Fill in the blanks

[Pho King]

So I'm a HT noob and I'm trying to build a decent HT setup and I really need some help. Went to magnolia and didn't really like the way they pushed Definitive's on me, they sounded okay but again, I'm not sure...

TV: Pioneer Kuro 50"
Receiver: Onkyo SR-607
Sub: MartinLogan Dynamo 10"
Fronts: __________
Center: __________
Rears / Surround: __________

Additional Components: Comcast HD-DVR, PS3

I was looking at the MartinLogan Preface's for fronts and Encore for a center, but I'm definitely still open. Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[zerocool84]

Budget or can we just throw whatever we want at you?

 

[Pho King]

hahaa, oh yea... um probably want to try to keep it at most 2 - 3k

 

[PhoKingGuy]

So its you that stole the name I wanted, watch your back

 

[EvilYoda]

so its you that stole the name i wanted, watch your back

lol

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

With a budget like that, you have a lot of great options. Do you have any other dealers in your area where you could demo other retail brands (Paradigm, B&W, Klipsch, etc.)?

There are also several good internet direct options. These companies have trial periods where you can try them out in your own home to see if you like them. You may be able to find owners in your area willing to give you a demo of their equipment too.

 

[Pho King]

So its you that stole the name I wanted, watch your back

Don't be jealous phokingguy

 

[Pho King]

With a budget like that, you have a lot of great options. Do you have any other dealers in your area where you could demo other retail brands (Paradigm, B&W, Klipsch, etc.)?

There are also several good internet direct options. These companies have trial periods where you can try them out in your own home to see if you like them. You may be able to find owners in your area willing to give you a demo of their equipment too.

Hmm thanks, that sounds like a good idea. I just wanted to come in with some info so they don't try to push certain brands on me.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Well... don't buy bose... other than that, it's sort of up to you on what you like.

I'd say in general to not buy small speakers unless you NEED them to be small. If they're too small, you'll probably end up with poor bass performance from the speakers and end up having to have a high crossover for your sub.

If you can get a center channel with a WT/MW arrangement, those tend to be better than WTW designs.

Most brands have their loyal followers. I'm a fan of internet direct in general. It can be tricky though if you can't find someplace to demo in person first.

 

[Pho King]

YOyoYohowsDAjello, have you heard of these guys? http://www.svsound.com/products-sys.cfm

If so, what do you think of them?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

I've owned three of their subwoofers and just recently got their AS-EQ1 subwoofer equalizer. Great company to deal with.

I'm entirely confident with their subwoofer performance. I've only read reviews of their speakers (not heard them), but what I've read has been positive as well. Those would probably be a strong option for you.

 

[Ken90630]

Re the Pioneer 50" Kuro you plan to buy, does it have an actual Pioneer plasma panel in it or is it a Panasonic panel? Reason I ask is that I heard last year that Pioneer was stopping production of their own plasma panels, and they were gonna start sourcing them from other companies (probably Panasonic) but still assemble them under the Pioneer name.

I'm not saying that TV isn't great, 'cuz it might be, but just thought I'd mention the possibility you might not be getting a 'true' Kuro (compared to the Pioneer-paneled ones that used to get such rave reviews). 'Cuz after all, the whole selling point of the Kuros was that their (Pioneer) panels yielded the deepest blacks available. I've been outta the soup on this stuff for awhile, so maybe YoYo can fill us in on the current Pioneer/Panasonic panel details.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

I took it to mean that the ones that were not blanks were things he had already purchased? Maybe not?

I haven't been keeping up on flat panel displays. If you're after a front projector in the $1000-$2500 range though, i can be of more help

 

[Pho King]

Ken, I already have the Pioneer, I got it a while back so I'm pretty sure it's an original

I currently have the TV and the receiver, and thought I made my mind up on the sub before I started looking around...

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

If you haven't bought the sub yet, I would recommend looking at some of the great Internet direct options.

SVS, HSU, Epik, and Elemental Designs all have tremendous subwoofer options.

For subwoofers, it's less of a factor to go out and demo something. Picking out a subwoofer that's a good match for the size of your room from a good company is what you should be after. The internet direct companies tend to be much better value than retail options.

 

[Pho King]

Thanks for all the help YoYo, I really appreciate it.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

No Pho King problem.

 

[rocadelpunk]

No Pho King problem.

hah.

you clever bastard.

 

[vi edit]

***disclaimer***
I'm a bit of an av123 fanboy and bought into their coolaid

but with a budget like that I'd be looking at the Rocket package - Sig 850's + Bigfoot for the fronts, and a set of 450's for the rears. That's around $2k after shipping.

Then I'd upgrade the sub to something like an Epik Phoenix.

That's some serious homewrecking potential.

 

[Ken90630]

Ken, I already have the Pioneer, I got it a while back so I'm pretty sure it's an original

I currently have the TV and the receiver, and thought I made my mind up on the sub before I started looking around...

Ah, okay. You said you were "trying to build a decent HT setup," and I took that to mean you had decided on some components already (but not bought them) and were trying to decide on the rest.

That's great that you got the Kuro before they switched panels (assuming they did). You scored. Man, I bet that picture is killer.

There are so many subs out there, it's a jungle. I personally advocate buying one from an established speaker company that's been around a long time and has a track record of high quality. High-end subs from Polk, Velodyne, Mirage, B&W, Canton and companies like that are pretty solid bets. Those companies are typically run by actual acoustic engineers that design and build their subs, as opposed to some of the direct mail 'parts companies' that just assemble speaker parts and sell the end product on the cheap. I'm not saying all mail order speakers companies are bad, but over the years I've seen a lot of them come on the scene for a couple years and then disappear. If the foam surround separates from the cone five years down the road, it might be nice to have a solid company to stand behind & repair it (with the original parts still available). It's happened to me, so I speak from experience.

Good luck. I'm envious of your setup. :thumbsup:

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

***disclaimer***
I'm a bit of an av123 fanboy and bought into their coolaid

but with a budget like that I'd be looking at the Rocket package - Sig 850's + Bigfoot for the fronts, and a set of 450's for the rears. That's around $2k after shipping.

Then I'd upgrade the sub to something like an Epik Phoenix.

That's some serious homewrecking potential.

I have an RS850/RS450/Bigfoot setup and have been very pleased with it. I am running a Hsu Research STF-3 (basically the same as a VTF-2 MK 3) to go with it and the system as a whole is thundering in my small house, fed by my Denon 3808. I am toying with getting a dedicated power amp to go with my setup but at this point it's hard to make a case for it since I am working with a pretty small room.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

My experience going from a midrange receiver to a good amp was a marginal upgrade. (Basically same speakers as you with a small-ish room).

My room treatment project was a much bigger difference.