My 1stThread & 1st Home theatre-Guidance Needed

[gen5x]

Hi guys :

My first Thread here. .. Had been searching for a forum where i could get proper guidance to building my Own First HTS and HFV @ u awesome guys to my delight.

Have read a lot of posts on Building your own rig slowly and the how to approach towards building you own HTS especially with budget constraints.

I think i have come a long way from thinking to buy a sony/LG HTIB system to a Custom made system

What I m thinking is as follows : (BTW have increased the budget beyond my capacity thanks to u guys hyeah: But still its not that grand may be 65K - 70K maxximmum :sad

Anyways from what i have learnt here : This is where i m narrowing down to and would need Guidance on :

My Set up contents :

1. Bed room (14X12) sq ft
2. Tatasky HD
3. PS 3
4. Samsung 5100 LED
5. Airplay + Bluetooth Connectivity for My Nexus 5
6. BD player

Music : 50% EDM / Rock , 30% Movies (BD player or HD STB), 20% PS3.

I have not had a single demo till now, but this forum has given me 80% confidence to narrow down and save demo time (since time's mybiggest constraint)
I m thinking of the following

1. Denon 1713 (discontinued, that what i have been told)/ X1000 ( or Yamaha v475 : Help needed here with choice and pricing
2. Wharfedale dx-1 5.1 CHTS / MS-100 / Boston Acoustics XS 5.1 : Help needed here with choice to save money.. I m aware of the pricing here.
Special mention : As posted in price thread a friend from bangalore says he can arrange Dx-1 5.1 in 39K. Is it too good to be true. And considering the advics of may here that spend wisely on the speakers first since that technology is here to remain, i m more inclined towards dx-1.
Any other suggestions for Speakers is highly welcomed.
3. Cables : I have no idea, but i m currently reading the cables forums, so will get an idea. In any case A tentative budget for the cables is requested here to have a budget fixation.

Is this setup possible streched till 70K ? considering i get dx-1 in 39K (if its to be believed) ?

Cheers.

 

[elangoas]

Welcome to HFV...hyeah:

Don't push beyond your means.... BTW 70K is a very good budget...:thumbsup:

Just because a speaker is rated 5 start by international magazine, doesn't mean they are the best in the world... They are the best value for money speakers for that region... Not for India

Some more clarity on your movie watching pattern would help us give you better recommendations....

Do you watch movies from Blue Ray Rips (Internet downloads) or from Blu Ray disks ?

Sometimes simple 2.1 (Stereo Receiver) can do better job as you have more than 50% listening in stereo....

 

[kneo]

Don't get stuck on DX-1. Evaluate other packages too. I am not sure Denon 1713 would have been discontinued. Both Denon and Yamaha would be good around 35K budget. One option you have is to try and get last year's model instead of the new one. I purchased by Yamaha 473 after the 475 was introduced. I found that there were minor differences in the new model and hence the old one was value for what I paid for them. BTW, don't discount Pioneer, they too have good receivers and Marantz would be a tad better than all 3 (Yamaha/Denon/Pioneer) when it comes to music.

Have you read about the Pioneer BS22/FS22 speaker package? Apparently now it's available officially in India. Do try and find out the prices for them as they would be quite good based on their global feedback from various forums. I've recently purchased them myself (although not through the official dealer) and am awaiting their delivery. They seem to be quite good at both movies and music. Fairdeal electronics is an authorised dealer of Pioneer, so you can try and find out if they've got this package for demo/sale.

For cables, you can get some 16/14 AWG oxygen free speaker wire to begin with. Hifimart would have DAC branded cables on their website. People have even used regular Finolex electrical wires (1.5/2.0 mm) with good results, but it'd be a debatable topic to 'recommend' it on a hifi forum BTW Finolex now also sells speaker wire.

 

[gen5x]

Thanks elangoas and kneo for your replies.
@elangoas: yes I do watch movies from blu ray discs and rips. And the idea behind selecting the 5.1 package instead of 2.1 was to build a system which can later be transferred to my living room. I will definitely check all the mentions in your reply post.
The reason I selected dx-1 was that since I m getting them in 38k (currently prices at 67k in hifomart) I was inclined towards them. Thanks for the suggestions and the late reply from Me is due to the fact that m currently auditioning various other speakers as well. Will try to audition ur suggestions.

@kneo: I enquired about 1713 also but demon x1000 supposedly it's successor os coming at same price from Fairprice electronics crawl Ford market mumbai. I m still searching for a cheaper option.
Marantz, I reckon are awesome But are also awesome in price.
I will audition the pioneer system as mentioned by you.

Thanks for the cable info and advice. Shall get back with further reviews on the same. Cheers guys.
I'm the meantime any other suggestions would be highly appreciated.

