Looking to buy an HTS under INR 90k

vybhav1908

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Hello Geeks

I live in Pune, India, looking for a Home Theater System (AV receiver and speakers) between Rs. 60k to 90k and below are a few things I would want out of it:

Must haves:

  • Best sound for music I could get in this budget
  • Dolby atmos support (so that I could use the AV receiver for a long time)
  • Nice subwoofer and good front speakers (can invest on better rears later, for now avg rears are ok)

Good to have:

  • AV receiver with Network capabilities and DLNA support
  • Wifi
  • Two sub-outs

Can easily compromise on:

  • I don't mind if 4k pass through isn't available
  • It is okay if the setup/interface is complicated

Cannot have:

  • Floor standing speakers. I am looking for bookshelf kind of front speakers for my Living room, it can be long but not much wide. However, I am ready to compromise if something not in this dimension and in my budget is available

My room:

  • As with any common man I would be setting it in my 16'5x11'5 feet Living room with TV mounted over the 16'5 feet wall (length) side making the viewing distance roughly around 10.5 feet, the rears would be spreading far across which I will have to somehow manage by calibrating it well
  • I have a 49" LED TV which I hope should be decent for the above viewing distance

My Music preferences:

  • Progressive rock, progressive metal, hard rock, ambient (Pink Floyd, Tool, Metallica), sometimes pop
  • Love to listen to speakers creating a good sound stage with good attack

My Movie preferences:
  • Anything from action, adventure, thriller, horror, animated. I am looking for a decent 'center' speaker but can compromise if it going out of budget and buy a better one later.

Considering my research I had finalized Denon AVR-X1200W 7.2 to be the big guy at home but yet unsure of its availability and the matching speakers to go for. Any other amp suggestions are welcome too. I am also open for a 5.1/7.1 speaker package if recommended.

I currently own a Sony Home Theater HT-DDW5500 which I realized sounds terrible to my ears quite soon after buying, I would be selling it off.

If you are too from Pune please also advise a good dealer here, I have only been to AV Excellence before.

Looking for a kind support.

Regards
Vaibhav
 
Since you mentioned about rock music, i guess polk audio makes good speakers for the type of music you like, many say its not good for music, but i have heard they being american speakers do a commendable job for rock music. Try and audition and check polk rti series. Also you can check out wharfedale, dali, q acoustics, etc. Not to forget the recently launched elac debut series of speakers. Try and find a good dealer who will be able to provide proper auditions. Recommend you to skip surrounds if you dont have the budget currently and can buy proper ones when you have the budget for it. Surrounds carry just a very few sound effects which will not make the experience bad if they are left out. Buying a matching center channel is a very important part of selecting speakers, so try and keep the same series for front as well as center speaker, this will ensure perfect sound.
 
Hi Vaibhav,

Audition as many systems as possible and start shortlisting the ones that appeal to you in connectivity, performance, appearance and budget...

You need an AVR which will do good justice to Music first and movies....Besides Denon, there is Marantz, NAD, Cambridge Audio, Pioneer (LX series) etc.

Speakers would be Wharfedale, PSB, Jamo, Polks, Pioneer (AJs), BIC America, Taga Harmony, ELAC, Acoustic Energy, etc.

You would require atleast 100w RMS at 8 ohms load per channel across all frequencies (20hz - 20khz). This means you need to look at the 7.2 AVRs......Mid segment - High End...

Honestly IMHO not much Dolby Atmos content out there and also not much difference against a proper 7.2 setup...I have been to the What Hi Fi show over the past 2 years ..experienced and saw no difference........also wifi if you read the actual operational manual of the latest AVRs does not do anything much great which existing old models can't do...example, you can add a Bluetooth device and make it compatible rather than putting in the extra 5k-10k for a wifi AVR etc.....

If you feel budget may be a challenge, look in the for sale by owner section or hi fi ads....there is always something good being sold....you can always use the same for a while then pop it off.......

End of the day, trust your instincts and listening choices...carry your music....you will find what you are seeking...all the best....don't rush....
 
Buy a receiver that supports both Atmos & Dts X to be future proof.
Also since you preference is music. Look out for Marantz receiver which are widely accepted for music.
Audition it before buying to match your hearing taste.
 
Hi Vaibhav,

In Pune you can try Oceanic in MG road, they have pretty good knowledge of music and do not push to buy until one is really happy with the sound.

I am also looking to buy a stereo setup, and have approached them, and I buy my regular CD's from there.

AV Excellence I have not yet been, and today evening I will check that out.

