First real home/computer audio sytem - advice?

0

00011

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 17, 2011
Messages
290
Hi,

The furthest I ever went with sound was purchasing a Logitech Z-5500 setup for my computer. I've really been contemplating buying a REAL home theater/audio system with my tax return coming in soon. Is the following a great choice for a best bang for the buck home audio system on a $1,500 budget?



and...Thanks for your input,

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Edited possible setup:

1. MARANTZ SR6005 $650 (No ONKYO's based on very, very misleading marketing)
2. Polk Audio RTi A9 (pair) - $1200
------------------------------------------------
$1,850


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Purchase later on
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3. Polk Audio CSi (center) -$400
4.RTi A3 (pair)(cherry) - $350
5. another pair of bookshelfs
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
$1,000+
 
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1. Consider used speakers, your budget will go farther
2. I'd get a Marantz over an Onkyo
3. I'd invest in 1 good subwoofer, over 2 overpriced subwoofers (look at HSU and SVS subwoofers)
4. How large is your room?
5. What components are you hooking up?
6. Get a better 5.1 setup instead of a so-so 7.2 arrangement.
 
450 said:
1. Consider used speakers, your budget will go farther
2. I'd get a Marantz over an Onkyo
3. I'd invest in 1 good subwoofer, over 2 overpriced subwoofers (look at HSU and SVS subwoofers)
4. How large is your room?
5. What components are you hooking up?
6. Get a better 5.1 setup instead of a so-so 7.2 arrangement.
Click to expand...




1. Not sure on this one as I don't trust used (or the people selling it)
2. Noted, although i never heard of Marantz (ever) and love shopping at Newegg :(
3. Where is the best place to buy HSU and SVS sub-woofers?
4. 225 square feet (give or take)
5. TV (50" plasma) and computer so far
6. I so want 7.2... it just sounds so cool and two subs seems chopped full of awesomeness :D
 
1. Look at craigslist or Audiogon. I've had great luck on craigslist when shopping for speakers. (I've bought Vandersteens, Paradigms, Magnepans, and Martin Logans from craigslist.
2. You can get Marantz receivers on Amazon or refurbished on accessories4less.com
3. HSU: www.hsuresearch.com SVS: www.svsound.com
4,6. Your room isn't large, 7.2 won't really bring much to the table

What content do you expect to consume? How much of each?
EXAMPLE:
25% CDs/MP3s
25% DVDs
25% BluRay
15% TV
10% Gaming
 
450 said:
1. Look at craigslist or Audiogon. I've had great luck on craigslist when shopping for speakers. (I've bought Vandersteens, Paradigms, Magnepans, and Martin Logans from craigslist.
2. You can get Marantz receivers on Amazon or refurbished on accessories4less.com
3. HSU: www.hsuresearch.com SVS: www.svsound.com
4,6. Your room isn't large, 7.2 won't really bring much to the table

What content do you expect to consume? How much of each?
EXAMPLE:
25% CDs/MP3s
25% DVDs
25% BluRay
15% TV
10% Gaming
Click to expand...

1. Will look into, but, would still prefer to purchase new
2. Researching now, but what model Marantz is better than the ONKYO TX-SR608 for a similar price?
3. Thanks, I do want to note though that I would prefer all speakers to come in a cherry finish (Is that possible with the speakers you listed?)
4. I could knock down a wall! - j/k

5. Content:

32%___Computer games @ either 2560x1600 (My dell 30") or 1080p (TV)
32%___High Def content/movies (1080p only)
32%___FLAC audio (thinking about starting the move to ALL FLAC music for my audio
04%___TV - I have a TV Tuner Card but not High Def (working on it). Plus TW's HD channels also.

No CD's
No DVD's
 
Go into Paint or similar program and draw up a rough diagram of your room.
 
Is there a good review site/sheet/something comparing high quality audio receivers? You have me really contemplating the Marantz SR 5005 receiver over the ONKYO TX-SR608.