 

[efernand1]

Hi gen5x

I have been using a Marantz NR 1402 with Boston Acoustics soundware XS 5.1 speakers with AWG16 speaker wires along with Monster Hi Transfer HDMI cables hooked up to a Pioneer Blu Ray player BDP LX 55 (Region A) since March 2013 and the experience is awesome. As advised by the others you can go and listen to some demos which I did for 2 months, 1 month was spent reading all the possible reviews and user experience videos over the internet. You can read the various discussion threads by clicking on my name.

In a nutshell, I have used several brands of Home Theatre systems for the past 11 years and not found anything superior in terms of quality and performance of the Marantz + Bostons. The Blu Ray player easily reads all formats and plays a 1TB external hard disk easily. The system is being used at home in a normal hall area of 160 sq ft and I use around 40% volume which is quite enough to shake and rattle the place.

This receiver is capable of driving decent bookshelf and towers....I would be upgrading to B&W CM series soon.....

The electronics shop in Crawford Market is FairDeal and I guess you might have met Mr Imran in the Home Theatre section, I know him well.

In terms of budget last year I spent almost 70k which includes the cables, HDMI, speakers, player and receiver.

The NR 1402 is discontinued but the NR 1504 is available with Air Play which should meet your requirements. The Bostons are any day better than Bose Acoustimass 10 or 12.

End of the day it all depends on what appeals to you and your budget..hope this helps all the best!

 

[elangoas]

Thanks elangoas and kneo for your replies.
@elangoas: yes I do watch movies from blu ray discs and rips. And the idea behind selecting the 5.1 package instead of 2.1 was to build a system which can later be transferred to my living room. I will definitely check all the mentions in your reply post.
The reason I selected dx-1 was that since I m getting them in 38k (currently prices at 67k in hifomart) I was inclined towards them. Thanks for the suggestions and the late reply from Me is due to the fact that m currently auditioning various other speakers as well. Will try to audition ur suggestions.

Ok then make sense to look for 5.1 AVR.... I think you are getting the DX-1 for a very good price......I would suggest you to look for BS + Sub Combo over a Sat + Sub combo as you have more stereo listening....

You have the Sonodyne Sonus range, PSB Alpha series, Polk Tsx series, Cambridge S 30... All these may slightly overshoot your budget, but would be better than Sat + Sub...

 

[gen5x]

Hi guys :

After a lot of auditioning (including the boston xs 5.1, which btw were pretty awesome), I went ahead with Wharfedale dx-1 since i got them at 39K (Current HifiMart price : 67K). unfortunately there were no display models for them in a lot of stores i enquired in mumbai, so finally got to audition them on the promise that i would buy them and wasnt i happy about my decision. I think they are pretty neat (Boston acoustics XS 5.1 also sound very very nice) but i think Dx-1 are onle level above them Specially with the woofer and center speaker is really awesome.

Now the important question :

Which receiver to buy ??

I have auditioned the following : on "Book of eli" and some songs : hotel california live, Jagjit singh ghazal, Avicii -Superlove, Silhouettes, etc
1. Marantz NR 1504 (My first choice) : Music : Really awesome, Movies : Very nice)
2. Denon 1713 (Also very good) : Overall Good.
3. Yamaha V475 (Fantastic) : Movies :awesome, Music: Nice (but not better than marantz)
Thinking of auditioning : Denon x1000 which is supposedly the successor of 1713 which is now discontinued.

Question 1 :

Is the marantz nr1504 sufficiently capable of handling the Dx-1 or shall i go with higher Power output receivers ? (May be too noobish a question, tolerance requested).
Marantz has 50W per channel and dx-1 requires :
Center : Recommended Amp (RMS) 30 100W
Sat : Recommended Amp (RMS) 20 80W
Sub : Rated Power Output 70W RMS, Peak Power Output : 150W.

I wont discuss about the frequency settings here as i'm still new to the understandings, but i think Audyssey settings will do the job for me. I will though learn about the frequency settings in few days time as and when i get time.

Question 2 : Places in mumbai apart from Fairdeal where i can get better prices ? or may be a place where i can get second hand AVR - MArantz specifically ?
Question 3 : Any other suggestions for the combination ?

 

[efernand1]

Hi gen5x

Don't underestimate the Marantz NR 1504, there are enough videos to prove that they can handle bookshelf speakers and even some floorstanders easily.....you can try at SoundOut Haji Ali and meet Irfan,,,check if he has the NR 1403 Marantz (without airplay)...it would be cheaper....

When I purchased my system last year, I auditioned the Denon X500 and the Marantz NR 1402...same songs / movies over the same speakers....Marantz naturally won.....

Hope this helps....

 

[gen5x]

Hi efernand1 :

Thanks for the quick reply. I will check out SoundOut at Haji Ali and will speak to Irfan too.
In any case, I actually wanted the airplay option. Infact i wanted to ask the other question as well. Heregoes :

Can airplay be synced on android on nr 1504 ? I use nexus 5 and mostly play songs via my nexus 5 in car and at home via Bluetooth.
I see a host of application that make Itunes Airplay also compatible with Airplay devices on Android. But i m yet to find a post that says Nr1504 uses Airplay using any of those apps on Android.
Also there are no Component Out in 1403. Do you think there might a need that arises at any point for these ? I mean i do have a Non HD Tv with me but surely that wont be connected to it now. Anthing else that i m not aware of at thos point but might become a issue later ?
Can you help in these regards. ? Thanks.

