Building new home theatre - Need Advice

[smreed32]

Hi,

I have just set out to build my first ever HT setup and I have no idea where to start. Right now, I have a 50" Samsung DLP TV with a basic $600 Sony STR-DA1000ES A/V Receiver and a basic ($500) Sony DVD player. I have two Vienna Acoustics Haydn speakers right now and all components and speakers are connected with Audioquest cables. I ordered two more Vienna Acoustics Haydn speakers for the rear channel, a Vienna Acoustics Maestro for the center channel and a REL Stadium II Subwoofer for bass. Here is my question. I am supposed to pick up the ordered items from my local Hi-Fi Store (Magnolia Hi-Fi) this Friday and I am not sure if I am making a good decision. The speakers and subwoofer are pretty expensive, but I have enjoyed my Vienna Acoustics so much with music that I wanted to stay with the same for my HT system. So, here are my questions. With such high end speakers, am I doing myself a disservice by using only the Sony A/V receiver? It sounds ok with just my two Haydn's now, but I am told that the Sony receiver is not really a good match for speakers of this quality and that I am really missing out by not using an good amp or a better receiver like a B&K or something like that. Should I wait on getting the speakers until I have purchased better components? Does anyone have suggestions as to a good complete system or parts and pieces that I should get to complement what I already have? I am not yet educated on all the ins and outs of HT, so any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks... :)

[bargainseeker]

I believe you are doing the right thing. You already know that you very much like the sound of the Vienna Acoustics Hadyn speakers driven by your Sony receiver. By putting your money into the speakers, you are investing in the part of your home theater system that makes the most difference in the sound you hear. Don't let some elitest tell you that your system is not good enough when your own ears tell you otherwise. Later, when you have additional money for another upgrade, you can try better components and see if you hear improvement in the sound.

[smreed32]

Thanks for your comments BargainSeeker. One of the reasons I am questioning my components is that the Sony Receiver is 8 ohm (?) and the Vienna Acoustics are 6 ohm(?) The Sony is working...obviously, but I was told by an Audio salesperson that I reallly should be running the Haydn's with a component that can go to less than 8 ohm. Not sure what all this means, since they seem to sound pretty good now...

[hershon]

Once you have your protype home theater set up rent a DVD like The Bounty with Mel Gibson which is a good film with great sound or Blade 2 A bad film with great sound, or another DVD that's mentioned in the thread, A Good DVD Movie with Great Surround Sound started by your truly. See if the sound makes it for you on one of those, if not, then Houston we have a problem and its time to reevaluate. Also I suggest when listening to CD's on your system you use the option that lets you hear all the speakers-mine is called All Channel Sound.



Hi,

I have just set out to build my first ever HT setup and I have no idea where to start. Right now, I have a 50" Samsung DLP TV with a basic $600 Sony STR-DA1000ES A/V Receiver and a basic ($500) Sony DVD player. I have two Vienna Acoustics Haydn speakers right now and all components and speakers are connected with Audioquest cables. I ordered two more Vienna Acoustics Haydn speakers for the rear channel, a Vienna Acoustics Maestro for the center channel and a REL Stadium II Subwoofer for bass. Here is my question. I am supposed to pick up the ordered items from my local Hi-Fi Store (Magnolia Hi-Fi) this Friday and I am not sure if I am making a good decision. The speakers and subwoofer are pretty expensive, but I have enjoyed my Vienna Acoustics so much with music that I wanted to stay with the same for my HT system. So, here are my questions. With such high end speakers, am I doing myself a disservice by using only the Sony A/V receiver? It sounds ok with just my two Haydn's now, but I am told that the Sony receiver is not really a good match for speakers of this quality and that I am really missing out by not using an good amp or a better receiver like a B&K or something like that. Should I wait on getting the speakers until I have purchased better components? Does anyone have suggestions as to a good complete system or parts and pieces that I should get to complement what I already have? I am not yet educated on all the ins and outs of HT, so any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks... :)

[bargainseeker]

Thanks for your comments BargainSeeker. One of the reasons I am questioning my components is that the Sony Receiver is 8 ohm (?) and the Vienna Acoustics are 6 ohm(?) The Sony is working...obviously, but I was told by an Audio salesperson that I reallly should be running the Haydn's with a component that can go to less than 8 ohm. Not sure what all this means, since they seem to sound pretty good now...If you have had no problems with overheating or distortion so far, I wouldn't worry about it. Most mid- to high-end receivers rated for 8 ohm speakers will be able to drive 6 ohm speakers as well. Many speakers rated as 8 ohm have a dip to 6 ohms somewhere in their impedance curve anyway.

[drgolfnut]

I'm in a similar situation. I just bought a pair of B&W 705s. My salesperson (who appears very knowledgeable) hinted that the speakers may not perform to their full potential with my Sony ES receiver. There was a Rotel 1067 receiver their that looks gorgeous. He suggested that the Rotel would be a good match to what my needs are. I really do not think it's a sales tactic. This salesperson pointed me towards the 705s for mains, and 602s for surrounds, when he easily could have walked me towards the 800 Nautilus. So far I love the 705s even from my mediocre receiver. So should I plop the change down and go all out and replace every single component?

[woodman]

I'm in a similar situation. I just bought a pair of B&W 705s. My salesperson (who appears very knowledgeable) hinted that the speakers may not perform to their full potential with my Sony ES receiver. There was a Rotel 1067 receiver their that looks gorgeous. He suggested that the Rotel would be a good match to what my needs are. I really do not think it's a sales tactic. This salesperson pointed me towards the 705s for mains, and 602s for surrounds, when he easily could have walked me towards the 800 Nautilus. So far I love the 705s even from my mediocre receiver. So should I plop the change down and go all out and replace every single component?

You've come face to face with the "problem" of a salesperson ... "who appears to be very knowledgable". This is especially true when the product or the technology being "sold" is technical, and the buyer is lacking the understanding to be able to discern just who is knowledgable - and who isn't.

When you say - " ... I really do not think it's a sales tactic", you're being incredibly naive. Of course it's a sales tactic ... duh! To answer the question you pose in your closing sentence: ....... NO, you shouldn't do any such thing.

Oh, and one other thing - your Sony ES receiver is certainly not "mediocre" in any sense of the word. I'm not a big fan of Sony ... in fact, I try to steer people away from their TV sets every chance I get. But their "ES" audio products are generally very respectable performers, with a pretty good reliability record as well.

[woodman]

Thanks for your comments BargainSeeker. One of the reasons I am questioning my components is that the Sony Receiver is 8 ohm (?) and the Vienna Acoustics are 6 ohm(?) The Sony is working...obviously, but I was told by an Audio salesperson that I reallly should be running the Haydn's with a component that can go to less than 8 ohm. Not sure what all this means, since they seem to sound pretty good now...

The reply that I posted for "drgolfnut" is equally applicable to you. You're being misled by "an Audio salesperson" with an agenda. Which is, to sell you something that you don't really need under a totally false premise. The impedance figure that's quoted for loudspeakers is what's called a nominal impedance ... meaning that it's a constantly fluctuating quantity, and not "fixed" or "constant" in any sense. All speakers will present an impedance (load) that will vary all over the map with different frequencies, and go both above and below the nominal impedance figure that's quoted. Most amplifiers are fully capable of driving most speakers - even when their quoted impedances are different. It's only when a given speaker's impedance dips really low (to 2 ohms or less) that it can cause an amp to upchuck its lunch. Fortunately, this situation happens only very rarely. It's not anything for you to lose even a moment's sleep over.

My only other comment to you regarding your pending purchase would be that IMO, you're being "oversold" to the hilt - especially with the subwoofer. There are many subs available that will perform just as well as the REL for a fraction of the price. Also, the use of another pair of Haydns to serve as surrounds also falls under the heading of "overkill" - at least for movie watching. If you were going to be listening to a lot of multi-channel music from SACDs and/or DVD-As, then using Haydns for the surrounds might make a bit of sense. But for surround sound movie viewing, I don't think they would give you anything beneficial that you couldn't get from a different pair of surround speakers that would cost you FAR less.

Hope this helps you

[Geoffcin]

Hi,

I have just set out to build my first ever HT setup and I have no idea where to start. Right now, I have a 50" Samsung DLP TV with a basic $600 Sony STR-DA1000ES A/V Receiver and a basic ($500) Sony DVD player. I have two Vienna Acoustics Haydn speakers right now and all components and speakers are connected with Audioquest cables. I ordered two more Vienna Acoustics Haydn speakers for the rear channel, a Vienna Acoustics Maestro for the center channel and a REL Stadium II Subwoofer for bass. Here is my question. I am supposed to pick up the ordered items from my local Hi-Fi Store (Magnolia Hi-Fi) this Friday and I am not sure if I am making a good decision. The speakers and subwoofer are pretty expensive, but I have enjoyed my Vienna Acoustics so much with music that I wanted to stay with the same for my HT system. So, here are my questions. With such high end speakers, am I doing myself a disservice by using only the Sony A/V receiver? It sounds ok with just my two Haydn's now, but I am told that the Sony receiver is not really a good match for speakers of this quality and that I am really missing out by not using an good amp or a better receiver like a B&K or something like that. Should I wait on getting the speakers until I have purchased better components? Does anyone have suggestions as to a good complete system or parts and pieces that I should get to complement what I already have? I am not yet educated on all the ins and outs of HT, so any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks... :)

Almost any decent receiver will be able to play your speakers to a sufficient volume with no difficulty. The fact that it does it now with your system set up as a STEREO is proof. The problem comes when you want to have theater level performance using multiple speakers. The current draw may exceed the ability of the receiver and cause it to distort, or even go into overload. Action movies like Saving Private Ryan include battle scenes that were made to be played at high volume, and can be trouble for all but the best receivers. I've solved the problem in my system by using both auxiliary amps, and powered towers. I think that the auxiliary amp route is the most effective to get separate level performance from a receiver.

My suggestion is then;

Don't wait to get the speakers. If you find that the receiver is not powerful enough for the full system, then get a separate amp for the mains.

Oh, your salesman is not trying to cheat you in any way. To spend more than twice the amount for the subwoofer than the receiver is not the norm. Most people who have your level speakers have a taste for higher level components too. If he points that out, it doesn't mean he's trying to cheat you. It's called a balanced system. That being said, there's nothing wrong with the route you've chosen.

There are VERY few subwoofers that can perform as well as the REL. The fact that you've chosen to add identical speakers for the surrounds will make for an absolutely seamless sound field on SACD & DVD-Audio. I would recommend that you purchase several to play immediately when you set up your system. I'm sure your going to be quite happy with the way it turns out.

[drgolfnut]

I am sure you are correct on many points. He is a salesman, so his job is to sell. I suppose my next step is to keep my current Sony ES receiver and get speakers to complete the home theater environment. So far, I think that my current receiver is doing a very capable job of making quality sound. I plan on listening to music about 50% and tv/movies in surround the other 50%. I am wondering if my 705s at all corners, and the HTM7 for center channel is sufficient. I was toying with grabbing a pair of the 802s on ebay to use as mains.
Would you have any advice on speaker cables. I have been reading so much on line that I am becoming a skeptic regarding very expensive high end cables. I would like some cables that would allow me to easily conceal them under the carpet or baseboard. Hopefully at the same time they can be bi-wired (another touchy topic too). And hopefully I will not have to take a mortgage out for cables.

[smreed32]

Thanks to all of those that have replied thus far. I appreciate the comments and will look more closely at what I am purchasing before I move forward.