That said, I have to be honest and say I'm still contemplating those Polk Audio
speakers as I really want cherry finish for some reason. On top of that those sites
you linked to had some really, really expensive speakers.
 
I would advise one "good" sub woofer as well. I like Velodyne subs, but they can be expensive. I got mine used on craigslist, I saw it posted and knew what is was from online research. I contacted the seller and he auditioned the sub for me so I knew it worked before purchasing. The sub has one dead spot in one of the pots, but I knew that before purchasing because i was able to audition it first.
I have the monitor 70's in my living room setup, paid around $120 a piece from newegg. See if they have any of the series I's left.
 
Receiver wont make much of a different. The Onkyo or Marantz are both good. There are many better speakers than those Polk, but for the price they are very hard to beat. If that's your budget then get the polk, they will sound fine. Dont get the Polk subwoofer thou, there are better choices for $200. Bic sub is in that price range.
 
calvieee said:
Receiver wont make much of a different. The Onkyo or Marantz are both good. There are many better speakers than those Polk, but for the price they are very hard to beat. If that's your budget then get the polk, they will sound fine. Dont get the Polk subwoofer thou, there are better choices for $200. Bic sub is in that price range.
Click to expand...

agree

i would recommend the emotiva ultra 10 if you stretch your budget an xtra 100:

http://emotiva.com/ultra_sub10.shtm
 
Don't overlook Yamaha, Pioneer or Denon (same company as Marantz now) when it comes to recievers.
 
Maybe it would be easier if you guys showed me what you would aim to buy if you
were in my shoes ($1,500- $1,800 tops). I say that because telling me to look at a lot of different manufacturers just makes things harder. :D

I mean, I started my selection by the picking out the highest rated items on Newegg.com so that should tell you something...lol
 
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Not sure what to buy if I was in your shoes since I would look around for a long time before deciding. However, Here are a few ideas.

Is this for your PC or your Home Theater?

If it was a PC then I would just opt for a very nice 2.1.

For fronts I would choose this.
https://www.madisound.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=35_425&products_id=8306

I am into speaker kits these days though so that may just be a biased choice.

I would mate it with a HSU VTF-1

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/vtf-1.html

or a kit from either Madisound or PartsExpress.

And then get a decent receiver (my preference would be Marantz from Accessories4less).

If it is home theater and I have to get the complete 5.1 set, then I would get an Enthusiast 1 set from HSU
http://hsuresearch.com/products/enthusiast1.html

Or get the Intimus 4B-BP Fusion SA from Aperion

http://www.aperionaudio.com/catalog/Small-Rooms,70.aspx

Though I would also like to get SVS or Ascend, it would be more than the $1500 budget if one had to include a receiver.

If it was Polk, I would slowly build up by getting the RTi series items from the Polk direct outlet store on Ebay. The sub would be some other company product like SVS, or HSU.

This is just me though.
 
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Even if you don't plan on buying anything there, try to head down to your local stereo shops to audition some of the speaker brands we're suggesting, plus other we haven't mentioned. If you can, bring your own music to play on the demo setups. It can start to give you a handle on which brands you prefer; for example, I really like the Klipsch sound, but you might not. I agree with the others here that if you buy sight unseen, those Polks wouldn't be a bad choice. I also say that you should buy a 5.1 system, not a 7.2. You can always add another pair of speakers and another sub later. If I were to spend $1,500-1,800 on a hi-fi setup, here's what I'd go for:

2 pairs Klipsch RB-51: 2x$268

Klipsch RC-62 Center: $399

Emotiva 10 Sub: $329

And keep the Onkyo receiver for $379. Total comes to $1643 before tax and shipping (which is free for everything I listed). Note that the RB-51's have rear ported woofers, so they need to be at least a few inches from a wall to sound their best.
 
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Thanks for the input guys. For some odd reason I really want floor standing speakers (In cherry).

Zenshi:
If it was Polk, I would slowly build up by getting the RTi series items from the Polk direct outlet store on Ebay.
Click to expand...



