Home Audio recs
 

So, I bought an OLED TV and now I need a recommendation on an audio system for it. Not looking to break the bank I just don't know anything about them. Like brands, I guess I need Dolby Atmos supported?

I'm in a similar boat of wanting to build out a home theater but also play music in other rooms. I've got my eye on a Yamaha 9.2 Aventage and a Klipsch RP 5.1 setup for the theater.

Room size and configuration seem to dictate choices as well. It gets overwhelming researching after awhile.

Feel Crutchfield has some good articles on best practices and tips when building out a system. They seem to have decent deals occasionally that I've been eyeballing.

Interested to read what others chime in with as well.

Yeah was looking through the prime day deals but not really sure what I should be looking for

I decided to ease the load on my 22 yr old Denon receiver and only use it for vinyl. So I bought a Klipsch Cinema 600 soundbar. It has been great, and does a good job on streaming music as well as great on movies.

Yamaha aventage owner here. Love it.

Have floor speakers for front and centers, and in ceiling for atmos and surround. SVS sub that will shake house if I want


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This all the way! We just replaced our living room TV with an OLED - have a 55" OLED in the man cave for PS4 Pro so got a 65" OLED in the living room to replace the size and distance works prefect for our needs. I have a Vizio sound bar coupled with the speakers of the OLED and it works amazingly! I do not have a need for a huge receiver and mounted speakers in my living room. If I want to fill the house with audio, I just hook up my PS4 with 2.1 Klipsch system in the man cave and VOILA! We rocking this joint!

Great subject that I have been researching. I am looking at going with a sound bar for my 65" OLED I recently purchased. I thought I would go with a new A/V Receiver but dang they are pricey if you want HDMI pass through, Bluetooth and WiFi. I have been checking out the Vizio bar.

yamaha refurb website with really good deals - they're legit.

https://www.accessories4less.com/mak...W%5D%20a1.html

A nice budget HT system from an old Danish speaker designer Jamo S-800 series. Like most speaker makers now they have been bought out. Jamo is now part of the Klipsch family. That means they don't market as hard and keep the name brand as the focus. While they don't get the same budget as Klipsch the speaker's designers stayed on and they are good. If I was putting together a budget system I would definitely consider it. My buddy bought this system for his HT man cave. They sound very good and musically they are fine also. He did go with a Power Sound Audio sub so I can't speak to the Jamo subwoofer.
https://www.adorama.com/jas805hcswhe.html
https://www.adorama.com/images/Large/jas805hcswhe.jpg

This guy does fun reviews and is honest. He won't blow smoke up your ass.

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Also Jamo like Klipsch are efficient so you don't need to get a super powerful high wattage HT amp. A 50-watt RMS per channel reciever will drive them easily.

Another place to look is the JBL website or Harmon Industries website. The latter owns JBL now along with Harmon Kardon. You can find new closeout speakers and refurbished reasonable with free shipping on sale often. Can get a nice HT receiver from HK if do your homework. When you see a sale act fast if it suits you they don't last long and sale out quik.

For even cheaper home theater speaks especially in wall and ceiling speaks that get high marks if want to go that route.

JBL site is also good for deals on ceiling and in-wall speaks.

go wireless if possible.


or if you want old school, all kinds of stuff on facebook. But the prices some people want is just ridiculous.

I have the Sonos Arc and am happy with it.

That's what I've been looking at after my research today, worth the price?

To me it is. Set up was easy, it tests the shape of your room and calibrates accordingly. The sound is rich, the surround is incredible, and the volume is booming if you want. It’s a premium price but you just got a premium TV so why short it? I can’t say it’s what you would want but I’m happy with it.

I personally think you are spending a lot of dollars to not have to hide a wire. Your ears adjust to what you are hearing. Many get these wireless speaks because of wife problems or the hassle of stringing out and concealing wire. Then they go to a real home theater done right and are blown away by what they hear.

You can buy a lot of HT for the price of Sonus IMO.

