Help! Good Quality Home Theater Required (1st HT :D)

[Get2Ricky]

Hello guys, ok first thing i am really a noob when it comes to Home Theaters as i have always been using PC speakers for my surround sound movies and music. Recently spend 9K on PC speakers to get the theater surround sound but disappointment. So decided to go for home theater instead and extended by budget to 26K (by searching internet and finding YAMAHA YHT 196) but when in went to the market (Chandigarh) from yamaha dealer i came to know YHT 196 and even 299 are discontinued so they are not available. Only 2 models available, yamaha yht 1810 @33K and 2910 @47K.

Took the demo of 1810 and it was good but not too good as trebles and bass felt lower side. Then the dealer suggested me a combo of yamaha 2067 avr and JBL 200.5 speakers (yes they have jbl stuff too) @47K and gave its demo. And well the quality difference was noticeable better, much more clear voice, trebles and bass then yamaha 1810.
So now it seems like the sound quality i am looking for would cost me above 40K, and if i am going above 40K is this setup worth or anything else better than this in the same range? (need to be using it for movies and music)

Please need suggestions badly and if anyone here is from chandigarh, do tell me from where i could audition it more.

 

[quixand]

Denon SYS 5.1 with AVR-X500: Amazon.in: Electronics

Much better.

 

[Get2Ricky]

Denon SYS 5.1 with AVR-X500: Amazon.in: Electronics

Much better.

Is it really better then the above mentioned combo?

 

[quixand]

That model is from 2010, discontinued. Shouldn't run you 40k in 2015. Audition the Denon x500.

 

[Get2Ricky]

That model is from 2010, discontinued. Shouldn't run you 40k in 2015. Audition the Denon x500.

Sorry for being slow, but which model is discontinued? 1810 or 2067 avr with jbl? And i am unable to find Denon stuff in my town only yamaha pioneer and jbl so far ..

 

[quixand]

Hold on I think you mean HTR 2067 not RXV 2067. The latter is an old model.

HTR-2067 - AV Receivers/Amplifiers - Yamaha - India

The HTR 2067 is the same as my Receiver RXV 375 without the YPAO calibration mic. RXV 375 got rebranded as 3067 etc.

Pair it up with a proper speaker package. Please don't pair it up with those JBLs I have auditioned them too.

There are loads on Hifimart. Home Theatre System
You can look at BA Speakers.

The Fronts and Subs you can probably take care of while auditioning, closely hear Rear Speaker performance too.
A good movie to check is probably TRON:Legacy. Lots of Subwoofer action but a loads of usage of Rear Speakers when actor enters Arena scene.

Likewise any Action/War movie should have ear splitting glass shattering, bullets ricocheting. The sound would bounce from speaker to speaker without any loss of continuity. You can check FURY since it is a latest movie.

Since you haven't mentioned the size of the room or which room (Living, Bedroom) make sure you check the volume knobs on subwoofer and check the volume level on AVR when auditioning. Set the AVR at -20dB and check the volume levels. This is a 70W amp so you don't want to under power your speakers and your room should be reaching 90dB (Measure it through UE SPL app on your phone - ios, android) when amp is set at -20dB.
Run it for atleast 1/2 hour at that volume setting. This AVR (Atleast mine) shuts down automatically after some pushing. Also there is a slight problem with HDMI switching but not a deal breaker for me. You can check in detail in Yamaha AVR owners thread here.

You'd want to do the same with Denon x500 Boston Acoustics too. Look around the forums a little bit more I'm sure you will find a pricing, dealer details list for Chandigarh.

 

[Get2Ricky]

Hold on I think you mean HTR 2067 not RXV 2067. The latter is an old model.

HTR-2067 - AV Receivers/Amplifiers - Yamaha - India

The HTR 2067 is the same as my Receiver RXV 375 without the YPAO calibration mic. RXV 375 got rebranded as 3067 etc.

Pair it up with a proper speaker package. Please don't pair it up with those JBLs I have auditioned them too.

There are loads on Hifimart. Home Theatre System
You can look at BA Speakers.

The Fronts and Subs you can probably take care of while auditioning, closely hear Rear Speaker performance too.
A good movie to check is probably TRON:Legacy. Lots of Subwoofer action but a loads of usage of Rear Speakers when actor enters Arena scene.

Likewise any Action/War movie should have ear splitting glass shattering, bullets ricocheting. The sound would bounce from speaker to speaker without any loss of continuity. You can check FURY since it is a latest movie.