I'm wondering if I should just start out with the following and build from there later on.

1. ONKYO TX-SR608/Marantz SR 5005 (not sure which one yet but cheaper is always better if there is little to no difference).
2. Polk Audio RTi A9 (pair)
3. Polk Rti10 center channel speaker

I do have a question. Would either of those receivers even be able to power the Polk Audio RTi A9's properly?

Example:

1. ONKYO TX-SR608 - $380
2. RTi A9 (Pair) - $1,400 (?)
3. Polk Audio CSi A6 - $350
----------------------------------------------------

$2,130 which is out of my current price range.

:(:(:(

I would just add some cherry versions of some better subs and rear speakers later on.
 
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Yes, either receiver would. Speaker power ratings just mean how much power they can take before blowing out; you can power them on much less than their rated power and still get quite loud sound, depending on their sensitivity. So what is sensitivity?

Glad you asked. Speaker sensitivity is typically given as a sound pressure level in decibels (that is, how loud it is) at a power output of one watt measured from one meter away from the speaker. This number is frequency dependent, but the number given by the manufacturer is a good guide to the entire frequency range. Those RTi A9's, for example, have a sensitivity of 90 dB @ 1 W @ 1 m. This means that you would hear a 90 dB sound one meter in front of them if you fed them only 1 W of power. So you can immediately see that unless you routinely listen at hearing-loss inducing levels, the amp/receiver is only delivering a few watts to the speakers at most at any given time.

The frequency response is usually given as the range over which the sensitivity is within 3 dB of the stated number, so you'll often see it given as something like 50 Hz - 20 kHz +- 3 dB. Go beyond either limit, and the speaker just isn't able to produce those frequencies with much oomph, and they get drowned out.

Another note about decibels: they are not a linear scale, but instead a logarithmic one, designed to mimic the perception of the human ear. A sound that is 10 dB louder than another is in fact 10 times louder in absolute terms. A difference of 3 dB represents about a factor of two difference.

As for your speaker choice, you may want to go for a sub instead of a center speaker if you'll just be getting a 3.0 or 2.1. You can also easily fit within your budget by going for the RTi A7 floorstanders instead of the A9's if you're set on Polk. Don't get the SR 5005 if price is at all a factor; the Onkyo is half it's price ($380 versus $800). And get thee to your local stereo shops to listen to everything you can.
 
Starslayer67 said:
Yes, either receiver would. Speaker power ratings just mean how much power they can take before blowing out; you can power them on much less than their rated power and still get quite loud sound, depending on their sensitivity. So what is sensitivity?

Glad you asked. Speaker sensitivity is typically given as a sound pressure level in decibels (that is, how loud it is) at a power output of one watt measured from one meter away from the speaker. This number is frequency dependent, but the number given by the manufacturer is a good guide to the entire frequency range. Those RTi A9's, for example, have a sensitivity of 90 dB @ 1 W @ 1 m. This means that you would hear a 90 dB sound one meter in front of them if you fed them only 1 W of power. So you can immediately see that unless you routinely listen at hearing-loss inducing levels, the amp/receiver is only delivering a few watts to the speakers at most at any given time.

The frequency response is usually given as the range over which the sensitivity is within 3 dB of the stated number, so you'll often see it given as something like 50 Hz - 20 kHz +- 3 dB. Go beyond either limit, and the speaker just isn't able to produce those frequencies with much oomph, and they get drowned out.

Another note about decibels: they are not a linear scale, but instead a logarithmic one, designed to mimic the perception of the human ear. A sound that is 10 dB louder than another is in fact 10 times louder in absolute terms. A difference of 3 dB represents about a factor of two difference.

As for your speaker choice, you may want to go for a sub instead of a center speaker if you'll just be getting a 3.0 or 2.1. You can also easily fit within your budget by going for the RTi A7 floorstanders instead of the A9's if you're set on Polk. Don't get the SR 5005 if price is at all a factor; the Onkyo is half it's price ($380 versus $800). And get thee to your local stereo shops to listen to everything you can.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.

