Any home audio Gurus here?

[MAGIC]

Im going to can my crappy home theater in a box RCA 5.1 set, and by can i mean give it to my parents. I'm looking to get a nice set of loudspeakers. I want to start with two decent satellites and a sub then move to some cabinets and move the satellites back for surround sound, then finally get a nice center channel.
Ive been looking around and I think I'm going to go with Acculine for my speakers. They seem to have some nice stuff that is affordable.
http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php/p/acculine-a1r/products_id/114
Those are the satellites i want to start with. a pair.
http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php/p/acculine-asub/products_id/68
and the sub.

Im not sure on receivers. What should i look for? I don't want to spend a ton, between 300-500 on it.
http://icrontic.pgpartner.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=63935416/search=Yamaha%20RX-V663BL/st=product/sv=image
This yamaha is one that is said to be very good for the price, but a lot of people say that pioneer make the best... i dont know.

Anyone, suggestions?

[TurboPenguin]

As a true Audiophile, (I install these things daily.) I have my own preferences, but I tell everyone to listen to speakers before you buy them because the last thing you want to do is realize that the speakers you bought online suck balls. With that said I would suggest the following..

I love Polk speakers, mainly because i love to have a better Mid and Low for my rears. I would suggest The Polk Audio RTi Series (A1 Linked) they are more money, but they are a much better speaker.
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=37900&i=107RTIA1B&tp=186

Fronts - Klipsch Reference Series RF-XX These have better Mid and Highs, and for the price you cant beat them sound wise. (RF-82 Linked)
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=12000&i=714RF82B&tp=185

Center - I have to go back to the Polk here CSi A6 Center channel, they are matched to the RSi Rears you have and if you wanted to go Polk all around you could easily. Yes I know its 500 for a single speaker but considering that 85% of your voices will come out of this speaker you really dont want to go cheap out. (CSi A6 Linked)
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=12100&i=107CSIA6B&tp=189

Subwoofer - Really anything out there will do as long as you have your cross over set properly. I would stay away from Sony, Yamaha and Boston Acustics. If you want the really deep tones get a bigger sub, if you want more of an initial punch to the sub go with a smaller sub. 8" For a punch 10" for a mix and 12" for Low tones. (10" Klipsch Linked)
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=12300&i=714RW10DB&tp=187

Receiver - 100% Preference. I personally like Yamaha and for the cost you cannot beat Yamaha. I do like Denon and Marantz too. Stay away from Sony, Onkyo. Make sure it has HDMI Switching for future use also. I recommend. (Linked Yamaha RXV663)
http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=10420&i=022RXV663&tp=179

That's my two cents for a great sounding 5.1 Surround Sound system. Keep in mind that the quality of wire you use will make a big difference. MOre importantly is to measure and place your speakers properly. The number one problem most people have is improperly placed speakers.

[airbornflght]

By quality of wire I really hope you mean gauge and not brand, because quite frankly copper is copper.

[Thrax]

I'm pretty sure that, as a professional installer, he does.

[tmh88]

My room mate has this (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7039536&st=klipsch+subwoofer&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1099395911231) subwoofer, and it is amazing. It shakes our whole house and sounds great. Our neighbors have come over multiple times to tell us to turn down the sub because it's so loud. Aside from watching movies, we listen to a lot of rap and it definitely pounds on his system.

[Khaos]

I like the Denon and Yamaha receivers, too, Turbo. Especially their value from a cost perspective. They have good mid-range models for under $1,000 that still perform well and offer the critical features people are looking for in a quality home theater receiver.

To the OP: Check out http://www.avsforum.com/ for researching your home theater setup. That place is an absolute wealth of information on all things HT.

Elemental Designs (http://www.edesignaudio.com/index.php?cPath=2_41) builds some insane subs with high quality components and sells 'em direct for a more-than-reasonable price. I run their subs in my car and have nothing but high praise for them. I haven't gotten around to putting together a new HT setup, but I have heard their stuff in a demo room and it's phenomenal. Definitely the best value going in HT subs, and very tough to beat their value for speakers -- but I think that Klipsch Reference towers do sound a little better (For a lot more money!).

[Snarkasm]

I built a full-Polk 5.1 setup for the madre a year or so ago mated with a sexy Pioneer with more inputs and controls than you can shake a stick at. LOVE the Polks, LOVE the Pioneer. That said, listen to the pro. Listen to everything you're thinking of buying, read around, and take your time. 75% of the fun is shopping and refining your choices :D

[Sonorous]

Just curious Turbo, what do you have against Onkyo? On a side note I had the 10" Klipsch sub that was linked by tmh88 and I found it far to "boomy" at low volumes and produced a ton of port noise at high volumes. Polk makes some very nice sounding subs. I however went the cheap way and got the JBL venue series sub 12. Sounds decent for a JBL home audio sub.

[TurboPenguin]

Just curious Turbo, what do you have against Onkyo? On a side note I had the 10" Klipsch sub that was linked by tmh88 and I found it far to "boomy" at low volumes and produced a ton of port noise at high volumes. Polk makes some very nice sounding subs. I however went the cheap way and got the JBL venue series sub 12. Sounds decent for a JBL home audio sub.

Onkyo is basically a stipped down cheap version of an Integra. I had a good stint with them for about a year mainly because of cost, but they have horrible life span. I had too many service calls with Zone 2 and Main Zones just quit working all together. So that is why I don't recommend them. When they work, they are great and when they don't you are going to have problems non-stop.

Also for those of you who are HUGE Pioneer junkies... Just a note, that Pioneer Receivers are the EXACT same internal components as a Denon. All they did was change the On Screen Display. IMO Pioneer Receivers are over-priced.

[TurboPenguin]

By quality of wire I really hope you mean gauge and not brand, because quite frankly copper is copper.

Yes I meant Gauge, as long as it is actually copper and that it is stranded. 1/2 of the wire sold at Best Buy is NOT copper.

[airbornflght]

Yes I meant Gauge, as long as it is actually copper and that it is stranded. 1/2 of the wire sold at Best Buy is NOT copper.

Why stranded? Aside from ease of installation there isn't a difference in current carrying capacity between stranded and solid conductor. The current carrying capacity is a product of the cross sectional area and the properties of the wire(al/cu). Which comes out to around 5-6 amps per square mm without active cooling for copper if I remember correctly.

I'm sure that isn't what you were saying, but I was fearful someone else could have read it and got the wrong impression. I couldn't tell you how many times someone has tried to tell me a thousand little strands could carry more current than one solid strand with the same cross sectional area. The basis of their argument is surface area and that is just not true.

[TurboPenguin]

Why stranded? Aside from ease of installation there isn't a difference in current carrying capacity between stranded and solid conductor. The current carrying capacity is a product of the cross sectional area and the properties of the wire(al/cu). Which comes out to around 5-6 amps per square mm without active cooling for copper if I remember correctly.

I'm sure that isn't what you were saying, but I was fearful someone else could have read it and got the wrong impression. I couldn't tell you how many times someone has tried to tell me a thousand little strands could carry more current than one solid strand with the same cross sectional area. The basis of their argument is surface area and that is just not true.

Because with Stranded wire you maximize your surface area. Considering that the elecrtons travel along copper not through copper, you get better transference of signal on stranded wire compared to solid. At least that is what I have been taught from many engineers from Yamaha and Denon.

[airbornflght]

That's interesting because I was taught in physics that it was the cross sectional area and not surface area that mattered. I'm going to have to look this up because I've heard both arguments.


Edit, did a quick look at wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire) and it seems that stranded is the way to go for audio signals because as frequency increases the current travels near the surface of the wire.

[Buddy J]

{citation needed}

[Sonorous]

Just use some coat hangers for speaker wire!

http://gizmodo.com/363154/audiophile-deathmatch-monster-cables-vs-a-coat-hanger

[TurboPenguin]

Just use some coat hangers for speaker wire!

http://gizmodo.com/363154/audiophile-deathmatch-monster-cables-vs-a-coat-hanger

Umm spend the extra $50 and get copper Speaker cable...

[bullzisnipr]

Checkout this Monster cable. 50' for $10.

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/58-12840

[Sonorous]

You missed the sarcasm in my post. I would never think to use coat hangers for speakers unless I was in a huge pinch.

[MAGIC]

Checkout this Monster cable. 50' for $10.

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/58-12840

nice find sir, looks like i can get 50 feet of 12gauge for 30 bucks from that site, will probably. go with that

[bullzisnipr]

[v][AGIC']nice find sir, looks like i can get 50 feet of 12gauge for 30 bucks from that site, will probably. go with that

Haha yea, my dad just got that magazine in the mail the other day and my eyes got real wide when I saw the price of their cables.

[MAGIC]

Im going with this system.
http://www.klipsch.com/products/details/rb-61-home-theater-system.aspx
Pretty much eats my entire budget for the system so the receiver will have to wait, but i'm getting the stuff direct from the manufacturer at cost ($650) so i couldn't pass it up.

[airbornflght]

Ok, first, how the hell did you manage that!? and second good choice you won't be disappointed.

[MAGIC]

A Best Buy connection. Turbo, why don't you like Onkyo? From what i read over on the AVForums they are the best bang for the sub $1000 buck. I'm thinking about starting with the Onkyo TXSR606 as per a lot of folks suggestions on the forums. But, I would like to hear what your reasons for not liking them are.

[Madball]

I like Onkyo. I love my 605. That being said I also like Denon, and Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000WIUSPW/interactiveda8729-20) has the AVR-1908 for a great price right now. Almost too good to be true. If you've ever used the Audyssey features that Denon and Onkyo have, you won't know how you lived without it.

[bullzisnipr]

I'm a huge fan of Onkyo. We run over 1KW of 7.1 THX Select 2 at my house with two Onkyo receivers, and it truely sounds amazing. In saying that, I haven't owned anything else. My dad has always used Onkyo and still has a 70's Onkyo receiver he got in college that still sounds awesome, they certainly last if you take care of them.