Home theater setup - First time pls help

warrior047

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Hello all,
Really need your valuable suggestions. I have always been someone who wanted great sound per my capacity. I used Edifier, Swans and then shifted to JBL Soundbar which am using.

Now i want to venture into proper Home theater audio. Am really confused with so many options. I am from hyderabad and dont know much dealers. But the shops i visit always suggest regular satellite speakers. But i want more quality with right sound profile experience. Some dealers suggesting Monitor audio and

Based on my study, I feel like i dont need to put in more money for the below room size. Its a straight hall and TV, speakers should fit in the first half of the room only.
But i need your suggestions pls. I want a future proof amplifier and hence looking towards Denon X2700H or Marantz SR5015 or SR6015 based on best prices. Not sure if its too much high considering the room size. But i dont want to change the amplifier in the near time. Pls suggest.

Coming to speakers, i would like to try proper bookshelf speakers here along with more money being spent on Sub and Center channel in a 5.1.2 setup for now.
SVS basic sub or anything? Also would you recommend a sealed or ported one? Is SVS worth it for PB-1000? If budget eats out the balance, am also ok for Fyneaudio - Just need the right amount of punch for movies and music.
Center, left and right needed - Not a fan of tower or standing speakers and my room wouldn't need them - Dali/Focal/Qacoustics/Canton/Fyneaudio or anything else? Pls suggest. Am more inclined to wharfedele diamond 12.2 but only based on word of mouth.
2 Surrounds - Qacoustics 3010i?
2 Ceiling Atmos - ?

Kindly help guys. Budget including AV Receiver would be 2.5 lakh. I might in future add few more speakers but not in the near while.
 

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Are you planning to put the system in the left side? I see tv + av-unit opposite to couch, but that wall is very short and there is door/opening right side. You are going to have issues how to place the speakers at front and also at rear as the couch is against rear wall and you want to go atmos. That means the surround speakers can´t be raised much higher than seated ear height so if you think about it they will be very close to listeners which can be annoying.

Is it possible to built it on the right side of long room where it says 9? At least it would allow you to spread the front three bit more apart, although the doors opens where the right side main speaker sits so need to put some stopper. I would buy speaker stands for the main bookshelf speakers. Surround speakers wall mounted and in both cases i would consider bipole type speakers which are less directional which is beneficial as the speakers are so close to listeners. You can mix brands (LCR vs. surrounds) if necessary. Below few examples:


Amazon product ASIN B087QKQH6Y
 
Are you planning to put the system in the left side? I see tv + av-unit opposite to couch, but that wall is very short and there is door/opening right side. You are going to have issues how to place the speakers at front and also at rear as the couch is against rear wall and you want to go atmos. That means the surround speakers can´t be raised much higher than seated ear height so if you think about it they will be very close to listeners which can be annoying.

Is it possible to built it on the right side of long room where it says 9? At least it would allow you to spread the front three bit more apart, although the doors opens where the right side main speaker sits so need to put some stopper. I would buy speaker stands for the main bookshelf speakers. Surround speakers wall mounted and in both cases i would consider bipole type speakers which are less directional which is beneficial as the speakers are so close to listeners. You can mix brands (LCR vs. surrounds) if necessary. Below few examples:


Amazon product ASIN B087QKQH6Y
Thanks for the response. Unfortunately we need to go per the plan as its too late now.
Pls suggest as the total setup will need to come inside the drawing room part i.e., first half of the room.

Am planning below for the straight hall though the speakers fit in the first half of the room itself. Need your recommendation guys.

left and right fronts - Dali oberon 3/Kef Q350/Wharfedale Diamond 12.2/Martin logan Motion 15i
- Am also interested in On wall speakers like KEF 301 series or Martin logan Motion SLM series (not XL)
Center - Dali oberon vokal/Kef Q650/martin logan motion 30i/Motion SLM/KEF 301C
2 Surrounds - Kef T101/Dali oberon on Wall/Martion logan Motion SLM?
2 Ceiling Atmos - Polk Audio RC80/KEF Ci130ER/Q Acoustics QI65C
Subwoofer - SVS Sb-1000 Pro/Martin logan Dynamo 800x/REL Acoustics HT/1003/REL Acoustics HT/1205
AVR - Denon X2700H/X3700H, Marantz SR6015/5015 (Dont want to change AVR anytime in near future)
 
