Rupam
Well-Known Member
Last week I brought Denon 1513 and Wharfedale MS 100 Speaker after asking this thread>
Initially, I started with the idea of buying a Home Theater In A Box from Onkyo.
But thanks to prosenjit of this forum, I thought as the sound quality was a main concern for me, I should go for separates.
I can not accommodate Floorstanders, so bookshelf / satellite was my only option.
For AVR As far my needs are concerned I need to clarify them because the comparison will be based on them.
I like warm sound as long as it does not cause ear fatigue and also need an AVR which can create big sound-stage. I like bass, as long as it stays low and don't cloud the mid-range.
After extensive audition I finalized Denon 1513. Denon 1612 was out of stock.
In this limited budget, there was not much competition, Yamaha 373 is also very good. But in Calcutta Yamaha store uses only Yamaha speakers so the full potential of their speakers is never revealed. So I Could not audition Yamaha and Wharfedale together.
Speakers >
My shortlisted options were >
1. Boston Acoustics Soundware XS ---24,000.00
2. Wharfedale Moviestar MS-100 MS 100, ---- 33,000.00
3. Polk Blackstone TL1600 ------ 35000.00
4. Tannoy HTS101 -----------------44,000.00
5. Energy Speakers RC-Micro 5.1 ----------------- 42000/- (only 5 % discount was offered on MRP)
Here are the audition results :
Boston Acoustics Soundware XS --- No one stocks them in Kolkata !
Wharfedale Moviestar MS-100 HCP --- exceptional sound: Full range drivers are superb.
During the whole audition process, I was looking for the depth of sound which will let you forget about your room. Wharfedale Moviestar MS-100 recreates that depth with ease.
Bluray Used : AVATAR : The scene when Jake lost his way in the forest and was attacked by ferocious dogs (!) at night, the barking of animals and the noises of night creatures recreates atmosphere with exciting vibe. The barkings and noises move around you seamlessly.
The surround channels seamless integration will let you forget about their position.
Also watched Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen the final desert war. The left-right front to back surround effects were full of precision and clarity. The bullets travel
around the listening position without creating any gap.
For Bass : I used the DVD of the Saving Private Ryan opening scene. The incessant gunfire and close-in and far away explosions effects were brutally reproduced with sub. The sub hits your chest not ears, thats what good subs do. It will make you breathless in action scenes. For a decent size room (12X15) it has enough power to rattle your window panes. A note about subwoofer, you must keep the speaker setting to "small" in AVR and set the crossover frequency to 150 in order to achieve this bass. Depending on room size, you also have to increase bass volumn from sub. Don't place them against wall, they have bass ports in rear. It will sound boomy.
For Treble : The upper frequency sounds sweet and composed, never bright. Shattering window panes and gun shots never sound harsh.
Dialogues : Clean, without any hint of boxiness. During chaotic war scenes the dialogues were comprehensible.
Music : Good, The overall sound is very good. While it may not sound as good as a Wharfedale diamond, it never makes your music sound poor.
The sound is clean, bass in not bloated and mid range is clear.
The music is better than Onkyo 3400/ 3500.
I have so far used only mp3 , yet to test the result with original CDs.
Polk Blackstone TL1600 ------------- Not auditioned
Tannoy HTS101 -------------- Sound is very god. But to my ears, they sound a bit laid-back. The subwoofer is very good. The biggest plus point was the tweeters. They really add shine to the sound. But while watching Saving Private Ryan, the sound seemed a bit distanced. Its difficult to explain. Wharfedale has a very aggressive and bold sound while Tannoy offers a more relaxed sound. There was a concert DVD played on the system. The Tannoys proved more musical than Wharfedale. But It was out of my budget.
Energy Speakers RC-Micro 5.1 ----------------- Extremely capable speakers hold back by a old AVR and stubborn salesman.
The Onkyo dealer in Kolkata used a Onkyo 308 and played RA ONE
I havn't watched RA ONE as a movie, so I don't know which part of the movie was playing. But it was an action scene with SRK vs the villain.
The sound was warm, extremely poised and beautiful.
But the speakers did not shine and seems low on resolution due to the onkyo 308. If we pair this speaker with a better receiver like Onkyo 309, it will be better. The demo sounded restrained and muddy. I won't blame the speakers. But again the dealer was not bulging from 40000/-.
Now, one thing I must mention about the dealer from I have bought my system. I bought my system from :
Harmony Audio, 13, Shyama Charan Smriti Tirtha Road, P.O. New Alipur (opposite Chirantani Club). Mr. Vasudeo Jagwani 983008504.
Mr. Vasudeo was very co-operative and open to various suggestion and he was keen to know the customer requirement. He explains every aspect of the system and never tries to hide a systems limitations. I must thank him for his sincerity and humbleness.
During my 3 visits I never mate the owner of Promises, and the sales-man of Digital Acoustics was stupid enough to call me greedy during negotiation.... I clearly saw the frustration in the face of Promises and Digital Acoustics salesman when they face a knowledgeable customer and can't fox and filch him easily.
Now the pics >
There is no USB infront.......
-------------------------------
Cost cutting --- spring clips.....![Wink ;) ;)](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png)
--------------------------------
The connectors are very good quality.
--------------------------------
compact and stylish, unique design offers tilted position in case your table is low.
--------------------------------
The high gloss finish is exquisite.
-----------------------------------
The wood and built quality is superb, the wooden box weights 8.1 kg![Smile :) :)](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png)
-------------------------------------
dual ported..... crossover adjustment......volume knob.....
------------------------------------
200mm long throw bass driver will try to throw you out of your chair...
--------------------------------------
Wall brackets are included along with speakers....
__________________________________
Pretty messy with wires ....
Just a temporary set up... need to do wire management.
Thanks all hifivians who has helped me .......
Credits : prosenjit , haisaikat , baijuxavior , madbullram, Nero9 , avidyarthy ,
koushik, bpranay's ....
Thanks et Merci beaucoup....![Smile :) :)](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png)
Initially, I started with the idea of buying a Home Theater In A Box from Onkyo.
But thanks to prosenjit of this forum, I thought as the sound quality was a main concern for me, I should go for separates.
I can not accommodate Floorstanders, so bookshelf / satellite was my only option.
For AVR As far my needs are concerned I need to clarify them because the comparison will be based on them.
I like warm sound as long as it does not cause ear fatigue and also need an AVR which can create big sound-stage. I like bass, as long as it stays low and don't cloud the mid-range.
- My requirement is 80% Movie and 10% TV and 10% Music.
- My room size is 12X14
- I will be using satellites or bookshelves, NO floorstanders
- Network features and Apple compatibility is not required
- Zone 1 Zone 2 is not mandatory but is a welcome feature
- USB playback not required.
After extensive audition I finalized Denon 1513. Denon 1612 was out of stock.
In this limited budget, there was not much competition, Yamaha 373 is also very good. But in Calcutta Yamaha store uses only Yamaha speakers so the full potential of their speakers is never revealed. So I Could not audition Yamaha and Wharfedale together.
Speakers >
My shortlisted options were >
1. Boston Acoustics Soundware XS ---24,000.00
2. Wharfedale Moviestar MS-100 MS 100, ---- 33,000.00
3. Polk Blackstone TL1600 ------ 35000.00
4. Tannoy HTS101 -----------------44,000.00
5. Energy Speakers RC-Micro 5.1 ----------------- 42000/- (only 5 % discount was offered on MRP)
Here are the audition results :
Boston Acoustics Soundware XS --- No one stocks them in Kolkata !
Wharfedale Moviestar MS-100 HCP --- exceptional sound: Full range drivers are superb.
During the whole audition process, I was looking for the depth of sound which will let you forget about your room. Wharfedale Moviestar MS-100 recreates that depth with ease.
Bluray Used : AVATAR : The scene when Jake lost his way in the forest and was attacked by ferocious dogs (!) at night, the barking of animals and the noises of night creatures recreates atmosphere with exciting vibe. The barkings and noises move around you seamlessly.
The surround channels seamless integration will let you forget about their position.
Also watched Transformers Revenge Of The Fallen the final desert war. The left-right front to back surround effects were full of precision and clarity. The bullets travel
around the listening position without creating any gap.
For Bass : I used the DVD of the Saving Private Ryan opening scene. The incessant gunfire and close-in and far away explosions effects were brutally reproduced with sub. The sub hits your chest not ears, thats what good subs do. It will make you breathless in action scenes. For a decent size room (12X15) it has enough power to rattle your window panes. A note about subwoofer, you must keep the speaker setting to "small" in AVR and set the crossover frequency to 150 in order to achieve this bass. Depending on room size, you also have to increase bass volumn from sub. Don't place them against wall, they have bass ports in rear. It will sound boomy.
For Treble : The upper frequency sounds sweet and composed, never bright. Shattering window panes and gun shots never sound harsh.
Dialogues : Clean, without any hint of boxiness. During chaotic war scenes the dialogues were comprehensible.
Music : Good, The overall sound is very good. While it may not sound as good as a Wharfedale diamond, it never makes your music sound poor.
The sound is clean, bass in not bloated and mid range is clear.
The music is better than Onkyo 3400/ 3500.
I have so far used only mp3 , yet to test the result with original CDs.