Since you haven't mentioned the size of the room or which room (Living, Bedroom) make sure you check the volume knobs on subwoofer and check the volume level on AVR when auditioning. Set the AVR at -20dB and check the volume levels. This is a 70W amp so you don't want to under power your speakers and your room should be reaching 90dB (Measure it through UE SPL app on your phone - ios, android) when amp is set at -20dB.
Run it for atleast 1/2 hour at that volume setting. This AVR (Atleast mine) shuts down automatically after some pushing. Also there is a slight problem with HDMI switching but not a deal breaker for me. You can check in detail in Yamaha AVR owners thread here.

You'd want to do the same with Denon x500 Boston Acoustics too. Look around the forums a little bit more I'm sure you will find a pricing, dealer details list for Chandigarh.

Ok so i might be going for Yamaha HTR 2067 AVR and pair it up with JBL Cinema 300 speakers (Is this good combo) and how much quality difference when compared to budget HTIB yamaha 1810 as price difference between both setups is huge!! As my budget was around 30K but after listening to much better systems and reading forums and all, if the quality difference is really really huge i can extend the budget to 40/50ish by saving more and getting the system after a month or 2.

Room Size is approx 10ft by 11ft (really small i know) and like mostly i am gonna use downloaded blu rays with dts 5.1 sound. If i take them in HDD/USB for the audition, is it possible for these avr to play those files directly or i need to buy a BluRay Disk for the audition?

 

[TheSeeker]

i've read that some users here have denon X1000, denon X3000 as AVRs. sam9s has X1000 if am correct. this line seems to be quite good, plus BA Soundware XS5.1 are acclaimed speakers too. as suggested by quixand, check/request dealer-details and prices in relevant threads.

 

[Get2Ricky]

i've read that some users here have denon X1000, denon X3000 as AVRs. sam9s has X1000 if am correct. this line seems to be quite good, plus BA Soundware XS5.1 are acclaimed speakers too. as suggested by quixand, check/request dealer-details and prices in relevant threads.

@TheSeeker
@quixand

Those Avr TheSeeker mentioned are out of budget, My budget is 40-45K. And out of BA soundware xs 5.1 and JBL cinema 300 5.1 which one is better? (considering JBL got service center in my town and for BA i need to get it from snapdeal which again might not come with a warranty).

For AVR max i could go for is 30K and current options in market i got is Yamaha 2067 @27K and Denon x500 around 28K (snapdeal). Other then these 2 what other options you guys recommend within 30K (max, if i really extend my budget above 50K) that would go best with above mentioned set of speakers.

P.S. Room size is pretty small for now i.e. 10ft by 11ft approx with a double bed taking most of the space :/

ANother thing, is it possible to take blurays movies with 5.1 DTS sound in a pendrive/hdd to test those while auditioning? Or i need actual bluray disk??

 

[TheSeeker]

yes those ones are costlier. i mentioned them just to give you an idea of the progression of that particular line of AVRs from Denon, and that they are liked by many.

and i think any would do, a disk or a rip, and even a DVD with DD5.1 should be good.

 

[TheSeeker]

for speakers, would suggest you to request any Chandigarh member having the BA speakers to personally let you audition them at his place. both these speakers have received praises on the forum.

 

[George T]

@TheSeeker
@quixand

Those Avr TheSeeker mentioned are out of budget, My budget is 40-45K. And out of BA soundware xs 5.1 and JBL cinema 300 5.1 which one is better? (considering JBL got service center in my town and for BA i need to get it from snapdeal which again might not come with a warranty).

For AVR max i could go for is 30K and current options in market i got is Yamaha 2067 @27K and Denon x500 around 28K (snapdeal). Other then these 2 what other options you guys recommend within 30K (max, if i really extend my budget above 50K) that would go best with above mentioned set of speakers.

P.S. Room size is pretty small for now i.e. 10ft by 11ft approx with a double bed taking most of the space :/

ANother thing, is it possible to take blurays movies with 5.1 DTS sound in a pendrive/hdd to test those while auditioning? Or i need actual bluray disk??

