Reciever & speaker Package help.

[admin_exported]

Hello again fellow forum users, having recently gained some money i am now in the market to get some seperates, as you can see by my signature i currently own a HCIAB and am now wanting to upgrade to seperates, i also have a BDP-s470 so unless it will make a noticable difference i dont think i want to change that, i already have sufficient HDMI cables so i wont need to buy those either but i dont have speaker cable or stands so my budget would have to include those items, i like smaller speakers, i would love some huge ones but my space and budget will not be able to accomidate them, so my budget will be around the £2000 mark £3000 if something truly amazing is suggested, the reciever will have to be 3D compatible and the speakers on the smaller side, any suggestions guys?

Regards Justin.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

jst23:
Hello again fellow forum users, having recently gained some money i am now in the market to get some seperates, as you can see by my signature i currently own a HCIAB and am now wanting to upgrade to seperates, i also have a BDP-s470 so unless it will make a noticable difference i dont think i want to change that, i already have sufficient HDMI cables so i wont need to buy those either but i dont have speaker cable or stands so my budget would have to include those items, i like smaller speakers, i would love some huge ones but my space and budget will not be able to accomidate them, so my budget will be around the £2000 mark £3000 if something truly amazing is suggested, the reciever will have to be 3D compatible and the speakers on the smaller side, any suggestions guys?

Regards Justin.

Hi Justin

Monitor Audio's R90HD (2 pairs - front + rear), R225HD or R250HD (centre), R370hd (sub) and Yamaha's RX-V2067 are worth a look. Speakers cables - standard 79 strand OFC and QED performance sub cable should do the trick.

Alternatively at your limit of £3k Apex10 (x2 fronts), A40 (centre), AW-12 (sub), R90HD (rears) and RX-V2067.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the reply Rick, i like the look of the speakers but feel i could do better on the reciever, i also like the idea of the speaker cable, ive seen some KEF's that lok nice in the past, whats everones verdict on them over the Monitor audio? also what brand of cable would you reccommened?

Regards Justin.

 

[Anonymous]

Just had another look around and really like the look of the Pioneer vsx-lx53, what speakers would go well with this reciever, i have found it from a reputable dealer for £1000, you can get it cheaper but i question the integrity of those retailers.

 

[MUSICRAFT]

jst23:
Thanks for the reply Rick, i like the look of the speakers but feel i could do better on the reciever, i also like the idea of the speaker cable, ive seen some KEF's that lok nice in the past, whats everones verdict on them over the Monitor audio? also what brand of cable would you reccommened?

Regards Justin.

Hi Justin

Which Monitor Audio speaker package do you prefer please? If you're referring to the KHT Series then these in their various forms have mostly been very good over the last decade. Fwiw i feel the Apex Series leads the way from the most common sub/sat speakers currently available here.

You don't need to spend too much money on speaker cables. Just some basic 79 strand OFC or at a push standard cables with several hundred strands of OFC will be more then good enough. These cables are also generally available from many electrical shops and should not cost more then a few £/m.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Frank Harvey]

The LX53 is currently available with a free Pioneer Bluray player (BDPLX54) until the end of this month (extended promotion), which you can either keep or sell on, which means you could get a couple of hundred back on the player, bringing that cost down to about £800. Of course, you could also look at the VSX2020, which is identical to the LX53 bar the from facia, and is available for £200 less, which also comes with a free Bluray player (BDP430).

To keep yourself within budget, you could initially go for the centre, front left and right, and subwoofer, and leave the rear speakers until a later date. This will allow you to get the Apex package in a 3.1 setup and stay well within budget. Depending on how large a speaker you can accommodate, you could look at the KEF Q100's for front left and right, the Q200c, and Q400b sub, which would come out around £1200, making either £2,000 or £2,200 in total. All sorts of options are open to you here - for an extra £200 you can get Pioneer's LX73 receiver, which uses their digital ICE amplification among other extras. This still leaves enough to go for their Q800ds dipole surrounds, or even just another pair of Q100's for rear effect.

Also, with a little discount from your dealer, you may still be able to fit a full Apex package in with the LX53, or Yamaha RXV3067. If you want to aim higher with the receiver, you might squeeze Pioneer's awesome SCLX83 in with an Apex 3.1 package and add rear speakers later.....

There's numerous avenues you can take - the first step is to get yourself along to a dealer and having a listen to a few things to see what you like e sound of, and which direction you want to take.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the reply David, i really like the sound of the Pioneer amps, if i got the SC-LX83 would i be able to utalise its potential with the Apex speakers? or would i be better off upgrading the speakers to something a bit better? ive seen the amp for £1350 so takin into account the speaker cable i should have around £1500 left for speakers, maybe a bit more if something blows me away like the amp has done.

Regards Justin.

