"bose or no bose" is the question

[ypan07]

Hi Guys,

I am looking to upgrade from my 10 year old Sony 5.1 HTIB and have budget of 1-3 L. I went to Onkyo store in Forum value mall and they have S7800 HTIB package for roughly 1L. It supports 4K and Dolby Atmos etc and the budget seems quite okay to me but given that it has relatively big speakers and no wireless surround, wifey is resisting it tooth and nail cuz she thinks its going to ruin the aesthetics of the living room. Other end of the spectrum is Bose Lifestyle 600 and 650 and they do have small footprint and equally good sound but burn a much bigger hole in the pocket with 2.6-3.5L range. I was wondering maybe I can find a middle ground with Bose Acoustimass 10 speakers at 95k and slap an AVR of around Rs 50k on it. What do you guys suggest? Are there non bose speakers that are small but still powerful and not as expensive? Please opine.

Thanks in advance,
~Y

 

[tuff]

That is a big swing in the budget. If you provide some more details it would be easier to really give some usable advice. How big is the room you intend to have these in and your listening distance from the TV? Is the budget only for AVR and speakers or will that include source too? How much intended use is it for movies and music.
Is Dolby atmos a must? Or will a 5.1 suffice? What kind of music do you listen to generally? Have you auditioned them yet?
Answers to these questions will get better responses.

 

[Naturelover]

This might interest you. Luckily from your city itself.
https://www.hifivision.com/threads/...festyle-v35-5-1-channel-setup-for-sale.73378/

Also consider Telome from Mumbai
https://telomeaudio.com/
They make Bose style jewel cubes and some members here have said they sound as good or even better
Search for "Telome" on the forum.

 

[prateekatasniya]

3 lakhs is a good budget..
If you could share pictures of your room it will be easier to suggest .
Many other options are available.
Aesthetics will be kept in mind.

 

[rpmahale]

If you are looking for small satalite - subwoofer speaker system which will not ruin the aesthetics of the living room and perform well above average setup then there are few options to consider other than Bose
1. Definitive Technology Procinema 600/800/1000
2. Paradigm Cinema 100CT
3. KEF Eggs KHT 3005/2005.
Depending upon your budget you can choose AVR separately....
All systems are 5.1 and can be easily wall mounted and are very good on performance scale.

 

[ypan07]

That is a big swing in the budget. If you provide some more details it would be easier to really give some usable advice. How big is the room you intend to have these in and your listening distance from the TV? Is the budget only for AVR and speakers or will that include source too? How much intended use is it for movies and music.
Is Dolby atmos a must? Or will a 5.1 suffice? What kind of music do you listen to generally? Have you auditioned them yet?
Answers to these questions will get better responses.

Hi, thanks for answering. The room is roughly 20ftx20ft and listening distance is around 15ft from TV. Only for AVR and speakers because it will be mostly netflix/amazon via fire tv stick and some movies in USB. Mostly for movies, rarely for music. Dolby Atmos would be a nice have to make it future proof.

 

[ypan07]

3 lakhs is a good budget..
If you could share pictures of your room it will be easier to suggest .
Many other options are available.
Aesthetics will be kept in mind.

Hi, I will try to post the picture of the room but it is roughly 20ftx20ft. The problem with Onkyo S7800 and probably Acoustimass also is that they don't have wireless surround and laying cables from the receiver to the surround speaker is going to be an issue (no rugs to hide them under

 

[ypan07]

If you are looking for small satalite - subwoofer speaker system which will not ruin the aesthetics of the living room and perform well above average setup then there are few options to consider other than Bose
1. Definitive Technology Procinema 600/800/1000
2. Paradigm Cinema 100CT
3. KEF Eggs KHT 3005/2005.
Depending upon your budget you can choose AVR separately....
All systems are 5.1 and can be easily wall mounted and are very good on performance scale.

Thanks. All these look promising. Any idea if there will be some store (in bangalore?) where I can see and take a demo before purchase?

