Need your help to fulfill the dream !

[krishnakanth_590]

Hi friends !
Please be patient to read my complete post, as I desperately need your help/support for building best HT Room in budget, because I can't afford a professional to build the room for me :sad:
We are building a new home and I want to build a dedicated home theater room :clapping:. It was my dream ever since my childhood to build a room where I can play whatever I want at whatever volume. Now, I have the best opportunity :yahoo: as the house is yet to be constructed and I can make all the adjustments needed for best home theater experience and mind you in BUDGET .
First of all, it will at least take 3 months for the house to be completely built and from now on I am saving as much money as possible. However my father said he will help me (financially) for building the home theater room, I don't want to build a premium HT room and ask for my father's help, as constructing a house itself will empty my father's pockets. So, I prefer to stick to budget or best value for money products. This includes all the things- from constructing material like flooring,ceiling etc to the equipment like receiver,speakers etc.
Here are my questions:
1) Up to now, I saved some money. So, is it a good idea to purchase the components as I save money (like i saved almost 30k now. So, should I go ahead and buy speakers and buy receiver after saving some more money after a couple of months. ) Or, should I collect all the money and get complete system at once when my house is completely built?
2) Coming to the dimensions of the room, it is 20'x15'x9' ( l x b x h ), I have attached an image showing the layout. I am only planning for a 5.1 channel system as a 7.1 channel one will not be in my budget.
3) Coming to the budget, I want to spend not more than 40k for speakers including subwoofer and 30 for a receiver.
I am not an audiophile and this is my first HT setup, so, I don't want it to be in the world, yet, I need a system which sounds great and surprises a common man or a visitor who visits my home who has no knowledge about speakers,receivers etc.
I need floorstandars in the front. I shortlisted:
If i buy complete speaker package ::: Jamo S426 HCS3 HT
Floorstandars and center,surround speakers separately ::: Yamaha 8390 , Yamaha 8900 , Polk Audio TSi300 , Wharfdale Vardus 300 ( Only listed floorstandars,center,surrounds not yet shortlisted)
I am more inclined towards the Jamo package as they fall well in my budget,but, how do they perform when compared with other floorstandars I listed above ? If I purchase floorstandars, center and surround speakers separately then it will cost more. But is it worth spending that extra money? If so, I will save some money and get them.
4) I have not shorlisted a subwoofer yet. Please suggest me the complete package keeping in mind my budget of 40k for speakers including sub woofer and 30k for receiver.
5) Finally, where should I purchase ? I am from Hyderabad, so, all Hyderabadi's are requested to kindly list the shops where I can get them locally. Is it cheaper to get them online or should I head towards the local stores ? Basically, I feel shy to window shop and to bargain , so I mostly take my friends to bargain or purchase online .
What are the best online shopping sites available for HT equipment.

Please help me out as I don't want my hard earned money to go waste because of lack of information

 

[tanmayj]

I'm directing my question not to Krisnakanth but to other forum members. Will Jamo S426/ Polk TSi 300 be adequate for the room dimensions mentioned? I have my doubts.

 

[krishnakanth_590]

Please reply guys ! Desperately need your help :sad:!
Any kind of help/suggestion/tips for setting up Home Theater is appreciated.

@tanmayj .... I too had that doubt. That is why I am also thinking of Wharfdale Obsidian 600 HT package, but there won't be any money left for subwoofer. However I can get it after saving some money.

Between, purchased LG 47LM6690 Cinema3D television for living room yesterday.
Waiting for reply :indifferent14:

 

[RAAGA]

I recollect seeing a Polk Tsi based package at about 70k at Profx Chennai

 

[Rupam]

I recollect seeing a Polk Tsi based package at about 70k at Profx Chennai

Polks have great bookshelves and floorstanders. But if you choose the package, be careful about the centre speaker. Their centre speakers are not that great.
You can go for Wharfedale Obsidian 600 package. Buy a good sub like Velodyne impact after 1,2 months.
Can you audition Magnat HTS- Magnat 1000 9 (5.1)? Thats a good option also.

 

[Nishanth]

1. I would suggest you to first decide which AV receiver and front speakers you are going to get. We can then choose other speakers based on the front speakers that you choose.

2. Right now go for a 5.1 system but if your going to watch Blu-ray content then you can go for a 7.1 AV receiver, so that in future you can upgrade to 7.1 by just adding two extra speakers to the setup. But then for a 7.1 AVR you will have to stretch your budget.

3. From the speakers that you have listed I personally like the Yamaha NS-8390. I would also recommend Boston Acoustics A250 too. You can also look at bookshelf speakers, at this price point bookshelf speakers usually perform better than floorstanders. Audition a book shelf speaker like KEF Q300 or Monitor Audio RX2 and see if it matches your expectations. For the AV receiver you can look at Yamaha RX-V373, it is a 5.1 AVR and should fit in your budget.

