Best Home Theater under 80k

[BassHead]

Hey guys,

I am looking to build a decent home theater for my living room, the room size is 22*11. My requirements are 60% movies and 40% music. My budget is 80k and I am ready to shell out 10k more if the system is really nice. I have been doing some research of my own and found the Pioneer AJ 5.1 speakers to be highly rated, although never auditioned them but the reviews seems to be positive everywhere. Also am not sure which AVR will be best for these speakers.
I am new in this forum and this is going to be my first home theater. Would request the experts to help me out with all the options within my budget.

Thanks a lot,
BassHead

 

[BassHead]

Not even a single suggestion?:sad:

Was really hoping to get some help from the experts here.

 

[efernand1]

Hi

To drive the AJs effectively, you need an AVR which is atleast 100w per channel....depending on budget, you should look at Marantz or Denon or Pioneer or Yamaha....all these are good AVRs which some differences in performance and built quality....

Key is to audition and decide for yourself as you are the final end user....

I have used almost all brands and is currently being using Marantz for the past 3 years now...changed different models etc...experience IMHO was enriching and bliss....

If budget is a constraint.....look at the pre owned section of this website or hif ads or other online portals...you will get something

 

[BassHead]

Hey buddy,

Thank you so much for your response. I am actually seeing a couple of options from the brands you have mentioned, Yamaha RX-V479, Denon 520BT, Pioneer VSX-530 etc... As you have experience with most of the brands which one do you think would be better in terms of performance and reliability?

If I stretch my budget till 1 lakh what all options/combos do you suggest for the mentioned room size?

Thanks

 

[rayvonnee]

Take an audition of pioneer aj in your city, if you are satisfied with the sound, go ahead with 5.1+ any decent avr as mentioned above. My choice would be x520bt+pio aj5.1 system its available on hifimart for 51k

 

[efernand1]

Hi Basshead,

As suggested, you should audition as many systems as possible in your location and start shortlisting which appeal to you in budget, appearance and performance....

Speakers are something which would remain with you for more longer than an AVR.....most of us keep changing AVRs in order to experiment or experience the performance of higher models or brands.....hence you will find pre owned equipment being sold.....

If you check HiFi Ads....there is a Marantz 7.2 AVR for sale SR5008 which is regarded as one of the best audiophile designed AVR globally and has enough power to pump up most of the speakers available in the market......you can use this as a 5.1 AVR for sometime and sell it later to go for another AVR if desired either new or pre owned...

Similarly, there are a couple of Yamahas and Pioneer also seen over OLX or Quikr..being sold by dealers and individuals.....you need to be cautious and check before purchasing.....all the best

 

[BassHead]

Thank you all so much for your valuable responses, really appreciate it.

I was also wondering how is the Pioneer RS-89, it looks absolutely killer. I got a chance to audition the RS-33 in Reliance digital, they dint have either RS-49 or the 89. It was very loud, so loud that it made everybody in the showroom to leave everything and have a look at it. However, i felt there was something missing, it was just like playing a regular HTIB but only louder. Would the RS-89 also be the same?

I even auditioned the Yamaha YHT-299, it was loud enough and the Matrix movie action scenes were very exciting. It was certainly better than that Pioneer.

RD has pretty limited options and so is the case with most of the other big electronic outlets.

If anybody in the forum is from Hyderabad could you please help me out with the places where we get to audition these systems...Please

Thanks a lot again.

 

[glintofsteel]

The denon x1200w is a newer model which a 7.2 channel avr with Dolby atmos support should you feel like adding 2 height speakers later. Also supports 4K pass thru, hdcp 2.2 in case you feel like upgrading to 4 k later. The mrp is 49k

 

[BassHead]

Hi

Thank you for your suggestion. The X1200 is in my sight, the specs look really nice. Denon X1200+Pioneer AJ 5.1 and later adding 2 more surrounds does sound like a great system.:licklips:

The other important concern that i have is the after sales service. As i will be investing so much I would also like to have peace of mind afterwards knowing that I will get proper support in case something goes wrong. How supportive are these brands?

 

[elangoas]

You have a longish room 22 x 11.. You can consider a 7.1 setup.. 5.1 + surround back (or) front heights...

Consider Pioneer AVR too.. When you buy AVR & speaker from same brand & from same dealer, chances are that you might end up getting good discounts..

Pioneer VSX-1123 is a good choice too almost top of mid-range..

 

[BassHead]

Hey thanks a lot for your inputs buddy. Yesterday I visited Onkyo wonderland, auditioned two models, the HT-S5805 and HT-S9700THX. While the 5805 is the newer of the two and is equipped with Dolby Atmos, the 9700 is THX certified and the AVR has Dolby Atmos too.

The following were my observations:

HT-S5805-

Pros-
1. Dolby Atmos
2. Price (65k)

Cons-
1. No USB option
2. The bass was somewhat limited, was missing the punch in high volumes(maybe because its only 80W)


HT-S9700THX-

Pros-
1. THX certified
2. Dolby Atmos(only the receiver)
3. 7.1
4. I'm no audiophile but the system sounded excellent whether movies or music with a lot of punch.

Cons-
1. I really couldn't find any fault except for the pricing which was 88k.

