is there a % ratio to divide expenses?

DavidRB

Hey guys! I was wondering, is there a % ratio that can help me make the best possible speaker/receiver match? shall I go 50-50 or closer to 60% speakers-40% receiver? What do you think? I am not going to upgrade the system anytime soon and I want it to last. Function over form I what I usually purchase.

I am thinking going Polk on the speakers side. I am not so sure what will give me the best sound 2 monitor 70 ll (as recommended by one of the members of the forum) or 2 monitor 60 ll and a sub. As for the receiver I am thinking H/K 3490. But that is just an opinion from a guy that has little to no idea about this. Going Polk is for sure, I love the sound!! I had a pair of Klipsch, but although they were nice I got tired of them after 60 mins of listening; to bright on the highs I think.

Big Dawg

David,

What is your total budget? How are you going to use the system, as a 2-channel music system, a 5.1 home theater, or something else? If music, what do types do you want to listen to, and at what volumes? Same type of questions if you want a home theater, do you like romantic comedies, or do you like it when stuff blows up? How big is the room you'll put this system in? Are you willing to buy used equipment, or must everything be new?

DavidRB

hey Big Dawg!

total budget around 800 bucks

I want a 2.0 or 2.1 system (5.1 is a no go since I have to pay my land lady for all the mods in my apartment maybe I can get a 5.1 receiver and only hook up the front gear?)

I listen to heavy metal (Iron Maiden), classic rock (Steeley Dan), jazz (Marcus Miller and Miles David) rarely too loud (my place is small and my neighbors are in their late 50?s so I just can?t really go full blast). I rather have sound quality that loudness.

I want to hook this system up to my flat screen and improve the sound of it. I like stuff blowing up!

the room is 12*12 ( 8 ft high) feet with carpet and wood on 2 walls.

I have been told to look for used gear but, since I am in Mexico I MUST purchase from a really reputable forum member as to avoid any problems and prevent any scams.

Lietuvis91

I wouldn't do a ratio analysis in this situation, that is not what makes a system sound GOOD. A good sounding system is one that has correctly matched components, meaning your receiver supplies suffcient power to push the speakers into doing their best. Your budget is $800, so now you have to figure out, what speakers you want and can afford and what receiver will fit into this budget that will do those speakers justice. I would think some combination of montor 40s, 50's, or 60s and a receiver that will push 100+ watts a ch would be a good match. This should get you started

edit: in fact, for 2 ch only, you should not even need a sub if you go with m50, or m60s... I would even consider m70s in your case, because in 2 ch mode most receivers can power them fairly well. M70's might be out of your budget though, and it's a really big speaker that may be too much for your really small room.

DavidRB

thanks for the input!

I was looking at the HK 3490 wich is 120 x 2 Power and the monitor 70 ll at newwegg.com. The receiver is 299.99 and each speaker is 219.99 + shipping so it is within my budget (import expenses apart)

The size of the 70?s is an issue; I may go to the 60?s if you think I will do OK. I will rather have a 2.0 system. Can I get that with the m60?s?

Joe08867

Monitor 70's are only 5" taller and about 1" wider and deeper than the Monitor 60's. If room is an issue for one it is probably an issue for the other.

For the price difference and size difference you are much better off with the 70's. And if you are only using them for 2.0 music than the HK should do fine.

Lietuvis91

DavidRB wrote: »

thanks for the input!

I was looking at the HK 3490 wich is 120 x 2 Power and the monitor 70 ll at newwegg.com.

This does sound like a very decent 2.0 combo, and with m70's you really should not need a sub, that depends on your personal taste of course

DavidRB

Thanks again to all of you!

I was looking at a pair of RTi8 for us 423. What do you guys think? Shall I go this way?

I think if I can move around things a little in the room I can fit these speakers just fine; if I can?t what are my options for bookshelf and sub?

B Run

I've had the Monitors and Rti8's. The Rti's are very well definied and have an openness and airy quality to the tweeter, but can sound bright at times. I don't think you'd have that problem with the HK receiver. I'd definitely take the Rti's for movies but the Monitor 70's can put out more bass and might sound better with metal and rock, especially without a sub IMO.

Joe08867

I think I would go with the monitors too. The RTi line is really best at HT.

