[racingmachine]

Originally Posted by civic-dk

You can get Sony DAV-TZ145 Home Theatre System at Rs 10,000+ on Amazon. Again, the sound quality is something which you will have to try and see if you like it. I am sure you can try them out in one of the Electronics outlet.

Hi, Thanks for the suggestion.

I ended up buying this model. Seems decent for the 10k paid for it.

Cheers.

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by racingmachine

I ended up buying this model. Seems decent for the 10k paid for it.

This was my first HT purchase and it ran fine till we started cranking up the volume. It got into a power protect mode about 3-4 years back and I haven't had the chance to get it fixed it. My suggestion if you do use it, keep it such that it is well ventilated/cool when in use and do not crank it up too loud.

[S_U_N]

Originally Posted by Sahil

I have a denon 5.2 amp running my Bose acousticmass 5.1 speaker system however I don't have outdoor speakers setup for my terrace and I often have to use my Bluetooth dock for music there. Is there anyway I can have my iPhone connect to my denon and Bluetooth dock simultaneously so I can have the same music playing in both areas?

Your requirement falls under "multi-room audio".
Some examples are here: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/1364...e-your-options

Unfortunately I lack the expertise to tell you how to do it with an iPhone.
From a PC, with this software, it should be doable. http://vb-audio.pagesperso-orange.fr/Voicemeeter/


Another option could be https://rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/ if you have a PC or Mac.


I have not tried these personally, so your mileage may vary

[wantarangerover]

I would like advice on setting up a home theater setup for my TV.

• My TV does not have an optical out, only an "HDMI sound out". And the TV speakers are horrible! I have connected an old 2.1 speaker set, and things are somewhat better.
• I initially thought I would buy some good 2.0/2.1 speakers, driven by an Aune X1 DAC/Amp I have lying around. But the DAC has only optical input. I had thought of an HDMI sound extractor, but not sure of the quality/reliability.
• So finally, reading some 20 pages of this thread, decided that I will burn my pockets and go with an AVR + fronts for now.
• I would like to start out with a quality stereo setup, and upgrade later to a 5.1 setup.
• I have a chromecast which I use to stream netflix, hotstar and Plex (for content on my PC). The idea is chromecast > AVR > video to TV > audio to speakers.
• I also plan to stream music via bluetooth.
• Looking for *clear* vocals, *tight* bass (not boomy!) and wide sound stage with instrument separation. I would like a more musical leaning system, with the option of surround rather than the other way around.
• Room - living room part of an open plan with kitchen and dining room. The living area is 10 ft x 12 ft, walls on 3 sides.
  
• AVR contenders
  1. MARANTZ NR 1506 AV RECEIVER https://www.hifimart.com/electronics...-receiver.html
  2. Pioneer VSX-531 https://www.hifimart.com/electronics...-receiver.html
  3. YAMAHA RX-V481 http://www.profx.com/detailpage?bran...1&calledFrom=0
  
  Which one above will be ideal for me? The Marantz seems tempting at42K, but specs show 50W per channel, worried whether it had enough power for future upgrades??
  
  
  
• Speakers
  I have no idea on these.
  
  Should I go for a full range floor standing set? Will a bookshelf speaker setup give me good listening experience considering I will initially have only 2 speakers? Should I get fronts only for now, or fronts + centre? Sub woofer? Man, this is exhausting!!
  
  I would like recommendations for a speaker setup for music + movies for around 30K.
  
  As a side note, I know this could very well be a money pit, and upgrades never end!! I already have some DACs and Headphones for my PC. Now it is the turn of the HT!!
  

[Holyghost]

Originally Posted by wantarangerover

I would like advice on setting up a home theater setup for my TV.

• AVR contenders
  1. MARANTZ NR 1506 AV RECEIVER https://www.hifimart.com/electronics...-receiver.html
  2. Pioneer VSX-531 https://www.hifimart.com/electronics...-receiver.html
  3. YAMAHA RX-V481 http://www.profx.com/detailpage?bran...1&calledFrom=0
  
  Which one above will be ideal for me? The Marantz seems tempting at42K, but specs show 50W per channel, worried whether it had enough power for future upgrades??
  
  ....
  
• Speakers
  I have no idea on these.
  
