new to the forum and could use some help

[secondzaway]

thanks in advance for the help. by reading a bunch of the posts here i see everyone is more than happy to help regardless of how many times a question has been asked.

im finally looking to build a surround sound set up and the more i look into it the more confused on what i should get and or be looking for. best buy is the only place i know of with speakers to look at and listen to. i would have to say at most im looking to spend about $1500 but after everything i have read im not sure that will build me a nice set up...so thats why i am here. ones at best buy i liked that were more affordable for me than the definitive were the klipsch cf-50 at $400 a piece.

i do enjoy music but movies would be my number 1 reason for the set up

any and all recommendations are greatly appreciated. THANKS!!!!

[Ave Bona Cornwall]

2 words: Used Speakers. You can get great deals, at least 1/2 off, on mint speakers. Does your $1500 include a receiver? You can get a recent use receiver for cheap if you don't want HDMI. If you do, I would go new, and get a nice new Marantz, Denon, Onkyo, Pioneer Elite, or Yamaha (in that order) for $500 - $700 (from an authorized dealer). Marantz is coming out w/ new models, so their old ones are at least 1/2 off retail.

$1500 isn't much to get speakers, receiver, and a good sub, so you may have to make a compromise to start. You can start with an inexpensive used sub and just use it for movie LFE. Good speakers should be all you need for music (no sub necessary).

[dtel]

Welcome.

EDIT ; someone beat me to it, you will get other options also before your done. [Y] That's what I get for starting to post and walking away for a few min.

If I were you I would take my time and get the best deal, if all you can listen to is whats at BB and you like the sound anything further up the Klipsch line is going to sound better. So if you like that sound you can also look on line and find the best deal for your money. There is one thing to look out for make SURE wherever you buy from is "authorized", that way you get the Klipsch warranty.

I would say plan for a 5.1, you can always add to it later if you want.

Does that $1500 include a receiver and DVD player ? It's no problem if it does everyone has a budget to work with.

How big is the room ?

If you used that $1500 for your front two or three speakers and a receiver could you later spend a little more for surrounds ?

[StephenM]

To start with, $1500 can certainly buy a very good audio system. However, in order to give the best help, it would be useful to get clarification on your budget (1500 for speakers + subwoofer, or speakers + subwoofer + receiver, etc). It would also be good to have information on the room this system will inhabit: dimensions, layout, etc. Is this a one and done project, or is this something with room to grow (ie start with 2.1 and eventually move to 5.1)?

[secondzaway]

ok room size is 20' 3" by 14' 5". room is sort of an open layout from living room to kitchen so brother said its gonna throw off my acoustics. price does include the unfortunate need for everything. i have a very old teac reaceiver and thats it. im not too worried about having a 7.1 system a 5.1 will work just fine for me. if i have to start with a receiver and front speakers so be it and ill wait and save for the rest. just bought a house so i really dont want to throw a huge amount of money into a surround sound set up instead of putting money back into the house but i really dont want to have to buy some boxed set up or have a system where some friend has a boxed set up that sounds better than what i have.

should i wait on a sub and spend the money on receiver and speakers???

i did find two packaged deals and would like your two cents on them

1)http://www.sounddistributors.com/buynow.asp?action=detail&prid=199&crid=189&cat_name=Search

2)http://www.sounddistributors.com/buynow.asp?action=detail&prid=708&crid=261&cat_name=Energy+Speakers

[willland]

Secondzaway,

Welcome to the forum. I think buying a receiver and some front speakers is a good starting point. Be sure to get the timbre-matching center channel and surrounds when you do start adding to the rest of your 5.1 system.

Where is your general location? If you are interested in going the used gear route(50 to 75% off of retail), we would love to search the local Craigslists and Audiogon to help you accomplish your goal. We are here to serve.

Bill

[StephenM]

Pretty good sized room to work with, and having had some experience with an old teac receiver myself, I'd recommend starting from scratch there.

Now for starters, keep in mind that there are practical limits as to how useful reading forum posts will be for you; ultimately it is your ears and your money. What might be an acceptable compromise for me might not be something you're interested in. With that said, I'll offer what insights I have.

The core of any audio system lays in its main speakers, subwoofer, receiver. If it were my money, I'd stick with those essentials and then buy a matching center and surrounds as funds became available.

