sos: Please help, experts!

[moks]

I am keen to invest upto two lacs of rupees in a 5.1 home theatre. This cost does not include the television & the projector's cost.
Please advise on the amplifier, speakers (name, price), the kind of connecting wires required and a low cost projector, ieally made of L.E.Ds and not halogen bulb.

I evaluated B&W and Klipsch so far; the former I am told, even charges during the warranty period. Is it true and who sells B&W in Bombay?

Cheers!:

 

[theironhorse]

led projectors are still not into HD phase yet with a low price point...

2l is a good budget..

please specify the size of the listening area and then we can divide the 2 lakh budget
in sections that we can dedicate for wiring + avr + speakers + cd/dvd/ br player + etc etc.

 

[moks]

Ironhorse, thank you for responding.

The listening area is a 22 feet left to right and 16 feet front to back, living room.

Please advise on the speakers, the chosen amplifier & a the preferred projector. For a TV, between an LCD, LED and plasma, what is recommended? The tv viewing distance, Google tells me, should be 1.5 times (minimum) an 3 times maximum of the tv's diagonal length. In this case, the viewing distance is 15 feet clear and therefore, the maximum tv's size can be 60 inches. Do you agree or should it be lesser ideally?:signthankspin:

I look forward to your suggestions. Thank you, friend.

Cheers!

 

[gobble]

Hello Moks

Your requirement does not constitute an SOS. I thought your AV gear broke, short circuited or something... maybe you should change the title to a more relevant "What should I buy" text?

Spending 2 lacs ... whats the hurry? Take it slowly for a well informed decision. Plenty of experienced folks here who can guide you over time as the thread unfolds. hyeah:

Also do state your initial preferences for products (exact model numbers evaluated earlier rather than just brand names ) about what has tempted you so far ... that will help members provide comparative, alternative or better options in the market.

Happy Shopping!
--G0bble

 

[marsilians]

I am keen to invest upto two lacs of rupees in a 5.1 home theatre. This cost does not include the television & the projector's cost.
Please advise on the amplifier, speakers (name, price), the kind of connecting wires required and a low cost projector, ieally made of L.E.Ds and not halogen bulb.

I evaluated B&W and Klipsch so far; the former I am told, even charges during the warranty period. Is it true and who sells B&W in Bombay?

Cheers!:

You have to do some research on the products you like. Go to AV dealers and start to listen.

 

[moks]

Thank you to all of you who spared time to read and respond.

My "sos" is because I dont have time and I have to install the final piece quickly. I have been reading up as much as I could but my ignorance about the finer aspects of this domain brought me here.

Hence, please help.

B&W, I am informed charges an annual fee even during warranty and their service, I am told, is not very good. This scared me and Klipsch, I had RF 62 in mind so far.

I need assitance because I am not good at this.

I hope you will help with firm suggestions now.

 

[kernelpanicpopcorn]

hi
do you plan to listen to music on the same system as well?
this could copletely change our suggestions, as there are some speakers and amplifiers more suited to movies and vice versa.
we dont want you to go wrong, hence it would be a great help if you could tell us the ratio of movies to music youd be litenning to.

whatever your inclination, 2L is a great budget for a home theater
kernelpanicpopcorn

 

[moks]

Thank you for responding "...popcorn".

I would be happy, if I can save money but since I am not an expert, I thought I should allow a little slack.

The use of the entire set up will be music and movies. To be safe, let's put it 50:50 between the two.

Trust this will help you to recommend?

Thank you once again.

 

[Kittu]

As a startup go to all AV or hi-fi stores in your city and get quotes for different brands and different setups , share them here. But do listen to the systems you get quotes for .. Write your impressions of the systems u heard and mention the quotes you received. Experts can suggest you better.

