Home Theater purchase in Kolkata

[tirthankar]

Hi All,

This is tirthankar from Kolkata, with my first post in HFV and my first of possibly many questions

I am looking to buy an entry level home theater in Kolkata. My budget is 35k - 40k, can stretch to 4-5k if worth it.
Music:Movies - 40:60.

I demoed the Onkyo 3300 yesterday, and here are my impressions:

Clips:
Ice Age glacier breaking scene (bass and highs)
LOTR intro fight(vocals, surround and bass)
Matrix lobby fight(highs, surround and general chaos)
Matrix bullet dodge (surround)

Surround: Good. In the Matrix bullet dodging scene, the bullets whizzing past sounded really cool. Also Sauron exploding scene in LOTR 1 sounded good.

Vocals(center) : Clear. The intro speech in LOTR one sounded clear and my father said he could never understand what she was saying earlier but did now

Bass: This is what I did not like much. Boomy and overpowering the others some what. May be because of the passive speaker?

High: Clear and not overly harsh. Played fairly good with the bass in the Ice Age glacier scene. Machine gun bullets in the matrix lobby fight had a sort of bite in them and did did not hurt ears by much when cranked up.

I also listened to the live recording of the hotel california in DTS. The guitar was nice but the vocals were a bit muddy. Overall average performance in music. Could not listen to anything else as I did not take my audio DVD (rather forgot )

I cant say I was mightily impressed. The bass sounded a bit too boomy. I recognize the fact that it is extremely value for the money for the performance it gives, but I am looking for a bit more.

I am looking to audition yamaha, denon and polk next weekend. I am looking at the yht-392 htib from yamaha which uses the NSP-380 speakers with the entry level 367 receiver. I will also try the speakers with the 467 receiver.
I will also be auditioning RM6750 with denon 1311 and 1611 at profx.

Now this is where the question comes in. I am leaning towards the 467+6750 as I have heard the yamaha is warmer than denon and good for music, while denon + polk sounds too bright.

I have been quoted almost the same price for the 1611 and 467, around 26-27k, while the NSP-80 and 6750 have both been quoted close to 20k.

SO what do you guys think will be a better choice:

Denon 1611+6750
Denon 1611+NSP-380
Yamaha 467+6750
Yamaha 467+NSP-380

These will come in at around 47k (43-44 if I can bargain well enough) and slightly over budget. So how different do you think they will be compared to the HT packages from 1311+6750 or yht-392, which are falling in my budget.

And what do you think of the Onkyo-5300 compare to these.

Of course I will be going through all of them in my audition and post my impressions here, but after that may end up more confused than before . So just wanted inputs from you guys before making the final decision.

 

[theironhorse]

gurus please punch in....

 

[hemant0285]

Denon 1611+6750
AND
.Yamaha 467+6750
Both are good choices... Same speakers...diff AVR...audition and decide for yrself... and If u got an ipod go for Denon...as it supports direct ipod playback ... but for Yamaha u need a separate dock...

 

[suprateep]

i have a onkyo 5.1 setup. Shifting onsite on April 15th - shifting goods to kolkata on 7th - in case you are interested, will let go of the onlyo 606, hts 230, as 230(rear speaker stands) + wiring for 35k.

In case you are interested - http://www.hifivision.com/sale-owne...o-sks-ht230-speaker-stands-rear-speakers.html

BTW there are zero blemishes on the system - none on receiver or speakers. No problems either. Since I am shifting on a sales profile hence coming back in next 3 yrs is remote. Am on calcutta - you can seal the deal after testing the goods.

btw my vote is for 1611+6750 combo

 

[tirthankar]

Thanks guys.. unfortunately it seems I wont be able to audition the polk+yamaha or denon+yamaha combo as they are different shops. Will need to rely on my judgement and feedback from you people. So please keep the suggestions flowing.

@Supra: I might like an audition, but I'd like to read up a bit on the 606 first. Seems like a little old model .. no offense meant Also, what about warranty (sorry if its a noob question).
In the mean time, can you pm me your address and contact so I may get back to you if I decide on an audition?

@all: Any other speakers you people think falls within my bracket and I should look in to? I really dont know what brands are available here. Maybe kolkata guys can help?

Thanks.

 

[suprateep]

Thanks guys.. unfortunately it seems I wont be able to audition the polk+yamaha or denon+yamaha combo as they are different shops. Will need to rely on my judgement and feedback from you people. So please keep the suggestions flowing.

@Supra: I might like an audition, but I'd like to read up a bit on the 606 first. Seems like a little old model .. no offense meant Also, what about warranty (sorry if its a noob question).
In the mean time, can you pm me your address and contact so I may get back to you if I decide on an audition?