 

[Anonymous]

aaahhh, just seen that the cheapest i can get the apex av package is £2300, now thats not a problem as long as they will work with the LX83 reciever and that they will be the best quality and partnering for the price and package.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Michael Hoy will tell you on here how pleased he is with his Pioneer/Apex package, and there are many others too. The detail the Pioneer can dig out of movie soundtracks is second to none, and their grip over speakers likewise. If you hear it and think it's a little too much detail, the Yamaha will suit as they're a little more laid back and softer. Either way, you'll get a system you'll love.

 

[michael hoy]

FrankHarveyHiFi:Michael Hoy will tell you on here how pleased he is with his Pioneer/Apex package, and there are many others too. The detail the Pioneer can dig out of movie soundtracks is second to none, and their grip over speakers likewise. If you hear it and think it's a little too much detail, the Yamaha will suit as they're a little more laid back and softer. Either way, you'll get a system you'll love.

Thanks for remembering David,

A lot of people seem to think that Pioneer amps are bright sounding, all I can say is the combination of the Apex speakers and the LX72 that I have is incredible.

I took my wife along to the audition I had for the speakers and yes it was for the look of the speakers as well as the sound, we listened to the speakers with a Onkyo 608 which sounded good but when linked up to an Arcam 500 it was really good.

I did not want to spend the price of the Arcam on an amp at this stage and decided to buy the Pioneer un heard with these speakers but on the input of others who had a similar combination.

This could have been a disaster but turned out to be a match I am truly happy with, I am not saying you should buy blind by all means demo demo demo.

I do not have the "perfect" room for speaker / sub positioning but the MCACC set up software does a very good job of balancing the speakers.

See here for my layout.

The speakers are not only good with movies but are also very good with music.

Edit - see the Apex Club

 

[michael hoy]

jst23:
"ive seen the amp for £1350" - if it is from a certain online retailer please search for other peoples experiences with this company first.

 

[Frank Harvey]

jst23:
Thanks for the reply David, i really like the sound of the Pioneer amps, if i got the SC-LX83 would i be able to utalise its potential with the Apex speakers? or would i be better off upgrading the speakers to something a bit better? ive seen the amp for £1350 so takin into account the speaker cable i should have around £1500 left for speakers, maybe a bit more if something blows me away like the amp has done.

Regards Justin.

The retailer who 'sells' it for £1350 isn't an authorised Pioneer UK outlet - they're actually based in Hong Kong and sell eastern product. They're not even CE rated for starters. Pioneer are aware of this and there are legal proceedings in process.

Sorry to burst your bubble on that one

 

[Anonymous]

Just been down to my local AV supplier and have asked for a quote on the Pioneer and Monitor Audio package, last time i went there they matched the price of a TV i was going to buy, so hoping that they will match the price of the scam website and i will avoid any potential law suits and reap the benefits 🙂

 

[Frank Harvey]

Unfortunately, we legitimate retailers pay more for the LX83 than they sell it for....

 

[Anonymous]

Having read about the pioneer amp and apex speakers i cant wait to get them so i would be happy to pay that little bit more, on another subject i want peoples honest opinion on speaker wire, with this package that im buying what kind of speaker cable should i be buying?

 

[MUSICRAFT]

jst23:Having read about the pioneer amp and apex speakers i cant wait to get them so i would be happy to pay that little bit more, on another subject i want peoples honest opinion on speaker wire, with this package that im buying what kind of speaker cable should i be buying?

Hi Justin

The standard speaker cables which i mentioned in my previous post will be more the good enough. I have used these speaker cables with the LX83 amp and Apex speakers. Fwiw, i am currently also using the very same speaker cables with Onkyo's PR-SC5508/Plinius Odean amplification and Monitor Audio's Platinum 300AV/200AV speakers.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft

 

[Frank Harvey]

jst23:Having read about the pioneer amp and apex speakers i cant wait to get them so i would be happy to pay that little bit more, on another subject i want peoples honest opinion on speaker wire, with this package that im buying what kind of speaker cable should i be buying?
For now, put your money into some basic cable to get you up and running - spend your budget getting the electronics and speakers right first - cables can be upgraded any time.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Rick & David, this has helped me a lot, i may be spending a little more than anticipated but i am confident that i will be happy with the results, i cant wait to listen to this setup.

 

[Anonymous]

I have just returned from Peter Tysons (my local AV retailer) and having looked at the LX83 amp i am confident that this amp is for me, but they didnt have the apex package in, so i had a look at the RX6 AV12 package and must say that this is a lot more alluring than the apex package, if i bought the apex package i would end up spending £500 on the stands for the front and rear speakers, also at the moment Pioneer is doing a deal where you get the BDBLX54 free when you purchase the LX83, what is everyones view on this? i think i will end up opting for the RX6 as they look a lot more appealig than the apex package, i am auditioning the LX83 and RX6 AV12 package tomorrow, they havent got the apex or the BDBLX54 in stock so it will be the LX83 with a simelar BD player and the RX6 speaker package, i will let you all know what i think of this when i return tomorrow.

Regards Justin.