 

[JayaRaa]

You room is large which the speakers you have shortlisted will not do justice to. Kindly reconsider going for slightly larger book shelf speakers at the very least. Wiring can be concealed or one can use flat wires for minimal visibility.

 

[prateekatasniya]

Hi, I will try to post the picture of the room but it is roughly 20ftx20ft. The problem with Onkyo S7800 and probably Acoustimass also is that they don't have wireless surround and laying cables from the receiver to the surround speaker is going to be an issue (no rugs to hide them under

What if you get a 2.1 or 2 channel system?
You will get better sound..
For good movie experience good bass is more important than surround sound.
Surround speakers should be placed properly and not at random places. Distance, location everything matters.

 

[ypan07]

What if you get a 2.1 or 2 channel system?
You will get better sound..
For good movie experience good bass is more important than surround sound.
Surround speakers should be placed properly and not at random places. Distance, location everything matters.

But that would be a downgrade, no? Even my current 10 year old Rs 35k Sony HTIB has wireless surround for those helicopter flying around effects. Actually I am still fine with its speakers but the damn receiver has no HDMI inputs and only one optical in and that makes life hard (how to get 5.1 sound from fire tv stick into it cuz the damn TV dowangrades optical outputs to PCM if the source is HDMI due to some hdcp s**t).....and I can't just change the receiver also cuz the Sony HTIB speakers are not standard impedence or connectors....aargh!

 

[tuff]

Can you name the Sony model number?

 

[ypan07]

Can you name the Sony model number?

DAV-DZ870W

 

[tusharshukla1991]

If I have a budget of 2-3lacs, I would buy SVS sub, Dali/KEF Speakers and Marantz AVR

• Marantz 5012 - 80k
• Dali Zensor 5 (front) and Zensor 1 (surrounds/atmos) - 50k(z5) 50k( 4 z1)
• SVS Sub - 50k-70k

I wish I had that kind of budget for HT

 

[efernand1]

Hi Guys,

I am looking to upgrade from my 10 year old Sony 5.1 HTIB and have budget of 1-3 L. I went to Onkyo store in Forum value mall and they have S7800 HTIB package for roughly 1L. It supports 4K and Dolby Atmos etc and the budget seems quite okay to me but given that it has relatively big speakers and no wireless surround, wifey is resisting it tooth and nail cuz she thinks its going to ruin the aesthetics of the living room. Other end of the spectrum is Bose Lifestyle 600 and 650 and they do have small footprint and equally good sound but burn a much bigger hole in the pocket with 2.6-3.5L range. I was wondering maybe I can find a middle ground with Bose Acoustimass 10 speakers at 95k and slap an AVR of around Rs 50k on it. What do you guys suggest? Are there non bose speakers that are small but still powerful and not as expensive? Please opine.

Thanks in advance,
~Y

Hi

Fisrtly welcome to HFV.

Since you have some idea of how systems work...why dont you go window shopping and check out the various systems with the dealers....audition and make a list of what appeals to you in terms of appearance, performance and of course budget....nothing is future proof.....models and brands keep updating every year....you need to decide what all features / functions you will use and invest smartly in that technology....no point getting something complicated and not using 50% of those features....

Never reveal your actual budget to the dealer....you can inform him the room size etc....share the quotations with us and we can advise further....dont rush....make an informed decision and purchase!

 

[tuff]

@ypan07 To add to what efernand1 said, Audition is a must if you want to spend that much amount. Also if you are happy with the current system, You can check if your TV has an optical out, which should pass through audio on to the Sony system. The question is does you TV support 5.1 over optical and is the Sony capable of decoding it. Try plugging the Fire stick and see if it works.
But if you want a better experience, go out and listen to some systems on how they perform against your existing system.

 

[prateekatasniya]

But that would be a downgrade, no? Even my current 10 year old Rs 35k Sony HTIB has wireless surround for those helicopter flying around effects. Actually I am still fine with its speakers but the damn receiver has no HDMI inputs and only one optical in and that makes life hard (how to get 5.1 sound from fire tv stick into it cuz the damn TV dowangrades optical outputs to PCM if the source is HDMI due to some hdcp s**t).....and I can't just change the receiver also cuz the Sony HTIB speakers are not standard impedence or connectors....aargh!

I think you haven't experienced a good 2.1 or 2.2 setup.. that's why you are thinking this as a down grade..

 

[Love4sound]

If I have a budget of 2-3lacs, I would buy SVS sub, Dali/KEF Speakers and Marantz AVR

• Marantz 5012 - 80k
• Dali Zensor 5 (front) and Zensor 1 (surrounds/atmos) - 50k(z5) 50k( 4 z1)
• SVS Sub - 50k-70k

I wish I had that kind of budget for HT

Z1 for atmos? How ? i am on a hunt for atmos speakers so want to know how the z1 can be used for atmos

 

[raghupb]

But that would be a downgrade, no? Even my current 10 year old Rs 35k Sony HTIB has wireless surround for those helicopter flying around effects. Actually I am still fine with its speakers but the damn receiver has no HDMI inputs and only one optical in and that makes life hard (how to get 5.1 sound from fire tv stick into it cuz the damn TV dowangrades optical outputs to PCM if the source is HDMI due to some hdcp s**t).....and I can't just change the receiver also cuz the Sony HTIB speakers are not standard impedence or connectors....aargh!

Wireless speakers are still not there yet for true cinema pleasure. Even if they are, they would need power points to be effective.
The dilemma before you is simple. What to upgrade:
1. Your AVR
2. Your TV
3. Your speakers
4. All of the above

For now, let's leave the TV out of the upgrade cycle.

1. An AVR with support for latest sound formats (ATMOS) which give you helicopter sounds and Voice of God will set you back 60-80K at least
2. Bose is not the last word in discreet speakers; there are many brands that do these nowadays (and better too)
- Mission
- Monitor Audio
- KEF
- B&W
- etc
3. Wiring can be cleverly concealed if you plan properly

Many of us have settled for a 5.1 (or even 2.0/2.1 or 3.0/3.1) due to placement/wiring constraints.
As you are in Bangalore, do some legwork and visit ProFx, DNI, Audio Planet, Music Ranch, Jamsticks, HT Store, etc to get an idea of what is out there. Then you can shape up a solution for your listening space.
BTW, 20x20 ft with seating 15 ft from TV is considered a large room. You will need something better than just little cube speakers to have the "cinema" experience. And ATMOS will need ceiling speakers (definitely will fail WAF test; even you may not be convinced about it)

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[ypan07]

Wireless speakers are still not there yet for true cinema pleasure. Even if they are, they would need power points to be effective.
The dilemma before you is simple. What to upgrade:
1. Your AVR
2. Your TV
3. Your speakers
4. All of the above

For now, let's leave the TV out of the upgrade cycle.

1. An AVR with support for latest sound formats (ATMOS) which give you helicopter sounds and Voice of God will set you back 60-80K at least
2. Bose is not the last word in discreet speakers; there are many brands that do these nowadays (and better too)
- Mission
- Monitor Audio
- KEF
- B&W
- etc
3. Wiring can be cleverly concealed if you plan properly

Many of us have settled for a 5.1 (or even 2.0/2.1 or 3.0/3.1) due to placement/wiring constraints.
As you are in Bangalore, do some legwork and visit ProFx, DNI, Audio Planet, Music Ranch, Jamsticks, HT Store, etc to get an idea of what is out there. Then you can shape up a solution for your listening space.
BTW, 20x20 ft with seating 15 ft from TV is considered a large room. You will need something better than just little cube speakers to have the "cinema" experience. And ATMOS will need ceiling speakers (definitely will fail WAF test; even you may not be convinced about it)

Cheers,
Raghu

Thanks a lot Raghu for your detailed response. Looks like there is a ProFx very close to where I live. Let me check that out.