Suggestions for home sound setup

Archer

Archer

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I have a couple of simoleons to burn, and leaning towards getting some proper sound at home. Listening to music there is not half as amazing as it should be (using earphones on my phone produces better sound). What I've got is low end Logitech speakers that must be almost 10 years old now, so just about anything is going to be an upgrade.

Budget: 5-10k
For the foreseeable future my setup will just be an HTPC and TV.

To start, are sound bars any good? If so suggestions?
Otherwise what AV receiver setup could I go for? I am more than happy to look around for a good deal second hand over the next few months. Oh, and while I could place speakers all around the room, most likely I wont unless there is a really good reason why I should. Don't know how relevant that is. The room is also quite open.
 
Archer said:
I have a couple of simoleons to burn, and leaning towards getting some proper sound at home. Listening to music there is not half as amazing as it should be (using earphones on my phone produces better sound). What I've got is low end Logitech speakers that must be almost 10 years old now, so just about anything is going to be an upgrade.

Budget: 5-10k
For the foreseeable future my setup will just be an HTPC and TV.

To start, are sound bars any good? If so suggestions?
Otherwise what AV receiver setup could I go for? I am more than happy to look around for a good deal second hand over the next few months. Oh, and while I could place speakers all around the room, most likely I wont unless there is a really good reason why I should. Don't know how relevant that is. The room is also quite open.
Click to expand...

For a budget of 5 to 10K you should look at getting separate components. This will allow you to upgrade when required.
Think about a proper amp, good front and surround speakers and a subwoofer.
 
SeRpEnT said:
For a budget of 5 to 10K you should look at getting separate components. This will allow you to upgrade when required.
Think about a proper amp, good front and surround speakers and a subwoofer.
Click to expand...

So basically everything... which brings me back to what to get then? Spend more on speakers, or on the amp? What features should I look for? How do I know if speakers are matched to the amp?
 
Archer said:
So basically everything... which brings me back to what to get then? Spend more on speakers, or on the amp? What features should I look for? How do I know if speakers are matched to the amp?
Click to expand...
For an amp, get anything above bottom end from any of the major receiver manufacturers. Yamaha, Denon, Marantz, etc.
Most will have similar features and should have enough power to drive pretty much any speaker you're going to ever seriously consider purchasing.

I wouldn't bother with a subwoofer. It's nice to have but a good set of floor standing speakers (Monitor Audio RX5 or similar) has ample bass. If you just want to listen to music, 2 floor standing speakers should satisfy your needs. If you want to go the home theater route, you'll need to consider a center speaker and a couple of bookshelf speakers for the sides to get the most out of your system.
 
Messugga said:
For an amp, get anything above bottom end from any of the major receiver manufacturers. Yamaha, Denon, Marantz, etc.
Most will have similar features and should have enough power to drive pretty much any speaker you're going to ever seriously consider purchasing.

I wouldn't bother with a subwoofer. It's nice to have but a good set of floor standing speakers (Monitor Audio RX5 or similar) has ample bass. If you just want to listen to music, 2 floor standing speakers should satisfy your needs. If you want to go the home theater route, you'll need to consider a center speaker and a couple of bookshelf speakers for the sides to get the most out of your system.
Click to expand...

No sub and just proper stereo speaker is all good and well if you want to listen to music, but the OP said that he is interested in using his setup for home theatre purposes as well. In that case a subwoofer would be ideal. Good quality front speakers might have a good sound range but they just cannot compete with the thump you get from a dedicated bass speaker during movies.
 
SeRpEnT said:
No sub and just proper stereo speaker is all good and well if you want to listen to music, but the OP said that he is interested in using his setup for home theatre purposes as well. In that case a subwoofer would be ideal. Good quality front speakers might have a good sound range but they just cannot compete with the thump you get from a dedicated bass speaker during movies.
Click to expand...
Ran without a sub for a quite a while. The equaliser set itself up to basically just provide a kick from the sub, most sound still runs from the fronts. And I have a Velodyne EQ Max 12, which isn't a bad sub.

You really can spend your money better elsewhere. If you have everything else, then get a sub, sure.
 
Sound Bar? nope... rubbish.

Separate components with that budget like a nice 5.1 AVR and a Mission MV8e Cinema Pack for maybe just about 10k.
 
If I'm wanting to keep the receiver for a while I'm guessing it will be worth while to get one that can do 4k passthrough?
I'm starting to lean towards getting a mid range receiver with 2.1 speakers an adding on speakers over the next few months. Which of course will probably put me over budget :/ But it's always easier to pretend it's not too bad when you spread it over a few months
 
Archer said:
If I'm wanting to keep the receiver for a while I'm guessing it will be worth while to get one that can do 4k passthrough?
I'm starting to lean towards getting a mid range receiver with 2.1 speakers an adding on speakers over the next few months. Which of course will probably put me over budget :/ But it's always easier to pretend it's not too bad when you spread it over a few months
Click to expand...
Many do 4k pass through. Hell, mine is a couple of years old and was midrange at time of purchase and can manage it. Of course, none of my other equipment can but that's besides the point
 
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