Surround Sound for Under 2 G - Newbie

[YoungScrappy]

I've read the posts and have came to the conclusion this forum know its shit. I'm trying to set up a surround system for my den for around $2000. This isn't set up for 7.1, not even 6.1 at this point but I plan to add on in the future but I want to be ready for the technology as far as the reciever goes. I've been lurking on the site for a while now. Please help . Where am I suppose to go with speaker cable? Any help would be great.

Dayton Sub-120 Watt Powered Subwoofer
Axiom M3 Bookshelf LR Channels (Pair)
B&W LM1 2 Way venter speaker (Pair)
Axiom VP100 Center Channel
Dayton SW-12 Subwoofer Cable 12'
Speaker Cable????
Tripplite HT1010SAT3 Home Theater Power Bar
HTR-5890 Yamaha 7.1 Receiver

this sums up at around $1650 at this point.

Thank you in advance. There are links to all the models below.

Dayton Sub-120 Watt Powered Subwoofer $148.88 http/www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=300-635

Axiom M3 Bookshelf LR Channels (Pair) $320.00 http/www.axiomaudio.com/m3ti_main.html

B&W LM1 2 Way venter speaker (Pair) $350.00 https/www.hometheaterstore.com/store/product.php?productid=1788

Axiom VP100 Center Channel $250.00 http/www.axiomaudio.com/vp100_main.html

Dayton SW-12 Subwoofer Cable 12' $12.00 http/www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=181-642
Speaker Cable???? ???

Tripplite HT1010SAT3 Home Theater Power Bar $81.60 http/www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=125-016

HTR-5890 Yamaha 7.1 Receiver $450.00 http/www.etronics.com/product.asp?dp=E2F2C21272E6021253E39363938357E373637373136313&stk_code=yamhtr5890

 

[inuyashafly]

that looks good to me. The only thing is I perfer JBL speakers, and maybe a klipsch subwoofer. but that has to do mostly with preference. I have the HTR 5660. got it like 2 years ago. that things is perfect it is just plain awsome(only has 6.1 ). so I would say you picked the right reciever. I am not sure the sizes of your speakers but my opinion is dual 6in or bigger I have single 8in pair, dont get me wrong they kick major ass but I think I like dual 6's better. hell get dual 10's I dont know much about the subwoofer, but here is my 2 cents. wats doesnt matter half as much as you think. make sure you have listened to what your gouing to get, and others. dont get a small center, that will be a very important thing. A good clear and loud center. but like I said at top I think that you got a good one.

 

[YoungScrappy]

Thanks for the reply. Yea, I've heards good things about Denon and Yamaha. I just don't the real difference this year's Yamaha and last years.I saw the Klipsch center channel at best buy. I might take a second look at it. I wish I could here the Axioms but I don't really don't how I would. I've just a lot of good things about it.

What do you suggest as far as surge protector and speaker wire?

 

[DiscoDuck]

It looks like some pretty good stuff, why are you getting one pair of B&W and sticking with axioms for all channels?

 

[YoungScrappy]

I thought it would look better if the center channel matched left and right channels. WIth the B &W, we were initally going to with in-ceiling speakers because we already have wired for it but then I heard all the terrible things with in-ceiling and surround. So, I got the next closest thing with the B & Ws which can hung from the ceiling and are pretty inexpensive and of some good quality.

Do you think I should uniform throughout the system?

 

[ivoryjohn]

I have this amplifier, and it works very well, however, I would caution you about one thing:

If you have HDTV or plan to upgrade to HDTV, using component video may not work for the long term. The DRM being planned for the video signal is being targetted to identify trusted components, this means HDMI components. The HD DVD specification, for example, gives the producers (the studios) the ability to encode their video stream to automatically downgrade to SD when transmitted over non-trusted ports (like component video).

Overall, though, I have been very happy with this unit. I use DTS as often as available. Some DVD's, StarGate and Lord of the Rings come to mind, possibly the new StarWars, have DTS discrete 6 channels which gives you your REAR REAR channels.

One other note: The remote is one of the best I've had, but sometimes, it doesn't program the buttons exactly as it should, for example, controlling my DVD, the fast-forward/reverse buttons don't work, but the right/left navigation buttons give me fast-forward/reverse. (You may have to hunt around to find the right buttons).

 

[DiscoDuck]

Its usually a good rule of thumb to keep with the same brand of speakers across channels so that they have the same tonal qualities. Another good plan is to spend half of your budget on speakers and the other half on electronics.

 

[axiome]

I've read the posts and have came to the conclusion this forum know its ****. I'm trying to set up a surround system for my den for around $2000. This isn't set up for 7.1, not even 6.1 at this point but I plan to add on in the future but I want to be ready for the technology as far as the reciever goes. I've been lurking on the site for a while now. Please help . Where am I suppose to go with speaker cable? Any help would be great.

First post in the forum here, couldn't resist answering !

Firstly, at $2K you have tons and tons of choices. I'm a big fan of internet direct audio gear.. I own a decent amount of it myself. I feel from reviews and what other people have stated, they really are a great bang for the buck. I see you've already found Axiom. I'd also throw in AV123 (my personal fave) and Ascend Acoustics. All 3 are great values.

The rule of thumb is to spend most of your money in speakers, since electronics keeps changing. Also is the fact that right now isn't the greatest time, with every changing standards (HDMI, new audio formats in blu-ray and hd-dvd etc).

If I had to pick a receiver for $500 today (which is what I'd budget in your case), I'd go with the Panasonic XR-70. If you can wait a bit for HDMI switching receivers to come out, that would be the best option. There is a rumored Panasonic XR-95 that has that. The XR series are Class D amps, also called digital amps. I like the sounds of these when I've heard them and think they're a great value. JVC also has a line of class D amps.

Subwoofer wise, it'd be hard pressed to beat the SVS PB-10 ($429) for HT use. This is one of the few subs out there that can actually hit 20hz in this price range. Theres a very technical extensive review of this sub on the net if you google around.

Now with about $1000 leftover for speakers, I'd personally go with AV123's X series package. The center channel isn't out yet however. 2 pairs of X-LS's for front and sorround duty. From a technical standpoint, I like the speakers the best. Peerless drivers, heavy bracing, 12awg wires internally, 3/4" MDF all around and real wood veneers, hell, my $900 Paradigm Monitor 9s have crappier internals. Plus the fact that Danny Richie from GR Research did the design for it makes it my #1 choice. But then again you have to wait for the center. Tak a look at a review on audioholics.com.

My other choice would be Ascends. A pair of CBM-170s up front, a CBM-340 center, and 2 MTM-200s would be around your budget. Theyre known for no-nonsense build quality and high quality components as well.

Axioms are known to be bright, which I'm not a fan of, but if you tend to like the sounds like speakers like Klipsch or even Paradigm's, you'd probably like these. They too tend to have better quality than most at their price range. Audioholics reviews these too.

Get some decent wires like Acoustic Research which are cheap too, and your Tripp Lite or Belkin surge protector and you're on your way. Hope this helps!