Speaker advice & help (Paradigm)

saravanansuri

New Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2009
Messages
24
Points
0
Location
chennai
Hi guys, Joined the forum couple of days back. First a big thanks to everyone using this forum to share this really helpful information.

Am currently in US and will be leaving next month. Planning to set up a HT in my home (childhood dream).. Am not in favour of buying receivers from US due to the voltage, warranty (so much other crap...)

Have planned to buy Paradigm Cinema 110 LRC and Paradigm Cinema 90 (for my rears) for a 5.1 setup. What do you guys feel abt this. Am planning to pair it with Denon 1909 or 2309 (if price diff is not too much)... Any idea abt the performance...

I auditioned the Paradigm and they sound really good. I will have to find a Sub that goes well with the paradigms once i get back to Chennai. need help on this pls....
 
I agree. It does not make too much sense to buy a 110 volts system for use in India.

The Paradigm 110 seems to be a good system. I am only worried about the fact that the cabinets are made of plastic. Regarding the sub, why don't you look at he Cinema CT v.3 subwoofer itself? That will match the best with the Pradigm system.

Regarding AVRs, before coming to India, please audition other brands such as Onkyo, Marantz, and Yamaha. Comparable models are Onyko 606, Yamaha 663, and Marantz 6003 or 7002.

Cheers
 
Thanks a lot Venkat.

I have heard Denons, Onkyos here in US and I liked the Denons. I haven't had a chance to audition Marantz. I searched around the forum and seem to hear some good positives about Denon 1909 / 2309. Since i am buying the speakers from US, i think i mite have some money to spend on Sub and the receiver (and 1909 falls in that line)

Can you pls tell me, how much does the Denons cost in proFx in chennai? both the 2309 and 1909. Also is there any Paradigm dealer in Chennai where i can buy the sub. The sub is too heavy and i dont think I can carry it from US more importantly when u r leaving for good :-(
 
saravanan,
you can get paradigm in grand cinema , kodambakkam, chennai.
for denon pricing check Profx - Advanced Audio Solutions
regarding paradigm cinema, I really liked them when I listen to.
But, my preference would go for Energy Take Classic.
By buying just the 5 speakers from US might not benefit you much as you would still have to get the woofer and the receiver here. So, working out a package here might work out pretty good here as well.
One thing I would recommend for sure is to audition as much as you can in US.
 
Thanks Gopi and Venkat.

I will definitely audition more wen I am here in US.

My budget for the whole HT setup is 150K INR which also includes a LCD / Plasma (HD ready atleast)..

that is the reason, I thought buying speakers from US mite help me save some bucks. Basically given this budget, what would be a ideal setup? I am not a movie freak. so its mostly Music and Tata sky...

Was looking at the ProFx site and Polk subwoofer PSW PRO 500. Will this go well with Paradigm speakers ( incase i buy it)..

I was looking at Wharfedale series but they look way over my budget.. pls advice.
 
Generally I would recommend that all the 5 speakers in a 5.1 setup be from the same brand and model or series. This is for what is called timbre matching.

The sub or Point 1 is a different matter. You should look for a sub that is tight, does not resonate, has a fast response, and goes down as low as possible. Getting a sub that is as close to 20Hz as possible is good.

The Polk sub is decent, as is the Wharfedale SW 150. Subs from companies such as Velodyne (roughly 20K), Energy, etc are also good. All these are available in Chennai and you can audition them when you are here. I am only looking at subs that cost around 500$

Of course, since you are in the US, if by any chance you can bring a Hsu Research sub along with you, that would be really fantastic. But if you are worried about size and weight, then you can audition some of the subs in Chennai and pick up one.

Cheers
 
Since the price differences at times can be too much, it may be worth thinking about buying the electronics like receiver, dvd player also from the US. Saravanan has mentioned problems with voltage/freq, warranty etc. I do not know much about an AVR or a DVD player, let me ask Venkat the following: Are there AVR's and DVD players in Saravanan's budget that come with a switch at the back that enables the user to switch from 100/60 to 220/50? If the answers is yes, then all Saravanan has to do is replace the power cords with appropriate good quality power cords here in India. I think the Denon prices are too much here in India. Once for a friend a few months ago I was looking at the universal player 1940 and the price here is something like 30K and I think the dollar price converted would be something under 20K. And we all know how much the Oppo DVD players cost in India. Why cannot saravanan buy these things from the US at a significantly less cost. It's also much easier to carry these things to India than speakers.

