Getting back into movie surround sound... best bang for buck?

the biggest upgrade comes in upgrading speakers not AVR's. with the law of diminishing returns once you have a decent setup you need to start spending a lot more to get slightly better sound.

so long as your speakers are getting enough juice and the DAC inside the AVR is decent then you won't see much difference unless you buy an amp with a different signature that suits your preference more. is your current AVR underpowered? can you go to max and still listen comfortably? if so then you probably will benefit from a more powerful AVR.

you could look into calibrating the setup or an anti-mode for your sub, then there is the possibility of adding more speakers and subs. ATMOS is out now so setups can now have 11 speakers and 2 subs now.

what I've learned from spending thousands on DAC's / AMP's, headphones, etc is that you should just be happy with what you have and forget chasing the rainbow as upgrading is pointless once you hit a certain point, barely noticeable differences for double the money. you end up throwing money away.

that being said an anti-mode is supposed to work wonders and probably worth looking into. if it doesn't work or suit you can always sell it for roughly what you paid.
 
Richdog said:
Wee update; the SVS sub has integrated very nicely into the system and provides very smooth and subtle bass, I'm very happy with it. Overall it's really a great system and the quality of the Dali speakers is especially pleasing, they sound fantastic and I am very happy I went with the Picos as rears because they perform far in excess of what is required for such a role. :cool:

Also impressive is how the Denon AVR-1200W performs, it continues to make me scratch my head in wonder at how a £250 receiver can be so capable and has so much grunt. :eek:

I really wonder how much sound quality I would hear in real-world terms if I upgraded to for example a Marantz SR7010 or Denon X6200W... :confused:
Click to expand...


Hello bro Richdog,

I would like to buy a 5.1 surround system for my living room also (5m x 4m), with budget around £1k also. therefore your research perfectly match my need. this is my 1 year saving, and definitely i want the best value for my money spent.
could you please share how much you spent on your system and where do you get them?

many thanks.
 
Last edited:
i wish to buy the same set of surround system as Richdog did, but the price in UK is much higher and >£1000 budget...
i look into alternative solution, as below. could fellow expert here give advice?

£1100 for below
Yamaha RX-V681 Black 7.2 Channel AV Receiver w/ MusicCast
DALI Zensor 3 Black Ash 5.1 Speaker Package w/ E-9 F Subwoofer
 
That selection looks good to me Starkiwi.

You cant really go wrong with a Yamaha amp at that price range in my opinion.
 
Hey guys, apologies I didn't notice the posts in this thread until just now!

Just to say that I am deliriously happy with this system, the sound is superb. For music it is rich and warm and detailed, and for movies it is the same but with real punch, and the SVS subwoofer is so blended into the system you hardly notice it until it kicks in, and even then it just blends seamlessly into the soundstage. The Denon AVR has also performed way beyond all my expectations, and I am so glad I didn't listen to the blowhards saying "but it doesn't have enough power" or "it has inferior sound quality to the model above" blah blah blah... it performs like a champ.

My only minor gripe is that the Denon is very slow when playing and browsing through my networked media on my laptop, but it's not the end of the world.

All-in-all I made the right choices, and I am very happy with everything. :)

starkiwi26 said:
Hello bro Richdog,

I would like to buy a 5.1 surround system for my living room also (5m x 4m), with budget around £1k also. therefore your research perfectly match my need. this is my 1 year saving, and definitely i want the best value for my money spent. could you please share how much you spent on your system and where do you get them?

many thanks.
Click to expand...

I got all of mine from outside the EU, so the prices may not be comparable to the UK. Your best bet is to just use price search engines in your local area, wherever that may be. :)

starkiwi26 said:
i wish to buy the same set of surround system as Richdog did, but the price in UK is much higher and >£1000 budget...
i look into alternative solution, as below. could fellow expert here give advice?

£1100 for below
Yamaha RX-V681 Black 7.2 Channel AV Receiver w/ MusicCast
DALI Zensor 3 Black Ash 5.1 Speaker Package w/ E-9 F Subwoofer
Click to expand...

All I will say is that the E-9 subwoofer is not known for being a great performer, I think you may be disappointed with it, and it is worth reading this thread and spending a little extra on one from BK Electronics like the XLS200 or even better XLS400 if you can stretch http://www.bkelec.com/HiFi/Sub_Woofers.htm

I am very glad I got the SVS as it is just awesome and I got a fantastic deal on it that made it a no-brainer, but if I had lived in the UK I would have likely gone for a BK.

The Craig said:
Hey richdog, nice setup.

Where did you get that tv unit? Think it would go well in my new place.
Click to expand...

I got it from Jysk where I live. There is also a store in the UK and I think it is this one http://jysk.co.uk/living-dining/tv-benches/tv-bench-silkeborg-wide-3-drawers-oak

I keep meaning to replace the handles with some better ones that more suit the unit, thanks for reminding me. :)
 
Small update for 2021. :D

I just bought (but not yet received) a pair of the very well regarded Klipsch R-625FA for a crazy sale price of 640 EUR (£550) which are floorstanding speakers with integrated up-firing Atmos speakers. Basically the previous model of this RP-8060FA Dolby Atmos Floorstanding Speaker | Klipsch

I have moved my Dali Zensor 3 to the rear and will use my Picos for my PC. Looking forward to having Atmos without any extra wiring to the ceiling.

I am also hoping that Denon get around to releasing their mainstream 2021 range soon and then I will buy a Denon X3800H or similar with improved HDMI 2.1 and all of the modern GUI and gubbins. My X1200 has been a trooper but it is getting a bit long in the tooth now and my home is now kitted out with HDMI 2.1 electronics. :)

EDIT - Ok I now have everything set up and it sounds awesome... the Atmos seems to do the job from the Youtube test videos I watched. I need to watch a good movie though to test it. :D
 
Last edited:
Oh man the Klipschs are friggen awesome... their size makes the soundstage so much more expansive than the Dali Zensor 1 bookshelfs and they are so musical when played in Pure Direct even on my 'lowly' (but actually really good) Denon X1200!

One real "DOHWTFISWRONGWITHYOURiCHDOG" moment was when I realised my sub had been unplugged for the last few months... no idea how but it was. I had noticed the speakers sounded off with movies, but I hadn't thought to check. Anyway, I have now plugged it in again and also went through the amp and speaker settings with a fine tooth comb and have basically tweaked it to perfection now (all speakers set to Small, crossover 80hz etc) and it sounds brilliant for my room size, it just fills it with warm and rich sound.

The Dali Zensor 3 bookshelfs, formerly serving as fronts, are now doing duty as rear surround speakers and are objectively superior to the (much smaller, of course) Dali Picos, which will now migrate to my PC. The Klipsch were a bit of an impulse purchase but they really have made a notable improvement in my sound system. :)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom