[murillo]

Originally Posted by Thumping Soul

I'm planning to set up a home theatre system, but the primary objective would be listening to music.

If it is for music, then I suggest to go for a stereo setup. A pair of bookshelves and a stereo amplifier will do—select them based on the type of music you majorly listen to. Some bookshelves are suited for bass and thump and some are good for clarity and crispness.

Also, the source and the quality of the source material play a major part in the quality of output you will get.

All the best for your musical journey.

[amrutmhatre90]

Originally Posted by Thumping Soul

But, I'm also tight on budget and have a max budget of Rs. 1 Lakh for the set-up

This is a very minimal budget, you will want to upgrade the AVR after you read the reviews and entire holy grail of Dolby Atmos.

With most movies and shows coming out with Dolby Atmos, it is a must to have a AVR capable of doing that.

The Audio gear prices in recent months have sky rocketed.


Go with a powerful AVR like Denon X2700 or above
Marantz 5015 or above and you won’t need to upgrade the AVRs. These have all the bells and whistles. But these are close to 1 lakh

Do not get stuff from Amazon they are over priced, get from audio stores. Since you are in Bangalore you can audition what you want and would get good discounts too.

[Thumping Soul]

Originally Posted by murillo

If it is for music, then I suggest to go for a stereo setup. A pair of bookshelves and a stereo amplifier will do—select them based on the type of music you majorly listen to. Some bookshelves are suited for bass and thump and some are good for clarity and crispness.

Also, the source and the quality of the source material play a major part in the quality of output you will get.

All the best for your musical journey.

I prefer clarity & crispness and for the bass, i guess we can always add a sub-woofer. I would prefer a 2.1 stereo set-up to start off with.

From music perspective, I enjoy the bollywood melodies from 70s to 90s majorly, ghazals and on the other end of the spectrum I absolutely love the classic rock from the likes of Doors, Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, Aerosmith etc. Hope that gives you an idea about my listening habits.

I want to invest on a budget-friendly 2.1 set-up with an AVR, with the possibility to add a centre channel / surround in the future. Not sure if i would actually need them (centre channel / surround).

These would be installed in my living cum dining room, which is in a L-shape:

Please advice what would be a good set-up in this context.

[amrutmhatre90]

Originally Posted by Thumping Soul

I prefer clarity & crispness and for the bass, i guess we can always add a sub-woofer. I would prefer a 2.1 stereo set-up to start off with.

From music perspective, I enjoy the bollywood melodies from 70s to 90s majorly, ghazals and on the other end of the spectrum I absolutely love the classic rock from the likes of Doors, Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, Aerosmith etc. Hope that gives you an idea about my listening habits.

Please advice what would be a good set-up in this context.

I highly advice you to take auditions before making up your mind.

AVR and hometheatre done right will be absolute great for Movies, for music it would be decent. Comes with a huge price though.
Integrated Stereo system done right can reward you and give you goosebumps when you listen music, For movies its decent if you have a speaker which goes low or a subwoofer. Cost starts relatively cheap but can drown you in the rabbit hole.

Do audition AVR vs a Integrated setup with same set of speakers, you will understand what I mean.
AVR with 100 watts is nowhere close to IA with even 45watts, I have a Class A amplifier with 10watts on tap which would eat AVRs for breakfast. So don’t rely on power ratings.

Also get good speakers, bookshelf speakers tend to disappear better than floorstanders. I know we want want big, but sometimes big is not always right.
Since you will buy a subwoofer downthe road, the floorstander will have its power cut at 80hz, insimple terms buying a Ferrari and Speed limiting it to 100-120kmph.
Get a better Bookshelf and you will save some money too.

Here is a Short Video of my setup:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=2TVbElES5iU?feature=share

https://youtube.com/watch?v=A-mezGsrwSY?feature=share

Recently trying out these small puppies, and absolutely loving them.

SoundArtist LS3/5A with Akai AM2850

[arpanjha]

Can anyone guide me to any dealer in New Delhi or NCR where I can get a live demo of the Sonos Era 100 or even Era 300?
The official stores listed on the Sonos website are either not traceable (Bazaar Monkeys example) or, they do not have stock and are basically Home Theatre (large commercial ones) consultants.

[deathwalkr]

Was looking to junk my ancient Sony BDV-N7200 home theater setup for some time now and while this was not on my bucket list, I ended up getting this as the shop got a really good deal.

https://www.philips.co.in/c-p/TAB896...less-subwoofer

Sounds real good. Just one irritating niggle, an orange led next to the display on the soundbar keeps blinking and no one seems to know why.

[bobbyblr]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Was looking to junk my ancient Sony BDV-N7200 home theater setup for some time now and while this was not on my bucket list, I ended up getting this as the shop got a really good deal.

https://www.philips.co.in/c-p/TAB896...less-subwoofer

Sounds real good. Just one irritating niggle, an orange led next to the display on the soundbar keeps blinking and no one seems to know why.

I searched for the user manual of TAB8967. Link below:
https://www.download.p4c.philips.com...37_dfu_aen.pdf

This yellow LED is the Wifi LED mode and it says that it blinks if it has been connected using either the AP or WPS mode. See below screen-shot.

[amit_2025]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

Was looking to junk my ancient Sony BDV-N7200 home theater setup for some time now and while this was not on my bucket list, I ended up getting this as the shop got a really good deal.

https://www.philips.co.in/c-p/TAB896...less-subwoofer

Sounds real good. Just one irritating niggle, an orange led next to the display on the soundbar keeps blinking and no one seems to know why.

