sujithblaze
Active Member
Congrats on ur new purchase, im sure the package that you have got would be much better than the options that you started with, please do post a review about ur equipment, specially the sub and the 606se
HTiB or AVR
- Thread starter Vikash Malya
- Start date
Vikash Malya
Member
Thank you. I am glad i opted for these. I am already loving it. Will surely post an update on its performance.
congrats for your new purchase. Can you please pm me the price and place from where you purchased, since I am also buying a new HT.
sujithblaze
Active Member
Happy to see that many new members are now investing in proper ht rather than going for htib options
Hi Vikash,
What's the price you paid for Denon avr x1600h & which dealer ?. I'm also planning to buy the same.
Checkout Ooberpad. They do offer great deals. Initiate a chat on their forum and they will offer you a good price.
Vikash Malya
Member
Hi Ravipan, i got my setup from Audioholics, Chennai. You can call up and talk to Praveen, who offered me good discount...He is also knowledgeable and can suggest you options based on your budget. You can find the contact details on Google.
In delhi, yamaha 585 costs 45k and 1600h 48k.
ajay.narasimhan
New Member
Hi vikash
I am also from Chennai. can you tell me your dealer details.
my dealer is quoting is around 90 k for Marantz 1609 with Elac Cinema 5.
is it a good combination. I am clueless and confused.
some help would be appreciated !!
Vikash Malya
Member
Hi Ajay,
I got my setup from Audioholics, Chennai. Praveen who is the owner was quite helpful in advising me on making my decision. I did not see any demos as I got it during lockdown and had to make my decision based on online reviews, feedback from experts in this forum and based on my own gut feel. As you see in the thread I started with HTIB (50k), moved to Marantz and then settled with Denon, Taga and BIC combo for over a Lak. I am no expert and you may want to check specific threads related to Elac cinema for reviews and comments. I chose my setup based on following factors:
1. Performance (reviews) - balance for music and movies
2. Scalability - being future proof with features (functionality, connectivity, number of channels, etc)
3. Warranty and service - ability to be able to get it serviced 3 or 4 yrs down the line.
4. Taga - I chose as I specifically wanted towers as I can’t mount any in the front and many experts seemed to like this
5. I wanted a 12” powerful sub within budget and got BIC.
5. Finally, my dealer gave me a good deal and he helped me refine my decision.
Hopefully these pointers gives you some perspective and aids in moving in right direction.
harryneopotter
Well-Known Member
What was the price breakup? I am the market for a similar setup as well, but in Delhi.
Vikash Malya
Member
Hi Harry, I have sent you a DM.
The Godfather
New Member
Hi Vikas,
Around 3 months down the line would you still recommend the same setup?
I'm in a similar situation and want to build my HT preferably by Diwali. I reside in Mumbai.
Any tips or feedback or a review of your setup (if you have the time) would help.
Around 3 months down the line would you still recommend the same setup?
I'm in a similar situation and want to build my HT preferably by Diwali. I reside in Mumbai.
Any tips or feedback or a review of your setup (if you have the time) would help.
Vikash Malya
Member
Hi,
I love the setup i have currently and love has just started slowly growing in me... I have not fully utilised the amp to its potential. I just have a 5.1 and i have placed the Sub where i have room and did not perform subwoofer crawl to identify the best position. Having said that, i love the setup and am quite happy with it.
Following are points that i dint expect:
1. Being new to HT, i thought HT would blow me away as soon as i just set it up.. In fact, I couldn’t sleep the 1st day as it sounded so bad that my 15k speakers sounded much better.
2. I dint know that setting up HT is a science. It requires patience and one needs to do some bit of learning to even set it up.
3. Like a cricket bat, you need to season your HT and it slowly grows in you. Never expect to hear the soft thud from the middle of a New Bat.
4. From bass heavy speakers i had, getting used to hearing neutral tones was difficult.. Sound reproduction / clarity / quality of output is tremendous. But it takes time for the ears to appreciate it.
5. HT is only as good as the setup.. Placement of speakers and Sub, Wiring, Seating position, soundproofing and configuration of settings etc. plays a tremendous role determining the effectiveness of the setup. I have placed it in my hall where there is no sound proofing.. And since my home is closer the road, sound from traffic is extremely high.. Effect of speakers is lost a bit due to this. As a result even a lesser spec HT would sound better if these aspects are implemented well.
What i love:
1. I have started appreciating audio quality / clarity over bass. The Sub if set right would only function where it is supposed to and will remain calm and quite otherwise. There is no unnecessary thump or bass.. The audio quality is sublime.
2. I can setup different settings for audio from different sources such as Airplay (HEOS), Firestick, TV etc. I don’t necessarily have to change settings for e.g. my audio plays in Multi-channel stereo, Firestick and TV on Digital Surround.
3. I dint know how well Taga and BIC would sound as compared to Yamaha and Polk. I am not disappointed with my choice. The build quality, finish, sound quality is great. I am loving it.
4. I am really happy with Denon x1600h and hope to use it to its potential in the future (adding Dolby atoms speakers)
Tip:
1. Try and get demo of the product you choose. If possible compare it with other brands. You can feel the difference only if they are played alongside. So ensure you visit a place, where they can demo multiple brands / products under one roof.
2. There is no end to comparison. One is always better than the other and there are unlimited choices. You will need to decide what best suits you, one that comes in your budget, read through forums for complaints etc.. and most importantly listen to your gut feel.
3. Do not try to fit in all components at one go If your budget is limited. For e.g. Go for a good Amp which is relatively new (2019 or 2020 model) and speakers. Once you get a hang of the technicalities, you will have better clarity as to what other components you may need.
4. Understand the practical difficulties in the placement of speakers. For e.g. in my home, i cannot have front firing speakers placed on wall and nor on the TV stand. so i got towers instead.
5. Understand your needs for expansion in the future.. Get an amp that would suit your future needs and not the current budget. For e.g. see if you will use dolby atoms speakers, multi-room connections, Airplay, multiple subs etc. These considerations are important for you to decide on Amp and budget.
Sorry for keeping this long. I hope i have covered everything. Do reach out if you need any specific info. I hope you enjoy the process (purchase and setup) and all the best.
The Godfather
New Member
Hi Vikash,
Thank you for such a detailed and informative response! Thanks a ton.
It does indeed put this process in the right perspective.
I'm currently in the midst of researching & understanding the intricacies of all this.
I will definately reach out for more advice.
Thanks a ton !
Vikash Malya
Member
Hi all, Wishing you all a very Happy New Year.
During my initial days of setting up my denon, i spent considerable amount of time researching as to what parameters / configuration would be ideal for setup for my TV / Movies and Music. However, i felt the process was difficult and cumbersome as i had to change settings every time i found a new suggestion or article On how to setup. After a few days of tinkering with setup, i have been listening to the following setup for the past few months. My setup at home comprises of 42” LG TV, 2 floor standing towers, 2 Front heights, 1 Center and 1 Sub. The speakers being Taga Harmony SE and BIC Venturi Sub.
Following are the screen grabs of my Denon setup (sorry to keep this long). I know i could have just typed in the settings, but i thought it would be nice to have all the screen grabs so that i do not miss out on any key aspect. It would be great if you can let me know if i should modify anything that would enhance the sound quality. Not that it is not great now, but i would certainly want to improve if there is a possibility.
Some issues that i am facing:
a. Airtel xtream volume is low - decrease in volume by a significant margin. what i could hear at -30 on Firestick / Tatasky needs to be at -20 or -15 on Airtel xstream
b. Enabling dolby on Airtel xtream - plays audio only on front towers. Center and front heights are completely muted. The volume is extremely high though (on par with Firestick / Tatasky). Disabling dolby on Airtel xtream fixed this. Now i have set DD Surr - playing on all speakers.
c. I feel i am missing that immersive audio (both for movies / music). The quality of audio is great. However, i feel there is something missing. Could be due to the placement of speakers, but nevertheless, i want to be sure that it has nothing to do with settings.
Here are the screen grabs of the settings:
1. Home Screen - while on Airtel xtream
2. Center - Voice clarity and clarity of dialogues is amazing for music, movies, tv
3. Subwoofer level - i have not done a sub crawl. THe sub is closer to the front towers. Can’t do much on placement due to space constraints.
4. Surround Parameters - enabling Cinema EQ seems to reduce volume for some reason. Hence not enabled.
5. Restorer
6. Audio delay lip sync - on
7. Volume - i like the - to + scale and i have set the power on volume at -35 which is comfortable to hear on startup.
8. Audessey setting - there is big difference if i turn off dynamic EQ. Volume levels get extremely low and significant reduction in quality. Turning it on seems to set it right. I did not find major difference in MultEQ XT - Refefence / Bypass LR etc.
9. Inputs - Source Level - THis i set as suggested by the dealer from who i bought this. This made lot of difference during the initial days of setup.
10. Speakers - Manual Setup
11. Amp Assign - don’t know if changing this would make any difference. I couldnt see any change.
12. Speaker config - changing front to small made world of difference.
13. Distance - Initially when i did Audessey setup, it automatically assigned the distance. when i was reviewing this, i thought since the Front L and R showed different values, i thought audessey did not work properly and made some manual changes. I regret it now. I am unable to run audessey now as i am unable to find a completely calm / silent moment for it to work. These are manually set parameters after measuring by tape.
14. Crossovers - sticking to rule book 80 Hz for all.
15. Bass
16. Video Settings - HDMI Setup - i have not tweaked this at all.
I feel, getting the right placement of speakers / sub and setting up the right parameters would make world of difference to our listening. Request all of your inputs to enhance my setup. Thanks. Again wishing you all a happy New Year. Stay Safe.
During my initial days of setting up my denon, i spent considerable amount of time researching as to what parameters / configuration would be ideal for setup for my TV / Movies and Music. However, i felt the process was difficult and cumbersome as i had to change settings every time i found a new suggestion or article On how to setup. After a few days of tinkering with setup, i have been listening to the following setup for the past few months. My setup at home comprises of 42” LG TV, 2 floor standing towers, 2 Front heights, 1 Center and 1 Sub. The speakers being Taga Harmony SE and BIC Venturi Sub.
Following are the screen grabs of my Denon setup (sorry to keep this long). I know i could have just typed in the settings, but i thought it would be nice to have all the screen grabs so that i do not miss out on any key aspect. It would be great if you can let me know if i should modify anything that would enhance the sound quality. Not that it is not great now, but i would certainly want to improve if there is a possibility.
Some issues that i am facing:
a. Airtel xtream volume is low - decrease in volume by a significant margin. what i could hear at -30 on Firestick / Tatasky needs to be at -20 or -15 on Airtel xstream
b. Enabling dolby on Airtel xtream - plays audio only on front towers. Center and front heights are completely muted. The volume is extremely high though (on par with Firestick / Tatasky). Disabling dolby on Airtel xtream fixed this. Now i have set DD Surr - playing on all speakers.
c. I feel i am missing that immersive audio (both for movies / music). The quality of audio is great. However, i feel there is something missing. Could be due to the placement of speakers, but nevertheless, i want to be sure that it has nothing to do with settings.
Here are the screen grabs of the settings:
1. Home Screen - while on Airtel xtream
2. Center - Voice clarity and clarity of dialogues is amazing for music, movies, tv
3. Subwoofer level - i have not done a sub crawl. THe sub is closer to the front towers. Can’t do much on placement due to space constraints.
4. Surround Parameters - enabling Cinema EQ seems to reduce volume for some reason. Hence not enabled.
5. Restorer
6. Audio delay lip sync - on
7. Volume - i like the - to + scale and i have set the power on volume at -35 which is comfortable to hear on startup.
8. Audessey setting - there is big difference if i turn off dynamic EQ. Volume levels get extremely low and significant reduction in quality. Turning it on seems to set it right. I did not find major difference in MultEQ XT - Refefence / Bypass LR etc.
9. Inputs - Source Level - THis i set as suggested by the dealer from who i bought this. This made lot of difference during the initial days of setup.
10. Speakers - Manual Setup
11. Amp Assign - don’t know if changing this would make any difference. I couldnt see any change.
12. Speaker config - changing front to small made world of difference.
13. Distance - Initially when i did Audessey setup, it automatically assigned the distance. when i was reviewing this, i thought since the Front L and R showed different values, i thought audessey did not work properly and made some manual changes. I regret it now. I am unable to run audessey now as i am unable to find a completely calm / silent moment for it to work. These are manually set parameters after measuring by tape.
14. Crossovers - sticking to rule book 80 Hz for all.
15. Bass
16. Video Settings - HDMI Setup - i have not tweaked this at all.
I feel, getting the right placement of speakers / sub and setting up the right parameters would make world of difference to our listening. Request all of your inputs to enhance my setup. Thanks. Again wishing you all a happy New Year. Stay Safe.
Cooladitya007
Active Member
Hi, please share cost break-up.
Vikash Malya
Member
Hi Aditya, it cost me around 1.15 for the entire setup (Denon, Taga SE, BIC). I got it last year from a authorised dealer in Chennai. I am sure the cost would have gone down since for the same spec.
Well you got most of the settings fine....Keep Dynamic Volume on Low.
Source if low then please go ahead and increase the same to 10 or even 12.
In terms of Audyssey setup, levels are done conservatively and hence you can try to increase each speaker by +1db and try.....
If possible, run audyssey again, you may need to possibly do this even at 12 midnight or 1am to get it right.
I use a Marantz SR6010 and after audyssey settings, I changed the option of MultiEq from "REFERENCE" to FLAT and it really brings out the best frequencies in the speakers I use and even output. Based on the specs of my speakers, I have carefully tweaked source levels and even increased speaker levels for all by 2db after audyssey setup. I have retained these settings and added the same for every upgrade I have done for AVRs.
All the best!
Vikash Malya
Member
Thank you. Will try out the settings. i Will run the audessey first and try and tweak the levels.
The Marantz PM7000N offers big, spacious and insightful sound, class-leading clarity and a solid streaming platform in a award winning package.