Two questions:
--------------------

1. What's your personal opinion on Polk (RTi)?
2. Do you know of a better set of floor standing speakers (In cherry...lol) for $1,400 or less?
 
Specs of the RTi A9

http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/rtia/specs.php

I would think the Marantz would power that ok for a smaller room.

If you are going to spend $1400 on a set of towers, you may want to go listen to them as Starslayer says.

Not to continue to promote Aperion but they do have a nice small tower if size is not much of an issue.

http://www.aperionaudio.com/product/Intimus-4T-Tower-Speaker,164,90,404.aspx

They do seem to be well received (check out Pro Reviews) and they have free shipping both ways (if you decide to return them before the 30 day trial period).

Ascend seems to be currently developing a tower version of their popular Sierra 1s at a price probably comparable to the above Polks.

Also, if you are ok with kits Parts Express has the Tri Trix tower kit. Not the best drivers in the speakers but for the price, I hear they sound quite good. There are a lot of crossover mods for this kit in the DIY community.
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-702

Edit: I noticed there is a Polk RTiA9 set currently bidding on PolkDirect on Ebay for about $1100. If so, I would think you may be able to find the RTiA7's to be about $300 less than the A9s.

Edit2: I hear Emotiva makes some nice speakers so that sub Starslayer suggests is probably nice. The price is sure hard to beat. The price seems comparable to the HSU STF-2.
 
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A good company to look at is Axiom Audio. Their speakers sound very similar to Paradigm Studio Series.

They offer free shipping, 30-day full-refund in-home trial and a 5% discount on orders of 5 items or more.

This is what I use and it sounds amazing for the money.

Front:
http://www.axiomaudio.com/m22.html

Center:
http://www.axiomaudio.com/vp100.html

Rear:
http://www.axiomaudio.com/m2.html
OR:
http://www.axiomaudio.com/qs4.html

I recommend the QS4 for rears, those are what I use and they give much better surround effects than regular bookshelves. Unless you have a very small seating location, then bookshelves are probably fine.

There is also a great deal on a great Receiver at 6th ave right now:
http://www.6ave.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=DENAVR1911-OPN
 
Zenshi said:
If you are going to spend $1400 on a set of towers, you may want to go listen to them as Starslayer says.

Not to continue to promote Aperion but they do have a nice small tower if size is not much of an issue.
.
Click to expand...

I know why you keep mentioning them from some reviews I read. :D:D:D
I wish I could find a pair of Aperion Verus Grand Tower Speakers for $1,400 shipped. I'd be all over that but $1,800 is out of range. :D

And yeah, for some reason I want some big tower speakers.
Which is why I like the RTi's and Verus Grand Towers so much.
I just can't find the Aperion Verus Grand Tower Speakers anywhere except from the manufacturer (No where cheaper).
 
00011 said:
1. What's your personal opinion on Polk (RTi)?
2. Do you know of a better set of floor standing speakers (In cherry...lol) for $1,400 or less?
Click to expand...
1. I have never heard them, so I don't know. Based on what I've seen other people say, they seem to be perfectly serviceable; the pair of Polk bookshelves I have listened to (RTi A3's) did sound pretty good compared to others in their price range.

2. Any reputable manufacturer will put out floorstanders of comparable quality in that price range, and most will have a cherry finish available. This is why it's very important to listen to several sets if at all possible before you buy, especially when you start spending this much money. Most of these speakers will sound similar, but only you can determine which ones you like best. I cannot emphasize this point enough: There is no best set of speakers in a given price range. It is all about which speakers sound best to you, and you alone. Here is a nice article that talks about all this.

Again, personally, I love Klipsch speakers; they make a very nice pair of floorstanders for $1200 a pair (their RF-82 II's).

Also, when you finally get your speakers in your home and hook them up, experiment with their positioning to find the best sound.
 