 

[kernelpanicpopcorn]

Hi
youre welcome

ok, so i suggest you divide your budget as follows:
AVR(from abroad, if possible): 30000
bdp:20000
front speakers: 80000
matching centre: not sure about the cost(i guess about 30000)
surrounds: 25000
subwoofer: again, i dont know, but i guess 25000 should be good.

now for my suggesstions:
AVR: marantz sr 5005/6005(easily available for about 600 dollars on amazon)
speakers:listen to B&W, quad, paradigm, MA etc. go for what you like.
centre: speakers usually have matching centres...
surrounds, listen to bookshelves from jamo, KEF, MA, MS. again, whar you like is of utmosst importance.

BDP:nothing better than a ps3, IMO.
subwoofer: im sorry, but i really dont know.

cables: speaker cables: budget cables cost 300-400/m
hdmi: buy something local: 300 for a shortish length, 1000 for a longer one.(youll need 2, 1 from ps3 to AVR, and 1 from AVR to screen/projector)

sorry to sound like a bad cd, but trust your ears. dont buy something you dont like, and dont look for good deals, buy the best in your budget. also, if you really like a pair of speakers out of your budget, you could get them and maybe defer the surrounds or sub, many people roll that way.

happy shopping
keep me posted

 

[GeorgeO]

Doing some research will benefit you a bit. Audition systems, shop around a bit to get an idea about pricing, negotiate.

 

[Beast_of_burden]

That is a sizeable budget, I hope you have a dedicated room to go with it. If I were you, i would be carving a sizeable portion of the budget for a really good subwoofer or two - only these can provide that visceral impact.

The klipsch floorstanders would be easy to drive and make the choice of amp less critical, but you must audition as they have a certain sound that may not be to everyone's liking. Here is a tip - ask the sales guy to turn the volume down to a tolerable level and then give it an extended listen, carry your own favorite movie / CD along.

 

[sam9s]

matching centre: not sure about the cost(i guess about 30000)
surrounds: 25000
subwoofer: again, i dont know, but i guess 25000 should be good.

25K for surrounds...?? and just 25 for sub ......infact even 30 for center is high.
For a HT SUB playes a major role, not that fronts do not but, HT is for movies and unless it does not give a thunderours hall like experience what the point of spending 2L specially with a decent room size .......

I will say cut short to 15K for surrounds and 20K for center. Set aside min 50K and get atleast something like SuperCube I or Super Cube II.

For AVR look no further than Onkyo TX-SR608, around 40K. Marantz and all are not good as an AVR, Heck even DENON 1911 is not in the lines of 608. 1910 was the only model by DENON that has landed 5 stars.

Fronts .... 80-90K sufficient ....... I would not suggest as its subjective as to what kind of sound you like, but I would say get high quality Bookshelves than floorstands for HT as floorstands have their own bass drivers and with a SUB it makes a very boomy experience. Elite bookshelves (EPOS for eg) with supercube will give you a much better experience than high quality floorstands .......(ONLY IN MOVIE DEPARTMENT)

If you gonna use the fronts for Music as well ......... then disconnect the sub spend 80-90K on floorstands (EPOS M22i for example again) and you got yourself a music setup. (though not an ultimate one as you still gotta connect with an AVR). But that is something you need to decide, what is your priority, movie or music coz both setups require very different configurations ...

 

[kernelpanicpopcorn]

when you buy a pair of 90000 rupee speakers, a matching centre wont cost less than 30000, IMO( so i stand on that )

as for the subs,
i wouldnt mind compromising on my subs in exchange for more musicality.
and for music(inside a 5.1 channel setup), theres nothing better than a nice set of FS and a marantz AVR.

but as i said, thats just me.

i respect your opinion, so lets just agree to disagree on this one
by arguing over this, i think we're just confusing moks.

all of us can only give moks an opinion, we cant control what he buys, thats completely according to his taste.

as you said, some people dont like klipsch's sound sig, and im one of them. but for all we know, moks might end up loving them.

again, its about what he likes.

cheers

 

[sam9s]

an HT is not for music (though people use it for music as well) so compromising on sub for musicality isnt the solution when building one, unless ofcourse you wanna use your HT 90% for music, in which case getting a quality center and SUB in itself becomes irrelevant.

