New hometheater help

Riftpoint

Hello everyone!
I just recently upgraded to a nice 42" HDTV, and have been thinking about finishing it off with the audio half of the home theater experience. We do a fair amount of movie and TV watching, but I would also like to have a system that could do well for listening to music as well (jazz/rock/ska/drum corps/classical). I've read a few other posts on here and have already narrowed down some of my choices.

For a receiver my main choice seems to be an Onkyo TX-SR607 (suggested as an option by a co-worker who enjoys one of his own), though I had looked into some Pioneers as well. The only peripherals we have to hook up at the moment are a PS3, PS2, cable box, and maybe a turntable if we ever get a new replacement belt...

and for speakers I've been looking at Cambridge SoundWorks Newton Series HT155-SE. I was originally thinking about the Polk RM705, but the Cambridge ones seemed to have a very solid review online.

Any comments or suggestions would be very welcome, thanks!

tonyb

Size of room ? Budget ?

While the avr you selected is adequate for your speaker selection,it leaves little room to upgrade in the future. Move up to the 7 series in the Onkyo line that will give you pre-outs to add an amp later on if you care to. The speakers you selected are for small rooms and you would be dissapointed if you try to stick them in a fairly large one. Seems to me your looking for a all in one solution,a home theatre in a box as we call it. Can't really recommend anything without knowing a budget and room size, space constraints,etc.

Slinger182

+1 on an Onkyo 707. I too started with a nice 42" LCD and blu ray player then wanted to do surround sound. I really wish I would've known what a pre out even was when I first started.

Riftpoint

Right now my Fiancee and I are apartment dwellers, so our tv room is about 15'x10' (and oddly shaped), and we'll be moving to a new apartment in the future but I doubt we'll have anything bigger than a 20'x20' space for the speakers.

As for the budget, I'm trying to keep the AVR under $350 and I'm trying to keep my total purchase to under $1000... I had read another thread where people had been talking about amps with pre-outs, but I wasn't entirely convinced that I need them, especially since they seem to fall out of my price range on AVRs. I don't blast my music, and since I don't foresee having anything but a medium sized tv room within the next 8-10 years it seems like I'd be due for an upgrade at that point anyway.

What I'm looking for is a good mid-ranged system that will work well for mid-sized rooms I guess. Looking at HTiB didn't seem to offer the kind of flexibility I wanted (and I don't need another DVDplayer, which many seem to come with), but maybe I haven't been looking at the correct ones?

What kind of suggestions would you make for mid-sized room speakers? Would the Cambridge ones feel lost in something like a 15'x15' or a 20'x20'? Or would I just not being to hold a rock concert in the room?
Thanks!

gdb

For some reason......Polk seems to be the favorite speaker brand around here! Maybe if you had some Polk speaker questions, you'd get some really good suggestions.

Knucklehead

Since your in an apartment...get one of these and be done with it.

http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/surroundbar/

anhchungdoan

I beg to differ. Stay away from these SoundBar products. It's a waste of money. They are not up to par yet. The mimick surround sound from these SB is a dissapointment. Run don't walk , you are in for disaster.

If I were you, I would look into the Panasonic SC-BT100 . It can be had for less than $500.00 ( MSRP is $1,000.00) but you will have a surround sound 7.1 system with bluray and an i-pod dock stastion. It would fit right into your apt life style.

I do not mind to have the Panny SC-BT100 for myself if I run across a good deal or I can find room for it.

Save your xtra money for some rainy days.

Riftpoint

Yeh, I definitely won't be going for a soundbar, just seems like a copout for hometheater when you have limited space... In our next apartment we'll have quite a bit of freedom (family owned).

Right now I think I've narrowed down the speaker system to these two:

Harman Kardon HKTS-18 5.1 Channel Speaker System

or

Klipsch HD 500 Compact 5.1

I'm leaning towards the Klipsch for two reasons, there are a decent number of reviews for it and they sell them at BestBuy so I can at least get some feel for how they sound. What makes me a little cautious are the 2.5" mids in them (though in theory horn loading can augment the frequencies?), although reviews don't seem to hint at any major mid-range issues. I've also seen reviews saying that dialogue comes out very clear in the center channel, and about 70% of the system's use will be tv and movies.

The Harman seems somewhat similar, the mids are 3", and has a 200w subwoofer (Klipsch is only 100w), and about 11 more hz to the bottom end of the range (if I'm recalling the specs correctly), though I'm not sure if that is really an audible difference. My biggest hesitation is that there doesn't seem to be any stores nearby that carry them so I could listen to them.

Does anyone have experience with either of these, or any suggestions?

Riftpoint

Whoops... need to correct myself on the Klipsch, only the tweeter is horn loaded, woofer is not. Their woofer is IMG...

shawn474

Riftpoint wrote: »

Yeh, I definitely won't be going for a soundbar, just seems like a copout for hometheater when you have limited space... In our next apartment we'll have quite a bit of freedom (family owned).

Right now I think I've narrowed down the speaker system to these two:

Harman Kardon HKTS-18 5.1 Channel Speaker System

or

Klipsch HD 500 Compact 5.1

I'm leaning towards the Klipsch for two reasons, there are a decent number of reviews for it and they sell them at BestBuy so I can at least get some feel for how they sound. What makes me a little cautious are the 2.5" mids in them (though in theory horn loading can augment the frequencies?), although reviews don't seem to hint at any major mid-range issues. I've also seen reviews saying that dialogue comes out very clear in the center channel, and about 70% of the system's use will be tv and movies.

The Harman seems somewhat similar, the mids are 3", and has a 200w subwoofer (Klipsch is only 100w), and about 11 more hz to the bottom end of the range (if I'm recalling the specs correctly), though I'm not sure if that is really an audible difference. My biggest hesitation is that there doesn't seem to be any stores nearby that carry them so I could listen to them.

Does anyone have experience with either of these, or any suggestions?

I tried many of the compact systems when I was switching my set-up around. None of them could ever sound good enough. I would try to find a good bookshelf system (there is a great deal of variety in the smaller bookshelf variety) and mount them on the wall. I would spend a little extra money now and save yourself the immediate upgrade bug that gets us all. YMMV

xandra

Sorry but have never heard any of those speakers. But heck Gaithersburg is hardly in the sticks, aren't there any good stereo shops in DC suburbs? If you CAN find somewhere to hear your own ears are probably your best bet - just bring along a few of your favorite disks (if you like classical, be sure to bring along something symphonic - I've found the dynamics quite demanding on speakers). Also if you find, and like Polks but feel they're too pricey-- check out to Polks eBay store (a GREAT place to get speakers)

LIke the others I think the Onk 707 is a real good bet.

adam2434

In your price range, I would heavily consider looking at the Polk Monitor deals from Newegg.

2 pair of Monitor 30's, CS1 center, and a PSW505 sub will run you around $550.

If you wanted to spend a little more, I'd consider an STF-2 sub from Hsu Research instead of the PSW505.

These Polks will sound much better for music than a system that uses 2-3" drivers in the satellites. It's just impossible for those tiny speakers with tiny drivers to blend well with a sub for a satisfying music experience.

Also, with these speakers, I would not worry about pre-outs on the receiver - a 600 series Onkyo would drive them just fine in a small to medium room, setting all speakers to "small" with a crossover frequency of 80-100 Hz.

Riftpoint

Hmmm, that actually sounds like it might be able to work. The only issue is that in small/medium rooms, how well will those Monitor 30 as surrounds fit in at that size? Would it be completely unbalanced to have the bookshelves for the front mains, and then get a couple of smaller speakers for the satellites? My thinking was along the lines of maybe 2 RM7's from polk, or perhaps 2 Boston Acoustic SoundWare XS satellites, either would be in my budget, and would fit better into a small/medium sized room, however I'm not sure how this would affect crossover settings.

wutadumsn23

Not sure if I understand your question 100% or not, but I'll give it a shot. The Monitor 30/40's are typically used as surround speakers, but can also be used as mains in a smaller setup with limited space. I have the 40's as my surrounds and for poops and grins on day I hooked them up as my mains and was very impressed at what they sounded like. They are a bit on the big side, but no where near as big as the Monitor 70's I run as mains. The Monitor 30's are wall mountable right out of the box, whereas the 40's require some modification to wall mount, but it can be done. You could use the 40's as mains, and a set of 30's for your rears, or you could also look into the OWM series (I think they are timbre matched, but that isn't as important with your surrounds) Get a CS1 for your center and call it a day. Hope this was what you were looking for.

-Jeff

adam2434

If the Monitor 30s will work/fit in your room as surrounds, they would be the best option if you're running Monitor 30s and a CS1 up front. Take a look at the dimensions of the Monitor 30s and mounting locations to see if they will look and fit right.

If you feel like you need smaller, low-profile surround speakers, the OWM3 (mentioned above) would be ideal. They're large enough that you could run an 80-100 Hz filter point and be OK for surround duty.

http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/owm/index.php#owm3

mhmacw

if your willing to wait a week or so i have come across a sony receiver and 5.1 surround speaker set that i might part with. they arent polk(the reason for me parting with them) but for that room size and budget it sounds to me like they would fit your bill. heres a list of what ill have
strdg-820 w/remote and cali mic
ssmf605h fronts
sscn350 center
sscr350 surrounds.
just a thought as ill shelf it or sell it one way or the other. good luck,dan

mhmacw

Riftpoint wrote: »

Yeh, I definitely won't be going for a soundbar, just seems like a copout for hometheater when you have limited space... In our next apartment we'll have quite a bit of freedom (family owned).

Right now I think I've narrowed down the speaker system to these two:

Harman Kardon HKTS-18 5.1 Channel Speaker System

or

Klipsch HD 500 Compact 5.1

I'm leaning towards the Klipsch for two reasons, there are a decent number of reviews for it and they sell them at BestBuy so I can at least get some feel for how they sound. What makes me a little cautious are the 2.5" mids in them (though in theory horn loading can augment the frequencies?), although reviews don't seem to hint at any major mid-range issues. I've also seen reviews saying that dialogue comes out very clear in the center channel, and about 70% of the system's use will be tv and movies.

The Harman seems somewhat similar, the mids are 3", and has a 200w subwoofer (Klipsch is only 100w), and about 11 more hz to the bottom end of the range (if I'm recalling the specs correctly), though I'm not sure if that is really an audible difference. My biggest hesitation is that there doesn't seem to be any stores nearby that carry them so I could listen to them.

Does anyone have experience with either of these, or any suggestions?

between those two i would pick the klipsh.hands down. while harmon kardon makes good gear im pretty sure(please correct me if im wrong) they out source theyre speakers and just add a lable.

dvran

Thumbs down on the Soundbar.

I have the Onkyo 607 and its great for home theater and gaming. Not a serious receiver for listening to music but it does a great job if you're not an audiophile. Most of the guys in this forum have pre-amps to listen to music.

I suggest if you're mainly doing home theater and gaming, get the Onkyo 607 and get a Polk RM line of speakers for a setup. Look on Amazon.com, they have entire 5.1 packages you can select from ($329.99):
http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-RM705-Theater-System/dp/B000WGJX5A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1265809303&sr=1-1

seeclear

At your pricepoint, look at the HK ebay site for a receiver with preouts like this--

http://cgi.ebay.com/Harman-Kardon-HK-AVR-254-7-1-Home-Theater-Receiver-HDMI_W0QQitemZ390154143897QQcmdZViewItemQQptZReceivers_Tuners?hash=item5ad6ffc899

This would allow you more upgrade options for your larger room later on.

Riftpoint

adam2434 wrote: »

If the Monitor 30s will work/fit in your room as surrounds, they would be the best option if you're running Monitor 30s and a CS1 up front. Take a look at the dimensions of the Monitor 30s and mounting locations to see if they will look and fit right.

If you feel like you need smaller, low-profile surround speakers, the OWM3 (mentioned above) would be ideal. They're large enough that you could run an 80-100 Hz filter point and be OK for surround duty.

http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/owm/index.php#owm3

I guess my big questions on this aspect are more of theory and speaker placement... Would smaller speakers as surrounds alter how the frequencies would have to crossover between the mains/sats and the sub, since the mains would have one frequency range, and the sats another slightly different range? And for speaker placement, right now our tv room is a rectangle, with our couch along one long side, and the tv opposite. With the couch right against the wall it seems as if (looking at the dimensions) the M30's would almost be in line with where our ears would be, not behind, this doesn't seem like an ideal set up (not to mention I don't think my fiancee would appreciate largish boxes hanging off the wall...); something like the OWM3's are slightly out of my price range when I could get 2 RM7's for about 140, or 2 Boston Acoustics sondwareXS's for about 130, but are tempting...

xandra

Would smaller speakers as surrounds alter how the frequencies would have to crossover between the mains/sats and the sub, since the mains would have one frequency range, and the sats another slightly different range?

Most/some/All? receivers allow you to set the crossover differently for different speakers (ie Fronts, Surrounds, rear surrounds) I'm pretty sure the Onk allows you to do this. (you can download manual to verify) - In fact I'll bet that model has Audysses which will do it for you automagically.