Need recommendations for audio system

[Panoramix97]

Hi,

The budget is 500 to 1000 CAD$

I want something for my TV for movies. I do not know anything about audio so I thought maybe some experts here can recommends brand / models fitting my needs.

I am not the one who put the sound volume to the max, I want quality for movies / music.

Not sure if my price range make sense or not but if you can recommend anything outside that price range feel free to do it as my budget is not fixed.

I would use the system with a 3080ti computer and a 4k TV

 

Thanks !

[Psittac]

I would suggest doing something similar to what I did, start with a pair of front left and right then get an AVR (audio video receiver) then a center channel.  This way you can put as much towards each part possible and spread the total investment out over a large period of time.  It took me almost 10 years to get a full 5.1 surround sound system.  The reason that you want a good pair of tower or bookshelf speakers first is that for music they are what is primarily used.  The center channel is used most in movies and the AVR is the brains and power.  You can also add a subwoofer at some point.

 

I'm assuming you have nothing though so I would split that budget into two, an AVR and some tower speakers or good book shelves.  I'm a fan of Klipsch and Denon but there are several good options.

 

These Klipsch towers look pretty good.

 

And the AVR is going to need to be as future proof as you want to go with thing's otherwise you'll have to replace it if it doesn't offer everything you want.  Stereo is completely acceptable for movies and music so that would be a 2.0 or 2.1 system (2.0 is left and right, 2.1 is left right and subwoofer).  Next step up is 3.0 or 3.1 (same as earlier but add's a center channel).  Then you have 5.0 or 5.1 (all of the previously mentioned but add rear satellite speakers).  And it continues on from there with atmos and what not.

 

Like I said a Stereo set of speakers and an AVR is perfectly usable.  Center adds better dialogue, rears add surround and a subwoofer adds bass.

[Derkoli]

1 hour ago, Panoramix97 said:

Hi,

The budget is 500 to 1000 CAD$

I want something for my TV for movies. I do not know anything about audio so I thought maybe some experts here can recommends brand / models fitting my needs.

I am not the one who put the sound volume to the max, I want quality for movies / music.

Not sure if my price range make sense or not but if you can recommend anything outside that price range feel free to do it as my budget is not fixed.

I would use the system with a 3080ti computer and a 4k TV

 

Thanks !

For 1k CAD, I'd just maximise the speaker quality and get a 2.0 setup.

 

Either nab a pair of S2000MK3's (if you have an optical output on either your PC or TV), or you can push your budget a bit and get the S3000Pro instead.

 

Both are an excellent choice and come with a remote so you're not screwing around with getting up to adjust volumes.

 

If you want to upgrade to a 5.1 or 7.1 in the future, then you can simply buy a receiver with pre-out's and keep using these as your front channels.

 

https://www.amazon.ca/Edifier-S2000MKIII-Bluetooth-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B07ZVP9XBG/ref=sr_1_27?crid=2SMKL8DTHSQUU&keywords=edifier&qid=1666655716&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI1LjMxIiwicXNhIjoiNC43OCIsInFzcCI6IjQuMTgifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=edifier%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-27

 

https://www.amazon.ca/Edifier-S3000Pro-Audiophile-Active-Speakers/dp/B07NP3CS11/ref=sr_1_36?crid=2SMKL8DTHSQUU&keywords=edifier&qid=1666655716&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI1LjMxIiwicXNhIjoiNC43OCIsInFzcCI6IjQuMTgifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=edifier%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-36

[Stahlmann]

Under $1000 you can have extremely good soundbars. For example the Samsung HW-Q80R. You don't need to mess around wit AVR receivers etc. with these.

[DEADPOOLSMOM]

16 hours ago, Panoramix97 said:

Hi,

The budget is 500 to 1000 CAD$

I want something for my TV for movies. I do not know anything about audio so I thought maybe some experts here can recommends brand / models fitting my needs.

I am not the one who put the sound volume to the max, I want quality for movies / music.

Not sure if my price range make sense or not but if you can recommend anything outside that price range feel free to do it as my budget is not fixed.

I would use the system with a 3080ti computer and a 4k TV

 

Thanks !

The problem with this budget is AVR's are like weirdly expensive all of a sudden 

[Panoramix97]

On 10/25/2022 at 10:44 AM, Stahlmann said:

Under $1000 you can have extremely good soundbars. For example the Samsung HW-Q80R. You don't need to mess around wit AVR receivers etc. with these.

What about this at 1k$ cad ?