Solstice said:
Don't overlook Yamaha, Pioneer or Denon (same company as Marantz now) when it comes to recievers.
Click to expand...

Please overlook Yamaha... or at least do your self a favor and listen to Yamaha´s offerings at the same price level as Denon and Onkyo (I´d go for either one, leaning towards Onkyo). Pioneer has some decent amps too, but usually they come at a higher price and hence is no competition to Denon and Onkyo IMHO.
 
This is what I would recommend given your budget and room size
From this site https://dmc-electronics.com/Default.htm

All Image series (they all come in the sienna finish though the picture is maple)
Mains: PSB T45 (B Stock) 479$
Center: PSB C40 249$
Rears: PSB B15 259$

Get the sub from here
http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-2.html
SFT 2 349$

1336$ for the speakers

One of these receivers:
Denon 1911 (about 400$ new. If you want warranty refurb check Dakmart they are an offical Denon refurb seller)
Harman Kardon 1600 or 2600 (by it from the harman ebay store. You should be able to get a 1600 from under 300$ or a 2600 under 400$ they are factory refurbs sold by harman with a full warranty just like a new unit)
Pioneer 1020 (under 400$ new)

Get your HDMI cables from monoprice and your speaker cables from bluejeans. Dont pay big bucks for cables

I would go with 5.1 for now and see how it sounds. Then decide if you want the extra 2 channels or the extra sub. You can always split the sub channel you dont need a dedicated 7.2 for it.

Having owned several set of speakers over the years from PSB, B&W, Ohm, LSA, Vandersteen and Dynaudio, I think PSB is far and away the best bang for the buck especially the Alpha and Image lines.
 
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malacoda said:
This is what I would recommend given your budget and room size
From this site https://dmc-electronics.com/Default.htm

All Image series (they all come in the sienna finish though the picture is maple)
Mains: PSB T45 (B Stock) 479$
Center: PSB C40 249$
Rears: PSB B15 259$

Get the sub from here
http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-2.html
SFT 2 349$

1336$ for the speakers
Click to expand...

The PSB's seem very nice although you didn't include shipping charges.

PSB T45 = $609
PSB C40 = $279
PSB B15 = $249 (Not sure why this is free shipping and cheaper than advertised)
SFT 2 = $388
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total = $1,525

Just wanted to mention that. That said, I really like the PSB Image T65 Sienna's a lot and they come brand new for $919 shipped.

So my speaker choice so far really comes down to the PSB or the Polk (The main/front speakers set the tone for the other speaker purchases (match a brand of speakers) that could in reality come later on).

PSB Image T65 Sienna - $919 shipped (New)
Polk RTi A9's - $1,200 shipped (Refurb)

What do you guys think?
 
00011 said:
The PSB's seem very nice although you didn't include shipping charges.

PSB T45 = $609
PSB C40 = $279
PSB B15 = $249 (Not sure why this is free shipping and cheaper than advertised)
SFT 2 = $388
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total = $1,525

Just wanted to mention that. That said, I really like the PSB Image T65 Sienna's a lot and they come brand new for $919 shipped.

So my speaker choice so far really comes down to the PSB or the Polk (The main/front speakers set the tone for the other speaker purchases (match a brand of speakers) that could in reality come later on).

PSB Image T65 Sienna - $919 shipped (New)
Polk RTi A9's - $1,200 shipped (Refurb)

What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

Sorry about the shipping I was doing some other stuff while looking it up and just forgot. I would advise the T45 over the T65. I have heard both speakers and I thought the 65s were too bass heavy and didnt sound as coherent as the 45s. I think the T45 is the more refined of the series. The sub will carry all the heavy lifting for the bass anyway.

I have not heard the Polks a9 so I cant offer a comparison. The ones I have heard are the LSI 9/15/25s. While they were good speakers I was not wowed by them

You should try and find a dealer and listen to both before you make a decision.

Some other reasonably priced brands you might want to look at are Monitor Audio, Warfdale, Mordaunt Short, Aperion, Axiom, EmpTek, Energy
 
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Snufykat said:
I would advise one "good" sub woofer as well. I like Velodyne subs, but they can be expensive. I got mine used on craigslist, I saw it posted and knew what is was from online research. I contacted the seller and he auditioned the sub for me so I knew it worked before purchasing. The sub has one dead spot in one of the pots, but I knew that before purchasing because i was able to audition it first.
I have the monitor 70's in my living room setup, paid around $120 a piece from newegg. See if they have any of the series I's left.
Click to expand...

Velodynes are okay, stay away from BIC though, they're low end. I've only heard the VTF1220 and it was a little lacking in my opinion. The HSU VTF2-MK3 is a much better sub.

I agree; two cheap subs are not worth it. Spend the money on one better sub. You won't hear much (if any) difference when you add a <$500 sub paired up to another $500 sub.

I've moved on from the HSU to an 18" Epik Dynasty 600w rms. Having the HSU paired up with the Epik didn't make a bit of difference, it was grossly outclassed.

I even noticed the same thing with my 12" 250w HSU vs my 10" HSU 150w; I couldn't tell a lick of difference adding the smaller sub.

I believe the only time it will help is if you have a crossover so that your good sub will do the 18hz - 60hz range and another sub on the 60hz to 150hz range. Then the bass is better defined, but it requires a preamp to split the signal. (I suppose you could just set the upper limit on the good sub to 60hz and let the midrange sub go full range)
 
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Oh, and spend as much money as possible on the center channel. The center channel puts out 90% of your dialogue and that's very important in movies.

I have the Polk RTi 8 towers and a Csi 3, and I'm going to be upgrading my center channel to something in the $400+ range.
 
I was just talking with a representative from http://www.accessories4less.com (Trying to get a deal) and he told me this.

Hi

You may want to read some reviews on what you are buying&#8230;. http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/content/onkyo-tx-nr5007-av-receiver-test-bench Check out the multichannel power output of the big boy 5007!

The 808 is good for about 50 watts per channel if you are running more than 2 speakers.

Regards,

Mark
Click to expand...

So he's telling me if I ran 7 speakers to the ONKYO TX-NR808 that it will only be putting out about 50 watts per channel!

What am I missing? I thought when the spec says 7x 135 watts that you're getting 945 watts total! Is this not the case (tell me I got noobed)?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
EDIT
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I emailed him back with this.

Wait, this is all new to me. You're telling me I don't get 135 watts per channel with a receiver, in this case, the 808, if I use all seven channels?
If this is true than why do watts matter, it would make more sense to get a lower priced AVR (with less watts) and just buy an amp to power all
of your speakers. It'd run a little more money for a lot more power.
Click to expand...

He replied back with this.

Watts definitely matter! What I am try to show you is not all items are created equal&#8230;and specs don&#8217;t mean diddly if they are only good for 2 speakers (read the Onkyo specs, you will see in parentheses ALWAYS 2 CHANNEL driven power output). They are very smart about it, so must uneducated buyers would never realize the receiver they just bought was not really a 140watts per channel 7 channels continuous!

If you want a real receiver, buy the Marantz sr6005 which will blow the doors off ANY ONKYO receiver, period end of story!

Now, the same magazine that reviewed the top of the line Onkyo TX-NR5007 also reviewed last year&#8217;s version of the 6005 (the 6004)

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/content/marantz-sr6004-av-receiver-test-bench

You would be FAR better off buying a high end Marantz receiver than buying Onkyo


http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...7ch-3-D-Home-Theater-Surround-Receiver/1.html

Regards,

Mark
Click to expand...

So [H] member 450, you get an imaginery rep from me since you told me to go with Marantz in the first reply to this thread. For that, I thank you.

