noob looking for some advice...

[maseline_98]

I recently bought a new Marantz SR-8400 from ubid, in which I got for $501 shipped. I thought I got a pretty good deal, but wasn't sure. This is only my second HT receiver(first being a kenwood vr-6070, which was stolen). I'm thinking about getting rid of my speakers and getting some new, but wasn't sure what I could get for around $1200 or so. As of now I have 2 pairs of cerwin vega LS-10's(front-left, front-right, back-left, back-right) and 2 LS-6C's(front-center, back-center) and a blown infinity sub. This setup is kinda big, and I was thinking of something a little smaller. It also seems to be a bit "bassy", but it might have just been the way I had it setup. Also I was thinking about getting an OPPO OPDV971H, which I saw somebody have on the boards today. I'm also looking to get a 50" DLP or LCD(must have DVI) for around $2500. I don't think I can afford much more than that...

This is my first post so please be kind. I only say this because some boards, people tend to rag on the noobs....hopefully I put this on the correct board. Any help would be most appreciated.

[Clive]

Sean, Welcome to the Guide. If your looking to get ragged on.....eerr well not here. We have all come from humble beginnings and worked our way up (or halfway up..... as in my case )

Of course sean you gonna get some great advice from other members, but for what its worth, I'd say to start working on your speakers. You have a good set of speakers in your setup to work with but you may just need to set proper values or tweak your speaker settings. Try using the AVIA setup disk or the SOUND and VISION disk to properly setup the system. If your using a SUB, you should tell the receiver in the speaker setup...... SUB = YES!

You can also look into going to satalites if your still not satisfied or if space is a problem. Audition them first then make your pick.

Others will chine in here :T

[maseline_98]

Do you think I should go after a Vega sub?...from my knowledge, people shouldn't mix and match speaker equipment, but I don't know if that goes for a sub also. I've heard Velodynes are pretty nice, but it seems that B & W hit as well...

[Clive]

Matching the three front speakers.......... "definately". Matching the three front speakers will substain the hormonics and frequency on the sound output (in simple terms). The Sub, you can always go for something else SVS, Velodyne, B&W, Def Techs super cube to mention a few :T

[Shane Martin]

Do you think I should go after a Vega sub?...from my knowledge, people shouldn't mix and match speaker equipment, but I don't know if that goes for a sub also

No don't get one. Mixing and matching speakers is one thing, it's ok to mix and match speakers with a subwoofer from somewhere else. People do it all the time with a HSU or SVS which are the 2 most popular internet vendors. They also provide the most bang for the buck. I've heard nothing from the Velodyne, B&W, Def Tech camp that can touch the HSU and SVS options for the same money.

The 8400 isn't bad. If you are headed towards a 7.1 system then it will eventually get replaced because you will want Dolby Pro Logic IIX. For $501 you'd be hard pressed to beat it though.

Speaker wise: Lots of options.I would start by listening to the various speakers at the local stores with your CD's and see what you can come up with. I bought Phase Tech( http://www.phasetech.com ) and easily got a 5.1 system for $1200. I went with the v12 mains, v6 center, v-surrounds. I added a set of v4's for rears and I only spent $1,800.

Other manufacturers in that range include B&W, Paradigm, Monitor Audio, NHT, and several more. Speakers are the most subjective thing you can purchase. OTOH, Subwoofers are not so subjective.

FWIW, I used to own Cerwin Vegas and I can say switching to another brand is the best thing you can do. They are indeed bassy and it obscures the highs and mids. They are perfect for a party where just being loud is all that matters.

TV Wise: I'm a CRT Type of guy. I get way more bang for my buck and I have a DVI input too. I paid $1,699 for my 55" CRT set. A DLP in that range is ALOT MORE MONEY and doesn't equal the PQ I get. Plus you get to deal with rainbows which can potentially cause headaches. Then there is LCD which has motion blur issues, and poor black levels. Then we can also talk about bulbs blowing out early too if you want. Not much bang for your buck here. IMHO, I'd buy a 55" CRT set like a Sony, Hitachi or Mits and then take your savings and put it towards a better speaker system. This way you get the best PQ and better SQ.

The only negatives to a CRT are:
Poor viewing angles - not an issue in my house
Burn in possibly - not an issue with me. Set is calibrated to the max(pre ISF) here.
Heavy - It's on rollers. No issue here. I can move it around myself and so can my wife.

The positives far outway the negatives. But no technology on the TV front is perfect. They all have their warts.

[maseline_98]

Not that I will be using a 7.1 setup right off, but I thought the 8400 could do Pro Logic IIx. Also, what CRT did you get that was that big?...I thought the biggest they made was 34".

[Shane Martin]

I bought a Rear Projection CRT set. They can go up to 70" or so. Mine is a 55" that I paid $1,699 for. To get the same size in a DLP/LCD set at the time would have ran me double. In this case, they use 3 CRT's(red Green blue) to create the big picture. It's reflected off a mirror.

The 8400 only does Pro Logic II not IIx. They didn't add this until the 7500/8500 series which is this years stuff. Then again an 8500 would run $1500ish.

[maseline_98]

Do you think I should buy something else?...I'm sure that I could sell it and make a little profit from it since it's brand new with a 3 year warranty.

[Snap]

I agree with Shane about the Phase Tech Speakers. I have the Velocity V-12's as well. They are one heck of set of speakers for money! :T

[gd]

The SR-8400 does include DPL IIx... and is a great receiver... and is a stupendous bargain @ 500 (esp if full warranty came with a new unit; even used, that's a good price)... you can't possibly get more receiver for $500.

Even if it didn't have IIx... that's mostly useful for tweaking advanced 7-ch systems in difficult rooms... not essential for most.

Echoing the above suggestions: get a sub separate from the other speakers (SVS, Hsu)... and audition 5.1 systems as much as you can -- speakers have arguably the most significant effect on any system... Monitor Audio, Energy, Totem Acoustic, NHT, Canton are good brands.

[Patt]

Hi,
I'm one of the guys who has finally ventured into the world of subs. After much looking around I landed a SVS 2039+ cylinder sub bought online sight unseen. It has all the necessary bass I could possibly want. The bonus with a cylinder sub is they are reasonably light weight compared to box subs.
My 2 channel setup also includes Paradigm Studio 40 speakers. Let me add I was on a very tight budget at the time.

See you around........

[Shane Martin]

Now that I did some more research it appears I was wrong. I apologize. They must have updated them. For $500 I don't think you can do better.

[maseline_98]

Now that I did some more research it appears I was wrong. I apologize. They must have updated them. For $500 I don't think you can do better.

I thought you were wrong, but me being a noob and all, i certainly did not want to correct a senior member. I was beginning to to think I didn't get such a good deal at all. Retail prices don't mean anything to me. I don't believe in paying retail because somebody is always taking their a huge cut from a huge mark up.




Does anybody have a link for those speakers you were talking about and what a "good" price for them? Thx all for jumping in.

[Radec]

I'd like to echo the value of SVS. A little story; I had a friend of mine who does Large Dollar HT installs help me in my new basement setup. He believes (and after hearing their showroom it is a bit inpressive), that for best performance in an HT setup you need 3 subs, and he swears nothling less than REL will work. When playing with U-571, he was shocked how well my SVS performed, and asked me twice "how much did you pay again?"

[Shane Martin]

Does anybody have a link for those speakers you were talking about and what a "good" price for them?

SVS and HSU wise you will pay what they have on their site. No negotation here.

http://www.hsuresearch.com

http://www.svsubwoofers.com

Speaker wise:
Phase tech: http://www.phasetech.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?item=31 *****
Monitor Audio: http://www.monitoraudiousa.com *****
Energy: http://www.energy-speakers.com/v2/ *****
Totem: http://www.totemacoustic.com/ *****
NHT: http://www.nhthifi.com *****
Canton: Http://www.cantonusa.com *****
Paradigm: http://www.paradigm.ca *****
B&W: http://www.bwspeakers.com *****

All of these with astericks at the end are available thru a local dealer only. If you see someone adverstising them online chances are you are not getting a warranty. Usually you can get 10-20% off locally if you shop around and negotiate. Sometimes you can't get any % off. I wouldn't avoid those because of that though as the sound is what really matters.

As I said just take a bunch of cd's with you and find out which speakers you like and go from there.

[maseline_98]

maybe i'll go for the phase tech V12 system and add a pair of the V12s for the rears. 10 year warranty sounds pretty good....anybody know anything about wharfdale zaltecs?....they seem to be pretty inexpensive...

[Shane Martin]

There are also online options but I hate to suggest them if you don't know what kind of sound you are after. I'd hate for you to order up some speakers and get them in only to not like them or be forced to like them because you paid for the shipping. They are a risky proposition.

[maseline_98]

I think i'm going to goto a dealer when I get back(off my business trip-->saturday maybe) The only problem is that I have not experience enough sets of speakers to know what the best sound/value is. I mean seriously, my buddy has a polk setup and I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Like I said...I'm a noob(not only to this site, but in high quality HT sound)

[Shane Martin]

Experience with listening will teach you what you like. Listen to a bunch then go listen again and make sure its familiar stuff. If you still can't make up your mind, then other things come into play like:

1. How the look
2. How much they cost.
3. How big they are and how they will fit into your room.

[cuda65]

As others have said the best thing to do is go around and listen to many different speakers with music you bring with you. If they allow it audition the ones you like best at home. So you can hear them in your listening environment with your equipment. Good luck in your hunt!

[ccotenj]

I think i'm going to goto a dealer when I get back(off my business trip-->saturday maybe) The only problem is that I have not experience enough sets of speakers to know what the best sound/value is. I mean seriously, my buddy has a polk setup and I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Like I said...I'm a noob(not only to this site, but in high quality HT sound)

well, i'm a noob too...

but after listening to a bunch of different speakers in my price range, from the first time i listened to the b&w's i now have they stood right up and said "we are the ones! take us home!"... fwiw, some people told me, listen to the best too, that way you know what stuff can sound like... well, don't do that on your "comparison trips"... because then the stuff you can afford is going to pale in comparison to what you most recently heard...

the "best sound/value" are the ones that you can afford that your ears like... i know that sounds like i'm being a wise-acre, but it's true... after wading through i don't know HOW many different forums/posts/etc., i decided that the only (positive) thing that researching got me was a good idea of reliability and what "lived in the same price range"... the only way to find "best sound/value" is to find out where all the "good" a/v shops are in your area, and wander into them and listen to stuff...

hint: i've found that if you are able to get away from work (being self-employed helps ), the best time to visit shops is in the middle of the afternoon in the middle of the week... generally speaking, you'll have the shop to yourself, and more importantly, the guy(s) there will have no one else to talk to other than you... and remember something... most of these guys are music enthusiasts too... it's not just a job to them... once you get them going, they LOVE to talk about their stuff... i really only ran into one guy that once he figured out i wasn't gonna spend 10k blew me off... the rest of them took the time to talk to me, let me play with the stuff, play my own music, etc. and now they are all getting to see me again as i decide upon a different receiver and new cd player...

hmmm... that was a long-winded way of saying, "it doesn't matter that you are a noob, your ears have worked your whole life, so they aren't noob's"... get out and listen...

[Clive]

Retail prices don't mean anything to me. I don't believe in paying retail because somebody is always taking their a huge cut from a huge mark up.

On the other hand businesses would like to stay in-business that's why there is a markup to help pay rent, overhead = heat, telephone, internet, advertizing, insurances, company vehicle repairs, also staff wages,to buy materials and/or merchandise. :thanku:

[Foxman]

Welcome to the forum. Shane has given you a lot of great information already as have others.

I would echo something Shane stated that I can not overstate when it comes to speaker selection. The speaker is the single most subjective part of your system. I would take some very familier music and go and listen to tons of differant speakers including some that you absolutely can not afford. Once you have done this with a variety of brands you will realize that you have a preferance towards a particular tonal quality of a speaker. Once you have realized this tonal quality that you like you can begin to drill down your search to find the balance of sound and price.

I would also suggest SVS as they have far and away impressed me with customer service as well as quality.

A couple other speakers that I really like are, Kef and Klipsch.

https://www.klipsch.com

not sure about Kef's sight although they might be a bit out of budget anyway.

[Snap]

On the other hand businesses would like to stay in-business that's why there is a markup to help pay rent, overhead = heat, telephone, internet, advertizing, insurances, company vehicle repairs, also staff wages,to buy materials and/or merchandise. :thanku:

:agree: True, true. :agree:

Shane touched on it bit when he was talking about size of the speaker and the size of the room etc. But there is another side to what he said. I am not sure if you are married, or have the fashion police living with you. But a lot of us have "said individual". That being the case, that person will probably not care to much if they sound super cool but look bad. One thing to consider is what your spouse has to say about size and look. Sound and Vision did an article about that in one of thier last issues. If Your room will not allow for huge towers, you can save youself some time by only listening to a few sets of towers, and focusing on smaller stuff.

I also Recomend the Bose Sat Sytem. :rofl: Just kidding. :wink:

Good luck. Let us know what you get! 8)

[maseline_98]

Thanks guys....I appreciate all the help...I can't wait to get the dealer!!!!...