Need suggestions for my 1st HT

Since its' your first set-up and you are looking for something budget-friendly, you can also consider this combination Polk TL 1600 + Yamaha 485/Denon 1600/2600H (Probably Pre-Owned). You won't be disappointed in movies, music is also decent (unless you are listening to Classical). Later once you have enough budget, upgrade the system in a phased manner.
 
Thats surprising, i found 3090i to lack the finesse in delivering action scenes and little muffled but from a vocal clarity perspective sounded fine to me, maybe because my room is of a smaller size I did not face the issue. He would need yo go for a sub unless he opts for a 3050i instead of a 3020i , the 3020i/Concept 20 are very shy in terms of bass quantity. I personally did not like Polk S series for music , for movies they should do fine I believe.
I too was surprised with the 3090i. In a big room it really struggles to deliver that good clear dialogues. I also felt the vocals on 3050i and 3090i does not sound the same. There is a huge difference with the tonal characteristics so I was thinking how does the whole point of timber matching LCR work for QA. I think the difference in the driver size between the speakers causes it.
I did not feel this difference with Concept 40 though. :rolleyes:
 
Hi @Sanchitpkl
Welcome to the HT journey.
Since this is your first setup and you are clear that you dont want 7.1 as of now, i would strongly suggest going the pre-owned way and invest in new/higher end avr after few years. NR1509 is good avr to begin with, i have been using it for 2 months now. Its slightly low on power but sufficient for -200sft room, also you can look for sensitive speakers. I have paired it with custom speakers (FLCR)from Indiqaudio which are rated at 95dB. But NR1509 can drive speakers rated 87-88 as well. Else there is FLR pre-out and you can add amp later if required.
 
Use below site for high level spec comparisons

The S650H seems to be a good buy at 40k if you cant get hold of a 1400h/1500h at a similar price. Power spec wise seems similar to the V485 though but the presence of MultiEQ XT adds good value, also there is no 4k upscaling in the S650H which should be fine unless you are going to use it with a 4k display anmd intend to upscale lower resolutino content.

For surrounds the Polk OWM3 are well rated, you can opt for it. Not a neccesity to timber match fronts and surrounds.
I dont know if NS-300 can fill a room that size , but if you cannot increase your budget thats a good subwoofer with decent reviews.
Hi @fLUX , Thanks for your inputs.

i. I have found a retailer who might be able to arrange 1400H at 41k, he will confirm it by tomorrow. At a similar price, which one should I consider: S650H or 1400H?
P.S. I do have a 65" 4K TV, but I watch only OTT Content via Inbuilt TV Smart Apps, so will there be a need of upscaling low resolution content via AVR

ii. Regarding the Sub, I'm getting Yamaha SW300 at around 26K and Polk HTS10 at 29K. My budget doesn't allow me for more expensive subwoofers like HTS 12 or QB12. Which one would be a better option out of these two: Yamaha SW300 or Polk HTS10?
 
Since its' your first set-up and you are looking for something budget-friendly, you can also consider this combination Polk TL 1600 + Yamaha 485/Denon 1600/2600H (Probably Pre-Owned). You won't be disappointed in movies, music is also decent (unless you are listening to Classical). Later once you have enough budget, upgrade the system in a phased manner.
Thanks @OM_2K19 for your suggestions.
Actually my budget is around 100k -120k. And, I had auditioned Polk TL1600 and Elac Cinema 5, found Cinema 5 better than Polk TL1600 package.
But, for a large room size 18x14ft, retailers suggested me to go for Bookshelfs as these 5.1 Speaker packages won't be enough for a immersive experience.
 
Would suggest to go for the X1400H if you can arrange for one. If you use inbuilt apps the TV is already upscaling it , AVR will have no role here other than output audio via ARC. But upscaling is a good to have option and the x1400h is better and more well received so go for the same. Will help in resale if and when you dceide to go for the latest AVR.

Dont go by online rates, from what i know QB12 in NCR can be had for a very good price , talk with @Tanay to get the details if possible. Will be a small jump over the HTS10 but well worth it.
 
I too was surprised with the 3090i. In a big room it really struggles to deliver that good clear dialogues. I also felt the vocals on 3050i and 3090i does not sound the same. There is a huge difference with the tonal characteristics so I was thinking how does the whole point of timber matching LCR work for QA. I think the difference in the driver size between the speakers causes it.
I did not feel this difference with Concept 40 though. :rolleyes:
Hi @Prodigy
Thanks for letting me know the pros and cons basis your experience.
Considering this dialogue clarity issue in 3090ci and budget limitation of 1-1.2 lacs (AVR, 5 Speakers and Sub), Do I have any other option apart from QA, or it's something I'll have to compromise no matter which speakers I buy in this budget range.
(I can stretch the budget by another 10k maybe, but as far as I know there is no limit when it comes to building a perfect HT)
 
Would suggest to go for the X1400H if you can arrange for one. If you use inbuilt apps the TV is already upscaling it , AVR will have no role here other than output audio via ARC. But upscaling is a good to have option and the x1400h is better and more well received so go for the same. Will help in resale if and when you dceide to go for the latest AVR.