@all: Any other speakers you people think falls within my bracket and I should look in to? I really dont know what brands are available here. Maybe kolkata guys can help?

Thanks.

yessir it was purchased in 2009 May - sparingly used since I was mostly travelling on B1 last year and this year shifting on h1 for long term. I will pm you my number. everything will be packed but I will open and test everything in front of you. No guarantee but its aint broke mate. Never opened or repaired.

btw I stay in ballygunge circular road in south cal - will reach tentatively by 6th evening.

 

[haisaikat]

Thanks guys.. unfortunately it seems I wont be able to audition the polk+yamaha or denon+yamaha combo as they are different shops. Will need to rely on my judgement and feedback from you people. So please keep the suggestions flowing.

@all: Any other speakers you people think falls within my bracket and I should look in to? I really dont know what brands are available here. Maybe kolkata guys can help?

Thanks.

tirthankar, you may check this thread... http://www.hifivision.com/speakers/...ata-8.html?highlight=speaker+audition+kolkata

we were on a similar pursuit recently and what we did was finalizing the speakers first and purchase them and then take them to profx for audition, profx does allow this. You need to check with yamaha however if you give them sufficient assurance they may allow you, even if you do not buy later.

Regarding brands available in kolkata check this thread ...

http://www.hifivision.com/authorised-dealers/4268-avr-speaker-dealers-showroom-kolkata.html

One update.. Japonica is very low on stocks as of last month. You need to check if they have new stocks on Paradigm.

Digital Acoustics has now shifted to Maddox Square.

 

[tirthankar]

@haisaikat: thanks a lot for the list man, that was extensive.

@pranab: thanks.. me looking at that too. will do the auditions this sunday. had been thinking of doing it saturday.. but thats no longer possible, is it..

 

[tirthankar]

okay.. I auditioned the denon 1311 and 1611 avr with the polk 6750.

Impressions:
The sound was definitely better than 3300. The sub was tighter and more punchy, i am assuming it being an active sub. The center channel was very clear, the dialogues coming pretty clean. The battle of Pandora sounded very good and they also played a clip from some western and the sounds of gunfire had a very enjoyable crack and thump in them.
Stereo was also pretty good, instruments had a nice separation and the vocals sounded pretty nice.

I could not identify much sonic differences between 1611 and 1311, except the latter seemed to have a better overall clarity and the sub sounded even better, tighter and punchier. It also seemed to be having a wider sound stage.

Now one thing I am doubtful about is that the person providing the demo said that the 1611 does upscaling along with upconverting and 1311 does only up converting to hdmi. I earlier thought that this was true for 1611 and 1911, not 1311 and 1611.
Can any one else confirm?

I didnt get the time to audition the yamaha. Planning to do it tomorrow after office if I find time.

 

[haisaikat]

I didnt get the time to audition the yamaha. Planning to do it tomorrow after office if I find time.

Yamaha speakers in that range may be average sounding w.r.t Polks RM, from my personal experiance with Yamaha speakers in this range. At 26K you will get 5 speakers package of Yamaha including floor standers as well. But for all practival reasons you must go and audition. Btw, they are also open on Sundays.

 

[tirthankar]

So after a lot of demoes and thoughts I have decided to go for the denon + polk combo.

Heard the yamaha speakers and saikat was right, they didnt make much impressions compared to the polks.. they just didnt seem as detailed. The sub with the polks also sounded better than the yamaha. Understandable, as yamaha is supposed to be making some of the best avrs in business, not speakers.

Any way, so the only last question I have in my mind is whether to go for 1311 or 1611. The best offer I am getting for 1611 + 6750 is 46k, while with 1311 I can get it for 34k.

So is Audyssey + analog -> digital upconverting + 1 extra power supply (6 versus 7) + dolby prologic II z worth a difference of 12k ?

Assuming i want to expand my setup and replace the speakers with better bookshelves or may be floorstanders, will it be better getting 1611 instead of 1311 ?

As per my listening, I could not discern much of a difference between 1311 and 1611 sonically using satellites as I said in another post in this thread, though the sound in 1611 was better.. not significant but definitely noticeable by me.

I dont mind spending the 12k extra if it is worth it, but to know if it is worth it, I am looking up to the gurus here.

 

[haisaikat]

So after a lot of demoes and thoughts I have decided to go for the denon + polk combo.

So is Audyssey + analog -> digital upconverting + 1 extra power supply (6 versus 7) + dolby prologic II z worth a difference of 12k ?

Assuming i want to expand my setup and replace the speakers with better bookshelves or may be floorstanders, will it be better getting 1611 instead of 1311 ?
.

Tirthankar,
Please go for 1611 as Dolby PL2 will make notricable diufference if you original sour4ce is like sowqnloaded movies with 2 channel sound then you will get a virtual surround effect using PL2 and that is good trust me, of course not as good as original 5.1 but still a lot of improvement.