4. You can decide about the subwoofer based on the front speaker that you choose, its better to spend a minimum of around 15K for the subwoofer.

5. First visit as many shops as possible to just audition as many systems as you can and then based on your choice you can decide whether to buy online or from a local dealer.

For Yamaha speakers and AVRs visit Yamaha AV Square - Hyderabad. You can also audition them at USK electronics, they have Yamaha and other brands.Also visit Onkyo and PRO FX for Denon AVR, Polk and KEF speakers. If your open to get bookshelf speakers or some higer priced floorstanders then you can visit The Audio Poeple - Jubilee Hills, they stock Monitor Audio speakers which are highly recommended !!

 

[krishnakanth_590]

@Nishanth
1) Even I was looking at Yamaha RX-V373, so, you can safely assume that I will go with the same receiver. What are the other receivers from other brands in the same budget. (25-26k)

2) As, this is my first setup, I would like to stick to a 5.1 setup. I am ready to spend a little more on speakers if needed.

3) Yamaha NS-8390 are available for about 12k/pair. I saw an offer on Yamaha NS-8900 for 7k each at Reliance Digital a week ago when I went to purchase TV. My doubt is, the above listed speakers cost 14k max, where as the other floorstanding speakers like Wharfdale Vardus 300,Polk Audio Tsi 300 cost around 22k and Wharfdale Vardus 400,Polk Audio Tsi 400 cost around 26k-28k . Is it worth spending that extra 10k on these floorstanders. Will they make any big difference to the listening experience ? If so, I am ready to spend that extra money.

I wan't to go for floorstanders only, as they have a very good presence, they sound great ( not all ) and I can showoff as well

5) I don't get much time to audition the speakers in different shops. I strongly believe and follow the user reviews online. So, I try my best to finalize on the product I want to buy before going to the shop. Because, most of the times the sales guys in the shop change my mind using their marketing skills.

Recently, I was taking a look at speakers Sonodyne speakers online ? What is your take on them ?

 

[krishnakanth_590]

Polks have great bookshelves and floorstanders. But if you choose the package, be careful about the centre speaker. Their centre speakers are not that great.
You can go for Wharfedale Obsidian 600 package. Buy a good sub like Velodyne impact after 1,2 months.
Can you audition Magnat HTS- Magnat 1000 9 (5.1)? Thats a good option also.

I like the Obsidian 600 package but I wasn't able to find any reviews online. So, I am a little bit skeptic.
Which is better - to buy Obsidian Package or to buy Polk TSi 300 + Polk TSi 100 + Polk CS10 . As they both cost almost same (Polk Audio speaker price reference Profx - Advanced Audio Solutions, Obsidian package price reference : Hifimart)

 

[sash]

I strongly recommend you to consider Magnat Monitor Supreme 1000 - someone has also put up a set on this forum for sale. I have these speakers and they are very powerful much more powerful than Jamo 426.
A subwoofer is the heart of movie experience and must be included.

 

[krishnakanth_590]

I strongly recommend you to consider Magnat Monitor Supreme 1000 - someone has also put up a set on this forum for sale. I have these speakers and they are very powerful much more powerful than Jamo 426.
A subwoofer is the heart of movie experience and must be included.

They look great .... but I feel that they are out of my reach, as they cost 32k (reference : Magnat -Monitor Supreme 1000 ) .
How much did you pay for those ?

 

[Nishanth]

1. For alternatives - You can look at Denon 1713 or some lower model, it comes with networking and wireless streaming features which the Yamaha lacks but it is priced higher than the RX-V373. They also have some lower models without these features - check them out at Profx They have a new entry level model for 2013 with better specs, but I am sure if they have launched it in in India. Pioneer 522 would also be a good alternative.

3. Spending 10K extra will not give a big difference in sound quality but the build quality will better when you go for speakers like Polk. The real difference in sound quality comes when you compare these speakers to the ones in the 40k range. The Polk and wharfedale floorstanders you listed are also recommended by a lot of members in this forums, so have a demo of all these and decide.

4. You can shortlist a list of speakers based on reviews but don't fix which speaker you are going to buy based on online reviews or suggestion. Perception and definition of good sound differs from person to person, so a speaker which sounds good to me might sound crappy to you

So its better if you can visit a few shops and audition a few speakers and then decide. Sales guys most often change people's mind when people make on the spot or impulsive purchases, so do not make a decision to buy a speaker when you demo them. Spend a day or two after the audition and then decide which ones to buy.

I have not not auditioned Sonodyne floorstanders, but from what I have heard and read they seem to be good for the price. If you look around the forums a lot of members have good things to say about them and recommend them too.

 

[krishnakanth_590]

1. For alternatives - You can look at Denon 1713 or some lower model, it comes with networking and wireless streaming features which the Yamaha lacks but it is priced higher than the RX-V373. They also have some lower models without these features - check them out at Profx They have a new entry level model for 2013 with better specs, but I am sure if they have launched it in in India. Pioneer 522 would also be a good alternative.

