Need Help !! Sound Bar vs 2.1 vs 5.1.2 Setup

[Chakri.Kotagiri]

Hi to all esteemed members of the forum. I'm here to seek your advice on the decision I had been mulling over quite few days.

For my living room of 192sqft equipped with LG 65” 4K TV, I was looking to setup a home theatre. I watch movies not only from streaming sites such as Amazon and Netflix but also have huge collection of torrents I collected over years. Similarly I have huge collection of songs from Apple music as well as FLAC files.

Like all music lovers, I pay more attention to quality of music over loudness. So for such a mediocre sized living room, I’m not sure if 5.1.2 setup would be an overkill. Hence unable to choose from Sound bar vs 2.1 vs 5.1.2 channel setup. My budget is round about 2 Lakhs.

Among Soundbars, I’m more inclined towards Sonos playbar + Sonos Subwoofer. Ruled out Bose 700. For 2.1 and 5.1.2 channel, I listened to KEF T301, KEF Q350 amd KEF LSX. Other choises include bookshelf speaker from Klipsch, Definitive Technology Demand series, Elac Debut and SVS Prime bookshelf speakers. Since i didnt find stores in Hyderabad to have demo on above mentioned speakers, I'm not able to decide which one to go with for below mentioned reason.

I would love to have clear differentiation between highs, mids and lows. Looking for a crisp output at lower volumes where in I can feel the bass thumping in action scenes. I doubt if I could achieve this with Soundbar. And in case of 2.1 setup I already zeroed on Denon X2600H.

Please help me with your valuable feedback.

 

[Nikhil]

Welcome to the forum! Thank you for joining.




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[Chakri.Kotagiri]

Welcome to the forum! Thank you for joining.




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Thanks much for accepting me as member of this forum

 

[efernand1]

Hi to all esteemed members of the forum. I'm here to seek your advice on the decision I had been mulling over quite few days.

For my living room of 192sqft equipped with LG 65” 4K TV, I was looking to setup a home theatre. I watch movies not only from streaming sites such as Amazon and Netflix but also have huge collection of torrents I collected over years. Similarly I have huge collection of songs from Apple music as well as FLAC files.

Like all music lovers, I pay more attention to quality of music over loudness. So for such a mediocre sized living room, I’m not sure if 5.1.2 setup would be an overkill. Hence unable to choose from Sound bar vs 2.1 vs 5.1.2 channel setup. My budget is round about 2 Lakhs.

Among Soundbars, I’m more inclined towards Sonos playbar + Sonos Subwoofer. Ruled out Bose 700. For 2.1 and 5.1.2 channel, I listened to KEF T301, KEF Q350 amd KEF LSX. Other choises include bookshelf speaker from Klipsch, Definitive Technology Demand series, Elac Debut and SVS Prime bookshelf speakers. Since i didnt find stores in Hyderabad to have demo on above mentioned speakers, I'm not able to decide which one to go with for below mentioned reason.

I would love to have clear differentiation between highs, mids and lows. Looking for a crisp output at lower volumes where in I can feel the bass thumping in action scenes. I doubt if I could achieve this with Soundbar. And in case of 2.1 setup I already zeroed on Denon X2600H.

Please help me with your valuable feedback.

Hi

Welcome to HFV!

Well if you want a nice warm signature for music and good playback for movies....the Marantz would do good justice in my personal opinion.

Look at the NR series which will suffice for the given specified area!

Marantz NR1509 AV Receiver | HiFiMART®

The Marantz NR1509 Av Receiver is a 5.2-channel slimline home theatre receiver with Wi-Fi®, Apple® AirPlay® 2, and Amazon Alexa compatibility.

www.hifimart.com

Marantz NR1608 AV Receiver Best Price | HiFiMART®

The Marantz NR1608 AV Receiver is a Ultra-Slim 7.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD Network AV Receiver with HEOS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and streaming.

www.hifimart.com

You can even see the updated models ...check the specs and take a call...

Higher end models....

Marantz SR 5012 AV Receiver 7.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD with HEOS

The Marantz SR 5012 AV receiver lifts your Home Theatre to a new level, with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X bringing you breathtaking 3D surround sound with today's advanced movie soundtracks, and is fully equipped to deliver the renowned Marantz Hi-Fi and Home Th

www.hifimart.com

remaining budget can be invested in good speakers....Marantz is known to pair well with most speaker brands....better you audition in person and take a call before purchase.

There are dedicated Owner threads of Yamaha or Pioneer or Yamaha or Marantz which you can read through, post your queries and narrow down your choices.

A soundbar came into existence for amplifying the output of flat screen TVs where normal speakers and its associated amp could not fit.....it will never give you true surround....unless you dont have the space, then go for a decent 2.1 soundbar setup.

Check the rates at various places including warranty and take a call...besides choosing the speakers and AVR, ensure you get proper interconnects (cables / wires) for the speakers and sources, that too matters...

For good punch, get a decent subwoofer which can go as low as 20hz or closer.....

 

[Chakri.Kotagiri]

Hi

Welcome to HFV!

Well if you want a nice warm signature for music and good playback for movies....the Marantz would do good justice in my personal opinion.

Look at the NR series which will suffice for the given specified area!

Marantz NR1509 AV Receiver | HiFiMART®

The Marantz NR1509 Av Receiver is a 5.2-channel slimline home theatre receiver with Wi-Fi®, Apple® AirPlay® 2, and Amazon Alexa compatibility.

www.hifimart.com

Marantz NR1608 AV Receiver Best Price | HiFiMART®

The Marantz NR1608 AV Receiver is a Ultra-Slim 7.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD Network AV Receiver with HEOS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and streaming.

www.hifimart.com

You can even see the updated models ...check the specs and take a call...

Higher end models....

Marantz SR 5012 AV Receiver 7.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD with HEOS

The Marantz SR 5012 AV receiver lifts your Home Theatre to a new level, with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X bringing you breathtaking 3D surround sound with today's advanced movie soundtracks, and is fully equipped to deliver the renowned Marantz Hi-Fi and Home Th

www.hifimart.com

remaining budget can be invested in good speakers....Marantz is known to pair well with most speaker brands....better you audition in person and take a call before purchase.

There are dedicated Owner threads of Yamaha or Pioneer or Yamaha or Marantz which you can read through, post your queries and narrow down your choices.

A soundbar came into existence for amplifying the output of flat screen TVs where normal speakers and its associated amp could not fit.....it will never give you true surround....unless you dont have the space, then go for a decent 2.1 soundbar setup.

Check the rates at various places including warranty and take a call...besides choosing the speakers and AVR, ensure you get proper interconnects (cables / wires) for the speakers and sources, that too matters...

For good punch, get a decent subwoofer which can go as low as 20hz or closer.....

efernand1 thanks much for your valuable feedback. After comapring Marantz with Denon, i see the differences you tried to highlight. Thanks for suggestion that i switched to Marantz NR1608. I'm keen to go with 5.1 channel setup though im left up with no space behind my couch, just to have the audio reach my ears crisp in lower volume. Definitive technology procinema 1000plus seems to have frequency variation from 18hz to 30khz. But one doubt that's pulling me back with above mention setup is that if 5.1 channel might spoil the experience for a small living room as mine rather than enhancing. In such case i might prefer 3.1 (left, center and right channel with sub). Any thoughts here?

 

[Love4sound]

Welcome to the forum

Why don’t you start with a very good 2.1 system? Get a better avr and good bookshelf speakers with a good sub. The NR1608 does have good reviews but it’s rated just at 50 watts of power. It may be sufficient since but you have a budget of 2L IMO you can go with a better avr. Lot of dealers are giving very good offers for 6013. Later you can add a centre channel and surrounds to complete a very good 5.1 system. Since you have a small room a good 10 inch sub will be excellent. Please provide your room lay out and picture to guide you better. 2L is a solid budget and with proper planning you can get a very good set up.

 

[efernand1]

efernand1 thanks much for your valuable feedback. After comapring Marantz with Denon, i see the differences you tried to highlight. Thanks for suggestion that i switched to Marantz NR1608. I'm keen to go with 5.1 channel setup though im left up with no space behind my couch, just to have the audio reach my ears crisp in lower volume. Definitive technology procinema 1000plus seems to have frequency variation from 18hz to 30khz. But one doubt that's pulling me back with above mention setup is that if 5.1 channel might spoil the experience for a small living room as mine rather than enhancing. In such case i might prefer 3.1 (left, center and right channel with sub). Any thoughts here?

Welcome

I use the DefTech Pro Cinema speakers....(not the sub as I have BIC America sub) in a 250 sq feet room. The sound quality is awesome and is meant for small to medium sized rooms....i enjoy playback at loud volumes and low too....no quality issues at all...

For the surround speakers, there are various placement options....check.,...search in Google Images..... 5.1 speaker setup...you will know then what i am referring to.....based on your room and its existing stuff around, there are optional placements.....

 

[Chakri.Kotagiri]

Please help me understand if Onkyo TX-RZ820 is superior than Yamaha RX-A880 and Denon AVR-X3400H. Below are the specifications of each of these AVR. Does higher watts mean better sound quality or is it just loudness? Pure novice here. Was thinking to drive Polk Audio RTi A9 or Pol Audio S60 with one of the above AVRs:

Key Features of Onkyo TX-RZ820:
Link to Product

• THX® Certified Select™ Reference Sound
• 180 W/Ch (6 Ω, 1 kHz, 1% THD, 1 Channel Driven, IEC)
• Dynamic Power:
  • 300 W (3 Ω, Front)
  • 250 W (4 Ω, Front)
  • 150 W (8 Ω, Front)
• Frequency Response from 5 Hz–100 kHz

Key Features of Yamaha RX-A880:
Link to Product

• 7-channel powerful surround sound
• --- 100 W per channel (8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.06% THD, 2-ch driven)
• --- 160 W per channel (4 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.9% THD, 1-ch driven)
• --- 160 W per channel (8 ohms, 1 kHz, 10% THD, 1-ch driven)
• Ability to add wireless surround speaker/s* (*MusicCast 20 or MusicCast 50)
• YPAO™-R.S.C. sound optimisation with multi-point measurement

Key Features of Denon AVR-X3500H
Link to Product

105-watts into 8 ohms
4K Ultra HD scaling and Dolby Vision compatibility, HDR, HLG, and BT.2020
8 HDMI inputs and 3 HDMI outputs
24-bit/196-kHz High-Resolution audio playback

 

[Udit99]

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