Speakers for Onkyo SR 608

[jay.vyas84]

Hi Members,

I have recently bought Onkyo SR 608 (at 45k, I guess I got conned big time). I now need to buy a speaker set (5.1/7.1) at price range of 20-50k. Below are a few questions I had (I am a newbie and the questions might be silly):

1) Shall I buy assorted speakers or the entire 5.1/7.1 package
2) Which is a good brand/model I shall consider to buy
3) I see that amplifiers are very cheap if bought from US (around 40% cheaper). Can I get speakers cheap too? If yes, what are the safe websites I can buy them using an Indian credit card?
4) I am based in Bangalore. Hence, any suggestions wrt to a decent place with a decent price where I can buy a good speaker set would be appretiated.

I had bought my amp TX SR 608 from the ONKYO showroom in the Whitefield Forum Value mall at 45k. Is it very high?

Regards,
Jay

 

[Kittu]

Since you already bought it , dont worry about high or low . For speaker packages there are plenty of options available , based on your budget.

Paradigm,PSB,Qacoustics,Deftech pro cinema,Energy , Mirage,Polk,canton and wharfedale movie packages are available between 30k to 50k price.

Some store names here, you can search in forum for contacts and address.

htstore.in
final touch
Babbler Group
Profx
Vector Systems

 

[amitzhankar]

Hi,
Congrats for TXSR 608.

I have also purchased TXSR 608 in the month of Feb, 2011 in mumbai from onkyo dealer and i also paid 45k for the same. For speakers i have checked following

1. Jamo
2. Polk audio
3. wharfedale
4. Kef IQ50
5. Kef q500
6. Bose

After checking all the above brands i have bought KEF IQ50 and i am happy about the my setup.

Amit Zhankar

 

[paritosh]

Audition JBL Studio One / Two packages. You can have a look at them on JBL India web-site. I got a quote of 50k from JBL store, Rajkot. I bet you will get them for even less in B'lore

 

[snorkel4u]

@ Amit, how much did the KEF cost you?

 

[amitzhankar]

55K after 15% discount by PRO FX mumbai.

 

[jay.vyas84]

Thanks a lot Amit and Paritosh!!!

KEF speakers look v nice. KEF are just two speakers for 55k right?? I found Q500 quite good. KEF International . not sure how much it would cost!!

Can I not get a complete 5.1/7.1 package with a good sub??

Also, can you let me know if there is an option to buy the speakers from abroad via online shopping. Would that roll out cheap?

Regards,
Jay

 

[paritosh]

check out the links below:

JBL STUDIO ONE

JBL STUDIO TWO


it is actually an HTiB! But, you can negotiate for the 5.1 speakers set only. i loved the unconventional looks of the speakers besides the sound. the down side though is the surrounds are actually a pair of Control One! http://www.hifivision.com/images/icons/icon11.gif

if you are a BASS-FREAK... you would love the down firing sub.

cheers

 

[soulforged]

45K is a bit high but you have bought it now and nothing can be done about it, right? So stop worrying about it...congnitive dissonance is bound to happen.

608 is a very good receiver and deserves a good set of speakers. Budget, of course, is paramount, but you also need to consider your room size, placement limitations etc. before you buy one.

50K is a tight budget for a full set of speakers. I would suggest staggering your purchase. Go for the fronts and centers first. Add sub and surrounds later. A 5.1 should be a good setup for the time being. You have very few s/w available with 7.1 sound.

You also need to spare some change for the paraphernelia like cables and stands. Yes, bookshelves might cost less but they are not supposed to be kept in bookshelves. You'd need good stands for them and they cost money too.

My suggestioin is, look at your room dimension and shape to get a starting idea of whether you want bookshelves, sats or floorstanders. Go to different dealers to audition speakers. Carry your favourite movies/music for the audition. It's easy to get carried away by the demo the dealers would show you...obviously, they are hand-picked to showcase certain effects like bullets whizzing or cars crashing etc. But if you listen to what you are used to, even if it is a sedate scene/song, you'd be in a better position to judge whether you like the sound or not. If possible carry your AVR along as well.

Go for the fronts and centers from the same series. This is very important as almost 90% of what you'd hear in a movie would come from these three speakers and you'd want cohesion in that sound. Sub and rears can be added later.

You can even look at well maintained used speakers. Speakers have not changed much over the years and there's nothing wrong in going for an old one. Added bonus, it'd already been burnt in Of course, you'd have to be careful to check for damage/wear & tear.

Bargain your guts out, don't let the dealer put you down. They'd make you feel as if you don't know anything and they know what's best for you. It doesn't matter if you know anything at all or not. At the end of the day, you are spending your hard-earned (i'm assuming ) money and you have a right to ask questions and bargain for a lesser prices. In general, expect at least a 15% discount if not more.

Some of the brands that you should think of (in no particular order) - Kef, QAcoustics, PSB, Mirage, Infinity, Paradigm, Wharfedale, Deftech...lots of options here

PS: Do you have a good DVDP/BRP? If not, add this to your shopping list.

 

[edjamesx]

Hi Members,

I have recently bought Onkyo SR 608 (at 45k, I guess I got conned big time). I now need to buy a speaker set (5.1/7.1) at price range of 20-50k. Below are a few questions I had (I am a newbie and the questions might be silly):

1) Shall I buy assorted speakers or the entire 5.1/7.1 package
2) Which is a good brand/model I shall consider to buy
3) I see that amplifiers are very cheap if bought from US (around 40% cheaper). Can I get speakers cheap too? If yes, what are the safe websites I can buy them using an Indian credit card?
4) I am based in Bangalore. Hence, any suggestions wrt to a decent place with a decent price where I can buy a good speaker set would be appretiated.

I had bought my amp TX SR 608 from the ONKYO showroom in the Whitefield Forum Value mall at 45k. Is it very high?

Regards,
Jay

Hi jay.vyas, You bought AMP for 45 k and and you look for speakers for 20k.

That's too less for speakers for such a AMP. AMP itself doesnt make good sound quality it need to pair with good speakers to achive sound quality.

If you put cheaper speakers then it will be a total mess.

You have to spend minimum of 45k to get a good speakers.

For short budget better solution would be get a basic AMP for less price min 16k to 20k. And spend rest for speakers. But anyway you purchased AMP, so let it be with you now.

If your budget doesnt go up till 45k then , slowly buy speakers one by one while enjoying sound. First go with front speakers and listen in stereo mode for sometime. When you budget permits then get center speaker and SUB. Atlast buy surround speakers.

 

[jay.vyas84]

Hi Guys,

Thanks a lot for the valuable inputs. Really helped since I am very new to this.

I have now decided to go for two front and a center for the mean time as suggested.

So far I have shortlisted (without audition) the below:

1. KEF Q500 and Q200c
2. Polk Audio RTI A5 and CSI A6

Which do you think is better? Is there any other brand that I should consider?

Thanks Again for all the help so far!!!

Jay

 

[Kittu]

Both have huge price difference mate, it would be wrong to compare them. You can compare Kef IQ50 with Polk RTI A5 , close contenders. Its your personal choice which one do you like after listening to both of them.

Profx deals with both brands, you can audition them side by side with your AVR and decide.

 

[soulforged]

I'd stay away from Polk but that's just my opinion. I found Polk to be very bright and harsh. Might give you an ear fatigue on longish listening sessions. But like Kittu suggests, go to ProFx and listen to both of them side by side and form your own opinion.

Also, go to other places and listen to as many speakers as you can...

 

[rbalagopalan]

Hi, Vyas,

You may get speakers at a competitive price in abroad but please be aware that the freight charges will be equally higher, as speaker package is going to be heavy and occupy more volume. Over and above that it will attract customs duty also. Hence my suggestion is to go for speaker package from Indian market for which you had already received enough suggestions.

Thanks