Make my own Home Theatre????

[sachinvmehta]

Hello All,

Am a newbie on this site as well as the brands in the home theatre system space. Though I would like to buy something which is not the entry-level or an HTiB (most of the dealers have told me that HTiB are entry level). So I was planning to buy 5.1 channel Bose Speakers (Powered Acoustimass Module and 5 single cube speakers) and a Yamaha RX-V473 till online I found a number of Bose-baiters who said that the brand is more of a marketing/PR gimmick than a strong functionally led product.
I like the functions of the Yamaha AV receiver - Airplay, Front USB, YPAO, Dolby etc. The dealer at Bandra, Mumbai told me the cost for the same would be around 35K, though I am planning to contact the company directly and ask for a good discount from their authorized dealer or company owned showroom (if there is any).
I am totally at sea to pick speakers.
So my issue is this - am I on the right track with respect to the AV. Also, which speakers would suffice my requirement. My main usage is for movies and music - more than loud sound and high bass, I would prefer more details. The room is around 20ft x 20 ft where I need to put up the system with the front speakers and rear being mounted close to the ceiling (have already done the internal wiring for the same and hence have no choice but to put it up there).
I would definitely like some help if there can be - there is no specific budget that I have but then I dont want to go overboard on spending for this too. So would appreciate if a ball-park figure is also given along with so would help me to decide.
Many thanks in advance for those who help me decide.

 

[m.a.sara]

Hi

Good that you are not going HTiB way and decided to buy components separately.

There are many options for speakers. Wharfedale, Polk, Mission etc are the popular ones. I would suggest you decide on a budget for speakers and audition among the brands mentioned to see what kind of sound you are liking. For you room size, a 2 or 3 way floor standing speakers is what you could aim for. hifimart.com could give you some indication on the prices.

 

[sachinvmehta]

Thanks for the reply.
Is the Yamaha RXV-473 receiver a good buy? I don't want to go for the floor-standing speakers (uses quite a bit of space which is generally at a premium in flats in Mumbai) and hence wanted the mounted ones - though I was told that sound at ear-level is the best.
Anyways, Polk and Wharfedale are the brands am reading a lot about over here, will definitely go and check them out.
On the budget bit, I am not too sure whether I have a budget or how much to have. It doesn't mean it is open but frankly I don't want to compromise on the sound quality. So if it means I need to shell out about 10-20 K extra for a better sounding speaker system I might readily do that.

 

[agupta20]

Even i would advise you to go to 2-3 good showrooms and audition different speakers and then take next forward.

If not FS, do check out Book shelves

There is no such thing as a better sounding speaker system. It all depends on your taste and budget

 

[sachinvmehta]

It is really confusing and gets much more for novices like us. Somebody says Polk are the best where as somebody else swears by the Wharfedales where as some say that these two produce strictly 'ok' sound as compared to Boston Acoustics or Cambridge Audio. Man, can it get any confusing for me?

 

[m.a.sara]

The more you ask for suggestion, the more you'll get confused. Its my experience as well.

Take 2hrs of your weekend time->walk into an AV shop(that houses atleast some of above mentioned brands) with your kind songs in CD's/USB->Listen and see what kind of sound you like, have options -> shortlist brands based on ur likeing/price. I assure most of your doubts will be cleared then

 

[bpranay]

It is really confusing and gets much more for novices like us. Somebody says Polk are the best where as somebody else swears by the Wharfedales where as some say that these two produce strictly 'ok' sound as compared to Boston Acoustics or Cambridge Audio. Man, can it get any confusing for me?

its always recommended that you take audition of different speakers combo before taking the plunge. You form your own opinion rather than asking feedback from others because sound is such a subjective thing.

If you are looking for a detailed sound then Yamaha RXV-473 is a good choice. Just take the demo of the various speakers with it as already suggested in the previous post and go for the one which appeals to your ears.

 

[ak47]

It is really confusing and gets much more for novices like us. Somebody says Polk are the best where as somebody else swears by the Wharfedales where as some say that these two produce strictly 'ok' sound as compared to Boston Acoustics or Cambridge Audio. Man, can it get any confusing for me?

Been there done that man! The only way is to audition. Make a list of 2-3 showrooms which have most of the above mentioned brands you are considering. If you have already decided on Yamaha RXV 473, then call them in advance and ask if you can get a demo with that avr. Take a DVD/Blu-ray of a movie with you and pre-decide the scene/scenes based on which you are going to assess the speakers. This is because its really hard to judge different speakers if the content you've viewed on them is different. Also, select a few good tracks, preferably the ones you know inside out, to test the music playing ability of the speakers, if that is a consideration. Also, decide on a tentative budget for your avr and speakers, because it will be too confusing otherwise as not only will you be looking at different brands, but also different class of speakers within the brands. Also, no one brand can be better than the other as sound is as subjective as it gets. Decide on a few good brands, like Polk, Wharfedale, Cambridge audio, Boston Acoustics, Jamo, Paradigm and/or any other you would want to consider, but then trust just your ears, and not opinions of different people on different brands. Trust me, a few demos later you would have your own opinion.

 

[sachinvmehta]

Hmmm. I did hear the Yamaha RX-V473 and post that only decided to decide on it.. ;-).
Now for the speakers bit. The combination matters, isnt it? If I pick up a Yamaha receiver then I need to know which speakers would work well with this AV Receiver. So any showroom that I visit must necessarily stock this AV receiver so that I can audition the speakers. Does it get any difficult than this?
Profx does stock most of the brands, isnt it? Any clue, anybody.

 

[prosenjit]

carry your avr and audition...will be easy..
we all have diff acoustic taste..so is the problem...

 

[bpranay]

please visit this, Yamaha RXV-473 at 31,800/-

YAMAHA RX-V473 HOME THEATRE RECEIVER | eBay