Stereo/5.1 Surround Speakers?

tangerine911S · 02-07-2011, 04:30 PM

Looking for some advice about speakers for a home theater system. I don't really have a budget but cost is a concern. I have a 55" Vizio LCD TV which is great but the lack of decent sound is now the issue. I want a 5.1 surround system for movies but also want something good for stereo music. Ideally, a nice set of bookshelf/stand/floor speakers for the fronts for music, with some satellite speakers for the rears and a center channel. This seems to be the most cost effective option as hi-fi is important to me for music but less so for movies. I have been looking at home theater speaker sets from Paradigm, Energy and others that seems to have good bang for the buck. For the fronts maybe Klipsch reference series or something comparably in quality. I have no experience with high end home speakers, just my car audio project which included a nice set of Focals. What do those with experience suggest? I could also use suggestions for a receiver.

enzo1 · 02-07-2011, 04:58 PM

how big of a room? for a small room.... Surround Sound Speakers from SurroundBar® - Polk Audio

LWJ · 02-07-2011, 05:13 PM

SVS and HSU have pretty great reviews.

Groesbeck Hurricane · 02-07-2011, 05:14 PM

Find a shop that sells refurbished older equipment. Most older equipment sounds better than the new stuff. I recently bought some older JBLs for $1.00 ea and replaced the foam. At the next auction I bought an amp and some other equipment. All into it for less than $100.00 after buying a refurbished Nakamichi cd player.

tangerine911S · 02-07-2011, 05:54 PM

The room is probably 16'x18'

Never heard of SVS or HSU but that means nothing because I had not hear of Paradigm or Energy before either. I will take a look...

I plan to buy new for both aesthetics and convenience. I also want to buy quality because I do not want to upgrade later. I should have this for a long time.

Hugh R · 02-07-2011, 05:59 PM

Look at the Sony ones, I have their rear wireless speaker system and its amazing the sound that comes out of golf ball sized speakers. You can also get a wireless portable set up that is very compact and clean to take in the backyard, or anywhere in the house.

Gogar · 02-07-2011, 06:22 PM

I have this Klipsch 5.1 set,

F-30 Home Theater System - Overview

which is two floor-standers, a center, a sub, and surrounds. I think it sounds fine. To be honest, in my opinion most of the 5.1 sets like this from the major manufacturers are about the same. Things don't change much until you start spending -a lot- of money.

enzo1 · 06:53 PM

SVS or HSU=very good subwoofers... i'd probably go with a Denon amp with ipod integration FYI Apple is coming out with airplay and not all amps have this yet....http://gizmodo.com/#!5696379/how-apples-airplay-is-about-to-change-your-life

stealthn · 02-07-2011, 06:47 PM

You should set a budget then find one accordignly.

I run a Paradigm center and sub and B&W's front and rear (Bookshelf models) and the sound is fantastic. I used to have cheap front and rears, but I wanted more so bought the 685's new and found the 686's on an audiofile site used.

Read a lot of the reviews because there are some small systems that are great, but a lot that aren't.

Good hunting

JavaBrewer · JavaBrewer's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gogar

I have this Klipsch 5.1 set,

F-30 Home Theater System - Overview

which is two floor-standers, a center, a sub, and surrounds. I think it sounds fine. To be honest, in my opinion most of the 5.1 sets like this from the major manufacturers are about the same. Things don't change much until you start spending -a lot- of money.

LOL - that Klipsch set is A LOT OF MONEY...

Jumping in on this thread. I have an older Yamaha AV reciever that does 5.1. I have never sprung for a matching 5.1 speaker set...running same polk bookshelf speakers. I just got a nice LG LED 50" TV which has crap audio and want to upgrade to something that can play simple background music and 5.1 movies. My budget is under $1K and dragging wires is possible. Where do I go from here?

enzo1 · 08:23 PM

subwoofers make a lot of difference with movies.....my digitally controlled Velodyne crapped out in 1 yr.....lot of new cheap speakers are made in china... you might consider buying a sub from SVS or HSU and see how it sounds then go from there

LWJ · 02-07-2011, 08:53 PM

SVS and HSU make killer subs. Agreed. But they both make highly rated bookshelf speakers for moderate money.

enzo1 · 09:28 PM

maybe their package deal? http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/enthusiast1.html http://www.svsound.com/buyonline.cfm

Groesbeck Hurricane · 02-08-2011, 03:00 AM

Before you buy the new speakers and such, go listen to the old school items. The quality of the build on the old school is almost always superior to the new stuff. Real wood cases provide excellent sound in the old speakers. You can actually try them out at places that specialize in refurbishing old equipment. And many times the older equipment will be much cheaper than the new stuff and will still last longer.

The older JBLs are superior to most modern speakers and they are from the '90s. I have some old wood cased ARs that are excellent and crisper than the plastic cased speakers of today. The receiver i bought was made by Nakamichi, I paid $1.00 and had to clean it up. I also got old '70s Sherwood and Pioneer receivers with solid wood cases. They still work fine and cost me $1.00 each. The old tape deck from Harmon needs new bands and pinch rollers.

Do not discount the older electronics. The quality of the sound is very, very high! What you are missing is some new style Dolby circuitry to reduce hiss in the cheaper components used today. If you want some real quality look into old tube technology. They are very, very expensive and will blow away almost anything you can buy today.

imcarthur · imcarthur's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by tangerine911S

I have no experience with high end home speakers, just my car audio project which included a nice set of Focals.

Focal make home speakers too.

Any box - new or old will give you sound. But the only way to get sound that YOU like is to do some listening. Buy 3 identical speakers for the front - left, right & center. Or get a dedicated center that matches the front L & R. That preserves the movie mix. Surrounds are secondary & you can skimp here. Get any sub that woofs & fits your budget. Ditto with a receiver. You NEED Dolby Digital 5.1 but not much else.

I cannot fathom how people are happy to buy speakers online unheard based on reviews. If you have lots of ad money & a good PR guy, great reviews are easy to 'manufacture'.

Ian