r.t. the size of the speakers. Keeping in view neighbours agony and dimensions of room, I think bookshelf should suffice.

BG, go on and take some auditions and get bk here.

Sumit