Secondly : Cables : I m being offered Monster 16AWG @100/mtr. Are they Good as compared to DAC from HifiMart. Also shall i go ahead with Monster HDMI and Subwoofer cable too ?

 

[yogeshtulsiani]

why not check Alfa as well. Last time I checked they had the Marantz 1504 with the Boston XS 5.1 for 47k with warranty.

 

[efernand1]

Hi gen5x

I guess your Nexus 5 should be able to work with the NR 1504 through AirPlay......please see the link which I found on the net

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dmholdings.marantzremoteapp

Component Video options are not really required...there is Video out if ever the need arises for an analog connection. If you use a high quality video cord (75 ohms) it will give an excellent picture quality. I use a thick composite cable from normal hathway TV setbox to my TV...the sound and picture quality as improved to a greater extent due to thick good quality cables.

Alfa does give products cheaper and you might just strike a good deal...don't go headlong to one dealer...check the price with 2/4 shops and then purchase the same....most important I guess a google search will help to identify the good reputed dealer's name in the Alfa Arcade who will give best price and warranty...if you want to audition the Marantz with bostons...you can go to MZ Audio Bandra West and check...

Hope this helps.

 

[gen5x]

Hi guys :

Bought Marantz Nr 1504 yesterday with Sony W670A 32 inch..

So my system looks like this :
Marantz Nr 1504 + Wharfedle Dx-1 + Sony W670A + Tata Sky HD.

Bought from and price :
1. Marantz Nr 1504 : Viola Home audio Andheri. Price after negotiation at par with Soundout and Fairdeal Electronics. PM me for price.
2. Wharfedale Dx-1 : Dubai without bill from friend, price : 38K
3. Sony Bravia W670A : alfa without bill 32K
4. Cables : After a good amoutn of research, i found that brands dont matter that much if the specs are fine and so went ahead with AWG 14 (2.5 mm) OFC Stackfine Cables. They are local. Yiou can check thier website. They came cheap @80Rs/mtr, my room size is 14*10 (corection from original post) and it 2000 Rs for 25 mtr.
HDMI Cable : Pioneer BD player cable. Since i have researched that HDMI cable are all digital signal transmission and latest 1.4v pioneer would do just fine @500 Rs for 1.5 mtr and it does not require wild spending. I may be corrected here. Suggestions welcome.
Subwoofer cable : 3 mtr : Some local cable good quality 3 mtr :700 Rs. Suggestions welcome here as Sub is where i want to be cautious.

I will review and post pics in a shortwhile. The installer guy was here with me till 3 am in morning since he was not able to do the calibration settings propoerly for wharfedale speakers and sub.

My issues :

1. Sub woofer Settings : For wharfedale Dx-1 : the volume ans crossover dial is at 50%. But even after audyssey settings, the sub is lacking real quality punch.
Q1 : Do i still have raise sub volume after audyssey setting ?
Q2 : Its mentioned in manual that if u r lacking real punch phase shift 0 to 18- degree can be tried, but no real effect observed byme.
Q3. The Auto sense in ON, Shud i keep it that way ?
Q4 : Input cable is inserted at LFE/R instead of L. is it fine ?

2. Levels. : Changing the level settings to front sats and center causes Surround sats reduction in audible performance.
any suggestions. ? Sub woofer level : kept at max, still punch is not heavy. I m watching Thor dark work 720P BR rip from laptop via HDMI.

3. Crossovers : Can someone give some useful tips on understanding crossovers and settings for wharfedale dx-1 sats and sub.

4. Audyssey settings : I did the auddysey calibration for the room at 3 am in peace and at 4 different listening positions. After calibration i got an awesome surround experience where i was sitting in the room.
As soon as i moved to my normal (regular) listening positoin it felt weak. Thus recalibrated Speakers via audyssey. But real effect. Any suggestions. ?
Current Audysset settings :
Speaker Config : Sats and center : Small, Sub : Yes
Distances :
Front L : 2.13
Front R : 2.07
Center : 2.10
Sub : 2.76
Surroung L : 1.41
Surround R : 1.62

Levels :
Front L : -3 db
Front R : -2.5 db
Center : -4.0db
Sub : -1.5 DB
Surroung L : -2.5BDB
Surround R : -3.0 DB

Crossovers :
Front : 80Hz
Center : 60Hz
Surround : 60 hz

Also there is a crossover knob in the sub : Thats set at 50% between 40 hz to 150 hz. What shoukld be the crossover value for sub ?

Help appreciated and for noobish questions, tolerance requested.