Home Theater Speakers

[AustinMatherne]

I?m looking to spend up to a $1000, I already have a Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite.
I use this computer (Dell UltraSharp 3007WFP Monitor) not only for gaming, but for watching all my movies as well. I also have a TV tuner on this computer and I find I spend more time watching TV on this then on my actual TV.
As of late I?ve found my speakers extremely lacking (Logitech X-540) and now I?m looking to upgrade to a much higher quality home theater system.
Any recommendations are welcome.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

$1000 includes receiver?

Starter option:
http://www.av123.com/products_category_pack.php?section=speakers&brand=55
+
An inexpensive receiver with a multichannel analog input

 

[AustinMatherne]

Thanks, any suggestions on a receiver?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Are you trying to fill a whole room with sound or just a single listening position by the way?

How big is the room this is in? An X-sub would be good for small rooms, but if you want to get a larger room going, it might have trouble.

As for the receiver, overall I don't think that makes too much of a difference as long as it's from a decent brand and has the inputs you need.

 

[AustinMatherne]

It?s just for a single listening position.
I would need to get a measuring tape out for exact measurements, but it?s about 12 x 15 feet.

 

[edblor]

I bought the CL Z5500's for my home theatre setup. SOme may laugh, but the sound and quality is astounding for a "PC" speaker package.

It also allows me to hook up my PS3, Cable HDTV box, and PC to it The 10" sub is awesome and can be tuned for just the right amount of bass, and the connections are great for both digital and analog signals.

I hummed and hawwed whether to use my 5.1 receiver and speakers for this, but ultimately, the Z5500's allowed me greater flexibility and ease of setup.

Now I do take my sound quite serious, and I would not have tolerated anything less than great sound! Now I'm sure that a full fledged 5.1 setup like in my livingroom can produce "better" sound, but I am quite happy with this

Cheers and G/L,

Ed

 

[autoboy70]

If you are looking for a killer system that can compete with just about anything out there than a SVS systemis about as good as it gets. The SVS PB10-nsd subwoofer is amazing. This sub goes all the way down to 20Hz while most other cube systems go to 40Hz. There is a lot of sound you are missing. I have the PB12-nsd in a 4000sqft room and it rocks the house. Don't get this system if you live in an apartment.

A good receiver can be found for $200. Check out audioholics.com for more information about receivers and the SVS system.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

While the upper end computer speaker sets do have pretty good bang for your buck, with a soundcard like that and a guy that wants to make a big jump in quality, I think going with real speakers is the way to go.

12x15 isn't too big unless you have very high ceilings. One more thing to mention - if you're putting together a system yourself, you don't need to get everything at once. For example, you could start with a 2.0/2.1/3.1 system for now and then move up to 5.1/7.1 later. Just something to consider that becomes an option when you're doing something like this. You have a lot of flexibility if you want to leave yourself an upgrade path.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: autoboy70
If you are looking for a killer system that can compete with just about anything out there than a SVS systemis about as good as it gets. The SVS PB10-nsd subwoofer is amazing. This sub goes all the way down to 20Hz while most other cube systems go to 40Hz. There is a lot of sound you are missing. I have the PB12-nsd in a 4000sqft room and it rocks the house. Don't get this system if you live in an apartment.

A good receiver can be found for $200. Check out audioholics.com for more information about receivers and the SVS system.

Welcome to AT.

Nothing wrong with a little SVS action in an apartment

 

[autoboy70]

You must have neighbors that love you. Gotta love the way the cylinders look on either side of the couch. My wife wouldn't go for them. I am very happy with my big box pb12 and I can't believe I waited that long to make a tiny $500 purchase that made all the difference.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: autoboy70
You must have neighbors that love you. Gotta love the way the cylinders look on either side of the couch. My wife wouldn't go for them. I am very happy with my big box pb12 and I can't believe I waited that long to make a tiny $500 purchase that made all the difference.

Having a noisy bar downstairs and living on a busy street I think my neighbors have a high tolerance for noise

 

[nineball9]

Start with your ears Fisher. Everyone has differing likes and dislikes about speakers, especially beyond the little computer desktop speakers. Room acoustics vary too and not just by size. Try listening at a brick-and-mortar store for some ideas as to your own preferences.

 

[jkresh]

While the sound wont be quite as good as some of those options onkyo has the hts-907 which can often be found for about $800. The speakers are not as good as some of th listed systems but the reciever is better then anything you will be able to add to those systems and keep within your budget, with multiple hdmi inputs and analog to hdmi conversion (and upscaling) it will allow you (with an hdmi to dvi cable for your monitor) to connect other sources besides the pc to the dell (ie ps3,xbox360,blue ray player, cable box...) so if thats important to you a system like this may make sense (or buying a similar receiver (300-500$) and getting less expensive speakers for now and upgrading the speakers as needed).

