Guidance in buying completing setup for 1-1.5L

[puneet.darji]

Hi Experts,
I stay in Mumbai (Dahisar) and have decided to buy complete home theatre setup, for which I require your expert advice. Following are the details:

Receiver
Denon X1300W
Pioneer VSX-1131-K
Yamaha RX Series V4/5/681

Speakers (L/R/C)
Wharfedale 220 (L/R) + polk center
Polk bookshelfs + polk center - Auditioned
KEF E 3 (complete 5.1 package) - Auditioned
Cabasse Eole 3 (complete 5.1 package) - Auditioned

Surronds (RL/RR)
Suggestions needed

Sub
Polk, SVS, taga, Dali.

TV & Bluray Player
Sony 48 inch and sony bluray (came free with TV) - Already bought

My thinking is to go with denon x1300W and pair it with Diamond 220. But I have not listened to diamond 220 till yet. Also yesterday I went to ProFX @ Worli for demo. Demo was provided on Denon x2300W with KEF E3 & Cabasse Eole3. KEF lacked the puch and clarity whereas cabasse was good to hear with good output from sub. Not sure how cabasse brand is. I asked for whaf but ProFX do not keep them. I also checked polk bookshelf which seems big if checked physically along with center (csia4). Have not decided or thought about rear surround and sub.

I also visited cinebels @ Bandra but they deal only in KEF & klipsch. They gave demo on Denon x2300W + Klipsch some 5.1 speaker system. They didn't pleased me at all.

I also contacted Alliance 4 but got to know that they only do the consultancy and they have one only 1 demo unit of SVS.

So require your opinions what should be the good pair for receiver, speakers and sub? Requirement is for 90% movies and 10% music. Room is living room having dimension 16x10 (image attached for reference, also indicating possible installation points of various components). Viewing distance is approx. 12-13 ft. Initial budget is of 1L can stretch to 1.5L if required, not more than that.

Also please suggests other outlets/shops to take different combinations of demo.

Thanks in advance!

 

[dr_rocket]

You have a challenge in speaker placement. The top corners are strict no no as the speakers need to be at ear level. Unless you pull the TV to the right, you have no place for bookshelves for the left front. But that may not be possible. Actually that glass shelf is causing most problems. If that can be dismantled, then nice space for bookshelves will be created.

Unless that is done, best bet for your setup would be satellite based system. I would suggest tannoy HTS 101xp. I really liked that during audition.


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[puneet.darji]

Hi Dr. Rocket,

Thanks for the feedback. I agree that I'm in tight position for speaker placement. But still I'm keeping options open i.e. bookshelfs or satellite. If satellite what are the other options?

Also shall I consider Bose?

 

[MaSh]

Hi Dr. Rocket,

Thanks for the feedback. I agree that I'm in tight position for speaker placement. But still I'm keeping options open i.e. bookshelfs or satellite. If satellite what are the other options?

Also shall I consider Bose?

Yes I would agree, satellite speakers would be a better bet in your scenario. You can surely consider Bose. You could also consider polk audio TL1600 from pro fx. Try auditioning them.

MaSh

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[dr_rocket]

Hi Dr. Rocket,

Thanks for the feedback. I agree that I'm in tight position for speaker placement. But still I'm keeping options open i.e. bookshelfs or satellite. If satellite what are the other options?

Also shall I consider Bose?

As Mash said, TL 1600, good and inexpensive but subwoofer is 50w RMS only.
Other options
Tannoy tfx 5.1, less expensive and less powerful than HTS 101
Wharfedale dx1se, good reviews but could not audition anywhere
Energy RC micro, same comments as dx1se and probably only 5.0 packages are available now
Paradigm CT - some FMs have auditioned and found to be good
Elac cinema 10- auditioned and found to be good, the included sub is from Andrew Jones debut series
Sonodyne genie, did not feel that punch


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[Rjoshi]

The Wharfedale Diamond 220 package as seen on hifimart is great. I just bought it a few weeks ago along with Denon X2300. Its in your budget and I am very satisfied with it.

