Topic: Help on how to build a budget meal home theater

[esr101]

Room acoustics can make entry level items soundvery good and unfortunately would be taken into consideration when all equipments have been bought.

100% agree based on my own experience. Entry level lang mga HT speakers ko but after ko magpa-room treatment, I don't feel the need to upgrade.

[audiojunkie]

Ok naman ang magbasa... It's a great source of info that sometimes we don't expect to know. Spend time reading on fine tuning / tweaking to enhance your listening experience. Reading about high end gears personal choice na yun kun kaya ng bulsa.

[Tempter]

Ok naman ang magbasa... It's a great source of info that sometimes we don't expect to know. Spend time reading on fine tuning / tweaking to enhance your listening experience. Reading about high end gears personal choice na yun kun kaya ng bulsa.

Yeah, ok naman ang magbasa, kung minsan lang sumosobra kaya ang utak hindi mapakali at makasettle dahil konting update lang e gusto ng magupgrade... Makakita lang ng buzz word yun na!

[audiojunkie]

Yeah, ok naman ang magbasa, kung minsan lang sumosobra kaya ang utak hindi mapakali at makasettle dahil konting update lang e gusto ng magupgrade... Makakita lang ng buzz word yun na!

Dyan masaya sir ang mga Audio/video gears manufacturers ... Buhay ang negosyo...

[dodie]

Room acoustics can make entry level items soundvery good and unfortunately would be taken into consideration when all equipments have been bought.

its very true doc...kya lang ang dilema ko sa OP eh sa living room nya ilalagay, hindi dedicated HT room. how i wish his wife doesnt beahve like mine na hindi mo pwedeng dikitan ng kung ano ano ang mga walls and ceiling and rearange the fixtures and shelvings nya. magkakagulo kyo ska wala pa akong nakita na living room setup na max ang sound treatment na hindi pumangit yung living room. nagmukhang sinehan na kse pti kurtina itim na kulay

[comet]

Oo nga pala,  living room pala ang room niya. Mahirap nga lagyan yan. Pwede siguro yung acoustic art frames kagaya kay bro louie's.

[comet]

ako rin gyera labas kay kumander kapag tinadtad ng acoustic foam ang sala namin

[dodie]

Oo nga pala,  living room pala ang room niya. Mahirap nga lagyan yan. Pwede siguro yung acoustic art frames kagaya kay bro louie's.

oo nga doc tulad ng kay luwela. wedding pic pa naka print. di tuloy maaway ni misis nya. hahahaha
ako doc yung bedroom setup ko may malaking pinto going to the verandah, eh french type pa, kumakalog pag ma bass masyado. ayaw pagalaw ni misis, bwal lagyan ng heavy drapes, bwal baguhin ang pinto...ayun tinangal ko na lang yung sub! 

sorry sa OT po....

[Nelson de Leon]

sorry, my apologies to the word "overprice"-should have been priced higher.
items bought abroad are priced higher when sold here in the philippines, thats what i mean.

its an honest mistake on my part and no malicious intent to hurt by its other meaning.

No worries sir. Just reminding lang para di magtampo sa atin ang mga distros.

[kranoz]

Medyo OT post: diba yung mga US price naman sa web ng mga HT equipment wala pang tax yun? Di naman lahat ng gears mas mataas dito sa pinas may mas mura pa nga...

What's the budget nyo po ba for the budget meal HT? Kung sa speakers tingin ko yung set ng A Audio Philippians sulit na for HT.

[audiojunkie]

Medyo OT post: diba yung mga US price naman sa web ng mga HT equipment wala pang tax yun? Di naman lahat ng gears mas mataas dito sa pinas may mas mura pa nga...

What's the budget nyo po ba for the budget meal HT? Kung sa speakers tingin ko yung set ng A Audio Philippians sulit na for HT.

Totoo yan bro.. Di lahat mura sa labas. Kun mura man plus shipping & other extra expenses parehas. Kun may warranty naman disadvantage sa atin dahil we pay to ship back. Isa pa incase of damage, hassle din sa atin.

