Home Theater/Surround Sound Recommendations?

[twa5786]

Fanatics, I’m sure there are a few techies on these forums that have nice in-home game day setups and I’d love to get your input.

We just moved into a “new” house that is wired for surround sound in the basement. Sounds like the wiring is in good shape and up to par. Mind you, we just got our first sound bar last year so we are by no means high tech and I’m pretty frugal.

I had Best Buy out to take a look and they quoted us $3000 worth of equipment. I didn’t have the slightest clue going in what the equipment would cost and that’s way more than we want to spend. Anyone have recommendations for others you’ve worked with? Do you think it’s even possible to connect some decent speakers and a receiver for significantly less than that? Or or is that the going rate for a decent system and I should either buck up or give up the project entirely?

 

[DSMCy]

Personally I’d stick with a soundbar.
You could upgrade to one with a wireless sub and satellite speakers.

 

[alarson]

The fun thing with audio is how much it varies. Some people can spend $500 on a home theater in a box and be happy. Others could spend $5000 and still be looking for the next upgrade.

I've got a fairly entry level surround system myself that i'm happy with:

Receiver: Denon S-760h
Subwoofer: Bic Acoustech PL-II
Center Channel: TSX150c
Front L\R: Polk T15 bookshelf speaker
Rear surround (x4) Polk VT60

I looked for equivalent pieces to re-buy my system:

$500 for receiver
$400 for sub (you can get by with cheaper though, mine happened to be a deal when i bought it)
$150 for polk XT30 center channel
$100 per XT15 speaker
$150 for each in ceiling speaker.

So to re-buy my entire system right now would run me $1850, and less if I went with a more entry-level sub and didn't have in-ceiling speakers.

That being said, its really easy to go up in price.

 

[alarson]

That being said, there are middle ground alternatives between full speakers and a soundbar.

I've got this set sitting new in a box.

 

[GBlade]

I've got a weird living room setup: TV facing couch, behind the couch a sitting area/ high ceiling entryway, then beyond that the kitchen. So there's really no back wall for speakers. I just use my TVs speakers, but have been looking at sound bars. Would a sound bar work or sound ok without a back wall to bounce off? I imagine there would be no surround effect.

 

[CloneFanInKC]

I have a 9.2 audio system and a 4K projector - absolutely love it and it is awesome!!!

However - I accept now that’s it’s probably not worth the $ I spent on it.

 

[SEIOWA CLONE]

You need to set your budget and then go from there. A couple of points to remember,

1. half your budget should be for speakers, its best to put your money into speakers because they are going to last the longest.
2. Unless you want to purchase and be done with it, it's OK to build up a better system over time as money becomes available. Start with a receiver and the two main speakers and add on as you get money in the future. This way you end up with a better system, it just takes longer.

3. Do not be afraid to save money by purchasing B stock items, I have gotten some of my best deals purchasing B stock from certified dealers, they generally come with the original warranty.

 

[dmclone]

I think you're in great shape. The first thing I would do is get rid of Best Buy. For $3k, you can have an awesome setup and since the wiring is complete, it will be easy. Do something like this:

Buy something like this for $2k. There are a ton of options out there like this. Klipsch is another one that is affordable and good. Speakers last a lifetime so it's important to get good ones. I've been using the same speakers for the last 20 years.

Debut 2.0 | Best Audiophile Speakers

Elac - The life of sound | Best Audiophile Speakers

www.elac.com

Buy something like this for $1k. It's probably overkill and could make do with a $500 receiver.

https://www.denon.com/en-us/product/av-receivers/avr-x2700h

Soundbars are great but if you have a dedicated basement, a full system is the way to go. I use a soundbar in my living room but for my theater, I do 5.1 with a sub that takes up 1/4 of the room

I just realized that I read your post wrong. I was thinking that $3k was your limit. It sounds like you'd want to stay under that.

You may want to start out with 3.1 speaker setup to begin and add other later on when your budget allows. So 2 bookshelf or floor standing speakers, a center channel, and a sub. Then add on a $500 A/V receiver and you can probably get away with $2k. This is all assuming you already have a TV in place.

 

[ZRF]

My gear is getting old, roughly 9 years, but I'd still recommend the same philosophy I used when I purchased my components.

If you are disciplined and savvy you should be able to find some great deals on fronts, sides, subs, and a receiver. I just checked and I spent about 750 on an Onkyo Receiver, Polk Monitor fronts, and a Polk center channel. Newegg used to (haven't checked) run some great deals on Polks, which are a great speaker for your money.

I feel confident you can do something like that, a sub, and some peripherals (for a 5 or 7 point system) for under 1800 and have it be kick ass. Probably less than that if you buy at the right time.

Biggest advice I would give is not to overspend on something now. Get a decent sound bar then splurge when the prices/deals are there.

 

[keepngoal]

How many sources for viewing? We installed a Yamaha RXA4A for use with AppleTV and DTV as inputs, then one output. Very happy with it.

 

[spierceisu]

I have a basic Pioneer receiver with inexpensive Klipsch speakers (Quintet II and Sub-12). The sub is way more than I need for the setup I have. I have been a real fan of Klipsch but the cost can add up in a hurry. I recommend putting a lot more money in the speakers than the receiver. About any receiver (that has the inputs/decoders you want are the same to me so I wouldn't pour my money into that. I think getting front towers by Klipsch that have Atmos speakers built into the top would be the route I would go if I were going to upgrade. The center channel is probably the most bang for the buck as far as speakers go since almost all the voices come out of it.

 

[spierceisu]

I have a basic Pioneer receiver with inexpensive Klipsch speakers (Quintet II and Sub-12). The sub is way more than I need for the setup I have. I have been a real fan of Klipsch but the cost can add up in a hurry. I recommend putting a lot more money in the speakers than the receiver. About any receiver (that has the inputs/decoders you want are the same to me so I wouldn't pour my money into that. I think getting front towers by Klipsch that have Atmos speakers built into the top would be the route I would go if I were going to upgrade. The center channel is probably the most bang for the buck as far as speakers go since almost all the voices come out of it.

There are some pretty kick ass used systems on the facebook marketplace too if you look for pretty good prices.

 

[enisthemenace]

Make sure your television service supports at least 5.1 before doing anything beyond a soundbar.

 

[alarson]

Biggest advice I would give is not to overspend on something now. Get a decent sound bar then splurge when the prices/deals are there.

This is very true. A lot of this stuff periodically goes on sale, gets clearanced, etc.

The sub I have goes for $400 regularly. I got it for $250. The bookshelf speakers? Think I paid $70 apiece for them.

 

[alarson]

Make sure your television service supports at least 5.1 before doing anything beyond a soundbar.

I'd probably disagree with this unless you tend to be watching a lot of movies or premium tv channels on cable (which, in the latter regard, it may be better to switch those to the streaming equivalent anyway)

Like, for me, 90% of my cable tv usage is sports. There isn't that much benefit from surround sound for that. Where I get value from my surround setup is with streaming content or when gaming, and almost all of that pushes 5.1 when the source material has it.

 

[do4CY]

Like others have said it can be easily done for quite a bit less. A $400-$500 receiver and $600-$1000 worth of speakers will sound real good. Stick with well known brands like denon/onkyo/yamaha for a receiver and polk/klipsch/jbl for speakers and it would be hard to not get something that you would like.

I would spend more on the front 3 speakers, especially the center, and skimp on the surrounds if you want to spend less. You could also start without a sub, I have floor standing fronts that make a decent amount of thump.

Before you decide, make sure you realize how big a receiver and the speakers are. A receiver takes up a bit of room, which is a reason why soundbars are popular.

 

[enisthemenace]

I'd probably disagree with this unless you tend to be watching a lot of movies or premium tv channels on cable (which, in the latter regard, it may be better to switch those to the streaming equivalent anyway)

Like, for me, 90% of my cable tv usage is sports. There isn't that much benefit from surround sound for that. Where I get value from my surround setup is with streaming content or when gaming, and almost all of that pushes 5.1 when the source material has it.

I have a kick ass system in my basement. When I dropped DirecTV for Hulu there’s a noticeable difference, and it sucks.

 

[alarson]

I have a kick ass system in my basement. When I dropped DirecTV for Hulu there’s a noticeable difference, and it sucks.

Youtubetv has 5.1 now I believe.

 

[brianhos]

Invest in a good sub, it will matter more than anything else. I am so happy I splurged and bought an SVS.

 

[brianhos]

Youtubetv has 5.1 now I believe.

They say they do, but I have not seen it yet.