Thanks a lot for sharing

Mind sharing how much you ended up buying it for? Also, did you consider any other Dolby Atmos soundbars?

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by bobbyblr

This yellow LED is the Wifi LED mode and it says that it blinks if it has been connected using either the AP or WPS mode. See below screen-shot.

Sometime I get lazy and forget to follow my own advice to others. Always RTFM!

Thanks for the information. Connected the soundbar to my WiFi and the irritating blinking LED is now a solid LED.

Though one does wonder why we need a glaring LED on the front of a beautiful bar just to show it's connected to WiFi.

[TechFan]

Mod note: Please avoid quoting entire large post for replies also do a Preview before Submitting posts. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Thumping Soul

I prefer clarity & crispness and for the bass, i guess we can always add a sub-woofer. I would prefer a 2.1 stereo set-up to start off with.
===
I want to invest on a budget-friendly 2.1 set-up with an AVR, with the possibility to add a centre channel / surround in the future. Not sure if i would actually need them (centre channel / surround).

AVRs are better suited for movies and budget AVRs will tend to compromise stereo even more. On the other hand stereo sounds better will full range bookshelf speakers rather than 2.1 or 5.1 setup. Keeping all these points in mind, a good quality soundbar from Sony or Samsung or Bose with wireless surround speakers will make more sense.

[chetan]

Input needed,

The living area is about 25x15.

My budget in 1-1.3L may be 1.5L, If I get a good deal, I would like to get a Sub as well

so, my current setup is an old Onkyo HT-R340, SKF340F 5.1. I am looking to upgrade only R,L and C, AVR; upgrade the surrounds later on

Mostly - 70/30, movies/music.

I auditioned the Q ACOUSTICS: 3030i and 3090i and really liked them but I would like to explore other options.

How are the following compared to the QA ?
1. MISSION: QX 2 MKII and QX C MKII
2. Elac debut 2.0 B6.2 and Debut 2.0 B6.2 Centre

For now I am getting QA and mission along with x580bt with-in 1.2lakhs.
How is the ELAC compared to the QA and Mission ?. I am not able to get the Demo or mission and Elac. Please do let me know if there are other options.

AVR: I am looking at Denon X250 BT, X550BT and X580BT. I would like to know if any of these AVRs can drive mentioned the QA and Mission set ups well ? One of the distributor said that the 250bt and 550bt are very basic and not enough; he recommend I get 580bt. I am a bit confused here, Please advise.

for the SW - I believe, Taga Harmony TSW 212 SE and Mission MS-400 are my options.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by chetan

I am a bit confused here, Please advise.

I have not heard any of the speakers you've mentioned so can't really comment (I have heard a different Elac and they were good). That said, you can't go wrong with any of these. I recommend sticking to the speakers you have heard. Not one that you can't or haven't.

Stick to a Mission sub woofer.

As for the AV receiver, there is no difference in terms of power output rating between the 3 receivers you have listed (can your dealer prove this or share some documentation?). The difference with the 580BT is that it has speaker binding posts which make it easier to handle thicker speaker cables, Dolby Vision Support, dual sub woofer outputs and 8K eArc support. None of them support Network Audio streaming. Only via Bluetooth. Unless you need all these benefits, I don't see the point.

I'd say stick to the 250BT (If you don't need Dolby vision pass through) and use the money saved on better loudspeakers, or, just save the money.

[chetan]

Could you recommend any other loudspeakers besides the ones that I've mentioned ? I feel the 3030i are a bit expensive compared to its competition, so Im thinking to save some money here or use it on better loudspeakers or a Sub.

[kotirajendra]

Read a few posts where recommendations are being sought for dual use cases of music and movies.
Few thoughts regarding this.
1. Dont try to find the middle option, decide on one use case and target that. IMO, buying for music is better than targeting movies.
2. For the same budget you will get higher quality stereo amps and speakers. AVR and 5.1 have many components over which the budget gets spread.
3. The primary function of AVRs is to be a vehicle for several types of codecs like Dolby Atmos, Vision, Blueray etc. That is their primary value add. Since movies don't really require hi fidelity (unlike music), the rest of the components aren't very high grade. So music definitely doesn't sound as great on a 5.1 as it does on a similarly priced stereo system.
4. If your TV has the necessary decoders and do remember that stereo is always supported in any sound track, then a stereo system can support movies remarkably well.
5. 2.1 is not required. A good pair of book shelf speakers are sufficient. If you really need more bass, try to go for floor standers. Floor standers will also support heavy metal better. Those who have experience with bookshelves and floor standers, please correct me on this.
6. Don't waste money on soundbars.

My setup: NAD C715 + PSB Alpha B1. (Rs 45000 15 years ago)
For movies: TV > Optical Out > FiiO D03K (Optical DAC) > NAD
For digital music from laptop: Laptop USB > Asus Xonar U7 (USB DAC) > NAD

This setup is more than sufficient for me. The only deficiency is that it doesnt handle heavy metal very well. But that's fine, life is about budget and tradeoffs.

[Thumping Soul]

So last week I happened to be in US for a sudden official trip. This gave me an opportunity to visit my brother in Boston. While the discussions were on, he had an Onkyo TX-SR313 AVR unit that he wasn't using anymore. So I have now got this with me.

Wanted to check what would be a good 2.1 set-up to go with this AVR. From usage perspective, I would say 70-80% of the time would be for music.

Request your advice on helping select a good 2.1 stereo set-up.