HT Setup Recommendations needed

[vinyasmusic]

Hello All

Been meaning to setup a HT for around 50-55k.
Looking to setup only 5.1 and thinking of only doing the 3.0 setup in this budget for now. And adding 20-25k later on for sub and surround speakers.

I have a few constraints as I don't I can use tower speakers as the TV unit is already setup (didn't think of setting up HT when doing the interiors ). Also the sub placement will be an issue so might have to look for a setup which doesn't require a sub (also keeps the people in below flat happy). The room layout is attached for reference.

Here are a few setups I was thinking of.

1. Denon X1400h + Micca MB42x + Micca MB42XC (Not sure about the Warranty since it may not be officially sold in India, it's available on Amazon)

2. X1400h + Pioneer Bs22lr + Pioneer c22 (will overshoot a little)

3. X1400h + Q Acoustics 3020i + 3090Ci (Forget the surround and sub)

Looking forward to your suggestions.

Location is Bengaluru, if that is of concern.

 

[raghupb]

Click on the banner above "Hifimart"
There are some good deals to be found.
If you can host only 5.1/5.2 eventually, why buy 7.2 AVR?

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[DB1989]

There is going to be no benefit from a 3.0 setup without the back channels for now so IMHO, i would advise you to add the center channel and surround speakers at a later stage and rather start with a good set of front channels. A good pair of bookshelves with good stereo imganing will be more satisfying and can produce a center image where dialogue will seem like its coming from a center channel. The x1400H is a very good building block and available for around 36K i think which leaves you with approx 20K with which you can get a Q acoustics 3020is which are fantastic overachieving speakers at that price. A lot of times, i find myself watching movies only in stereo and its rewarding enough when the speakers are good. The Mission LX2s are also available for a bargain price of 15K on hifimart also.

 

[sujithblaze]

You could get the taga 606 5.0 package for 30k with x1400 or marantz 1509 for 33k,yes bit of a stretch

 

[vinyasmusic]

Click on the banner above "Hifimart"
There are some good deals to be found.
If you can host only 5.1/5.2 eventually, why buy 7.2 AVR?

Cheers,
Raghu

Well that's because of the "just in case".
Otherwise which 5.1 AVR is good to drive these speakers.

 

[vinyasmusic]

There is going to be no benefit from a 3.0 setup without the back channels for now so IMHO, i would advise you to add the center channel and surround speakers at a later stage and rather start with a good set of front channels. A good pair of bookshelves with good stereo imganing will be more satisfying and can produce a center image where dialogue will seem like its coming from a center channel. The x1400H is a very good building block and available for around 36K i think which leaves you with approx 20K with which you can get a Q acoustics 3020is which are fantastic overachieving speakers at that price. A lot of times, i find myself watching movies only in stereo and its rewarding enough when the speakers are good. The Mission LX2s are also available for a bargain price of 15K on hifimart also.

That makes sense. I was thinking 3.0 because I could fit in the relatively inexpensive Micca mb42x in 6-7 months time if I like this setup.

Are those Mission LX2s genuine and not a Chinese copy? Got a doubt because of the price difference. And is the center channel (Lx-c) for this a decent one?

 

[vinyasmusic]

You could get the taga 606 5.0 package for 30k with x1400 or marantz 1509 for 33k,yes bit of a stretch

I would have been happy if I could get the Taga 606 but sadly I can't fit the tower speakers.
They would have to go on top on TV unit when not using and on the floor when using. Would become a hassle.

 

[fLUX]

That makes sense. I was thinking 3.0 because I could fit in the relatively inexpensive Micca mb42x in 6-7 months time if I like this setup.

Are those Mission LX2s genuine and not a Chinese copy? Got a doubt because of the price difference. And is the center channel (Lx-c) for this a decent one?

Only genuine speakers are sold over hifimart, you get bill copy and warranty as specified on their page. The right path would be in the following order front LR - Matching Center - Surrounds - Height/Atmos

Centers are recommended to be purchased from same brand you buy the front since majority of the sound delivery happens between center and front LR and if there is a difference in tonality it will become noticable and you would probably not enjoy the same.

For surrounds and height you can go the used route and pick up whenever you get a good deal on an used item from the forum.

The 3020i are good to go at this budget , if you plan to go for heights in future the x1400h is a good buy

 

[vinyasmusic]

Only genuine speakers are sold over hifimart, you get bill copy and warranty as specified on their page. The right path would be in the following order front LR - Matching Center - Surrounds - Height/Atmos

Centers are recommended to be purchased from same brand you buy the front since majority of the sound delivery happens between center and front LR and if there is a difference in tonality it will become noticable and you would probably not enjoy the same.

For surrounds and height you can go the used route and pick up whenever you get a good deal on an used item from the forum.

The 3020i are good to go at this budget , if you plan to go for heights in future the x1400h is a good buy

Good to know. I was just spooked by the price difference hence the doubts.
So a LX2 + LX-C combo would be decent ? Might save some money on that compared to the Q combo.
With that saving I could think of squeezing in the 1600h instead.

 

[fLUX]

Sorry, have not heard the combo. If you go for the LX-2 the LX-C would be a better choice.
The QAcoustics 3020i punch much above their price point for both movies and music, the 3090ci also is a very good centre and matches well with the 3020i.

 

[sujithblaze]

+ 1 for q acoustics

 

[DB1989]

That makes sense. I was thinking 3.0 because I could fit in the relatively inexpensive Micca mb42x in 6-7 months time if I like this setup.

Are those Mission LX2s genuine and not a Chinese copy? Got a doubt because of the price difference. And is the center channel (Lx-c) for this a decent one?

Good to know. I was just spooked by the price difference hence the doubts.
So a LX2 + LX-C combo would be decent ? Might save some money on that compared to the Q combo.
With that saving I could think of squeezing in the 1600h instead.

I would suggest you spend the extra 5k and go for the QA 3020i. I cannot emphasize enough how good and well rounded they are. Plus, the qa lineup has a matching slim subwoofer that can be hidden away if you ever feel the need for lfe (everyone can do with a little more bass). Though i haven’t heard the missions and they are supposedly very good speakers, the 3020is may very well be the last speakers you’ll ever need if you are only into casual music listening and movie watching. If possible, take an audition, if not, you still wont go wrong with them. Start slow and build up your system over time. Don’t rush it and with a good pair of fronts, you wont feel the need to. Trust me, you’ll find yourself listening in stereo much more often than 5.1 and a good pair of fronts will enrich your experience more than immersion through a lower range of 5.1 speakers.

 

[DB1989]

Good to know. I was just spooked by the price difference hence the doubts.
So a LX2 + LX-C combo would be decent ? Might save some money on that compared to the Q combo.
With that saving I could think of squeezing in the 1600h instead.

Remember, never spend too much on the AVR when compared to the speakers. Avr technologies get updated quite often but are only incremental at best, the last major change being the inclusion of atmos decoding which both the 1400h and 1600h are capable of. Sound wise, they are going to be more or less identical so the sound quality of your system will be dictated more by better speakers than a newer avr. Why don’t you compare the feature set of the x1400h and 1600h and see if you really need the newer features included in the 1600h. Most of them won’t make, if at all any, a difference to your movie or music watching experience. On the other hand, better speakers......

 

[vinyasmusic]

I would suggest you spend the extra 5k and go for the QA 3020i. I cannot emphasize enough how good and well rounded they are. Plus, the qa lineup has a matching slim subwoofer that can be hidden away if you ever feel the need for lfe (everyone can do with a little more bass). Though i haven’t heard the missions and they are supposedly very good speakers, the 3020is may very well be the last speakers you’ll ever need if you are only into casual music listening and movie watching. If possible, take an audition, if not, you still wont go wrong with them. Start slow and build up your system over time. Don’t rush it and with a good pair of fronts, you wont feel the need to. Trust me, you’ll find yourself listening in stereo much more often than 5.1 and a good pair of fronts will enrich your experience more than immersion through a lower range of 5.1 speakers.

Seems fair. Reading more about the 3020i I am leaning towards that (plus they look fantastic I think).
Building on this note. What would be a good amp for use with 3020i if I forget the 5.1 setup, for something around 10-12k range.

 

[DB1989]

I am not aware of any decent amplifiers below 20k. You will find good amps for around the 20k to 30k mark. The Marantz pm5005 (20k approx) is a good building block. Another good amplifier would be the onkyo a9010 or 9110. I have not heard other amps in this price range so im limiting my suggestion to these two.

 

[apbinu]

Seems fair. Reading more about the 3020i I am leaning towards that (plus they look fantastic I think).
Building on this note. What would be a good amp for use with 3020i if I forget the 5.1 setup, for something around 10-12k range.

At that price range look at Norge Concerto / 2060UBT its complete VFM below 15k or preowned stereo amplifier.

 

[sujithblaze]

Marantz 5005

 

[vinyasmusic]

A new AVR has entered the fray.

I am getting a S650h in around same price as X1400h. Inclined towards the newer model since I don't intend on Atmos setup due to space issue.

Boils down to around 10k difference between Q Acoustics and Mission speakers, former being costlier. Since I don't want to add a subwoofer, would spending on Q acoustics be more prudent?

 

[DB1989]

A new AVR has entered the fray.

I am getting a S650h in around same price as X1400h. Inclined towards the newer model since I don't intend on Atmos setup due to space issue.

Boils down to around 10k difference between Q Acoustics and Mission speakers, former being costlier. Since I don't want to add a subwoofer, would spending on Q acoustics be more prudent?

But what is the advantage of the S650h over the x1400H? it belongs to the lower range to the X series of Denon. From what i see, you get less instead of more. Its slightly lower on power as well.

 

[vinyasmusic]

But what is the advantage of the S650h over the x1400H? it belongs to the lower range to the X series of Denon. From what i see, you get less instead of more. Its slightly lower on power as well.

Only thing is that it's newer and X1400 is discontinued