Wharfedale DX1SE is available for demo at Hifimart Colaba along with entire range. I found it good as well but needed bigger speakers and hence went for 220s.

Paradigm C100 is available for demo at The Shop Andheri or The Den Worli. Its quite a good satellite speaker system.

Enjoy your demos ...

 

[grunthos]

Hi Experts,
I stay in Mumbai (Dahisar) and ....

Also please suggests other outlets/shops to take different combinations of demo.

Thanks in advance!

You can check AVS Sound in Borivali, right on the Highway
Welcome to Audio One

They deal in Dali and you can try the Zensor 1s, they sound very good

For Wharfedale, try "The Shop" in Andheri Link Road. They carry a LOT of brands, so you will get a chance to compare products

Also try MZ Audio in Bandra SV Road (very close to the Highway) and listen to Boston Acoustics there

 

[Bizi05]

Hi Puneet,

If your budget is 1.5L. Then you can go Yamaha RX-V681 as it is a balanced receiver for both movie and Music. For speakers you can go for Dali Zensor 3(for Front), Zensor Vokal, Zensor 1 for surround with a mid range subwoofer such as Taga or Sonodyne Roarr1210.

I saw your room photo and understand the difficulty of placing the bookshelf speaker on the wall but still I recommend for Bookshelf for below reason. You can mount the front bookshelf speaker at that Helmet level, and it won't sound bad. And believe me you will not regret in future.

1) The amount of detailing you will get from Dali Z3, Z1 and Vokal that no satellite speaker can produce not even BOSE(Their Acoustimas Speaker package) . Satellite Speaker package from Bose Acoustimas Speaker package with any AV receiver is a flop show. I have personally audition Bose Acoustimas+Yamaha 675(Demo provided by Bose Showroom). Bose Speakers works great with their AMP.

2) Also by anytime if you want to enjoy music(during the night time) by switching off the subwoofer then satellite sounds very bad.

Thanks,
Sujit

 

[dr_rocket]

Agree with all points of Sujit except speaker placement at helmet level. Better would be just above the TV.

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[sanloyn]

I think you will have to think of moving the glass shelf out of that place and make room for the book shelfs. Otherwise you are in for a huge compromise in spite of spending so much money.
Also the TV needs to be centered.
If you have decided to go with bookshelfs, then you can go for Polk Center and fronts as your usage is 90% movies.
Surrounds - can go for satellite speakers.
Sub - Polk DSW 550 or SVS SB/PB 1000

 

[puneet.darji]

The Wharfedale Diamond 220 package as seen on hifimart is great. I just bought it a few weeks ago along with Denon X2300. Its in your budget and I am very satisfied with it.

Wharfedale DX1SE is available for demo at Hifimart Colaba along with entire range. I found it good as well but needed bigger speakers and hence went for 220s.

Paradigm C100 is available for demo at The Shop Andheri or The Den Worli. Its quite a good satellite speaker system.

Enjoy your demos ...

Totally agree regarding the Wharfedale. I had a demo yesterday @Colaba HifiMart. Mr. Anil is great guy and showed us the demo. We demoed D 220 and D210. D 220 will be bigger it seems so as of now I have removed it from my list and have kept 210 + 220C + DFS + D10 as package. It sounds what I wanted. But still will look out and demo the SVS subwoofer.

You can check AVS Sound in Borivali, right on the Highway
Welcome to Audio One

They deal in Dali and you can try the Zensor 1s, they sound very good

For Wharfedale, try "The Shop" in Andheri Link Road. They carry a LOT of brands, so you will get a chance to compare products

Also try MZ Audio in Bandra SV Road (very close to the Highway) and listen to Boston Acoustics there

I had already visited Borivali highway one but seriously the guy over there didn't gave proper demo and I suppose it was not configured correctly as well. He was just kind of helper looking into shop. I have taken their Andheri shop contacts. Will visit in coming days also will visit The Stop and will take demo.