Happy hunting :)
 
Since you mentioned about rock music, i guess polk audio makes good speakers for the type of music you like, many say its not good for music, but i have heard they being american speakers do a commendable job for rock music. Try and audition and check polk rti series. Also you can check out wharfedale, dali, q acoustics, etc. Not to forget the recently launched elac debut series of speakers. Try and find a good dealer who will be able to provide proper auditions. Recommend you to skip surrounds if you dont have the budget currently and can buy proper ones when you have the budget for it. Surrounds carry just a very few sound effects which will not make the experience bad if they are left out. Buying a matching center channel is a very important part of selecting speakers, so try and keep the same series for front as well as center speaker, this will ensure perfect sound.
Thanks rayvonne..

I will surely start auditioning with Polk Audio, I somehow like it myself. Thanks for the recommendation.. Do suggest me if you could think of any 7.1/7.2 av receiver which fits in my budget range. I have been advised by others that marantz is good for music, so will start with that, still if u have heard any specific model plz do advise.

Regards
Vaibhav

Sent from my XT1562 using Tapatalk
 
Hi Vaibhav,

Audition as many systems as possible and start shortlisting the ones that appeal to you in connectivity, performance, appearance and budget...

You need an AVR which will do good justice to Music first and movies....Besides Denon, there is Marantz, NAD, Cambridge Audio, Pioneer (LX series) etc.

Speakers would be Wharfedale, PSB, Jamo, Polks, Pioneer (AJs), BIC America, Taga Harmony, ELAC, Acoustic Energy, etc.

You would require atleast 100w RMS at 8 ohms load per channel across all frequencies (20hz - 20khz). This means you need to look at the 7.2 AVRs......Mid segment - High End...

Honestly IMHO not much Dolby Atmos content out there and also not much difference against a proper 7.2 setup...I have been to the What Hi Fi show over the past 2 years ..experienced and saw no difference........also wifi if you read the actual operational manual of the latest AVRs does not do anything much great which existing old models can't do...example, you can add a Bluetooth device and make it compatible rather than putting in the extra 5k-10k for a wifi AVR etc.....

If you feel budget may be a challenge, look in the for sale by owner section or hi fi ads....there is always something good being sold....you can always use the same for a while then pop it off.......

End of the day, trust your instincts and listening choices...carry your music....you will find what you are seeking...all the best....don't rush....

Thanks efernand

I am planning to visit a couple of stores here and will start auditioning, I hope i don't loose patience and let the best one be heard. Polk Audio, Warfedale and Jamo are on my list. I saw some sleek floor standing speakers from Jamo which aren't too huge and I think I could somehow try to fit it in my living room. If you have any speaker model in mind please do advise.

Thanks for the advise about dolby atmos, I am too thinking in the same lines that there is no good use of it for some years and I should settle down with a 7.1/7.2. I think if I get an apple tv or Roku I shouldn't feel that I am missing a wifi/ethernet on my av receiver. Is the output from Roku good enough in quality when compared to what a denon/marantz av receivers could deliver if I stream HD contents?

vaibhav
 
Buy a receiver that supports both Atmos & Dts X to be future proof.
Also since you preference is music. Look out for Marantz receiver which are widely accepted for music.
Audition it before buying to match your hearing taste.

Rajith

Thanks for your inputs.

Have you or any one auditioned the new one by Marantz: NR1604? It looks like dealers here sell it pretty costly but amazon sells it for Rs. 45000. I am a little inclined to this one after Denon AVR-X1200W.

I have been googling again this night since 3 hours and it really seems that if I am on a tight budget I better go for a good AVR spending around 40-45k and some decent speaker package (5.1) on top of it with either center or subwoofer very good. I could spend on better fronts and rears later on. What do you say and recommend?

Vaibhav
 
Hi Vaibhav,

In Pune you can try Oceanic in MG road, they have pretty good knowledge of music and do not push to buy until one is really happy with the sound.

I am also looking to buy a stereo setup, and have approached them, and I buy my regular CD's from there.

AV Excellence I have not yet been, and today evening I will check that out.

Happy hunting :)

Benz

Thanks for your reply, I'll definitely try Oceanic, do you have any experience with Soundscape in aundh they are the dealers from profx. I am planning to visit both. Soundscape seems to keep a lot of Polk Audio but I am not able to find a good dealer for Wharfedale and Marantz. At the end I am just wondering if I end up buying different pieces from different dealers how am I going to audition. :)

Vaibhav
 
Rajith

Thanks for your inputs.

Have you or any one auditioned the new one by Marantz: NR1604? It looks like dealers here sell it pretty costly but amazon sells it for Rs. 45000. I am a little inclined to this one after Denon AVR-X1200W.

I have been googling again this night since 3 hours and it really seems that if I am on a tight budget I better go for a good AVR spending around 40-45k and some decent speaker package (5.1) on top of it with either center or subwoofer very good. I could spend on better fronts and rears later on. What do you say and recommend?

Vaibhav

Hi I have auditioned NR1604 for few minutes ,It is a slim design AVR which is good enough for music and movies.
I think it is 2014 model ,the latest one is NR 1606 , I think one of our FM rammy have used NR 1604 for quite some time .You can get more info from him.
Importantly select good front speakers which is important for music . If budget is a constraint you can add the center ,sub and rear later on .
You need to audition it and select based on your hearing taste.
 
Benz

Thanks for your reply, I'll definitely try Oceanic, do you have any experience with Soundscape in aundh they are the dealers from profx. I am planning to visit both. Soundscape seems to keep a lot of Polk Audio but I am not able to find a good dealer for Wharfedale and Marantz. At the end I am just wondering if I end up buying different pieces from different dealers how am I going to audition. :)

Vaibhav

Hi,

I have not tried Soundscape, but I will try it out, maybe tomorrow if they are open, as I will going to Aundh side.

For Marantz - AV Excellence has them, I visited them yesterday.

And yes it is a valid point for audition, so I think it will be good to take help from the forum members regarding the models you select. Here members have lot of experience. I am also going to do the same for my stereo system setup, for which the hunt is on.
 
Hi Vaibhav,

Since your inclination is towards music which is same as mine, I would suggest you try Marantz and then Denon.

Regarding rock music, I guess you might think about playing out at loud volumes, if so, do think about 7.2 systems, because those are the ones which will have 100W+ for 2 channels power amps built in. Unfortunately both Denon X-3200 and Marantz SR-6010 both cost nearly 1.1L.

With your limit of 90K, I guess Marantz SR-1070 would be the choice for music.

Also for speakers, for now stick with a 3-Way Floor Standers with at least 8" drivers. From my experience, they sound better for music than 2-Way.

I know this is out of your budget, but do try auditioning JBL Studio 290 (3-Way and retails for 70K per pair). Those things shook the tiny articles in the shop even without a sub and should be good for Rock Music.
 
T50 5.1 package I meant . Or the Pioneer SKPF Andrew Jones 5.1 package. Both has weak links that's the sub and in this case the Polk has a slight advantage over the pioneer sub. If you want to get 5.1 within 90 k these are your best options. There's a Hecco Victa 5.1 too talk to profx see if you can bring down the total package price since you'll be buying the AVR and speakers from them,it is a possibility.
 
Hi Vaibhav,

Since your inclination is towards music which is same as mine, I would suggest you try Marantz and then Denon.

Regarding rock music, I guess you might think about playing out at loud volumes, if so, do think about 7.2 systems, because those are the ones which will have 100W+ for 2 channels power amps built in. Unfortunately both Denon X-3200 and Marantz SR-6010 both cost nearly 1.1L.

With your limit of 90K, I guess Marantz SR-1070 would be the choice for music.

Also for speakers, for now stick with a 3-Way Floor Standers with at least 8" drivers. From my experience, they sound better for music than 2-Way.

I know this is out of your budget, but do try auditioning JBL Studio 290 (3-Way and retails for 70K per pair). Those things shook the tiny articles in the shop even without a sub and should be good for Rock Music.

Thanks for the recommendation Kannan, since it is mostly music but also movies which I am inclined towards I would be going for multichannel amps than stereo. When I started this thread I thought of a 7.1/Atmos setup but as I am looking for systems, checking replies to the post I am thinking of going for a 5.1 system instead. Looking at my budget and room limitations I think it will be quite tough that I would be implementing anything beyond 6 speakers and I am trying to focus more on 5.1 receiver and compatible speakers. I liked what Marantz slimline has to offer and as and when I am getting some time I am preparing a list of systems that I could auditioned, still a little confused about speakers though.
 
T50 5.1 package I meant . Or the Pioneer SKPF Andrew Jones 5.1 package. Both has weak links that's the sub and in this case the Polk has a slight advantage over the pioneer sub. If you want to get 5.1 within 90 k these are your best options. There's a Hecco Victa 5.1 too talk to profx see if you can bring down the total package price since you'll be buying the AVR and speakers from them,it is a possibility.

Thanks Aanuj, your recommendations are good, there are less places in Pune with good options but I will try to audition the Polk and Pioneer packages, lets see how it goes.
 
The Marantz PM7000N offers big, spacious and insightful sound, class-leading clarity and a solid streaming platform in a award winning package.
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