Big Dawg

Amazon (via J&R) currently has the Monitor 70 for 199 with free shipping. I've never heard them, so I don't know how good they sound. I might prefer good quality bookshelves, like the RTiA3, and a sub. Note that some find the RTiA bookshelves a bit bright, but with good amplification I like them.

If you KNOW that you will eventually grow to 5.1, then it makes sense to buy a 5.1 receiver now. If you are only sure you want the best 2-channel you can buy within your budget, I'd buy a better 2-channel receiver. If you don't need a tuner, consider an integrated.

Something like this, perhaps:

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=CATOAM10

or this:

http://www.amazon.com/Marantz-PM5004-Integrated-Amplifier-Black/dp/B003R7KMTC/ref=sr_1_3?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1311365048&sr=1-3

Add an inexpensive CD source and you're off to a nice start

DavidRB

thanks again!

2.0 or 2.1 is as far as I want to go; I may have to move from where I am at, so this works for me in many ways.

I will look into the integrated you recommend; but I have a question: can I get audio from my flat screen to an integrated?

If I can?t make enough space for the floorstanding (mon 70s) what do you recommend? bookshelf and a sub?

Big Dawg

If you weren't in Mexico, I suggest you pick up Polk Monitor 10s or 7s, which might not need a sub. My son likes Metal, and the 10s work well for him. However, I feel that a decent sub can handle that just fine. For Steely Dan and Miles Davis (2 of my favorites), sweet mids are more critical, and I'm guessing that you probably like the sparkle of cymbals in some of the higher frequencies. I heard the RTiA1s at PF on an Anthem tube setup, and thought there was some real magic there (undoubtedly partly due to the wonderful Anthem gear).

If you go used from eBay, you could pick up this nice tube integrated:

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?intatube&1316219570&/Sophia-Baby

And these look like nice bookshelves:


http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrmoni&1316208074&/Celestion-7-MK-2--Monitor

DavidRB

Can you please tell me a little more about the tube integrated? I understand they are great. The monitor 70 ll are my first option right now. Does the tube integrated have a sub out? In case I need one?

Big Dawg

DavidRB wrote: »

Can you please tell me a little more about the tube integrated? I understand they are great. The monitor 70 ll are my first option right now. Does the tube integrated have a sub out? In case I need one?

No sub out. Here's some details on that amp...

http://www.sophiaelectric.com/

nwohlford

I would agree with the lsi with the HK given that you can not play it really loud and want good sound quality. I think the lsi7 + a nice sub would make a great combo.

DavidRB

nwohlford wrote: »

I would agree with the lsi with the HK given that you can not play it really loud and want good sound quality. I think the lsi7 + a nice sub would make a great combo.

that sounds nice but I must save a tad more to be able to afford the hole set. What do you think will be a nice sub for this setup?

nwohlford

DavidRB wrote: »

that sounds nice but I must save a tad more to be able to afford the hole set. What do you think will be a nice sub for this setup?

That really depends on your taste. I prefer a nice small musical sub, so I just ordered the MicroPro 1000. If you want something with a strong lower end, everybody seems to like the psw-505. Both of these have had good pricing on Newegg recently. (The MicroPro pricing seems to go up and down with a recent low of $250 but the psw-505 seems consistently in the $200 to $230 range.) There are lots of recent threads here about nice subs outside of the polk brand. (I don't have any expertise here, so I won't suggest anything.)

The nice thing about doing the 2.1 set-up is you could hold off on the sub until you have the money. Using the LSi7s without a sub, you will most likely feel something is missing on the lower end, but they should do respectable job for a bookshelf speaker.

Lietuvis91

Get your receiver and speakers, let them break in, take a deep breath, and go from there. A psw 505 in a 12x12 room...? Completely unecessary, I wouldnt do that, way too much for a small room. Make sure u even need a sub first..

nwohlford

Lietuvis91 wrote: »

Get your receiver and speakers, let them break in, take a deep breath, and go from there. A psw 505 in a 12x12 room...? Completely unecessary, I wouldnt do that, way too much for a small room. Make sure u even need a sub first..

Yes, I forgot about the room size in my last post. Given the $800 limit, I do agree with speakers and receiver first. With your situation with neighbors if you decide you need a sub you probably should avoid a sub that goes too low. I would look for a nice smaller sub. There was a recent thread about small subs in your price range.

20hz

DavidRB wrote: »

the room is 12*12 ( 8 ft high) feet with carpet and wood on 2 walls.

I have been told to look for used gear but, since I am in Mexico I MUST purchase from a really reputable forum member as to avoid any problems and prevent any scams.

12x12 is very small , I think going bookshelf size speakers and a small sub would be best because ...
1) in a small room you need more locations to choose and big speakers hold you back
2) it will get plenty loud and the sub does the work .
3) more cost effective .
4) bookshelf size speakers need less amp thus lower cost avr

inspiredsports

If there really was a magic ratio for sonic nirvana, this would become a boring hobby.

BtrSound

I would make sure you get a receiver with pre am outputs. The HK 3600 can be had on ebay through the harmanaudio direct ebay seller. I would also take a look ath the Yamaha and Onkyo receivers, and maybe check out accessories4llesss.com for onkyo/Marantz receivers that have pre amp outs. This is important because the upgrade bug will likely bite later. With that said the Monitor 70's are a great sounding speaker. The entire monitor line soundds pretty darn good and I think is likley the best bang for the buck as far as speakers go.

decal

can I get audio from my flat screen to an integrated?

This is not a good idea unless it's your only option. It's better to come out of your cable/satellite reciever with the audio output(that's if you have either of those units) to the input of your receiver/integrated. TV audio systems are notoriously low-fi. Just my humble opinion,that's all. Good luck with your endeavor.

Big Dawg

20hz wrote: »

12x12 is very small , I think going bookshelf size speakers and a small sub would be best because ...
1) in a small room you need more locations to choose and big speakers hold you back
2) it will get plenty loud and the sub does the work .
3) more cost effective .
4) bookshelf size speakers need less amp thus lower cost avr

5) Bookshelves cost less for higher quality, generally, and tend to image better at comparable price points.

I love floor standing speakers, but on a limited budget in a smaller room, I'd definitely by a quality integrated and bookshelves, and save for a sub later if I felt I needed it (I probably would).

Paradigm Titans are very nice bookshelves, and I saw a brand new pair of v5 (one generation old, very good sounding) for under $400 on eBay today.

nwohlford

decal wrote: »

This is not a good idea unless it's your only option. It's better to come out of your cable/satellite reciever with the audio output(that's if you have either of those units) to the input of your receiver/integrated. TV audio systems are notoriously low-fi. Just my humble opinion,that's all. Good luck with your endeavor.

If the integrated has a digital input (this fairly rare) and your flat screen has a digital output, then hooking up from the tv to the integrated via a digital cable is fine. But in general, I agree that you should not use the anolog audio output from your tv and expect good sound.

DavidRB

man, you guys are a really helpful bunch!

Bookshelf speakers it is.

I would love to go LSi7 but with the receiver and the sub I am way over 1k plus import and shipping (still cheaper than buying here); I cannot afford that. do you have any other ideas on a good pair of speakers? as I mentioned I want to go Polk.

I will look for the sub threads and find out what fits my needs. I am not a bass head at all and with the added fact of placing this in a small room I think I will do good.

thanks to all!

Big Dawg

Is there anyplace you can go to listen to the LSi7 vs the RTi3? The LSi7 are more refined and laid back, but will push your budget a bit more. The RtiA3 are brighter (some would say too bright), but if paired with a good amp, will sound very nice within your budget.

Oh, don't forget to budget about $50 for decent stands.

LitoZacky

The M70 is currently $180 on newegg, $3 shipping. Both the black and cherry finish are at the same price.

LitoZacky

Here is my honest opinion, if sound quality is your hobby, then just buy w/e u can live with now, and then upgrade it slowly throughout the years. Start with an AVR and a pair of speaker. When you have the $, buy a good amp, then good speaker, then good preamp.

DavidRB

DSkip wrote: »

Did you go to Polk Audio's ebay shop? The LSi7 can be had for ~$400, which is why I even brought it up. I have no idea what the final tag would be with shipping and all, but with the given budget you should be able to do those w/ a nice stereo unit for ~$700 pre-tax and shipping.

I'm not sure if the LSi7 is available currently, but I've seen it on there regularly in the past 6 months or so.

[PAIR] LSi7 CHERRY Bookshelf Speakers Polk Audio 40%OFF at 480 usd I may have to wait and get them in the 400 range.