[pillainp]

Could someone suggest me a home theatre setup (2.1/5.1) for use with my Samsung 32" LED?

Total budget not more than 10K. I am not currently looking for a large outlay system (if you get what I mean) since the room the TV is in is really small, and I will be moving it out of there pretty soon.

[arvindmanju]

If the budget is 10k look for Aidioengine AE2 it's active bookshelf speakers and performs well for the price.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by pillainp

Could someone suggest me a home theatre setup (2.1/5.1) for use with my Samsung 32" LED? ...

For about 12K you can get a Philips Bluray player + 5.1 HTIB. Look around. Available on Flipkart.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by NPV

A friend and I are planning on a setup similar to yours so thought I'd get your expert suggestions
AV Receiver shortlist is:
Denon 1913 / 1912
Yamaha 673 / 671

The latest models Denon 1913 and Yamaha 673 are not available in Bangalore (we don't want to go with grey market stuff after paying so much money and not getting warranty) so we may have to choose between Denon1912 / Yamaha 671.
Primary use is for movies and occasional use for music. Looking for 7.1 channel, Full HD 1080p, 3D support (must-haves),
Airplay, 4K upscaling, etc (like to haves).
To add to the confusion, recently came across these:
Harman Kardon AVR 265
Harman Kardon AVR 365
Onkyo NR 609
Onkyo NR 709
Appreciate if you could advise, especially the feature comparison between these. Once the AV R choice is made, I plan to decide on the speakers (my friend already bought Tannoys recently that he plans to use with the AV R).
NOTE:I'm no AV/HT expert so I may not be able to answer any techie questions related to the AV R shortlist.

Hi NPV,

This is quite a tough challenge you have here! Guess the best judge of the sound quality will be your ears and each persons sound preference is very different from the next person. Some tips on selecting the ideal setup:
1) Try to listen to the exact combination of amp and speakers that you intend to audition/ buy - this is vital as same speakers with different amps will sound very different. e.g when I auditioned the Tannoys with Denon, I did not like the sound at all as the vocals were extremely weak. With a Yamaha, the Tannoys sounded much better. For Movies, I found the Onkyos quite strong as compared to Yamaha / Denon - both of which are more musical in nature.
The models I had auditioned at that time were Onkyo 609, Yamaha 671, Denon 1912.
2) Depending on your budget, try to find an optimum range of speakers and amp - there will be "n" number of options (some of which frightfully expensive) - avoid those and go for the mainstream ones for consideration (Polk, Tannoy, Wharfedale etc). Stay away from high end speakers as these require a very high grade amp and normal amps will not be able to generate any decent sound from them
3) Speakers require a break in period of at least 100 hours to sound right - avoid listening to new speakers as they will sound quite dull and won't have opened out yet. That said, don't judge a speakers sound when they are new - when they are properly broken in, they will sound much better. This is the reason why inspite of the speakers sounding good in the audition, will not sound good when you bring the new ones home - they need to be broken in !
4) Go for an amp will enough surplus power per channel, it helps the amp handle the peaks better when there are such scenes (high dynamic range).
5) Go for speakers which also have higher sensitivity - this means that they will generate more sound for lesser power fed and will put less strain on the amp and also be sufficiently loud at 50% volume level. Don't buy a combination which you have to turn up to 80% or above to get the desired sound level.

If you ask me, I found all amps (Onkyo, Yamaha, Denon) good but the difference was visible when I played some Hindi movies - the Onkyo had more full bodied sound, which the Denon and Yamaha sounded a little distant and were unable to recreate the scene. Same was also the case with English movies with strong focus on vocals - here also the Onkyo was better.
In my auditions I had used combination (of all three amps) with Tannoy Mercury V4, Wharfedale , Polk Audio , Energy, Jamo and many more so-called Hi-fi ones !
The combo I finally went for Onkyo with Energy as I liked this combo (Sound wise) and also that they are sold and serviced by the same organization in India.

Another very strong contender in my search was the Denon with Jamo (I liked the sound quite a lot, but the model I liked (sorry don't remember the speaker model #) was going off budget!

