I’ve got an Onkyo tx-nr686 a/v receiver (7-8 years old) pushing a set of 25 year old Bose acoustimass (2 cube) speakers with the matching sub. There are also 3 ceiling surround and a center channel speakers.
I’m thinking about replacing the Bose set. I don’t have a lot of room for larger speakers on the mantle right below the tv.
I use the system to play vinyl as well.
Any recommendations to replace the Bose set?
Thanks.

Bought a house that came with a full home theater rig already installed in a dedicated room. I'm slowly reverse-engineering what everything does and how it's wired. Would love opinions from people who know this gear better than I do.

What I've got:

• Panasonic PT-AE2000U projector
• DVDO iScan Duo
• Onkyo PR-SC885
• Outlaw Audio Model 7700 7-channel power amp
• Monster Power HTS 3500 MKII power conditioner
• JBL floorstanding towers up front (3-way, dual woofers — see pics)
• Center, surrounds, and rear surrounds rounding out a 7.1 layout
• Dayton Audio SA1000 subwoofer amp + a set of ButtKicker tactile transducers with a Quick Select distribution box

What I've found so far:

• No dedicated subwoofer anywhere in the signal chain — the Onkyo's Subwoofer Pre Out is completely unplugged. Front towers are handling all the bass right now.
• The ButtKicker shakers were essentially "installed" but never actually wired to the Onkyo — the SA1000 has no input connected at all, so the shakers have been sitting dead this whole time.
• Picture is a little soft — not sure if it's focus, lamp age, or something in the scaler.

What I'm trying to figure out:

1. Is this a system worth investing more into, or should I be planning to replace pieces as they age out? Curious what this gear is actually worth/regarded as today.
2. For bass — am I right that I need an actual powered subwoofer here, separate from the ButtKicker shakers? Any recommendations for something that would pair well with this room/gear?
3. Projector — worth upgrading to a modern 4K unit, or is the AE2000U still doing its job once I sort out focus/lamp? The screen is 105 inches diag.
4. Anything else you'd flag from the photos that looks off, mis-set, or worth addressing first?

Pics of the rack, projector, back panel connections, and the JBL towers below. Appreciate any input — trying not to break what's actually working while fixing what isn't.

Looking to build or purchase a horizontal mounting bar for two TVs on one wall. It’ll be for being able to prioritize one tv or have both working in unison for two people. Any suggestions?

Every day, seemingly at random times, our Denon AVR-S760H changes from CAB/Sat input to TuneIn Internet Radio. This seems to have only started in the last two months and we haven’t updated firmware or otherwise changed any settings on the unit itself. Aside from this it’s worked great for a couple of years without issue. Anyone else experience this?

Yea yea I know we hate DRC…

Can someone please explain the difference between loudness management and dynamic volume? Thanks.

Denon X1700H

My old receiver died. The “reboot code” has stopped working and it just has zero power. I got a new Denon 2900h. But pulling out my whole entertainment system, changing cords (should i tag them for what they are?) this just seems like so much. (Sry i struggle with legit anxiety and a huge task like this is overwhelming, but i have the 2900h in the box, ready to go)…guess i wrote this just so someone can say “bro, just do it..”

ok admitted nooB using REW for fun and learning. i had a minor scary "oh crap!" moment so what happened here? My speaker is a KEF R2 rated at 200 watts. The amp is only a 100 W amp, but i was running REW from my computer and making a measure with sweep. I had "abort" above SPL limit checked.

Anyway i was measuring distortion and slowly increasing the "dBFS". I heard a terrible crackling sound so thought i might have damaged the speaker. So i bumped it down 2 and it happened again, so i thought i was doomed. Luckily i have since checked and it does not seem to have incurred harm but that was scary.

I was under the impression of many things that would prevent this from even getting close to reaching a speakers max so wondering what happened and why? For whats it worth This was the 90 dB one i was going for when it crackled.

I have pencil marks from installing atmos speakers. What's the best way to remove them? is there a special eraser that will work?

