(Part 2) Best products from r/Zeos

> I think I would like them wall mounted but in the back 2 top corners of the room. That way they are minimal and out of the way. Is that possible? Is one way "better" than another?

Ideally, they are placed like this, with the tweeters of the speaker being 2ft-3ft above the listener. If you want to wall mount near the top corners of the rear wall, that's fine, just not ideal.

> I'll get a center channel. I hear it's better for dialogue?

90% of the time, the difference 2.0 vs 3.0 is inaudible if just 1-2 seats in front of the tv, if you have 4+ seating, then the people at the edge will hear a difference. Also, sometimes you get a movie or tv show that was mixed poorly, so the ability to alter the dialogue level is helpful. So I'll put together a L/C/R option.

Receiver: Denon X1300 normally $600 with usually going down to $500, but it just recently (last week) went down to $400. It features Audyssey's MultEQ XT and is also the lowest priced Denon model that will get Dolby Vision and HLG support. HLG is a royalty free HDR format and is very likely what the tv industry and cable companies will use.

Fronts: two options:

• Option #1: SVS Prime bookshelf + center for $850 (don't pay the extra $150 for the other color). Take note the price for bookshelves is for 1 speaker, so your order should be for 2 of them and 1 center.
  
  
• Option #2: HTD Level Three bookshelves + center for $565-$626 shipped. These are front ported, so they don't need to be >1ft away from a wall like the SVS. Also, I feel these will be better for home theater while the SVS is better for music, the flared ribbon tweeter of the HTD will spread the sound out more, where a soft dome like the SVS is very directional, so it won't be as good for a decent sized seating area.
  
  Subwoofer: will depend on which fronts you get.
  
  
• If Option #1: SVS PB-1000 for $500, if you want specs, here's the product page.
  
  
• If Option #2:
  
  • SVS PB-2000 for $800
    
  • Rythmik 15" servo for $1000, while it'll go over $2000 total if you get this, this is a monstrosity and is well worth it. Here is Zeos' review, if you have speakers (car, headphones, etc.) that have good bass, watch this part.
    
    Surrounds:
    
    
• Option A: Sound Appeal 6.5 for $70, also get the mounting bracket shown/labeled in the photos, it's like $15.
  
  
• Option B: Kanto Ben for $90-$100, they use a specific screw size and their mounting bracket is $20.
  
  Speaker Wire: Good speaker wire (<18 gauge and oxygen free) is cheap, here is 100ft.
  
  Banana plugs: While not needed, it makes things easier to connect the speaker wire to the speakers and receiver. I don't think the surrounds will be able to fit them when against the wall, so that is 8 pairs (5 pairs on receiver and 3 pairs for front speakers). For <$13, get two orders of these. If you don't know how they connect, like this.
  
  Subwoofer connection: You need an RCA cable, ideally one specified as a "subwoofer cable" as it is better shielded. Just search on Amazon and choose between the AmazonBasics and the MediaBridge ones and the length you want.

Yeah, so gross-looking, especially compared to the SA50/60. Ruled out the SA50 because it only has one input; the SA60 though has a 3.5 input on the front. Don't want to buy entirely on looks, but at the same time, that Monoprice thing is an eyesore.

The game-changer for me though was discovering that, using the RCA out from my TV, I could just set the volume of the amp to 30% (tested with the Leipai currently being used in my office) and control the level the TV is outputting to the amp. So remote no longer necessary, as long as I'm running RCA into the amp.

The 4 inputs on the Q5 are nice, but 3 are digital (USB, opitcal and coax), so I wouldn't be able to have the TV hooked up and a separate input for my wife's mp3 player. Maybe I'll just go SA60 and call it a day-- that Q5 looked like a lot of fun in your review though, it would be cool to throw an old laptop into my setup and use the Q5 as a DAC, just for fun.