A few ideas to work with: For $400 on Amazon you can pick up a receiver along the lines of an Onkyo TX-SR608 that will serve you well for years. $350 will get you a Hsu Research STF-2, a solid sub for both music and movies. If you wanted to go the new route, a pair of RF-52 IIs would make a solid pair of fronts that would be good for both music and as the core of an HT system. If you wanted to go used, I picked up a pair of RF-5s in good condition for $500 to give you an idea of what pricing is like there.

[billybobg]

Playing "keep up with the Jones' " can be dangerous[] I think you were looking at the Quintets if I got to the right page you were referencing. I have them in my kitchen/family room and with a sub-woofer (absolutely get one), I'm pretty happy with them in that setting (I'm lucky to have a dedicated HT also). The back of the room (I assume the kitchen) is not as critical as the front. You also do not have a dedicated theater, so concede that it won't meet your brother's criteria. Many times the breakup of the waves in the rear is welcome. Just go with it.

Find a receiver/amp, disk player first is my recommendation. Buy quality, but last year's model and save a bundle. If a TV is in that budget then I really recommend finding the Quintets on ebay used. I got mine there and they were less than 1/2 retail. For a family room setting, I think $1500 will still get you a room that you will enjoy. The Quintets will always re-sale, so you can re-engage the neighbor arms race at a convenient time.

[secondzaway]

i live in medford oregon. what web site is audiogon??

no i wasnt looking at the quintets they are too small in size for my taste. they were the energy series klipsch cf-50 i was looking at in BB

i notice a lot of recievers are 7.1 but can it still be used just fine for 5.1???

for the TV i already have one just needing much needed sound for some good movie watching and the occasional music

oh and i have no desire to play keeping up with the Jones. with my budget im very far behind already. i just want something that sounds really good for what i can afford.

thanks to all that have responded so far. BY FAR the best forum i have ever visited with the nicest people. thanks again!!

[Boxx]

Welcome to the Forum. You will get some great ideas here from some very different sources....

[willland]

Secondzaway,

Here is an awesome receiver from a very reputable merchant.

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MARSR6003/Marantz/Sr6003-Dolby-Truehd/Dts-hd-Master-Audio-Av-Receiver/1.html

You could start with a quality pair of towers and ad the center, surrounds, and sub later.

http://eugene.craigslist.org/ele/1982482429.html

Bill

[substance-p]

Lot's of great ideas on this thread. I have to second willand's suggestion. I LOVE my Marantz and think this one would serve you well. I also thing those 62s are a solid option to begin building a system around.

[Youthman]

Welcome to the forums.

i notice a lot of recievers are 7.1 but can it still be used just fine for 5.1???

Absolutely. My receiver is 7.1 but I'm only using 5.1

what web site is audiogon??

www.audiogon.com

[Youthman]

You could start with a quality pair of towers and ad the center, surrounds, and sub later.

http://eugene.craigslist.org/ele/1982482429.html

Bill

I was just about to post those. []

Take a look at www.searchtempest.com. Simply plug in your zip code, type what you are searching for (ex. Klipsch) and the distance you are willing to travel. Great resource for finding used gear.

The Sub-12 has been said to be a good budget sub. Here is one for $275.

Not sure how much this guy is wanting for these CF-3's but I had the CF-2's and really enjoyed them. They were my first set of Klipsch speakers.

[secondzaway]

thanks for the web sites to check out.

saw this sub on amazon...let me know if its any good. never heard of Bic America but liked the price and had decent wattage. also do i want down firing or front firing sub??

http://www.amazon.com/BIC-America-F12-475-Watt-Subwoofer/dp/B0015A8Y5M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1286427455&sr=8-1

[Arky]

To follow up youthman, audiogon is a used audio marketplace that is reputable for the most part.

btw, welcome.

[Youthman]

I'm not familiar with BIC. Looking at the reviews on Amazon, they are all happy with them but it seems like most of them are upgrading from lower end speakers (Cambridge, Sony, Home Theater in a Box etc.). For the price, there's no doubt they are inexpensive. Be careful at looking at "wattage" as a deciding factor. I've seen a lot of car audio that boast 1000 watts and they are made by "Sparkomatic or Boss and I wouldn't pay $10.00 for one of their amps. I'm not saying BIC isn't quality because I have no idea about their products.