Regarding warranty, it's a different story. I have heard some brands would not respect product warranties in India if they are bought elsewhere. But this to some extent can also be sorted out. Saravanan, can you find out if any of these things come with international warranty that would be respected in India. Well the speakers that you want to get from the US also would have then the same problem. I guess at least one has to make sure that the products are sold and servieable in India, albeit at a cost.

Saravanan, it's just a thought. May be you have already considered these points. But if you have not, there they are.
 
I do not know much about an AVR or a DVD player, let me ask Venkat the following: Are there AVR's and DVD players in Saravanan's budget that come with a switch at the back that enables the user to switch from 100/60 to 220/50? If the answers is yes, then all Saravanan has to do is replace the power cords with appropriate good quality power cords here in India.

Some of the companies such as Oppo that have a single production/distribution point make products that can accept 110 to 240 voits and 50 to 60Hz without any issue. Unfortunately companies such as Denon, Onkyo, and others have multiple production and distribution points. In addition these companies are subject to local laws and face consumer wrath if they don't follow these laws. Thus these companies make products specifically designed for the local market. When sold in the US, they will support only 110 volts. When sold in the UK, they will have 220 volts and the UK plug system, and so on. It took Nokia over 5 years to make their plugs suit the Indian market, but the new versions of chargers have plugs that work on the Indian plug system.

There are some shops in NY that sell products for the Indian market. They 'import' these products and make them available to Indians for bringing back to India. But they may have order and wait time to procure a particular model.

Regarding warranty, it's a different story. I have heard some brands would not respect product warranties in India if they are bought elsewhere. But this to some extent can also be sorted out. Saravanan, can you find out if any of these things come with international warranty that would be respected in India. Well the speakers that you want to get from the US also would have then the same problem. I guess at least one has to make sure that the products are sold and servieable in India, albeit at a cost.

Even if the product has an international warranty Denon, Onlyo, and Yamaha support only products purchased in the local market. We have had discussions on this in many threads. In India, do not expect any official support for products purchased outside India.

Speakers don't need any warranty as the chances of their going bad is very remote unless they are misused.

Cheers
 
Last edited:
Thx Asit and Venkat for your suggestions and info..

Asit, I did check with Onkyo & Denon regarding Voltage switcher models and warranty info. But the answer was negative. As Venkat suggested, once we take these units, out of US, the warranty is nullified and u have to be prepared. Its not that lot of guys bring it and use it here without any pblms. Its just a matter of luck (or ignorance from my part which cud spoil everything..)

Even tried with some online vendors, whether they can preorder stuff from Europe and ship things to me, and they were not ready to do it either. Thats y i decided to get the speakers here, which should work relatively well ( atleast less chances of getting screwed). Of course the pblm with this: I really can't bring speakers like Diamond 9.6 (or equivalents).. So have to settle for smaller speakers..

Venkat, thx for the info on Timbre matching. Based on your / Gopi's advice, I was thinking abt getting the rears / Center channel (preferrably Paradigm) from US and then get the Wharfedale Diamond 9.6 for the fronts. Will that make a good combo. That will still fall in my budget (10K more i agree - but shud be ok).. Pls advice..
 
How about Marantz AVRs? venkat, you did not mention them.

In any case then saravanan can at least get an Oppo from the US. They are half the price there and I hear that they are by far the best in their price segment. Would there be problems with warranty even here for the Oppo? I do not see in saravanan's post anything about a DVDP (or blue-ray player), or have I missed anyhthing?

Can he get the cables also, venkat? I am saying all this because I find everything so much costlier here in India (except perhaps a few brands only).

I have lived in Europe and in the US for many many years . Most of my electronics at that time were bought in Europe. However, I never had any problems regarding warranty, over-the-phone-help, suggestions whenever I needed that in the US. Have the times changed?

Yes, venkat I bought in 1994 summer a video cassette recorder/player (Hitachi, superb quality) from such a store in NY as you mention.
 
Hey Asit, I am not sure, how much Oppo costs in India. In Amazon (as of today) its $169, which will be atleast half the price as compared to India, I believe. I am not sure abt the warranty though.