Just bought some BS-22s for my sister (they were $60/pair for like 20 minutes last weekend on Amazon) so she can have a 2-channel setup with her TV in her small apartment. Was going to get her a Leipai to drive them, but her TV has optical out only (weird, no?), so now I'm looking for something comparably priced with a remote is this my winner?

Quick update. Speakers are all set, and they sound pretty good. I'm not an expert, and have nothing to compare them to, but I'd say that I got a good deal for $120. Dialogue in movies is nice and crisp, and the mids are quite nice too. I'm very pleased with my first foray into home theater.

Most definitely not returning them!

Thanks again for your help. I'm now looking for a decent sub and a center.

What are your thoughts on the Panasonics Pioneers?

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-C22-Designed-Channel-Speaker/dp/B008NCD2EI/

and for the sub
http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SW-8MK2-Designed-100-Watt-Subwoofer/dp/B008NCD2PC/

Edit: Pioneer, not Panasonic

Hey /u/ZeosPantera,

I first wanted to say you are the fucking man. This subreddit has been so incredibly helpful in figuring out my audio system. Additionally, I was wondering if you could provide your expertise for me.

My fraternity is currently getting our house back in a few weeks, and we have money to spend on home improvement (in this case, an audio system for the large common room). I'm looking for a system that can double as both a home theater sound system as well as speakers for a large, loud party. I assembled a list of components and was hoping you can recommend any changes. This is the list so far:

Receiver - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B7X2OV2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Center - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015A8Y3E/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Front speakers (tower) - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ISZEV2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Rear speakers - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CRMKJTQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1WPEQCN6WJKZG

Subwoofer - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015A8Y5M/ref=ox_sc_act_title_8?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

These are the ones you listed as being loud enough to play music on as well. Will these products fit the bill for my needs (home theater, large frat party)? Also, these extras to set up the system:

Banana plugs - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0090CVJZ4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

RCA cable - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003FVX9FO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1DCPNQKKEISZB

Copper wire - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00APEG9MO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Is there anything I'm missing in order to set up the system? Thank you so much!!

Thank you Zeos for the RBH R5BIR video review (btw, link missing on this page currently). In that video you mentioned setting the crossover in your receiver but what about those that don't have this capability?

I have an Emotiva PT-100 stereo preamp. I don't believe the PT-100 has that capability (unless I'm mistaken). Is there an alternate solution for this? Perhaps something like the Behringer Super-X Pro Cx2310 or one of the Rolls crossovers (SX21 or SX45)? But for lower end equipment is this even worth it? Perhaps a cheaper solution is available? Or, by "just deal with it" should I conclude that bass management is simply not a thing for stereo-only systems?

Anyway, thanks for the video. If you have any video or material that covers setting the crossover point in your receiver (primarily covering what you do in situations where your electronics doesn't support it) I'd definitely be interested to see it.

Hi Zeos,

Thanks for putting this guide together. I just moved into my new home and have used this exclusively to put together my living room sound system. Here's what I've decided on and am close to pulling the trigger:

• Denon AVR-S500BT receiver
  
• (4) Micca MB42X Bookshelf Speakers
  
• Micca MB42X-C Center Channel Speaker
  
• Dayton Audio SUB-1000 10-Inch 100 Watt Powered Subwoofer
  
  From the looks of it, those above components should get me a nice sounding living room without going overboard. Now to my question, I notice that the Micca MB42's don't have any mounting holes in the back. I was looking into buying some speaker stands and saw the Atlantics were pretty popular on Amazon, would those be OK for the Micca's? Or do you have any experience with speaker stands? Thanks in advance.

Hey Zeo, could you go over my first set-up and see if everything would work together? Here's what I got so far:

Behringer UAC202 DAC

Sherwood RX-4109 105 Watt Stereo Receiver - Any opinion on this? It seems really good for the price but seems like a gamble from what I read.

Pioneer BS22 - I've heard the BS22s are very power hungry which is why I decided the above receiver would be a good match for it.

From my understanding it would go something like this:

Laptop <--DAC <--RCA--> Sherwood Receiver --> BS22

Is that correct? And would I benefit significantly from purchasing a subwoofer?

I'm still rocking a 60 gig, gen 2 ipod from back in the day. It holds a charge for a solid 30 min. Just don't forgot to plug it before the battery dies, as it will get stuck in a boot loop on reboot. If that happens, no worries, it'll eventually turn on again for reasons unknown to me.

Here are some pics with a quarter for scale:

Back (60gb) -
Front -
Side

But now the true INSANITY of the setup. I rock that ancient artifact with these babies. Standard issue, free at seminar, google IEMs. The replaced my exclusive American Red Cross earbuds. This abominable marriage, accompanied with the most excellent 50gigs of 96kbps mp3s, is my running setup. Sometimes it gets weird.

But seriously now, I think these giveaways are cool. I have pretty decent mid level headphone setup for my nice, quiet, critical listening times. I've been looking to venture out of the headphones into stereo setups a little bit, so it's cool that those monitors are the giveaway for this contest!

As far as next months giveaway, I think an amp like this would be pretty cool. Also, I don't know how anyone else would feel about this, but have you thought about giving away software at all? Maybe a few copies of dBpoweramp would be cool. Shipping would obviously be easy, too.

Zeos! I LOVE this subreddit and have just bought a house with a new dedicated theater room! I am very excited and would really appreciate it if you could look over my build and give me any suggestions. The price is somewhat flexible so if there is something that you think would really help me then please don't hesitate to ask.

Epson 8350------------------------------------------------------------1100
SMSL SA50 Amp--------------------------------------------------------70
Speakers-----------------------------------------------------------------250
Screen------------------------------------------------------------------236
Receiver-----------------------------------------------------------------250
BIC America F12 Subwoofer-------------------------------------------184
Total--------------------------------------------------------------------2090

Some of the prices may have changed but it should be fairly close... So how would you improve on this build?

Thanks so much!!

Edit: Formatting

Swan and Hivi are great but hard to find. If you can get that M50w setup for $200 it is probably worth it.

Your alternative at $200 is a set of these Teac's and an SA50. I have just gotten those speakers recently and haven't finished the review yet. They are an AMAZING set at that price. Better than the micca's.

Wiring isn't hard. Here is how it goes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEimPBW37IA

Hey Zeos! Great guide! I built my 5.1 from this last year and have been very happy with it.

Quick question: I went with the BICs and just blew a front speaker. Thinking about going with towers in the living room. About to pick up some BIC FT-6T towers for $300, but I may be able to do BIC PL-89 II's for $450. Waiting on an ebay seller to accept or counter-offer.

Might be nice to start upgrading, but I'm concerned about the PL-89's not matching the sound signature of the center. What do you think?

• Receiver - Denon E400
  
• Center - BIC America FH6-LCR
  
• Woofer - BIC America F12
  
• Rears - Micca MB42x
  
  Use case: 70% listening to music. 30% home theater.

I got the [Audiosource AMP-100] (http://amzn.to/19s6LzN) to drive four of these Monoprice [6-1/2 Inches In-Wall / In-Ceiling Speakers] (http://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_id=7607). I've got them wired in parallel hooked to channel A for 4 ohm and even at max volume, they're at a comfortable background music level. When I hook them to my receiver, they behave as I'd expect and are much much louder.

I need to test it driving one pair of speakers at 8 ohm each instead of parallel, but I only expect that to be twice as loud. I should also test wiring both pairs to A and B to see how that does, but wiring is simpler w/ the speakers wired series or parallel at the wall.

Could I connect A and B on the amp in parallel and run it to the pairs of speakers that are also wired in parallel? It seems like this is what A+B mode would be because the device says it'll support 4 ohm or 8 ohm speakers, but requires 8 ohm when you use A+B mode.

Or is the Audiosource AMP-100 expecting a stronger signal than my [AVR-3313CI] (http://usa.denon.com/us/product/HomeTheater/AVReceiversHT/AVR3313CI) is putting out?