For starter HT setup marami sa atin, kunting pasensya lang for hunting the best price. Kun pan audio marami rin sa atin pero medyo pricy for new models. If you have means to source from outside okay rin dahil maraming mapipilian.

[cyberdraven]

Hi parekoy, some advice lang.  It really depends on what you envision.  Will you use it more for home audio or for home theater?  If you are more into home audio, I would recommend just get a floorstand and an integrated amp.  As the saying goes in audio, put your money on the mouth, invest on the speakers way above the rest.  A generic DVD could be a source and generic wires/interconnect could be used for the meantime.  Atleast, you will now a good sounding home audio set-up and can be used for home theater listening.

If your going home theater, i woud suggest for for 2.1 muna and use and get a receiver.

For gear selection, best to call a friend named "Audition".  hehehe.  buy some popcorn and do window shopping on stores and listen to their set-up.  See what suits you.

Thanks

Paeng

[meat_eater]

As the saying goes in audio, put your money on the mouth, invest on the speakers way above the rest. 

Well it's right to invest on speakers, but I believe the system is only as good as its weakest link. So IMO, best to have a 33% split. Speakers - Amp - Source (garbage in = garbage out).

So for 100k, a speaker in the 30ish range + amp in the 30ish range + Source in the 30ish range.

But then again thats just me  , I dont want to complicate your hunt any further. hehehe.

But for starters, get the best speakers you can afford.

Cheers and happy hunting

[zram18]

so you mean kung 1/3 each ganito magiging setup for 100k budget:
     speakers-30k
     amp      -30k
     source   -30k
     others   -10k
                 -----
total          100k   

di ba sir bitin yung budget sa speakers? kc baka subwoofer pa lang po yun.

pero you have a point here and TS should consider this an alternative setup, where you put emphasis on the SOURCE. kc nga naman, kung panget ang source mo, panget na din sa dulo (sound output) kahit gaano pa kaganda setup mo sa amp at speakers.

nakarely pa rin talaga ang lahat sa source.

[meat_eater]

so you mean kung 1/3 each ganito magiging setup for 100k budget:
     speakers-30k
     amp      -30k
     source   -30k
     others   -10k
                 -----
total          100k   

di ba sir bitin yung budget sa speakers? kc baka subwoofer pa lang po yun.

pero you have a point here and TS should consider this an alternative setup, where you put emphasis on the SOURCE. kc nga naman, kung panget ang source mo, panget na din sa dulo (sound output) kahit gaano pa kaganda setup mo sa amp at speakers.

nakarely pa rin talaga ang lahat sa source.

I was referring to a pure 2 channel setup, no subs - Since an integrated amp (Stereo) was mentioned.

And it's not a rule, you can of course, tweak it for whatever works for you.

For HT, at least in my case, speaker set =  1 sub (I have 2) = similarly priced AVR + Sources are cheaper (BDP + NMT + Etc) hehehe

Mine is actually a "budget system"

PSB Image B6 (L+R)
PSB Image C5 (Center)
PSB Image B4 (Surrounds)
SVS PB12 nsd x2 (Subs)

Denon 2113 AVR

Gauge 12 wires and some room treatments made by Mr Tony Rodriguez

Sources: NMT + PS3

Cheers

[zram18]

nice 'budget' system sir. yan ang wish ko na system except for the Denon coz i prefer NAD for PSB.

we hope we have provided great help kay TS, so far parang tumahimik yata cya ngaun (or nalilito pa?). Maybe, nagbabasa muna for research sa mga threads dito. or baka sumampa na ulit sa barko for another contract as seaman.

at least now meron cya natutunan sa mga gurus dito on how to build a 'budget' meal home theater...without pdvd it could been harder to setup and select audio gears considering its complexities. 

