A total of 14 reviews of this product on Reddit.
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The question is do you want a sub or not? If you know you’re getting a sub get the best sounding speakers you can for the budget. It seems like that is somewhere in the $200-250. If you’re not then I would consider getting the largest speakers you could for your budget or slightly more so that you can get lower in the bass frequencies.
That being said I think I would also add the Boston Acoustics CS26 $105 ea to your list.
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Here are some thoughts that I had while looking over you list.
AVR – Nothing wrong with the choice but if you are open to go refurb you could get a better unit. For the same price you can step into a Denon S710W refurb that has more channels, HDMI ports, Audyssey and network capability.
Speaker package is fine and I like how you went with the 5.0 vs the 5.1 as I’ve heard mixed reviews on that particular sub.
If you want an alternative speaker package here is what I would do. Get this Boston Acoustic CS2300 5.0 set $200 and add in either these CS26 bookself speakers$105ea (Total:$410) or these CS260 towers $160ea (Total:$520).
The sub needs some help. I would totally pass on the PSW10 in favor of something, almost anything else. I would look at these: Dayton Sub 1200 $150, Dayton Sub 1000 $130 (if you have to get from Amazon), Klipsch K100-sw $150, or if you can push the budget the budget king BIC F12 $210.
Might need to order another 100 ft of speaker wire just to be sure that you have enough.
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Here are some options not previously mentioned.
Boston Acoustic CS26 $105ea and the CS225 center $200 – $410 total Great choice for a good overall sound.
Polk S10 $200 & S30 center $230 – $430 Total These are getting favorable reviews and I was pretty impressed when I heard them.
Q Acoustics 3010 $200 & 3090c center $180 – $380 Total These get very good reviews too worth a look.
BIC DV64 $125ea & a BIC DV62CLRS center $115 – $365 total This will get you towers for the fronts so you don’t have to mess with stands.
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You can certainly get larger speakers and there’s nothing wrong with that. As a matter of fact larger speakers will help you cross lower so the sub is doing less work. However, I know the Micca’s cross at 70-80 with no issues at all.
If you don’t like the Micca’s or want something better then sure there are speakers out there that will be an upgrade. However, you’ll have to spend more on them like the Klipsch that you linked. The Pioneers, Fluance SX, and BIC DV won’t be that much of an upgrade.
If you want an upgrade here are some I would consider in addition to the Klipsch
Boston CS26 $130 ea
Cambridge SX50 $250
RBH R5bi $115ea
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So if the main viewing area is the family room and you watch TV nightly I would say go for the front three upgrade. The problem there is the budget. With $300 you’ll be limited to about where you are in terms of speakers. I would say you would need $400 to step up. You could do just the mains and do the center later or not at all depending on how sensitive you are to the mismatch. You could also just keep what you have in the family room and setup the den with the upgraded speakers for music. Either way here are some options.
Mains upgrade – (pick one) These all have a matching center but keep in mind the center can be expensive.
KEF Q100 $300 – Amazing bookshelf speakers that are still highly on sale. Can’t recommend these enough.
Philharmonic Affordable Accuracy – I’ve never heard they but they are supposed to be very good for the money.
Cambridge Aero 2 $250 – These are $100 off the normal price or more. I think they look cool and the BMR sound like an interesting concept.
RBH/EMPTek R5Bi $225 pair – very good speakers that have a lots of fans. Be warned the matching center is expensive.
Q Acoustics 3020 $250 – Newcomers to the US but have gotten great reviews in the past.
Front three upgrade
Boston Acoustic CS26 $105ea & CS225C center $200 (Total:$410) – It’s over budget but keep watching the center pricing as it was down to $100 the other day and is normally around the $150 mark.
Fluance Signature bookshelves $200 and Center $150 (Total: $350) – Close to your budget and should be an upgrade over the Pioneers. How much I’m not sure as I’ve not heard these.
Q Acoustics 3010 $180 and 3090c center $160 (Total:$340) – New the american market but have gotten very good reviews from UK publications. The smaller 3010 should be fine considering you have a sub. You could upgrade to the 3020’s if you wanted to stretch the budget.
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If your budget is $400 then you certainly have some options to upgrade. If the center is the problem it sounds like you should upgrade it. The catch is I don’t like upgrading just the center so I would look more at the LCR and try to upgrade that. When you replace the front L/R move those speakers to the surround locations as they are better than the current surrounds. Here are some ways that you could go.
Boston Acoustics (3.0)- CS26 $105 ea and the CS225C center $200 This will put you just over your $400 budget but you’ll be getting a nice upgrade to the existing front speakers. This should make a nice impact difference as you’ll be able to cross the sub much lower than you currently are.
Micca (3.1) – MB42X $90, MB42XC center $80 and a Dayton Sub 1200 subwoofer $150 with sub cable $15 Yep going back to the entry level stuff for this but you’re getting almost a entire new setup except for the surrounds. These Micca’s are actually solid little speakers. They will reach down much lower than the current models so hopefully they will give you better dynamics in the system.
Pioneer (3.1) – AJ BS-22 and Center $210 and the Dayton from above. Very similiar to the Micca but with larger speakers. Very well reviewed and after a room correction should sound very good.
Fluance (3.0) – Signature bookshelf $200 and Center $150
Q Acoustics (3.0) – 3020 bookshelf$250 and a 3090 Center $160 This should be right over your budget but should give you some very good speakers. If you need to step down the price swap for the smaller 3010 mains $180.
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If it were me with that budget I’d get the following:
L/R speakers $215: https://smile.amazon.com/Boston-Acoustics-II-CS26-Bookshelf/dp/B002HEFX90/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1482416040&sr=8-6&keywords=boston+acoustics+classic
Center Channel $105: https://smile.amazon.com/Boston-Acoustics-II-CS225C-Loudspeakers/dp/B005GNWHFW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1482416040&sr=8-3&keywords=boston+acoustics+classic
Subwoofer $175: http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-sub-1500-15-150-watt-powered-subwoofer–300-634
If you intend to mount the L/R speakers flush against the wall get some high density foam and plug the rear ports.
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Here are some thoughts I had.
I would just get and AVR and be done with it. You’ll have plenty of power, dedicated sub output, remote, multiple digital and analog inputs and room to expand if you wanted to. You’ll also get room correction and better bass management.
If you’re not worried about video you can go with a refurb unit that should be under $200.
No you wouldn’t need a preamp, DAC or anything else if you go with an AVR.
Subwoofer budget is healthy but honestly I would go with a lesser sub and better speakers.
Here is what I would look at.
AVR – Yamaha RX-V377 $170 Non 4k unit but if all your going for is audio this should work fine. If 4k is needed look at the Denon S510BT $190 also has bluetooth integrated.
Speakers – KEF Q100 $300 they are currently still on say. They are double the price of the SX6 but well worth it. If you want something cheaper I would at least go with the Boston Acoustic CS26 $105ea, EMPTek R5B $225 or the ELAC B5 $200
Sub – BIC PL-200 $250 Should be more than enough bass for you. Use the money saved to pay for the upgraded speakers.
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I appreciate the feedback!
For speakers, I’m between some of the following setups. I saw that newegg has some really big sales on the JBL arena speakers this weekend. Are those decent? I’m not sure if I should be planning for towers, as opposed to bookshelf speakers, due to the small room size and the small size of the entertainment center. If we did end up with a center speaker, I’d think it would be too close together for all 3 on there. Do you have any recommendations from the list below? Some are above my idea price range but I could maybe swing it to get a better setup.
Speakers – JBL Arena towers, center, sub
Towers – JBL Arena 170 2-Way 7″ Floorstanding Loudspeaker (Black) -Single/ Each – $159.90 ($79.95 x2) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=0S6-000E-000N5&ignorebbr=1)
Center – JBL Arena 125C 2-Way 5.5″ Center Channel Loudspeaker – Each (Black) – $79.95 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=0S6-000E-000N7&ignorebbr=1)
Sub – JBL Arena Sub 100P 10″ 100W Powered Subwoofer with High-Efficiency Class D Amplifier (Black) – $129.95 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=0S6-000E-000N8&ignorebbr=1)
Total – $377.76
Speakers – EMP tek R5Bi bookshelf, center, no sub
Bookshelf – R5Bi Bookshelf Speakers – $225.00 (pair) (http://emptek.com/r5bi.php)
Center – R5Bi Bookshelf Speakers (on side) – $112.50 (http://emptek.com/r5bi.php)
Total – $337.50
Speakers – KEF Q100 bookshelf, no center, Dayton SUB-1200 sub
Bookshelf – Q100 Bookshelf Loudspeaker Pair – $299.99 (pair) (https://www.kefdirect.com/speakers/hi-fi-speakers/q-series/q100-bookshelf-loudspeaker-pair.html)
Dayton Audio SUB-1200 12″ 120 Watt Powered Subwoofer – $148.00 (http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-sub-1200-12-120-watt-powered-subwoofer–300-629)
Total – $447.99
Speakers – Boston Acoustic CS26, no center, Dayton SUB-1200 sub
Bookshelf – Boston Acoustics Classic II CS26 2-Way 6-1/2-Inch Bookshelf Speaker , Black Walnut – $210.86 ($105.43 x2) (https://smile.amazon.com/Boston-Acoustics-II-CS26-Bookshelf/dp/B002HEFX90/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1479308280&sr=8-3&keywords=boston+acoustics)
Dayton Audio SUB-1200 12″ 120 Watt Powered Subwoofer – $148.00 (http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-sub-1200-12-120-watt-powered-subwoofer–300-629)
Total = $358.86
Thanks!
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Don’t know your room size or anything but… if this were me with $500 I’d start with a 2.0 system.
Receiver $210: http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/yamrxv381/yamaha-rx-v381-5.1-ch-x-70-watts-bluetooth-a/v-receiver/1.html
L/R speakers $211: https://smile.amazon.com/Boston-Acoustics-II-CS26-Bookshelf/dp/B002HEFX90/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1471355578&sr=8-6&keywords=boston+acoustics+bookshelf
Use the remainder at monoprice.com to get HDMI cables and speaker wire. When your budget recovers, if you are okay with the bass for the moment then get the matching center $100.
If the bass output is an issue for you, then get a good subwoofer. If you are willing to buy right then spend $365 and get this: http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-2.html it is the finest subwoofer available for less than $500.
Surrounds are not critical so save money there when you are ready and just pick up a pair of Micca MB42 at $60: https://smile.amazon.com/Micca-MB42-Bookshelf-Speakers-Tweeter/dp/B009IUIV4A/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1471355775&sr=8-3&keywords=micca
You’ll have a solid system that should serve you well for years. The speakers/subwoofer are good enough to stay with you for decades. Quality cost a little more up front but pays major dividends down the line. Play the long game.
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So we have $500 for an AVR and speakers. Here is what I would do.
AVR – Yamaha RX-V381 refurb $$220 Current model entry level AVR from Yamaha. Full 4k support should hold you for a while.
Speakers – Pick an option
2.0 bookshelf: Boston Acoustics CS26 $105 ea /$210 & Stands $40 Very nice speakers that should do well without a sub for the time being. You could also look at the ELAC B5 $200 These have been well received, the larger B6 is just out of the budget at $280 especially if you want stands (which I recommend).
2.0 towers: BIC DV64 $130 ea or Pioneer FS52 $130 ea With towers you don’t need stands and the bass response should be even better.
2.1 setup: Pioneer BS22 $120 or Micca MB42X $90 & a Dayton Sub 800 $100. I would put these speakers on stands also so that you can get them them out and up to the right height. Should come in right at budget. While not as good as the 2.0 options you will have the benefit of a sub that you can move to the best place for bass. This little sub can surprise especially if you corner load it.
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Yeah, that’s a tight budget. I’d go with a 2.0 system like this:
Receiver $210: http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/yamrxv381/yamaha-rx-v381-5.1-ch-x-70-watts-bluetooth-a/v-receiver/1.html
Add a subwoofer when your budget recovers. Once you know how much you can dedicate to the subwoofer you can see what’s available.
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Here is what I would do
Mains – Boston CS26 $105 ea so $210
Center – Boston CS225C $120
Sub – HSU STF-2 or dual Klipsch K100-sw $150
Get some stands or wall mounts for the speakers so you can get them up higher to get past the furniture.
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I would look at these setups.
Setup 1 – Middle of the road
AVR – Denon S710W refurb $270 Cheapest AVR with Audyssey auto room correct.
Speakers – Boston CS26 $105 ea Great mid level speaker with a smooth tweeter. You could also look at the WaveCrest HVl-1 $220
Sub – Boston CSSub 10 $205 if you want to match your mains, a Dayton 1500 $200 for maximum size for the money.
Setup 2 – Super sub
AVR – Yamaha RX-V379 $225 Entry level 5.1 AVR that will do just fine for a 2.1
Speakers – Micca MB42X $90 One of the better low cost speakers for HT work.
Sub – HSU STF-2 $380 Real deal subwoofer that can reach deep. About the cheapest high end sub you’re going to find.
Setup 3 – Better Mains
AVR – Yamaha from above $225
Speakers – Cambridge SX60 $350 big front ported speakers, Elac B6 $280 very hot speakers right now or Deftech ProMonitor 1000 refurbs $160 ea.
Sub – Dayton Sub 1000 $130 or the 12" version if you get the ELAC.