Hey Zeos, thanks for the post, as always.

I'm looking for desktop 2.0 setup, and already have the Fiio E10.

Would SMSL SA-50 and Fluance SX6 (now available in UK, yay!) work with it (and together)?


Btw sorry for not using your affiliate links. I would, if you managed to include them somewhere here, if it's worth your time :)

Also, I assume I should use the 3.5mm to 2RCA with the E10?

Thanks

@ Zeos:

I am currently saving money to buy a home theater system in a few weeks.

my budget is about $450 for a receiver and and $300ish for a 5.1 surround system.

The receiver I am currently looking at is the Denon X2000 - I compared a lot and this seems to have a bunch of features for the price.

and for the Speakers I have been drawn to the Energy Take Classic 5.1 setup mostly due to the reviews on Amazon, Cnet and other sites.

I am pretty set with the receiver but want to know if there is anything else you would recommend for a 5.1 speaker system under $300?

Edit: I am trying to stay away from floor speakers because I have a 1 year old son running around. Whatever Sub I get will go ontop of my entertainment center.

I am looking to setup my first home theater system want to start out with 2.0 then eventually expand to a 5.1 setup. Just want to get some inputs. Thank you for the help.

receiver is this a decent receiver or should I spend a bit more for a receiver?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017AECEJI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00



Speakers (having a hard time deciding between these 3)
very slightly leaning towers pioneer just cause I would want to get tower version and move bookshelf ones to the back. How does these 3 compare. I mainly will use it for movies and some music.

energy RC10
https://shop2.frys.com/product/7777388?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Pioneer SP-BS22-LR
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008NCD2LG/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B008NCD2LG&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwpuresimula-20

Fluance SX6-BK

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IEDL8EM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

Thanks so much for this review, Zeos. Very very happy for the heads up about these quirrrrrrks.

Would love to see you check this one out: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0073WTG6M/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1KQRE5VTGP4IB&coliid=I14W5IFQGWGKMV

Sound quality is probably not there....but if the remote works better than SMSL then it could be a contender for the soundbar killer (the price is right at least).

I'm suspecting that those who would hear a difference in SQ between the two would be going for the refurb Denon on A4L anyway (size be damned!) I haven't heard Lepai though.

Awesome post /u/ZeosPantera!! I have a few questions though.. I'm considering getting either the Optoma GT1080 or the Epson PowerLite 8350. The room I'm using is 100% dark with no light. Can't see your hand in front of your face type of dark. That being said I don't know which model screen would be best for me. I'm looking at the Elite screens amazon page and they have 4 different types of screens. I'm assuming I want either Acousticpro1080p2 or the airbright 3d? Are they even that different from each other??

Following your guidance, and in accordance to my budget, I came across the following AVR and Speakers. I was wondering your quick thoughts on them? I have been using my tv to accept all the HDMI inputs from my DVR, Xbox One, PS3, etc, but I also have a decade old HTiB that just doesn't cut shit anymore. Thanks!

Thanks for your help. To clear up my confusion, you can't use a Vmoda BoomPro with one of these amp/dacs? Because this mic was in your list, I thought the amp/dacs might have four pole support.

Thanks for all this information, /u/zeospantera! I've been reading a lot of your various lists, guides, and reviews (along with plenty of Head-Fi's) because I'm looking into some changes to my audio setup.

I have 2 questions if you have the time to help me answer them.

1. Suppose I have the setup show here in the wiring diagram linked above. Where do I plug in my headphones? In actuality, I'm missing the sub and the dac. It goes straight from my motherboard's 3.5mm out to the amp's rca input.
   
   
2. I'm looking for new open backed headphones for under $200 that I'll use for gaming, music, and movies. I have these Monoprice headphones with their replacement pads and I use this V-Moda attachable boom mic. So far I'm skipped most headphones because I haven't found any with a single, nonproprietary, detachable 3.5mm cable. Plenty have two cables (XPT100), a proprietary jack (ATH-m50x), non-removable cables (BD DT-770), or they just use the wrong connector (Senn 598, AKG Q702). What I'm wondering is if I should ditch the mic I'm using right now altogether, but what should I use for a mic instead? You suggest the HiFiMan 300 with a mod mic, is that still a solid option? How does that fit in with however I wire the speakers (and now mic!) from my first question?

