Another request for advice/opinions 5.1 HT

First off, Kudos to all the regulars & moderators here. lots & lots of readily accessible info & more importantly, plenty of people willing to help out & give their 2 cents.

So here's the deal: Im looking to buy myself a little birthday gift in the form of a 5.1 theater system for my living room. Room isnt too big, around 12x10 ish. i dont have too much going on equipment wise, just a PS3, HD cable box and a nice TV (samsung LN55A950). i figure its time to match it with something equally "high end" sound wise. Im not looking for anything insane, just something that will be able to play all the latest media & handle all the latest codecs / formats. And while i definitely want it to THUMP, im looking for more clarity / quality over quantity as it were.

Ive looked around in previous threads enough to know to stay away from BOSE, which is cool with me. it sounds like you can access far better equiment for far less $$$.

Ive read some good things about the onkyo 607 series reciever, but im not sure if it has a radio tuner or has the option of an ipod dock. i def want it to have those as features.

as far as the speaker set goes, i dont have the room for a 7.1, only a 5.1. I'm looking for something as low profile or as compact as i can get given the "high performance" i would like. this is what attracted me to BOSE at first (thanks Hidef forum). i havent decided whether or not the center channel will be mounted at the base of the TV or mounted above it (dont know if it matters). I plan on mounting all the other satellites on the "fashionable" thin metal stands (still has to be aesthetically pleasing for the woman).

question regarding the sub... does it typically matter WHERE in the room it goes? or oare most of them omnidirectional?

Thats essentially it... as far as budgets go, i definitely would lean toward bang for buck type of deals, but i dont mind paying premium for the good stuff that will last.

thanks in advance for reading

The Onkyo TX-SR607 would do all that you need and more. As for speakers read this first then go shopping - http://www.highdefforum.com/746822-post1.html

Some speakers I would suggest would be - http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/KEFKHT10052GB/KEF/KHT1005.2-5.1-Sattelite-Subwoofer-Speaker-Package-GLOSS-BLACK-/1.html


and - http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MORDPREMIERPACKSLV/MORDAUNT-SHORT/MS300-MS308W-SILVER-Free-Monster-Spk-Wire-Sub-Cable-/1.html

Hope this helps.

some other "small footprint" speaker systems you may want to consider

Def Tech http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/544699430/definitive-technology-procinema-60-6

Jamo http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/500138057/jamo-a-102-hcs-5-black

Energy Take Classic http://www.wwstereo.com/#/ecommerce/store/Speakers/33/144992//

good luck

It certainly does, thanks.

i saw you recommend the KEF's in a previous thread.

out of curiosity, do you (or anyone) have any experience with either of these 2?

i figured there may not be alot of high performance / compact stuff out there, but the heads up is appreciated

How about Klipsch or Mirage?

i'm consistently seeing good reviews on those as well...

as long as all the above are better than BOSE for the $$$ i feel educated enough to make a choice...

it looks like i'll be going with the onkyo 607 series receiver...

thanks for the input everyone

Klipsch and Mirage are each a little different because they each approach sound in their own unique way. Klipsch is famous for their use of loaded horn technology, or "horn speakers" which can be a little more "in your face" than a conventional soft cone speaker. It is very much a personal thing - try to listen to them before buying, you may really like the approach.

Mirage takes a different stance, they like omni-directional sound, produced by aiming the mid/tweeter speaker up and into a horizontal dispersion cone to force the sound out in about a 270 degree pattern. It tends to produce a unique "dispersed" soundstage that many like....others do not. Again, it's very personal and you need to hear them to tell.

good luck

The KEF system sounds much better than you would expect. Here is a review - http://www.hometheatermag.com/compactspeakers/kef_kht10052_speaker_system/index.html

looks like thats the route im going to go with...

Reciever will be the onkyo 607 coupled with the KEF 1005.2

did all my measurements & researched the other comparable systems, this seems to fit what im looking for best...

the input is much appreciated L2W & M_V, thanks.

