Building a Budget Home Theater System? See your options

[saumitra]

I see that, just like me, quite a few other members in this forum are looking for options to build low-budget (50k with some allowance to go a little higher for audibly better quality) home theater system (AVR + 5.1/7.1ch sat+sub speaker system).
I have got some very useful input from some of the expert members in this forum and also visited a few show-rooms during the last 2 weeks. I am starting this new thread to share the availability/ price details along with my impression (only on the systems that I have auditioned) for some of the HT setups. Hopefully this will be useful to some of the forum members looking for info on budget HT.

To start with I am only listing the price/ availability details I have collected so far for 5.1ch speaker systems. I will try to update this post later with price/ availability info on AVRs.


5.1ch Speakers :
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Energy 5.1 Take Classic Home Theater - 25k (?, not available in Bangalore, Chennai), 32k (amazon.com, import)
Canton Movie 60CX and 125MX - 28.5k & 39.9k (HTStore)
Jamo Home theater A102 HCS5 Home Cinema Systems - 33k (ebay.in )
Jamo Home theater A102 HCS3 + sub210 Home Cinema Systems - 34.6k (HTStore)
Definitive Technology Pro Cinema 60.6 - 49k (HTStore)
Paradigm Cinema CT70 & CT90 - 30k & 37k (HTStore)
Tannoy SFX5.1 and HTS101 (new model in India) - 30k & 37k (HTStore)
Onkyo 4700 (towers, pair) with matching center, sub and surrounds - 40k (Onkyo showroom, MG Road)
Polk Audio RM705 System - 18k (ProFx, MG Road)


Not got any quote yet for the following (but still listing as some of you may want to compare these with the ones above):
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Pioneer SP-PK21BS - ? (33k as per the info in a recent hifivision thread)
Klipsch HD 500 Compact 5.1 Home Theater System - ?
Boston Acoustic CS2310 - ? (Discontinued, new model is expected, as per HTStore)

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.... to be continued (please keep adding your inputs on the same subject)

 

[saumitra]

Adding price details of one more popular 5.1ch speaker package:
Energy RC Micro 5.1 32k (HTStore)
Considering the fact, this retails for $599 in amazon, $200 more than the Classic 5.1, the price looked very attractive to me. But they (HTStore) dont have this for demo, can get this if we confirm the order.
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Below are prices I have got from HTStore for complete HT systems:
Denon 1611 + Paradigm CT70 53k
Denon 1611 + Paradigm CT90 60k
Denon 1611 + Tannoy SFX5.1 55k
Denon 1611 + Tannoy HTS101 62k

We (myself & vine) could audition the above systems at HTStore (Bangalore). I liked the Paradigm speakers and also the Tannoy HTS101. While Paradigm sounder better to me especially for songs with high tones, the Tannoy HTS101 was overall more composed. Lokesh (HTStore) mentioned the Tannoys will be more soothing while the Paradigms will be more tiring / taxing for the ears. After a few rounds of listening, I tend to agree. We also tried Tannoys entry level bookshelf speakers (pair, dont remember the model no., quoted price was 18k) in stereo mode. And as you would expect, they were way better than all the sat-sub combos.

At ProFx, we tried the below system:
Denon 1311 + Polk Audio RM705 32k

The sales guy there mentioned that they were expecting the 1612 (2011 model) soon and there will be a combo for the same speakers with that AVR. He was not sure about the price, but said it may be 3-4 k than the above system. I thought the RM705 speakers were quite decent, especially impressive for movie surround effect, but very ordinary for music.

I also tried the below combos at the Onkyo store:
Onkyo SR-508 + SKS-728 47k
Onkyo HTS5300 & 5400 47k & 52k
Onkyo SR-508 + Onkyo 7400 (small towers) + Matching sub & surrounds 58k
Onkyo NR-579 + Onkyo 7400 (small towers) + Matching sub & surrounds 68k

I actually found the HTIBs better than the 1st (508 + 728) combo. I surely liked the 7400 mini towers, more so when they were paired with the NR-579 receiver. NR-579 receiver (2011 model) is almost identical to the NR-609, except that it doesnt have THX certification. Onkyo guys also sell Energy speakers, but only the mid/ high range ones. We also tried the Energys entry level towers (taller & bigger than the Onkyo mini towers, has 3 drivers compared to 2 in Onkyo 7400). They sounded great for music. I dont remember the model name, these towers (pair) was quoted at 38k.

As I mentioned in the other thread, I started with a small budget, keeping Onkyo HTS-3400 in mind, then extended it to 45k to accommodate Onkyo HTS-5300. But after visiting a few showrooms (including Q Acoustics showroom and the Vector Systems) and trying various combos and listening to a few entry level FS/towers (Wharf 10.6, 9.6) and BS speakers (from Tannoy, Wharf, Monitor, Q Acoustics), I am very tempted to extend the budget to 60k now. I basically want a combo like:
AVR: Yamaha RX-667 Or Onkyo SR-608/ NR-609/ HT-RC360 (only if I can get any of these imported or carried by a friend/ colleague)
5.1ch speakers: Tannoy HTS101 or Paradigm CT90 or Energy RC Micro or .
2 BS speakers: Wharf/ Monitor Audio/ (entry level ones) to be used mainly for stereo music (while the sat fronts can be used as front high)

But the problem is I cant fit the above combo also within by extended budget

 

[vine]

Other option can be the group-buy option of wharf diamond 10 series.
10.1 + 10.cs + 10dfs all comes to 33.2k (5.0 channel and not 5.1)

I guess this will be anytime better than any of the satellite setups at the same price of
32-35k. May be the guru's in the forum can comment on this.

Only thing is that adding a sub increases the cost to 50K+


Other option I am thinking of is Yamaha NS-P380 (5.1 channel speakers for 14-15k) and adding 10.1 and 10.cs to the setup. This way only 1 center speaker of yamaha gets wasted. But the overall cost for 7.1 setup comes to less than 40K.

Please advice - is this setup worth investing?

 

[Haren Asher]

Do you absolutely need to go with a 5.1 off the shelf set? ..

Cos if you're willing to patiently build your system, then start with an AVR, a pair of BS, sub, center and then rear. I feel thats more bang for the buck.

I was in the same spot a couple of months back. Picked up the Denon 1611 and Q acoustics 2010 in total for 44K. Borrowed a friends JBL Center and Sonodyne Sub for now.

looking for the others now, but am not as frantic as i was.

just my two cents!

 

[askicode]

Very useful thread. I too had Onkyo 3400 and then when I visited showrooms I was full of confusion especially if one such as me have very little knowledge in the world of HT

Thanks Saumitra for starting this thread. Looking forward to your updates and analysis.

 

[pdhanwada]

Saumitra,

Certainly agree with Haren here. Try to pick the AVR and front two first and then you can add center and at a later stage you can add rear.

That way you will do better. Do not by 5.1 in single shot. It is not likely to last long.

Thanks
Pandu

 

[saumitra]

The experts are very right the best way to get started, I also feel, is to get a good AVR (Yamaha 667, Onkyo 579 or 609, Denon 1611 or 1911) and get two good BS or FS and one center (if budget permits).

However, my dilemma is (maybe the case with many others) I am actually trying to build both a 2.0 ch system for music and one 5.1 ch system for movies/ surround effect. Since I have the projector setup already in place (Acer H5360 projector with Grandview 8 X 6 screen) I am not able to decide in favour of going ahead with 2.0ch system first. At the same time, w/o being any expert on audio systems, I know for sure no budget 5.1ch system with sat-sub combo can satisfy me when I listen to music. So it is now a question of sequencing it right. Since I use my entertainment room more (~70%) for movies and TV programs (mainly live sports, I have the TS+ HD) I am thinking of starting with AVR & 5.1ch speaker system first and then add the BS/ FS after 2-3 months. And when I get the two new BS or FS, I would like to use sat fronts as front highs. If I decide to go that route, I will be very particular about the center speaker and the sub-woofer and not so much about others sats. In that context, Paradigm CT90 (or even CT70) or Tannoy HTS101 both of which I (along with vine) had tried, looks like good option, along with the Energy RC Micro (which I have not tried but read good reviews about).

Last two years, Onkyo had some special offers for the employees of the organization I work for. It was very attractive Onkyo 608 was offered at 33k, 508 at 21k, HTS9300 at 52k, HTS5300 at 40k. Mind you this was in Sep 2010 when models like 608 AVR or HTS9300 were quite new to the Indian market. I was hoping a similar offer would be there this year also, but recently got to know that Onkyo is not going to give it to us this year; though our US employees already have got the offer for the current year (they get NR-509 for $230, NR-609 for $310, ).

 

[saumitra]

Not sure if this update would be useful to any other members - this actually is just a plain simple update - mainly to kind of share and admit that it is nearly impossible to build a HT system within a certain budget, especially if you start auditioning and comparing multiple sets/ setups. One does not need to be an expert to like or dislike certain speakers over the other ...

I finally decided to go ahead with Denon 1911 AVR with Tannoy HTS101 5.1 speaker system - cost me 32k (AVR) + 37k (5.1ch speakers) + 5k for cables and connectors - all bought from htstore Bangalore. I absolutely love this setup, especially for movies and light music listening. Someday, hopefully soon - I will add a pair of FS or BS to satisfy my music listening needs. Currently Monitor Audio's M4 FS (26k) are in the top of my shortlist, but I have not frozen anything yet ... as I have time ...

Thanks to many expert members (venkatcr, kittu, ...) for guiding & helping me.

Just in case some one has a friend or relative in (or himself traveling to) Singapore, you can get wonderful rates (as compared to current Indian rates) for the below AVRs in Singapore:
Onkyo TX-NR609 - S$800
Denon 1912 - S$830
Marantz SR5005 - S$700
Marantz SR6005 - S$800 (probably the best deal!)

Considering that these are all 220v models (so you won't need a converter) these are much better deals than getting them from the US.

 

[ny2j]

Has anybody auditioned the

DENON 1311 + Energy Take Classic combo out here....

I am really looking forward to build the same.....


200w subwoofer looks an attractive buy to me.......

The gurus please advise....... my budget is < 50k

 

[grunthos]

Although it is a year old, a very helpful thread for the AV beginner whose first set is going to be around the 50k mark

 

[swadesh]

Hi,

I really found it best combination , but at the same time, these review are very old , now there are so many option of new version is available, I am presently using ONKYO HT3400 and wish to upgrade the same due to my room size, My room size is 25 by 12 and there is not much option for any acoustic done, i would love to have detailed sound , can you pls suggest me some option with the economical budget, Also can i use my AMP where the configuration is front , centre & surround is 115W/chnl(6 ohm) with sub capacity of 180 W(3 ohm)

Pls suggest the best fit

Regards
Swadesh

 

[aakashr]

Always go for systems you can demo despite great reviews. You want to ensure you know what is coming home rather than something that can be a surprise

HTIB systems work great for tight budgets maybe upto 35k. Anything more than that, you should be looking at seperates.