HT setup budget 5 lakhs

bprags

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Hi All,

I had created this http://www.hifivision.com/what-should-i-buy/60928-need-speaker-suggestion.html thread a few weeks back, asking speaker suggestions for my plasma, I was all set to audition based on the suggestions, then all of a sudden wife shouted why spend one lakh on it when the home theater room that I had built is lying vacant and not being used at all, was a good suggestion in hindsight, as I was already ready to spend a lakh for the setup.

Now coming to the actual matter, my room is 18 feet by 19 feet and I need the following.

  1. Projector
  2. Screen, at least a 120 inch screen, not sure what size I can get in my room.
  3. AVR with support for 7.1 channels
  4. 7.1 speakers with floor standers.
  5. Active Sub.
  6. Sound proofing the room.

I need this setup to watch movies only and nothing else.

I have a budget of 5 lakhs. Will it be enough? Please pour in your suggestions.

Thanks in advance.
 
You can get a decent setup for that budget. I got PSB X2T (5 speaker) in the end for 4.5 lakhs including cables, stabilizers, online UPS, 7.1 AVR, projector, 133 inch screen, installation cost, subwoofer.
 
You can get a decent setup for that budget. I got PSB X2T (5 speaker) in the end for 4.5 lakhs including cables, stabilizers, online UPS, 7.1 AVR, projector, 133 inch screen, installation cost, subwoofer.

If you dont mind, can you share the room size? what brand projector did u buy? It would be nice if you could list down a few more details. Appreciate your response.
 
This is how you get high quality sound without falling prey to overpriced myths and gimmicks:

  • 2x SVS PB-2000 subwoofers. Dual subwoofers are mandatory to eliminate nulls in the frequency response.
  • Any speakers are fine. There is no benefit whatsoever to expensive speakers. The SVS Prime or Wharfedale Diamond series are very powerful and cheap.
  • Room correction such as Audyssey MultEQ XT32 or Dirac Live is mandatory to get satisfactory bass from the subwoofer and to make the speakers produce the original audio. (This is why speaker brands don't matter in the end.)
  • For Audyssey, make sure you get XT32 and not XT. A flagship AVR like the Marantz SR7010 will do. If you prefer the more customizable Dirac Live, there are multiple ways to integrate into your system. Look over the various Dirac enabled products such as the miniDSP nanoAVR-DL & DDRC-88A or the Emotiva XMC-1.
  • There is no reason to buy an overpriced pre-pro. Just buy an AVR and use the 7.1 analog inputs like a power amplifier.

The sofa set is kind of important. If the sofa is crap you won't be able to feel the physical punch from the sub throughout your body. The ones with compressible material where you sink in when you sit down give the best effect. Unfortunately there isn't any scientific way to resolve this.
 
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Many products can enhance the feeling of bass notes dramatically even in the softest of sofas. Unlike sub they attach directly to the sofa.

Wharfedale speaker package for 1 lakh will be good for the budget.
 
Go with Wharfedale 7.0 speakers. There is good offer going on in hifimart.
Dual subwoofers from Velodyne or SVS.
 
Hi,

Given the recommendations here and offer going on in hifimart I wanted to check on how good are Wharfdale for music. Am looking to setup HT as well but I would use them equally for music as well.

Thanks
 
Hi,

Given the recommendations here and offer going on in hifimart I wanted to check on how good are Wharfdale for music. Am looking to setup HT as well but I would use them equally for music as well.

Thanks

All speakers are the same after room correction. The original sound of the speakers don't matter since the bass will be completely random when placed in a different room.
 
All speakers are the same after room correction. The original sound of the speakers don't matter since the bass will be completely random when placed in a different room.


The bass is such a small component, unless you are into only head banging and extremely high beat sounds. It is a very generic statement to say all speakers sound similar after room correction. This cannot be further than the truth.
 
The bass is such a small component, unless you are into only head banging and extremely high beat sounds. It is a very generic statement to say all speakers sound similar after room correction. This cannot be further than the truth.

Assuming the room correction system is actually competent, such as Dirac Live or the XT32 flavour of MultEQ (all other room correction systems are garbage in comparison), the difference between speakers is negligible. Sure there will be a small distinction in tone across speakers even after correction, but it's not worth the difference in cost.

To be clear, when I say room correction I mean both room correction (for the bass primarily) as well as frequency response correction for the entire range which will destroy the original tone of the speakers and bring it close to your desired response curve (in the case of Dirac Live or with the Audyssey Pro kit).

Onkyo's AccuEQ system actually maintains the original response of the front speakers and corrects the other speakers to sound like the fronts, in addition to (bad) subwoofer correction.

