Music + Home Theatre dilemma

[Sumanth_sapthaswara]

Hi Experts/Experienced users,

I had posted 5 years back a similar question but backed off due to other priorities (₹₹!!).

Now I have DECIDED to buy, start with a budget of 1 lakh or thereabouts.

I am more of a classical music lover than movie, but at home there is a strong demand for a full blown movie usage (atmos/DTS:X HT) too.

So i have thought to buy a great floor Stander, so that at home they will hopefully 'wait' for the HT.

So am thinking I will buy a Good floor standing pair for music and "slowly upgrade" over time (year or later) towards a 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos, DTS:X setup.

An AVR for Atmos plus sub plus surround speakers will blow my budget.

I auditioned a few, for pure musical experience, loved Dali Oberon the most.

Here is my dilemma, the audition unit was Oberon 7.
But my living room is 12x21 (250sq feet), So Oberon 5 is sufficient right, or Do I require Oberon 7 ? Please suggest.

Also since I do not want to blow my Bank balance right away, can you please a good place to buy a reliable used AVR or Stereo receiver (not more than 15-20k) which I can use for a while without blowing money, and then I go for a 7.2 AVR when my budget permits, i.e add Centre, sub, surround, Atmos ceiling speakers etc ..... After an year or two.

My plan, kindly help ....
1) Dali Oberon 7 or 5 ? (Which one for a 12x21 living room)
2) A decent used AVR or Stereo receiver, hopefully allowing bluetooth to play music from youtube, etc and a ipod/3.5 mm input.

Given a choice I would stretch for a good floor standing speaker for music than a fancy HT for now and build from there.

Regards,
Sumanth

 

[crowdme2]

I do not have knowledge on dali products.
any good stereo amp with digital inputs and chromecast audio would a great setup.
2.0 floor standers would be great for music and movies.
Please also factor in some acoustic treatment for the sides, behind you and a carpet. This will make more difference than any other upgrade

 

[Nitin K]

Hi Experts/Experienced users,

I had posted 5 years back a similar question but backed off due to other priorities (₹₹!!).

Now I have DECIDED to buy, start with a budget of 1 lakh or thereabouts.

I am more of a classical music lover than movie, but at home there is a strong demand for a full blown movie usage (atmos/DTS:X HT) too.

So i have thought to buy a great floor Stander, so that at home they will hopefully 'wait' for the HT.

So am thinking I will buy a Good floor standing pair for music and "slowly upgrade" over time (year or later) towards a 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos, DTS:X setup.

An AVR for Atmos plus sub plus surround speakers will blow my budget.

I auditioned a few, for pure musical experience, loved Dali Oberon the most.

Here is my dilemma, the audition unit was Oberon 7.
But my living room is 12x21 (250sq feet), So Oberon 5 is sufficient right, or Do I require Oberon 7 ? Please suggest.

Also since I do not want to blow my Bank balance right away, can you please a good place to buy a reliable used AVR or Stereo receiver (not more than 15-20k) which I can use for a while without blowing money, and then I go for a 7.2 AVR when my budget permits, i.e add Centre, sub, surround, Atmos ceiling speakers etc ..... After an year or two.

My plan, kindly help ....
1) Dali Oberon 7 or 5 ? (Which one for a 12x21 living room)
2) A decent used AVR or Stereo receiver, hopefully allowing bluetooth to play music from youtube, etc and a ipod/3.5 mm input.

Given a choice I would stretch for a good floor standing speaker for music than a fancy HT for now and build from there.

Regards,
Sumanth

If you like Dali Oberon then for your big room size, Oberon 7 makes more sense IMHO although the Oberon 5 had got fantastic reviews in WhatHIFI.

Dali Oberon 5 review

What Hi-Fi? Awards 2020 winner. Superb floorstanders, right up there with the best

www.whathifi.com

Down the line you may need a to add at least one good subwoofer which would enhance music as well as movies for your big room.
One good aspect of Dali's is that they are not very placement sensitive & no toe in is required.

 

[Sumanth_sapthaswara]

If you like Dali Oberon then for your big room size, Oberon 7 makes more sense IMHO although the Oberon 5 had got fantastic reviews in WhatHIFI.