Audessy, will save you a lot of time in set up and will help you learn things better with settings by showing you recommended values of frequencies.

Having even marginally higher powered avr will help you in the long run if you plan to upgrade to better bookshelves in future.

 

[tirthankar]

Thanks saikat.. guess that seals the deal.

btw.. you have a great setup, and your thread regarding the speaker hunt has been extremely helpful to me in identifying the shops.

 

[haisaikat]

All the best tirthankar for your setup. Mandark and subhadeepgayen on this forum also has similar setup as mine.. apart from that other members from kolkata like prof asit has also given a lot of inputs in helping us reach our decision. Nothing will make us more happy if our post helps others in reaching a right decision.

 

[vprasad84]

hi tirthankar,

i liked the denon1611+polk6750 combination when i auditioned it last month. It was pretty good & crisp. I might buy it on next week or the other. Please post your updates with the denon polk combi....also let me know the best prices u can get it for there.

 

[deba]

Once I went to the Promises Instrument in Kolkata for a Home Theater Demo....O what a Circus it was and I really enjoyed it for free........

 

[tirthankar]

Well, got the delivery of Polk RM 6750 along with the Denon 1611 avr and the profx guys came and set it up. Total damages 46K(avr + speakers) and 4k for the cables.
Thanks a lot to all the people who have taken some time off to post in this thread and help me finalize.

The profx guys had done some setup themselves, but I was not happy with the results and ran Audyssey myself and then did some changes with the channel levels to bring the sound to my liking.
As my speakers are a bit high and the surround are behind me instead of beside me, initially there was a problem of the fronts and the surrounds interfering and the end result was not really there. I got some stands for the fronts to tilt and angle them towards the center of the room so that it passes below the surrounds and the surrounds are angled down but less than the fronts. Now the sounds are much better. Surround is working great and the dialogues are coming through crisp and clean.

The sub still seems a little bit subdued. Seems like I will need to work a little more on the sub.

I have set the satellites to small, crossover for the front and back at 120 Hz and center at 110 Hz. The LPF for LFE I have set at 120 Hz and the Crossover knob at the back of the woofer is turned all the way up to 180 Hz to prevent double filtering. Anything else I should be doing?

 

[angynagpal]

Well, got the delivery of Polk RM 6750 along with the Denon 1611 avr and the profx guys came and set it up. Total damages 46K(avr + speakers) and 4k for the cables.
Thanks a lot to all the people who have taken some time off to post in this thread and help me finalize.

The profx guys had done some setup themselves, but I was not happy with the results and ran Audyssey myself and then did some changes with the channel levels to bring the sound to my liking.
As my speakers are a bit high and the surround are behind me instead of beside me, initially there was a problem of the fronts and the surrounds interfering and the end result was not really there. I got some stands for the fronts to tilt and angle them towards the center of the room so that it passes below the surrounds and the surrounds are angled down but less than the fronts. Now the sounds are much better. Surround is working great and the dialogues are coming through crisp and clean.

The sub still seems a little bit subdued. Seems like I will need to work a little more on the sub.

I have set the satellites to small, crossover for the front and back at 120 Hz and center at 110 Hz. The LPF for LFE I have set at 120 Hz and the Crossover knob at the back of the woofer is turned all the way up to 180 Hz to prevent double filtering. Anything else I should be doing?

COngratts on your purchase ! Hope your are enjoying your setup !

Based on your post, it seems the Profx guys did a bad job in setting up your HT. Now this make me nervous. Arent these guys supposed to be sound engineers who install the product keeping in mind your room, acoustics etc., so that you get the best sound out of the setup? If they couldnt get it right, then who will help people like us !

 

[tirthankar]

^^ Thanks..

Well I cant really blame them, as when the installation finished and tuning started it was already 10:00 at night.. and naturally they were in a bit of a hurry, even then they were pretty helpful and spent a fair bit of time and left only after I agreed that thats all that could be done at the moment. Also the directional issues with the satellites I had mentioned in my post was a major block in getting the right sound.

I already knew that even after they do their job I will need to do some more fine tuning while playing different movies with different sound signatures from my abundant movie repository

If you get the installation done at some time in the afternoon and not too late at night, that should give them enough time. And dont worry, even after they are done, you can always recalibrate it to your liking. Audyssey makes life very easy by not making you mess around with tapes and spl meters

 

[angynagpal]

^^ Thanks..

Also the directional issues with the satellites I had mentioned in my post was a major block in getting the right sound.

But shouldnt that be pointed out by the engineers themselves !

Well...I guess Audyssey is the best option !

Do post a detailed review of your system soon....will be waiting for it :licklips: