What speaker system match with 7.1 Onkyo TX-SR804 receiver?

Question

My budget is $2000

Answer 1

If you're going to install small bookshelf, or satellite type speakers, your receiver will be adequate to power whatever you select. They key will be in selecting what sounds best to you. You should budget the most money for the speakers in your system. I don't know the Onkyo from personal experience, but my brother loves his.

After you find what you like from the expensive, hi-end stores. Go to e-bay and buy the same thing pre-owned. You can buy a lot more this way.

If you don't have a lot of cash, buy fewer speakers. 5 with a sub will sound every bit as good as 7 and you'll be happier if your fronts (L,R,C) are of higher quality. The rear speakers are only for effects and are less important. The fronts are where most sound comes from.

You haven't given much information regarding your preferences or budget. If you are going to use this system to play music as well as movies, you should go to a high-end store with a few of your favorite disks and a movie or 2 with good sound tracks and sound effects. If you don't have some, go to e-bay and search for CDs using the following search words, XRCD, HDCD, SACD, Chesky, Audiophile and check off the box that searches for these words in the titles and descriptions.. Among the items that are presented in response to your search, pick out some of your favorite artists and buy a few high quality recordings. I don't know your tastes, but for these purposes, find some sampler disks that have different styles of music but are specifically for showing off what a sound system can do.

If you're going to listen to music, as well as movies, your front left right speakers are most important, followed by the center. If your budget is limited, consider buying the best fronts you can afford and pick up some cheap speakers for rear sound effects. You can buy better surround speakers when you have money for an upgrade. I can't emphasize too much that the fronts are the most important. God made you with 2 ears, left and right. Most music is produced with an emphasis on L/R presentation.

In fact, the best produced music with good speakers and amplification will give you a 3-d effect with only 2 speakers. When you go to the store, don't let the salesman talk you into buying 5 matched speakers right away, go for the fronts matched, the rears can be almost anything and you can always upgrade. I am partial to planar style speakers. My Martin Logan Ascents, with the system set to 2 speakers and a sub produce an amazingly enveloping sound field. You will need a quality sub to give you those thumps that thrill in movies.

The best ones are made by Velodyne. I would look on -ebay for the best Velodyne you can buy, and get a used one from a highly rated seller.

Tell your salesman you are interested in getting the best "soundstage and stereo-imaging." These are magic words!! The imaging and soundstage describe how the speakers reproduce sound in a 3-D manner. The goal of audiophile sound reproduction is to give you a front row seat at a concert and enable you, with your eyes closed, to be able to imagine where the singers and musicians are placed on the stage. Planar speakers do this better than box speakers, but they require more power.

Going back to your situation, see if you can find a store that sell Magnepan speakers. The little ones (MMG?, I think) with a quality subwoofer will be tought to beat in the modest price range. As for small "box" speakers, give a listen to B&W, Paradigm Reference, PSR.

Smaller speakers are not full range, tending to mids and hi frequency reproduction. That's another reason you'll need a quality sub.

Happy listening.

Answer 2

I think you will get more and better answers if you ask again with a budget in mind. Everyone has their own preferences (I like M&K) but the bottom line is to get the speakers that sound best to you within your budget. Do plenty of listening to various brands. It doesn't really hurt to listen to speakers that cost more than you have budgeted (an ex-salesman speaking here!). You may be so impressed that you raise your budget and at the very least you will have a reference against which to test other speaker brands.

Answer 3

Hi How many speakers do you want? Lets say you need 2 main Left and Right . 1 Center . 1 Sub Woofer. and 2 or 3 Rear.Because all loudspeakers sound different you really have to listen to as many brands as possible, because everyone has their own preference.What type of music do mainly listen to.Do you like to play loud or average .
Basically there are two types of speakers. Speakers that give a bright clear sound and can play loud reproduce Rock Music pretty good.
The other type of speaker has a more natural sound(lower coloration) that reproduces all types of music equally well.
Have a look at the links bellow .
Cheers.




http://www.powersellernyc.com/viewitem.php?IndexID=17444&RefTag=froogle

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=26615


http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/540249068



http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/540999566

Answer 4

Any good quality speakers will work. Speakers are a matter of personal preference. There are few really "bad" speakers. Bring some of your own CDs & DVDs to different stores, and listen to different speaker swith your music. Then buy what you like best. Boston Acoustics is my personal choice, but KEF, Infinity, and Polk are also very good. Good Luck.
Avoid Bose & Cambridge Soundworks -- very cheap speakers at a high price.

Answer 5

Onix Rocket from AV123 is a great deal, along with a very well built and good sounding system. you can buy direct and they are very well regarded among audiofiles.. Just add in a Velodyne subwoofer for about $400 and you have a great system.

If you want to save some $$$ the X-series from AV123 is a really great value too...

Take a look at Axiom and Ascend as well, great product for the price.

Answer 6

you have plenty of power, you can run just about anything normal, you might want to stay away from way high end,

I like the Paradigm line, the Gallo line

What I would do is go to a high end store and buy the lower end speakers there a bottom like on a B+W line is way better then a top of the end Sony speaker, that is just how it works