Recommendation For A Decent Sound System.

[ngunadi 2]

Slight OT but anyone selling their AV Receiver or Amp?

Just bought Whaferdale 9.1 (front bookshelf speaker) and currently it's sitting nicely on the console. Unplugged.

I need either an amplifier or AV receiver to drive this. It will be connected to my PS3, Hi-Media HD300B (Network Media Player), TV and my future CD player.

My main emphasize is for music listening, movies are secondary. Hence, I realize that HDMI is not exactly a must for me. After all, the video can just go to my TV direct with HDMI. Any sound output would go to amplifier or receiver.

Budget is $300 +/-.

[farkingnuts 0]

Oh gawd, does it mean Wharfedale is not known for its durability? >< I'm assuimg you owned Wharfedales before, can you tell me about your experience?

Wharfedales are considered as a ''junk'' brand to seasoned audiophiles, in fact most of the 5-star rated brands in those popular British hi-fi magazines are crap !

they were given good reviews based on how much they advertise on the magazines.

plus, most of these brands are Chinese-owned and made.

[farkingnuts 0]

Hi all

Im back!

For all those who have pm-ed on AV equipment setup opinions, please post your questions here. My mailbox is full & i apologise if i didnt respond as Im away in a country with very limited internet access.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Speakers - personal decisions though I would edge towards B&W. I shant comment more lest someone in this forum will accuse me of paying overprice & ya-ya over being a B&W owner.

Bluray player - OPPO is expensive but its the only universal player (Model 83 only) that has a big wow factor. The oppo93 is going for $890 (you have to check with SLT Tech or Patrick at Audio Iconic for availability) Mind you its not region free mod. Its a brilliant player, enuff said. Check out the reviews on leading AV commentaries & magazines.

The OPPO95 - $1,699 is pricey though its a haven sent for serious audiophilers. So strike that away for newcomers to this wonderful world of AV.

Cheers

it's true you overpaid for B&W speakers.

they're one of the biggest advertisers in the world of speakers so magazines will almost always give them good reviews.

in fact, it's always a safe bet to avoid all British speakers!

[farkingnuts 0]

I think it should correct to say tat based on our available budget, wharfedale is the best to fit our budget.

not true that Wharfedale is best in price range.

you'll do far better if you can grab American, Canadian, French or German speakers at the same price.

they might even be made in their countries of origin !

[Ely1 0]

Wharfedales are considered as a ''junk'' brand to seasoned audiophiles, in fact most of the 5-star rated brands in those popular British hi-fi magazines are crap !

they were given good reviews based on how much they advertise on the magazines.

plus, most of these brands are Chinese-owned and made.

Oh dear. That doesn't sound too good, especially when you think you've done all your homework by reading reviews etc. Not even sure what to trust anymore, so will just hope the Wharfedale stand the test of time and don't fall apart on me.

[martin1023 0]

not true that Wharfedale is best in price range.

you'll do far better if you can grab American, Canadian, French or German speakers at the same price.

they might even be made in their countries of origin !

I will grateful if you can suggest some models that are floor standing and within our budget of 3K?

[farkingnuts 0]

I will grateful if you can suggest some models that are floor standing and within our budget of 3K?

$3k for a pair of floorstanding speakers ? or for a whole home theatre speaker system ?

and what amplifier are you using?

if just for a pair of speakers, i suggest you buy a pair of standmount speakers becoz they will sound far better than floorstanders.

the standmounters will have better treble and midrange plus better quality bass though floorstanders can go louder and produce more but inferior bass.

place standmounters close to the rear wall will increase bass output so should be okay.

*** floorstanders at the showroom will sound far different when you bring it home as the showroom has carpet and the speakers are farther from the walls !

at home, they will produce too much bass of inferior quality due to space constraint.

[farkingnuts 0]

Oh dear. That doesn't sound too good, especially when you think you've done all your homework by reading reviews etc. Not even sure what to trust anymore, so will just hope the Wharfedale stand the test of time and don't fall apart on me.

if the speakers are still very new then try to sell them off, maybe just change the front 3 speakers and keep the surround ones.

if you can sell them off and willing to top up some money but not too much, you can give PSB a try.

i'm not sure if PSB pricing in S'pore is crazy or not like B&W.

for a beginner, you will probably like PSB. they're more refined than wharfedale and they're made in Canada so build quality should be on par with Wharfedale at least.

*** check if you can get NHT speakers at roughly the same price range, if at same price then grab them even though they're now made in China !

[Heronspring 0]

if the speakers are still very new then try to sell them off, maybe just change the front 3 speakers and keep the surround ones.

if you can sell them off and willing to top up some money but not too much, you can give PSB a try.

i'm not sure if PSB pricing in S'pore is crazy or not like B&W.

for a beginner, you will probably like PSB. they're more refined than wharfedale and they're made in Canada so build quality should be on par with Wharfedale at least.

*** check if you can get NHT speakers at roughly the same price range, if at same price then grab them even though they're now made in China !

you can go to Lenbrook asia to check out the PSB speakers but again. the newer batch are Made in China...

it is cheaper than brit though comparing with B&W and KEF.

have fun auditing! trust your ears, not your eyes

[farkingnuts 0]

you can go to Lenbrook asia to check out the PSB speakers but again. the newer batch are Made in China...

it is cheaper than brit though comparing with B&W and KEF.

have fun auditing! trust your ears, not your eyes

so now PSB also made in China ?

only the high-end KEF is made in England, the rest also made in China for a long time.

lower-end B&W also made in China. years ago there was a court case against B&W when they claim their speakers made in England when it was made in China.

in any case, it's always wise to avoid British brands since most of them owned by Chinese owners and they get good reviews becoz they're the biggest advertisers.

