[bobby_t1]

I going to be buying a Sony GWIII LCD RPTV in the next month or so, after which I will want to buy some better speakers and an amp/receiver.

I am a geek at heart and need to research everything to death.  You don't want to know how much research I've done so far to decide on my TV

I was initially thinking of doing a 5.1 surround sound setup right out of the gates and was thinking of the Bose Acoustimass. Luckily I found AVS forums, or else I would have made a mistake.  Reading these reviews on here saved my wallet!

After reading lots of threads on here, it seems that I could perhaps go with a good solid 2.1 setup (i think that means 2 speakers and a sub) and a good amp/receiver, then later on upgrade to a 5.1 by adding a center channel and 2 rear speakers.

Here's my situation:

• 90% TV (DVDs, regular TV)
• 10% Music -- all kinds -- Electronic, Classical, Rock, Rap
• Size of the speakers is a huge issue. "We" don't want to put up with huge speakers, and being such a small area, don't want to reduce its effective space by having huge speakers.  Running cables across the room to rear speakers is not cool with us at this time, hence even more support for 2.1.
• Room: 13' x 20', but it is split in 2 -- half for eating area (kitchen table) and the other half is the TV area.  So the subset TV area is about 12'x 10' in reality.
  
• Budget: Would like to keep is less than $1200 for 2.1 + amp/receiver.  Maybe a center channel too? (not sure if I can even do that.. would that be a 3.1 system?)  I'm considering this because I've heard a center channel can really bring out dialog in movies.
  
• I live in a townhouse, but am an end unit that only shares one wall. The TV wall is not shared luckily.  However, I don't really need gut wrenching bass or insane volume levels.  But I like my audio clear and full sounding (if that makes any sense).
  [/list:u]
  
  I was getting a bit discouraged when reading through the forums, because I thought that in order to get good quality speakers I had to get ones very large in size.  
  
  However, I stumbled upon a cachet of threads that discuss the Anthony Gallo speakers and was very intrigued by a A'Diva and Due speakers.  I have no idea how much these cost or where to even get them. I checked out their website and it says the Good Guys supposedly is a local dealer. However, when I called they had no idea what I was talking about.
  
  Questions:
  [list=1]
  
• Are the Gallo speakers good?
• What is approximate cost on the A'Divas?
• Is their sub worthwhile to get, or is there something that performs better?  Remember, I don't need bass to shake the neighborhood :)
• Could I buy 2 A'Diva for L+R, Due center channel and a sub? (see previous bullet point about the sub).  Would I even want this so-called 3.1 setup?
• What receiver? I know this is a broad question, and there are a ton of answers, but I'm cost conscious and don't need to go overboard here. But i do want a good amp/receiver that will handle current needs + future expansion to 5.1 if i decide to do that. Heck, from what I've read, supposedly there are amps/receivers that have"virtual" modes that simulate 5.1 so well that I may not need to upgrade?
• Am I completely crazy for considering only a 2.1 setup instead of a 5.1?
• Really newbie question: is an amp and receiver the same thing?
[/list=1][/list:o]

[jqp]

5,6, and 7 not in that order:

I do HT with 2.0 right now. My speakers roll off in the low 30s (Marble 9.0s) so I hear an awful lot of bass, especially compared to your average consumer HT setup. I do not miss anything for DVDs, but then I am not really waiting to hear "things blowing up" too much. So yes, you could even do 2.0, but of course 2.1 would be a more visceral experience.

An amp is a basic amplifier. A monoblock is for one speaker only. A stereo amp handles two channels (two speakers).

 A receiver has a preamplifier, an amp for each channel, and a tuner as well, plus it often has some kind of processing for Dolby, etc.

So if you go with an amp for each channel, you will need a preamp as a seperate component.

You will also need a way to get bass to the subwoofer. HT receivers can usually do this, as well as handle the latest audio processing for DVDs. If you want to go higher end you will want seperate amps for all speakers including the sub.

For receivers, you would probably want to go with something like an Outlaw 950 or 1050. You can get them used. And there are other brands...

[elektratig]

I'd suggest you take a look at the Outlaw Audio 1050 receiver, http://www.outlawaudio.com .  For speakers, try Axiom -- you can get a pair of bookshelf-sized speakers (say M3tis) to start and then shift them to the rear if you want larger ones for the front later on. http://www.axiomaudio.com  If you want to add a small subwoofer, investigate the Rava, http://www.adireaudio.com .  This is essentially what my brother-in-law has done and he's very happy.

[Tyson]

I used to have nOrh 4.0's and now have Axiom Audio's.  Big mistake, I shoulda never sold the 4.0's, they were the best small HT speakers I've ever heard, their ability to fill a room was crazy good.  They are $400 a pair delivered.  Pair them with an SVS or Adire subwoofer, and you are set.