Everything arrived and I now have what are probably some stupid questions about setup. I would rather look a fool than break something though, so here we go:

• I watched your tutorial about stripping speaker wire. I assume I cut appropriate lengths off the 25' spool and strip both ends?
  
• It looked like your tutorial used a SMSL amplifier and you mentioned needing banana plugs because 16ga wire was too thick. Assuming I'll need those, want to give me a ref link for whatever your preferred brand is? The link given in the YouTube description is out of stock.
  
• I've seen your diagram but I didn't buy a DAC, so do I need this to make the connection from my computer to the amplifier?
  
• Assuming this is the correct adapter, I'll want to connect the 3.5mm end to the green port and the RCA ends to "Input 2" on the back of my SMSL SA60?
  
  Hopefully this isn't too bothersome, I did do some Googling and am reasonably sure about what I need, but I wanted to confirm with you starting setup.

Just finished putting these into a 2.0 setup for my college desk, with a lepai 2020A+. Works great, fills up my room without breaking a sweat. Planning on grabbing one of these so that I can have an input from my PC permanently as well as another aux that can be used for visitor's phones and such.

Good stands?Click Here

Considering upgrading from 2.0 to 2.1 for a desktop setup, how do you do this with this? looks like the sub doesn't have Hi-level Out connectors? Would a receiver be required in this case?

Alright, I decided on

Projector: http://www.amazon.com/Optoma-HD25e-3D-Home-Theater-Projector/dp/B00E19RFFO

Screen: http://www.ebay.com/itm/92-Panoview-Graywolf-II-Home-Theater-Projector-Screen-/130375719111

Receiver: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ZP72MU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004ZP72MU&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwpuresimula-20

Central, Left, and Right Speaker: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008NCD2EI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B008NCD2EI&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwpuresimula-20

Shelf: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008NCD2LG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B008NCD2LG&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwpuresimula-20

Rear: http://www.fluance.com/product/Fluance_XLBP_Wide_Dispersion_Bipolar_Surround_Sound_Speakers.eng-111.html

Subwoofer: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015A8Y5M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0015A8Y5M&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwpuresimula-20

Does that all sound right for a 7.1?

Thanks for replying also im new to the whole amp/dac thing do i need this to connect to pc...my pc doesn't have optical

SVS SB1000 a good match for Airmotiv 6s nearfield? Currently have an XDA-2 and I'd buy a Behringer for crossover. My rooms 11x13.

The more I looked at them. Those speakers are surround speakers. The speakers below are the front ones for that make... So what do you think about those ones.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00IEDL8EM/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1WPEQCN6WJKZG

I stretched my budget to the max but selected out these components. Anything you'd change?

Denon avr-s710w - $260

MartinLogan Dynamo 300 - $150

ELAC B5 Debut Series 5.25" Bookshelf Speakers - $230

ELAC C5 Debut Series 5.25" Center Speaker - $180

Total: ~$820.00

Any way I could get something similar to this cheaper?

does this http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0015A8Y5M?pc_redir=1405048009&robot_redir=1 will work instead of http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004LRPXAU/ref=redir_mdp_mobile?camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004LRPXAU&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl&tag=wwwpuresimula-20 if i take the exact same other component

I bought the SMSL SA-60 because I wanted the extra 3.5mm input to be able to switch between my TV and a phone or something for music. I can hook up my TV and my phone using a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable to the front of the and it works just fine, but when I use a 3.5mm to RCA cable into the back of the amp I can't get it to work (tried both my TV and my phone).

Did I get a defective product or am I a moron who doesn't know what the hell he's doing?

Also do you have a donation link or something like that? Your information has been extremely helpful.