Search results matching tag '5.1'

Aperion better than Polk? Is this really an upgrade?

flexsez — Sun, 17 May 2009 04:34:47 GMT

So I've got a Polk Audio RM6750 5.1 setup in my family room with a Yamaha 8" subwoofer that replaced the original Polk sub that failed on me all running off an Onkyo SR304(don't laugh it's the best receiver that will fit heightwise under my wall unit) , and I'm reading all the glowing reviews and comments on the Aperion forum and AVS Aperion owners thread and I've got a question.

How much of an upgrade will it be moving from the Polk Rm 6750's (I need to keep the Yamaha Sub because it's the best 8" sub I could find that will fit in a tight spot on the front wall of my family room in the corner - sadly I only have a 12" width clearance) to a 5.1 setup with (4) 4B and (1) 4C?

I watch 70% TV, 25% movies and 5% music that consists of XM Radio on Satellite TV and Metal Mania on VH1 Classic (go hairmetal!). If the 4B's are that much better than my Polks I may listen to a lot more music than I do.

For the record I'm pleased with the Polks for movies, but they really sound thin to me for music so I thought about getting (2) 4T and (1) 4C and (2) 4B's for surrounds. I used to listen to music on some old Cerwin Vega 500w towers that had a 10" speaker that sounded great, but the WAF got so bad I had to get rid of them last year.

Is it worth the $680 for (4) 4B's and 4C since they're so similar in size to the Polks, or should I fork out the $1070 for the 4T, 4B and 4C and sacrifice the sub (which doesn't thrill me for TV and Movies)?

If you're going to suggest getting big towers to make up for the sub, I can't go any bigger than 5T's for space reasons and if I do I don't have room for the sub.

What to do?

My turn... Need some recommendations please (5.1)

jwsteel — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 10:13:44 GMT

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to build my first 5.1 system this summer (or sooner, if I can swing it), and I'm taking a really hard look at the Aperions for my speakers. Everything that I've seen so far has been extremely impressive, and the price is certainly right. I'll definitely be bringing some in-house for a trial once the time comes, but before that happens, I need some input as to which ones I should be bringing!

The room I will be putting it in will be a bit of a challenge in terms of positioning and power output needed. I'm attaching link at the bottom to a room layout diagram, with the "viewing area" to the right of the red line. The ceiling is flat, 10 ft. high, with a 45 deg. angle down to 8 ft. at the right side of the layout. The room, as you can see, is quite large; the primary listening area measures roughly 15' x 20' x 10' (aside from the ceiling slope). I'm planning on setting the surround speakers on the shelving units located at the back of the room; I have no desire to wall-mount them (they would be quite obvious on a 10' wall). Along those lines, in-wall or in-ceiling aren't options either (no easy access up there).

I'll be powering the speakers with a Denon 3808. I'd also prefer to have front towers (purely aesthetic reasoning, I admit). My listening mix will be roughly 50/50 music/movies, with some gaming thrown in as well (I'm not a hardcore gamer by any means; my consoles see use a few times per month).

Given these parameters, what set up would you recommend to be best suited for the space? Would bookshelves, satellites, or bi/dipoles be best for the back? Also, where would be a good location, given the room layout, for the sub? I've been considering the 5T Hybrid HD system, but I'd like to hear your thoughts as well.

Thanks for any input you can provide!

Best,

Jeff

Building a new 5.1 setup... would this be a good receiver choice?

jwsteel — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:15:13 GMT

Hello everyone, first time caller...

This summer (or sooner), I'm going to be putting together my 5.1 home theater (after many years of wishing/dreaming/etc.). The problem is this: my room is rather large.

The actual listening area is roughly 15' x 20' x 10', but the total room volume is a bit over 4600 cubic feet; it's an open great room, with entry foyer and dining areas as part of the space (the listening area is essentially the right half of the room). For speakers, I'm strongly considering the 5T Hybrid HD setup, possibly upgrading the sub to the 12D... but that's the subject of another post. This is a question about receivers, and I'm narrowing in on that decision.

Currently, my sights are set on the Denon AVR-3808, with its 130W x 7 output. Would that be an appropriate choice, given the room size & configuration? (And hey, would that drive the 5T setup well in the space also?)

Thanks everyone, I'd greatly appreciate any advice you could toss my way!

Best,
Jeff

Wireless Transmitter Options for Rear Speakers

wxforecaster — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:50:34 GMT

I am relocating my HT setup to a location where it's not feasible to run speaker wire to the two rear speakers in a 5.1 setup.

Is anyone here using a wireless transmitter of sorts to eliminate the distance cabling from the receiver to the two rear speakers? I've come across products from Amphony and Rocketfish, but would like to hear a few testimonial reviews of these products, knowing the quality of Aperion 4B speakers.

Best and Happy Holidays,
Evan

Best speakers for room configuration

PDouglas — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:53:54 GMT

I just ordered the 5B Fusion system which will be set up in my family room. The floorplan is open so the family room is part of a larger room which includes the kitchen and dining area. The area the speakers will be set up in is 15' x 14'. The total kitchen/dining/family area is 25' x 20'. The usage will be 50/50 TV/music. I don't plan on rattling the windows volume wise. Probably the loudest the volume will get is when watching a movie or if I am listening to music when nobody else is home. Then the volume will be louder than normal conversation level. I will be using a Sony A/V receiver with 125 WPC

I am looking for opinions on whether this system will be enough. It is what is in my budget for now. Do I need to start saving for an upgrade?

SACD through Denon 2807?

bierhaus — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 03:34:24 GMT

I can't seem to play SACDs in my system, which is causing me to weep. The set-up:

CD/DVD player = Oppo 970 HD

Receiver = Denon 2807

Speakers = An unstoppable force of Aperion sound (fronts = 2 x 633T, center = 634, surrounds = 533T, S-10 sub -- and yes, this system is as unbelievably amazing as you might expect)

HDMI connect between the Oppo player and Denon receiver. The receiver recognizes it's getting 5.1 sound from the source when an SACD is in the Oppo player, but nothing comes out the speakers. (DVDs and regular CDs work just fine.)

After reading various forums, I have an uneasy feeling that the problem is due to differing HDMI standards: SACD requires HDMI 1.2, but the Denon only understands HDMI 1.1 . Could this be? Is a receiver that otherwise deserves high praise be so lacking in this area?

Any suggestions to resolve this would be greatly appreciated -- thanks!

Beau

Re: Anyone using a 533-C as a Center Channel?

blkhks — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:47:34 GMT

dlenart,

I've used a 532-C as a center for over a year in a fairly good-sized living room with two 533-PT as my mains. With a properly balanced 5.1 system, it is more than up to the task of keeping up with the 533-PT. The 532-C should be fine with your 533-T mains.

New System

kjmason — Thu, 03 May 2007 05:06:03 GMT

All, I'm getting ready to set up a new 5.1 HT system and would appreciate your comments/recommendations. Unfortunently, while the boss doesn't seem to have a problem with buying almost 2 grand worth of speakers (didn't tell her I also needed a new A/V Receiver...) she does have a problem with rearranging our family room and I'm not allowed in the living room so this is it. Although I do listen to music, I'm mostly concerned with HT performance and the setup I'm looking at is this:

As you can see, I'm going to have an acoustic "issue" with the right side of the room which extends out a total of 35 feet through the kitchen. Obviously, the best solution would be to rotate the arrangement to make the left wall the "front" with the kitchen in the far back. That would almost be a perfect accoustic arrangement but that puts the TV in front of a large picture window. I was all for bricking over the glass but SWMBO disagrees so alas, it will not be.

As there is no decent location for the surrounds to be placed adjacent to the prime seating area (wife vetoed stands) I'm planning on going with the 534-SS speakers on the back wall elevated about 2-3 feet above the sofa. Also, to minimize "clutter" I'm planning on using the 533-PT's in front to eliminate the separate sub.

My questions are these: First, is there any chance at all I'll be able to develop a decent listening environment given the huge sound-sink on the right side? In other words, is it worth investing this much given the architectural constraints? Second, are the 534's the best choice for surrounds in this setup? I'm making a lot of assumptions but would guess that the more diffuse nature of the 534's would be the best option on the back wall and I don't see a decent option for side mounting. Third, are the 533-PT's a good choice for this size of room? For a similar price I could go with the 533-T with an S-10 in the front left corner. The 533-PT's certainly limit my options for ideally locating the subs but I don't know how much of a trade-off this will be. BTW, the Aperion system wizard recommended the 533-PT's AND an S-12 which seems like a bit of overkill. My last question is regarding the A/V receiver. Onkyo is just releasing it's new line of AVR's which make a very big step forward in HDMI technology. There are three potential candidates in this group, the TX-SR705, 805 and 875. The 805 and 875 are rated at 130 and 140W/channel so I'm positive power would not be an issue with them; however, the 705 is only 100W/channel. Given the ratings on the Aperion speakers, I'd think the 100W/channel would be sufficient, any thoughts?

Thanks

Re: Best A/V Receiver used primarily for music

alex — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 17:30:37 GMT

Nick B:
take a look at Marantz.
both the 7500 and 8500 are great for music reproduction, as well as movies.

I can't agree more about Marantz. I've had one of their middle of the road 5.1 AV receivers for about 6 years now and never had one tiny bit of trouble with it. The thing is built like a TANK, and it's so good that my desire for a new receiver with more inputs isn't strong enough to replace it. I just put band-aids on my situation with an array of switchboxes.

When I do replace it, chances are it will be with another Marantz, though.

5.1 System with 2 Channel Amp

sciacca711@aol.com — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 01:14:00 GMT

Hi, I have a 5.1 Channel System. 2 Aperion 633-T's as my front, a center, a sub, and 2 surrounds. I have a 7.1 Channel Pioneer Receiver that puts out 110 Watts/Channel at 8 Ohms. I feel as though this isn't enough power for the Aperion Speakers. I can raise the volume from -40 to -20 on the receiver with very little change in volume level. This makes me think the power is insufficient for the speakers. My question is; Pioneer has a 100W x 2 @ 4 Ohm amplifier. Does it make sense to add this to my system. Will the wattage be added to that of the reciever or replace and thereby being even less power. How does the impedence effect this equation? Thanks for you help.