1) For AVR checkout ONKYO TX-NR828 (2013 model) which should be around your budget of 30K since a newer model NR838 is in the market . Its a solid 7.2 surround system But make sure its not factory refurbished.
2) Speakers are the problem: I could recommend you Polk TSX Book shelves series with a good Subwoofer but that would come up to about 85000/- why not build up over time with first 2 floor 3 way or 4 way speakers, next add a sub woofer, then center, then surround, then front wide or front high ( assuming you go for the 7.2 )
3) if you need discrete 5.1 then take your Blu-Ray or DVD with you to test

 

[Get2Ricky]

1) For AVR checkout ONKYO TX-NR828 (2013 model) which should be around your budget of 30K since a newer model NR838 is in the market . Its a solid 7.2 surround system But make sure its not factory refurbished.
2) Speakers are the problem: I could recommend you Polk TSX Book shelves series with a good Subwoofer but that would come up to about 85000/- why not build up over time with first 2 floor 3 way or 4 way speakers, next add a sub woofer, then center, then surround, then front wide or front high ( assuming you go for the 7.2 )
3) if you need discrete 5.1 then take your Blu-Ray or DVD with you to test

Isn't onkyo only good in movies as per the forums? And my requirement is 60% movies and 40% music so i need something almost equally good in movies and music.

About speakers, i don't have space for floor standers, small room of 10 by 12 ft approx with most space occupied by bed and computer table as i am gonna connect this home theater with the PC.

 

[George T]

Isn't onkyo only good in movies as per the forums? And my requirement is 60% movies and 40% music so i need something almost equally good in movies and music.

About speakers, i don't have space for floor standers, small room of 10 by 12 ft approx with most space occupied by bed and computer table as i am gonna connect this home theater with the PC.

Its not a rule that ONKYO AVRs are good only for movies. There is slight metallic timbre to the vocals in the ONKYO TX-NR 828 but it is not a big deal. Space of course is a major constraint in any home theater setup so obviously you have to go for bookshelves when you have such a situation. Again Polk Audio has some good book shelves choices. even minis

 

[quixand]

I'd like to see Onkyo TX-NR828 for 30K first.

I haven't seen anything online so maybe a used amp?

 

[George T]

I'd like to see Onkyo TX-NR828 for 30K first.

I haven't seen anything online so maybe a used amp?

Check with the nearest ONKYO dealer. Online prices if at all may be on the higher side.

 

[quixand]

@TheSeeker
@quixand

Those Avr TheSeeker mentioned are out of budget, My budget is 40-45K. And out of BA soundware xs 5.1 and JBL cinema 300 5.1 which one is better? (considering JBL got service center in my town and for BA i need to get it from snapdeal which again might not come with a warranty).

For AVR max i could go for is 30K and current options in market i got is Yamaha 2067 @27K and Denon x500 around 28K (snapdeal). Other then these 2 what other options you guys recommend within 30K (max, if i really extend my budget above 50K) that would go best with above mentioned set of speakers.

P.S. Room size is pretty small for now i.e. 10ft by 11ft approx with a double bed taking most of the space :/

ANother thing, is it possible to take blurays movies with 5.1 DTS sound in a pendrive/hdd to test those while auditioning? Or i need actual bluray disk??

There are other ones like Pioneer VSX825 etc.
Personally I don't think you can land Onkyo 8xx series for 30k.

Speakers I'll leave it up to you. Can't buy w/o auditioning. It's a matter of personal taste and not just brand names.

I think a 70W per channel AMP is more than sufficient for your to fill up your room space.

Regarding test material. It would be best if you can rent a few Blu Ray discs or DVDs of the movies you are familiar with. Check the good bits before hand.

The dealers generally carry Demo discs too.

Honestly speaking if you are upgrading from a Multimedia Speaker it's better to make sure a 2nd person (preferably an HT owner) goes with you.

 

[quixand]

Check with the nearest ONKYO dealer. Online prices if at all may be on the higher side.

Yeah true but the 8xx series is pretty high end. Should be around 50K atleast here. I'll check.

 

[elangoas]

Yeah true but the 8xx series is pretty high end. Should be around 50K atleast here. I'll check.

The 8xx series is mid-range series from Onkyo... x0x0 series are high-end ones... 8xx series are approx 80K minimum in India...

 

[George T]

The 8xx series is mid-range series from Onkyo... x0x0 series are high-end ones... 8xx series are approx 80K minimum in India...

Quick question, the NR828 is a 2013 model . the NR838 the 2014 model has been in showrooms for quite some time haven't the prices dropped for the 2013 models? 80K seems to be pretty high for the NR828.