Advice to build a Home Cinema from scratch in my new living room

[stardust]

Hello all,

Some time ago I wrote a post to upgrade my Home Cinema, but finally I moved to a new home and I have a new living room. I decided to sell all my previous equipment and build something else from scratch.

I decided to expend a maximum of around €2000, but I would need to buy everything, including the subwoofer and the AVR. On the other hand, I have an average UHD TV, but it's good enough for me.

The size of the living room is about 8.3 square metres, and together with the dining room would be about 27 square metres in total.

The usage will be cinema and music, a little more cinema I would say, but definitely music will also be an important factor.

I have looked around and read a lot, but I haven't made up my mind. I like the idea of having some low profile rear speakers, since the sofa is directly on the wall. Something like the Dali Oberon On-Wall or the Monitor Audio Bronze FX, seem to be the best choice.

Thank you so much in advance for your help.

 

[k-pad]

Hello all,

Some time ago I wrote a post to upgrade my Home Cinema, but finally I moved to a new home and I have a new living room. I decided to sell all my previous equipment and build something else from scratch.

I decided to expend a maximum of around €2000, but I would need to buy everything, including the subwoofer and the AVR. On the other hand, I have an average UHD TV, but it's good enough for me.

The size of the living room is about 8.3 square metres, and together with the dining room would be about 27 square metres in total.

The usage will be cinema and music, a little more cinema I would say, but definitely music will also be an important factor.

I have looked around and read a lot, but I haven't made up my mind. I like the idea of having some low profile rear speakers, since the sofa is directly on the wall. Something like the Dali Oberon On-Wall or the Monitor Audio Bronze FX, seem to be the best choice.

Thank you so much in advance for your help.

Hi,
You should be able to manage decent gear for this space in your budget. The Dalis are pretty good and you will find a product series in your budget.

I don't know what kind of prices/discounts you get there in Spain. Or the ability to audition different products. Do dealers offer a good returns policy that will let you audition gear in your home? Or do you have to go to showrooms for demos?

It will also help FMs to guide you better if you could share a diagram of the space (with dimensions, windows, doors, and any other open areas)

Also, it might not be a good idea to place rear speakers if the listening position is against the back wall. Would you be able to pull the couch even a couple of feet away from the wall? Helps a lot.

All the best

 

[stardust]

Hi,
You should be able to manage decent gear for this space in your budget. The Dalis are pretty good and you will find a product series in your budget.

I don't know what kind of prices/discounts you get there in Spain. Or the ability to audition different products. Do dealers offer a good returns policy that will let you audition gear in your home? Or do you have to go to showrooms for demos?

It will also help FMs to guide you better if you could share a diagram of the space (with dimensions, windows, doors, and any other open areas)

Also, it might not be a good idea to place rear speakers if the listening position is against the back wall. Would you be able to pull the couch even a couple of feet away from the wall? Helps a lot.

All the best

Thanks for your reply. I will upload a draft of the space, so you can have a better look at it to have a better idea.

I've seen a couple of websites where you can have decent discounts, but I don't know about their return policy. I guess it would be better to find a place where I can go and listen.

To move the couch would be a bit tricky due to the reduced space. I'll keep you posted.

 

[stardust]

I attach a schema of the space distribution, including the measures and the relevant elements. I hope that this information would be enough to give you a better idea.

https://imgur.com/a/yqDH2SZ

 

[k-pad]

I attach a schema of the space distribution, including the measures and the relevant elements. I hope that this information would be enough to give you a better idea.

https://imgur.com/a/yqDH2SZ

Hi Stardust,
You could do 5.x.2 for this space. LCR + stand-mounted side surrounds and 2 atmos. If stands are a no-go, you will have to do rear surrounds, in which case you will still need to pull the couch away from the wall by any length that is possible. Even a 75-inch UHD TV may not require a 3.4-metre viewing distance. You could sit a bit closer if possible.

Since the living area is adjoining such a large open area, I do not know about subwoofers and positioning. Other experienced FMs may be able to guide you better.

You may also need to do something about the front speakers as the window-side one will have reflections, and the dining area-side one will disperse sound wide. Again, experienced FMs may have a solution.

As for products, you could look at the following within your budget:

AVR:
You should be able to snag a seven-channel AVR with pre-outs for around 1100 euros (the Denon 3700, or the equivalent Marantz). I suggest something with pre-outs because you said music also is an important factor. At a later time when budget allows, you could add a good stereo amplifier, which will really make your speakers sing.

Else, you could go for a 7-channel AVR without pre-outs (Denon 2700 or an equivalent Marantz) which may help you save around 250 euro now, but will not allow you to add more stereo power later.

Two things about AVRs: 1. The marked prices are inflated by at least 250 euro right now all over the world, due to supply chain issues. May come down in a few months. 2. Recent Marantz models have been exhibiting all kinds of niggles, as seen from the many forums.

Speakers:
You could audition the entry level towers of Jamo, Monitor (Bronze range if I am not wrong), Fyne Audio, Q Acoustics.
If they are readily available around you, please audition the Klipsch Reference entry level towers also.
There are, of course, the Dali Spektors.
The above should all be in the 400-600 euro range.