Polk Blackstone TL1600 ------------- Not auditioned
Tannoy HTS101 -------------- Sound is very god. But to my ears, they sound a bit laid-back. The subwoofer is very good. The biggest plus point was the tweeters. They really add shine to the sound. But while watching Saving Private Ryan, the sound seemed a bit distanced. Its difficult to explain. Wharfedale has a very aggressive and bold sound while Tannoy offers a more relaxed sound. There was a concert DVD played on the system. The Tannoys proved more musical than Wharfedale. But It was out of my budget.
Energy Speakers RC-Micro 5.1 ----------------- Extremely capable speakers hold back by a old AVR and stubborn salesman.
The Onkyo dealer in Kolkata used a Onkyo 308 and played RA ONE
![Wink ;) ;)](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png)
I havn't watched RA ONE as a movie, so I don't know which part of the movie was playing. But it was an action scene with SRK vs the villain.
The sound was warm, extremely poised and beautiful.
But the speakers did not shine and seems low on resolution due to the onkyo 308. If we pair this speaker with a better receiver like Onkyo 309, it will be better. The demo sounded restrained and muddy. I won't blame the speakers. But again the dealer was not bulging from 40000/-.
Now, one thing I must mention about the dealer from I have bought my system. I bought my system from :
Harmony Audio, 13, Shyama Charan Smriti Tirtha Road, P.O. New Alipur (opposite Chirantani Club). Mr. Vasudeo Jagwani 983008504.
Mr. Vasudeo was very co-operative and open to various suggestion and he was keen to know the customer requirement. He explains every aspect of the system and never tries to hide a systems limitations. I must thank him for his sincerity and humbleness.
During my 3 visits I never mate the owner of Promises, and the sales-man of Digital Acoustics was stupid enough to call me greedy during negotiation.... I clearly saw the frustration in the face of Promises and Digital Acoustics salesman when they face a knowledgeable customer and can't fox and filch him easily.
Now the pics >
![p1020275q.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.us%2Fa%2Fimg441%2F8782%2Fp1020275q.jpg&hash=d631e559f24fdc8e528618c668c6e66d)
There is no USB infront.......
-------------------------------
![p1020284xn.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.us%2Fa%2Fimg835%2F7386%2Fp1020284xn.jpg&hash=a9f3b0fad39eb652b35e6069b878b8be)
Cost cutting --- spring clips.....
![Wink ;) ;)](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png)
--------------------------------
![p1020276h.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.us%2Fa%2Fimg706%2F1236%2Fp1020276h.jpg&hash=046697f16b974e3cef21777043bdffb6)
![p1020277u.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.us%2Fa%2Fimg835%2F1939%2Fp1020277u.jpg&hash=61f211e3a26825352e3c3fa848b0e65d)
The connectors are very good quality.
--------------------------------
![p1020278fz.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.us%2Fa%2Fimg571%2F116%2Fp1020278fz.jpg&hash=b0ba4087fbb10e290e57b5d31a7dc408)
compact and stylish, unique design offers tilted position in case your table is low.
--------------------------------
![p1020279e.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.us%2Fa%2Fimg28%2F1893%2Fp1020279e.jpg&hash=0f47c276eb73a3eafc3b53ac9934e43a)
The high gloss finish is exquisite.
-----------------------------------
![p1020280h.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.us%2Fa%2Fimg811%2F5249%2Fp1020280h.jpg&hash=a7f02bcbf01c619b6c67d1b915816f6d)
The wood and built quality is superb, the wooden box weights 8.1 kg
![Smile :) :)](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png)
-------------------------------------
![p1020281a.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.us%2Fa%2Fimg545%2F1406%2Fp1020281a.jpg&hash=d021713d503e897f922cb346b493361d)
dual ported..... crossover adjustment......volume knob.....
------------------------------------
![p1020282yk.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.us%2Fa%2Fimg842%2F8061%2Fp1020282yk.jpg&hash=ce2b7d3cc0d10c0874f98fd91b0ff226)
200mm long throw bass driver will try to throw you out of your chair...
--------------------------------------
![p1020283bj.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.us%2Fa%2Fimg62%2F5923%2Fp1020283bj.jpg&hash=837bfd16f9bbe35e2269b4c4c5e605e2)
Wall brackets are included along with speakers....
__________________________________
![p1020286z.jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimageshack.us%2Fa%2Fimg593%2F6660%2Fp1020286z.jpg&hash=8fa664000c837c8b5b2896ec4d163bf2)
Pretty messy with wires ....
![Stick Out Tongue :p :p](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png)
Thanks all hifivians who has helped me .......
Credits : prosenjit , haisaikat , baijuxavior , madbullram, Nero9 , avidyarthy ,
koushik, bpranay's ....
Thanks et Merci beaucoup....
![Smile :) :)](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png)
Last edited: