Good (low cost) home theater speakers?
Feb 29, 2008 at 4:34 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 19
colonelkernel8

colonelkernel8

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Next semester I will be converting a dorm room into an entertainment room and I need some advice on the 5.1 system that I will be putting in. I will be building a 5 channel amp (and buying a surround processor) so ideally, the subwoofer is active, if not, it is still fine as I can just build a dedicated subwoofer amp. The general tendency is to get "loud", as this is college, but I would prefer something that can still get me satisfactory sound quality while still providing the impact needed for the movie theater experience. The lower the cost, the better, and if they can be had used, ideal. I have been looking at solutions from both Klipsch and Paradigm but I am not certain what is good and what is not. Note: The entire system doesn't have to come from one company or be sold as a package, but it would certainly be more convenient.

Thanks in advance.
 
Mar 1, 2008 at 6:58 AM Post #5 of 19
For Music and Movie application dont look far get the NAD or Harman. Get the best fronts and sub with your budget.
 
Mar 1, 2008 at 3:50 PM Post #8 of 19
Unless you've already got a projector (Projectors, Projector Reviews, LCD Projectors, Home Theater DLP Projectors at ProjectorCentral.com), I wouldn't spend a lot on a surround sound system, as IMO a large image (8 - 10 ft. plus diagonal) will have much more impact and enjoyment than an upscale surround sound system.

Even cheap home theater in a box systems have fairly good electronics; it's just the speakers that such.

If you don't use the same system for music (music is much harder to reproduce than home theater sound tracks, other than if you must have subterranean bass and insane spl), even something like the Logitech z-5500 gaming speakers might work well. Spherex X-Box speaker system (if you can find it) might also work well.

And I wouldn't go with separates; just get a good AVR (Onkyo has some very clean and highly regarded receives) and speakers to your liking.

This guy has a surround sound buying guide thread, but IMO front projector is much, much smarter investment (as long as dialogue is easily intelligible and there is nothing that stands out and irritates you have a particular surround sound system, I suspect you could be pretty happy with even cheap home theater in a box system):
AnandTech - General Home Theater Audio Thread
 
Mar 1, 2008 at 4:52 PM Post #10 of 19
NSM Model 5's check the reviews, they image like crazy, which is prefect for music and movies. Quite cool because you can't even tell that sound is coming out of the speaker.
 
Mar 1, 2008 at 6:58 PM Post #12 of 19
I already have the projector budgeted out. I will be buying an Outlaw Audio Model 970 surround processor and building a 5 channel amp. I just need info on the 5.1 speakers. I am a little weary about tiny satellite speakers because they tend to have crap for frequency response and have a really high crossover frequency and rely on the subwoofer too much. The point of the subwoofer is that it produces frequencies low enough that the human ear cannot pinpoint where it is, however when you start relying on it for higher frequencies, you can start actually hearing the subwoofer, and I hate that. A friend of mine has a home theater in a box and I think it sounds like garbage.

For fronts, I may actually have some B&W DM602's and a B&W CC6 center that I can use...but I am not sure.
 
Mar 1, 2008 at 7:46 PM Post #15 of 19
A price range would be good.

My setup is a Panasonic SA-XR57 hooked up to 5x Infinity Primus 360. The whole rig can be picked up for < $1000. A bit short on the refinement, but it sounds great, has plenty of dynamics for HT purposes, and a lot headroom for when you want it loud.
 
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