  Should I go for a full range floor standing set? Will a bookshelf speaker setup give me good listening experience considering I will initially have only 2 speakers? Should I get fronts only for now, or fronts + centre? Sub woofer? Man, this is exhausting!!
  
  I would like recommendations for a speaker setup for music + movies for around 30K.
  
  As a side note, I know this could very well be a money pit, and upgrades never end!! I already have some DACs and Headphones for my PC. Now it is the turn of the HT!!
  

Compared to Pioneer VSX531 and Yamaha RX-V481, Marantz 1506 is a better choice. Dont go just by the 50W figure, the 1506 is as powerful as a Denon x2200. Both are manufactured by the same company; Denon has a 95W rating and Marantz has a 50w rating. But when I connected both the system to same speaker (Polk Audio Tsx440) both had almost same volume at 60-80. 75 is extremely loud enough to wake up your entire neighborhood and I dont think you would ever go beyond 75 with an efficient set of speakers. The volume has to be pumped up to 50 (on a scale 0-100) on both Denon and Marantz for reasonable volume.
My NAD stereo amplifier with 30W output sounds much better than all the above ones.

I had a Yamaha RX-V475 before. The volume scale is calibrated differently in Yamaha and Marantz/Denons Volume level 60 is ~ 35 for Yamaha. I think it would be the same for RX-V481 too and hence if your comparing side by side, the Yamaha might feel powerful due to its different volume scale. As the volume goes higher you can easily figure out the Marantz is as powerful as the Yamaha if not better.

I have never used a Pioneer and their lower end AV systems never had good reviews earlier. I am not sure about the current situation.

Another good reason you should be choosing Marantz over any other AV systems (including Denon) in that price range is that, Only Marantz has a Pre-Out for Front speakers. The rest of them only have Pre-outs for subwoofers. Yamaha has Pre-outs only for models above 681 and Aventage 850, Denon above 4200/4300, Pioneer I guess only their LX have Pre-outs.
Pre-outs is an important factor you should have in mind if you ever think of upgrading. You can easily add a Power-Amp for your front speakers with a Marantz, while you cant do that with Yamaha, Pioneer, Denons in that price range.

For speakers, You can start with bookshelves. Later add a Sub woofer. When the budget permits, go for Floor Standers and relocate the bookshelves as surrounds. That way you can build a good home theater over time. But whoever I gave this advice, they all ended up buying the Floor Standers after demo.

Another point to note is that a good set of book shelf speakers always sound better than an average floor standers. In short a 25k bookshelf speaker will be much better than a 35K Floor Stander. So do demo them before buying.

You have very good choices of Bookshelves in 30K range. Floorstanders in that price range is not that great. You will have to extend that to ~40K to get decent Floor standers.

I am running Marantz 1506 connected to Rotel Power Amp which drives Polk Audio Tsi 400. The Marantz powers the surround and center speakers and I seldom use the surrounds. To be frank, I switch on the surrounds only to show the surround effects when I have my friends/visitors. Rest of the time, I always listen to music and watch movies with just the stereo speakers. It sounds great in Stereo even for watching movies.

[wantarangerover]

Thanks a lot for the replies, @Holyghost. For the AVR, I guess will get some quotes for the Marantz then!

Originally Posted by Holyghost

For speakers, You can start with bookshelves. Later add a Sub woofer. When the budget permits, go for Floor Standers and relocate the bookshelves as surrounds. That way you can build a good home theater over time. But whoever I gave this advice, they all ended up buying the Floor Standers after demo.

Will just the two bookshelf speakers do justice to all frequencies? I know it is a compromise, but still would like to have decent bass, with good soundstage and clear vocals.

Originally Posted by Holyghost

Another point to note is that a good set of book shelf speakers always sound better than an average floor standers. In short a 25k bookshelf speaker will be much better than a 35K Floor Stander. So do demo them before buying.

Good point, this way I wouldn't be stuck with average full range speakers down the line.

Originally Posted by Holyghost

You have very good choices of Bookshelves in 30K range.

Any pointers? I am not well versed in speakers, though as headphones go, I like open back, somewhat bright sounding ones with tight bass (really like my DT990 pros!!)