Now i know these are HTIBs but the 9700 has impressed me a lot if I consider the performance, features and technology.

Would like to know your thoughts about it.

Thanks a lot

 

[efernand1]

Hi

You need to evaluate and decide what will suit your needs. Start shortlisting the models you heard or auditioned and then review what meets your expectations in terms of performance, features and value.....remember there are lot of AVRs available which have a lot of gimmicks...the question is are you really going to use all those features? Does the AVR serve your basic requirements?

If not sure and would keep changing AVRs in the near future like most of us, suggest then you get a pre owned one first then accordingly with time, go for another one (new or pre owned)..all depends on what your ears trusts and what you want....each AVR has a different signature in terms of performance, quality of components used and finishing...all the best

 

[elangoas]

88K for a HTIB is not a good buy when you can make a better performing setup for same budget....

I have had 2 onkyo HTIB in the past HTS 670 & HTS 790.. Both were good for movies.. But for 2 channel, the AVR is still good, but HTIB speakers wont help much...

 

[raghupb]

@BassHead

This post is not about opinions on the 2 products you recently auditioned. Sorry I am not qualified to comment on it. The post deals with a slightly take on HT.

As FM "efernand1" suggests you need to convince yourself on your usage scenario. Don't get swayed by THX certification, Dolby Atmos capability, and whatnot. It is very difficult to play at THX reference levels in a nominal home setting unless you have a dedicated HT room that is soundproofed. Either your family members or neighbors will frown on you. Also, remember each one of those capabilities comes at the cost to customers. All AV companies need to pay royalties to THX/Dolby/DTS etc to put the sticker on their product. If you do not have the opportunity to use some of these advertised features, then you are paying the royalty for no reason.

Speakers wise, HT setup and 2-Ch setup do differ. In a HT setup, the load on the amp/speaker combination gets distributed so they can be spec'ed with some lenience. For 2-Ch (music) you need a much tighter spec. Remember for music, louder is not always better.

HTIBs give great VFM at purchase, but the upgrade bug may hit you very soon. HTIBs resale value in case of an upgrade is not very good as in 2/3 years there will be something new that will be cheaper than what you paid. Keep this in mind too.

With every system you audition, please judge how it will physically fit in your living room. You do not want to buy something and then struggle with it when it comes to placing each component, as the AV viewing/listening area is also living area.

After some more auditioning, you will become the best person to strike a features to performance to price to space balance.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[ankitj]

HT-S9700THX-

Pros-
1. THX certified
2. Dolby Atmos(only the receiver)
3. 7.1
4. I'm no audiophile but the system sounded excellent whether movies or music with a lot of punch.

Cons-
1. I really couldn't find any fault except for the pricing which was 88k.

Now i know these are HTIBs but the 9700 has impressed me a lot if I consider the performance, features and technology.

Would like to know your thoughts about it.

Thanks a lot

Hi,

was 88K the first quote or did you negotiate for it?

I am also looking at purchasing this model.Onkyo wonderland delhi has quoted 94K for it.

Thanks

 

[BassHead]

Hi,

The sales guy directly quoted me this price and said he cannot go below this. The system sounds great and is a looker. However, check for reliability. I have heard these days Onkyos are not how they used to be earlier, heating issues with their receivers and problems with their subs are becoming common.

Also, like the other members said, do not stop looking at the other options and audition as much as you can before taking the plunge.

Yesterday I auditioned Polk T50, TSX-440T and Yamaha NS-8390 along with the NS-P60 center and surround speakers. Dint like the T50, loved the 440 and was surprised after listening to 8390, even though these are priced under 19k they were not too far from the 440 which is priced at 38k. Couldn't audition TSX-330T as it wasn't there for demo. Anybody in the forum using these speakers or has auditioned them please comment.

Thanks

 

[glintofsteel]

The pioneer Andrew Jones floorstanders are very difficult to find nowadays. I bought the denon x1200w n Yamaha ns8390 floorstanders couple of weeks back. Am happy withe setup. Now looking to add a subwoofer in the 20k range. Has anyone heard the pioneer S-MS3SW sub? Specs wise seems good with 12 inch driver, 200w RMS power n goes down to 27 hz.

 

[BassHead]

Hi,

I cannot comment on the Pioneer S-MS3SW sub as I've never heard them. However, I did listen to Yamaha YST-SW315 and Polk PSW125, liked both of them, Yamaha a little bit more.

Called up the Pioneer dealer. The guy is not ready to give demo if the system is below 5 lakhs

Anyways, he is offering the AJ towers for 25k and the whole 5.1 package for 59k. I think I can reduce it till 58k. Also, the sub that we get in India along with these speakers is not the AJ designed SW-8MK2, instead its S-51W. Is it worth the price?


Thanks

 

[efernand1]

Hi

Hifimart selling the package for 51k.....

Pioneer Andrew Jones AJ-5235XT 5.1 Channel Speaker Package

Suggest you contact HifiMart and check how soon you can get it..if not possible then ..accordingly negotiate with the Pioneer dealer and say 52k.....all the best

 

[BassHead]

Hey guys,

Taga Harmony has just launched some new speaker packages in the market. They are available in HiFiMart. Can anybody tell me how they are? Specially the TAV-606 SE Speaker Package.