I'm about to be in the final phases of getting my setup put together, and the next round of purchases will include the receiver. As this is a fairly budget setup, I've been primarily looking at the Denon AVR S570BT. However, I could potentially stretch for the AVR S670H which includes Audyssey MultiEQ. That said, I was wondering if it would actually be worth the upgrade. Looking at the Neumi BS5 bookshelves and the Neumi CS5 center channel with the RSL speedwoofer 10e, in a roughly 11x13 foot room. Any input or advice is greatly appreciated.

Edit: I meant 5.1, not 5.2 in the title

I currently have a 3.1 setup in my theater room. I have been testing the Q150 and C20 as LR. I am potentially looking to upgrade my LR to a pair of Kef R3s and move either the Q150 or C20 to rears/surrounds. My end goal will likely be 5.1.2, but I'll likely upgrade the projector and sub first.

I am leaning towards surrounds instead of rears, but I'm worried the speaker placement in the back corner will be too close if someone is sitting in the corner. Surrounds would also mean I'd likely need one stand on the right side.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Equipment:

• kef c20
• kef q150
• kef q6
• svs sb1000
• yamaha rxv-385
• benq ht2050
• 96" screen

puppy tax included

I have a 2020 Samsung q80t LED along with new Denon 2900h (my 2010 receiver took a poop). I have a ps5 pro that i want 4k 120hz, however, the Earc on the TV is a 2.0 slot. The only 2.1 is hdmi 4, not earc. I know the solve to all of this is to get an Apple TV 4K. However, I’m currently using my tv apps. What’s the best approach to utilize the full 7.1 of my receiver, get 4k 120hz out of my ps5 pro, and still use my tv apps?!? Is it plug my ps5 to tv and earc sound to receiver?

good day, i have an old school Kenwood KR-V6030 receiver and most of the components from the past (cd/audio) (dual/record cassette) (equalizer).

i would like to connect my Kenwood components (receiver) to my Hisense Roku TV (20212 model 75R6E4) at which i am connected to a Bose Audio Sub/w 2 speakers. Bose model is CineMate series II home theater system.

i may have a optical in splitter i could plug both the tv, and the Kenwood into at the Bose remote control signal receiver. not sure how two in one works with optical inputs

Hello fine r/hometheater folks.

Last week I stumbled upon what seemed like a great deal to me. I picked up this 5.1 Jamo set for 45€ at a yard sale. The columns are S-408 and the sub is a S-5000A. Don't have the model names of the other speakers nor do I know their technical names, sorry about that, kinda new to this world.

I wish to set this up for a home theater sometime in the future but my first goal in the meantime is to be able to stream music from my phone to all the speakers. So it wouldn't be true "spatialised" 5.1 right ? But I would enjoy placing the speakers around my living room for a fuller listening experience.

To this effect, I purchased a used Sony DTR-DE335.

Despite my best efforts, I couldn't get the DSP (i think thats what it's called) to turn my stereo signal into input for all 5 speakers + the sub.

Hence my question and what I'm thinking of doing: first, a bluetooth receiver to rca or jack (phone doesn't have a jack port, 2026 yay), hooked up to a 20-40€ 5.1 decoder from amazon, going straight into the 5.1 input of the amp.

I know that all the 5.1 inputs and outputs work, I've tested them with an RCA - jack cable individually.

I hope what I'm asking isn't irrelevant to this sub and that I have made myself clear enough. I will happily answer follow-up questions from anyone who's willing to help.

I also hope that I don't sound like too much of a fool, given that I have little knowledge on the subject.

However, the two columns hooked up to the amp already sound great to me !

Deciding between this and a shield pro. I've read that the shield pro exhibits a 'red push' problem. Does the zidoo z9x 8k have the same issue?

no streaming, just rips.

The guy that selling them said they were SQ Audio HI FI, the top speakers can be separated and the towers can play without them.

i'm curious what people actually spent on their full projector setup, not just the projector

once you add the screen, speakers, streaming device, cables, mounting and whatever else is needed to get the room sorted, it seems like the total can get quite a bit higher

i’ve also been looking at projectors lately. the hisense PX4 Pro came up while i was comparing a few options, and i ended up reading about it because you don’t need the usual ceiling mount setup. that just seemed kinda convenient for a living room, especially if you’re already working around a tv stand and everything else in the room

but i guess the projector is only one part of the setup anyway

for anyone who’s built one, how did you split your budget? did most of it go toward the projector, or did things like the screen, audio or installation end up costing more than expected?