Dont go by online rates, from what i know QB12 in NCR can be had for a very good price , talk with @Tanay to get the details if possible. Will be a small jump over the HTS10 but well worth it.
Sure @fLUX , thanks for helping me out here with the AVR. I will definitely try to get X1400H.
And will look for better deals on QB12 from local dealers today. However, in case, it still doesn't fit in my budget, which one to go for: Yamaha SW300 or Polk HTS 10?
 
Hi @Prodigy
Thanks for letting me know the pros and cons basis your experience.
Considering this dialogue clarity issue in 3090ci and budget limitation of 1-1.2 lacs (AVR, 5 Speakers and Sub), Do I have any other option apart from QA, or it's something I'll have to compromise no matter which speakers I buy in this budget range.
(I can stretch the budget by another 10k maybe, but as far as I know there is no limit when it comes to building a perfect HT)
Hey! I would say check with FM @musiz_craze and @SiddharthY for their detailed feedback on the Custom LCR from IndiqAudio.
I have listened to them once and I felt they are excellent for Movie's as they have the exact 1st half of the Platinum Achal towers I own.

From what I was being told, they hand pick 6 drivers which has 100% timbre match to one another and use them on their LCR and because of which the sound out from all three speakers have the same characteristics. May be you can talk to Amit from IndiqAudio and see if he can share some more insights to it.

For surrounds, I would say you can go for Polk OWM3. From my experience it does an excellent surround job and you dont need anything more than that. For Sub you can look at Polk HTS10 or if you are okay to go with used route, then try BIC Pl200ii. They are too good a sub at that price range.

With this you may not have a perfect HT but this is not going to be anything less than perfect. You can happily live with this for a long time and with Indiq, I think you can get a 15day return and future upgrade by just paying the difference amount. Thats one of the best offerings from the company i believe.
 
And will look for better deals on QB12 from local dealers today. However, in case, it still doesn't fit in my budget, which one to go for: Yamaha SW300 or Polk HTS 10?

Have not heard both of them, but have heard the Polk HTS-12 which was quiet good. I would go for the Polk HTS 10 based on what I heard , specs wise the NS300 seems better option.
 
95dB, really very high sensitivity.
Can you please share model number and price of the same.
https://www.indiqaudio.com/universal-akaar-2-way-center
The FLR are custom derived from same center channel but with rear port and tweeter at top and with mildly different tuning.
I had posted my impression here https://www.hifivision.com/threads/...-peek-into-their-custom-l-r.81701/post-906542
@Sanchitpkl would recommend you to speak with Amit from Indiqaudio once and discuss your requirement. He can custom tune the speakers as per your use case. He had the same avr as that of mine (NR1509) hence he could use that as base and tuned the speakers accordingly.
 
Thanks @OM_2K19 for your suggestions.
Actually my budget is around 100k -120k. And, I had auditioned Polk TL1600 and Elac Cinema 5, found Cinema 5 better than Polk TL1600 package.
But, for a large room size 18x14ft, retailers suggested me to go for Bookshelfs as these 5.1 Speaker packages won't be enough for a immersive experience.
Have a look at this discussion, hope this helps you to make an informed decision.
 
Have a look at this discussion, hope this helps you to make an informed decision.
In this discussion, most of the members are criticising QA 3090 center channel and recommending Polk S30 instead.
Should I consider Polk S30 with QA 3020i?? Will they sound fine in terms of tonality and timbre matching?
 
In this discussion, most of the members are criticising QA 3090 center channel and recommending Polk S30 instead.
Should I consider Polk S30 with QA 3020i?? Will they sound fine in terms of tonality and timbre matching?
Well, perception of audio quality is very subjective. If possible take some more audition with your favorite tracks/movies and then select one that you find good. Also, the quality of the sound varies a lot depending on surrounding environment due to sound absorption. That said, the speakers sound good on demo may not perform the same way at home and the vice-versa. High-end AVR employees room correction techniques to minimize the effects of absorption. I personally find S30 very bright (paired with Denon) and more suitable for Movies.
 
Hi @fLUX , Thanks for your inputs.

i. I have found a retailer who might be able to arrange 1400H at 41k, he will confirm it by tomorrow. At a similar price, which one should I consider: S650H or 1400H?
P.S. I do have a 65" 4K TV, but I watch only OTT Content via Inbuilt TV Smart Apps, so will there be a need of upscaling low resolution content via AVR

ii. Regarding the Sub, I'm getting Yamaha SW300 at around 26K and Polk HTS10 at 29K. My budget doesn't allow me for more expensive subwoofers like HTS 12 or QB12. Which one would be a better option out of these two: Yamaha SW300 or Polk HTS10?
If I remember correctly, @harryneopotter got an X1400H for around 38-39k in Delhi. You may want to check with him once.
 
If I remember correctly, @harryneopotter got an X1400H for around 38-39k in Delhi. You may want to check with him once.

Sure Tanay, Thanks for the help. Can you please pm me the price & dealer details from where you purchased your Q Acoustics setup in NCR.

@harryneopotter, Can you please help me with the dealer details from where you had purchased Denon X1400H
 
For excellent sound that won't break the bank, the 5 Star Award Winning Wharfedale Diamond 12.1 Bookshelf Speakers is the one to consider!
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