I am looking into upgrading my home audio for the new house shortly after closing (depending on extra cash… if any) and need some opinions on components.
Here is my current setup:
Receivers: (I’m currently using the Onkyo 574 which I like the most, the other 2 are ones I have laying around)
Onkyo TSXR574
Onkyo TSXR506
Denon AVR488
Video: I use the receiver as the video switcher with a component video output to an Infocus IN24 projector (component converted to VGA). I will eventually upgrade the projector to one with an HDMI input and utilize the receiver’s HDMI switching, but this is what I have for now.
Speakers: Cheap panasonic speakers from an older 5-disc dvd surround stereo I had a while ago.
Sub: OLD Aiwa powered sub. Not sure on the specs of it.
The first thing I want to address is the speakers and powered sub. I like the receiver and it has a good sound output, but I feel like the speakers are the week point at the moment. I was doing some searching on Amazon and found this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002C73WRW/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER. It seems to be a pretty good deal, and although it may not be top of the line, I do know that Onkyo is a very decent brand for home audio. That along with matching the brands should produce a clean sound. And the powered sub that is in the package seems like it packs a good punch as well.
I am looking for some opinions. Does anyone have any experience with the above package or speakers? I don’t need super high end, I just want something with a nice clean sound.
What I also like is that the speakers are 6-ohms and my receiver is stable at 6-ohms and will put out 100w/channel as opposed to 80w/channel at 8-ohms. The receiver is well ventilated so the extra heat shouldn’t be an issue.
i say go for it kenny, price seems right, just make sure you measure and check where everything is going first. and for the love of god do a better job hiding the wires this time.
Speakers are like seats, helmets and ski boots; you need to check them out in person. See what is pleasing to YOUR ears. Of course budget matters too, you can get some kickass stereo equipment on ebay for cheap if you are willing to take the time to research and wait for the right deal.
This is actually going to be tough in the new house. The walls are all knotty pine so there is no poking a small hole, feeding it through the wall then plastering & painting the hole. There is also only a crawl space underneath it (basement doesn’t extend into the living room b/c the living room is an addition). And the ceiling is the “foam” tiles (not really foam, but thats what they feel like… lol). So I’m not quite sure how I’m going to hide the wires. Either going to just neatly run them up the wall and along the ceiling (visible) or possibly try to go through the crawl space. Problem with the crawl space is that there is only a very small window for access so I better lose some weight… lol. I bought 250ft. of 12ga monster speaker wire so I’ll have very minimal line loss… but it’s going to be tougher to hide. Either way, its going to a fun task either way.
And my wiring job wasn’t THAT bad in this house… lol. Everything was hidden above the drop ceiling. The only “ghetto” part was where they came down the wall. Since it was lattice and plaster walls, I didn’t want to get into even attempting to run it through the walls so I picked up a vinyl gutter and painted it the same color as the wall (dark blue). Unless you know it is there, you don’t even notice it. And it was easy and cheap… lol.
I’m not a big fan of wireless. From what I’ve seen, you pretty much have 2 choices…
go inexpensive and sound like a$$ or get good sound but sell you kidney to fund it. I will deal with a little visible wire and/or the headache of hiding the wires before spending that much for an equal sound quality.
hmmmmm… I gotta see what we’ve got for money after the closing then I will figure out what to do. I def. don’t want to go to far above $300 on the speakers at the moment. I don’t need super high end speakers on a mid-level receiver/projector… lol. After the speakers I want to do the projector, then possibly go up to the onkyo 608. Not sure what it is, but I’m just not a big fan of my denon receiver… it seems like the sound output is very mediocre compared to my onkyo’s.
I bought a Yamaha RXV365 entry level receiver and a pair of Polk towers with a 10" powered sub from BestBuy for about $1200 said and done. I didn’t want 5.1 or 7.1 due to wires and space issues so the 2.1 works perfect for me.
The Polk tower speakers sound great, they’re not muddy or too bright and very good for the price, they were about $200 each. I went to Hippos off Western Ave a few weeks ago with a friend to see what they had for newer McIntosch equipment compared to his and obviously due to price they didn’t have much in stock. The cheapest pair of speakers they had were $1200 lol.