Bruce910

I am shopping for decent speakers and a decent receiver for a Home Theatre setup in my family room, with a very tight budget -- around $1450. I am interested in any advice the “gurus” here may have.

The situation: A family room, size is 22’ X 15’. It is carpeted, with thick padding. The TV (already owned), is a Mitsubishi 35” direct-view. The television will be placed along one of the long (22’) walls, exactly halfway along it. The main purpose of this home theatre setup will be for watching movies on DVD and laser disc. I have a Sony DVD player (the model with the five-disc carousel), and a Pioneer laser disc. I also have a Mitsubishi S-Video HiFi VCR. This system will rarely be used for listening to music.

Based upon the above, what are some quality speakers I should be looking at, and what models of receivers (digital, surround) should I be looking at? I want Left/Right speakers, a center channel speaker, two surround speakers, and a subwoofer. I also need them to “match,” and to find a receiver which is a good match in wattage. I want to fill the room, when watching movies. I want good separation, and strong surround sound effect.

I probably cannot ceiling-mount the surround speakers, (a tray ceiling, with sculpted oak trim, the wife would have a coronary attack!) so I suspect the surround speakers will have to be wall-mounted, immediately behind the viewer(s), or on very tall stands (?) I can use stands for the left/right speakers, if necessary, but this all must come in under the total budget for speakers and receiver (and any mounting hardware and stands), which, again, is $1450.00.

Any sage advice is appreciated in advance.


-Bruce

skar

Receiver:

Onkyo TX-DS595 Online Price $369

Speakers:

Fronts: PSB Alpha B's Retail Price $249 a pair
Center: PSB Alpha C Retail Price $229
Rears: PSB Alpha B's Retail Price $249 a pair
Sub: PSB Alpha Subsonic 5 Online Price $330

The Alpha B's and C's speakers should be easy to find for 10-20% off retail by bargaining.

Figuring 10% off:

$369
$330
$727-73=$654
------
=$1353 which should leave you enough money for two sets of stands.

All of these components were chosen for their build quality, sound quality, and above all value. Find a local PSB dealer and go audition some of their stuff, it will blow you away.

hypeiv

you always cut it damn close skar and never figure in the shipping costs hehe

skar

True, but if they wanted something cheaper they would have said so. Some people buy from stores, some buy online, I can't figure all the various shipping costs and possible sales taxes in. I figure that most people realize that in addition to the item cost they will pay about 10% in taxes and/or shipping.

hypeiv

I am not dissing you or anything i respect your opinons you odviously know your stuff.

skar

No problem. I didn't take it like that. Sometimes I feel like I'm hogging the forum. Part of the challenge is getting as close to the budget as possible while still getting unbeatable value.

nekobus

Skar,

Nice setup. However, I would recommend changing the Onkyo price up by $20 as ExpressCameras($369) has an extremely poor reputation. Add another $20 to the sample budget and get it from MyDigitalUniverse.com.

This assumes of course that you are doing your normal price search from the bottom of the page.

I would second the psb and Onkyo setup, as I have heard this extact same setup and it sounds very nice. It will also sound nice for music even though that's not its intended purpose, but it's nice to know that one's $1450 has bought a very versatile system.

hypeiv

if you use a American Express Blue you can buy all your stuff locally at the high high prices and just price match them. No shipping no worring about if the dealer is shaddy or not. Amex will only pay out $1000 a year and up to $250 per item so you can't just go pay retail and expect to get the lowest online price but if you are about to make a big purchase i suggest you look into that card

M i c h a e l

Skar, how does the new Alpha B replacement compare to the
Alpha A/V in terms of sound quality? Differences?

Haven't tracked them down yet, but I fear PSB has tampered
with perfection by altering the amazing Alpha A/V.

Bruce910

Skar (and all):

I just wanted you to know that your research was not in vain.

I listened to the PSB speakers (although I was not able to audition them all hooked up at the same time... typical problem). I liked what I heard.

I was able to find the following prices, all from one source (phone order), a source I am comfortable with.

Actual
Onkyo Receiver $369.00
One Pair Alpha B $197.00
One Pair Alpha B $197.00
One Alpha C $177.00
One Subsonic 5 $337.00

SubTotal: $1,277.00

Shipping, estimated $40 to $45.00

Total $1322.00


I placed the order yesterday, p.m. They are shipping today.

Thanks for all of your help!

-Bruce

nekobus

I listened to both and found the A/V to be slightly better than the Alpha 1B. The B's were close, but not quite there for me.

The 1B is the top half of the 4T and one of the recommended systems is with 4Ts as the fronts and 1Bs as the surrounds. You can take the grill off the 1B and not the A/V. It was one of the things the saleman pointed out as a difference. Big Whoop!

Bruce910,
Where did you buy from? That's a nice looking total, esp on the shipping.

M i c h a e l

Just to clarify, did you prefer the Alpha A/V, or it's replacement
the new Alpha B?

nekobus

The original Alpha A/V.

The dealer still had the A/Vs, so it was possible to do a detailed A to B comparison using both movies and music. We liked the A/V better. The 1B is still sounds great, but to us the A/V was better. As always, YMMV.

M i c h a e l

nekobus, thanks for the update!

Dr. Rosenrosen

First, I am in awe of Bruce's decision-making prowess. I would hem and haw at least a month over this kind of decision.

I am in a situation similar to Bruce's, perhaps with a slightly smaller budget and definitely with less knowledge. My question is this-- after lurking for a while, it seems that Energy and Paradigm are the most widely praised of the good 'budget' speaker. Looking up PSB, though, they also seem to fall into the high end of the budget category. How would others rate those three brands? Or is the PSB Alpha not in the same league as the Paradigm Titan, etc.?

Doug

skar

Here is the way I would rate them:

1. PSB
2. Paradigm
3. Energy

PSB and Paradigm are close. There are my two favorite brands for speaker value. Energy is quite nice but I think there are other brands I would consider before them.

M i c h a e l

Is this order for value, or sound quality?

For value, I'd rate this way:
1. Paradigm
2. PSB
3. Energy


And quality would be a tough call, with the PSB Stratus Silvers
battling with the Paradigm Reference Studio 60s (I think these
two models are the best quality/value point for these 2 vendors).

skar

I'm was talking value. Best sound quality for the money in the $150-$400 a pair price range. I love both brands. Energy is nice, but I would look to PSB and Paradigm first.

Alpha A/V vs. Alpha B

The Alpha B's are basically a smaller version of the Image 1B. They even look quite similar. The Alpha B's are quite a bit smaller than the A/V's.

The Alpha A/V has bigger bass and a higher sensitivity rating. It sounds farther away, but packs more of a punch. The Alpha B uses an aluminum dome tweeter that sounds better IMO than the Alpha A/V's high end. It has more of an up close feel and sounds a little more alive to me.

The bottom line is that they sound suprisingly different, yet I can recommend both without reservation.

M i c h a e l

At $200, I don't think the Alpha can be beat (have not heard the
Alpha B, but it sounds like folks should run to pick up any
remaining Alpha A/V models still on store shelves!). But from $300
to $400, the Paradigm Mini-monitor is real tough to beat, I don't
think a PSB model can survive head to head at that price range
against the Mini-monitor; what an amazing speaker.

Paradigm also has killer center channels that really satisfy; which
also goes in their favor when spending $300+ for mains (as well
as for $1,000+ for mains, with their Reference centers).

Isn't it amazing how no one vendor has all the price ranges
locked up? Makes things interesting.

I agree about Energy, great speakers, but there are some better
options out there.

Thanks for the additional info on the Alpha B!

Bruce910

Originally posted by Skar:
Bruce910, Where did you buy from? That's a nice looking total, esp on the shipping


Nekobus had asked where I found those prices (especially due to the low shipping cost).

The reason the shipping is so low is partly due to the fact that the seller is close, yet still across the state lines from me. I am in Chicago, they are in Wisconsin.

The dealer is:

The Happy Medium
430 State St.
Madison, WI 53705
1-800-906-4434

Their web site states that they are an authorized PSB dealer. However, to be safe, I did call PSB to check. The girl I spoke with confirmed that they were.

Their web site is:
http://www.happymedium.com/index.htm

Again, thanks to all...

(A very grateful) -Bruce

reverb

I do.

And I really like, and have long recommended, the Alpha. But I would choose the Home Theater Direct Level III bookshelf monitor over it for home theater applications ($199/pair).

For a bit more I would also consider Ascend Acoustics and B&W DM300 series and PSB Image 2B's, and bit bit more Norh. I think HTD is prob the best value out there though.

M i c h a e l

Resale value also affects my buying choices and recs, and
the used market for PSB far surpasses HTD. The Alpha also
has the advantage of being an outstanding music speaker.

Have not heard Ascend, but B&W is much more pricey
than $200 in the US. Heard the PSB Image series and was
thoroughly unimpressed -- too colored for my taste.

Will keep an eye out for Ascend!

nekobus

For value we would also recommend PSB and Paradigm first.

We were surprised at the difference between the A/V and the 1B, considering the 1B is supposed to be an A/V replacement.

A system which sounded extremely good was the 4T as fronts with the 1B as surrounds. If you are in the market for towers as fronts with a limited budget, this would something to audition.

Bruce910,
Thanks for the info on your dealer. That's a nice price on the Onkyo. I now understand the low shipping fee-you're practically next store.

Thunderball

I just wanted to say, Bruce, that's amazing.

I wishy washed for like 2 months when buying my set up, until I finally decided on what to buy. for having the balls to just buy it

Enjoy your surround system, it's truly a new world.

reverb

Hmm... PSB has poor resale value in their lower lines. PSB Alpha speaks are regularly available for under $100/pair used and the Alpha A/V can still be found for about $160/pair new. These will not retain their value well as the used market is saturated with them - though they may still be wonderful speakers for the buck. Also consider that PSB Image 2B speaks can be had for down to near $100/pair used and a bit over $250/pair new.

The previous Alpha center can be had surprising cheap.

Regarding the B&W DM line:
The 303 can be had for around $300/pair new in the US, the 302 even less.


Resale value in all but the most esoteric audio components has never been great, thus it being so conducive to second hand shopping. The highest rated components hold up, everything else is cut in half sooner than later.

Again, I like PSB's, but for HT (not music, though I would not choose Alphas for music for anything other than a little second system) I would prob select HTD. I believe they offer far more value, in that they perform better for budget/price/dollar, not that they may or may not depreciate more than the Alphas (which, in the right circles/boards, the opposite has been true - HTD can't keep up with demand and there is strong market for used ones). I am a B&W speaker owner, but again would prob recommend the HTD LIII for HT applications over the DM300 series.

Regards.