$3-500 to spend on custom home audio system, need advice!!?

Question

I want to get the best i can with my money so i am prepared to buy the individual speakers, amp, build the boxes, etc. I have $3-500 to spend and I want to build a custom 5.1 surround sound. I am new to this so if someone could give me some advice or recommend something that'd be great! I've build a custom sub for my car so i have some knowledge. Recommending upon getting deals or buying used parts would be better because i feel I can get more for my money buying used. thanks

Answer 1

I just made my girlfriend get a job at best buy so I could get insanely good deals. Consider it lol

Answer 2

It really can't be done for that amount of money all at once, unless you go for a home theater in a box... Some of them aren't so bad, but they have their limits as far as music performance. This Onkyo 7.1 system isn't bad at all... http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-SR800-The...

If you want to try and put something together... maybe a little at a time...

The speakers I'd probably look at in your price-range are the Sony SS series. The frequency response is amazingly linear from top to bottom for the price. Your not going to get the "airy" highs or the most extended bass response of high-end speakers, but you simply aren't going to get that anywhere for that amount of money. Anything you tried to build for that amount of money would probably sound much worse. The Sony SS were chosen by Consumer Reports over several  more expensive speakers a couple years back and ended up near the top of the lists for bookshelves and floorstanders believe it or not. They do have a pleasant, balanced sound with decent detail for such an inexpensive line of speakers. You wouldn't even be able to find better sounding bookshelves for the less than $100.00 each these towers cost. $100.00 bookshelves will not sound "high-end" and there's no way they'll compete with the Sonys in the reproduction of low frequencies and the all important mids that are often missing between smaller , cheaper bookshelves and a sub. You'd get increased power handling and room filling sound with the Sony towers.

I would look at the SSF-6000 or SSF-7000 floorstanders for the main speakers because even the larger bookshelves are lacking in bass response. Then... add the center and the small surround speakers... one of their better "Performance Line" subs when you can afford it... The towers do pretty well on bass for stereo music. You'd eventually want the sub for home theater to fill out the lows in the small surrounds and improve the LF effects in movies.

Getting a nice receiver with adequate high-current power is very important. I wouldn't skimp on the receiver, even if it means you can only afford the two main speakers right away. I'd stay away from Sony for a receiver right now. The power doesn't seem very robust in their current models and they're known for melting down easily and becoming stuck in "protect mode". I'd look for a sale on Onkyo, Yamaha, Harman Kardon... maybe Pioneer... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OWR... (I would select buy from Amazon and get the free shipping) This Yamaha might be a step up in sound quality...  http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-RX-N600-Dig...  Get as much clean power as you can possibly afford.

The one problem I'm seeing in the market now is that the better receivers are all 6.1 or 7.1 when most people will only use 5.1. Hard to find a 5.1 receiver with a good power output and spending money for a 7.1 seems like a waste if you're not going to use all the channels...

Good luck!!! :)

Answer 3

Reel Acoustics ... look them up. They are a Canadian speaker company. Not too famous in the states, they are not very expensive but can compete with the bigger names out there, like Klipsich, Paradigm, etc... Anyways, they blow those Home Theatre in a Box units out of the water. There is a good review of them online if you google them up.

As for a receiver... i'd try to get anything you can that can pump out as close to 100w per channel as possible.

You probably wont be able to do this all for $500... but close. Give it a shot.

- Peace!