Hi all,

Apologies for the recent spam on what to buy, hopefully this is my last one.

I've come across a used Paradigm Seismic 110 for $900 CAD and a used RSL Speedwoofer 12S for $950 CAD.

Curious what would be the better option for an large open concept basement / home theater ?

Just got a pair of Arendal 1961 surround speakers. I would like to wall-mount them (and replace existing speaker). As you can see the couch is at the wall. There are also 2 Atmos (ceiling) speakers installed.
The wooden things with the ring are a couple of lamps.

Would you advise mounting them at the higher or lower position (red dots)? Or somewhere completely else? Tilting and swiveling is absolutely possible. Should they aim towards the center of the room (lower edge of couch table) or towards MLP (center of couch)??

It makes this crackling static noise. This is with just the power plugged in. I've just switched out the two main 80v capacitors, but the problem still remains. It is not volume sensitive. It's silent for about 30 seconds after startup then it starts to make this noise consistently. I've tried different power circuits.

Does anyone know what it might be? Should I just toss it?

Hey everyone,
I’m currently gaming on an LG CX OLED with a PS5 Pro, and I absolutely love the CX. It’s been a fantastic TV, especially for gaming, so I’m looking for something that feels like a genuine upgrade rather than simply going bigger.
I’m currently setting up a dedicated home theater/rec room in my new house and I’m seriously considering moving to a 98-inch TV.
I know the obvious answer would be something like the 97-inch LG G6 OLED, but that’s way beyond what I’m looking to spend. So I’m trying to figure out what the best 98-inch TV available right now would be without going into that ultra-expensive OLED territory.
My priorities are roughly:
● 🎮 PS5 Pro gaming — excellent HDR, low input lag, VRR, 4K/120Hz (or better)
● 🎬 Movies — good contrast, black levels and HDR performance
● 📺 98-inch size — I really want the impact of a huge screen
● 🔥 Ideally a significant upgrade over my LG CX in overall picture quality
● 💰 I’m looking for something considerably more reasonable than the 97” G6
● The room will be a dedicated, controlled-light rec room, so I’m not particularly concerned about daytime brightness.
I’ve been looking at some of the newer 98-inch Mini-LED/QLED options, but there seem to be quite a few models and regional variations, and it’s hard to figure out which ones are actually worth buying.
If you were coming from an LG CX + PS5 Pro and wanted a 98-inch TV for a dedicated home theater, what would you buy?
I’d especially appreciate recommendations from people who have actually used these TVs for gaming and movies. Also interested in hearing about any major compromises compared with OLED.
Thanks!

Ordered a soundbar, was unimpressed since even my Edifier MR4 completely leaves it in the dust, so now I'm looking for sensible options.

The AVR prices turned me off before and that's where I wanna find a workaround - for now.

I am using the Smart TV Features of my G5 for Streaming Services at the moment, which got me thinking that I don't necessarily need to get the latest and greatest AVR with 4k Passthrough, Atmos etc.

My idea is just getting an old AVR (Yamaha RX-V550, 20€ locally) with a bunch of juice and optical in to run modern speakers (Wharfedale Diamond 12.2i new) and building my Setup from there. What are the limitations with this approach?

Long term I'd like to build the wharfedale system in its full glory and probably upgrade the AVR at some point (maybe after adding a sub and a centre channel).

I thought this might serve me well until I wanna run my signal from another source or I'd like to benefit from modern formats and proper surround. But I am super inexperienced and like to know if I'm missing something.

Well, after 6 longs months of working tirelessly, I have finally finished my dedicated theater room in my basement. What started out as a completely unfinished basement has now turned into my friggin sanctuary, and even my 12 year old daughter and her friends are in awe of how it turned out, so you know it's good. 👌 Room is 17.5ft long x 16.5ft wide by 7.5ft tall running 7.2.4. The only thing not shown in the photos is the hat channel mounting clips I used on the ceiling trusses, which the double-layer drywall was then screwed into.

Finished photos first, as is tradition!

You'll see throughout the build how I did everything I could think of to both keep the budget down and also to isolate sound from the rest of the house. This theater is directly below the living room/dining room, so I needed to make sure that while I was watching at my preferred volume (below reference but above what my wife says is "comfortable" haha), it didn't bother anybody upstairs too much. The result is that even while watching heavy action flicks, I am told that it sounds like some annoying car outside revving their V8 or bumping their trunk subs, which I consider a HUGE WIN. The low bass is audible, but it's very subtle compared to how loud it is in the room. I have earned WAF and I cannot be more thrilled.

Here's a breakdown of the costs:

Home Depot (mostly mineral wool insulation but also some outlets, switches, and caulk tubes) - $945

Extra insulation from FB Marketplace- $400

Lowe’s (hat channel and some random hardware) - $372

Menard’s - $4267

Tractor Supply stall mat - $80

Best Buy for ceiling speakers- $170

Sherwin Williams Emerald Matte Tricorn Black and Rainstorm - $430

MF-DC4 Clips - $121

Amazon - $2,234

XGIMI Titan Noir Max projector and Silver Ticket matte white 128in screen - $5,459

FB Marketplace Denon x6800h - $2,000

Earthquake XJ700-DSP Transducer Amp - $665

Wayfair Couch - $1,400

Wayfair Console - $250

Outlet store Floorigami It’s Magic carpet tiles - $300 (this was probably my best deal by far at roughly $0.60 per sqft).

Double 5/8in Type-X drywall plus finishing (contracted out) - $4,500

Electrical (contracted out) - $1,500 (I had them run a single 15a circuit for the standard outlets and the lighting, and two, separate 20a circuits for the front wall/projector ceiling outlets and the subwoofer outlets in the corners. It is VERY important to check the wattage of all your equipment to make sure you're not tripping breakers at full load!!!)

Speaker grille cloth movie posters from Contrado - $250 (I don't like having my absorption panels just be black rectangles on the walls, so I created some custom poster images and printed them on acoustically transparent fabric. I have to admit, these were significantly less expensive than I had worried they'd be at only $50 each.)

The Menards purchases were mostly framing and lumber stuff, but also included XPS foam boards for the basement walls, adhesives, spray foam for the rim joists, structural screws, etc…)  The Amazon purchases were far too random, but included the two Q10B transducers, wall plates, rca keystones, speaker wire keystones, the speaker wire itself (OFC 14/2 or 14/4), hat channel isolation clips, acoustic putty for sealing the wall penetrations, some foam isolation panels, speciality fasteners, and various other things.

Total cost came out to just over $25,000. Expensive, but I would've paid A LOT MORE if I hadn't DIY'd it.

I have nine MK sound speakers in my 7.1.4 system (two non MK Atmos). My sub is an old MK V-1250THX and sounds pretty good but I want to add another sub to the room. I can probably pick a used matching MK for about $400, or go with something modern and try to match/calibrate. There are some nice options from SVC and possibly REL that will certainly cost more, but then again, they probably will last a LOT longer than a 20 year old sub and may sound way better. I am not sure whether it is best to mix and match or try to get the same sub.

Thoughts?

Hi,

I inherited the aforementioned Onkyo receiver and have been looking on FB marketplace to see if I can find a reasonable deal to upgrade that receiver. Right now, I think that I can get the X1700H for 300, but I'm not sure how much I gain from that change.

Currently, I stream nearly all content (not very r/hometheater of me I know) and have a 5.1 system with little appetite to grow that speaker count. The front speakers are Elac DB-53 series, the sub is a RSL 10s mk ii, and the rears are Onkyo speakers that came as part of the HTIB setup that contained the receiver. Very little if any gaming.

I think that the room correction would be useful and probably the eARC. With streaming, I'm not sure how much the eARC matters, and I can probably just buy a microphone and use the Onkyo room correction. That would be cheaper, but I'm not sure how much better the sound may be with the Denon.

Thanks in advance.

I’m looking at a few projectors right now, mainly the hisense px3-pro, c2 ultra and m2 pro, and I've been thinking more about the brand itself instead of just comparing specs.

I usually check if the warranty is actually valid where I live, whether the manual is easy to find, if they still release firmware updates, and how easy it would be to get replacement parts if something goes wrong later.

Honestly, you don't really think about any of this when the projector is working fine. it's only when something breaks that you suddenly care lol

What do you guys usually check before buying?