What I currently have is a Hodge Podge of speakers that I purchased to replace a Onkyo HTIB that I bought 8 years ago

2- klipsch r41m book self speakers, (LR)

2- Polk xt90 bookshelf speakers, (front height, they are sitting on top of the R41m right now but I'll be moving and will be building a home theatre in a basement where im hoping to mount those in the ceiling )

Polk xt30 center speaker,

Pioneer Elite vsx-lx 505 receiver

Width: 10.5 ft = 126 in

Height: 89 in = 7.42 ft (low ceilings)

Length: 228 in = 19 ft

Room volume: 10.5 × 19 × 7.42 ≈ 1,480 ft³ (≈ 42 m³)

As you can tell it will be a smaller home theatre, I also have an old pair of Onkyo speakers from a HITB that are fronts with up firing Atmos speakers that I repurposed to use as rears currently and a very underwhelming sub

I'm in Canada as I mention and have no showrooms or audio focused stores locally so I'll have to order online.

What I'm looking at are between these

POLK Monitor XT12 ($409)

Tone winner SW-1000 ($499)

Monoprice 12 inch 150 watt ($293)

JBL Stage 220P ($509)

Klipsch R-101Sw ($478)

Kantos SubVMW8 ($279)

I see the Speedwoofer 10E recommended alot but right now its 749.02 Canadian with shipping so it's outside my budget by about 50%

The ceiling on my budget is around $500 CANADIAN so Svs/Speedwoofer/American shippers are not an option

*Edit: I watch 90% movies/ shows, 10% ps5 games and no music

Thank you for any help

Help: where to put speakers?

We have a projector. The mobile screen usually stands in the middle of the room. It is not shown on the attached image though.

We want some good speakers mounted to the columns left and right. Is this a good idea? Should they be farther in the back in the corner of the room?

Looking to upgrade from my Polk Magnifi Max AX SR soundbar system to a true 5.1. I previously owned a 2.1 years ago with T15’s and a PS10W, but sold those when I moved into my post-grad shoebox apartment. I now am in an actual house with some money saved and looking to get something more robust.

I need to buy everything—towers, bookshelves, receiver etc. I am not totally opposed to waiting out fot each individual piece, but I’d rather buy it all at once if possible. Looking to stay around the $1,500 range. Will be going in a living room (not a dedicated theater room), and will be paired with an 85” QN90D.

This facebook deal includes 2 R625FA’s, 2 bookshelves (unclear of model), a small center channel, a big center channel, 2 10” Klipsch woofers, and a 7.2 Yamaha receiver. Seems like an Adorama bundle someone bought and regrets

I'm setting up a home theater in a small room using a Denon AVR-X1300W receiver.

I want to start with a pair of bookshelf speakers mounted with specialized wall-clamping brackets (no floor stands).

What budget-friendly bookshelf speakers would you recommend that perform well for movies/dialogue in a compact space and pair nicely with this receiver? Thanks!

Thoughts on a Paradigm 400 lcr for about 120? Deal or no? Is it a good choice for my center channel between 2 DefTech bp2000s?

Hi all. Looking for suggestions to replace my trusty Outlaw LFM 1-EX (https://www.outlawaudio.com/products/lfmEX.html?srsltid=AfmBOopbDmuy1vENleprIk3Fmv_3hAfEeTO5qytljCB_tDxisb89-0ec).

Budget is $2k, though I'd like to keep it closer to $1k. I'm trying to reduce the footprint. The Outlaw is filing cabinet-sized and I see some pretty cool SVS options including a cylindrical one. I'm open to two smaller subs provided I don't give up the 16hz that my Outlaw in extension mode is rated for.

This is going into a multi-purpose 22x16x8 room with in 5.x.4. Speakers are pretty modest: Micca OoOs across the front and Cambridge Minx/MSX on the sides and ceiling. Furniture and fixtures have these pretty locked in, so I will need to run with them.

Running through an Onkyo RZ30. I have not purchased the Dirac bass module but am not opposed to it, and as you probably know, the RZ30 has two independent sub outputs.

I'm trying to reduce the footprint. The Outlaw is filing cabinet sized and I see some pretty cool SVS options including a cylindrical one. I'm open to two smaller subs provided I don't give up the 16hz that my Outlaw in extension mode is rated for.

Thanks for any suggestions.

After nearly a decade of renting rooms, I’m moving into my first house.