I'll keep you all informed. :D
 
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Again, remember that the speaker usually isn't using the amp's full power, or anything close to it.* As the Soundvision link for the Onkyo you posted says:

The Onkyo handily exceeded its single-channel and stereo power specs into 8-ohm loads, while power into 4 ohms was quite clearly (and deliberately) limited to about 50 % when more than 2 channels were driven toward the clipping point for more than a second or two. Whether this is meaningful in the real world is largely a philosophical question (and then only for those using lower-impedance loudspeakers), since music and movies rarely call for anything approaching full-scale output on more than one channel at a time, and then usually for only a small portion of a second at a time.
Click to expand...

So I honestly wouldn't be worried about it at all. The Onkyo will almost certainly deliver enough power to be nice and loud. While from the raw numbers it appears the Marantz has higher quality amps, the Onkyo's feature set may be more to your liking; I don't know. Your room isn't all that large either (it's only about 15x15', right?), so it's not like you need amazing amounts of power.

*Let me explain how sensitivity works again: so the sensitivity of your speaker is, say, 90 dB @ 1 W @ 1 m. If you fed it ten watts, you'd be outputting a 100 dB sound; it'd be as loud as a jackhammer, which, I don't know about you, but it's enough to have me not want to be in the same room as it for very long. 50 watts would be something like 105-108 dB (can't be assed to actually do the math), which is again more than loud enough. The more sensitive your speakers get (mine are 95 dB), the less power you need to drive them. Klipschorns, which are amazingly sensitive (105 dB!), can probably be driven by goddamn clock radios and be listenable.
 
00011 said:
I was just talking with a representative from http://www.accessories4less.com (Trying to get a deal) and he told me this.

So [H] member 450, you get an imaginery rep from me since you told me to go with Marantz in the first reply to this thread. For that, I thank you.

I'll keep you all informed. :D
Click to expand...

You need to find tests of the marantz as well before you go hating on the onkyo - it is rated at 135WPC with TWO channels driven, it doesn't say that for all channels. Most decent receivers will only put out 50-80w/channel in a full bandwidth ACD test.

Good example - Marantz SR7005 - $1600 MSRP, 125WPC 8ohms 2ch driven
Measurements: http://www.hometheater.com/content/marantz-sr7005-av-receiver-ht-labs-measures
Five channels driven continuously into 8-ohm loads:
0.1% distortion at 91.2 watts
1% distortion at 112.1 watts

Seven channels driven continuously into 8-ohm loads:
0.1% distortion at 74.6 watts
1% distortion at 89.6 watts

Starslayer also made a good comment above mine.

As long as your speakers are reasonably sensitive and your room isn't the size of a stadium, you will only be using a couple watts 95% of the time.
 
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That would be this:
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Although passive biamping is pretty much pointless.
 
00011 said:
Thanks for the input guys. For some odd reason I really want floor standing speakers (In cherry).
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Look at Aperion audio, it's an online only retailer and they have a 30 day trial period. (Perhaps the Intimus series?)Definitely within your budget, or you can wait at the end of the year when Magnolia clears out everything for 60-70% off. I bought my RS Silvers here Left, Center, Right and rears for under a grand
 
00011 said:
I was hoping it meant you could run two channels to each speaker for double the watts.
That's not what it's for?

Or

What is it for?
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In theory you send power to the midrange/woofer using one amp and power to the tweeter using another.

Biamping to get "double the watts" doesn't work - your speakers will only draw as much power as they require at the moment. If you want to double the watts, turn up the volume by 3dB :)

If you are worried about power, buy a decent receiver with preouts like the Yamaha RX-V667, Onkyo TX-NR708, Pioneer VSX-1120K, etc, and then buy an external amp from Emotiva or the like.

If you buy reasonably sensitive speakers that don't have crazy low impedance dips you should be fine though...any decent receiver will drive them to ear splitting volume.
 
I also recommend audiogon. You're buying from audiophiles on that site, it's not ebay. They baby their equipment.

Also, if you buy from newegg, make sure they are an authorized dealer for the product you're buying. If not, you get no warranty and usually no returns on the item.
 
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