Venkat, regarding the HSU subwoofers, i checked them online and they still need the step down transformer. and the weight is like roughly 30lbs or more...
 
asit, denon dvd player for some weird reason is overpriced in India. The competing Cambridge Audio DVD player is priced in India cheaper than in UK. So, for me Cambridge Audio in India was the choice. Oppo is a very nice choice and can definetly be bought from US and I think Saravanan should consider it seriously.
Regarding speakers, I think mix and matching avr, dvd player, 5.1 itself is a big job. Trying to scout for a mixed 5.1 is not a good idea. Because its very tough to match the timbre. I strictly recommend all 5 speakers from same brand, and preferably same product line. The subwoofer can be from different brand, but needs a bit of careful matching. Wharfedales are priced very reasonable in India and they might cost cheaper than US in India. Check the prices. If your fronts are going to be wharfedale I would definitely, recommend a full wharfedale set here.
I have auditioned - Wharfedale Diamond 9hcp, Paradigm Cinema 90. To me there was no contest. Wharfedale won me over and the price of these two were very close and infact Paradigm was costlier I think. I think you mentioned music means more. In which case Wharfedale hands down.
Obviously, people will recommend a stereo package over a 5.1 system. If you are very sereious about music you can think about that.
 
asit,
regarding warranty in India, I think nowadays with lots of places to buy starting from ezone to the specialist shop, its not easy to get things repaired in most places. A simple case was I think Denon (might be wrong here, but some AVR like that). The person purchased it from US and asks the local guy to service it and he was even ready to pay for it. But they said no. If you don't buy it in my shop then I don't do anything with it. Secondly, even if you do contact some repair shops who does these, they might not be using authentic parts or the right parts, instead something else, that might make the AVR or the equipment work, but degrading the sound quality.
I think if you are ready to buy a complete set and have it for a long time and need service I would recommend him to first check the local pricing and then decide. In this case I have been to Grand Cinema in Chennai and have bought stuffs from there as well. Last I checked with them Wharfedale Diamond 9HCP costed 33k. From them, Marantz AVR 5002 was 30k , now 5003 should be there for probably slightly more. They do have Marantz DVD players for a nice price as well. They can get you grey as well. They deal with Paradigm as well. Morduant Short Genie was the other sub sat combo they had. Marantz is cheaper in India particularly in grey beating even the US prices. Wharfedales in India are cheaper than US. They deal with Cambrdige Audio as well and thats cheaper than US as well. Now these are the brands in AVR that are considered musical. So, getting it all from one place can be a nice thing for him here. Not always true. But, I think in this case its better.
 
How about Marantz AVRs? venkat, you did not mention them.

I have personal experience with Onkyo, and I have read other members complain about Denon and Yamaha. Yamaha is slightly better as there are lots of service centers in India. In Chennai, for example, Torvin is ready to service any AVR. But at such places, getting parts will take time, and there is a slight amount of risk.

I don't have any experience with Marantz, but I will not be surprised if they have similar company policy.

Can he get the cables also, venkat? I am saying all this because I find everything so much costlier here in India (except perhaps a few brands only).

Yes he can certainly get cables from the US. They will be of good quality and reasonably priced.

Saravanan, regarding matching Wharfedale 9.6 with Paradigm center and surround speakers, it may not be such a good idea. As I said, all speakers other than the sub woofer must be timbre matched. Is there no dealer for Wharfedale in the US? Or you can look for US/Canadian speakers such as PSB and get all but the fronts from there. The PSB Alpha B1s are very good speakers, and I am assembling a complete 5.1 based on just the Alpha B1s for a friend of mine. Instead of floor standers, you cal also look at their Image Monitors as good front speakers.

You can also look at Polk audio. They are very popular here, and you get priced floor standers from ProFx here. You can audition them there and decide if you like them.

Let us look at all options.

Cheers
 
Last edited:
Thanks Venkat, Gopi and Asit.

I will definitely consider buying the Oppo from here. Also I mailed the GrandCinema regarding the pricing for Wharfedale 9.6 and they replied back with 38K. But what is the actual pricing if we buy it as a package (with center and sorrounds + sw). Could you pls let me know.

Regarding Marantz, there is no nearby place for me nearby to go and audition it. But I think Denon 1909 will be hard to beat by 5003. How abt Yamaha V663. Is it comparable to 1909. Expert opinions pls...

Just curious to know wat will be price of the Sam / Panasonic Plasma (42"). I did search around the forums and it was around 60K. I am not sure though. by the way, is Panyy 42PV80D / PV8 HD Ready?

Thanks.
 
I will definitely consider buying the Oppo from here.

Get an Oppo if you can. They are terribly expensive over here.

Regarding Marantz, there is no nearby place for me nearby to go and audition it. But I think Denon 1909 will be hard to beat by 5003. How abt Yamaha V663. Is it comparable to 1909. Expert opinions pls...

Not much experience with Marantz. Denon 1909 is also good, but I was very impressed with the Yamaha 663. Cannot compare Denon with Yamaha since both were with different speakers, at different places/times and even content was different. But I can tell you I came away very impressed with the Yamaha sound.

Just curious to know wat will be price of the Sam / Panasonic Plasma (42"). I did search around the forums and it was around 60K. I am not sure though. by the way, is Panyy 42PV80D / PV8 HD Ready?

Thanks.

42" plasmas HD Ready and not Full HD would be 45K-50K from Samsung and Panasonic PV8/80 models. Once again note in the 42" most are HD Ready and not Full HD. But still great VFM at under/around 50K.
 
I will definitely consider buying the Oppo from here. Also I mailed the GrandCinema regarding the pricing for Wharfedale 9.6 and they replied back with 38K. But what is the actual pricing if we buy it as a package (with center and sorrounds + sw). Could you pls let me know.

Post no. 22 in the following thread has all the prices for Wharfedale.

http://www.hifivision.com/speakers/2074-wharfedale-9-5-towers-vs-9-2-bookshelves-3.html/ There will some revision, but you will have a general idea of the pricing in India. It may be prudent to keep a 20% buffer to these prices.

Cheers
 
Thanks Venkat and Mose. Appreciate your help.

Venkat, I referred to the thread you gave, very helpful indeed.

I have been reading a lot of posts around this forum and most of the gurus here tend to prefer Yamaha 663 against Denon / Onkyo. I am going to audition Yamaha 663 today in BB alongside 1909. Will let you know how it sounds.

All, I read lot of opinions on the upscaling AVRs and their +/-s. From the forums, I see Yamaha 663 is retailing around 50K (after the price hike) and Denon 1909 also around that (if not lesser). Does it still advisable to go with Yamaha, given its limitations (no upscaling etc)..

Also how is the VSX-1018AH-K from Pioneer. Do we have authorized dealers in Chennai for Pioneer. How does it compare to the Yammy / Denon.

With regard to Yamaha 663: we can always get Oppo to do the upconversion for all the dvds (i hope it even upscales DVD rips from USB). But how do you guys watch Tata sky. I am not sure if the Tata sky comes with component outs / composite? Can you share some personal xperience on this.

Thanks.
 
All, I read lot of opinions on the upscaling AVRs and their +/-s. From the forums, I see Yamaha 663 is retailing around 50K (after the price hike) and Denon 1909 also around that (if not lesser). Does it still advisable to go with Yamaha, given its limitations (no upscaling etc)..

If you want upscaling in the AVR you have to go for the 1909 or Yamaha 863.

Also how is the VSX-1018AH-K from Pioneer. Do we have authorized dealers in Chennai for Pioneer. How does it compare to the Yammy / Denon.

I have not yet heard the Pioneer, though I have read very rave reviews about it. Seems to have the specs to be a leader in its price class. But I cannot comment on its sonic and video performance.

With regard to Yamaha 663: we can always get Oppo to do the upconversion for all the dvds (i hope it even upscales DVD rips from USB). But how do you guys watch Tata sky. I am not sure if the Tata sky comes with component outs / composite? Can you share some personal xperience on this.

If you want to scale more than the DVD, you have to get an AVR that scales.

Indian TVs are at least a year away before they provide component and other connections and transmission quality good enough for scaling. Most STBs in India today come only with composite connections.

One easy way out will be to get a external scaler. These are available in abundance in the US. Why don't you see if you can get one for about 500US? That will help you to stop worrying about scalers and de-interlacers in other units and focus on sound and other features.

Cheers
 
Check out our special offers on Stereo Package & Bundles for all budget types.
Back
Top