The Home Audio Thread

[slaughterx]

Got my speakers and installed yesterday... breaking them in now. So far, I am happy with my purchase. Definitely needed some nice size floor standers in my living room, the Boston VS bookshelves just weren't cutting it, room is just too big. They should work well in my bedroom, which is where I am moving them too. Soon as I get this new TV stand and put it together them I will hook up the system in my bedroom.

Anyway I went ahead and ordered the matching RP-450C center. After that the next upgrade will be upgrading my sub to a bigger 15", probably the Klipsch R115SW... waiting for it to go on sale though, as I don't really want to spend an extra $900 anytime soon.

Also my friend let me borrow his amp, which is nice because my AVR is only 90 watts per channel I think, and this amp does around 300 watts x3 channels. The speakers are 150 RMS and 600 peak so it should push them nicely until I decide to drop 3Gs on an newer AVR that can do 150 watts per channel.

 

[Hank Scorpio]

Was looking into setting up a small home theater setup for my living room. Do not want to go the soundbar route. I watch a LOT of sports, some movies, and listen to music OFTEN.

I primarily want something that'll play sports and music very well.

Thought about getting 2 floor standing speakers and a AVR, but thinking maybe 2 Bookshelf's paired with center and an AVR would be OK. I do not have the most space and my living room opens up into my kitchen behind me.

Anyone have some recs for me? Not looking to spend an arm and a leg.

 

[heelsandeers]

I've been pretty happy with my setup. Had it probably 4-5 years now

Reasonably priced and fits my needs for a small space:

Kef Q100 bookshelf speakers- $300
SVS SB12-NSD 12" 400-watt sub - $400
DENON AVR-S720W receiver - $250

I could probably benefit from a center though. Might have to add one soon

 

[slaughterx]

Was looking into setting up a small home theater setup for my living room. Do not want to go the soundbar route. I watch a LOT of sports, some movies, and listen to music OFTEN.

I primarily want something that'll play sports and music very well.

Thought about getting 2 floor standing speakers and a AVR, but thinking maybe 2 Bookshelf's paired with center and an AVR would be OK. I do not have the most space and my living room opens up into my kitchen behind me.

Anyone have some recs for me? Not looking to spend an arm and a leg.

Budget?

 

[Hank Scorpio]

Budget?

$600-750

Right now, I do not have anything. No speakers or AVR.

I do have a PS4, Apple TV and Cable STB box. Really looking for Dolby Atmos and to play Lossless Hi-Red Audio on Apple Music via Apple TV or anything else yall recommend.,

 

[fapmasterjr]

My great pickup...so legit

 

[slaughterx]

Size?

 

[slaughterx]

$600-750

Right now, I do not have anything. No speakers or AVR.

I do have a PS4, Apple TV and Cable STB box. Really looking for Dolby Atmos and to play Lossless Hi-Red Audio on Apple Music via Apple TV or anything else yall recommend.,

Def start off with an entry level AVR (around $500) and a couple of bookshelf speakers, I'll do some research and post links in a min.

 

[fapmasterjr]

Size?

not sure if this question for me, but its 12"

 

[Hank Scorpio]

Def start off with an entry level AVR (around $500) and a couple of bookshelf speakers, I'll do some research and post links in a min.

Need you help bro. Thanks

 

[hennessy beach]

Desktop:
Running Kef Q150’s + schiit modi 3 dac + topping amp
Anyone recommend speaker risers for q150’s?

Living room:
Vizio oled + og vizio m series sound bar

I want to upgrade the soundbar to the vizio elevate but waiting to move so I can get everything up on the eall

 

[Nawzlew]

Desktop:
Running Kef Q150’s + schiit modi 3 dac + topping amp
Anyone recommend speaker risers for q150’s?

Living room:
Vizio oled + og vizio m series sound bar

I want to upgrade the soundbar to the vizio elevate but waiting to move so I can get everything up on the eall

Got mine last week! I have it set on some angled foam now, with a dvd box set underneat to give it some height

A buddy of mine uses Soundrises' with this 305ps, also has room underneath for amps/dacs. I had a similar, cheaper stand I was using with my previous speakers, but unfortunately the Q150s are too deep.

I might just use the Kanto stands eventually, but I need an amp upgrade first, eyeing the SMSL AD18.

 

[hennessy beach]

Got mine last week! I have it set on some angled foam now, with a dvd box set underneat to give it some height

A buddy of mine uses Soundrises' with this 305ps, also has room underneath for amps/dacs. I had a similar, cheaper stand I was using with my previous speakers, but unfortunately the Q150s are too deep.

I might just use the Kanto stands eventually, but I need an amp upgrade first, eyeing the SMSL AD18.

Lol i’m using books. Same boat with the Kanto’s

 

[Hank Scorpio]

What do you guys think of the Jamo s803 Bookshelfs? Was going to pair them with the Jamo S81 Center and get a sub sometime in the future.

 

[w3atherman]

I've heard good things about Jamo speakers. Good budget speakers for the money. I would look into the Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 and the Klipsch RB-51II. I would spend around 250-300 for that budget.

I have the Denon AVR S750H. You can get it at Costco for $350 I believe. Denon is highly recommended in the home theater community.

Also don't forget speaker stands(If needed) and speaker wire. I got my stands at monoprice (monolith series) and speaker wire at Amazon (amazon basics). You can get the pre-cut speaker wire with banana plugs if you are lazy like me.

 

[Nawzlew]

Lol i’m using books. Same boat with the Kanto’s

hey man if it works

how do you like the topping/schiit combo?

im thinking of scooping an aiyima a07, it's gotten great reviews lately and using a dongle dac like the meizu

also been looking at integrateds like the SMSL SA300/AD18, but apparently some of these DACs aren't very good.

 

[Hank Scorpio]

I've heard good things about Jamo speakers. Good budget speakers for the money. I would look into the Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 and the Klipsch RB-51II. I would spend around 250-300 for that budget.

I have the Denon AVR S750H. You can get it at Costco for $350 I believe. Denon is highly recommended in the home theater community.

Also don't forget speaker stands(If needed) and speaker wire. I got my stands at monoprice (monolith series) and speaker wire at Amazon (amazon basics). You can get the pre-cut speaker wire with banana plugs if you are lazy like me.

Would this give me Dolby Atmos?

I'm more interested in streaming lossless hi-res on Apple Music from my Apple TV 4K.

 

[hennessy beach]

hey man if it works

how do you like the topping/schiit combo?

im thinking of scooping an aiyima a07, it's gotten great reviews lately and using a dongle dac like the meizu

also been looking at integrateds like the SMSL SA300/AD18, but apparently some of these DACs aren't very good.

It’s def a great combo for the low/mid range budget. I only stream hifi/lossless so I do wonder what a little more $ would have gotten me quality wise.

 

[w3atherman]

Would this give me Dolby Atmos?

I'm more interested in streaming lossless hi-res on Apple Music from my Apple TV 4K.

It would. But for true Dolby Atmos, you would need a surround sound setup in the future. Two in the front, two in the rear, a center channel, sub, and overhead or ceiling firing speakers for example. I currently only run a 2.1 setup. Two speakers and one sub. While I can turn the receiver to the atmos setting, it only tries to mimic an actual atmos setup. I can run multiple speakers in the future to create an actual atmos setup, which it looks like you are planning to do.

It will work with your Apple TV. You can run your Apple TV 4K through the receiver or TV. Your tv should have an eARC HDMI port, so you can run the Apple TV through the TV which feeds the audio to the receiver. It shouldn't make a difference either way in sound.

 

[nonnative]

What do you guys think of the Jamo s803 Bookshelfs? Was going to pair them with the Jamo S81 Center and get a sub sometime in the future.

