Home Audio System

[wizbangdoodle]

All right guys, I'm looking for opinions.

We used to have a nice surround system in our old house. I had a B&K receiver MK speakers including sub. Our house now is a very open design. High, peaked ceilings and the entire living room, dining room and kitchen is one large open room. I have been living with a crappy sound bar and satellite speakers since moving in.

I have been looking around and it seems like there is a huge gap between the Best Buy offerings and the really good stuff. Best Buy has stuff generally around $500-1000. Then I look at highend stores and it's $20k. Where's the best bang for the buck stuff. I don't mind spending a little money, just don't want to spend the money and be disappointed.

So tell me, what do you have?

 

[BOOGIE MAN]

I'm in same boat with set up where main TV is (vaulted ceilings, living dining kitchen all one big room, etc...). I opted to skip the soundbar stage though.

looking forward to seeing set ups and hearing suggestions

 

[Superspirit]

Yamaha reciever, and surround speakers, jbl main speakers, subs (2) and center speaker. Love my setup. Definitley not high end, but sure sounds good to me.

 

[wizbangdoodle]

Yamaha reciever, and surround speakers, jbl main speakers, subs (2) and center speaker. Love my setup. Definitley not high end, but sure sounds good to me.

Do you have any specific model numbers?

 

[mysticsvt]

I run Klipsch "The Nines" and a 12" Klipsch sub. All are self powered and bluetooth. These are MONSTER speakers but not cheap at $1500 but they do it all. Tons of hook ups and tons of bass.

THE NINES HERITAGE INSPIRED 8" POWERED SPEAKERS

Combining 21st century innovation and a mid-century modern aesthetic, Klipsch The Nines Heritage Powered Speakers are the most versatile and beautiful…

www.klipsch.com

 

[wizbangdoodle]

I run Klipsch "The Nines" and a 12" Klipsch sub. All are self powered and bluetooth. These are MONSTER speakers but not cheap at $1500 but they do it all. Tons of hook ups and tons of bass.

THE NINES HERITAGE INSPIRED 8" POWERED SPEAKERS

Combining 21st century innovation and a mid-century modern aesthetic, Klipsch The Nines Heritage Powered Speakers are the most versatile and beautiful…

www.klipsch.com

This is intriguing. No need for a separate amp or receiver. Makes for a clean look. How is the setup? I mean, how do you specify what speaker is for what channel? Is there a control panel or do you use an app on your phone?

 

[mysticsvt]

This is intriguing. No need for a separate amp or receiver. Makes for a clean look. How is the setup? I mean, how do you specify what speaker is for what channel? Is there a control panel or do you use an app on your phone?

Mostly I game on that TV but I also stream music to them and it’s incredibly. It’s way overkill for what I use it for. The Fives and Sevens I’m sure also sound great.

 

[1 Alibi 2]

Currently running an Onkyo receiver & Atlantic Technology speakers.
For a room with a high ceiling, you'll want @ least a 7.1 system.
You owe it to yourself to get something that will allow to hear Dolby Atmos sound tracks. Not knowing your budget, I can't recommend models..
.

 

[SHIFTYBUSINESS]

Pioneer Elite receiver, Polk audio XT70 tower and center, SVS PB1000 subwoofer. The tower speakers are good not the best, I'll change them down the road. The SVS sub is killer, they make great subs! The receiver is really good also so I can roll with that for a good while.

 

[98 svt]

I know of a great place I could send you to for research, but I wont.
It's FULL of liberals.

 

[Blown00gt1]

If you go to a Best Buy that has Magnolia they have high end speakers and can go well over $20k. For the money and for HT use SVS is a pretty good bang for the buck. DefcTech is nice for HT as well. These are more mid level but sound really good. Bowers and Wilkins are nice along with Martin Logan. All speakers though really depend on the listener and what they prefer. The best thing is find a place and audition them yourself.

 

[CobraBob]

I know of a good audiophile site that I'll try to dig up. I haven't been there in years, so hopefully I'll find it and post the link.

UPDATE
Okay, so I found the site. Many here probably have heard of it or have used it. AVSFORUM. The folks there are mostly audiophiles so there's a treasure trove of info within the multitude of sub-forums. Here's a recent thread discussion that gets into comparing a 5.1 system vs. a 7.1 system. Worth browsing to get an idea on what how much help these folks might be with audio questions.

Should I go 7.1.2 or 5.1.4?​

https://www.avsforum.com/threads/should-i-go-7-1-2-or-5-1-4.3311378/

 

[CobraBob]

I know of a great place I could send you to for research, but I wont.
It's FULL of liberals.

Just post up the link, @98 svt. One's political views shouldn't negate seeking out audiophile knowledge from experts who just might help the OP choose the best system/setup for his home environment. Liberals still can have expertise in this area. LOL. I belong to a Genesis forum, where I get lots of great advice and knowledge about my G70. Nobody there knows my political views. I don't know anyone elses political views. We don't talk about politics, and we get along quite well.

 

[Hak5.0]

Ask the guys on crutchfield.com, they can lay out a whole plan for you to give you ideas. Built my 2.3 stereo system from them 10 years, along with my own research, and got everything around black friday/holiday season at good prices, system was for a 30 by 25 vaulted ceiling room and with patio leading outside, had it configured so well, that it shook the iniside of your chest when bbq. Location of speakers makes a big difference not just the brand of the wiring or speakers themselves.

 

[98 svt]

Just post up the link, @98 svt. One's political views shouldn't negate seeking out audiophile knowledge from experts who just might help the OP choose the best system/setup for his home environment. Liberals still can have expertise in this area. LOL. I belong to a Genesis forum, where I get lots of great advice and knowledge about my G70. Nobody there knows my political views. I don't know anyone elses political views. We don't talk about politics, and we get along quite well.

Bob, it's soooo bad though. And if you say anything that apposes it, they give you a vacation. Ask me how I know.

You've all been warned:
www.Stevehoffman.tv is the site

 

[wizbangdoodle]

Woke up to find a lot of suggestions here. Thank you very much guys. SVTP never let's me down.

I'll be looking at all suggestions here over the next few days. As far as budget, I really haven't set one. I do know that I don't want to go crazy on the price side. When we bought the B&K receiver, it was over $3k and that was probably 20+ years ago. Not really sure if I want to spend that type of money, in today's dollars, again. I guess it really comes down to a test drive of a system.

Your government is lying to you

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

dont know your budget but SVS support is pretty good and believe based on room configuration can make recommendations. They're already doing black friday sales but their outlet has pretty good deals, usually an extra discount for buying multiple speakers and if you dont like the stuff they pay to send it back to them. That kind of support and the warranty was a factor in starting out with them when I got subs.

the bluetooth Klipsch stuff is pretty cool

 

[9397SVTs]

I have somewhat of a dual use set-up for home theater and 2 channel audio.

I have:
Marantz SR7011 receiver
Parasound 2100 pre-amp
Parasound 5250 v.2 amp (HT)
Parasound 2250 v.2 amp (music)
Marantz SA8005 CD player
Panasonic DP-UB9000 4K UHD Blue Ray player

Bowers & Wilkins HTM71 center
705 S2 fronts
707 S2 rears
CM10 S2 towers(music)

SVS SB4000 (pair)

The HT was tweeked with AUDYSSEY and REW/ mini DSP for the subs.

As was mentioned above, you should listen to as many different brands as possible. Each will tend to have a different sound. The brand can also depend on the type(s) of music you listen to, if you plan to do that also.

Best Buy Magnolia stores typically have a decent variety to sample.

I'm very pleased with it. It sounds great at all kinds of volumes.

 

[93Cobra#2771]

Klipsch for the win.

If you watch their site, you can find factory refurbish units occasionally, plus they also generally have an awesome Black Friday sale.

You need to set your budget, then you'll be able to narrow things down as far as level and such.

Paducah Home Theater is a great dealer, but they do cater to higher end stuff.

I went with an Onkyo receiver and Klipsch Reference Premier speakers. Same with the receivers, watch and you can find some great deals.

The nice thing about Klipsch stuff is it has high sensitivity - keeps you from having to run mega power through them to get output.

There's a couple of good Facebook groups for Klipsch as well. My suggestion is to find a brand you like, and then narrow your selections down within that brand. There are dozens of nice brands out there, just find what you like and delve in from there.

I would suggest avoiding the box stores in most cases.

 

[wizbangdoodle]

Yes, big box stores don't really have what I'm looking for, I believe.

Magnolia HiFi is/was a pnw store until best buy bought them. It's actually where I bought the B&K receiver and everything else. May have to go check out what they have. I just don't know how much best buy watered them down.

Your government is lying to you