Medium sized living room: To do or not to do (5.1 HT setup), that is the question

[shibashis]

If I wanted to listen to music 70% of the time and I had a budget of 1.5L, I would rub my hands in glee.
If you take your time and put effort into proper research, systematic auditions of different combinations then with that budget you can put together something which will blow you away. If I were you at this given moment then I would buy an integrated amplifier, a pair of quality bookshelves and a quality subwoofer. However, and this is where things get interesting, 2-3 years back I would have bought a good AVR, a pair of front speakers, center channel and subwoofer.
2-3 years along the journey.... I know my preference will always be to music and the quest continues for that perfect combination to quench this thirst.

So take your pick of the poison, but go out and listen to as many options as you can (either stereo or HT) and bring the one which sounds the very best to you in the budget, home.

 

[liverpool_for_life]

If it is 70% of time music then you must get a better music system rather than a home theatre system. If I were to response reading only your thread's title then my answer would also be "to do 5.1 HT" but then I read your later comment.

koushik,

Thanks for that. Head says stereo setup, heart craves a 5.1 setup.

I have had a Sony DAV DZ-270 5.1 HTIB since 2008 and don't find it convenient to play music on it given my sources. I do not have sophisticated listening. Even so, the audio whilst better than the TV, still leaves a lot to be desired.

Thanks to you and NatureLover for the amp recommendation. Will take a look to see if I can find it locally to have a listen.

Music is encoded in 2.0 and is MEANT to be heard that way.

Movies are encoded in 5.1 and is MEANT to be heard that way.

htfan17,

Fundamentally, what you say makes sense. However, space is not a luxury I have. So, I need a solution that works for both.

shibashis,

Hope to audition as much as I can before making a decision. No rushing this one!

 

[liverpool_for_life]

Finally got the chance to audition some stuff over the last couple of weeks.

Dealer demoed a couple of Wharfedale HT's on the first visit. Paired with a Denon and neither the smaller MS-100 or the bigger DX-1 sounded impressive. Especially when compared to the QAcoustics 2000i cinema pack that I'd auditioned before.

Returned for a 2nd audition and heard the Tannoy HTS-101. Much better. Surround was much more impressive than the Wharfedale. Music sounded better too. The dealer said that my ears preferred brighter speakers (I wouldn't know that, I just told him what I liked!).

Still, since so many on here told me so nicely, I insisted on auditioning some stereo systems. First up was the QAcoustics 2020i. I had never heard something up close paired with a stereo amp before, and boy was it a revelation. I didn't think I could countenance buying any of the HT systems I'd heard before after hearing the stereo. You can tell there is a significant difference, when even I can hear it.

Anyway, I asked the dealer what his favourite stereo was and he pointed to the Wharfedale Diamond 155 floor-standers. I didn't think I had the space for a floor-stander, but listened to it anyway. Only one word to describe it: floored. That good, at least to me.

Dealer also suggested that dialogue clarity would be an issue without a dedicated center. Would that be true in folks' experience here?

Got a couple of quotes:

QAcoustics 2020i 3.0 w/stands + Marantz NR1504 for Rs. 85,500

Wharfedale Diamond 155 3.0 + Yamaha RX-V477 for Rs. 1,09,500

Thoughts on the above as well as alternative suggestions for less expensive receivers to drive these speakers welcome. Thanks!

 

[mikilbhatkar]

Try the wharfedale diamond 220 bookshelves. 23k for the pair. With the 220c center and the sub. Should be a good setup for music.

 

[elangoas]

The Wharfedale MS-100, DX-1 and Tannoy HTS 101 are all satellite speaker systems designed for HT performance.... Stereo performance on it, may not be impressive (or) convincing....

Though you may like the Diamond 155, and you have smaller room, bookshelf speakers will do much better job...

Yes for movies, a center channel speaker is a must.... But you can easily live with a good 2.0 system for movies too...

If you like to balance between music & movies, then AVR fits your needs... If you can live with stereo setup, you can look for stereo amp/receiver + BS speakers....

If you have a budget of 1 lac, you can consider Active speakers too....

 

[liverpool_for_life]

mikilbhatkar and elangoas,

Thanks for your input. The Wharfedale 220's won't be available for another month and I am not waiting that long.

After a few auditions, I've basically reached the conclusion that my current living room (and little kiddos running around that are liable to knock any bookshelves/surrounds placed on stands) does not really lend itself to either a stereo or 5.1 setup. I feel like I am giving up too much on dialogue clarity/musical capability when I auditioned both setups as well. I couldn't find a reasonable balance between both.

That left me with one solution: a Soundbar.

Dealer recommended that I audition the QAcoustics M4. While it was never going to match a stereo, I thought it was pretty musical to my untrained ears. Movies, however, left a lot to be desired. So, the search continued.

And, it has ended officially today! Next Wednesday, we will be receiving our first piece of audio equipment that could be remotely called high-fidelity:The Paradigm Soundscape

Terribly nervous as we bought this after an audition of the Paradigm Cinema 100 (the Soundscape uses the same drivers and tweeters as the Cinema 100). Probably the best balanced for movies and music of the stuff we auditioned.

Unbelievably excited as well to have them brought home so we can hook it up. Can't wait.

Thanks to all the good folks on here for their input. I am no audiophile, but I suspect the audio quality in my living room just went up. Hopefully significantly.

 

[krishtrinity]

First steps first:

Before I decide on what HT system I'd like to get, I wanted some feedback on whether my living room lends itself to the setup of a 5.1 HT system.

The room is 12 ft long (listening distance slightly shorter because of a sofa lined up right against the wall opposite to the TV mount). Floor standers (mostly) ruled out because of a door 3 ft wide opening in to the room, leaving us only 2 ft from where the door ends to one of the TV edges. The width of the room is 13.5 ft, although this is effectively 10.5 ft for purposes of speaker placement (front and rear) because of the presence of 2 doors on both walls about 3 ft wide. The ceiling is about 10 ft high.

There are 2 single-seater sofas against the wall to the left of the TV (from viewing position). On the other side, there is a door + wall portion that is roughly 6 ft wide. The rest of that side is open and leads to the dining.

Given all of this, is a meaningful 5.1 HT setup possible? Thanks in advance for all your responses!

Mainly depends on what you intend to listen with you HT system,if you don't listen to music much and are only planning to watch movies then go for av reciever and 5.1 speaker.

But if you like music and also watch movies you should definitely consider buying an integrated amplifer with the speakers like Wharfedale diamonds 220,monitor audio MR2,psb alphas etc

i love my stereo system which is marantz pm5004,schiit modi DACand monitor audio m2 and i never felt the need for a AV-reciever

I need to buy a 80k av reciever to match the audio quality of the marantz amplifier anyway

 

[liverpool_for_life]

krishtrinity,

Thanks for your response. However, as I indicated here, I have made my choice: The Paradigm Soundscape.


The only remaining question is whether to add a sub or not. Reviews seem to be mixed on this front, although the SVS PC 2000 looks darned tempting. Can't wait for Wednesday!

 

[liverpool_for_life]

[I'd typed up a longish post only to lose it when my browser crashed. We'll try again.]

This post is long overdue! Nevertheless, the wait when my Soundscape arrived 4 days after I was originally told to expect it seemed a lot longer.

My setup:
----------

Tata Sky HD+, BD player, Apple TV connected via HDMI to Monoprice 7974 switch. HDMI out from switch to LG TV and optical out from switch to Soundscape. Soundscape mounted on the wall.

After close to 3 months of listening, here are some (non-audiophile) impressions:

The Soundscape is (way) better suited for HT as compared to music.

I had plenty of fun for the first month demoing the system's HT capabilities to friends and family with some scenes from Skyfall. It was amusing to see folks looking for the sub, only to find out there was none!

I had no real experience of any kind of serious bass in my setup at home before, so this was revelatory. Even so, I can tell this is very, very special for a sound bar.

I didn't think I'd enjoy the virtual surround, but it has turned out to be the opposite. Not bad. Not bad at all. Clearly enough to have a reasonably immersive movie experience when you supply it a decent 5.1 source.

DTS is simply thrilling, while I've had to really push the Soundscape to the maximum to get reasonable output for DD 5.1 via Tata Sky and Apple TV. In fact, the only above average DD 5.1 performance I've gotten is when I've watched movies through TentKotta.

Music leaves me craving for more, especially wrt stereo imaging. Carnatic instrumental blows me away with the clarity.

The rest of the music, while a million miles ahead of anything I've ever owned, is very decent without being wow. The bass is pretty overwhelming when the loudness option is turned on.

I don't think I am getting the best out of my speakers currently, so I'll be focusing on my room next.

To summarize my experience thus far:

HT is great, bordering on stunning at times
Music is good, although there is the lurking impression that things could be a whole lot better

The price has dropped 20% since I bought it. I'd suggest this represents very decent value if you don't have the space for a full-blown 5.1 system, but would still like a capable HT that can also be multi-purposed for music.

Attached is a pic with the grille off. Thanks to all those who chimed in with their inputs that helped with my decision!

 

[grunthos]

hey it was a lot of fun to read through your buying experience
And Paradigm does look very impressive

How much did you pay for it ?

 

[liverpool_for_life]

How much did you pay for it ?

grunthos,

Thanks!

Sorry, that information ought to have gone in to my review.

I paid Rs. 1,03,000 when the retail price in the U.S. was $1500. Last I checked on Amazon, the price had dropped to $1200.