Originally Posted by Holyghost

I am running Marantz 1506 connected to Rotel Power Amp which drives Polk Audio Tsi 400. The Marantz powers the surround and center speakers and I seldom use the surrounds. To be frank, I switch on the surrounds only to show the surround effects when I have my friends/visitors. Rest of the time, I always listen to music and watch movies with just the stereo speakers. It sounds great in Stereo even for watching movies.

As in my original post, I also wanted only a stereo setup for the TV. But since my TV does not have an optical out, and with stereo amps not having HDMI, decided to go with a 5.1 receiver + speakers.

[Holyghost]

Originally Posted by wantarangerover

Thanks a lot for the replies, @Holyghost. For the AVR, I guess will get some quotes for the Marantz then!



Will just the two bookshelf speakers do justice to all frequencies? I know it is a compromise, but still would like to have decent bass, with good soundstage and clear vocals.

Bookshelves will definitely give you very good Vocals and good bass. You will never notice the lack of bass for any of the music you listen be it any genre. The only place where it lacks is the deep bass required for the explosion scenes in movies where you physically feel those vibrations instead of hearing the bass. You can easily add a sub-woofer to enhance the bass effect if you prefer so.

Good point, this way I wouldn't be stuck with average full range speakers down the line.

Any pointers? I am not well versed in speakers, though as headphones go, I like open back, somewhat bright sounding ones with tight bass (really like my DT990 pros!!)

Fortunately, my ears are not designed to identify the warm and bright sound signatures, hence my search for speakers were quite easy. However I did find a good improvement in sound when I switched from Yamaha rxv475 to Marantz.
In 30k range, Polk, PSB, Klipsh are considered bright by some people while Wharfedale, Dali as warm. Each person has a different set of ears and what I feel warm may sound bright to you. Marantz is considered as a warm sounding amplifier and so a bright speaker might be a good match. But do demo it to find what is good for your ears.

As in my original post, I also wanted only a stereo setup for the TV. But since my TV does not have an optical out, and with stereo amps not having HDMI, decided to go with a 5.1 receiver + speakers.

What are the devices you have connected to your TV?
Most HD DTH, BD Player, Gaming consoles will have Optical or Coax Audio out apart from the HDMI. I prefer using this additional Audio Out of the device to be connected to AV system so that I can bypass the HDMI of the AV receiver.
I am not a fan of keeping the AV systems on when I prefer to hear sound only from TV. The AV system do have standby passthrough feature, but it works only for the last used input. If you want to change the input, you have to switch on the AV system, change input and then again switch it off to hear the sound only from TV speakers.

[wantarangerover]

Originally Posted by Holyghost

Bookshelves will definitely give you very good Vocals and good bass. You will never notice the lack of bass for any of the music you listen be it any genre. .

Thats nice to hear, suppose I will check out bookshelves first.

Originally Posted by Holyghost

In 30k range, Polk, PSB, Klipsh are considered bright by some people while Wharfedale, Dali as warm. Each person has a different set of ears and what I feel warm may sound bright to you. Marantz is considered as a warm sounding amplifier and so a bright speaker might be a good match. But do demo it to find what is good for your ears.

Ok, Guess I will get a demo if possible in Baroda (one of the few instances I wish I was in a metro!).

Originally Posted by Holyghost

What are the devices you have connected to your TV?

Currently, using chromecast to stream content from netflix, hotstar, and the pc + USB

[S_U_N]

Originally Posted by wantarangerover

I would like advice on setting up a home theater setup for my TV.

• My TV does not have an optical out, only an "HDMI sound out". And the TV speakers are horrible! I have connected an old 2.1 speaker set, and things are somewhat better.
  
  

May I know which TV is this?
How have you connected your 2.1 powered speakers to the TV? I assume with the 3.5mm audio out jack?

[wantarangerover]

Originally Posted by S_U_N

May I know which TV is this?
How have you connected your 2.1 powered speakers to the TV? I assume with the 3.5mm audio out jack?

Its a basic Sanyo 43" TV. The picture quality is great for the price. As for the speakers, yes it is connected to the 3.5 mm out. The DAC chip in the TV must be pretty bad, since the speakers sound much better if I connect it to the PC through my Aune X1 DAC/amp.