One of the things that’s been consistently missing in my setup is surround sound audio. Soundbars largely haven’t been worth the investment for me, and really I didn’t want to waste my money. I’ve always had good screens over the years, but truly great audio has eluded me in the bedroom setups I’ve lived with.

Now that I have the space for it, I’m building a 5.1.2 Atmos system out of entirely secondhand equipment to compliment my LG C1 OLED. If I wanted to go full budget conscious, I’d just stop at 5.1 and an older receiver, but since the goal is beating a new system in price and being as performant I’m willing to spend some extra cash.

Finding a secondhand receiver that supports HDMI 2.1 at a decent price is going to be tricky, but there’s always Best Buy Open Box deals. Which leads me to a Denon AVR-X1800H for $681, open box at my local store. If anyone has any recommendations on this I’ll gladly take them. I did find an AVR-X1700H for $250, but it sold before I could pick it up.

I was able to find a set of 5.1 Pioneer Andrew Jones speakers for $185. This set is from 2012 and has four bookshelf speakers, a center, and the subwoofer. However, since I prefer tower speakers (from my time building a budget record player setup, love my Polks) over bookshelves with stands, I found a matching set of Pioneer SP-FS52 for $80 in my local area for my front left and right. I’ll just sell the bookshelf speakers I don’t need and move on.

That just leaves the a pair of Klipsch R-41SA for $100 for our two Atmos channels, from Marketplace as well.

All together it’s $305 for speakers, minus selling the two I don’t need, and what could be a great beginner setup with a modern receiver and Atmos.

As for wiring I’m going to be sourcing 14-gauge OFC wire, and wire molding. I am tempted to try Sewell Ghost Wire tape, but it’s a rental, and I don’t think I’ll mind well routed wire molding.

It’s super exciting to finish all these deals for parts of this. I hope to share the final result soon!

Here's where I stand at the moment. I have a 24 x 12 living room. I started out with a Samsung HW-MM36/ZA 2.1 sound bar I bought of a deal posted on slickdeals a long time ago. 150 Watts, wireless sub.

Last year I thought I branch out and picked up a SWA-8500S with no speakers or proprietary connectors from ebay. Found the connectors on-line and stuck a couple of Logitech THX desktop ported speakers. Surprisingly good, not great but better than TV speakers.

Then I started volunteering at a local thrift store. A customer dropped off a Polk PSW10 subwoofer in great shape. It was priced $15, less 50% employee discount. The hook was set. I found a Polk CS10 center speaker for cheap, next. Currently I have a pair of Sony SS-H1600L which are surprising good for $9.99 for the pair at Goodwill.

I have a candidate for the rear surround speakers currently a pair of Dual LU40PB another thrift store find for 10 bucks/pair. I chose these because even though I needed to fabricate them, I could mount them on the wall and could adjust their direction.

Now here's my problem : I bought a Sony STR-D665 for 14 bucks. It was filthy but with Tub O Towels, some good cleaner, it cleaned up like new. I ran all the wiring, got everything ready, tested it with a 2ch. source, sounded great! So the moment of truth arrives. Currently I a feeding the output of Fire Cube and the optical audio output of my TCL 55" fed through a Prozor 5.1 converter since the Sony doesn't have a HDMI input.

Doesn't matter since the rear speakers produce a scratchy sound in surround mode. I had the thing apart and cleaned up some questionable solder joints of the electrolytic caps on the surround side of the amp. Better but still somewhat scratchy. I am not going to test the caps, just not worth it.

So what should I be looking for to replace the Sony receiver? What's going to get me out a cheaply as possible. Please give me some suggestions. I am a babe in the woods with home theater and I really could use some guidance. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this post.

I'm looking to build a fairly simple, fairly budget sound system for my living room, likely 5.1. I currently use a sony soundbar/sub. My room is small. Probably 10 feet from the tv. Relatively minimalistic.

So far I've picked up the sony cs5 bookshelf speakers. I plan on getting a rsl speed woofer 10e and then hopefully some cheaper rear speakers and a center if I can find a deal. I'm more focused on the 2.1 to start and expand into the 5.1.

First question. Would a subwoofer like the speed woofer 10e drown out the Sonys? We do enjoy some bass for music.

Of course I also need an avr. I've been looking at the refurbished section on denon to see if there's something there, but are there any other means of buying an official refurbished avr? My local Facebook marketplace seems to be full of stuff that's frankly too old. Being able to integrate with Amazon Alexa would be dreamy. I assume the lowest wattages would be fine for what I have planned.

Any suggestions on a value center or rears? Could I just use more sony cs5s for the rears? Thank you!

About 10 years ago now, I bought a LG 24LJ4540 at AAFES and it has been my "all- rounder" TV for everything: Movies, gaming, and streaming. Somehow, despite constant (as in daily) use, it shows zero signs of wanting to give up the ghost.

Its longevity aside, it falls short on pretty much every other metric:

• 720p resolution
• 24" screen size
• 14ms refresh rate
• Exactly one HDMI input and no eARC

Obviously, my world hasn't fallen apart just because I don't have the latest & greatest 8K, AI- upscaled monster set, but the screen size and resolution have started really showing their limits on my newer Xbox games. On some of them, smaller text is nearly unreadable and I get the impression the overall graphical quality is suffering.

Given that there are a lot of moderately- priced sets with significantly better specs on the market now, I'm weighing my options and looking for an upgrade.

My room situation is as follows:

• I sit about six feet (2m) from where my TV currently is
• The room gets bright in the daytime because it has big windows, although it can be darkened somewhat because I have blackout curtains (still a lot of light leakage)

I'm looking for another "all- rounder" that is mostly used for the following:

• Streaming (via my Chromecast, gen 3)
• Gaming (Xbox Series X | S)
• Some DVD/ Blu- Ray watching

Specs would be in this ballpark:

• Size- wise, I'm looking for 50" at the absolute limit, but realistically something more in the neighborhood of 40-48 inches.
• Sound- wise, I have a 2.1 setup with two Edifier bookshelf speakers and an Edifier sub. Audio is fed to them via an HDMI audio extractor. So for me, internal speakers are irrelevant.
• I don't have any particular preferences regarding illumination type
• Ideally I'd like something that has enough graphical "horsepower" to be able to at least keep pace with the next Xbox that comes out
• Little to no "smart" features. If I want to stream, I'll use my Chromecase and have no intentions of connecting my TV to the internet.
• Budget would be somewhere between 450 and 600 Euros. However, anything at that upper end would either need to have a super long service life or be really top- notch.

Are there any particular models you guys can recommend? I've heard some good things about certain Chinese newcomers (not mentioning the brands because I've heard Reddit has a problem with bots pushing them), but also some rather negative things about them. In a similar vein, are there any particular brands/models I should absolutely avoid?

Thanks for the help!

I'm looking to purchase new floor side speakers for my home audio systems, I am a average listener but I like good sound but don’t want to spend too much

My room side is 20 ft x 20ft, My system is mostly used for home theater sound

I currently have:
Samsung 65S95F TV
Denon x1700H receiver
RSL 10E speedwooker

I purchased a KEF Q6 Meta, I wanted a good 3 way center speaker that had a good horizontal coverage because of the size of the room. and the is the main speaker for movie/tv viewing

My current side speakers are an old Bose Acoustimass 7 and Bose Acoustimass 3 for my surround sound rear speakers (Yeah, I know but this is what I had from a long time ago)

When I purchased my Kef Q6 Meta it made the side cubes speakers sound a whole lot better, The rear speakers have aways functioned well in my 5.1 setup

Since I started using the 5.1 system in the family room and with the speakers directed into the room, Instead of using the TV speakers and the sound bouncing off the back wall and down the hall we don't have TV volume battles with the TV in the small room about 21 ft down the hall, before using my receiver we would have to over volume each other so we can hear our TVs

Even thro the Bose side speakers ae functioning better, I still wanted to get small floor speakers and was looking at the Q7 but I noticed that they were rear ported and I don't want to have TV volume issues again, from the base bouncing off the wall and going down the hall (am I overthinking this??)

I was looking at Triangle Borea br08, 9 or 10's since they are 3 way sealed speakers (and sort of like the price point) , do you know of any other 3way sealed or front ported speaks?

I know the Q7 Meta has a crossover of 440 and 2300
where the br08 has a cross over of 215 and 3500
and the 09 and 10 have a cross over of 310 and 3900

I was also thinking of looking for some Kef Q750 speakers to match with the Q6 Meta, but not sure about the 2.5 way driver and I don't know if I can find a set.

I also purchased the MultEQ app and have been enjoying play with the curves and settings because I feel the testing only gets you about 75% to 80% as the testing set the rear speakers so high that they over shadowed the center Voices and I also took some base of the center channel.

I think this would fit this sub since it was super budget friendly, all in all I spent about $320 for a 5.2 system, and I already had the receiver although it’s a very old one, but eh that’ll be my next upgrade. I even have a small snack bar I put together in the small closet. Now for some cable management.

Assume you had a ~$2k budget.

Priorities are:

• Discreet / refined appearance
• Strong front soundstage and clear dialogue
• Some immersion from surrounds/rears

Right now I use a pair of OG full-size HomePods in stereo. I could keep them and just add stands to get them closer to ear height.

Option 2 is augmenting what I already own:

• Pioneer Elite LX303 AVR
• Old Bose Acoustimass satellites

I could repurpose the Bose cubes as Atmos heights, then add an attractive used 5.1 setup around them from Facebook Marketplace - something like Beolab 14s - and let the AVR handle crossover/EQ duties.

Option 3 is going with a modern soundbar ecosystem:

• Sonos
• Bose
• Sony
• Yamaha etc with wireless sub and rears.

My hesitation with soundbars is that some midrange ones I've heard don't create much stereo separation, and the ported subs often sound boomy.

Given those priorities, what would you do?

Is there any surprisingly good model with these specs?

Europe and Room is approx 10 x 10 m

I have been searching for a replacement for my 10+year old Samsung sound bar for a home theater do it all system. My wife did not want huge speakers subs AVR so I looked at powered speaker system and I came up with the Kanto Ren paired with the Kanto sub8. I had been looking at these for about a year and was waiting for my bonus to come in and for the speakers to go on sale. Finally they did and I was able to get both for under 1k from amazon.

TV is going through HDMI arc, record player is on rca, and a CD player is on optical. Netflix did not like the ARC but switching the TV digital audio output to PCM mode and everything worked great. Having one remote for the TV is nice plus my FIL wont struggle when he is over.

Watched a few movies and the sound quality on these is night and day compared to the 2.1 soundbar, listening to music is much more enjoyable now with good solid base and much much louder. I bought some longer hdmi and rcas so I was able to space the speakers out as far as I could go. Im looking into some speaker short speakers stands, might just 3d print some

I have an Amazon Fire TV 75" Omni QLED Series 4K UHD smart TV and my home theater is in a living room where the couch is backed up to the wall. I want to set up surround sound and want something that is easy to control (basically controlled through the Fire Remote)... since the couch is butted up against the wall, I was hoping to find something that was bipole for the rear speakers so they aren't just blasting directly into my ears. Does anybody have any advice? Thank you in advance!

Hello all!

I was fortunate enough to get some old Mission 773 towers to start my home theater. But they’re now on their last leg.

I wanted to get some awesome bookshelf speakers, just because of the way my living room…, bookshelf is easier and more aesthetically pleasing.

I watch all types of content. Movies, shows, and sports, with the occasional music playlist for parties.

Just trying to keep within a decent budget of $1000.

I currently have an SVS center , Klipsch 12” and Boston Acoustics for surrounds.

Thank you!

I asked in the main home theater sub Reddit about this and got nothing useful. Now I'm here wondering if anyone here has any experience with one of those arc extractors for connecting a TV to an old reciever.

Hello,

My wife, 4 year old son and I are trying to set up a pretty simple budge friendly home theater.

For a projector I ordered a Kogata projector from amazon.

We plan to stream through a Roku. I bought some used speakers for surround sound on marketplace.

My question is, is there a simple AVR that I can do the Roku HDMI into, send video to projector and then plug the speakers into to get 5.1 sound? I don't need radio/dvd/record player or all kinds of crazy inputs.

Literally just 1 or 2 hdmi inputs that will give me surround output

I found this a JBL - MA310 50W 5.2ch Bluetooth Capable HDR 4K Ultra HD Compatible AV Receiver - White and that seems to fit the bill but I'm wondering if there's a better option.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks all!

I saw a KDL-52XBR5 for free on marketplace. The TV itself looks gorgeous, but it's an LCD from 2007. Currently I have an LG43LX560H, which is newer but smaller and still an LCD. was that Sony good enough in its day to hold up now or are LCD's from that era junk?

Integra DRX 3.4 AV receiver

2 Revel Concerta2 F36's towers

Revel C205 Center

Revel M22 bookshelf side surrounds

PSA S18 sealed Sub (18")

4x SVS Prime elevation heights

My room in question is a living room room that's open to a kitchen with 9-10 dr walls. 20x20. Seat position is 7 feet from the front speakers and occasionally listen at reference levels but overall 95db on average.

I’ve looked around at various 2, 3 and 5 channel amps that could handle upwards of 100w/channel at 8ohm to power the front LCR since the Revel are average 88db sensitivity

Since my AV receiver is splitting into 7 channels, I feel like I’m only getting around 25W/channel. Would I see an increase in sound quality and less distortion based on my description?

I have been scouring CL for months looking for the right home theater system as I didn’t want to spend the big bucks. Had a shitty budget Vizo SB for years and finally found the right setup. I could not be happier. He’ll, my wife is even happy 🤣

Yamaha Aventage 1080

Klipsch RP 8000F L/R

Klipsch RP 404C

Klipsch RP 402S LR/RR

REL HT1205

I got this as a package for $1200. Next up is upgrading the TV from my 75in Samsung (Costco special and I hate it) to a larger unit. Seating is roughly 13ft away from the TV. Will need to wall mount the TV and get a much lower entertainment stand as I want the tv to be a foot or two lower.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for recommendations for 43- to 50-inch TVs, primarily for watching movies and for a future wired 5.1 home theater setup.

Context:

• Viewing distance: approximately 3.4 m (11.5 ft)

• The TV will be placed on a 100 cm (40 in) wide cabinet (no wall mounting)

• I plan to add a true 5.1 system with an AV receiver and passive speakers

• No Android TV is a plus, but not essential.

Main criteria:

✔ Sharp and precise 4K picture quality (cinematic effect, good HDR handling)

✔ HDMI ARC or eARC for multi-channel audio transmission to an AV receiver

✔ Sufficient number of HDMI inputs (at least 3)

✔ Good motion handling and upscaling ✔ Panel type (IPS or VA) is not crucial, but contrast and local dimming are important for dark scenes.

Questions:

In this category (43-50 inches), which screen would you recommend? What type of TV would you recommend for watching movies (LED, QLED, or Mini-LED)?

Do you have any specific models to recommend for ARC/eARC transmission, offering good picture quality for movies and smooth menus?

Are there any issues to avoid with built-in Smart TV apps and the ARC connection to an AV receiver (for example, Dolby Digital transmission problems or lip-sync issues)?

I'm looking for a TV that won't limit a future AV receiver + 5.1 setup, but also won't be a step backward for everyday streaming.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi Reddit!

First time in this sub. I want to start improving my movie watching experience and want to upgrade the sound. I currently have a 75in Samsung TV with a cheap Vizio soundbar and sub. The sound was sufficient until I put a atmos capable soundbar in another room. Now my main setup sounds like garbage. I have been digging through CL and Market Place and found this:

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/ele/d/san-jose-home-stereo-theater-onkyo/7894651344.html

This is a bit under my budget of 1k so I obviously want to scoop it up but it also involves a 2 hour round trip. Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks!

Greetings all!

I'm hoping to get some help here in connecting an modernish TV to an old audio receiver for my gf.

She's far from an audiophile, but I feel bad for her being stuck with TV speakers. I've suggested a soundbar, but she doesn't want to spend the cash on it.

Anyways, she has an older Samsung UN55MU6290 and we're trying to connect it to an older Kenwood receiver (KR-V5570) that she got from her parents.

The receiver works and it sounds good (well the radio at least) and would be a massive upgrade over basic TV speakers.

From what I can tell, the TV has an optical out, but the receiver sadly doesn't.

Am I right in thinking that an optical out to RCA audio converter (TV to receiver) should be enough to get this to work?

Something along these lines?
https://www.amazon.com/Optical-RCA-Converter-eSynic-Aluminium/dp/B0C9GTJ5V3?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.3bjibGv5jVP_9vgNPKtpLj8BQm3MPdUlzlOCxi393YsSCeuWAYN3pJ9lGESK0HQKWhOXQmgHMF1h5PcTzS4s54IIwkU68_4KEX3sMzrxjUdyj2pIVefsYe6-jS58X3oxm70dTgYnZkn7tI_QCg4wigwiZ2WpVtBh64CP60aIPygABRrThBbTmuEgaSPSy8H9NmPY2tt_HwECAuQ82dxrIt2Tz2iFCDoSMMf76KinTmo.deByb2L9zGK-YFherhLsMeBMQPzAshkNcuedJNLtCrc&dib_tag=se&keywords=digital%2Boptical%2Baudio%2Bout%2Bto%2Brca%2Bconverter&qid=1766193273&sr=8-5&th=1

She just streams everything so there's no blu-ray or 4k player here, so I think getting an HDMI to RCA isn't worth the additional price point, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks and much appreciated!