 

[Molinjir]

I'd recommend starting with 2.0 or 2.1 with higher quality components.
As you improve your system, you move your original fronts to surrounds, and buy a center channel. good 2.1 > decent 5.1.

Recommendations include;

NHT ST4 (these have an integrated sub in each tower, very attractive, but hard to find, as they have been officially discountinued): 600$ for a pair
B&W DM602s3 (550$ a pair, bookshelves)
Onix Ref .5 (300$ a pair)

Obviously, the reciever will add to the cost, but I also second stretching your budget a little (if possible) to get a really effective 5.1 reciever that you can upgrade the rest of your components around. For example, the Outlaw 1070.

 

[autoboy70]

I don't recomend buying in waves because matching the speakers is more important to good sound and imaging than anything but placement. Rarely does a mismatched setup sound as good as a system designed to tonally match. Buying at the same time makes sure the speakers are matched. A system like the SVS will last you 15 years while you will outgrow computer speakers.

 

[Molinjir]

I'm sorry. I should have elaborated. One buys in waves, yes, but of the same type, ie:
You might buy the B&W DM602s. Later, with more funds available, you buy a pair of DM604s, larger, more expensive floorstanders and move the DM602s to the rear as surrounds.
Same applies to all the others except the NHTST4, and even that, the NHT Super One is almost identical (same 6.5 midrange and tweeter, as I remember)

 

[AustinMatherne]

I?m considering spending somewhere around $5000 for a higher end setup.
Any suggestions for something in that price range?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Fishers Web
I?m considering spending somewhere around $5000 for a higher end setup.
Any suggestions for something in that price range?

Whoa, that's quite a jump

Is this still for the computer based system?

There are a TON of options at that range that would be excellent. The $1000 range basically gets you a decent bookshelf speakers based system with a basic sub and receiver.

With $5k, you can pretty much do whatever you want. If you're spending that much, you really need to go out and listen. There are a lot of great products out there and you need to narrow down the kind of sound that you like.

My system was about that much and I listened to a lot of options before I decided what route I wanted to take. I found a guy who owned the same model of internet direct speakers I later bought. After an in-home demo with this guy, I really fell in love with the speakers compared to what the retail options were in the range.

Before you spend that much, you should figure out if you're the kind of guy that hears a big difference between a $1k system and a $5k system.

 

[autoboy70]

Yeah, that is a big change and puts you squarely in the audiophile league of products. Personally, I am happy with my $2000 system and probably would have been happy with the SVS bookshelf system and upgraded subwoofer for my larger room. I would put that money into a better, bigger tv or superfast computer for gaming in the living room in full 5.1 sound and a real speaker/sub system.

I went with axiom audio for my speakers but later found that other systems could be found that would sound as good for a little less money or a little better appearance. Still, they sound fantastic and I have gotten used to the hard edges of the cabinets that initially turned me off. I was also set on getting floorstanders thinking they would be better than bookshelves but the excelent SVS sub pretty much makes the towers unnesesary. I ended up crossing over the system at 80hz making the low end of the towers useless except when I was calibrating the system or when I want to show them off in 2 channel direct mode. 4 bookshelves, a center, and a killer sub is all it takes to make a great system IMHO. Especially for movies.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: autoboy70
Yeah, that is a big change and puts you squarely in the audiophile league of products. Personally, I am happy with my $2000 system and probably would have been happy with the SVS bookshelf system and upgraded subwoofer for my larger room. I would put that money into a better, bigger tv or superfast computer for gaming in the living room in full 5.1 sound and a real speaker/sub system.

I went with axiom audio for my speakers but later found that other systems could be found that would sound as good for a little less money or a little better appearance. Still, they sound fantastic and I have gotten used to the hard edges of the cabinets that initially turned me off. I was also set on getting floorstanders thinking they would be better than bookshelves but the excelent SVS sub pretty much makes the towers unnesesary. I ended up crossing over the system at 80hz making the low end of the towers useless except when I was calibrating the system or when I want to show them off in 2 channel direct mode. 4 bookshelves, a center, and a killer sub is all it takes to make a great system IMHO. Especially for movies.

Did you get the M22s?

I found some used and tried them out before I sent them over to my parents for their Christmas gift this year
https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/spmclaughlin/web/Random/Axiom_Front.JPG

Didn't like them as much as my current setup, but I could certainly see how them might appeal to someone else. A good illustration of why it's a great idea to try some different options out.

If internet direct is something you want to think about at your higher budget, Fishers Web, then you might want to pick out a few options and order a pair of bookshelf speakers from each company. Try them out in your home for their trial periods and then build your system around the ones that you liked the best.