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Looking for a cheap HT setup

post #1 of 8
7/18/07 at 10:49pm
Thread Starter 
I have, on hand - some Polk R30s, a somewhat aged two channel Marantz receiver and an equally aged Marantz CD player.

I'd like to upgrade things a bit, and to save short term costs i'm willing to stick to the two channel Marantz receiver and get 5.1 at a later point.

Keeping my budget as low as possible - should I stick with the R30s? I could possibly get some Polk bookshelfs (it broke my heart to find that the old 32$/pair Insignia people used to talk about are past 70 now) and then pick up a cheap sub and call it a day.

An alternative might be to go for a 2.1 system off the bat, in which case I think I could justify going for something a bit sleaker like Magenpan's lowest line speakers (300$/pair). The reviews seem to be pretty good, and airy is a quality I like in speakers.

My needs are general HT stuff - xbox 360 and DVDs. I'll be doing my music stuff with headphones.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I'd prefer to keep things under 300$, and I have no compunction against used and refurbished equipment.
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post #2 of 8
7/18/07 at 11:38pm
Can't do HT without different receiver. but do this
Keep the r30's.
Keep or sell the 2channel marantz. might help finance new receiver.
Ebay A receiver like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Denon-AVR-1507
Buy this center:
http://www.polkaudio.com
Add 2 el cheapo rears and bang done. You don't have enough budget for a sub
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post #3 of 8
7/19/07 at 3:41am
For under $300, you're probably better off going with an upgraded 2.0 setup (i.e. new speakers). Proper multi-channel home theater requires a lot of upgrades that quickly add up.
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post #4 of 8
7/19/07 at 4:53am
Thread Starter 
Well, I figured that I could try to pick up some bookshelfs and a cheap subwoofer and just make do with a L/R channel 4.1 setup.

It doesn't seem to be a very economical solution though.

What would you guys recommend for a 2.0 setup? If the Marantz receiver wouldn't be powerful enough (it's a decent receiver, to give it credit) I could get my hands on a more powerful one from one of my housemates, and would have a year to save up for a receiver.
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post #5 of 8
7/19/07 at 6:47pm
What model is the Marantz integrated amplifier? It will probably be good enough to power any reasonably efficient speaker. My integrated amp is only 45 watts per channel at 8 ohms and it cleanly drives my 90 dB efficiency speakers louder than I care to listen.

You might be able to find some great deals on used speakers that were in the $1,000 range new just a few years ago.
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post #6 of 8
7/19/07 at 8:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by infinitesymphony View Post
For under $300, you're probably better off going with an upgraded 2.0 setup (i.e. new speakers). Proper multi-channel home theater requires a lot of upgrades that quickly add up.
+1

While I love maggies, I'm not sure they would be the best thing for movies/games. But that's my ear try it out for yourself. If it were my nickel, I'd be getting some Paradigm Titans and proper stands. That should fall with in your $300 budget, give or take $20.

I currently own Polk R300's which are very similar to your R30 with the only difference as far as I can tell being the location of the port. They give me considerably less joy than my old Paradigm Phantom monitors from a few years back (note that the phantoms used to be monitors). To be honest I only bought the Polks as I discovered headphones and I needed something to match the decor of our living room. They make me nauseous.
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post #7 of 8
7/20/07 at 9:23am
If I only had $300 or less for HT speakers I'd go straight here
http://search.ebay.com/klipsch-5-1_W...lipschQ205Q2e1
Promedia Ultra sounds pretty damn good despite being "computer speakers",I doubt you could get anything more than stereo + better,for the money
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post #8 of 8
7/20/07 at 10:47am
Quote:
or under $300, you're probably better off going with an upgraded 2.0 setup (i.e. new speakers). Proper multi-channel home theater requires a lot of upgrades that quickly add up.
I agree, you are much better off going with a stereo set-up and upgrading later.
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