Home Theatre Speakers + AVR : Budget: <3L

artikle

Unknown Member
ex-Mod
Hi guys,
Looking to buy speakers and an AVR for the home theatre in my new house under construction. The usage will be mostly movies with occasional music. I'm hoping to go for a 5.1 system. The dimensions of the room are 22'6"X14'3". The budget is less than 3 lakhs for the speakers and AVR and I'm hoping to get the best bang(sound) for the buck :)
Right now I'm looking at the KEF Q Series based on unanimous praise everywhere:
Front: KEF Q700 X 2
Rear: KEF Q300 X 2
Centre: KEF Q600C
Sub: KEF Q400B or something from Velodyne(?)
AVR: YAMAHA RX-V675 but also looking at Marantz and Denon
What do you think of these? Any better suggestions? I don't want to spend money if better sound can be had for less. Of course, I know sound is personal and needs to be auditioned before buying, but I need to go to Hyderabad at least to do that( I will of course audition of shortlisting). Also please mention dealers of the suggestions you give. If you need any more info please let me know. Thanks :)
 
At that budget and mainly movie use, I'd buy the entry level MK Sound 5.1 and an Anthem MRX 510 receiver. Best bang for the buck HT i've heard till date.
 
At that budget and mainly movie use, I'd buy the entry level MK Sound 5.1 and an Anthem MRX 510 receiver. Best bang for the buck HT i've heard till date.
Thanks for replying. They seem expensive(?) Where can I find prices online and where can I audition them? Anywhere in Hyderabad? Do you have experience with the above KEFs? In what ways are these better? When you say, mainly for movies, what will I be losing with regards to music? Also can you specify exact model numbers for the speakers?
 
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Rather than the q700, consider the q800 paired with a denon.
The Rti A7 too is simply an outstanding pair of speakers one can buy for movies. Here the choice of avr is open to debate.
 
Rather than the q700, consider the q800 paired with a denon.
The Rti A7 too is simply an outstanding pair of speakers one can buy for movies. Here the choice of avr is open to debate.
But I don't think there is a Q800 front speaker. Only Q900 :-/ Also why denon over Yamaha or marantz?
 
Thanks for replying. They seem expensive(?) Where can I find prices online and where can I audition them? Anywhere in Hyderabad? Do you have experience with the above KEFs? In what ways are these better? When you say, mainly for movies, what will I be losing with regards to music? Also can you specify exact model numbers for the speakers?

I heard them in Bangalore at Modern World. I think Anthem is retailed by Audio One. http://www.audio-one.in/w-anthem.html

MK Sound is distributed in India by Audio People. http://www.mksound.com/worldwide-distributor-list. I believe they have a showroom in Hyderabad. You might want to check out the same. The entry level speakers are the M series.

KEFs and Polks you are considering are bargain basement speakers. They are ok for the price but not meant for spending big money on. I don't have too many great things to say about Yamaha either.

As for HT vs Music, you need to decide your priorities first. Pretty much every AV Receiver/Preamp-Processor sounds like crap for music. For music you need analog integrated amps or preamps+power amps and speakers that are nuanced more towards smoothness and tonal correctness than something that is created purely for delivering dialog, dynamic impact and special effects in movies. A good 2 channel system can do movies reasonably well too but you lose out on the surround sound.
 
I heard them in Bangalore at Modern World. I think Anthem is retailed by Audio One. http://www.audio-one.in/w-anthem.html

MK Sound is distributed in India by Audio People. http://www.mksound.com/worldwide-distributor-list. I believe they have a showroom in Hyderabad. You might want to check out the same. The entry level speakers are the M series.

KEFs and Polks you are considering are bargain basement speakers. They are ok for the price but not meant for spending big money on. I don't have too many great things to say about Yamaha either.

As for HT vs Music, you need to decide your priorities first. Pretty much every AV Receiver/Preamp-Processor sounds like crap for music. For music you need analog integrated amps or preamps+power amps and speakers that are nuanced more towards smoothness and tonal correctness than something that is created purely for delivering dialog, dynamic impact and special effects in movies. A good 2 channel system can do movies reasonably well too but you lose out on the surround sound.
Can you guide me in getting the prices for your recommendations? My searches have been futile. Do you think this can be had in less than 3 lakhs? Were you talking about the M7 based system or M5 based system? Also, yes, I understand the different types of amps for music and movies thing, but since I have more preference for movies, can't I get something from a company like marantz known to be slightly better as an all rounder?( or is it a bargain basement company too?).

And regarding KEF... I know that audio equipment can get to several tens of lakhs or even more and these are obviously not of that caliber, but isn't bargain basement too harsh? I mean they seem to be doing interesting things like their Uni-Q drivers in recent models and the models I was looking at have excellent reviews everywhere.

Normally I prefer to buy a higher end product from a slightly lesser(more VFM) brand than the absolute entry level product from a higher brand. Will that logic not work here?

Note: I'm not trying to oppose you or anything, just asking.. Thanks for your continuous help :)

I wish more people replied, so that I can get more perspective.
 
Ever since marantz was taken over by the Chinese (dnm holdings), the marantz and denon receivers are virtually the same under the hood. Only difference is voicing.

The reason I recommended anthem is simply because their receivers are not built to a cost. They have 3 receivers and all of them are identical in all respects other than number of channels and output power.

As for kef, there is one good speaker from them out there - the ls50. That one is not built to a cost. The entire q series range is built to a cost and is way too bright and fatiguing for long term listening.

Before you commit to any speaker, listen to it for an entire movie. A 5-10 minute audition is not enough to judge if a speaker is good or bad.

Again MK sound is not built to a cost. It is built to be the best at a price point. That is ultimately what matters.
 
But I don't think there is a Q800 front speaker. Only Q900 :-/ Also why denon over Yamaha or marantz?
Denon cause it pairs well. Yamaha are on the brighter side and so is the q series.
You got a lot of options at 3l. Dali, paradigm studio series, wharfs 10.6, monitor audio, tannoy. I like the t6 too.
When choosing speakers for movies, I personally give more importance to the centre and sub woofer rather than the fronts. If music is also your thing, then pay a lot of attention to the Amp u choose. Safe bet at your budget would be a marantz.

All d above is assuming that movies is ur choice and 5.1 is the way for you.
 
If you don't want to spend all your budget on speakers then consider Dali Zensor range or Q acoustics
Fronts - Dali Zensor 7 or Q acoustics 2050i
Rear - Dali Zensor 3 or Q acoustics 2020i
Centre - Dali Zensor Vocal or Q acoustics 2000Ci
Sub - Velodyne Impact 12 or an SVS SB or PB 1000 or 2000 ( for ground breaking audio output)
AVR - Denon X2000

Saved cash can be invested in a good projector like the Epson EH-TW6100 or TW8200 as a projector will give you a more immersive experience

Regards
JJ
 
If you don't want to spend all your budget on speakers then consider Dali Zensor range or Q acoustics
Fronts - Dali Zensor 7 or Q acoustics 2050i
Rear - Dali Zensor 3 or Q acoustics 2020i
Centre - Dali Zensor Vocal or Q acoustics 2000Ci
Sub - Velodyne Impact 12 or an SVS SB or PB 1000 or 2000 ( for ground breaking audio output)
AVR - Denon X2000

Saved cash can be invested in a good projector like the Epson EH-TW6100 or TW8200 as a projector will give you a more immersive experience

Regards
JJ
Thanks for replying. The 3L budget is for the speakers and the AVR. I have a separate 1.25L budget for the projector. What do you think of the suggestions given by Chaos (MK Sound M series and Anthem AVR.... do you know where I can get prices for them online?). Can you guide me to online retailers or price lists of your suggestions? Thanks :)
 
For just movies pretty much any speaker system is fine if you can use Audyssey etc to get the response fixed. Obviously a minimum level of quality is called for, and as you go up the chain the demands on real estate also increases drastically as the room begins interfering in the presentation after a point.

Thankfully your budget allows for a bit of flexibility in your choices, so I'll throw in a curveball.

What I would do is pick up a bargain basement receiver and speaker system. The only requirement is that it must have a set of analog or digital outputs, preferably digital. My old Marantz SR5005 has these, it is possible to find units like this one. Spend about half your budget on this combination.

Then with the other half, pick up a nice DAC, amplifier and a pair of high quality standmount speakers for music. Even just an amplifier and speaker combination is going to sounds worlds better than an AVR and speakers, even if you buy the best your budget allows.

I would also suggest not confining yourself to online retailers and start listening to stuff available in local retail. Most of the world economy is in trouble except India, it is possible to wrangle good deals out of retailers.

If movie immersion is more important than music then apportion your budget accordingly. It is possible to get a very good set of stereo speakers and amplifier within 1.5L. You can add the DAC later if the receiver you find has a digital output.

Sunfire is another receiver brand you could look at, for excellent power delivery - which is where most receivers fall flat. And there are the emotiva multichannel amplifiers, which are good value but not in the same league as Anthem or Sunfire.
 
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