No doubt that the wireless is a draw. I agree with you that it’s not the only way to go. Different strokes for different folks. I like the airplay and Spotify features. Don’t know if you can get that with wired.

Everything I've researched today has pointed to it, and I agree with the premium stuff. Sound is just as important as the screen to me. I just know nothing about sound haha

Where I'm putting it is a basement where it's I'd guess 14-16 feet wide and about 20-25 feet deep that connects to a larger open area.

The house I bought has speakers wired into the ceiling

There are many good options, you’ll be happy no matter which way you go. Wireless is nice because it’s so clean in your room. Good luck and congrats.

You can via the HT receiver.

If it's a dedicated basement home theater then chances are it won't be moved around. If it's a living room most like redecoration will happen wireless may be a good decision in this area.

IMO the two most important aspects of your system are a good subwoofer and center channel speaker. The lows make the experience in action films. There is nothing worse than not being able to hear and make out voices when it switches to mostly dialog. Most home theater receivers have the ability to adjust the crossovers to help this. Most receivers have software and a mic to configure the speakers to room environment and its pretty good but never gets the center correct and needs manual tweeking.

Choosing a sub if you are only interested HT movies and sporting events get a ported sub they go lower. If you use it for both HT and music get a sealed sub. They are more musical wont go as low but still plenty good. I like Power Sound Audio, REL and HSU for HT subs.

Do you have rear speakers and a sub or just the bar? If it's just the bar, how is the faux surround?

I'm getting ready to upgrade my family room and living room with new soundbars/surround systems and the less hardware, the better.

Thanks!

Lots of good advice in here, thank you everyone

Just the bar. The faux surround is plenty for me but I’m not an audiophile so other people’s mileage may vary. I like to run clean. Being able to wall mount it below the screen is aesthetically appealing for me.

Awesome, man, thanks for the info!

I prefer the "cleaner" look as well and having a subwoofer in a Family Room is not aesthetically pleasing, so if I could get away with just a soundbar, I'd be stoked.

I recently purchased a TCL soundbar with a built-in subwoofer to match a 6 series TCL Roku 4K TV and while it's fine for our Master bedroom, I need more power and bottom end for the family room and living room than it provides.

That said, it was super easy to integrate with the TCL TV via HDMI ARC and using only one remote control was an important for my wife. It's definitely decent but not something I'd recommend for a family room or home theater.

Sounds like a nice system. The Dolby Atmos is enough for me with the Sonos. Obviously you can always add rear speakers and/or sub. I guess it’s a balance on how much hardware you want to integrate. I’d say Sonos is as quality a piece as I’ve had. You’ve likely forgotten more about music and movie sound than I’ll ever know so my experience may not relate to yours.

Yeah, the TCL has Dolby Atmos and it's very decent for the price (I think it was like $149) but it doesn't have the extended bottom end that I really need to fulfill my sonic appetite. I'm actually a bigger stickler for audio than I am video.

Sonos was the first brand I was going to investigate before adding new gear to the other rooms and it's good to know that it's expandable as well because all of their other products that I've heard have been fantastic. Having the option to add satellites and a subwoofer almost seals the deal because I'd rather start out "small" then add if/when necessary.

Exactly. Being able to scale is key. Hearing it in a show room is one thing, how it actually sounds in your home is another. One thing I like about Sonos is how it scans and calibrates for your specific room.

Yeah, I bought a 65" LG OLED with Dolby Atmos so I'm looking to get something of quality that will pair well with that. It's my sports/movie area at the moment.

This guy posts in a HT forum I check now and then and dream. Big batman fan did all the work himself. This was in2010 he has improved it even more.

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I have a Sonos setup in my upstairs living room. Depending on your home aesthetic, the Sonos sub can be a nice fit. I go clean/minimalist so the white look blends nicely with the wall mounted soundbar. Doesn't really look like a speaker but more of an accent piece, yet boosts the sound.