[bobby_t1]

I used to have nOrh 4.0's and now have Axiom Audio's.  Big mistake, I shoulda never sold the 4.0's, they were the best small HT speakers I've ever heard, their ability to fill a room was crazy good.  They are $400 a pair delivered.  Pair them with an SVS or Adire subwoofer, and you are set.

I'm intrigued by the Norh's from what I've read on the web. Their shape is "interesting" to say teh least.. not sure about the WAF though.

Anyone have a picture of these in their HT setup in their living room?

[Woodsea]

I have heard the axioms and the norhs.  I prefered the AscendAcoustic cbm 170's.  They have a center channel as well.  Axioms are very fatigueing.  Norh are great, I just preferred the cbm's.  The outlaw 1050 is outdated, it is over 2 years old.  A new Pioneer, Denon or the H/K 7200, for receiver.  
Good luck and keep us informed of what you buy in 7/04 if you researched like I did

[jqp]

I'm intrigued by the Norh's from what I've read on the web. Their shape is "interesting" to say teh least.. not sure about the WAF though.

Anyone have a picture of these in their HT setup in their living room?

You mean like this?  Who is that guy?

[JoshK]

I believe that is Tyson.

[Marbles]

Tyson is holding the 4.0

[jqp]

That is one of the early wood 4.0s?

Here is a ceramic in the celedon color.





I would get the marble 4.0s if I had a second HT ( and plenty of money!)

Couldn't resist posting that pic of Tyson from the days of yore...

[Tyson]

I was so young (and fat) back them.  And my hair was so short  That's from way back in the day

[Mathew_M]

I'll second or third the Norh 4.0 setup.  I too had and then sold a pair.  They image really well and are not so revealing that you sense you are listening to a highly compressed format.  My current VMPS 626R are even better for sheer realism but are more revealing and sensitive to upstream components.

[bobby_t1]

The nOrh's just did not get the Wife's approval.. they are just too weird for her

I'm considering the:
a) Ascend Acoustics CBM170 and the Hsu VTF-2. Apparantly retail is about $750 on this setup which leaves me about $300-$400 for a receiver/amp.  
b) Also considering perhaps the Onix ELT which I've heard are about $100 cheaper per pair than the CBM170's.
c) third alternative is perhaps the Ascend Acoustics HTM-200's which are supposedly smaller in size than the above 2, and may suit my listening area better? (see my original post)

I just need to figure out whether the CBM170's are too big.. The TV I'm getting is much larger than the base of the TV and the stand is only as big as the TV base. So the TV will over hand each side of the TV stand by about 5", so I'm thinking that maybe I can get short speaker stands and put them as close to the TV as possible to minimize the area my HT needs.

Questions:

1) I noticed the Hsu VTF-2 has a "built in 150w amp".  I'm assuming you can disable it if I'm plugging it into a receiver?
2) Is this going to place the speakers too low? Do I need to worry about distortion on my TV from the speakers?
3) How are the HTM-200's?

[Woodsea]

http://www.ascendacoustics.com/Main/Products/accessories.asp
the cbms are shielded.  Put them on the wall with the above bracket!  No need for a stand   Place their new shielded center channel on the tv.  The 200's, I have read, don't hold a candle to the DEAL the cbm's are.  When you call and order ask them about the new center channel that they have available.  It is really nice to have 2 woofers in a center channel
The sub out on the receiver is only powerful enough to send the signal not power the drivers.  So you will need the amp for the sub.

[tkp]

How about this new series of HT speakers from Audio Concept.

http://www.audioc.com/elt/index.htm

I have not heard them and have never owned any Audio Concept.   I just saw this at their website over the weekend.

[Tyson]

I haven't heard the ELT's, but I know Mike at ACI is a GREAT speaker designer, and these new speakers look very interesting - metal woofers and hybrid tweeters should give good detail and good impace, the small cabinet enclosure should allow good imaging.  And FINALLY a sanely sized center channel that uses a tweeter OVER midrange driver arrangement.  This is a very important design choice as most MTM centers change sound too drastically if you are sitting off center.

[lcrim]

The Ascend Acoustics CBM170 or the Norh 4.0 teamed w/ the Panasonic XR 25 or 45 digital receiver makes a small room HT system that is hard to beat at the price point.  The Hsu sub or check A'gon for used, Parts Express has a ~$350 DIY sub (10") that is a great deal as well.  Speaker wires, stands (get those fronts out where they can image), IC's, digital cable, component cable etc, w/o a TV but w/ a cheap DVD player doing double duty, you should come in around $2000 for a great sounding system.

[bobby_t1]

the Panasonic XR 25 and 45 seem to be getting  a lot of attention as well as the new Sony ES receivers.

Is it beecause they are all digital?

[rosconey]

axiom should also get a look, they now have a lot of custom finishes for a high waf