Dali Oberon 5 review

What Hi-Fi? Awards 2020 winner. Superb floorstanders, right up there with the best

www.whathifi.com

Down the line you may need a to add at least one good subwoofer which would enhance music as well as movies for your big room.
One good aspect of Dali's is that they are not very placement sensitive & no toe in is required.

Thanks Nitin, am gravitating towards a Oberon 7, any suggestion on a reliable place to buy used receiver ?

 

[Sumanth_sapthaswara]

I do not have knowledge on dali products.
any good stereo amp with digital inputs and chromecast audio would a great setup.
2.0 floor standers would be great for music and movies.
Please also factor in some acoustic treatment for the sides, behind you and a carpet. This will make more difference than any other upgrade

Thanks.

 

[Nitin K]

Thanks Nitin, am gravitating towards a Oberon 7, any suggestion on a reliable place to buy used receiver ?

Most welcome Sumanth. The most reliable place in my opinion would be here itself at Hifimart classifieds. You can try Olx but will have to be careful. In any case pls see the condition of the receiver & hear it personally. For the Oberon 7 you may need a reasonably powerful receiver to drive them.
I do have their smaller brother, the Oberon 1 due to space issues & they sound great for their size.

 

[Sumanth_sapthaswara]

An update.

htstore.in Near Puttenahalli - JP Nagar Bengaluru has assured good discount on Dali Oberon 7 - which I have already auditioned and liked the most among the many.
He has a used Denon AVR X1000 which he is willing to give for 13K. I said I will test it first, he has agreed.

I may or may not go for Centre channel.

Dali Oberon Vokal is 33K (maybe high 20s after discount). Might go for it if discount is good.
Elac Sub is 20-22K (Dali sub is expensive) - Since am not convinced less likely to buy a sub now. Oberon 7 bass is decent.

Will keep this thread posted.

 

[Nitin K]

An update.

htstore.in Near Puttenahalli - JP Nagar Bengaluru has assured good discount on Dali Oberon 7 - which I have already auditioned and liked the most among the many.
He has a used Denon AVR X1000 which he is willing to give for 13K. I said I will test it first, he has agreed.

I may or may not go for Centre channel.

Dali Oberon Vokal is 33K (maybe high 20s after discount). Might go for it if discount is good.
Elac Sub is 20-22K (Dali sub is expensive) - Since am not convinced less likely to buy a sub now. Oberon 7 bass is decent.

Will keep this thread posted.

Pls try the Denon X 1000 with the Oberon 7 since they are 6 ohm speakers. Don't remember but for the Oberon Vokal, I had paid around 26 K approx. For Subwoofers, whenever you have the budget pls try Rythmik, XTZ, ,REL, M&K, Sunfire, Arendal & SVS depending on sealed or ported preference. You can do without the Center channel for sometime.

 

[Sumanth_sapthaswara]

Pls try the Denon X 1000 with the Oberon 7 since they are 6 ohm speakers. Don't remember but for the Oberon Vokal, I had paid around 26 K approx. For Subwoofers, whenever you have the budget pls try Rythmik, XTZ, ,REL, M&K, Sunfire, Arendal & SVS depending on sealed or ported preference. You can do without the Center channel for sometime.

1. denon x 1000 is has 6ohm config too. I hope that should be fine.
2. Without centre channel, when playing content from TV esp Amazon prime say, will vocal/speech be clear with the towers ? I am hoping so.
3. Are you suggesting Sub is a better investment over a Center channel?

 

[sijusid]

1. denon x 1000 is has 6ohm config too. I hope that should be fine.
2. Without centre channel, when playing content from TV esp Amazon prime say, will vocal/speech be clear with the towers ? I am hoping so.
3. Are you suggesting Sub is a better investment over a Center channel?

If your fronts have good imaging, you can workaround without center speaker for start. If there is no centre speaker, the center channel will be distributed among front left and right.
Personally for me, for movie setups center channel and subwoofer are key components with subwoofer the most important. Investing in a good quality sub will pay you more dividends, and subwoofer dosent necessarily mean bringing ones house down with bass.
For centre speakers, it has to be equivalent to your front speakers in terms of performance.

Personally, i would get a sub first and then a center channel speaker and that is exactly what i had done.

Cheers
Siju

 

[Nitin K]

1. denon x 1000 is has 6ohm config too. I hope that should be fine.
2. Without centre channel, when playing content from TV esp Amazon prime say, will vocal/speech be clear with the towers ? I am hoping so.
3. Are you suggesting Sub is a better investment over a Center channel?

Since you are a classical music lover rather than a movie lover, given the same situation in your place given the budget I would have gone for a subwoofer first without any hesitation since your room is quite big . But for a decent subwoofer in India among the names I had mentioned you may need to invest around 80 to 90 K at least if not more though some brands may be available at a lower price.
If budget is an issue then makes more sense buying a center channel & adding a subwoofer later. You will also need surround speakers & you can always buy in stages.
Without the center channel, your receiver will send the dialogues to the fronts. If someone is off axis & not in the MLP then I guess it may have less impact for dialogues for them.

 

[Sumanth_sapthaswara]

Since you are a classical music lover rather than a movie lover, given the same situation in your place given the budget I would have gone for a subwoofer first without any hesitation since your room is quite big . But for a decent subwoofer in India among the names I had mentioned you may need to invest around 80 to 90 K at least if not more though some brands may be available at a lower price.
If budget is an issue then makes more sense buying a center channel & adding a subwoofer later. You will also need surround speakers & you can always buy in stages.
Without the center channel, your receiver will send the dialogues to the fronts. If someone is off axis & not in the MLP then I guess it may have less impact for dialogues for them.

Thanks Nitin.

Are you saying Elac S10, or similar subs in 30K range are no good ?

 

[Nitin K]

Thanks Nitin.

Are you saying Elac S10, or similar subs in 30K range are no good ?

Most welcome Sumanth. Honestly speaking I have not heard Elac or Dali subs. But it would be better if subs are purchased from companies who specialise in subwoofers & they would really make a audible difference.
I would suggest you first hear those brands in Bangalore & then only take a call. I hope Bangalore FM's can help you in that respect. I can only relate from my experience going from a passive Bose subwoofer to Definitive technology Prosub 1000 to SVS PC 2000 , the sound quality has been incremental by leaps & bounds. For me a subwoofer was always a must since I was using satellites or small bookshelf speakers. Since you are going for floorstanders you can defer the subwoofer purchase when it suits you.
If you are more inclined towards music then the sealed Rythmik would be a great option for the money. But for your room size you may require 2 of them or a single 15 inch FV15HP Direct Servo subwoofer which you may use as a sealed or ported option. Pls be aware this subwoofer is a big & heavy one though. You can save & buy it gradually.

 

[Sumanth_sapthaswara]

Thanks everyone.

I have made the move finally!

There was some sales target the guy was chasing, I got lucky and got a good deal. Also someone bought SVS subwoofer and his 1 year old D10 sub was on sale which I got for a throw away price. I tested it and got it as well, so I can now bide time and go for Rythmik or similar spec along with surround speakers later when am ready.

After calibration, one week usage etc, will share pics and my initial thoughts.

One thing, among floor standing speakers under 1,00,000 I am sure Oberon 7 is the best or one of the best for music.

 

[Nitin K]

Thanks everyone.

I have made the move finally!

There was some sales target the guy was chasing, I got lucky and got a good deal. Also someone bought SVS subwoofer and his 1 year old D10 sub was on sale which I got for a throw away price. I tested it and got it as well, so I can now bide time and go for Rythmik or similar spec along with surround speakers later when am ready.

After calibration, one week usage etc, will share pics and my initial thoughts.

One thing, among floor standing speakers under 1,00,000 I am sure Oberon 7 is the best or one of the best for music.

Good move Sumanth, Congrats. Enjoy your music & movies & go gradually on the additional components without haste to avoid buyers remorse.

 

[sijusid]

Thanks everyone.

I have made the move finally!

There was some sales target the guy was chasing, I got lucky and got a good deal. Also someone bought SVS subwoofer and his 1 year old D10 sub was on sale which I got for a throw away price. I tested it and got it as well, so I can now bide time and go for Rythmik or similar spec along with surround speakers later when am ready.

After calibration, one week usage etc, will share pics and my initial thoughts.

One thing, among floor standing speakers under 1,00,000 I am sure Oberon 7 is the best or one of the best for music.

Congrats on your new purchase...enjoy....and do share pics and your experience later...

Cheers
Siju