Advice on speakers or 5.0/5.1 Hi-Fi system for home use (Games, clubstyle music, blu-ray fims)

[Androleocez]

Hi! I new here and i need advice from this great community

So. I like to play video games (PC and XBox), listen to the music (Techno, Trance, House...etc) and watch movies (sometimes).

I'd like to buy Hi-Fi 5.1 system. What do you think about AV receiver Pioneer VSX 923 and what can you advise (speakers of comple solutions) for me from 1000 to 3000 USD?
Thank you!

 

[Glacialpath]

Hi there.

Welcome to the world of Hi-Fi and home entertainment.

That's quite a nice amp you are looking at. I have a Pioneer myself. They are good amps.

One thing you I would suggest is how powerful and amp is. 150 watts is very good for the price of this amp. The more power the easier it out put the audio but you need speakers that will be able to cope with the power or you will blow them.

You can either buy something like this http://www.pioneer.eu/uk/products/62/99/161/S-HS100/page.html

You might want some one to set the amp and speaker up for you to get the best out of them but I'm sure you could do a good job.

New components take a little time to wear in and should sound better the more you use but will stop once they get to their optimum performence level.

A fairly thick speaker cable will let the system work better but try the cable that will/should come with a speaker set.

I would actually suggest second hand. You only need to go back a couple of years and you will still have most of the latest mod-cons, you can likely get higher spec for your money.

For the kind of music you like you obviously want a lot of low end. 5.1 AV receivers don't usually send any signal to the .1 (subwoofer channel) when you play music that is 2 channel. Some amps will let you assign the .1 for 2 channel pllayback but most if not all Sony amps automatically use the .1 channel.

If you go for a set of speakers that are large i.e. floor standing then music will sound better, even more so if the subwoofer is in the loop.

I hope that helps.

The Cable Madman (Glacialpath) :rockout:

 

[Androleocez]

Wow! Very detailed explanation! Big thanks Glacialpath 🙂

So. I should start from AV Receiver Pioneer VSX 923 and speakers Bower & Wilkins, Magnat, Behringer or KEF. This speakers have good recomendations for electronic dance music and i think, for mindblowing game sound too 🙂

What the best option for the purchase? Full acoustic set (5.0 or 5.1) or separately front, rear and subwoofer from different brands?

 

[Glacialpath]

No problem, you're welcome.

It's all about if you can get any demonstrations. Some Richer Sound shops have demo rooms and some or all Audio-T shops have demo rooms, there is Sevenoaks of course.

Some people make the mistake of just buying 5 star rated gear and think it will all sound awesome together. It's about pairing components and seeing which work better together. You could go to one of the Hifi store and as long as they have the Pioneer amp try a pair of speakers from the 4 brands you mentioned, again as long as they have them. I know this is just the front pair and not the whole surround sound but it will be a great way to find out what the speakers sound like. Take a iPod of what ever portable device you have (you could stream spotify or soundcloud from your phone maybe) Youo might just need to borrow a jack to phono lead to connect it to the amp.

Once you've chosen a brand you like the sound of (make sure there are surround speakers that match the brands you try out) you can ask to have the surround speakers connected and take your favourite movie with you to the demo. Then you can hear the whole package.

Oh and factor into your budget what speaker cable you want to buy. Generally the thicker the better. Experiment with different kinds once you've picked the front pair of speakers.

Enjoy. :rockout: