Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater My first home theater system

Hello everyone,
I’ve been looking at purchasing my first real home theater system and have been lurking around the forums for a while trying to figure out what I wanted and I think I’ve figured it out. But, having never really done this before, I was hoping to get some advice from you guys. Sorry if this is long winded, but I’m hoping to get everything in here the first time around.

I’m going to be setting up the home theater system in my living room, which is about 15’ x 18’ with vaulted ceilings leads/blends into the kitchen and dining room area which is probably another 20’ x 25’ (more or less).

For the system itself, I’m debating on the M22ti’s or the M60i’s for the fronts, QS8’s for the surrounds, VP150 for the center and either the EP175 or the EP350 for the sub. Now I know that there’s a big difference between the M22’s and the M60, but the main reason I was looking at the M22’s was because a friend of mine has a set in a little smaller room and they sound wonderful. I don’t play music or movies too loudly as the homes in the neighborhood are almost on top of each other and the neighbors would complain. On the other hand, it sounds like the M60’s will give me a more dynamic sound. So any advice between those two speakers would be great. The only other thing I’m not too sure on is the sub. Just how large of a sub does someone need? I know that may sound like a stupid question, but I’ve never had one so I’m not sure what to look for. I’m not a huge fan of bass you can feel down the street, but I also want to know it’s there and have crisp clean bass.

Oh, and I was looking at getting the Onkyo TX-NR801 receiver to power the system.

Again, thanks for any input or advice you guys can give.

How far away would you be sitting? How far apart would the speakers be from eachother?

My first impression is for you to go with the M22ti's and upgrade the subwoofer to the EP500 or a Hsu VTF-3. You'll want a good big subwoofer to fill a space that large. Yet the M22ti may work well as mains, if you're not sitting too far away, and don't try to fill the room with high db's.

welcome to the boards..

first off, the QS8's are a no-brainer.. these are GREAT surround speakers, so buy with the confidence that you WILL be impressed. and i also think the VP150 for a center would be best. ou might be able to get away with the VP100 depending on how far away from the TV you will sit.

i think you would do well with either the M22's or the M60's. with a good sub, the 22's will sound awesome, and the 60's will give you a little more bass and 'oomph' to what you are listening to. i think it really comes down to preference. if you like the way your friends 22's sound, then you might wanna go with them.

Onkyo makes great receivers, i have one myself. but, you might wanna look into the Onkyo 701 or 702 instead of the 801. the only main difference between the 701 and 801, is that the 801 has the netcard direct link. its basically a direct connection option to where you can plug the receiver directly to your compuiter and play music from your computer.. if this is a feature that you dont think you will want or use, then just get the 701/702. it has the same amount of watts per channel, and you can save some cash.

good luck , and let us know how it all turns out!!

bigjohn

Welcome aboard lmoulder !

I currently have almost the same situation, everything is in our living room, which is about 15' x 20', we have slight vaulted ceilings that lead into the kitchen/dining room on one side, and to the front door entrance on the other side. I would say at the peak of the vaulted ceiling, it is about 11 ft. The entrance into the kitchen/dining room is about 7-8ft wide. Eventually everything is moving downstairs, as I am remodeling our basement, the texture is being sprayed on today.

Anyway, I guess you could go either way with the mains. I have the EP350 and it works fine for me now, however, once I go downstairs, I may purchase a second 350 to have a matching set for the much bigger basement. The M60's have great Bass response, but the 22's are no slackers, especially when matched with a good sub. The m60's are going to be bigger, so you may want to make note of the dimensions. I know my wife is not real excited about my speakers being in the living room, but it is only temporary.

You have a great receiver, so anything you get will be great.

Randy

M60's VP150 EP350 4-Qs8's
Denon 2805
Sanyo Z2 Projector
Samsung HD Receiver
Toshiba DVD

Welcome, Leigh.

I didn't like the look or the real-world ramifications of speakers on stands, so I went with the M60's. I'm very happy with that choice. If you want good sound, you cannot even ponder the notion of putting the M22's in a cabinet or on a shelf. They will still sound okay, but you will not be maximizing their performance.

You did not mention your music/HT ratio. I think that matters. For instance, if you are heavily into music, my opinion is that you might be better served by the smoother, deeper, fuller image presented by the M60's. On the other hand, if you will be mostly watching movies, you may be more than adequately served by M22's, but do not scrimp on the sub. I think that room (including the adjoining area) is pretty big for an EP175. I'd second Craig's recommendation of a Hsu STF-3 or VTF-3, and EP350 or a SVS PB12-ISD. Depending on if you have a budget, the EP500 would certainly be a fine choice, but you may want to spend that extra $500-600 elsewhere (like on upgrading from the M22 to M60).

People like the Onkyos. People on these forums also seem to really like comparable Denon and HK models. I understand that HK is in the process of introducing a new line, so you may be able to find excellent value on recently discontinued (but still full featured and capable) models.

Good luck with your journey!

Thanks for all the responses and feedback.

Let's see if I can answer the questions sent back my way. First off, the couch is going to be about 10' from the entertainment center and the speakers are going to be about 10' - 12' apart. With regards to the receiver, I actually picked out the 801 because of the networking capabilities. I like the idea of pulling off mp3's from my home network and picking up some Internet radio stations. I had never really considered my movie to music ratio but it would probably be about 40 movies and 60 music, so about even. But after reading some of the other posts out there, I think I'm leaning towards the M60'S now and taking Craig's advice and upgrading to the EP350 for the sub.

Sounds like you've got a great system in the works.

Once you get whatever you decide to go with, if possible ou might want to experiment with bringing the mains a little closer together (or moving your seating back a bit - the M60's would easily allow that)to see if imaging improves. Much wider apart than the distance you are sitting from them can sometimes negatively affect the sound stage (hole in the middle syndrome).

Paul

If there's any possible way to get your seating position back just a few more feet, it'll really help the soundstage. With that much space, the M60's are a pretty darn good idea. But seriously...even an extra 2-3' will make an audible difference.