[meat_eater]

nice 'budget' system sir. yan ang wish ko na system except for the Denon coz i prefer NAD for PSB.

we hope we have provided great help kay TS, so far parang tumahimik yata cya ngaun (or nalilito pa?). Maybe, nagbabasa muna for research sa mga threads dito. or baka sumampa na ulit sa barko for another contract as seaman.

at least now meron cya natutunan sa mga gurus dito on how to build a 'budget' meal home theater...without pdvd it could been harder to setup and select audio gears considering its complexities. 

I agree 100% on this 

yes it is hard... super hard! hahahaha.. and confusing, kasi ang daming choices.

I have a stereo system as well - and for me - that's even harder - kasi sa HT, you have audyssey to "fix" things for you. With stereo - everything is manual and it relies on "System matching", positioning, and room acoustics. there, that 1/3 split makes a hell of a difference. For some blessed with "golden ears" - even the slightest of changes matter e.g. wires, ICs, power cords, line fileters, etc.

But enough of this, lalo lang na gugulo si TS.

Cheers

[Photonyo]

I'm also helping a friend decide on setting up his living room.
what i suggested is go for 2.1 setup first then add additional speakers later on. If you settle for a budget set, for sure you will get the itch to upgrade and it would be more expensive.  If you start with a mid end system, the itch wont be as much

here is what i suggested to him

Polk RTi A3 bookshelf 20k
SVS PB1000 sub 28k or SB1000
Onkyo 333 22k (636 if kaya pa)

Total 70k

2.1 setup is ok naman.. when i played him a video in stereo mode, my friend thought that the center speaker was working.  he even got up from his chair to touch the cone to make sure it wasnt. A good left + right speaker will give you a Phantom center already.

My friend wanted the Polk RTi A5 floor standers like mine but since he is in an apartment I dont think he can maximize the speaker. He was also concerned with the SVS sub i suggested but i assured him na its better to have a good sub at low volume rather than a bad sub having to crank it up.

The speakers i suggested to him is based on what i use. I'm sure there are similar or better ones and priced differently. like others have said. audition other peoples setup so that you can decide for yourself  

[denber]

Sorry for the late reply mga sir. Medyo ma hina or sometimes walang signal internet namin sa barko.
Damn, I didnt expect dami na palang reply sa post ko. Familiar din yung isang handle from Tsikot and KAC :-)
Mas lalo akong nalito LOL. But I get what all you experts mean. I even told my wife that its best to increase our budget and build  the system from ground up as most of you have suggested.  Rather than palit ng palit ng gears pag di na satisfy.
Now i’m thinking if I’d buy the FS or BS for starter  then and add sub, center and surrounds later.
 Another question po.  Which of the 2 can produce better sub sonic frequency? FS or BS? Since  wala pa akong budget for the subs.
I’ve read A-audio thread and they seem to have good gears. I think they even tested A-audio against brands like B&W on blind listening on one of the EB’s a few years ago.

[audiojunkie]

Una kung mag-increase ka ng budget, palitan mo rin ang title ng thread as quarter pounder or mc royal meal home theater. Don't expect subsonic LF sa BS kahit sa FS, iba pa rin ang powered sub designed to extend the LF. Ok yung plan mo to acquire gears in stages, sa ganito ramdam mo talaga ang improvement ng system bawat dagdag ng speakers pero di ramdam ang gastos....

[Nelson de Leon]

Another question po.  Which of the 2 can produce better sub sonic frequency? FS or BS? Since  wala pa akong budget for the subs.
I’ve read A-audio thread and they seem to have good gears. I think they even tested A-audio against brands like B&W on blind listening on one of the EB’s a few years ago.

If by sub-sonic you mean below 15hz, madaling mag-produce ng 15hz pero grabe na madalas ang pagka-roll-off niya and mahina na. Maski ata yun Focal Be, rolled off na din.