I hope I haven't ended up confusing you more! Sound is like soul food so just go with your heart (and ears!) and buy what feels the best to you. Ignore what specs say, what reviews say and what even your friends often say! (even I had to ignore one of my best friends who was pushing me to buy Bose, but I proved it to him eventually that it is just a fad and does not put out good SQ)

Regards,
Behemoth

[NPV]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

This is quite a tough challenge you have here! Guess the best judge of the sound quality will be your ears and each persons sound preference is very different from the next person. Some tips on selecting the ideal setup:
...
I hope I haven't ended up confusing you more! Sound is like soul food so just go with your heart (and ears!) and buy what feels the best to you. ...

Behemoth - Thanks so much, very useful advice.
While budget is not unlimited, I would like to keep it to about ~50k for the AV R max and another ~50k for the front speakers max(the rear and surround can wait).
However, is the AV R shortlist good ? Am I missing anything else in the mix or can I eliminate anything before auditioning ? Here's the list again:
Denon 1913 / 1912
Yamaha 673 / 671
Harman Kardon AVR 265/AVR 365
Onkyo NR 609/NR 709

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by NPV

Behemoth - Thanks so much, very useful advice.
While budget is not unlimited, I would like to keep it to about ~50k for the AV R max and another ~50k for the front speakers max(the rear and surround can wait).
However, is the AV R shortlist good ? Am I missing anything else in the mix or can I eliminate anything before auditioning ? Here's the list again:
Denon 1913 / 1912
Yamaha 673 / 671
Harman Kardon AVR 265/AVR 365
Onkyo NR 609/NR 709

Hi NPV,

Yes, the AVR list which you have is quite comprehensive and will cover all the options. For the speakers, I would recommend that you try to go in for the entire 5.1/ 7.1 together- as this will help prevent tonal mismatch.
Fronts and centre need to be 100% aligned in tonal quality and while with the rears people can mix and match, but it often does not lead to good sound stage reproduction. What I would suggest is that when you are choosing the speakers, select the rears too in the same go, but you can buy the same ones later due to budget limitations if you feel so. For the rears, try to go for Bipoles/ Dipoles as these give very good surround effects.

Also go for a good quality centre channel as this is vital for good vocals and in the scene involvement - the centre speaker will cost as much as a front speaker.
If possible, try to raise your speaker budget to 1L, (including the rears) as you will get many better options. For speakers, you can start with this list:
The Best Floorstanding Speakers in 2011 – I | AV Max

(I am assuming you are looking for front floorstanders + Centre + rears?).

Another suggestion which I can give is that if your room size is not too big (less than 15 ft width), instead of using a 7.1 setup, biwire the fronts and go for a 5.1 setup (with a 7.1 amp) - this will drive more power to the fronts and give better sound output - for this you will need an amp capable of Bi-Amping and also front speakers also capable of bi-Amp ing.
Basically in this what you do is drive the tweeters and the woofers of the fronts from separate channels of the amps instead of being driven from the same channel.
I have done this on my setup and it does deliver good improvement in SQ.

All the best!

Regards,
Behemoth

[vaas2000]

Originally Posted by jkdas

Do search There are more posted about this

I picked up Denon 1312xp from Htstore after all the research, it's been serving well so far. Once the subwoofer power unit went kaput, Ht store's Mr lokesh arranged for denon's service engineer to visit and they replaced the whole power unit. It's been smooth sailing so far.
Got mail from Mr lokesh few weeks back stating that now prices of this model have gone up by 4k!
This is the first time am seeing that any electronic gadget's value appreciating after six months of purchase in market!

[Fillmore]

One of my friends is setting up a an entire HTS , and he got this quote.
Any inputs from the experts here would be much appreciated.

1. Denon AVR-1513 Rs.26,900

5.1 AV Surround receiver, 3D, Dolby True HD, DTS HD Master, Prologic Iiz, 1.4 HDMI: 4 in 1 out ,

Compressed audio restorer for MP3
5 channels discrete Power Amps rated at 75 watts each
1 Sub woofter outputs
HDMI 1.4a 4 Inputs / 1 Out

2a. Speakers Option 1: Paradigm Cinema 200/Cinema 100/Cinema Sub Package Rs. 79,500/-

