need help with total system

crmfmly

Hey guys from the newbie again. This time I'm just gonna ask y'alls recommendation for a complete system. Tell me what I should get for fronts, center, surrounds, rear surrounds, sub, receiver and or pre-amp, and could you please explain what a pre-amp does and how it works and how to hook it up? Sorry so annoying but I'm really anxious and impatient about at least knowing what the hell to get and what the hell I'm doing (LOL). If I have a concept of what to get I'll be a whole hell of a lot better

Thanx

AsSiMiLaTeD

First and foremost...what's you budget?

crmfmly

Hey sorry I forgot to mention anything about a budget but I don't really have much of a budget cause I'm doing everything one piece at a time

crmfmly

Another thing, I don't have a very large room at all but still would like to have floor-standing speakers. Also I would like to have really good speakers without having to use seperate amplification. I'm building something that's gonna sound good when listening to music and movies without having to turn it up loud at all. But then again all at the same time, something that's not gonna have the cops called on me, and also not something weak at all I still want a powerful system for watching movies and music too. Cause I really love listening to my hard rock on a system.

McLoki

Amplifier - makes your signal louder. This is what your speakers hook up to.

PreAmplifier / Processor - This allows you to swtich among various sources, control the system Volume and do some basic tone alterations. (usually a bass and treble control) The processor part is what decodes dolby digital and DTS sound tracks from your source into 6, 7 or 8 channels. (5.1, 6.1 or 7.1)

Tuner - this is the radio.

A reciever combines all of these into a single box.
A Pre\Pro may or may not include a tuner.

The current and power aspects of a power amplifer can cause interference with the pre/pro aspect of a reciever. Due to that, many times a reciever includes a good to very good pre/pro and a crap (or at least comprimised) amplifier section.

The correct way to go about things is pick the speakers you like the sound of (Polk, Paradigm, Totem, Dynaudio, Vandersteen, Thiel, Magnepan - whatever) and then purchase the electronics that correctly support that speaker.

Get your listen on and find some speakers you like. Come back with what speakers you like and why (and what speakers you didn't and why) and we will provide support anywhere we can.

Michael.

McLoki

I know some people have a hang up about amps or preamps or recievers. It's all just electronics and one is really not much more complicated (or costly) than another.

All I am saying is, find the speakers you like and we can get the electronics to support that speaker to fall in place. (cost, size, etc.)

Michael

crmfmly

I just now thought of a good idea as ways that y'all can help me out. How about we do it like this:

Doing it one speaker at a time. I'll go out and first test the speaker. If I like how it sounds I'll come back here and ask everybody their opinoin. Now since we're doing this one step at a time what should I do first. Let's say I have absolutely nothing in my house but my TV, PS 2, DVD player, and Onkyo TX-SR503 (for the mean time.) So tell me what is the first thing I should get and which should it be?

audiobliss

I would say the first thing you should get would be the speakers, since they are the foundation of your system and determine what kind of electronics you need to back them up. Even if you do go with something demanding like the LSi series, your receiver will probably push them to a low volume level so long as it's just a temporary solution. Then you can proceed to back up the speakers with nice electronics ASAP, or maybe even at the same time.

And most definitely go with a separate amplifier. No matter the speaker, seperate amplification will greatly improve the sound.

crmfmly

Hold up for a minute audiobliss. We're getting ahead of ourselves. Maybe I wasn't clear enough. First tell me which speaker to get, whether it be the fronts, center, surround, rear surround, sub whatever. Then tell me what I should get next (i.e. receiver, amplifer, whatever.) We'll just do it like that, because if you tell me everything at once I get confused really easy LOL. That's why I'm trying to keep everything simple, but still have an explosive Home Theater system.

McLoki

you said you like tower speakers so lets start there. Look for tower speakers that you will use for your front speakers. (then we will get surrounds, then sub then center).

Now, get out and listen and find some you like...

Michael

crmfmly

OK researched some more. What about this? Outlaw 990 Preamplifer / Processor, Outlaw 7700 Amplifier, LSi 25 front speakers, LSi C center speaker, LSi FX surround, LSi FX rear surround. Now what about a subwoofer? Since Polk Audio subwoofers are **** what about a Velodyne DPS-12 or 2 of them? Now tell me what you think about that and how should I hook the Pre/Pro and the amp up cause I've never messed with something like that before.

But before you do that this is what my current system looks like:

Onkyo TX-SR503 receiver (power for everything)
Pioneer old 80's speakers with a 3" tweeter, 4" mid, and 12" kicker cr-12 sub (front speakers)
Polk Audio CS1 center channel
Paradigm Cinema series surrounds (mounted on the wall at the top corners of the room about 1" from the ceiling cati-cornered)
Velodyne VRP-1200 subwoofer on the floor up against the entertainment center

Now for now all I've got to work with is a 5 bedroom apartment. But in a year or 2 will be moving to a 32' x 80' double wide where I'll have more room to work with.

Zen Dragon

Crmfmly:
Now your starting to talk amplification

crmfmly wrote:

Now for now all I've got to work with is a 5 bedroom apartment. But in a year or 2 will be moving to a 32' x 80' double wide where I'll have more room to work with.

If you go with the LSI25's they both have powered subs in the cabinet. If you add 2 additional subs your house is gonna be like an earthquake zone. You might shake a double wide trailer apart with that much bass. If you want the separate subs you can prob drop down to the cheaper LSI-15's and save some cash there. The LSI-15's are great speakers and have good bass on their own, with subs you will never want for bass.
For subs. Velodynes are good. SVS and HSU are the real good stuff. Both available by web order only, you can google to find their web sites. If they ever become available again (on backorder) The Mirage S-12 is good at it's price point.

Polkyyy

.........:)

cfrizz

This would be an outstanding system!!! The Velodyne should be fine, or you could also purchase an Outlaw sub while you're at it.

As for connections, it is pretty straight forward. you would need interconnects to hook everything up, and everything is labeled so unless you can't read or are colorblind it would be pretty hard to mess it up.

WWW.BlueJeanCable.Com has good IC's & speaker wire that won't bankrupt you.

crmfmly wrote:

OK researched some more. What about this? Outlaw 990 Preamplifer / Processor, Outlaw 7700 Amplifier, LSi 25 front speakers, LSi C center speaker, LSi FX surround, LSi FX rear surround. Now what about a subwoofer? Since Polk Audio subwoofers are **** what about a Velodyne DPS-12 or 2 of them? Now tell me what you think about that and how should I hook the Pre/Pro and the amp up cause I've never messed with something like that before.

DollarDave

This guy is totally jacking with the forum members. I am not reading anymore of his threads - how many has he started, stopped, re-started, changed his mind, and re-changed it? Come on, a FIVE BEDROOM apartment? When is the last time anyone has seen one of those? His budget is a double-wide mobile home...that is not a terrible thing, mind you, but he isn't going to go spend 10,000 dollars on a system.

Dennis Gardner

Nothin' but bench racin' here guys.......................