Speaking from a lot, and I mean a lot of experience, I’d recommend getting the best possible front 2 speakers you can afford and just run them in stereo. If it’s your first set of real speakers, you’ll be blown away by the quality with just the 2 or a 2.1 setup. If you try to squeeze it all in right at the beginning, you’re going to want to upgrade soon. This is coming from a guy that went from a pair of Paradigm bookshelves like 10 years ago to a guy that has a 5.2 setup and just the speakers and subs are around $15k and that’s with discounts. It’s a great but dangerous hobby for the wallet.

 

[Hank Scorpio]

Speaking from a lot, and I mean a lot of experience, I’d recommend getting the best possible front 2 speakers you can afford and just run them in stereo. If it’s your first set of real speakers, you’ll be blown away by the quality with just the 2 or a 2.1 setup. If you try to squeeze it all in right at the beginning, you’re going to want to upgrade soon. This is coming from a guy that went from a pair of Paradigm bookshelves like 10 years ago to a guy that has a 5.2 setup and just the speakers and subs are around $15k and that’s with discounts. It’s a great but dangerous hobby for the wallet.

Thanks for this advice. I totally agree!

What Bookshelf or Towers do you recommend? I also am interested in a sub. I really don't mind getting a center channel as well, but I did want to start slow and test the waters first with a 2.1 setup.

 

[nonnative]

Thanks for this advice. I totally agree!

What Bookshelf or Towers do you recommend? I also am interested in a sub. I really don't mind getting a center channel as well, but I did want to start slow and test the waters first with a 2.1 setup.

Kind of depends on what you like to listen to. Around your budget, I always like the PSB Alpha series. It’s much more neutral than a lot of similar stuff from Klipsch, Polk, etc. The KEFs that a couple people posted here can be good but they have the same issues for me that say the Klipschs have cause they use metal tweeters and mids so if you happen to have hard floors and listen to a lot of stuff with a lot of higher frequency sound like rock, they can start to sound pretty harsh to my ears. The PSBs also use a metal tweeter but they use a rubber mid and the tuning on the high frequency is a little better than most.
But everyone is different. My advice is to either buy from somewhere with a good return policy and try things out or if you have a local Hi fi shop, they’ll usually let you take them home to try them out for a while. Be warned though, and I’ve spent a lot of time at these shops and been to a lot, some of them can be the most elitist condescending bastards in existence.

 

[heelsandeers]

N nonnative You seem pretty knowledgeable. Would you recommend something like a Kef Q250 as a center to add to the setup I posted above? Or is that overkill? I've seen used ones out there for a reasonable price and figured it would be best to keep it on brand

I don't have many complaints about the Q100s. They're in a mostly soft/carpeted room and I'm usually listening at a low- moderate volume. The only harshness I tend to notice is on low quality audio

Kef Q100 bookshelf speakers- $300
SVS SB12-NSD 12" 400-watt sub - $400
DENON AVR-S720W receiver - $250

I could probably benefit from a center though. Might have to add one soon

 

[nonnative]

N nonnative You seem pretty knowledgeable. Would you recommend something like a Kef Q250 as a center to add to the setup I posted above? Or is that overkill? I've seen used ones out there for a reasonable price and figured it would be best to keep it on brand

I don't have many complaints about the Q100s. They're in a mostly soft/carpeted room and I'm usually listening at a low- moderate volume. The only harshness I tend to notice is on low quality audio

Definitely want to stay on brand and the Q250 would work really well. A used or NOS Q200C would probably be the best but I’m sure the differences are negligible. It looks like KEF reduced it to only one center for the series but in general, buy the best center you can in the series if you’re using the system primarily for movies. I forget the exact numbers but it’s something like 90% of dialogue and 50 or 60% of all audio goes through the center in movies so it is easily the most important speaker for watching movies. And that’s a great sub to start out with.
And yeah KEF is great and Klipsch can be pretty good too. It just depends on the room and the user.

 

[Nawzlew]

Scooped the Aiyima. FX Audio worked ok, but much needed upgrade.