Subwoofer or center speaker first?

aadi007

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Guys,

I am currently having a Marantz AVR and 2 Monitor Audio BR speakers.
PLanning to buy a center or a sub to enhance the overall audio experience.

My usage is 70% movies and 30% music.
I play lot of downloaded content from torrents etc which have Dolby or DTS audio.

Ideally I would want to have all 6 speakers.
But, fitting surrounds is a problem for me without spoiling the aesthetics... otherwise, it will cost me a lot of money and time.

So I have decided on a 3.1 setup for now.
Again being on a restricted budget, I am planning to buy either a center or a sub ...so which one would you suggest?
For center, choice is relatively straightforward as it should match the current speakers.

If it's a sub, which one do you recommend on a restricted budget?

EDIT: If someone can suggest a cost-effective way of wiring the rear speakers without spoiling the aesthetics, I would be glad.
won't be able to do it now but will plan for it in the near future.
 
Guys,

I am currently having a Marantz AVR and 2 Monitor Audio BR speakers.
PLanning to buy a center or a sub to enhance the overall audio experience.

My usage is 70% movies and 30% music.
I play lot of downloaded content from torrents etc which have Dolby or DTS audio.

Ideally I would want to have all 6 speakers.
But, fitting surrounds is a problem for me without spoiling the aesthetics... otherwise, it will cost me a lot of money and time.

So I have decided on a 3.1 setup for now.
Again being on a restricted budget, I am planning to buy either a center or a sub ...so which one would you suggest?
For center, choice is relatively straightforward as it should match the current speakers.

If it's a sub, which one do you recommend on a restricted budget?

EDIT: If someone can suggest a cost-effective way of wiring the rear speakers without spoiling the aesthetics, I would be glad.
won't be able to do it now but will plan for it in the near future.
Sub is more important than center IMHO. Without the center, you might not miss any frequency, only the position will shift. But without the sub you will miss a lot of low frequencies which are critical for movies. I started off with 2.1. Gradually added center and surrounds to my setup.

Adding a center only won't give you theatre like experience. A pair of surrounds along with the center will make much sense IMO.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
Hi

Sub is more important.....go for that first then head for the center....

There are many brands of sub...depending on what frequencies the fronts can deliver...check for subs which blend well with the required lower frequencies.....there are different subs...front firing or down firing...sealed or ported....big sized or small compact ones....you need to audition and decide based on performance, connectivity and budget.....

All the best....

If you want to obtain all speakers within limited budget...check the for sale by owner section or hi fi ads....
 
Subwoofer first. You can live without center speaker because the AVR sends those sounds to LR. If you do not have sub for movies, you'll miss out on most imp LFE
 
Subwoofer first. IMHO also.

Sent from my HUAWEI P7-L10 using Tapatalk
 
Have done a lot of fiddling myself over the years with my avr setup.
With experience i can for sure tell you, get a sub first and run on 2.1.

You can almost get away with any el-cheapo surrounds, but make sure when you buy the center spk, its of the same company/series as your fronts.
 
Ok, done it's subwoofer first.
For the center, it's a no-brainer . I will go with the same Monitor Audio speaker. already talked to Audio people

Now, help me decide on a budget subwoofer.
So far, what I can see -
Yamaha sw012 -10K sw030 - 14K , sw216- 19K.
Pioneer S-51W 13K,Pioneer S-MS3SW = 15K
Polk Audio PSW10 - 18K
Thonet and Vander SW10 - 18K.

I really do not want to go beyond 20K.

If I extend till 25-27K, I think I can get Velodyne Impact 10 or Wharfedale subs. But, really want to stick to 20K unless there is nothing decent within that price.

Please suggest.
Can we change the title of this post - Need suggestion for Budget subwoofer?
 
Ok, done it's subwoofer first.
For the center, it's a no-brainer . I will go with the same Monitor Audio speaker. already talked to Audio people

Now, help me decide on a budget subwoofer.
So far, what I can see -
Yamaha sw012 -10K sw030 - 14K , sw216- 19K.
Pioneer S-51W 13K,Pioneer S-MS3SW = 15K
Polk Audio PSW10 - 18K
Thonet and Vander SW10 - 18K.

I really do not want to go beyond 20K.

If I extend till 25-27K, I think I can get Velodyne Impact 10 or Wharfedale subs. But, really want to stick to 20K unless there is nothing decent within that price.

Please suggest.
Can we change the title of this post - Need suggestion for Budget subwoofer?
I've one fsw050 for sale. In case you are interested

http://www.hifivision.com/sale-owner/61941-yamaha-yst-fsw050-100w-ported-active-subwoofer.html

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 
I think the subwoofer you have will be very small for my setup..
My bookshelves have bigger woofer than this one it looks like.

Also, my room size is pretty decent at 16*15
 
Hi

Guess you will need a 12 inch or 10 inch minimum to enjoy the thump and low frequencies....

Obvious reasons you need to increase your budget between 21-30k where you will get good subs...audition as many brands as possible, see YouTube videos and start shortlisting
 
I too agree with the sub fans-I've got four of them myself, all home built. Try and audition one before you buy if possible. 2.1 is a good start, then when you are ready go for 3.1 and more.
 
I guess within 30K, the most popular one is the Velodyne impact 10.
Checked at a store...they are saying 27K.

Any other suggestions?
Anything within 20K worth considering?

There was a very good review of the Vander sub by a member here..
 
Suggestions please -
Options within 20K seem to be limited to Pioneer/Polk/Thonet & Vander.
20-30K - lot more options like BIC/Velodyne/Jamo etc.

Please suggest.. should I somehow stretch my budget and go for Velodyne?

I am not looking for lot of thump ..I am looking more something tight and fast which can work reasonably well with music and movies both
 
The Marantz PM7000N offers big, spacious and insightful sound, class-leading clarity and a solid streaming platform in a award winning package.
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