Friends Surround System

[JustinG]

My friend got a hold of me and asked what I would
suggest for a surround system. First question I
asked was "how much?" as this is really a
qualifier as well as "what do you have already?"

He is wanting to spend $400 this summer for
amps/speakers. I would be able to build a decent
pair of DIY if I had the time, but I don't, I'm
not sure that I will have enough time to finish my
own this summer.

My suggestion was a ~$200 5.1 receiver, similar to
the pioneer offered by PE and a pair of towers
that hit down to at least 50 Hz (~$200/pr). That
way he could easily upgrade later on with
surrounds a center and a sub (potentially all
DIY). I think he said the room was an 11x13. Does
this sound like a good suggestion?

Any ideas on a pair of big bang for the buck
towers or AVR?

The other option is for a HTIB, but then again
those tend not to sound that great.

TIA
-Justin

[mikebw]

If the plan already calls for an upgrade in the future, put the money towards a solid base to build on- the receiver.

Not sure what you can get these days for $200 in a HT receiver, but a few years ago anything under $400 was not good. Times do change though. Make sure to evaluate the type of connections the receiver will need to handle. Does he want DVI/HDMI video switching? Upscaling? Those things can add a lot to the cost of a receiver. Doesn't sound like a huge room, so with reasonably efficient speakers power won't be much of an issue with a standard receiver.

[mike_e]

> My friend got a hold of me and asked what I
> would
> suggest for a surround system. First
> question I
> asked was "how much?" as this is
> really a
> qualifier as well as "what do you have
> already?"

> He is wanting to spend $400 this summer for
> amps/speakers. I would be able to build a
> decent
> pair of DIY if I had the time, but I don't,
> I'm
> not sure that I will have enough time to
> finish my
> own this summer.

> My suggestion was a ~$200 5.1 receiver,
> similar to
> the pioneer offered by PE and a pair of
> towers
> that hit down to at least 50 Hz (~$200/pr).
> That
> way he could easily upgrade later on with
> surrounds a center and a sub (potentially
> all
> DIY). I think he said the room was an 11x13.
> Does
> this sound like a good suggestion?

> Any ideas on a pair of big bang for the buck
> towers or AVR?

> The other option is for a HTIB, but then
> again
> those tend not to sound that great.

> TIA
> -Justin
my suggestion have your friend go into bestbuy and tell them he wants this
<A HREF="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1171057791920">http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1171057791920</A>
at that price.

then go with my top chioce
<A HREF="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1138085815844">http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1138085815844</A>

others i would suggest as well starting with
<A HREF="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1178925993285">http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1178925993285</A>
or
<A HREF="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1138085816079">http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1138085816079</A>

[wingnut]

How about these and a Dayton sub?

<A HREF="http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-670">http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-670</A>

I've never used, but have heard very positive commentary here on the outstanding sound for the money. I think you can buy the whole 5.1 set for around a hondo. At that low price I bet if your friend decided to upgrade he could get all his money out of the original purchase.

[JustinG]

> How about these and a Dayton sub?

>
> <A HREF="http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-670">http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-670</A>
> I've never used, but have heard very
> positive commentary here on the outstanding
> sound for the money. I think you can buy the
> whole 5.1 set for around a hondo. At that
> low price I bet if your friend decided to
> upgrade he could get all his money out of
> the original purchase.

Your suggestion made me think of another option,
2.1. I think he is kind of like me in that he
wants a pair of towers eventually. There is a
pair of 6.5 inch book shelf speakers made by
Pioneer P/N 250-675 and the Dayton 300-635 12
inch sub would fit his budget. Those Pioneers
could work well later as surrounds when he
upgrades his LCR to some DIY towers. The only
problem is they aren't all that efficient 82 dB.
With their power handling of 120 watts they could
just barely reach reference (105 dB) levels.

I also found these on e-bay:
<A HREF="http://cgi.ebay.com/Klipsch-Synergy-...em300129923315">http://cgi.ebay.com/Klipsch-Synergy-...em300129923315</A>

We live close to chicago so we could potentially
pick 'em up and not pay for shipping. But that
wouldn't leave money for a sub.

That would leave about 200 for a reciever. I
found a 6.1 and a 5.1 Yammy around that range.

Just kind of thinking out loud here.

[wingnut]

> Your suggestion made me think of another
> option,
> 2.1. I think he is kind of like me in that
> he
> wants a pair of towers eventually. There is
> a
> pair of 6.5 inch book shelf speakers made by
> Pioneer P/N 250-675 and the Dayton 300-635
> 12
> inch sub would fit his budget. Those
> Pioneers
> could work well later as surrounds when he
> upgrades his LCR to some DIY towers. The
> only
> problem is they aren't all that efficient 82
> dB.
> With their power handling of 120 watts they
> could
> just barely reach reference (105 dB) levels.

> I also found these on e-bay:
>
> <A HREF="http://cgi.ebay.com/Klipsch-Synergy-...em300129923315">http://cgi.ebay.com/Klipsch-Synergy-...em300129923315</A>
> We live close to chicago so we could
> potentially
> pick 'em up and not pay for shipping. But
> that
> wouldn't leave money for a sub.

> That would leave about 200 for a reciever. I
> found a 6.1 and a 5.1 Yammy around that
> range.

> Just kind of thinking out loud here.

I owned a pair of Klipsh many years ago. Strong points are high sensitivity and great bass (probably no sub required). For HT and rock they are hard to beat. The pioneers would be a good compromise. In spite of the low sensitivity, they would be more than OK as mains if a subwoofer was added, and would be great as surrounds later on (reference-level capable surrounds are usually not needed). My thinking on bookshelfs is you'd probably get a more refined sound from the Dayton bookshelfs than from the Pioneers.

Good luck.

T. Todd

[colby]

Speakers: (3 pairs) $120
<A HREF="http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...t=76&fbn=Brand">http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...t=76&fbn=Brand</A>%2FPresidian&f=Brand%2F1000151%2F&fbc=1&parentPa ge=family

Sub: $125
<A HREF="http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-633">http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-633</A>

Receiver: $170
<A HREF="http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=family">http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=family</A>