small budget

[mitchatwrk]

I am looking to start a hometheatre system. I am not very handy and at this point don't have the cash to give someone $400 to hook up rear speakers. I was looking at the Niro systems and the Bose 321 but cannot bring myself to buy something that is non-expandable. So now brings me to my question. I have between 600-800 to spend depending on how much I can squeeze out of my wife. I have a very old Onkyo receiver a TX-80, but I think that will just go by the way side. I would like to get a receiver, and a pair of speakers that will deliver great sound primarily for HT and maybe the receiver can generate a decent simulated surround like the Bose 321. About 25% will be used for music. I have been out of touch for quite sometime, back in the day Polk, Infinity, and Advent were the big names. I need some suggestions on a tight budget. Any help is much appreciated.

[mattldm]

are you looking for a complete system, or just two speakers?

I recently bought a new system for around $700, and I think it sounds pretty good for that amount of money. I got a Denon AVR-1905 ($350) Receiver and JBL SCS200 ($325) speaker system. The speakers are a 7.1 surround set with subwoofer, and the receiver is also 7.1, they are a great match. The speakers are small, and the receiver is rated at 80 watts per channel, so this will not play loud in a big room/theater. My room is 14' X 13' and there is plenty of sound for movies and music.
Hope this helps
Matt

[mitchatwrk]

Thanks, but I am not that interested in a 6 piece system. I am looking for a receiver that will give me the ability to grow and a pair of speakers or a pair and a sub. My family room will be tiled and I am not good at running wires in walls and ceilings.

[mattldm]

Well, you should still get a surround receiver, even if you only plan on using 2 speakers at first.

[mitchatwrk]

I agree, any recommendations in the 300 range? I was looking at Ecost, they have some onkyo refurbs in that range. Am I going about this all wrong?

[bargainseeker]

I agree, any recommendations in the 300 range? I was looking at Ecost, they have some onkyo refurbs in that range. Am I going about this all wrong?No, I think you are on the right track. Given your overall budget, I suggest you look at receivers in the $200 - $300 range. I would specifically recommend the Onkyo TX-SR502B (http://www.us.onkyo.com/model.cfm?m=TX-SR502&class=Receiver&p=i) which is available brand new from J&R for $229 with free shipping (http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=3978050) or the Onkyo TX-SR601 (http://www.us.onkyo.com/model.cfm?m=TX-SR601&class=Receiver&p=i) which is available refurbished from eCost for $279 with free shipping (http://www.ecost.com/ecost/shop/detail.asp?dpno=313543). Both J&R and eCost are authorized Onkyo internet dealers (http://www.onkyousa.com/locations_intdealer.cfm).

For speakers, since you are buying only two and since home theater is your primary use, I would recommend the Swan Diva 2.1 speakers (http://www.swanspeaker.com/product/htm/view.asp?id=123) in black cherry which are available for $299 per pair from The Audio Insider (http://www.theaudioinsider.com/cgi-bin/theaudioinsider/SW2.1BC.html?id=TRR8vIvP). A good alternative to the Swan 2.1s would be a pair of Ascend Acoustics CBM-170 speakers (http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/cbm170/cbm170.html) which cost $328 per pair.

The subwoofer I would recommend depends on your budget. If your budget is at the low end of your $600 - $800 range, I would recommend the Dayton 10" subwoofer at $124.88 (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=300-632). If your budget is at the high end of your range, I recommend that you get on the B-Stock waiting list (http://www.hsuresearch.com/support/index.php?id=30) for a Hsu STF-1 (http://www.hsustore.com/stf1.html) which would sell for $239.

[mitchatwrk]

Thanks, I was just at Sound advice and then Best Buy. Sound Advice recomended a Yamaha RXV550 and Polk RTI8's. I then went to Best Buy and their receivers were not as good and more but they had the Athena bookshelves which sounded really nice. Bargain Seeker, how do these speakers compare with the ones you recommend?

[Woochifer]

With your budget, I would just aim for the receiver and a pair of speakers. It was a wise move to avoid the Bose 3-2-1, which IMO is one of the worst ripoffs on the market right now. EVERY receiver out there, from the cheapest entry level models to the megapriced flagship models, can do the same kind of virtual surround processing that the Bose system can do, and in most cases it won't cost you nearly as much, and you're not stuck with two speakers forever like you are with the 3-2-1 system.

With an $800 budget, I would try to devote at least half that budget to the speakers. With a good pair of bookshelf speakers, you have the option of moving them to the back of the room to use as surround speakers if you decide to expand your system later on.

The Athenas are decent budget speakers, and I would add some specialty brands to your audition list as well. This would include B&W, Paradigm, Energy, PSB, Boston, Klipsch, and other brands that are typically carried by independent stores rather than big box chains.


Thanks, I was just at Sound advice and then Best Buy. Sound Advice recomended a Yamaha RXV550 and Polk RTI8's. I then went to Best Buy and their receivers were not as good and more but they had the Athena bookshelves which sounded really nice. Bargain Seeker, how do these speakers compare with the ones you recommend?

Best Buy sells the Yamaha HTR-5750, which is identical to the RX-V550. BB's the worst possible place to try and audition components because the noise level is high and the acoustics are horrible.

Keep in mind that most of what bargainseeker recommended is only available online, so you have to buy the speakers to try them out. Personally, I think that speakers are the one component that you have to hear for yourself, because preferences can vary a lot from person to person.

Another thing to keep in mind, especially if you're shopping primarily online, is that a lot of companies do not authorize their products for mail order sales. If you buy something from an unauthorized vendor, then the manufacturer can void the warranty. That's the risk and reward tradeoff if price is your overriding consideration.

[bargainseeker]

Thanks, I was just at Sound advice and then Best Buy. Sound Advice recomended a Yamaha RXV550 and Polk RTI8's. I then went to Best Buy and their receivers were not as good and more but they had the Athena bookshelves which sounded really nice. Bargain Seeker, how do these speakers compare with the ones you recommend?You have good taste. The Athena bookshelves are about the best you can get at Best Buy within your budget.

Both of the speakers I recommended are significantly superior to the Athena AS series in how "natural" they sound, in how well they disperse sounds throughout the listening room and in the accuracy of their frequency response. The truth is that you simply can't buy speakers of this caliber for this price at your local Best Buy.

Here are measurements of the Athena AS-B1 (http://www.soundstagemagazine.com/measurements/athena%5Fasb1/). The frequency response curve is generally flat but you can see that there are humps in the bass and midrange and that the highest frequencies are somewhat overemphasized. Off-axis, as the angle to the front of the speaker becomes greater, the frequency response becomes more ragged. Because of shared drivers, measurements of other speakers in the Athena AS line would be similar.

Here are measurements of the Swan Diva 2.1 (http://www.swanspeaker.com/product/htm/view.asp?id=123). From the frequency response graph, you can see that the response is very smooth with no overemphasis of any frequencies. You can also see that there is a very gradual roll off in the bass. From the horizontal response graph, you can see that the frequency response remains smooth off-axis.

Here are measurements of the Ascend Acoustics CBM-170 (http://www.soundstagemagazine.com/measurements/ascend%5Fcbm170/). You can see that the frequency response is remarkably smooth, though the CBM-170 does not go as low in the bass as the Swan 2.1. The frequency response remains smooth off-axis.

In the case of the Swan speakers, you are buying directly from the importer. The Ascend speakers are being sold directly by the manufacturer. In neither case is there any question about the dealer being "authorized". Both speakers are sold with a 30 day money back guarantee to allow for in-home auditions.

Since your primary use is home theater, I recommend that you budget for a subwoofer as well as two speakers. Much of the "you are there" feeling you get when watching a movie is produced by the low frequency effects (LFE) channel through the subwoofer.

[mitchatwrk]

The Ascend Acoustics CBM-170 seem very interesting. I may be putting them inside an entertainment unit so the size may be good for what I am doing.

[mitchatwrk]

Any suggestions on a receiver? I was dead set on the Onkyo TX-SR602 but then found out if I run my cable through it I must have the receiver on at all times in order to get sound. I am open to all suggestions.

[bargainseeker]

Any suggestions on a receiver? I was dead set on the Onkyo TX-SR602 but then found out if I run my cable through it I must have the receiver on at all times in order to get sound. I am open to all suggestions.Any receiver will work the same in this regard. The only connection I have going to any of our TVs is a video input. The TV acts as a video monitor while the sound comes out of the home theater speakers. I have set up a universal remote control for each home theater room so that one button turns everything on and off. Why would you want the sound to come out of the cheap built-in TV speakers?

[zepman1]

Here's what I would do. Get a good home theater (6.1 or 7.1) receiver with lots of input options. There's a nice Yamaha at Worst Buy right now for $300, you get a good value for your money with those. Circuit City also has some Onkyo receivers for around 300 bones, but with those you won't get as much power, probably only 75w/channel or so. Personally I wouldn't buy anything with less than 100w/channel but that's up to you.

Then go out and get a good pair of 3-way tower speakers for the rest of your money ($400-$500). In that price range you should be able to pick up a nice Infinity, Polk, or Klipsch setup. Just find something you like that has enough bass (clean bass though) output to tide you over till you buy a sub.

Then when you get more money add the matching surround speakers and finally a sub. When its all said and done that could cost you less than $1500 if you wanted.

[mitchatwrk]

The reason to bypass the receiver for just general idiot box watching is to make everything wife proof. I can just imagine her trying to watch the OC and freaking out why there is no sound.

[bargainseeker]

The reason to bypass the receiver for just general idiot box watching is to make everything wife proof. I can just imagine her trying to watch the OC and freaking out why there is no sound.That's why I did what I did with the universal remote controls. I did the same thing when I set up a home theater system for my mother in law. She is a techno-phobe in her 70s. If she can figure it out I think your wife can as well.