But hey! the fun isnt over yet is it? im eventually going to have to connect these things togehter... which brings me to the next series of questions...

1. ive heard its good practice to use a good quality speaker cable to connect the reciever & speaker set. Any recommendations?

2. Connecting to the TV, PS3 & cable: is the optical audio connection best? HDMI? Component? which brand?

Well, i pulled the trigger already on the order...

Onkyo 607, KEF 1005.2, Ipod adapter & speaker stands are all on the way.

i really have to thank you for the input & the $$$ i just saved by going to accessories4less.

next up is figuring out the wiring & cables i need.

Karma will be good to you my friend.

Well, i pulled the trigger already on the order...

Onkyo 607, KEF 1005.2, Ipod adapter & speaker stands are all on the way.

i really have to thank you for the input & the $$$ i just saved by going to accessories4less.

next up is figuring out the wiring & cables i need.

Karma will be good to you my friend.

HDMI is the way you want to connect your devices as it carries both video and audio and can carry HD audio which oprical can not.. You can purchase all of your cables and speaker wire at www.monoprice.com. 16 gauge speaker wire should be just fine...

HDMI all the way, simple enough.

Once again, many thanks.

i'll worry about which cables go where once they all get here...

HDMI all the way, simple enough.

Once again, many thanks.

i'll worry about which cables go where once they all get here...

We can help you with that too...

So the system is here and installed!

took me a little bit to get everything wired & plugged in from top to bottom, but it was worth doing it right the first time.

So far, so good! im enjoying all the little additional details i couldnt hear previously... the sounds is very clear, no distortion in the least and the sub pumps very nicely...

But the fun isnt quite over yet... im not sure i have everything set up correctly, after all im not exactly an expert on this.

ive got 2 issues:

1 - im guessing i may have to tweak the settings, im finding that depending on the source material, whether it be a blu ray, game or tv show, the speech portion is either too loud or not nearly loud enough compared to whatever else is going on. im guessing i may have to find a nice middle ground or arrange some presets...

2 - im getting a low level hum from the speakers & sub that is a little distracting. Im not sure, but i think it may be an electrical issue, and or the way i have my speaker wires & power wiring situated. basically all the power for the entire set up (tv, ps3, modem, router, cable box, receiver, sub) is coming from 2 power strips each connected to 1 outlet... while my girlfriend used the microwave in the other room the hum got alot more pronounced. i figure logically it may be related. other wise, i noticed also that lowering the crossover or volume on the sub decreased it, but not eliminate it. also at the cost of less bass...


any ideas?

Could be many things including an improper grounding of the home. First thing to try would be use one of those 3 to 2 prong adapters so you are only plugging in 2 blades of the plug into your wall (the power strips). If that works, great. If not, come back and let us know.

ill give it a go and let you know. thank you.

out of curiosity, you think theres any chance it could the the settings being out of wack?

ill give it a go and let you know. thank you.

out of curiosity, you think theres any chance it could the the settings being out of wack?

No.

Could be many things including an improper grounding of the home. First thing to try would be use one of those 3 to 2 prong adapters so you are only plugging in 2 blades of the plug into your wall (the power strips). If that works, great. If not, come back and let us know.

That adapter plug is known as a cheater plug and should only be used for diagnostic testing to figure out where the hum is from.

Also try separating the power cables from the audio/video cables (they should NOT be run parallel together) as a possible reason for the hum, but the likely cause is what is called a ground loop issue.

The cheater plug will help see if this is the case, but also try making sure everything is plugged into the same outlet and that will help until you can get an electrician to solve the grounding problem if having everything on the same outlet takes away the humming.

Good luck & hope this helps! :hithere:

The 3 to 2 prong adapters worked. if there is any humming at all now, i cant hear it anymore... Thanks for the quick fix.

Question regarding input sources...

i notice if the radio or PS3/blu ray is on, the volume is much greater at a lower setting than if watching TV/Cable... Is this just the nature of the beast? is there any way to remedy it?