Hi all,
Hope you are doing well. I am looking for some advise to get my first HT.
My usage is about 80% movies, 20% music.
Not too big of a room - the viewing distance is about 8 feet “. Room Plan -> [https://imgur.com/a/wwv9RnY]
Also the speakers can be kept about 6 feet apart. I have a Sony 800 G - 55". Can’t get too loud coz of the neighbors.
I need advice on what would be the best use of my budget. I do intend to move to 3.0 and then 3.1 from here (or 2.1 to 3.1). 5.1 seems unlikely for next few years.
i basically want a step up from the existing TV sound for movies & really listen to what i have been missing, for music.
AV:
Denon S650H
Or
Pioneer VSX-534 5.2-Ch Virtual Bluetooth AV Receiver
Speakers:
Micca RB42 - 180 CAD
Pioneer SP-BS22 - 170 CAD
KEF Q150 - will wait for them to get to 300 CAD- my question on these - considering there center is prohibitively expensive, does it make sense to buy them ?
Fluance SX6 - 215 CAD
I am open to advise on speakers/AV other than the ones I listed above .
Thanks in advance !
I think you’re eating up too much of your budget with the amp unless you are finding used. I would look closer to 250CAD (Yamaha would be me preference). Good speakers will last you years, receivers are only good until a new format comes out. I went from 1080>3D> 4k receivers over the last decade but kept the same speakers. Any HT Receiver will play the speakers you are looking at without issue.
I’ve owned Yamaha’s and Pioneers, Pioneer sounded nicer but Yamaha was easier to use, my third receiver went back to Yamaha.
I would look into 2.1 before 3.0 personally. Subwoofers will add more to your experience than a center speaker. That should leave you about 200CAD in your budget (minus cables) for any of your speaker choices. You’ll have to research which works for what kind of sound you prefer but remember bass won’t be as important since you would have a sub. When you go to upgrade, these front speakers would make good sides / surrounds and get something nicer for the fronts as your budget allows.
If you’d be content with a 2.1 system there are powered all in one systems that come with a remote that would work great too.
Thank you.
Yes I am looking at a B stock receivers. This one is 299 CAD and then there’s Denon 540 BT which is 209 CAD. There’s no Yamaha in that range & the Pioneer is out of stock .
Will the 540 BT be a good option ? I am looking [here] for receivers.
I am waiting for the KEFs to go on sale to 299 CAD.
Is that a good choice ? Like you said, speakers aren’t going to be changed anytime soon, so I think I can manage going a little above 600. But I don’t think I can buy the KEF centre even next year as its 600 CAD alone. So does it still make sense buying a KEF, considering I can’t get a matching center. If not, what would be your top 2 choices ?
I considered the powered speakers, but I think it limits my options to expand to a 3.1 or a 5.1 in the future.
That’s not a bad price for your budget, I don’t think I would hear a sound difference between any of the receivers in this price range tbh. I would buy the receiver last as they will drop the most in price compared to speakers so you might get a nicer or newer one by the time you decide on speakers. Denon usually has really good onboard mic profiling, you hold a mic in quiet room in your seat and it plays test tones to measure for sound.
I’ve never heard KEF speakers or any designed like the KEFs. I have Klipsch personally and haven’t had a center speaker hooked up in about 7 years, mine would block part of the TV if I hooked it up (keep size in mind for your setup!). If you are for sure wanting a center it’s usually best to match the front three for timbre. Think of a courtroom scene with a stationary camera and lawyer walking from left to right, you don’t want it to sound different between speakers. If you go with a center speaker down the road, it will play about 80% of TV/ Movies sound through that one speaker, all the others are then ambiance and the fronts a bit more than the surrounds. Lots of people eventually get front L/R tower speakers and forgo the center, can’t offer as much as the towers.
Klipsch horns sound different than most other speakers, they are typically brighter and more directional imo, but can have amazing sound if that’s what you like. Try to listen to them in a store if you can for a basis to compare against. They don’t sound as natural as Polk /Definitive Technologies do, but they are fun.
Usually Klipsch have big sales, as much as 50% off so if you aren’t in a hurry it’s worth waiting for. I’ve seen the linked ones for 170$us before. There’s a couple of options for the center with them for around the same price as the bookshelves or a larger one for more.
Have you heard of Klipsch R41M ? Are they any good ? They are available for 200 $ for an open box.
Also, is it true that Klipsch are generally considered better for movies ?
Klipsch are pretty bright speakers due to their horns in my experience. This lends its self to theater to have it easier to pick left / right but if you just want music in the background it can be more fatiguing. If you are sitting down doing more critical listening it’s good for stereo separation.
249CAD seems to be the regular price of that particular model, I don’t know sales history in Canada for Klipsch if that’s a good price or not for them.
You might want to try AVSForums for some other advice if you don’t have anyone else chiming in here for your questions too. This is a very active board but seems more headphone driven. I don’t want to drive you away (new friends always fun) but I don’t have much experience with the speakers you’ve listed from before and was trying to offer advice that some speakers can be very polarizing in sound, if you are able to listen before purchase. Headphones are much lighter if we don’t like them to send back when paying shipping compared to speakers and amps!
