I'm in the post holiday season where I'm done recovering from buying presents for everyone else and am able to focus on myself. Now my dilema is what to buy (same dilema as most of us :P). What ever it is, I'm going to buy it at Best Buy so pls no suggestions on things they do not carry. I'm creating a home theatre system at least 5.1, most 6.1. The pocket of sound I'm looking to create is in an about 15x15 area. The area behind where I sit to watch TV does extend back a lot more but I am mainly concerned on that pocket.
Now a question that I have is wether or not I should be thinking of floorstanding speakers or just bookshelves. What I like about the floorstanding is the fact that I dont have to put them anywhere while with the bookshelves, I have to buy stands. (Lets assume that floorstanding and bookshelves+stands are about the same price, just assuming). My worry with the floorstanding ones is if they kick tooooo much. I live in a condo and I can't go rocking the walls.
I have set aside a budget of about $300 for the reciever (I've had my eye on the Pioneer VSX-D812) and not really set a limit on speakers... um lets say under 1500. That probably doesn's seem like a good balance price wise buy any suggestions?
I've heard good things about Athenas, Klipschs, and JBLs(but I heard these are too dynamic, looking for good bass but better clarity).
Sorry with boring you guys with my life story but if you've read this far, I'm sure you have something in mind.
try the Athena Audition series ASF-2 for the fronts, asc-1 center, asb-2 or asb-1 for the surrounds. Excellent clarity and tight bass. And the kick can be tailored to suit your needs. You really don't need to worry about the bass unless you are using a subwoofer which has a tendency to reverberate through the walls.
and also i think that best buy has a 5.1 athena home theater speaker package that includes the subwoofer for $1099.00 a nice price for a great system. It should compliment your choice of receiver. I would however trade the ASF-1 for the ASF-2, because they sound a lot better, and if you want you can probably deal them into giving you the package without the subwoofer for a better price. have fun, let us know what you picked cheers
Lincoln
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Thanks for the input, I saw that system and I was considering that one but what really concerns me is the room that I have. I know if I buy the the Point 5 they add in another S.5 speaker so I get 6.1 right away but like I said money isnt really the issue. I'm just really concerned on whether the AS-F2 are overkill. I know Best Buy has a good return policy but those things are pretty big to be lugging around.
Thanks a lot for ur input Berny. Anyone else have any other thoughts or comments?
Lincoln
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Posted on
Also what about putting together 4 AS-B1s, 1AS-C1s, (add sub here,best buy available pls) and the pioneer receiver mentioned above? That is if my room is too small for floor standings?
just my two cents, but i was thinking only of getting bookshelfs when i started looking, but have since changed to floorstanding for a few reasons. only you know how portable etc., you want them, but for me...
i figured, why spend an extra 50 or 150 or whatever on speaker stands that i could spend on the speaker instead if i got floor standing. also, if price is equal, a lot of floorstanding speakers offer more woofers than your average bookshelf which is often two-way and sometimes three-way if you go up in price.
the bookshelfs i would have gotten had i not changed my mind were klipschs. i know they supposedly sound better, not because they are better speakers, but because they are more efficient. but if you aren't going to spend 800-1000 on a receiver, then wouldn't it be nice to spend 300 on the receiver and the the sound you might expect from the more expensive receiver because of the efficiency? i don't know if that made perfect sense, but particularly on a low budget, why not get something with a little more umph! whether it's because of the greatness of the speaker or its efficiency?
Rather than the Pioneer reciever, take a good look at Yamaha's recievers. In my opinion Yamaha makes the best recievers in range you are looking at. The key spec: the THD on the Pioneer is 1% where as the Yamaha is .06% Thats a HUGE difference. I think the HTR-5640 is like $300 at BB.
A4Kenny
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Posted on
I would take a trip to some other stores and test these components/brands out before purchasing at Best Buy since everyone has their own likes/dislikes. You also really need to match the receiver to the set of speakers as most people here would suggest.
First the receiver - the Pioneer would sound more laid back and more suited for hometheater use. If this suits you more then try looking for a Pioneer Elite VSX-41 on clearance - build quality a bit better with more features. I got a floor model unit for about $280 at a competitor store. If you must get one at Best Buy then I would get Yamaha 5600s series over the Pioneer VSX-D812...again better build quality. If you listen to music more than watch movies then definitely Yamaha over the Panasonic.
For the speakers, Klipschs would go well with the Pioneer since they are more brighter sounding. If you go with a Yamaha receiver then most likely the Athena will sound better since the Yamaha receivers are not laid back. So, here's my pics :
Yamaha 5660 & Athena speakers for music preference Panasonic VSX-D812 & Klipschs speakers for HT
Lincoln, I would also make a suggestion. You haven't said why you want to stick to Best Buy. If you can get to the Circuit City (across the street from the BB perhaps?), check out the HKs. My guess is that between the Yamahas and the HKs, you will find something to your liking.
Pair of AS-B2 for the fronts Pair of AS-B2 for the rears 1 AS-C1 for center channel 1 AS-C1 for rear center channel and a Klipsch KSW-12 subwoofer.
With the Pioneer VSX-D812
Lincoln
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Posted on
Ok I went to listen to the speakers and considering size as a big factor, realisticly I dont have room for bookshelves or floorstanding, so I'm going to go with Athena Point 5 system (best buy is giving another S.5 with it so 6.1 right away) so I'm wondering if its unannymous that if I'm going with these athenas, if Yamaha should be my choice over pioneer? and if you can pls explain why, I'd like to learn
I would go with the Pioneer 912 over either the 812 or any of the Yamaha's. Better power supply and better match with the Athena's IMO. If you are interested get into the receiver review section of this website and you will find a few reviews of the 912 and one review even rates the 912 over the NAD742. That is high praise for a unit in this price range. Good luck.
I would mate them with Panasonic SA-XR45 ($300 shipped)
You can hear SA-XR25 at BB - the XR45 sounds better, but you can get an idea of the sound.
I think it sounds better than others in the price range - some are replacing their multi thousand amps with this new digital tachnology. Many like it, some don't.
You said that the VSX-41 has more features over the VSX-D812. However, I read both user manuals and the D812 has a few extra surrounds mode as well as MCACC calibration for time delay and volume. Perhaps the D812 has a more recent chip than the 41?
The 41 has a better D/A converter as well as an extra optical input. The 41 also has a learning remote control and the D812 does not.
I'm incertain about the build quality. Both units weight exactly the same. Is the Elite line a marketing gimick? Or is there a real difference? The price difference here in Canada is CDN$489 versus CDN$581.
Thanks for any insight. I'm about to buy one of them and I haven't decided which yet.
but if you've read this far, I'm sure you have something in mind.