Suggestions for good & inexpensive 7.1 system

[varunb]

I have a 42 inch LG 3DTV alongwith which came a free LG BP325 bluray player. I am looking to acquire a good 7.1 system. Earlier I had zeroed in on Onkyo HT-S5500 but am skeptical because of the subwoofer issues plaguing the model.

I can't seem to find a 7.1 av receiver & speakers which are a good value for money. I read somewhere on this forum to go for Harmon Kardon 7.1 receiver but what about the speakers & what would be the total cost?

What are your suggestions?

 

[baijuxavior]

There is hardly any 7.1 content unless you buy blu-ray disks. Even then most blu-rays have 5.1 audio only. My suggestion is to buy a 5.1 or 7.1 avr and a 5.1 speaker system now. Still better is to start with a pair of book shelf speakers and upgrading slowly by adding subwoofer, CC and surrounds later.

What is your budget?

 

[varunb]

Thank for the concern but I still wanna go for 7.1 system. My budget is around Rs 53000 similar to the price of the Onkyo model I mentioned above. I am hesitant to spend more than that.

Still I am open to listening to 5.1 system suggestions.

 

[devilwearsprada]

In your fantastic budget, dont waste money on a HTib, rather buy a good future proof AVR(Denon/Marantz) and then buy a good pair of fronts and center and later add speakers and sub as Baiju Mentioned. 7.1 is not a popular format today , and only a minute number of movies support it.

 

[varunb]

Selecting good speakers is my main dilemma as I dont know which are good value for money, will last long, provide great movie experience, wont die for an year or 2 maybe, easily upgradable to 7.1 later on, etc... Also for a 5.1 system I want to keep my budget a lot less than Rs 50000. I mean whats the point of spending 50000 on a 5.1 system when I can get a 7.1 system for that price.

 

[just4kix]

Do you have a room size to do justice to 7.1? As stated in many posts above, 7.1 is available on a very few limited blu-ray discs. I have nearly 240 BDs and maybe some 10-15 have 7.1 sound.

To truly enjoy 7.1 sound (when available), you must have the following listerning distances:

- You should have your sofa at least 12 feet perpendicular to the center channel
- Side surronds: each side surround speaker should be at least one meter above ear level, pointing down and each speaker should be 5-6 feet away from center of sofa
- Rear surrounds: each side surround speaker should be at least one meter above ear level, pointing down and each speaker should be 3-4 feet behind sofa

This makes the room size at least 18x12 (12 feet to center + 2 feet of sofa depth + 3-4 feet wall behind sofa).

 

[varunb]

I actually have a decent room for 7.1 but I guess I will stick to less of BDVDs & more to 5.1 rips. The question now is procuring 5.1 speakers + 7.1 av receiver (for future upgrading) less than 50k.

Do I have to create a new thread now or update the title?

 

[elangoas]

Thank for the concern but I still wanna go for 7.1 system. My budget is around Rs 53000 similar to the price of the Onkyo model I mentioned above. I am hesitant to spend more than that.

Still I am open to listening to 5.1 system suggestions.

If you have a budget constraint, you can settle for a HTIB....

Selecting good speakers is my main dilemma as I dont know which are good value for money, will last long, provide great movie experience, wont die for an year or 2 maybe, easily upgradable to 7.1 later on, etc... Also for a 5.1 system I want to keep my budget a lot less than Rs 50000. I mean whats the point of spending 50000 on a 5.1 system when I can get a 7.1 system for that price.

here is an other suggestion,If you are looking for a value for money speaker brand, Sonodyne is a brand to be considered....

They have many product range, Genie series, Sonus series, Avant series.....

you answered you question...When you get a 7.1 system for the price of a 5.1, there is a def a compromise on performance......I have owned two Onkyo HTIB system in the past & it doesn't match up to the seperate component based system which i have upgraded now.....

I actually have a decent room for 7.1 but I guess I will stick to less of BDVDs & more to 5.1 rips. The question now is procuring 5.1 speaker system + av receiver less than 50k. Do I have to create a new thread now or update the title?

If you are going to play mostly 5.1 rips, then you will need a Media player & you can get an used Non HDMI receiver for 10 - 15K if you are open to used one...The reason behind that is, a decent new receivers wilth all the features will cost you a minimum 30K & you will not be left with money to buy speakers...(5.1)

you can look @ Sonodyne range of speakers....

Sonodyne Sonus 1501 Book Shelf (11K) + C2401 center (6K) + surround dipoles (12K) + Roar 108 subwoofer (15K) + an used receiver of any brand for 10 - 15K..So around 55K Max, you have a very good system that can beat an HTIB any day easily......

Let us know what works for you, we can recommend you based on that

 

[varunb]

Thanks for your suggestion. I would not go for a used av receiver. I want to buy a new 7.1 av receiver. Which model would you recommend?

Also if 5.1 home theatre speaker system is my preference then what should I pursue so that I can later on add 2 more rear speakers & make it 7.1?

 

[varunb]

Weird my previous post didnt show up. Thanks for your suggestion. What I wanted to say was I do not want to go for a used av receiver. I want to have a new 7.1 receiver. The least expensive I am thinking is Sony STRDH720 & it has received favorable reviews. Now sonodyne wont fit in my budget of 50-55k. What are my other 5.1 speaker options? I dont mind if I have to go for HT 5.1 speaker package instead of individual components.

 

[just4kix]

Do not go for any HT system from the likes of Sony, Panasonic, LG, Samsung, etc. You will regret big time.

 

[varunb]

Naa I am not even looking at them. They are offering bluray player bundled which is pointless for me.

How about Sony STRDH720 + Boston Acoustics XS Soundware 5.1 ? Its costing me around 50k.