Hi Puneet,

If your budget is 1.5L. Then you can go Yamaha RX-V681 as it is a balanced receiver for both movie and Music. For speakers you can go for Dali Zensor 3(for Front), Zensor Vokal, Zensor 1 for surround with a mid range subwoofer such as Taga or Sonodyne Roarr1210.

I saw your room photo and understand the difficulty of placing the bookshelf speaker on the wall but still I recommend for Bookshelf for below reason. You can mount the front bookshelf speaker at that Helmet level, and it won't sound bad. And believe me you will not regret in future.

1) The amount of detailing you will get from Dali Z3, Z1 and Vokal that no satellite speaker can produce not even BOSE(Their Acoustimas Speaker package) . Satellite Speaker package from Bose Acoustimas Speaker package with any AV receiver is a flop show. I have personally audition Bose Acoustimas+Yamaha 675(Demo provided by Bose Showroom). Bose Speakers works great with their AMP.

2) Also by anytime if you want to enjoy music(during the night time) by switching off the subwoofer then satellite sounds very bad.

Thanks,
Sujit

Very good point about switching subwoofer at night. Also I'm not inclined towards satellite and since now I have listened to both i.e. bookshelfs and satellite so obviously bookshelfs are the one to be go after. I'm considering the Bose as my dad is very much inclined to demo it . No harm in taking demo so will check that out their Inorbit shop.

To move or change the furniture currently is not feasible for atleast 5-8 yrs also that glass shelf is attached to bottom furniture hence cannot be moved :sad:

Will update this thread as I take demo in coming days for dali, Zensor and SVS subwoofer.

Thanks!

 

[newlash09]

The reason why most would suggest having all 5 speakers at ear level ( sometimes rears positioned a foot above ear level ) is to have a uniform sound stage over a wider seating position. However, you can have satellites mounted in the position suggested by you, and angle them to your listening position. once angled correctly, and levels calibrated via your AVR, you will not make out any discernable difference between placing them at ear level on your tv shelf, or just below the ceiling. However, if you were to move closer to TV from this listening position, you would find the sound field going over your head. Just something to consider.

I have a 5.1 setup in a similar 11 x 17 ft room, with Qacoustics Q7000i speaker package, and iam very happy with the results. Tried using the concept 40's as fronts, and the seamless integrity of the sound stage vanished. So, Iam certainly sticking with the Q7000i in my room. My setup consists of the FL,FR & centre all placed below the TV. Will try to attach some pics. And you can see that the same will work for you in your room pretty well. You will probably need a broader media cabinet for your TV, wide enough for the right door to operate, and you will be all set.

I also listen to music in 2.1 stereo mode, and it still sounds awesome. So, Iam all in favour of a satellite system for that room size. Besides, Iam a stickler for aesthetics, and cant stand the sight of boxes all over my room. But again, that's just me.

So, in my opinion just go for a satellite package for now. Spend majority of your money on a AV amp with a good room calibration system, I would seriously recommend looking at Audessey Multi EQ within your budget. From my experience , I feel room correction makes a lot of difference for small room setup's than outright power of the AV amp.

Just to back up my above suggestion, Iam posting pics of the various setup's I've tried in different rooms and locations in my flat, before finalizing my final setup.

All the best with your search. Take your time to audition, and enjoy the buying experience. As they say....'The hunt is more thrilling, than the kill'

 

[grunthos]

.
Just to back up my above suggestion, Iam posting pics of the various setup's I've tried in different rooms and locations in my flat, before finalizing my final setup.

All the best with your search. Take your time to audition, and enjoy the buying experience. As they say....'The hunt is more thrilling, than the kill'

Which are the two speakers? One black and one white...

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[newlash09]

The black floor standers are from the audiopro avanto 5.0 setup. Very Very good speakers irrespective of the money. I paid 42K for the 5 speaker set, and it really runs the concept 40's in white, quite close. In fact I was not blown over, listening to the concept 40's after the audiopro's. But then again, in my small reflective room, what iam listening to is 70% room, and 30% speakers. So, Iam not writing off the concept 40's, but for the acoustic environment of my room, spending 127K for the concept 40's was a waste of money.

The Audipro's have a snappier timing and punch as compared to the laid back concept 40's. They are also bassy, because they have 8 inch woofers built into each floor stander. Your ears will bleed without a subhyeah:

Where the concept 40's win, is their refinement. And a warm laid back sound. And a bit more definition in the bass, as compared to the audiopro's. And they are also more sensitive, so easier to run with the bluesound powernode, which is just 45 W per channel into 4 ohms.

As you can see in the pics, I have retained the audiopro floorstanders in my listening room with the concept 40's. I use the concept 40's for laid back numbers, and switch to the audiopro's for EDM. But the audiopro's need a bit of current, because of the woofers built in. All in all, Iam mighty impressed with the audiopro's, and they are a sure steel at 42K that I paid for them. They would rightfully deserve twice that money.

 

[newlash09]

Adding 2 more pics of the Audiopro's. They also look beautiful with a angled profile. Iam planning on getting them a white vinyl wrap. These 2 are keepers for me.... despite my better half's insistence that I reduce the box count from 4 to 2.:argue:

 

[rpmahale]

Visit MZ Audio, they have Pioneer VSX 1131 @43k ( with Dolby Atmos) without bill & warranty. Pair them with Taga Azure F-100 @ 35k and then similar center abd Surround speakers with Forum famous Taga Subwoofer. May be entire package come in your budget. If looking for Satellite Subwoofer system them check Detinative Technology Pro-cinem 600 or 800. Room fill sound from small speakers. Just take advice and suggestions from FM and believe on your ears.

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[Lad1]

Visit MZ Audio, they have Pioneer VSX 1131 @43k ( with Dolby Atmos) without bill & warranty. Pair them with Taga Azure F-100 @ 35k and then similar center abd Surround speakers with Forum famous Taga Subwoofer. May be entire package come in your budget. If looking for Satellite Subwoofer system them check Detinative Technology Pro-cinem 600 or 800. Room fill sound from small speakers. Just take advice and suggestions from FM and believe on your ears.

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While my visit to mz audio i heard the azure F100.Truly good speakers.Also they look very beautiful

 

[grunthos]

The black floor standers are from the audiopro avanto 5.0 setup. Very Very good speakers irrespective of the money. I paid 42K for the 5 speaker set, and it really runs the concept 40's in white, quite close. In fact I was not blown over, listening to the concept 40's after the audiopro's. But then again, in my small reflective room, what iam listening to is 70% room, and 30% speakers. So, Iam not writing off the concept 40's, but for the acoustic environment of my room, spending 127K for the concept 40's was a waste of money.

The Audipro's have a snappier timing and punch as compared to the laid back concept 40's. They are also bassy, because they have 8 inch woofers built into each floor stander. Your ears will bleed without a subhyeah:

Where the concept 40's win, is their refinement. And a warm laid back sound. And a bit more definition in the bass, as compared to the audiopro's. And they are also more sensitive, so easier to run with the bluesound powernode, which is just 45 W per channel into 4 ohms.

As you can see in the pics, I have retained the audiopro floorstanders in my listening room with the concept 40's. I use the concept 40's for laid back numbers, and switch to the audiopro's for EDM. But the audiopro's need a bit of current, because of the woofers built in. All in all, Iam mighty impressed with the audiopro's, and they are a sure steel at 42K that I paid for them. They would rightfully deserve twice that money.

I hadn't heard of the Audio Pro Avantos before
The couple of reviews online seem pretty good. But at the price you've mentioned - 42k for 5.0 set - sounds fabulous!