I also have 3 questions.
1. I wanted to spend similarly w.r.to more amount on Center channel and Subwoofer. I wanted to balance out the budget as well. Hence i wanted to mix the speakers available like below
Kef Q350 for Fronts
Some good center speaker like Emotiva Airmotiv C1+ or KEF Q650 or Monitor Audio Silver C350 or something else
But got suggestions that we need to stick to same company speakers for Fronts and Center to match the tone. But this is narrowing me down due to availability in my area. Few folks sell only KEF and few only Emotiva or Martin Logan
2. My subwoofer might sit somewhere in the center or first half corner of the Hall as you can see, beside the TV. Hence i wanted to go for a sealed sub considering the space and also i didnt want the flat to rumble and create angry neighbours. Pls suggest if i can overcome the sound effects of PB-1000 pro. Else i would go for either SB-1000 pro or Dynamo 800x.
3. Also can i go for flat speakers like On-wall for Fronts and surrounds like KEF T301 and T101, and go for a KEF 650 in the center?? I dont know if i can wall mount the bookshelves considering their port is behind. And i have a 2 yr old kid who would simply put down the speakers if they are only on stands.

I understand that KEF Flat ones are no match for Bookshelves but i wanted a balance output for surrouds at-least by investing more on my choice of sub and center speaker.
 
Can you confirm as you say first half but you also say drawing so the right side? I have circled it, see attachment, is this the room where the speakers go?

If you have kids and as you say he will knock them down then on-wall speakers are the way to go.

2pairs of Oberon On-Wall and Oberon Vokal.

Or 5x Fyne LCR300 speakers, sealed on-wall design. Fyne = old Tannoy engineers put up new speaker company.

If the speakers go where i circled red and the sub would go to left side of tv which is right where the opening to dining starts, not best idea and likely won`t be best spot. Right side of tv where is that 9 and door opening which is likely kept closed when watched movie so this would be better spot. PB1000 pro would be more ideal and enjoyable, but if the "rumble" bothers neighbours then stick with SB1000 Pro. It depends how loud you play more really..
 

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Can you confirm as you say first half but you also say drawing so the right side? I have circled it, see attachment, is this the room where the speakers go?

If you have kids and as you say he will knock them down then on-wall speakers are the way to go.

2pairs of Oberon On-Wall and Oberon Vokal.

Or 5x Fyne LCR300 speakers, sealed on-wall design. Fyne = old Tannoy engineers put up new speaker company.

If the speakers go where i circled red and the sub would go to left side of tv which is right where the opening to dining starts, not best idea and likely won`t be best spot. Right side of tv where is that 9 and door opening which is likely kept closed when watched movie so this would be better spot. PB1000 pro would be more ideal and enjoyable, but if the "rumble" bothers neighbours then stick with SB1000 Pro. It depends how loud you play more really..
Thank you. Can you pls also help with those 3 queries?
 
Thank you. Can you pls also help with those 3 queries?

You didn´t answer is your system going in to the right side which i circled red?

Don´t mix front three if you don´t need to. Also you are more limited if you need to buy on-wall speakers for the front too. I don´t know all the brands available at India. Basically you could wall mount Q350 with sturdy wall brackets, but they won´t look good and consider how bulky the speakers are too.

I commented the subwoofer placement, if it´s more in the center middle of the hall then that is likely not good. I said where it should go. For subwoofer stick with SVS! It will be up to you which model, but also depending where can you have it really.

You can mix surrounds from different brand. So example MA Bronze FX / Silver FX on the rear wall could be nice as they give you more diffused soundfield, it helps cause the speakers are so close to listeners. Another option is normal direct radiating speakers like the Dali Oberon On-Wall or Kef T101/301. They will sound more directional then.
 
Attached is the planned setup. I was inclined towards bookshelves but now looking at placement issues of them, want to consider floorstanding. But would they cause issue with neighbors? I dont share wall sideways but up and below yes - Dali oberon 5 or KEF Q750s

I was under an impression that only Bookshelf as Front left and right would suit me and that floor standing speakers are like an overkill for the place i have. But when i auditioned on-wall speakers like KEF T301, i felt great clarity but they had some sharpness and much of treble.

Am finally leaning towards below - I also want to invest more in Center, sub and Fronts rather than surrounds and ceiling.

At my place, KEF Q350 comes at 800 USD/Hr as a pair, I want to go for Q750 floor standing to avoid stands, but not sure if its going to cause problems with neighbours and it also comes more than 1750 $
Q650 comes at 805 USD/hr
Q150 surrounds come at 700 USD/Hr.

If i look at wharfedele, that also comes at minimum 580 $ (Pair for fronts) and is in the same range.
Other speakers like emotiva also fall in range of 650 USD+.

Dalis' are bit economical for me and am considering Oberon 3 bookshelves with center channel from either Emotiva C1+ or Dali Vokal oberon.

Even SVS PB-1000 Pro comes at 1450 $
SVS SB-1000 Pro comes at 1200$.
Denon X3700H comes at 1700 USD/Hr.
 

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Final Configs being planned. Pls check and suggest if this is fine

Rear Surrounds -> Dali Oberon On-Wall or KEF T101 On wall or Martin Logan Motion 4i (Inclining towards KEF for cheaper option)
Ceiling Atmos ->Q Acoustics QI 80C or Polk Audio RC80i or Monitor Audio C165
Sub -> SVS PB-1000 Pro or Martin logan Dynamo 800x or REL Acoustics HT/1205 -> Can also consider SVS SB 1000 Pro considering compact sub
AVR -> Denon X2700H

Above is common for any options below.

Option 1 -> Bookshelves
LR -> Dali Oberon 3 or KEF Q350
Center -> Emotiva C1+ (Not sure about the timbre matching and tonal checks) - Just going based on reviews of C2+ and this being a 3 way center. Alternatively can go for 2 way Dali oberon Vokal or 2.5 way KEF Q650
-> Total comes at around between 5000-5200 USD including surrounds, ceiling, sub and AVR

Option 2 -> Floorstanders
LR -> Dali Oberon 5 or KEF Q550
Center -> 2 way Dali oberon Vokal or KEF Q650

-> Total comes at around between 5400-5600 USD including surrounds, ceiling, sub and AVR
Dali LCR setup with common surrounds above -> 5500 USD
KEF LCR Setup with common surrounds above -> 5850 USD
 
Is that door where it says number 9 in your floorplan going to be closed most of time? I fear it drops the R side speaker if there is not some kind of stopper with the kids running also.

You said you fear the kids dropping speakers so perhaps floorstanding speakers would be safer or the on-wall route.

Can you listen Oberon 5 vs. Kef Q550? They are fairly similar sized narrow speakers but i don´t think they will sound anywhere similar so it´s risky to buy blind as you will never know did you choose the best one for you. I don´t think you necessarily need Q750 for the small room / av-part with the apartment & neighbours in mind also, but it`s your call. Q650c i would take over Q250c with any Kef front speakers (Q350,550,750) it´s a good 2,5-way center channel which doesn´t suffer the usual MTM issues due to using coaxial drivers. If you go with Kef then you can settle for T101 surrounds, with Dali it would be Oberon On-Wall. Kef likely works little better if you have to keep them close to walls due to PR design, there is no rear ports in the floorstanding models.

Ceiling speakers have a look is there any cheap Kef available. Ci160.2CR or even Ci130ER as you live in apartment. If too expensive then stick with some cheaper alternative, as you said you want to spend more for the LCR and sub.

How much the REL HT1205 costs?
 
Is that door where it says number 9 in your floorplan going to be closed most of time? I fear it drops the R side speaker if there is not some kind of stopper with the kids running also.

You said you fear the kids dropping speakers so perhaps floorstanding speakers would be safer or the on-wall route.

Can you listen Oberon 5 vs. Kef Q550? They are fairly similar sized narrow speakers but i don´t think they will sound anywhere similar so it´s risky to buy blind as you will never know did you choose the best one for you. I don´t think you necessarily need Q750 for the small room / av-part with the apartment & neighbours in mind also, but it`s your call. Q650c i would take over Q250c with any Kef front speakers (Q350,550,750) it´s a good 2,5-way center channel which doesn´t suffer the usual MTM issues due to using coaxial drivers. If you go with Kef then you can settle for T101 surrounds, with Dali it would be Oberon On-Wall. Kef likely works little better if you have to keep them close to walls due to PR design, there is no rear ports in the floorstanding models.

Ceiling speakers have a look is there any cheap Kef available. Ci160.2CR or even Ci130ER as you live in apartment. If too expensive then stick with some cheaper alternative, as you said you want to spend more for the LCR and sub.

How much the REL HT1205 costs?
Thank you for the response. Yes that is the main door and will remain most of the times closed.
There is no audition facility of Dali or even KEF Bookshelves. I liked KEF T301 when heard and hence was fine with bookshelves considering the same tech.

Dali is purely based on word of mouth and some youtube hearings. I liked them as well.

I have a question. I was thinking rear surrounds and 2 ceiling ones, instead of rear surrounds, can we try 2 front heights on wall. Alternatively can we just have 4 ceilings and just LCR with sub.

REL HT1205 costs same as SVS PB-1000 Pro i.e., 1450 USD+
 
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Thank you for the response. Yes that is the main door and will remain most of the times closed.
There is no audition facility of Dali or even KEF Bookshelves. I liked KEF T301 when heard and hence was fine with bookshelves considering the same tech.

Dali is purely based on word of mouth and some youtube hearings. I liked them as well.

I have a question. I was thinking rear surrounds and 2 ceiling ones, instead of rear surrounds, can we try 2 front heights on wall. Alternatively can we just have 4 ceilings and just LCR with sub.

REL HT1205 costs same as SVS PB-1000 Pro i.e., 1450 USD+

Ok if the door remains closed and the kids are told not to go close to front speakers then maybe you could opt for Q550? Q350 would work too with stands, but people are afraid that the speaker would drop easily if kids running there. Q550 does look better and doesn´t have ports so you could keep them fairly close to front wall, they are not bass heavy speakers. They will surely sound MUCH better than T301/T301c based system, especially if you buy Q650c as center channel. As you probably know this speaker covers ~60-70% of movies soundtrack. The T serie is voiced like lifestyle speakers = bright sounding, where as the Q is more balanced and it shouldn´t cause listening fatigue in long run that i know of. Dali Oberon is also little bit brighter sounding than some other brands, at least the reviews and owners claims this and the earlier Zensor range was the same which i heard and agree with that statement. I feel the Kef center channel is better than Oberon Vokal and for me that would be enough to consider Kef more for movie rig. This doesn´t mean Dali would be bad in any way, but if i would need to choose i would really want that large center channel with 6,5" drivers and as i said the coaxial design doesn´t suffer certain issues other horizontal speakers do.

4 ceiling speakers doesn´t work in your room optimally as you have couch against wall. So stick with 5.1.2 system at most. See below link pictures:

You do want to have surround speakers. You can consider Kef T101 or Kef Q50a mounted horizontally so they kinda shoot inwards. This is if you choose to go with Kefs... They would be so that the tweeters would be roughly on seated ear height as you want to have separation to overhead (ceiling) speakers.

For Atmos you want ceiling speakers if possible, however the front heights would work too example Kef Q50a mounted high up on front wall as front heights. Ceiling speakers would still be better though as the effects would come directly where you want them to come. Kef Q50a below mounted the way i mentioned:

front-jpg.2592230



The REL HT1205 should be good alternative, SB1000 Pro is smaller. PB1000 Pro does give you stronger deep bass and rumble feel, earthquake in living room if needed. But you would then have issues with neighbours. The HT1205 what we know does offer more "slam" and would be surely more than plenty for apartment! Remember what i said place the subwoofer in the front right corner, not on the left where the room opens up. If you think about you have speaker there how much does that leave space? Does HT1205 fit there or perhaps SB1000 Pro then?

I have circled (red) the placement where i would place your subwoofer and the yellow would be 2nd choice for sub placement.
HT Setup.JPG
 
T
Ok if the door remains closed and the kids are told not to go close to front speakers then maybe you could opt for Q550? Q350 would work too with stands, but people are afraid that the speaker would drop easily if kids running there. Q550 does look better and doesn´t have ports so you could keep them fairly close to front wall, they are not bass heavy speakers. They will surely sound MUCH better than T301/T301c based system, especially if you buy Q650c as center channel. As you probably know this speaker covers ~60-70% of movies soundtrack. The T serie is voiced like lifestyle speakers = bright sounding, where as the Q is more balanced and it shouldn´t cause listening fatigue in long run that i know of. Dali Oberon is also little bit brighter sounding than some other brands, at least the reviews and owners claims this and the earlier Zensor range was the same which i heard and agree with that statement. I feel the Kef center channel is better than Oberon Vokal and for me that would be enough to consider Kef more for movie rig. This doesn´t mean Dali would be bad in any way, but if i would need to choose i would really want that large center channel with 6,5" drivers and as i said the coaxial design doesn´t suffer certain issues other horizontal speakers do.

4 ceiling speakers doesn´t work in your room optimally as you have couch against wall. So stick with 5.1.2 system at most. See below link pictures:

You do want to have surround speakers. You can consider Kef T101 or Kef Q50a mounted horizontally so they kinda shoot inwards. This is if you choose to go with Kefs... They would be so that the tweeters would be roughly on seated ear height as you want to have separation to overhead (ceiling) speakers.

For Atmos you want ceiling speakers if possible, however the front heights would work too example Kef Q50a mounted high up on front wall as front heights. Ceiling speakers would still be better though as the effects would come directly where you want them to come. Kef Q50a below mounted the way i mentioned:

front-jpg.2592230



The REL HT1205 should be good alternative, SB1000 Pro is smaller. PB1000 Pro does give you stronger deep bass and rumble feel, earthquake in living room if needed. But you would then have issues with neighbours. The HT1205 what we know does offer more "slam" and would be surely more than plenty for apartment! Remember what i said place the subwoofer in the front right corner, not on the left where the room opens up. If you think about you have speaker there how much does that leave space? Does HT1205 fit there or perhaps SB1000 Pro then?

