Just be careful with your budget and because in the end you might be spending way more than you were expecting as the hole can get pretty deep. Also take advantage of manufacturers that offer free auditions. Not to be a SVS shill but they do offer a free 45 day in-home trial, probably to make up the lack of presence in your local audio shops.
I run the following 5.1 setup:
And this is for an apartment setup! I could've mixed and matched with different brands but felt kinda lazy because of the logistics of it so I just commited to one brand after enjoying the bookshelves so much. I thought I was gonna be happy with a simple 2.0 setup but eventually the itch just kept coming until it was a full blown system. When we do purchase our first home, I'd move the bookshelves to the surround positions and pick up the Ultra Towers along with a 2 or 3-channel amp to power the LCRs. I don't plan on dabbing into Atmos anytime soon because if I would go route, I'd have to go the downward firing speakers way which takes some commitment because of the wiring and mounting speakers in the ceiling to ensure a clean setup. Just picked up a 65 inch LG OLED C9 and now I just realized I'm gonna be spending about 10 grand when it's all said and done.
I've considered KEF and Polks (they had a great rep back in the day, not sure about now since they went mainstream). Klipsch IMO are quite bright (some would call it harsh) but it really depends on the genre of music you listen to. The Andrew Jones designed ELAC Uni-fi's are a decent budget option comparable to SVS Primes. Same dude that made those famous but super cheap Pioneers. All I gotta say is once you move up the tiers, its really difficult to downgrade as you train your ears to what quality sound is. Unlike most electronics, I think of speakers as a long term investment given that even old speakers can sound really great. My Dad is currently still rocking some 30 year old Polks.
I run the following 5.1 setup:
- Denon AVR-X4300H - $800
- SVS Ultra Bookshelves - $1000
- SVS Ultra Center - $700
- SVS Prime Satellites (Surrounds) - $165 at SVS Outlet
- SVS SB13-Ultra Subwoofer - $1000 at SVS Outlet (discontinued)
- Speaker cables, banana plugs, subwoofer cable, 18 Gbps capable HDMI cables, speaker stands, etc - $300~
- 10'x10' shaggy rug (living room has hardwood which isn't good for acoustics) - $150
And this is for an apartment setup! I could've mixed and matched with different brands but felt kinda lazy because of the logistics of it so I just commited to one brand after enjoying the bookshelves so much. I thought I was gonna be happy with a simple 2.0 setup but eventually the itch just kept coming until it was a full blown system. When we do purchase our first home, I'd move the bookshelves to the surround positions and pick up the Ultra Towers along with a 2 or 3-channel amp to power the LCRs. I don't plan on dabbing into Atmos anytime soon because if I would go route, I'd have to go the downward firing speakers way which takes some commitment because of the wiring and mounting speakers in the ceiling to ensure a clean setup. Just picked up a 65 inch LG OLED C9 and now I just realized I'm gonna be spending about 10 grand when it's all said and done.
I've considered KEF and Polks (they had a great rep back in the day, not sure about now since they went mainstream). Klipsch IMO are quite bright (some would call it harsh) but it really depends on the genre of music you listen to. The Andrew Jones designed ELAC Uni-fi's are a decent budget option comparable to SVS Primes. Same dude that made those famous but super cheap Pioneers. All I gotta say is once you move up the tiers, its really difficult to downgrade as you train your ears to what quality sound is. Unlike most electronics, I think of speakers as a long term investment given that even old speakers can sound really great. My Dad is currently still rocking some 30 year old Polks.