Designing an up to $2K system from Best Buy

WLDock · February 2015

Need to put together an A/V system some family members. They are working with no more than $2K-2.5K at Best Buy. They want to move into the modern era with A/V streaming with basic audio (2.1/3.1) for movies and fullrange audio for music. They're not too tech savvy so right away I was thinking of going with a Sonos system. However, I'm not so sure.

Right now they have no digital content so this will be a start in that direction. I think I want to add a tablet in the mix to aid in the content selection but that will depend on what direction I choose.

Right now I am leaning towards a soundbar w/ wireless sub. Then, I will figure out the best solution to stream A/V content. I'm really not sure how deep they will get into digital downloads and such. They are movie and music lovers so this introduction could send them in either direction.

Plan to go listen this weekend but wondered if anyone has any good ideas on a system that will be easy to navigate for tech newbs, yet surpass their expectations in terms of sound and function.

tonyb · February 2015

Hard to recommend stuff without knowing their preferences, room, likes, dislikes. For streaming though, audio AND Video....hard to beat the Amazon fire or Roku hd units.

I'd try and keep things simple for them, One good receiver with enough power to run most speakers without adding an amp. I'm not too crazy about receivers that do wi-fi as they are clunky to use. Concentrate on a core system that would sound good, adding a streamer like Roku or Amazon Fire is easy peasy after that. I would forego the Sonos idea for now, unless they want whole house music integration. That too is something that can be added later on.

scotvl · February 2015

Like Mike said get them a receiver that can drive most speakers without adding an amp and any of the pioneer sc recivers would fit the bill. Look for an open box deal and they can save 50% or more with full warranty. Good luck

tonyb · February 2015

Mike...who's Mike ? LOL

scotvl · February 2015

tonyb wrote: »

Mike...who's Mike ? LOL

Lol sorry Tony, was texting my buddy Mike from work while I was posting to this thread.

hochpt21 · February 2015

And there are a lot of TV's and Blu Ray players that are 'smart' and will stream a ton of content.

hochpt21 · February 2015

tonyb wrote: »

Mike...who's Mike ? LOL

Magic Mike

hochpt21 · February 2015

BTW...does everything need to be from Best Buy??

Mikey081057 · February 2015

Hello

WLDock · February 2015

tonyb, scotvl you guys are right on with my current thoughts. Right now I'm thinking Pioneer Andrew Jones LCR speakers and a sub, A Pioneer AVR, a streamer stick/box, a flash/HD to load some music on and a tablet (They don't have one and want one.)

The truth is they don't really know what they want and are looking to me to tell them what they want. They are family that are doing well financially and could afford a much more expensive system.... But last I heard they have nothing right now and gave away their big TV. So, the one that likes to watch movies is stuck on a 32" (LCD TV speakers, OH NO!

) in the family room and the one that likes to blast Motown has nothing in the house that can do it.

So, they are looking forward to this and I am going to see if I can figure out a 50"-60" set for them. The tricky part is this stuff has to be shipped to another Country that I will be visiting in the Spring. I have to set it all up and teach them how to use everything....should be a nice vacation.

As far as the room, I'm still trying to get details. They just don't quite understand why I need to know this info! I keep asking what the room layout is and what furniture and AV unit they have. Don't even know if there is space for a center or soundbar etc. I'll find out tomorrow. I'm having to drag the fine details out of them....I'm waiting for pictures as we speak.

WLDock · February 2015

hochpt21 wrote: »

BTW...does everything need to be from Best Buy??

Well, convenience for one. I will pick the stuff out and another family member in another state is actually going to buy. Then, we have a connection on the shipping.

hochpt21 · February 2015

Gotcha...You could put together quite a decent system for $2K on the used market, but it doesn't seem to be logistically feasible for you.

PSOVLSK · February 2015

If they want to save a little bit I've got the Pioneer SC-05 I bought from you and some Energy RC-10 that I should probably unload. pm me if you're interested.

mrloren · February 2015

From Best Buy I would look at the TSX line 440 or the 550T

trj · February 2015

Are you looking just at best buy or Fry's as well? Every month fry's have good deals on receiver and speakers with free shipping.

My personal experience with Pioneer AJ speakers were not so good. Although they sounded good, they ran my AVR quite warm. They are rated at 6 ohms.

Also, if the people who are using the system are not too much into handling multiple devices, I would get one of the later AVRs with networking capacity, built in pandora/spotify/airplay etc. If they are apple people, get an apple TV and call it a day. If not, get a roku or blu-ray player with networking capability and netflix and such. I have sony BDP series player and I am very happy with it. I heard samsung has much features but break down a lot.
Newer receivers also have apps for iPhone/android so they can control the receiver off the phone. Super nice feature. I checked yamaha's app for iPhone and it was a beauty to use.

To really get the browny points, get a universal remote. I am so happy (wife is more happy) that I got an Xsight touch 18 device universal remote. It goes for about $35 at the bay and easy to set up activities. You can get logitech harmony remote as well, but are a bit expensive. No more juggling 6 remotes. It really brings it to a simpler experience.

mrloren · February 2015

to blast Motown the 550T would do the trick without a sub.

MetropolisLake · February 2015

A few thoughts...

1. I don't understand having to go to Best Buy beyond maybe a TV. I realize it is convenient but it could be just as convenient to work with an independent dealer, and you would probably get much better stuff and/or get much more bang for your buck. Best Buy, unless it is the Magnolia store, usually doesn't have "the good stuff", and they're usually going to want full MSRP for it unless you run across an open box deal. Often with an independent dealer you can get 30% off most anything, especially package deals, even without haggling with them. Your money may go further if you rethink this.

2. You mentioned they want a system for full range music, but you also said you were considering a sound bar. I would rethink this. It sounds like you are but just making sure.

Did you mean separate towers and also a sound bar? Just get a good 5.1 system that utilizes good towers and be done with it.

3. Curious as to if a new TV is part of the budget. You can easily blow the entire amount on a tv.

WLDock · February 2015

Metro,

I hear everything you are saying...and if they lived across town I would be all over the local stores combined with the internet to get the most for the money....

However, I'm in the MidWest and the items were to be bought in Texas by a family member. Then, we had someone that works for the airlines down there who was going to get the stuff down to Central America. I could try research Texas stores on the net and make a bunch of calls....but BB is easy.

My most recent 3.1 idea looked like this:

Vizio 50" M Series Smart - $599
Marantz Slimline NR1403 AVR - $399
Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 Bookshelf pair - $349
Wharfedale Diamond 10.CS Center - $299
Velodyne Impact 10" sub - $322
Sanus Natural Series stands $77
_____________________
~$2050 plus cost of wire, cables, power strip, etc.

However, it seems the airline contact fell through. So, now it looks like Amazon is one of the few that ships to Central America for a reasonable amount. So, we are in kind of a holding pattern until I get further word.

MetropolisLake · February 2015

WLDock wrote: »

I hear everything you are saying...and if they lived across town I would be all over the local stores combined with the internet to get the most for the money....

However, I'm in the MidWest and the items were to be bought in Texas by a family member. Then, we had someone that works for the airlines down there who was going to get the stuff down to Central America. I could try research Texas stores on the net and make a bunch of calls....but BB is easy.

My most recent 3.1 idea looked like this:

Vizio 50" M Series Smart - $599
Marantz Slimline NR1403 AVR - $399
Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 Bookshelf pair - $349
Wharfedale Diamond 10.CS Center - $299
Velodyne Impact 10" sub - $322
Sanus Natural Series stands $77
_____________________
~$2050 plus cost of wire, cables, power strip, etc.

You might consider internet direct companies rather than calling around.

Not counting shipping, for literally the same amount of money after tax you could get a matching Chane system with three A2rx-c's, which would blend better and overall would very likely blow those Wharfedale's out of the water. The Wharfedale bookshelves weigh 12 pounds each, these weigh 27 pounds, they have two very beefy midwoofers, and ribbon tweeters sound amazing in general. No way could those Wharfedale's hang. I still have an older set of similar Wharfedale bookshelves and a center that I ran in a 5.1 system, I don't see it happening. With shipping this solution is really only about $90 more worst case. And really, if you're going to have to get stands anyway, the towers wouldn't be much more. They would look more impressive if nothing else. There's also the plain 1 midwoofer bookshelf that would even save you money, $149 each plus shipping.

http://www.chanemusiccinema.com/chane-loudspeakers/A2rx-c

http://www.chanemusiccinema.com/chane-loudspeakers/A3rx-c

http://www.chanemusiccinema.com/chane-loudspeakers/A1rx-c

Also for really not much more you could get a Hsu STF-2 sub which digs deeper, weighs more, and has more power. Sometimes they go on sale as well, for cheaper than what you're looking at, but you do have like $50 in shipping costs. Since they're not exactly hurting financially, you might even mention that for a few hundred bucks more multiple much nicer subs become available which should make them happier.

quicksilvergts · February 2015

FWIW I have the Roku 3 and absolutely love it.
Great quality, very user friendly and most of all it is very fast cycling through station. I can go from watching a movie on bud and listen to a song on spotify in seconds.

Cheers

MetropolisLake · February 2015

DSkip wrote: »

Give me Andrew Jones. I'm not sold on cheap ribbons. Even some of the more expensive versions don't sell me.

The tweeter on Martin Logan Motion 40's sound real nice to me, especially on acoustic guitar and voices, and I doubt the ribbons they use are much better.

Hopefully Wharfedale's have improved. The ones I have are nice for party speakers but dialogue on movies just never was realistic, always muffled with weird midrange.

WLDock · February 2015

Well, since the shipping contact fell through I'm not sure if they will still go through with it. Shipping costs can be insane to Central America once you add in all the fees. I'm not sure how much they want to invest in this at this point. Small and light items might be in order.

WLDock · February 2015

So, it looks like there's still remodeling going on so this system is put on hold. However, the words "BOSE" , "IPOD" and portable came up as a temp music fix. So now it looks like an Acoustic Wave II might be what they are looking for. Will have to see what I can come up with as an option.

MetropolisLake · March 2015

WLDock wrote: »

So, it looks like there's still remodeling going on so this system is put on hold. However, the words "BOSE" , "IPOD" and portable came up as a temp music fix. So now it looks like an Acoustic Wave II might be what they are looking for. Will have to see what I can come up with as an option.

Wow. That's like shopping for a sports car then realizing that a bicycle will suit your needs just fine.

Designing an up to $2K system from Best Buy

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