My First Home Theatre Build Up

[Jinxed]

Hello Everyone,
After a long hesitation, whether to opt for a stereo set up or go for a full fledged 5.1 home theatre, have opted for the later.
After going thru the forum and thousands of other reviews, thought about taking the leap for a 5.1 set-up. The only reason which delayed this decision was due to budget constraints, though I would not like to invest in "htib" solution and would always prefer separates.
To overcome the budget issue have thought of investing in a decent AVR and a pair of BS, while adding the rest of the components as and when possible. Current budget= 50 K
To begin with my living room dimensions are approx 20*12*12 where I would be using it with my existing Samsung Plasma D550 and PS3. Usage will be 50% music and 30% movies/tv and 20% gaming. Did go through multiple topics in the forum but got more n more confused hence also did demo of few systems/speakers in nearby AV showrooms (I reside in Mumbai). I could not make up my mind about the AVR even after reviewing some, though was totally floored by POLK TSx220b. The clarity n bass of this pair was too good for just a pair of BS. I had to validate whether no sub was connected in d room. There are no second thoughts, as these speakers suit my taste perfectly. Since I have finalized the BS from POLK, I would probably go for the rest of the speaker set up(centre, rear, sub) from the same family though that would be for the future. At the moment need to decide on which AVR to buy. Preferred features are
Airplay,
Front USB
Discreet Amp,
Vid/Aud passthrough in standby.

Favorites are Denon X1000, Pioneer VSX823, Yamaha RX-V 475.

Please suggest any other receiver with similar features if possible. Any assistance would be appreciable.

Regards,
Jinxed

P.S:- Have got a quote of abt 32.5K for the X1000 and something similar for Yamaha. While the TSx220b is available for 17.5K.
(B&W)

 

[sam9s]

HOw much were TSx220B, with the AVR choice you have written, you wont be left much to invest in speakers, with a budget of 50K.(keeping the fact that you would also purchase cables) With the room size you have I would look for FS (e.g TSx 330, if you like polks) instead of BS and would tone down with AVR, like DENON X500 instead of X1000.

EDIT :: Just saw you have mentioned price. Where are you getting a quote of 32K for DENON X1000 ..???.

 

[Jinxed]

Thanks for the reply sam9s. I do understand, I would use up all d cash on AVR+Fronts. But then, as I have mentioned in my post, I will be adding up the rest of the speakers as and when cash is available, starting wid centre. 50 K is the current budget, not the entire budget for this set up. I am not interested in FS and would like to have the set up wid all BS. Do you feel it will make a huge diff considering my room dimensions? Though I did demo 330T/440T but was not satisfied. Also is X1000 an overkill or something looking at d room size?

 

[Jinxed]

Sam9s- Check PM, I have sent you the quote details.

 

[vishva]

can you pm the quote details to me as well

thanks

mohan

 

[Jinxed]

Sent you PM

 

[vishva]

Sent you PM

one sound engg. suggested me always to invest more on good quality speakers not an amp, because speaker technology not goin to change near future may 10 - 15 years. but amp will get freq upgrade.

so invest wisely. speakers shld always be more powered than the amp. even a low powered amp will work gr8 in very good speakers.

hope this helps.

 

[Jinxed]

one sound engg. suggested me always to invest more on good quality speakers not an amp, because speaker technology not goin to change near future may 10 - 15 years. but amp will get freq upgrade.

so invest wisely. speakers shld always be more powered than the amp. even a low powered amp will work gr8 in very good speakers.

hope this helps.

Rightly said...no arguments on that. Your speakers are d key in any audio setup. If additional features are not required, even a budget AVR can do a commendable job.

 

[vishva]

Rightly said...no arguments on that. Your speakers are d key in any audio setup. If additional features are not required, even a budget AVR can do a commendable job.

you know, i got this info little late, after buying my yamaha amp :sad:.

orelse i will get a basic yamaha amp and invested more on quality speakers

 

[Jinxed]

you know, i got this info little late, after buying my yamaha amp :sad:.

orelse i will get a basic yamaha amp and invested more on quality speakers

How much u spent on 675 and from whr u bought it? 675 is a 7.1 channel avr, that extra premium you pay is only if you seriously want to go for 7.1, no huge diff than 475.

 

[vishva]

How much u spent on 675 and from whr u bought it? 675 is a 7.1 channel avr, that extra premium you pay is only if you seriously want to go for 7.1, no huge diff than 475.

V675 for 52k in chennai, i always thing big, for sake of future proofing , i opted for 7.2 , 4k upscalling, pass through and networking.

 

[Jinxed]

Would have saved atleast 20 K there!!

 

[vishva]

Would have saved atleast 20 K there!!

200% rite but no choice, i have to move forward. i had polk demo , got impressed so i preffered polk.

 

[sam9s]

Thanks for the reply sam9s. I do understand, I would use up all d cash on AVR+Fronts. But then, as I have mentioned in my post, I will be adding up the rest of the speakers as and when cash is available, starting wid centre. 50 K is the current budget, not the entire budget for this set up. I am not interested in FS and would like to have the set up wid all BS. Do you feel it will make a huge diff considering my room dimensions? Though I did demo 330T/440T but was not satisfied. Also is X1000 an overkill or something looking at d room size?

Yes speaker are all that make (or break) a difference, not AVR or cables or DAC or anything else. Yes they all do contribute, but in a complete audio setup (5.1 or stereo), speakers are the one that should always be in priority and also being auditioned as per ones listening preference.

Larger the room better with bigger drivers for speakers.

Weather X1000 is an overkill is something for you to decide, what features you absolutely want and what you can live without. but if budget is a constraint and you got to choose I will spend my buck on a better speaker setup than an AVR.

 

[efernand1]

Hi Jinxed,

If the speakers have a High Sensitivity 88db+ then it would easily drive on low decent powered AVRs. The reality of the situation is that AVR manufacturers in today's market don't make the perfect AVRs like before....see the below link which was even posted by one of our respectable FM.

AV Receiver and Amplifier Power Ratings Trends: How and Why Wattage Ratings are Manipulated | Audioholics

After 11 years of using Denon, Pioneer, Yamaha, Bose etc I settled for a Marantz and I feel it does true justice for music gaming and movies..you could perhaps look at NR 1504 which would suit your requirements....

There are tons of reviews and performance videos to support the same...all the best hope this helps

 

[rahulsinghania]

Hi,

I am planning to set up a dedicated home theatre system in my room of 220 sq ft.
I am basically going to use it mainly for movies. My budget for the receiver and speakers are in total Rs 1 lakh.
I heard Focal Sib & Cub and i liked it. Also for the receiver , i wanted to opt for Denon avr X2000 as it is a 7.1 channel receiver and i can update my system in future if i want it.

Please could you let me know if this is a good combination ( Focal sib & cub + Denon Avr X2000) or would you suggest some other combinations within the price range ?

 

[sam9s]

^^ ANy reason you would not like to go with separates ....

 

[rahulsinghania]

I am fine with anything .. Just that it should be in the budget and it should sound good..
For receiver , the feedback that i got from lot of people is that Denon is very good.
I have heard focal sib & cub and it sounds good. I tried Paradigm Ct series but it was too soft.
What other options do you think would be good in the budget of 1L ?

 

[sam9s]

With a budget of 1L you probably can go with separates, a good 5.1 system would always be better than an ok 7.1. My personal opinion for movie has always stuck to polks, for what ever reasons, they just sound huge be it RTi, TSx or TSi, woofer, yes polk might not be of ones choice, but their fronts are really good for the price they come, specifically for movies.

Polk Audio TSx 440 5.1 Theatre Package can be bought from BassnTreble delhi for around 75K, rest you can use to purchase a DENON AVR x1000 for around 35, yes it over shoots the budget a little but, I am sure if you will listen to this, you would not regrette

 

[rahulsinghania]

What if i stick to Focal 5.1 Sib & Cub as of now and then i upgrade and take Polk Tsx440 for my floor standing speakers and convert the whole set up into a 7.1 . The room size is also big enough to have a good 7.1 set up . Whats your take on that ?