But if you want your individual speakers to reproduce the sub sonic frequencies, get a bookshelf and add 12 or 15 inch powered sub per speaker. BUT, question naman sir, why would you want the speakers to reproduce subsonic freq, why don't you instead delegate those frequencies sa sub. Yun system ko kasi, it starts to roll off at around 45-50hz. Madami nang low details na lumalabas without the sub. There are but a few movies that contain subsonic frequencies. And most of the time, baka naka-encode na sa sub output. And maski action packed movies pa, baka mga less than 1 minute pa yun may subsonic frequencies.

[meat_eater]

If by sub-sonic you mean below 15hz, madaling mag-produce ng 20hz pero grabe na madalas ang pagka-roll-off niya. Maski ata yun Focal Be, rolled off na din.

Not to mention the power amp you will need to produce such frequencies with little distortion, which makes the use of a sub woofer more practical.

You will need a hefty power amp that does not clip on extreme impedance dips

[Nelson de Leon]

Not to mention the power amp you will need to produce such frequencies with little distortion, which makes the use of a sub woofer more practical.

You will need a hefty power amp that does not clip on extreme impedance dips

And very very sensitive speakers to reproduce the subsonic frequencies with a smooth response.

[meat_eater]

And very very sensitive speakers to reproduce the subsonic frequencies with a smooth response.

Ndi na Budget Meal Home theater

[Nelson de Leon]

Ndi na Budget Meal Home theater

Budget meal is subjective. What may be budget meal sa kanya, hindi na budget meal sa atin.

[denber]

Budget meal is subjective. What may be budget meal sa kanya, hindi na budget meal sa atin.

Yes sir subjective talaga ang budget meal sa akin ultimo speakers hirap na ako makahanap dahil limited ang budget  May binebenta sa market  place na B&W 300 5.0. and wahrfedalse pacific sieres both same price. sabi ko sa wife ko pwede na siguro either dyan sa dalawang set ang bilhin naming for the mean time dahil wala pang budget. Add na lang in the future ng sub.

I was just asking po if possible to  little oomph on the BS or FS kahit walang sub for now. I wont be expecting earth shattering bass since i know that the sub woofers job. Di pa po ako naka experience maka audition ng BS or FS lang dahil wala naman po sa area ko mga audio shop na pwedeng  maka audi kaya tanong-tanong na lang ako sa mga datihan na sa hobby na ito.

[mbtorn]

Get the B&W 300 5.0, madali pa kausap yung seller. Baka meron din sya B&W sub na puedeng awitan. IMO, mas maganda tumunog yung B&W.

[meat_eater]

Budget meal is subjective. What may be budget meal sa kanya, hindi na budget meal sa atin.

True

[Nelson de Leon]

Yes sir subjective talaga ang budget meal sa akin ultimo speakers hirap na ako makahanap dahil limited ang budget  May binebenta sa market  place na B&W 300 5.0. and wahrfedalse pacific sieres both same price. sabi ko sa wife ko pwede na siguro either dyan sa dalawang set ang bilhin naming for the mean time dahil wala pang budget. Add na lang in the future ng sub.

I was just asking po if possible to  little oomph on the BS or FS kahit walang sub for now. I wont be expecting earth shattering bass since i know that the sub woofers job. Di pa po ako naka experience maka audition ng BS or FS lang dahil wala naman po sa area ko mga audio shop na pwedeng  maka audi kaya tanong-tanong na lang ako sa mga datihan na sa hobby na ito.

It's possible to get a little ooomph pero you would need big speakers and powerful amp talaga. I'm utilizing a 10" coax for my HT from LCR pati surrounds. And yes i do get a little ooomph pero little lang talaga. Pwede na din maski walang sub kapag chic flix, drama etc. Noticeable naman yun lows pero slightly bitin talaga for action movies because it's less immersive. I built my current HT with 40-50hz in mind as a target for the speakers. I ended up replacing reciever pero kulang pa din because of the limitations of my speakers.

[RXV]

Iba nga talaga kapag may subwoofers for bass duties, iba ang immersion sa film. Except for drama, rom-com's, documentaries, etc.

Heck I have 6 subwoofers + bass shakers hahaha