The following will bump up your budget a bit, but the Oberon 5, KEF Q550, and the Klipsch Reference Premiere-5000F should definitely be in your shortlist. Any pair of good towers you buy, you are likely to keep for years.

The Oberons are highly recommended in this forum, and there's hardly been a complaint about them, and to my ear, the 5s sounded better than the bigger 7s. It is without doubt a great pair of speakers for music. Klipsch has a reputation of being very bright and not very forthright with their sensitivity ratings, but this particular Reference Premiere sounded really good (again, to my ear) and the actual sensitivity still remains good. A good option for mixed use.

You could add a matching centre channel now or later, depending on your other costs. Cheap out on the surrounds and atmos speakers - many on this forum have the Polk RC80i for atmos, but there are cheaper options out there.

Subs:
As I said, I do not know how it will work in your space, but you should check out the Roger Sound Lab Speedwoofer 10 (US dollar price 350) if it is available there. You may need to place it near your couch. You could also look at the SVS or Rythmik base models (approx 450 euro) and see how it goes.

Trust this helps.
All the best

 

[stardust]

Hi Stardust,
You could do 5.x.2 for this space. LCR + stand-mounted side surrounds and 2 atmos. If stands are a no-go, you will have to do rear surrounds, in which case you will still need to pull the couch away from the wall by any length that is possible. Even a 75-inch UHD TV may not require a 3.4-metre viewing distance. You could sit a bit closer if possible.

Since the living area is adjoining such a large open area, I do not know about subwoofers and positioning. Other experienced FMs may be able to guide you better.

You may also need to do something about the front speakers as the window-side one will have reflections, and the dining area-side one will disperse sound wide. Again, experienced FMs may have a solution.

As for products, you could look at the following within your budget:

AVR:
You should be able to snag a seven-channel AVR with pre-outs for around 1100 euros (the Denon 3700, or the equivalent Marantz). I suggest something with pre-outs because you said music also is an important factor. At a later time when budget allows, you could add a good stereo amplifier, which will really make your speakers sing.

Else, you could go for a 7-channel AVR without pre-outs (Denon 2700 or an equivalent Marantz) which may help you save around 250 euro now, but will not allow you to add more stereo power later.

Two things about AVRs: 1. The marked prices are inflated by at least 250 euro right now all over the world, due to supply chain issues. May come down in a few months. 2. Recent Marantz models have been exhibiting all kinds of niggles, as seen from the many forums.

Speakers:
You could audition the entry level towers of Jamo, Monitor (Bronze range if I am not wrong), Fyne Audio, Q Acoustics.
If they are readily available around you, please audition the Klipsch Reference entry level towers also.
There are, of course, the Dali Spektors.
The above should all be in the 400-600 euro range.

The following will bump up your budget a bit, but the Oberon 5, KEF Q550, and the Klipsch Reference Premiere-5000F should definitely be in your shortlist. Any pair of good towers you buy, you are likely to keep for years.

The Oberons are highly recommended in this forum, and there's hardly been a complaint about them, and to my ear, the 5s sounded better than the bigger 7s. It is without doubt a great pair of speakers for music. Klipsch has a reputation of being very bright and not very forthright with their sensitivity ratings, but this particular Reference Premiere sounded really good (again, to my ear) and the actual sensitivity still remains good. A good option for mixed use.

You could add a matching centre channel now or later, depending on your other costs. Cheap out on the surrounds and atmos speakers - many on this forum have the Polk RC80i for atmos, but there are cheaper options out there.

Subs:
As I said, I do not know how it will work in your space, but you should check out the Roger Sound Lab Speedwoofer 10 (US dollar price 350) if it is available there. You may need to place it near your couch. You could also look at the SVS or Rythmik base models (approx 450 euro) and see how it goes.

Trust this helps.
All the best

Thanks for the great input and recommendations @k-pad. I will consider all those options. I'm hoping I can find a place around where I can try some to make a final decision.

On the other hand, I understand the coach against the wall is not the best, so I'll try to find a solution for it.

 

[k-pad]

Thanks for the great input and recommendations @k-pad. I will consider all those options. I'm hoping I can find a place around where I can try some to make a final decision.

On the other hand, I understand the coach against the wall is not the best, so I'll try to find a solution for it.

All the best, Stardust.

 

[raghupb]

Thanks for the great input and recommendations @k-pad. I will consider all those options. I'm hoping I can find a place around where I can try some to make a final decision.

On the other hand, I understand the coach against the wall is not the best, so I'll try to find a solution for it.

Don't worry too much about the couch position. It seems like this is your living room.
Get low/small profile speakers for the rear/surrounds and mount them using swivel mounts.
These surround speakers shine during action sequences in movies.
So just move your head forward to feel the effect.
As for placement of sub, try to keep it in the corner next to window so that the throw is towards the long side (dining room)

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[stardust]

Don't worry too much about the couch position. It seems like this is your living room.
Get low/small profile speakers for the rear/surrounds and mount them using swivel mounts.
These surround speakers shine during action sequences in movies.
So just move your head forward to feel the effect.
As for placement of sub, try to keep it in the corner next to window so that the throw is towards the long side (dining room)

Cheers,
Raghu

Thanks for the help, I'm very confused with that many options are there.