Front Channels: Cinema 200 (Wallmount type)– 3 Driver, 70W , Surround Channels Cinema 100 – 50W
Sub woofer – Cinema Sub 300W Peak power
Cinema 200 Dimensions: H x W x D: 19-7/8 in x 6-5/16 in x 4-1/16 in

OR

2b. Speakers Option 2: Paradigm Monitor 7/Centre 1/PDR-100 Package Rs. 1,21,200/-

Front channels: Paradigm Monitor 7 ,Floor standing speakers. 3 Driver, 130W Each
Surround channels: Paradigm Atom Monitor, Mini-Bookshelf speakers. 2 Driver, 50W Each
Centre Channel: Paradigm Center -1 , 4 Driver, 3 way 80W
PDR-8 Subwoofer, 360W Peak power
Monitor 7 Dimensions: H x W x D: 36 in x 6-7/8 in x 9 in

3. Projector: BenQ W700 Rs.65,000/-

You may suggest alternates if you feel any of the above are overpriced.
I felt the BenQ 720p was not worth, better to get a 1080p. However Projector prices are still quite high in India in comparison to the US.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by Fillmore

One of my friends is setting up a an entire HTS , and he got this quote.
Any inputs from the experts here would be much appreciated.

1. Denon AVR-1513 Rs.26,900

2a. Speakers Option 1: Paradigm Cinema 200/Cinema 100/Cinema Sub Package Rs. 79,500/-
OR
2b. Speakers Option 2: Paradigm Monitor 7/Centre 1/PDR-100 Package Rs. 1,21,200/-
3. Projector: BenQ W700 Rs.65,000/-

Hi Fillmore,

For the Amp, I would recommend the 1913 instead, as it is a 7 Channel amp (90W per channel) + Sub vs the lower models, and even if you use a 5.1 speaker setup, it gives you the option to Bi-Amp the speakers.
You haven't mentioned the room size, but I am assuming it would be around 15'x20'?

On the speakers, I think that the option A you are considering is a little underpowered and you should be looking at speakers capable of at least 1.5x (fronts) of the amp power output. This ensures that the speakers don't get damaged even during high power output levels. At the same time, their sensitivity needs to be high so that the current drain on the amp is lower for generating sound. Go for a speaker set with a sensitivity higher than 91Db/W.
Generally, If I were to build a setup for a 300 sq ft room with a Projector, I would pick the option 2 with the Monitor 7 speakers and the Center 1 - this is a good combo. For the surrounds though, I would pick the Surround 1 speakers from Paradigm instead of the Atom Monitors.

On the projector, the Benq is not outstanding and not really the best choice. There are better models available from Mitsubishi (full HD ~ 95K, don't recall the model #), Epson, NEC, Sharp - do see all the options available to take your call.

Regards,
Behemoth

[Nicky]

Hello All,
one of my friend is in US next month and i would like to get some good 5.1 Surround sound home theater.
earlier i was planning Onkyo HT-S3400 but after reading reviews and comparisons, i think, i should get something better. With Strict budget within 30k, i am struggling with choices and finalized more or less on
Denon DHT-1513BA Total 650 Watt 5.1 Channel
Home Theater System with Boston Acoustics Premium Speaker System

It's at 500 US dollars in Amazon which translates to 28k with 56 exchange rate.

I am surely not in too much of customization. Only thing is, it should sound just good and it's surely for long time.

I am gonna hook it up with my 32 inch LCD which has horrible sound output.

I was also exploring the possibility for Denon DHT 591 (300 dollars as it has Audyssey for Auto room calibration) + Boston acoustics speakers (which one?)

I would appreciate your feedback.

[nitinralli]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

You have quite a good stereo setup with NAD and no point breaking it. For 5.1 setup the speakers required are much simpler and smaller with a good amp. I suggest that you keep this system for music and make a different setup for 5.1. Maybe you can go for an Htib setup from Onkyo or yamaha. A 6ohm sherwood will also not be able to drive the 4 ohm speakers. Also in a 5.1 setup it is vital to have to have tone matching between fronts and Centre which you may not get easily.

Sir, just wanted to update on this.