Anyway agreed to disagree here ......

 

[Beast_of_burden]

At this point, I would request the thread starter to come in and clarify the main intent of this purchase.

A good sub woofer can make a substantial difference to just about any system irrespective of intent if properly setup and integrated. Sure, you wouldnt need one if you have true full range reference floor standers driven by boat anchor amps. Now we are talking of a scenario where 2L is chump change.

Active subwoofers are a relatively much cheaper solution to achieve near full range sound. A sub good for music will be just as good for HT. I dont understand the need to consciously compromise on the quality of the sub just because it is for HT.

 

[sam9s]

At this point, I would request the thread starter to come in and clarify the main intent of this purchase.

Agree Here

Sure, you wouldnt need one if you have true full range reference floor standers driven by boat anchor amps. Now we are talking of a scenario where 2L is chump change.

Exactly and hence my statement................... ""but I would say get high quality Bookshelves than floorstands for HT as floorstands have their own bass drivers and with a SUB it makes a very boomy experience. Elite bookshelves (EPOS for eg) with supercube will give you a much better experience than high quality floorstands...(ONLY IN MOVIE DEPARTMENT)""

 

[moks]

My God!!!

Guys, I may sound like an oaf, but when I read all your (long, wonderfully exlplained) but completely not-understood stuff, I felt like hiding in shame.

Friends, I am completely lost! Seriously!! The intended setup will be a mix of largely movies but I cant ignore the need to play music either. I have mentioned the size of the living room, 22 feet wide and 16 feet approximately long. Therefore, I may sound like an idiot, but please guide me with the specific name and reference number of the front speakers, rear speakers, sub woofer and the amplifier. If you think something like a subwoofer is more important than something else, then please specify the name of the piece and its indicative investment. Finally, I do not know how to thank you, but deep down, I feel very humble and even more grateful to all of you.

My friends, I wish, I could buy you guys a coffe! Or a drink!

Cheers!!

 

[moks]

Friends, I have put together seven scenarios; please rank them between excellent, good & fair & advise.


AVR Front Centre Sub woofer Rear


Scene 1: Yamaha 667 Wharfedale Wharfedale Wharfedale Wharfedale

Sene 2: Yamaha 667 Same Same Super Cube1/2 Same

Scene 3: Cambridge Modern Modern Modern Modern

Scene 4: Cambridge Modern Modern Super Cube Modern

Scene 5: Cambridge Quad Quad Super Cube Quad

Scene 6: Yamaha Quad Quad Wharfedale Quad

Scene 7: Yamaha Klipsch Klipsch Super Cube Klipsch

Cheers!

 

[sam9s]

errrrr so limited AVR choice why .... Any reason not to include DENON and ONKYO ..???
Strictly speaking of the above I would choose Scene 2. But if given my choice this is what I'd suggest.

Scene 5 is almost to the point except I'd go for DENON or ONKYO for AVR and QUAD Bookshelves. Yamaha RX-V667 no doubt is also a great AVR, but I think Onkyo 608 scores more on features. Anyway I have not auditioned 667 so I cant say for sure, but yes online reviews does say its a great AVR

So it would be

With Bookshelves

Onkyo SR608 or DENON 1911
QUAL 12L Fronts
Super Cube I or II SUB
QUAD L2 Center
QUAD 11L REAR

With Floor stands

SCENE 1 is pretty close ....

Onkyo SR608 or DENON 2311

Fronts Wharfedale Diamond 10.4 or 10.3 (if base is of concern)
Center Wharfedale Diamond 10 CS
SUB Wharfedale Diamond 10MX
Rear Wharfedale Diamond 10.0

Ofcourse you need to listen to both the setup and decide which sounds you better.

BTW you have not given the ratio of Movie to Music on your HT.