I have circled (red) the placement where i would place your subwoofer and the yellow would be 2nd choice for sub placement.
View attachment 1630419

Thanks a lot for the detailed suggestion. I will stick to 5.1.2 only and will opt for ceilings. But is there any guide for placement w.r.to positions and installations? I am trying to get these from dealer and they are charging freight, consultation and installation charges hugely and i want to avoid.

I am opting out Dali and others and have almost closed in below options considering service as well in my area. Also one question - u have given yellow highlighted one for subwoofer and that is possible here but need to check. Any reason to not place subwoofer on the other side of the TV unit where in we are open to the living room? Am opting for a sealed sub only to avoid rumbling of the woofer as its an apartment. Either SVS SB-1000 Pro or REL HT1205. Which one is better for clean accurate and punchy bass? Also do i need a power conditioner? Will use Belkin Surge protector anyways.

Pls also look at below options now as i got to know about Monitor Audio and heard great things from Dealer. For my requirement, am thinking of Bookshelves as of now.

Option 1 -> Bookshelves (KEF or Monitor Audio)
LR -> KEF Q350 or MA Silver 100 7G
Center -> 2.5 way KEF Q650 or 3 Way MA Silver C250
Rear Surrounds -> Wharfedele WH-DFS or KEF T101
Ceiling Atmos ->Q Acoustics QI 80C or Polk Audio RC80i or Monitor Audio Pro 80
Sub -> SVS SB-1000 Pro or REL Acoustics HT/1205 -> Dont want Huge sub as i need compact sub which is enough for the room size with right and punchy bass.
AVR -> Denon X2700H or Marantz SR5015 (Dealers recommending Marantz SR6015 or Denon X4700H/X3700H claiming to give best prices)

Total price for KEF setup as above -> 4400 USD (Including above LCR, Surrounds, Ceilings, Sub, AVR)
Total price for MA setup as above -> 4850 USD (Including above LCR, Surrounds, Ceilings, Sub, AVR)


Option 2 -> Floorstanders (KEF or Monitor Audio)
LR -> KEF Q550 or MA Silver 200 &G
Center -> 2.5 way KEF Q650 or 3 Way MA Silver C250
Rear Surrounds -> Wharfedele WH-DFS or KEF T101
Ceiling Atmos ->Q Acoustics QI 80C or Polk Audio RC80i or Monitor Audio Pro 80
Sub -> SVS SB-1000 Pro or REL Acoustics HT/1205 -> Dont want Huge sub as i need compact sub which is enough for the room size with right and punchy bass.
AVR -> Denon X2700H or Marantz SR5015 (Dealers recommending Marantz SR6015 or Denon X4700H/X3700H claiming to give best prices)

Total price for KEF setup as above -> 4800 USD (Including above LCR, Surrounds, Ceilings, Sub, AVR)
Total price for MA setup as above -> 5800 USD (Including above LCR, Surrounds, Ceilings, Sub, AVR)
 
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Here is the optimal placements and angles for each speakers by Dolby:

Hope you are handy guy as you need to make holes in ceiling and pull the wires from receiver to near the couch for overhead channels. If this is too much of hassle then consider other options for Atmos. Installing is not cheap as you said.

You going to need 600mm tall speaker stands also with Option 1. The brand doesn´t matter, but the top plate size does. You want something at least 165mm x 200mm (WxD) if you go with Q350/Silver 100 as front L/R. See what you have available locally. Full metal stands.

I can`t say which brand you like more sound wise. For movies i can´t see you going much wrong with either one. I have owned MAs and have heard the Silvers too. The new walnut finish and white are so gorgeous. The finish on MA Silver is miles better than on Kef Q (vinyl wrap), MA uses real wood veneer on Silver so if looks/finish plays big part then MA has upper hand no doubt! Cabinet is thicker on Silvers. The Q cabinets are more lively as mentioned by golden ears.

Personally i would choose the bookshelf models (OPTION 1) over floorstanders and use the money in better receiver. Denon X3700H is the sweet spot really. SR5015 is same as X2700H, but way overpriced! The higher range X3700H/SR6015 also has better room correction which corrects your subwoofer in-room response so everything will sound bit better, no boomy bass. I think it`s well worth it. The jump to X4700H is not really required in your case with 5.1.2 .

I believe REL HT1205 is going to have more slam over SVS SB1000 Pro as the natural response has boost in that region - also larger and more powerfull. I saw some guy testing HT1205 against SB2000 Pro and he said they were close otherwise but REL punched more and he kept that one. I would want the sub furthest away cause your room opens up on the left side, that is usually not recommended to have sub there! The yellow place should work ok and you would spread your front main speakers good amount and leaving little bit to side wall (right side). You would spread the same amount vs. center channel each side. Make sure you can fit the center channel as close to seated ear height in free air, not inside cabinet. Of course it`s balancing act with tv not going too high causing neck pain, so find good compromise if you wall mount tv.

This is what i would choose with both brands
Option 1 -> Bookshelves (KEF or Monitor Audio)
LR -> KEF Q350 or MA Silver 100 7G
Center -> 2.5 way KEF Q650 or 3 Way MA Silver C250
Rear Surrounds -> KEF T101 or MA Bronze FX (white blends nicely on walls and has low depth)
Ceiling Atmos ->Polk Audio RC65i (round not in-wall!) or Monitor Audio Pro 65 (smaller models ok for lounge apartment)
Sub -> REL Acoustics HT/1205 (check if dimensions are ok, SVS is smaller)
AVR -> Marantz SR6015 or Denon X3700H

I wonder are these too expensive for ceiling?



Another option are these if you feel you can`t make holes in ceiling. So you would wall mount them high up on wall or use as upfiring on top of your front L/R speakers, assuming you have flat ceiling and made of an acoustically reflective material (drywall, plaster, hardwood, or another rigid, non---sound-absorbing material).


 
Hello,
Thanks for the
Here is the optimal placements and angles for each speakers by Dolby:

Hope you are handy guy as you need to make holes in ceiling and pull the wires from receiver to near the couch for overhead channels. If this is too much of hassle then consider other options for Atmos. Installing is not cheap as you said.

You going to need 600mm tall speaker stands also with Option 1. The brand doesn´t matter, but the top plate size does. You want something at least 165mm x 200mm (WxD) if you go with Q350/Silver 100 as front L/R. See what you have available locally. Full metal stands.

I can`t say which brand you like more sound wise. For movies i can´t see you going much wrong with either one. I have owned MAs and have heard the Silvers too. The new walnut finish and white are so gorgeous. The finish on MA Silver is miles better than on Kef Q (vinyl wrap), MA uses real wood veneer on Silver so if looks/finish plays big part then MA has upper hand no doubt! Cabinet is thicker on Silvers. The Q cabinets are more lively as mentioned by golden ears.

Personally i would choose the bookshelf models (OPTION 1) over floorstanders and use the money in better receiver. Denon X3700H is the sweet spot really. SR5015 is same as X2700H, but way overpriced! The higher range X3700H/SR6015 also has better room correction which corrects your subwoofer in-room response so everything will sound bit better, no boomy bass. I think it`s well worth it. The jump to X4700H is not really required in your case with 5.1.2 .

I believe REL HT1205 is going to have more slam over SVS SB1000 Pro as the natural response has boost in that region - also larger and more powerfull. I saw some guy testing HT1205 against SB2000 Pro and he said they were close otherwise but REL punched more and he kept that one. I would want the sub furthest away cause your room opens up on the left side, that is usually not recommended to have sub there! The yellow place should work ok and you would spread your front main speakers good amount and leaving little bit to side wall (right side). You would spread the same amount vs. center channel each side. Make sure you can fit the center channel as close to seated ear height in free air, not inside cabinet. Of course it`s balancing act with tv not going too high causing neck pain, so find good compromise if you wall mount tv.

This is what i would choose with both brands
Option 1 -> Bookshelves (KEF or Monitor Audio)
LR -> KEF Q350 or MA Silver 100 7G
Center -> 2.5 way KEF Q650 or 3 Way MA Silver C250
Rear Surrounds -> KEF T101 or MA Bronze FX (white blends nicely on walls and has low depth)
Ceiling Atmos ->Polk Audio RC65i (round not in-wall!) or Monitor Audio Pro 65 (smaller models ok for lounge apartment)
Sub -> REL Acoustics HT/1205 (check if dimensions are ok, SVS is smaller)
AVR -> Marantz SR6015 or Denon X3700H

I wonder are these too expensive for ceiling?



Another option are these if you feel you can`t make holes in ceiling. So you would wall mount them high up on wall or use as upfiring on top of your front L/R speakers, assuming you have flat ceiling and made of an acoustically reflective material (drywall, plaster, hardwood, or another rigid, non---sound-absorbing material).



Thanks a lot bro. After much thought and having personally heard, have decided below config as i have decided with Monitor Audio Silver 300 series, the floor standers. The sound seemed nice to me and i liked it.

LR -> MA Silver 300 7G Floor standers
Center -> MA Silver C250
Rear Surrounds -> Monitor Audio Bronze FX or Wharfedele WH-DFS
Ceiling Atmos -> Monitor Audio Pro 80
Sub -> SVS SB-1000 Pro or REL Acoustics HT/1205 or Ascendo Sv-12 or Sunfire HRS 10
AVR -> Denon X2700H or X4700H only if there is a power need to be confirmed

Am also planning to just go with 5.0.2 for now as the 300 series have some bass with them and i cant afford that sub immediately.

Kindly suggest if this makes sense
 
Hello,
Thanks for the


Thanks a lot bro. After much thought and having personally heard, have decided below config as i have decided with Monitor Audio Silver 300 series, the floor standers. The sound seemed nice to me and i liked it.

LR -> MA Silver 300 7G Floor standers
Center -> MA Silver C250
Rear Surrounds -> Monitor Audio Bronze FX or Wharfedele WH-DFS
Ceiling Atmos -> Monitor Audio Pro 80
Sub -> SVS SB-1000 Pro or REL Acoustics HT/1205 or Ascendo Sv-12 or Sunfire HRS 10
AVR -> Denon X2700H or X4700H only if there is a power need to be confirmed

Am also planning to just go with 5.0.2 for now as the 300 series have some bass with them and i cant afford that sub immediately.

Kindly suggest if this makes sense

Good to hear that you are closer choosing the gear. The floorstanders does look better, but will cost lot more also being new range (7G). Please think about the finish carefully. Oak, walnut and white look so much better than black oak. Gloss black looks amazon too, but is dust magnet = requires almost daily cleaning.

Forget the Ascendo and Sunfire, they are not ideal for you and are overpriced. Stick with SVS or REL as they will be ideal for your requirements, i feel especially the REL. Hopefully you can add the sub soon cause those floorstanders won´t be able to do what quality sub does. Whole different experience. Personally i would rather build good 3.1/5.1 system first than go with Atmos, but your call. If you could afford S300, S C250, subwoofer and receiver then that would be great already! Then add the rest when funds allow.

For receiver as i said go with X3700H. That would be minium to consider with the Silvers and you get the better version Audussey which does most correction in the bass region which is what you want, this will affect both speakers and sub. You don`t get much benefits with the X4700H so you can save good amount of money with X3700H. It is also more "future proof" than X2700H.
 
Good to hear that you are closer choosing the gear. The floorstanders does look better, but will cost lot more also being new range (7G). Please think about the finish carefully. Oak, walnut and white look so much better than black oak. Gloss black looks amazon too, but is dust magnet = requires almost daily cleaning.

Forget the Ascendo and Sunfire, they are not ideal for you and are overpriced. Stick with SVS or REL as they will be ideal for your requirements, i feel especially the REL. Hopefully you can add the sub soon cause those floorstanders won´t be able to do what quality sub does. Whole different experience. Personally i would rather build good 3.1/5.1 system first than go with Atmos, but your call. If you could afford S300, S C250, subwoofer and receiver then that would be great already! Then add the rest when funds allow.

For receiver as i said go with X3700H. That would be minium to consider with the Silvers and you get the better version Audussey which does most correction in the bass region which is what you want, this will affect both speakers and sub. You don`t get much benefits with the X4700H so you can save good amount of money with X3700H. It is also more "future proof" than X2700H.
Thanks again.

Lions share of amount is going into LCR and receiver along with Sub. So it doesnt help if i park the others but will prioritize LCR, sub and AVR. Coming to X3700H, it is coming almost at near price at my price with some 135$ difference due to not being sold like X2700H or X3700H.

Hence dealers are telling me to go with x4700H as more discounts are there and also more powerful. Shall i take it or stick to x3700H and save 135$?

Also my brother is taking the same silver 300 but wants to stick to X2700H due to budget constraints. Will it be enough? If so, can i also take the same for 5.1.2?
 
Thanks again.

Lions share of amount is going into LCR and receiver along with Sub. So it doesnt help if i park the others but will prioritize LCR, sub and AVR. Coming to X3700H, it is coming almost at near price at my price with some 135$ difference due to not being sold like X2700H or X3700H.

Hence dealers are telling me to go with x4700H as more discounts are there and also more powerful. Shall i take it or stick to x3700H and save 135$?

Also my brother is taking the same silver 300 but wants to stick to X2700H due to budget constraints. Will it be enough? If so, can i also take the same for 5.1.2?

Up to you really. There is not enough difference in power output, real world measurements shows 10-15w which you can never notice. Then you get the Auro 3D and Auro Upmixer, but if you stick with 5.1.2 then it`s questionable. There is some small changes, but they are more marketing than anything ground breaking. The price difference is small and if you think in future you would go larger system then by all means spend it for X4700H. Of course that is 135$ away from the sub so you need to save longer to get it. If you think you would regret not spending it now then get it!

No the same applies for your brother, ask him to get the X3700H / SR6015 at least as there is audible difference how the system sounds after setup to 2700. He should start with less speakers if otherwise not possible. If he is not in hurry then at summer the prices likely go down when new models are introduced.

X2700H has XT and X3700 upwards has XT32. It is also very different where the correction is done on XT32, plus there is individual dual subwoofer eq if one wants to add 2nd sub - the X2700H doesn`t have this feature and it will be trickier to setup them if they aren´t placed equidistant from listener which might not be optimal... You also get preouts for poweramp/stereoamp if later that is required, not with X2700h! Also proven performance for low impedance loads so it is no suprise the 3000 serie is most sold model from Denon and 6000 for Marantz.

multeq-flavors-edit_400785.jpg



The Rythmik subs are very good! Depends of size, looks, price, warranty etc. Performance wise all three (SVS, REL) should be good enough for your apartment listening levels.
 
Up to you really. There is not enough difference in power output, real world measurements shows 10-15w which you can never notice. Then you get the Auro 3D and Auro Upmixer, but if you stick with 5.1.2 then it`s questionable. There is some small changes, but they are more marketing than anything ground breaking. The price difference is small and if you think in future you would go larger system then by all means spend it for X4700H. Of course that is 135$ away from the sub so you need to save longer to get it. If you think you would regret not spending it now then get it!

No the same applies for your brother, ask him to get the X3700H / SR6015 at least as there is audible difference how the system sounds after setup to 2700. He should start with less speakers if otherwise not possible. If he is not in hurry then at summer the prices likely go down when new models are introduced.

X2700H has XT and X3700 upwards has XT32. It is also very different where the correction is done on XT32, plus there is individual dual subwoofer eq if one wants to add 2nd sub - the X2700H doesn`t have this feature and it will be trickier to setup them if they aren´t placed equidistant from listener which might not be optimal... You also get preouts for poweramp/stereoamp if later that is required, not with X2700h! Also proven performance for low impedance loads so it is no suprise the 3000 serie is most sold model from Denon and 6000 for Marantz.

multeq-flavors-edit_400785.jpg



The Rythmik subs are very good! Depends of size, looks, price, warranty etc. Performance wise all three (SVS, REL) should be good enough for your apartment listening levels.

Thanks for the response. I was unwell.

So in a nutshell, you recommend both of us to go for atleast X3700H Denon.
But the problem at our place is below best prices being given.

Denon X2700 H -> 1070 $
Denon X3700H -> 1605 $
Denon X4700H -> 1740 $

Both me and my brother want to save some bucks here. If there is a visible audio difference with XT32, then am ok to go with X3700H but the dealer says its out of stock and not available, i guess its a marketing tactic and he is selling X4700H at 135$ more saying more powerful and that Denon itself has placed price difference of 400$ between X3700H and X4700H

My brother can't extend his budget to 1605 $ and wants to stick to 3.1 or max 5.1 with X2700H -
I am looking for 5.1.2

Pls suggest.
 
How much does the Yamaha RX-A4A cost there? The X3700H has been out at many countries due to missing some parts. AKM had fire in their warehouse and Denon had to use another brand DAC.
 
A
How much does the Yamaha RX-A4A cost there? The X3700H has been out at many countries due to missing some parts. AKM had fire in their warehouse and Denon had to use another brand DAC

Over here, They dont have proper Yamaha dealers and service. Hence looking for Denon alone.
Can get Yamaha online but its mostly Out of stock
 
A


Over here, They dont have proper Yamaha dealers and service. Hence looking for Denon alone.
Can get Yamaha online but its mostly Out of stock

This is kind of wost time to buy anything as new models coming around summer so the prices go down surely for the outgoing models.

Was the pricing and poor availability same story for Marantz SR6015?

Do you have Onkyo RZ-50 available there?
 
This is kind of wost time to buy anything as new models coming around summer so the prices go down surely for the outgoing models.

Was the pricing and poor availability same story for Marantz SR6015?

Do you have Onkyo RZ-50 available there?
No Onkyo at my place. Is Denon again coming up with new models? They recently came up with X1700H right? Are high end models coming too>?
 
No Onkyo at my place. Is Denon again coming up with new models? They recently came up with X1700H right? Are high end models coming too>?

I believe X2000-4000 serie will get new models at this summer / end of summer cause they only have 1 hdmi 2.1 (8k) input where as the X1700H uses the new hdmi board which has 3 inputs (8k). 6000 and 8000 serie should continue few years still.

Keep in mind that you can buy the external hdmi box for these current models too if required later. But naturally the summer time when new models comes would be best time to buy the "old" ones with discount. But it´s long wait and nothing is certain with the covid and the AKM factory fire.

Could you still ask the pricing and availability for RX-A4A from the online dealers? It should be available world wide really. It has full set of 8K connections which will be enabled with firmware update next month i believe. 5year warranty with these.
 

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