[mars73 0]

Hi all

I'm abit of a noob when it comes to HTS. I'll be moving to my new place and want to do up my place properly for Home Theatre in the living room.

First, abit of info about the dimensions of my living and dining room (it's one continuous rectangular space). It is about 4m wide in front and has a 'depth' of 6m, including the dining area. Excluding the dining area, it is about 3.5m deep. Ceiling height is about 2.9m.

I have a budget of abt $3k max for the AVR and speakers. Intend to hang on to my PS3 as a blu-ray player for the time being. Will upgrade the player when I have more budget later. Intend to use the set for 60% movies and 40% music. I'm looking at a 5.1 setup. Seems like the advice is to spend more on speakers as they are less prone to obsolescence, and in particular the front 3 speakers and sub.

Would appreciate some help with the following:

1. Where should I place the rear speakers? I have 2 options (a) hanging from the ceiling in the 'middle' of the room behind the sofa (b) Off the ceiling/wall at the 'rear end' of the room behind the dining area

2. I intend to ask the contractor to pre-lay the cables for the speakers. What kind of cables should I use to be 'future proof'? Don't want to hack out the ceiling later.

3. For the AVR, I'm looking at either the Onkyo 608 or the Yamaha 667. Probably the Onkyo. Am I right to estimate about $700 for the Onkyo? Based on the balance of $2300 max for speakers, would appreciate some recommendations on the options for speakers I should be looking at.

Thanks very much for reading and your help!

[farkingnuts 0]

Hi all

I'm abit of a noob when it comes to HTS. I'll be moving to my new place and want to do up my place properly for Home Theatre in the living room.

First, abit of info about the dimensions of my living and dining room (it's one continuous rectangular space). It is about 4m wide in front and has a 'depth' of 6m, including the dining area. Excluding the dining area, it is about 3.5m deep. Ceiling height is about 2.9m.

I have a budget of abt $3k max for the AVR and speakers. Intend to hang on to my PS3 as a blu-ray player for the time being. Will upgrade the player when I have more budget later. Intend to use the set for 60% movies and 40% music. I'm looking at a 5.1 setup. Seems like the advice is to spend more on speakers as they are less prone to obsolescence, and in particular the front 3 speakers and sub.

Would appreciate some help with the following:

1. Where should I place the rear speakers? I have 2 options (a) hanging from the ceiling in the 'middle' of the room behind the sofa (b) Off the ceiling/wall at the 'rear end' of the room behind the dining area

2. I intend to ask the contractor to pre-lay the cables for the speakers. What kind of cables should I use to be 'future proof'? Don't want to hack out the ceiling later.

3. For the AVR, I'm looking at either the Onkyo 608 or the Yamaha 667. Probably the Onkyo. Am I right to estimate about $700 for the Onkyo? Based on the balance of $2300 max for speakers, would appreciate some recommendations on the options for speakers I should be looking at.

Thanks very much for reading and your help!

for $3k, you have to go for satellite speakers.

if you spend 2,300 on speakers, you'll end up with a lousy receiver to drive them - a surefire way to get lousy results!

besides, 2,00 won't be enough to get any decent box speakers too.

for satellites capable of matching or even beating ''normal'' speakers, there's only ONE choice.

go buy Cabasse, no other brand will even come remotely close !

then spend the rest of the money on Onkyo which is superior to Yamaha.

Edited March 9, 2011 by farkingnuts

[mars73 0]

for $3k, you have to go for satellite speakers.

if you spend 2,300 on speakers, you'll end up with a lousy receiver to drive them - a surefire way to get lousy results!

besides, 2,00 won't be enough to get any decent box speakers too.

for satellites capable of matching or even beating ''normal'' speakers, there's only ONE choice.

go buy Cabasse, no other brand will even come remotely close !

then spend the rest of the money on Onkyo which is superior to Yamaha.

Oh dear, this is depressing. What if I just spend the $2.3k on the front 3 speakers plus sub? Then buy the rear 2 later?

[farkingnuts 0]

Oh dear, this is depressing. What if I just spend the $2.3k on the front 3 speakers plus sub? Then buy the rear 2 later?

that's a better idea but a ''not crappy'' sub will cost 700-800 minimum and 1,500 won't get you any decent front 3 speakers!

i remember a brand called Usher Audio - you can probably get decent front 3 speakers from them since they're made in Taiwan but using reasonable drivers.

BUT a $700 receiver won't be able to make them sound good

my advice is still to get the Cabasse satellites, they're really special and the receiver can drive them just fine PLUS you get 5.1 sound rightaway!

unless you increase your budget, people always overlook the receiver but the power ratings are manipulated to appear far more powerful than the receiver really is.

a $700 receiver is simply not good enough for anything more than satellites.

Edited March 9, 2011 by farkingnuts

[mars73 0]

that's a better idea but a ''not crappy'' sub will cost 700-800 minimum and 1,500 won't get you any decent front 3 speakers!

i remember a brand called Usher Audio - you can probably get decent front 3 speakers from them since they're made in Taiwan but using reasonable drivers.

BUT a $700 receiver won't be able to make them sound good

my advice is still to get the Cabasse satellites, they're really special and the receiver can drive them just fine PLUS you get 5.1 sound rightaway!

unless you increase your budget, people always overlook the receiver but the power ratings are manipulated to appear far more powerful than the receiver really is.

a $700 receiver is simply not good enough for anything more than satellites.

Thanks, what if I up my budget to $3.3k for speakers? Any chance I can get reasonably decent box speakers? Or what would be the minimum budget for a set of decent 5.1 box speakers (for the front 2 at least)?