Edit:

• I found this on Amazon, good deal? It also says 1 year Marantz warranty. What do you guys think?
  
  http://www.amazon.in/NR1506-SLIMLINE...72764&sr=1-26/

Also, few contenders for the speakers, would love your opinions. Looking for a Beyer DT990 ish sound

1. Polk Rti A3
2. Q ACOUSTICS 3020
3. Elac - Debut B6
4. WHARFEDALE DIAMOND 225
5. PSB IMAGE B5
6. Dali Zensor 3

[Hells Bells]

PSB and Dali will be my pick from the list. Wharfedale traditionally has been a warm speaker (sounds a bit dull for those looking for a sparkle) but have read their latest bookshelves (Reva 2 I believe) are actually doing away with that image.

Q acoustics is another good one and a multi-year award winner in its category.

[lazy]

Experts

Need some advise/suggestions.
My current setup for audio only, is:
- Yamaha R-N500
- Sonodyne Sonus 2605 floorstanders

Am looking for recco for a sub-woofer.
Not looking to spend too much, since this requirement is a nice-to-have, and the Sonus's have decent bass themselves.

cheers
lazy

[sanjbmw2001]

Originally Posted by lazy

Experts

Need some advise/suggestions.
My current setup for audio only, is:
- Yamaha R-N500
- Sonodyne Sonus 2605 floorstanders

Am looking for recco for a sub-woofer.
Not looking to spend too much, since this requirement is a nice-to-have, and the Sonus's have decent bass themselves.

cheers
lazy

Am assuming you are looking to have a 2.1 system in place?
The sonus goes down to 45Hz.

For music as a first priority - look for sealed hubs, they are also not bad for movies.
Look at the SVS SB1000 @ Rs.55K or its ported brother PB1000 at the same price.
Slightly higher up the range is the REL range.

I hope this is (55K) is what you meant by not spending too much.
There are subs at lower price points - but not sure if they would be able to add anything to the system

[Trojan]

Hi Guys,

Need some help, I remember the time when I bought my first home theatre, it was so easy (the ad said plays everything).
Now am back in the market and am thoroughly and totally confused with all the brands available.

The need arose from the horrible speakers of our TV (Philips LED 42), we can barely hear anything and have to survive on sub-titles while watching movies. TV programs are ok though.
My budget is between 30-40k but am just not able to decide what would be the best.

I am looking for
- Connectivity - Bluetooth is a must, Wi-Fi will be great but not a deal breaker
- Less wires, am not too keen on having 5-6 speakers/woofers. But again if thats what would be the best, we might go for it. A related question, lets say I stream music through my phone (BT) will the sound output be a 5.1 Channel or will it just use the left/right system for the output.
- Great music experience with rich and deep bass

We checked out Harmans (SB26) and totally loved it, but its pricey.
Checked Bose Soundtouch as well, but bass was lacking while clarity was tremendous.
Also saw the Sony personal party system, but wife finds it too bulky.

Personally I would love to go with the Sony, but will it be good for connecting to TV (when required) while being great for music.

The output figures really confuse me, how do they work.
The Harman was a petty 150 watts with thunderous sound while the Sony is upwards of 1000 watts (unfortunately didn't play the Sony).

Thanks thanks and thanks in advance!

[r_devakumar]

Originally Posted by Trojan

Hi Guys,

I am looking for
- Connectivity - Bluetooth is a must, Wi-Fi will be great but not a deal breaker
- Less wires, am not too keen on having 5-6 speakers/woofers. But again if thats what would be the best, we might go for it. A related question, lets say I stream music through my phone (BT) will the sound output be a 5.1 Channel or will it just use the left/right system for the output.
- Great music experience with rich and deep bass

If you want a good music along with movies, then it is better to start with AVR and two speakers. There are models from Pioneer, Yamaha you can get around 30K which has Bluetooth. For speakers, you should spend another 20K minimum (you can check for some good second hand option though). Later you can add a Sub and other surround speakers as needed. A good 2 channel speakers are good for home movie watching. I am using the old speakers which came with my sony HiFi system (MHC-RV888D) with Onkyo and Marantz AVRs and they are very good for movies and music.

For playing Mp3 through Bluetooth, as per my knowledge, MP3 has only 2 channel audio (there are some mp3 extension which can have more channels). But if you have 5.1 system, you can make your setup to use all speakers for 2 channel audio (but it is not the surround effect, but sound will come from all speakers).