SAMSUNG HW-Q900T

[Psittac]

On 10/25/2022 at 8:58 AM, ShawtyT30beTHICCC said:

The problem with this budget is AVR's are like weirdly expensive all of a sudden 

This Yamaha looks reasonable, it even has a mic for EQ

 

Don't take this as an endorsement of the product, it's just a random click on canadian amazon and I've been out of the HT game for a very long time.  Last I knew Audessy was the go to but everyone was trying to do their own in house.  It's only 5.1 but honestly that's all you really need.  I have a refurbished very expensive Denon and I only use it in 5.1

 

*edit: I would consider a soundbar unless you want to put more budget into it down the road.  I've never heard a good soundbar but it's been a loooooong time since I've heard a soundbar, rather certain they have improved leaps and bounds.

[Stahlmann]

3 hours ago, Panoramix97 said:

What about this at 1k$ cad ?

SAMSUNG HW-Q900T

The HQ-Q80R is better in practically every way, except latency. Sadly it's often overlooked as it's an older model.

Samsung HW-Q80R vs Samsung HW-Q900T Side-by-Side Soundbar Comparison - RTINGS.com

 

It's also noticeably better than the more expensive and very popular Sonos Arc.

Samsung HW-Q80R vs Sonos Arc Side-by-Side Soundbar Comparison - RTINGS.com

[Panoramix97]

2 hours ago, Stahlmann said:

The HQ-Q80R is better in practically every way, except latency. Sadly it's often overlooked as it's an older model.

Samsung HW-Q80R vs Samsung HW-Q900T Side-by-Side Soundbar Comparison - RTINGS.com

 

It's also noticeably better than the more expensive and very popular Sonos Arc.

Samsung HW-Q80R vs Sonos Arc Side-by-Side Soundbar Comparison - RTINGS.com

Ok thanks !

Sadly I cannot find the HQ Q80R for sell 

[Stahlmann]

53 minutes ago, Panoramix97 said:

Ok thanks !

Sadly I cannot find the HQ Q80R for sell 

Sorry it's called HW-Q90R.

[DEADPOOLSMOM]

7 hours ago, Psittac said:

This Yamaha looks reasonable, it even has a mic for EQ

 

Don't take this as an endorsement of the product, it's just a random click on canadian amazon and I've been out of the HT game for a very long time.  Last I knew Audessy was the go to but everyone was trying to do their own in house.  It's only 5.1 but honestly that's all you really need.  I have a refurbished very expensive Denon and I only use it in 5.1

 

*edit: I would consider a soundbar unless you want to put more budget into it down the road.  I've never heard a good soundbar but it's been a loooooong time since I've heard a soundbar, rather certain they have improved leaps and bounds.

Sound bars are garbage, but they are much less garbage than built in audio in modern TV's, so it' still worth it. My wife doesn't want speakers in the living room

[Stahlmann]

On 10/28/2022 at 4:04 PM, ShawtyT30beTHICCC said:

Sound bars are garbage, but they are much less garbage than built in audio in modern TV's, so it' still worth it. My wife doesn't want speakers in the living room

Have you tried a decent sound bar? Yes, a few years ago they were garbage. Nowadays they can sound as good as standalone speakers. But just like with speakers, you'll have to spend a bit of money before you get into the "good tier". So far i have yet to hear a stereo or surround setup that sounds better than my HW-Q80R soundbar.

 

But of course you can say a $1000 soundbar is garbage when you compare them to a $3000 surround setup.

[dalekphalm]

On 10/28/2022 at 2:12 AM, Psittac said:

This Yamaha looks reasonable, it even has a mic for EQ

I own this exact AV receiver.

 

It's a great receiver, given the budget and price bracket it's in. It supports the HD audio codecs (Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD MA), but it does not support Atmos (it's only a 5.1 receiver, it doesn't have the outputs for the Atmos channels).

 

It does support 4K and HDR passthrough.

 

It works well, and the quality is great for the price.

 

@Panoramix97 IMO, I'd go with something like the above AV Receiver, as long as it fits your needs. It gives you the flexibility right out of the box to go surround if you want. You can still start with a single pair of speakers too, you don't need to go 5.1 right away.

 

Also, you do not need to spend $500+ per speaker. That's absurd for someone just starting out (especially since you said you don't need super loud). For example, the Klipsch speakers listed in the first reply: Yeah they're awesome speakers. They're also almost certainly insanely overkill for you (they're 100W RMS, 400W peak, which is a pretty powerful speaker).

 

I would probably start with something in the 50W continuous range, though you can definitely go bigger if you want to. You can also definitely get more powerful speakers for the front Left and front Right speakers and less powerful for the surrounds, but it's all about balancing what you want out of it.

 

You can also look at the used market, you can get great condition used speakers for often very cheap.