I need your knowledge. Please help me out.

[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

I started a thread about the Audiopulse Axis last night, because I was thinking of upgrading my ht sub. That got me thinking....I've been using the same ht setup for years, and a lot has changed in that time. HD is becomming the norm, and I have a pretty nice television. Maybe I should look into upgrading my entire ht setup.

I've been looking around for the last several hours, and so far this is what I'm looking at. Please keep in mind that I'll be shopping smart. The links I provided are just the first places that I found the particular items. I'll spend less money for the components if at all possible.

Receiver:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_580TXS806B/Onkyo-TX-SR806-Black.html?search=Onkyo+receiver

Sirius Tuner:

http://www.gosiriusxm.com/Polk-Audio-SIRIUS-Satellite-Radio-Home-Tuner-SR-H1000_p_629.html?zmam=7837956&zmas=1&zmac=2&zmap=SR-H1000

CD Player:

http://www.crutchfield.com/p_580DXC390/Onkyo-DX-C390.html?tp=197

Speakers:

http://www.shopcerwinvega.com/detail/CER+CLS-6C/CLS-6C (X1)

http://www.shopcerwinvega.com/detail/CER+CLS-215/CLS-215 (X2)

http://www.shopcerwinvega.com/detail/CER+CLS-6/CLS-6 (X4)

I really don't have a lot of experience with this type of thing, so naturally I have some questions. There are some car audio guys on this forum who know their stuff, and I'm hoping it's the same with home audio.

1. I've always been a fan of Cerwin Vega's home audio stuff, and I think the prices are much more reasonable than brands like Thiel or Klipsch. While those brands may perform better, they're simply out of my price range. Do you guys think the CV speakers will deliver quality performance in a 32x28 room with an 8.5' ceiling?

2. Where can I find a solid/reliable home audio amplifier that puts out enough power to satisfy the 2 CLS-215's that I'm looking at (400-450 Watts RMS per)? The Onkyo receiver is pretty nice, but 130 watts RMS isn't going to cut it with 4 15" drivers.

3. I know that it's never a bad idea to run a powered sub in any ht setup, but would it be absolutely necessary given the size of the CV CLS-215's? If so, where can I find a plate amplifier that's powerful enough to push the Audiopulse Axis 12 cleanly?

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

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[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

I wouldn't reccomend those speakers. I have been down that road in my search and it just isn't worth it.

 

[gymfreak101 10+ year member]

The reciever should be very nice, the speakers not so much. My question is why spend so much on a reciever and then be broke and buying cheap speakers.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Just IMHO...

Scale down. No reason for anything over 5.1 unless you have a massive listening space, and even then the selection of discretely encoded stuff goes way down. By eliminating two of those speakers, you're helping your budget in other places.

If you're spending $600 per main channel anyway, you definitely can afford better things than CV. For that price, you could find a pair of Klipsch La Scalas, or Cornwalls, or something B&W, pair of Magnepans, a killer DIY project, etc.

Ditch the receiver for a preamp/processor and separate multichannel power amp. Used from Audiogon. Outlaw Audio makes a nice processor, and you can find amps from Adcom, Acurus, Parasound, Rotel.

For the Axis, go with a Crown or QSC rack amp.

 

[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

Just IMHO...Ditch the receiver for a preamp/processor and separate multichannel power amp. Used from Audiogon. Outlaw Audio makes a nice processor, and you can find amps from Adcom, Acurus, Parasound, Rotel.

I would do this if I were to ever start over. You do lose a tuner or have to buy it seperately.

 

[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

Wow, thanks for the input.

I haven't completely made up my mind about the speakers. I was just looking into the CV stuff because I used to have a pair that were phenominal. Also, I didn't really think the CV CLS series were cheap @ $2,045. I looked into Klipsch, and at that price range their setups are somewhat small in comparison. I've always had a "bigger is better" mentality when it comes to car audio, and I guess it's crossed over into what I had planned for ht. Maybe I should re-think my strategy.

Whatever I choose to do, I think I'm going to roll with that Onkyo receiver. It has all the bells and whistles, and costs WAY less than comparable units. To be honest, I don't think I'd ever use a lot of the things it's capable of doing, but it's nice to know that the options are there.

On a side note, after finding that Onkyo receiver, I looked into their products a little more. I found this: http://www.us.onkyo.com/model.cfm?m=HT-S9100THX&class=Systems&p=i .

This whole system is boxed together, and I found it for less than $1,000. Do you guys think it would be worth it to buy this setup and upgrade the front stage and subwoofer at some point in the future?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm new to this stuff. I can hold my own in car audio, but ht is a different story...

 

[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

A couple more things:

I forgot to mention that my ht setup will be used primarily for music. I guess that's why I was looking at towers with 2 15" drivers apiece.

Also, I love the idea of doing the whole setup in the DIY fashion, but I think it's over my head. I know nothing about home audio. To be honest, I don't even know which brands make great equipment. Sure, I've heard some Klipsch equipment, but my knowledge stops there.

I'm not confident that I'd get good results from doing everything myself. I'd absolutely love to build some massive towers and run everything from high end rack amps and whatnot, but that kind of stuff is too expensive for a novice to be fooling around with. Maybe I can study up on the subject and tackle a big project at some point in the future, but as of right now, I think ready made equipment is probably my best option...

 

[misfit138 5,000+ posts]

"For that price, you could find a pair of Klipsch La Scalas, or Cornwalls, or something B&W, pair of Magnepans"

All of that stuff is WAY out of my price range, man. I'm working with a $4,000 budget, and new equipment is a must for cosmetic reasons...