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Home theater enthusiasts what do you think is a reasonable amount for just speakers?

post #1 of 18
4/20/06 at 1:07pm
Thread Starter 
What do you home theater guys think is a reasonable amount to spend for just speakers for a non-dedicated room?

IE a room that will be used as a living room, and won't necessarily have all the room tweaks to go along with it.

I've done some mild research into this and I've concluded that $2000-2500 would be enough to put together a very reasonable sounding setup (5.1) with about 40% of that dedicated for a very powerful sub. This will be used just for movies, not music.

Right now a package from Ascend Acoustics looks very tempting and they have some favorable reviews from AVS forums.

Thanks for the help.
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post #2 of 18
4/20/06 at 1:30pm
What about your other gear? It makes no sense in my book putting $2500 into speakers and you are driving them with a $100 reciever. So it would be good to know the rest of your setup.

D
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post #3 of 18
4/20/06 at 1:38pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dudlew
What about your other gear? It makes no sense in my book putting $2500 into speakers and you are driving them with a $100 reciever. So it would be good to know the rest of your setup.

D
My receiver is a Yamaha HTR-5280. A bit old, but it's served me well and the only thing that bothers me is it's a bit on the bright side. But I can't complain.

It retailed for $800 5 years ago, I know it's significantly lost its value but I can't see myself selling it unless theres something that would really be a huge improvement.
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post #4 of 18
4/20/06 at 1:40pm
I don't know what you think about building your own speakers, but if you head over to HTGuide Forum there are plans many HT speakers very similar, yet arguably better, than the Ascend Acoustics line. I haven't heard the Ascend Acoustics, but I built a pair of their Natalie P's which are very similar to the Ascend Acoustics CMT-349 SE's with better driver's and they sound really really good - and of course cost a bit less. I think for that price range buying a 5.1 setup would sound good, it's just that unlike the quality of a pair of stereo speakers for that price you trying to buy a lot of components and labor which lessens the overall quality, where if you where to DIY a setup you could get a lot more for your money.
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post #5 of 18
4/20/06 at 2:55pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by happyangryhappy
I don't know what you think about building your own speakers, but if you head over to HTGuide Forum there are plans many HT speakers very similar, yet arguably better, than the Ascend Acoustics line. I haven't heard the Ascend Acoustics, but I built a pair of their Natalie P's which are very similar to the Ascend Acoustics CMT-349 SE's with better driver's and they sound really really good - and of course cost a bit less. I think for that price range buying a 5.1 setup would sound good, it's just that unlike the quality of a pair of stereo speakers for that price you trying to buy a lot of components and labor which lessens the overall quality, where if you where to DIY a setup you could get a lot more for your money.
Unfortunatly time is something thats a big issue, otherwise I would have got into headphone DIY

I only have around an hour or two freetime a day, and my residency it will be 80 hour weeks

edit: 1000th post
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post #6 of 18
4/20/06 at 3:01pm
i think you can't go wrong with the ascends, as long as you don't mind the fact that they're FUGLY. they sound absolutely fantastic for the money.

i'd also recommend replacing your receiver with the panasonic digital wunderkind... the SA-XR55 (about $200-230 if you can find one), or waiting for the SA-XR57 to come out in may/june (it'll probably street for about $300-$350).
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post #7 of 18
4/20/06 at 3:10pm
Yeah thats a fine budget for putting together a pretty good HT and the ascend packages are very good for the money. You might want to think about upgrading your reciever at some point though assuming you'd have a need for the vast array of features they have these days.
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post #8 of 18
4/20/06 at 4:13pm
My personal choice for a home theater would be the MMGs from magnepan with a good sub, as long as your receiver is 4 ohm stable, and you have wall space to mount them...
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post #9 of 18
4/20/06 at 4:54pm
Your budget of about $2500 for speakers only is quite reasonable, should provide a very decent HT setup and a nice stereo listening experience!!

HSU research VTF-III subs are very well rated and for a very decent price (very high bang-buck ratio).

Lots of decent speakers out there, I have Boston Acoustics VR-2s, and Boston VR center, and CR-65s for surrounds and back, and the Hsu sub, and they are quite good.

I think if you invest enough in speakers now, you can later build up with a better receiver and source component, and you will not have to revisit the speakers ever until/unless you decide to go for a mega-buck system.

DigiPete
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post #10 of 18
4/20/06 at 5:01pm
You should also check out AV123. I used their excellent Onix Reference 3s before the Eggleston Andra IIS. I don't have personal experience with the Rocket line, but I did buy my friend the 760 package. He absolutely loves it. You will get great value, and more importantly, quality products.

http://www.av123.com/products_catego...eakers&brand=3
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post #11 of 18
4/20/06 at 5:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sleestack
You should also check out AV123. I used their excellent Onix Reference 3s before the Eggleston Andra IIS. I don't have personal experience with the Rocket line, but I did buy my friend the 760 package. He absolutely loves it. You will get great value, and more importantly, quality products.

http://www.av123.com/products_catego...eakers&brand=3
you BOUGHT him the 760 package?

will you be MY friend? come to new york, you can stay at my place... i'll show you around the town, give you a personal tour. we'll have a great time.
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post #12 of 18
4/20/06 at 6:33pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the opinions guys.

I don't mind the look of the Ascends, especially in some of their other finishes...I guess if anything they're a bit plain jane looking.

I'm happy with the features on my receiver I guess Pro Logic II (for Xbox 360/PS3) and HDMI are the only features I'd be looking for. I'd upgrade this when 1080p is really mainstream.

digipete I know HSU makes some amazing subs, I will keep an eye on these.

What about Velodyne subs? These seem to have some good bang for the buck but I also recall reading they're more one note bass?

Will check out all the other brands mentioned, thank you everyone
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post #13 of 18
4/20/06 at 6:40pm
$2500 would definitely get you into some decent stuff.

$800 for a sub, and the rest on speakers. Should be able to fill a pretty big space.

The Ascends are pretty good, but definitely don't limit yourself, there are great speakers from many brands that would do very well.

B&W
NHT
Monitor Audio
Paradigm
Energy
Epos
Totem
etc
All make technically great speakers.
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post #14 of 18
4/20/06 at 6:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by J-Pak
What about Velodyne subs? These seem to have some good bang for the buck but I also recall reading they're more one note bass?
No, Velodyne stuff is quite top notch, maybe not as well valued (high output) as some Internet direct brands, but the sound quality is very good.

Hard to go wrong with the avsforum darlings like Rocket, SVS, Hsu though. If you prefer local dealers, Velodyne should definitely on your shortlist.
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post #15 of 18
4/20/06 at 6:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by warpdriver
$2500 would definitely get you into some decent stuff.

$800 for a sub, and the rest on speakers. Should be able to fill a pretty big space.

The Ascends are pretty good, but definitely don't limit yourself, there are great speakers from many brands that would do very well.

B&W
NHT
Monitor Audio
Paradigm
Energy
Epos
Totem
etc
All make technically great speakers.
I actually used to own 603 S3's

B&W make great stuff but I think going full tower in the front would put me over budget.

I checked out the Rockets, and they look amazing. Package #3 looks great
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