Now i have Marantz stereo amp, Yamaha 5.1 amp and Wafadale 9.5 speakers added to this lineup with an extra set of Esota 5.1 speakers. So all in all i have:
[list=1][*]Marantz 6004 amp[*]NAD stereo amp[*]Yamaha 5.1 amp[*]Wafadale 9.5 floor standing speakers[*]Esota 5.1 speakers (2 set)

So now i can add Esota 5.1 speakers with Yamaha amp for home theater needs and can use both NAD and Marantz for achieving Nirvana

Here's the pic of the NAD and Marantz

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by nitinralli

Sir, just wanted to update on this.

Now i have Marantz stereo amp, Yamaha 5.1 amp and Wafadale 9.5 speakers added to this lineup with an extra set of Esota 5.1 speakers. So all in all i have:

[*]Marantz 6004 amp[*]NAD stereo amp[*]Yamaha 5.1 amp[*]Wafadale 9.5 floor standing speakers[*]Esota 5.1 speakers (2 set)

So now i can add Esota 5.1 speakers with Yamaha amp for home theater needs and can use both NAD and Marantz for achieving Nirvana

Here's the pic of the NAD and Marantz

That's a cool collection you have built! Actually this type of setup is best for both worlds as Music and home theater setups have different requirements, but most people end up with one as a compromise due to budget and space constraints! For this setup, what is the video setup you are using? I am on the lookout to upgrade my video and am confused between 65 in panasonic plasma, 70in Sharp lcd or an HD projector. All suggestions welcome!

[NPV]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

If possible, try to raise your speaker budget to 1L, (including the rears) as you will get many better options. For speakers, you can start with this list:
The Best Floorstanding Speakers in 2011 – I | AV Max

(I am assuming you are looking for front floorstanders + Centre + rears?).

Another suggestion which I can give is that if your room size is not too big (less than 15 ft width), instead of using a 7.1 setup, biwire the fronts and go for a 5.1 setup (with a 7.1 amp) - this will drive more power to the fronts and give better sound output - for this you will need an amp capable of Bi-Amping and also front speakers also capable of bi-Amp ing.
Basically in this what you do is drive the tweeters and the woofers of the fronts from separate channels of the amps instead of being driven from the same channel.
I have done this on my setup and it does deliver good improvement in SQ.

Here's an update:
Decided on the Onkyo NR 709 AVR and now trying to decide speakers. I auditioned the ELAC FS 127 and Energy CF 50 series speakers. These are comparable price wise. I felt ELAC was better for music and had more depth and clarity. One more suggestion from the dealer was to get the front floorstanders + center from one of these and get the surrounds from the next lower series from same brand (ELAC FS 50 or Energy CF 30).
Would you suggest any others for audition - Wharfedale which model ? etc.

Room size is 14 ft x 18 ft.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by NPV

Here's an update:
Decided on the Onkyo NR 709 AVR and now trying to decide speakers. I auditioned the ELAC FS 127 and Energy CF 50 series speakers. These are comparable price wise. I felt ELAC was better for music and had more depth and clarity. One more suggestion from the dealer was to get the front floorstanders + center from one of these and get the surrounds from the next lower series from same brand (ELAC FS 50 or Energy CF 30).
Would you suggest any others for audition - Wharfedale which model ? etc.

Room size is 14 ft x 18 ft.

Hi NPV,

Congrats on taking the decision on the amp! The 709 is a very good and powerful amp and will certainly serve you well.
Now comes the more difficult part of choosing the speakers.
I had also heard the Elacs which you have recently auditioned and liked the sound quite a lot. I ultimately went with the Energy CF50 due to the smaller size and I found the vocals from the centre channel more clear with the Energy, while with the Elac, it sounded a bit theatric and far off. You can also consider the CF70 from Energy which is the higher powered variant, and also the Polk RTi A5 series. I would not recommend mixing the brands Elac + Energy, as they have different sensitivities and tonalities and the sound may not be coherent and will require intricate level balancing to get the right effects.

Best way is to carry your Amp with you and then try pairing with as many options and then take a call on the sound based on how you like your sound - take some good music cds as well as some DVDs to do the audition.

Regards,
Behemoth

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by NPV

Here's an update:
Decided on the Onkyo NR 709 AVR and now trying to decide speakers. I auditioned the ELAC FS 127 and Energy CF 50 series speakers. These are comparable price wise.

Hi Narayan,
Could you please mention how much NR709 costed, also any idea how much 609 would cost.