3. Spending 10K extra will not give a big difference in sound quality but the build quality will better when you go for speakers like Polk. The real difference in sound quality comes when you compare these speakers to the ones in the 40k range. The Polk and wharfedale floorstanders you listed are also recommended by a lot of members in this forums, so have a demo of all these and decide.

4. You can shortlist a list of speakers based on reviews but don't fix which speaker you are going to buy based on online reviews or suggestion. Perception and definition of good sound differs from person to person, so a speaker which sounds good to me might sound crappy to you

So its better if you can visit a few shops and audition a few speakers and then decide. Sales guys most often change people's mind when people make on the spot or impulsive purchases, so do not make a decision to buy a speaker when you demo them. Spend a day or two after the audition and then decide which ones to buy.

I have not not auditioned Sonodyne floorstanders, but from what I have heard and read they seem to be good for the price. If you look around the forums a lot of members have good things to say about them and recommend them too.

Will the build quality matter much when we are building a HT on budget ? Because, I find no reason to move around those 15-30kg floorstandars in the room. I agree that it feels good if the product we purchase is built well, but is it worth spending that extra money for build quality as you have mentioned there won't be a drastic change in quality of sound they produce? Instead, I can spend that money on a nice couch, recliner or a subwoofer which will surely enhance the viewing experience

 

[Viren007]

I am using the same setup of Polk you are talking about and believe me the movie experience is awesome.

 

[vnmathur57]

Instead of going around misc brands & the gamble of mixing & matching, I will suggest to go straight for a Sonodyne 5.1 setup.These are excellent time tested speakers and will be within your budget.Much better than other low-priced imported ones.Complete range is available at Hi-Fi Mart.However, find a place in hyderabad for audition before you decide.

 

[krishnakanth_590]

Instead of going around misc brands & the gamble of mixing & matching, I will suggest to go straight for a Sonodyne 5.1 setup.These are excellent time tested speakers and will be within your budget.Much better than other low-priced imported ones.Complete range is available at Hi-Fi Mart.However, find a place in hyderabad for audition before you decide.

Thanks vnmathur !
Saw "Yamaha RX-V-473; Sonodyne 2504 V3 FS;2401;R-ears;Roarr108" in your equipment list.I almost decided to go for Yamaha RX-V-473 receiver and I am also considering Sonodyne speakers as well. Can you please mention the price you paid for that equipment including the receiver.

Can someone please suggest a location in Hyderabad where I can audition/buy Sonodyne speakers ?

 

[krishnakanth_590]

I am using the same setup of Polk you are talking about and believe me the movie experience is awesome.

Thanks Viren007!
What is your room size ?
As tanmayj (the first reply to this post) doubted if the polk TSi 300 will be powerful enough for a 15'x20' room.
And by the way, when did you buy those speakers and how much did you pay for them ?

 

[ghatgepatil]

If budget is your main concern for the speakers etc and the house is yet to be constructed then you may look at planning for a smaller dedicated HT room. 20' x 15' is quite big. You would get far better bookshelves in the budget than floorstanders.

 

[krishnakanth_590]

If budget is your main concern for the speakers etc and the house is yet to be constructed then you may look at planning for a smaller dedicated HT room. 20' x 15' is quite big. You would get far better bookshelves in the budget than floorstanders.

Budget is not a very big concern, because if I wait for a couple of more months, I will be able to save some money. But all I am worried about is, is it worth spending hard earned money for a speaker which isn't any better than some other speaker which is cheaper. If it is worth buying then I am happy to save and buy. Need some expert advice if I should spend more to get a good system for a room of 15x20 size.

Coming to the size of the room, the HT room is in first floor. And it is directly above the living room which in ground floor. So, I can't change the dimensions of the room, it will be similar in dimensions as the living room in ground floor.

 

[Viren007]

Thanks Viren007!
What is your room size ?
As tanmayj (the first reply to this post) doubted if the polk TSi 300 will be powerful enough for a 15'x20' room.
And by the way, when did you buy those speakers and how much did you pay for them ?

my room size is 12'x15',never felt that TSI 300 are weak in any terms even i never get a chance to exceed the volume knob beyond 50% and i think adding a good sub woofer will full fill your requirements.

i bought all speakers last month at 15% flat discount on MRP.

 

[krishnakanth_590]

my room size is 12'x15',never felt that TSI 300 are weak in any terms even i never get a chance to exceed the volume knob beyond 50% and i think adding a good sub woofer will full fill your requirements.

i bought all speakers last month at 15% flat discount on MRP.

flat 15% off on MRP on all speakers is a good deal !!!!!
you purchased online or in a local store ?
As there is some time for me to purchase, I waiting for some good deals to come up so that I can buy them cheap.