My personal preference is to stay with well known subs, look for a great deal in the used market. I bought my current Velodyne HGS15 sub on Craigslist for $200.00. It's a 15" sub in piano black finish, XLR inputs, 1250 watt amp and weighs 90 lbs. New, it retailed at $2500. I say that to say if you look hard enough, have cash in hand, and your car on standby to go pick it up immediately, you can find a sweet deal on subs. There are enough people still hurting in this economy that need cash quick and are willing to sell non-essential audio gear cheap to do so.

[jjennings2510]

Hey welcome to the forum. Something to keep in mind are these systems:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Klipsch-Speakers-F-2-Theater-System-6-speakers-synergy-/310177525558?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item4838056f36

http://cgi.ebay.com/Klipsch-Speakers-F-3-Theater-System-6-speakers-synergy-/140331861868?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item20ac6e476c

http://cgi.ebay.com/Klipsch-RF-42-II-Home-Theater-System-Brand-New-Black-/390243388049?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item5adc518a91

The first two systems are synergy series systems and the final one is a Reference system. The F-3 system is the better deal in my opinion but as the others have said you can get some great deals on that stuff used if you keep looking around. Now I know you said the $1500 included everything but I'm counting on the fact that you will find some deals on some components. You can find some good deals on Onkyo receivers used (and even new. Last years models are getting pretty cheap) but with Onkyo its a love hate relationship. Some hate them with Klipsch. Some love them. I love them with Klipsch. But Marnatz is also a good brand. Haven't personally heard them but I have heard great things about the combination with Klipsch. Have you checked the Garage Sale area of this forum yet? I've come across some good deals over the last couple of weeks I would have jumped on if I would've had the money. I would go with the Reference series if possible unless you just find a deal thats too good to be true on the Synergy series. Synergies are no slouches but me personally I can tell a difference between the two series but you may not be able to. Some people say they sound the same. Hope I gave you some more ideas on what to look at.

Also as far as the sub goes I have heard of Bic America but I can't really comment on them because I don't have any experience with them. I like SVS and Velodyne. SVS is having a closeout on a couple of their subs

http://www.svsound.com/products-sub-box-10nsd.cfm

And Velodyne has the Impact 10 entry sub for $299

http://www.velodyne.com/vproducts/series.aspx?seriesid=1221

As far as front or down firing I don't know which is better. The front firing Klipsch subs sound tighter and more acurate than my down firing Klipsch sub BUT I was comparing two different lines. The Synergy subs and Reference subs so that probably has a lot to do with it. They both sound good to me though. All I can say is listen to both and decide from there. All of the high end subs seem to mainly be front firing. Don't know if that means anything or not......

[Thaddeus Smith]

Welcome to the forums.

i notice a lot of recievers are 7.1 but can it still be used just fine for 5.1???

Absolutely. My receiver is 7.1 but I'm only using 5.1

what web site is audiogon??

www.audiogon.com

further to this point: mine is a 7.1 and I only use it for 3 channels, L-C-R ..most modern receivers are smart enough to help you set it up with whatever speaker setup you decide on.

[JCole]

I started a thread last week called "pics of my budget home theatre setup". It should be on this forum 1st or second page.

Basically I went with used and bought new when I had to.

I decided on a pioneer amp. They have a ton of features and are cheaper than the denon amps. They might not have the wattage but theyre still good.

Consider the pioneer vsx 820 k receiver. eBay has them for around $230. They do 3d, have hdmi, Dolby and dts hd formats, iPhone, Sirius radio and mcacc auto calibration. To get the same specs from a denon you're looking at atleast $100 more.

Have a good look at the synergy line of speakers. They're "discontinued" as there is a new synergy line, so they go for cheap online and on craigslist.

I got the f2 floor speakers and the sub 12 for $500. I got the c2 center channel for $130, the surround speakers I got new for $230. These are Canadian prices, in the use with a larger used market the stuff might be cheaper.

I purchased a used pioneer vsx919 ah k for $280. That falls well under your budget and honestly, its better sounding than anything I've demo'd in a store. My only gripe is that the sub is downfiring. I live in a condo and I'm afraid that it might shake the downstairs too much during really low frequency tones late at night. I may sell the sub for something forward firing. If you don't have to worry about downstairs, the downfiring sub is damn fine for it's price. I have the gain turned up just a bit over 1/3 and it produces lower tones than I've heard in any theatre, in my place. Your mileage may vary.