I have actually gone through three sets of speakers with my system. On their own they all sound wildly different with unique sound signatures. After Dirac Live correction, I can't really tell the difference. Sure you can strain it where it falters at some particular frequency and identify a speaker that way, but then you're actively looking for the difference. For normal usage there was simply no difference, apart from the power handling ability (my first set of Onkyo HTIB speakers distorted easily). If you have only stereo speakers, then there is a clear difference even with correction because the difference in the lower frequency limit of the bass is clearly audible. However I paired all the speakers with the same subwoofer and with the bass crossed over there was no significant difference. The only other significant difference is the angle of radiation - some speakers sound drastically different when you move even six inches off center but a well designed speaker will radiate the same response across a wider angle. Whether that is worth 2x or 10x the cost is subjective, but anything more than say 50k for floor standers that handle 100W of power is a ripoff.
 
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Assuming the room correction system is actually competent, such as Dirac Live or the XT32 flavour of MultEQ (all other room correction systems are garbage in comparison), the difference between speakers is negligible. Sure there will be a small distinction in tone across speakers even after correction, but it's not worth the difference in cost.

To be clear, when I say room correction I mean both room correction (for the bass primarily) as well as frequency response correction for the entire range which will destroy the original tone of the speakers and bring it close to your desired response curve (in the case of Dirac Live or with the Audyssey Pro kit).

Onkyo's AccuEQ system actually maintains the original response of the front speakers and corrects the other speakers to sound like the fronts, in addition to (bad) subwoofer correction.

I have actually gone through three sets of speakers with my system. On their own they all sound wildly different with unique sound signatures. After Dirac Live correction, I can't really tell the difference. Sure you can strain it where it falters at some particular frequency and identify a speaker that way, but then you're actively looking for the difference. For normal usage there was simply no difference, apart from the power handling ability (my first set of Onkyo HTIB speakers distorted easily). If you have only stereo speakers, then there is a clear difference even with correction because the difference in the lower frequency limit of the bass is clearly audible. However I paired all the speakers with the same subwoofer and with the bass crossed over there was no significant difference. The only other significant difference is the angle of radiation - some speakers sound drastically different when you move even six inches off center but a well designed speaker will radiate the same response across a wider angle. Whether that is worth 2x or 10x the cost is subjective, but anything more than say 50k for floor standers that handle 100W of power is a ripoff.

Try checking out Anthem ARC, it is superb
 
Try checking out Anthem ARC, it is superb

It's measurably inferior to both Dirac Live and XT32 as tests have shown. Don't believe the hype (or the price). ARC has earned a big name for itself though since it launched way back in 2007 and there was nothing like it at the time.

XT32 (which is a completely different product from XT, not just higher resolution filters), is very close to Dirac Live but not equal. However the combination of XT32 and DynamicEQ together will produce a better sound than Dirac Live at different volume levels. Dirac Live does not have loudness compensation and the manufacturer must include their own like in the Emotiva XMC-1.
 
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I think as someone suggested above, make it 2 subs and not 1 sub.
For projector go for Optoma HD141X or HD26.
AVR , I suggest to go for a Marantz 7010 it is atmos so u can plan for upgrading in future for in-ceiling speakers, if budget permits go for OPPO universal bluray player darbee edition 103D or 105D
 
Spending 5x as much on a Blu-ray player gives does not improve the image quality. All players output the same quality video, apart from image processing gimmicks. Buy a PS4 for half the price or just a cheap entry level player. They're all the same. I'd recommend the PS4.
 
Spending 5x as much on a Blu-ray player gives does not improve the image quality. All players output the same quality video, apart from image processing gimmicks. Buy a PS4 for half the price or just a cheap entry level player. They're all the same. I'd recommend the PS4.

I did not say to get a Oppo bluray player ... I said to get a Oppo BDP 103D that is a DARBEE Edition. If you think that Darbee edition gives equal and same image output that a local samsung and sony player gives, then I will not talk any further.
I wonder for what reasons these guys at oppo would charge the consumer 60K or 70K just for a blurayplayer which performs equal to the ones in our local market and local made. Enlighten me on that if u know.
 
If somebody think room correction will take care of speaker problem, then it is a big mistake. None of the software takes care of harmonic distortion of a speaker.
Harmonic distortion is very common and severe at low frequencies. Instead of base sound, speaker makes sound as if a sewing machine is running. I can send you low frequency file just play it through your speaker and you will know. And your software can not help you in that. I have designed these that is why I am so sure about it.
Lot of high end speakers uses double six or eight inch speaker for lower frequency range. Do you think it will give you pure sine waves. Two waves never merges seamlessly. Imagine you throw a stone in a pond and see the waves. Then for higher amplitude wave do you want to use a big stone or two small stone.
How about bad damper of speaker, making long pulse wave and loosing clarity.
For good sounding speaker, buy floor stander with 12 inch woofer and good horn tweeter for under 10K. But of good quality. If you are serious I can guide how to get it.
 
Purchase the Audiolab 6000A Integrated Amplifier at a special offer price.
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