Speakers to go with Onkyo TX-SR507

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sbowness

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#49269 18-Nov-2009 16:36

I am 'refreshing' my setup and have pretty much settled on the Onkyo SR507. I will be connecting a PS3 to it as well as MySkyHDi and Pioneer upscaling DVD.

Does anyone have recommendations for speakers? My total spend (Receiver + Speakers) is budgeted at around $2000.

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#274332 18-Nov-2009 21:33

You can't go past several sets of these:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10837&cs_id=1083702&p_id=4103&seq=1&format=2

Shipping is still expensive but about half what it used to be. Great price given the strong NZD at the moment. You can go check out calculate shipping prices for one or several pairs without logging in too. Check out the reviews on the site, You'll just needed a powered sub to add to the set.

Handle9

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#274403 19-Nov-2009 08:32

Harvey Norman are selling Wharfedale diamond 9 home theatre packs for $1299. If you put the pressure on I'm sure they'll do SR507 + diamonds for $2k - just tell them that JB Hifi will. They tend to be pretty keen to match at that point!

gumdigger

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#274413 19-Nov-2009 09:23

Why do u want to go with Tx-sr507 isnt that a old model? with diamond9 you can look into pioneers LX51 or onkyos Tx-Sr576 or txsr607 if you want hd upscalling.

Jaxson

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#274424 19-Nov-2009 10:14

Nimma: You can't go past several sets of these:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10837&cs_id=1083702&p_id=4103&seq=1&format=2

Are you for real?!

Sbowness, What do you want to get out of your new setup? Do you have much space, kids, wife etc?!
There are many types of speakers available so no one can really give you much info without knowing what you have in mind.

Traditionally the wharfedale diamonds have been a good match for these types of amplifiers/budgets, but they are fairly large speakers which will need mounting etc around your room. Good bang for buck though.

Gumdigger. Onkyo's go up each time with the last number, so a 507 is a newer model than the 576. The 576 can not internally decode all the new bluray hd audio formats, the 507 can.

sbowness

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#274427 19-Nov-2009 10:30

Jaxson, I mainly do home theatre (DVDs, TV) with the occasional CD (mainly classical). The room is not big, around 5m x 4m. At the moment I have a Sony setup with satellite speakers all round on stands. I've got space for floor standing fronts and subwoofer, although a large centre speaker could present a dilemma as to where to put it (the current one is about 25cm x 8 cm). I would prefer smaller rear speakers. I'm not interested in form over function, nor am I too worried about earthquake-inducing bass response, although I appreciate a good experience.

buzzy

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#274449 19-Nov-2009 11:56

A couple of thoughts to add to what Jaxson's already mentioned...

Don't worry about decoding specific audio formats in the receiver. If you're using your PS3 for Blu-ray playback, it can decode all current audio formats. This means the decoding capability isn't needed inside the receiver.

Have you considered keeping the Sony speakers? They're probably not great, but you should at least test them against potential new purchases and see whether there's a difference that's worth paying for. You could possibly purchase a new pair of fronts for music, and continue to use the Sony ones for movies (I dunno whether there's a second zone available on the receiver for a separate pair of fronts)

I'd visit a few specialist audio stores as well as Harvey Norman / JB / etc. The specialist stores don't necessarily charge a price premium, can offer some good advice, and are often a lot better about letting you take speakers home to try out. If you're in Welly, I'd recommend Sound Expression in Willis St.

HTH
Buzzy

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Nimma

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#274457 19-Nov-2009 12:24

Jaxson:
Nimma: You can't go past several sets of these:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10837&cs_id=1083702&p_id=4103&seq=1&format=2

Are you for real?!

Don't be a tool, in new installs or retrofits in ceiling speakers are becoming more popular especially where aesthetics are concerned. These speakers are great value at less than 25% of the cost (landed) of the next best option. This is just another option out of the many available - floorstanding, bookshelf whatever.

Jaxson

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#274458 19-Nov-2009 12:24

Yeah great idea Buzzy. I'm not sure on the newer 507 Onkyo, but the 576 that I have has an excellant mic setup which listens to your speakers and corrects for their response. ie (in simplified terms) it will up the bass if required and tone down your speakers if they are too trebly. Anyway, achieves a great results and can somewhat makeup for lower quality speakers. Your existing Sony possibly will not have this feature.

So yeah, I'd personally get the receiver and try the speakers you already have.
Only then buy a new front pair if required, and a decent centre (possibly the most important in any home theatre setup) again, if required.
If you were happy with the sound, then you could spend the money on a better subwoofer or something for the lady perhaps etc.

buzzy

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#274464 19-Nov-2009 12:48

Nimma: Don't be a tool, in new installs or retrofits in ceiling speakers are becoming more popular especially where aesthetics are concerned. These speakers are great value at less than 25% of the cost (landed) of the next best option. This is just another option out of the many available - floorstanding, bookshelf whatever.

The real question is whether these would be better than the existing Sony speakers. If they're not significantly better, keeping the Sony speakers is the cheaper and easier option. At US$45 each, I'd be very skeptical that they'll sound better.

I'm a minor-league audio geek, but I'm generally of the opinion that if aesthetics trumps sound quality, you're going to end up with second rate sound. I've yet to hear in-ceiling speakers that sound anywhere near as good as a pair of decent floorstanders. In addition, they're quite limited in that you can't move them around to suit the furniture you put in a room, and a significant quantity of the sound gets sent into the ceiling cavity.

sbowness

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#274488 19-Nov-2009 14:18

I'm not interested in in-ceiling speakers.

I quite like the idea of getting the receiver and PS3 (which will be mainly used for Blu-Ray and divx) and then taking my time with the speakers. The existing Sony ones are quite small and the subwoofer is having the occasional seisure, but I've got nothing to lose by giving it a go.

Jaxson

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#274495 19-Nov-2009 14:31

sbowness: I'm not interested in in-ceiling speakers.

I didn't think so.

Christmas is coming so look out for some deals.
I haven't seen your speakers, but a receiver that can compensate for the actual output variances of each speaker can make a world of difference, especially to lower quality speakers. Also, a subwoofer that can reach a bit higher than solely sub bass can assist with smaller speakers, the old sub/sat scenario.

As has been mentioned by others though, a common good bang for buck $2000 budget often matches the wharfedale diamond speaker pack with an onkyo or pioneer receiver, and the results are pretty good really.

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sbowness

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#274534 19-Nov-2009 16:48

Jaxson, thanks for that. The SR507 has the Audyssey thing so it will do the compensation and then I'll keep an eye out for good deals on the Wharfedales. I notice from their website that there are a number of versions of the Diamond 9s and 10s. Is there a particular version that I should be looking for?

Jaxson

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#274653 20-Nov-2009 09:06

sbowness: Jaxson, thanks for that. The SR507 has the Audyssey thing so it will do the compensation and then I'll keep an eye out for good deals on the Wharfedales. I notice from their website that there are a number of versions of the Diamond 9s and 10s. Is there a particular version that I should be looking for?

The popular ones for that price range are the 9.5 package deals. Comes with 9.5 fronts, a centre and 9.1 rears and a SW150 subwoofer. It's a 5.1 deal and on a good day/special are often about $1000.

The 9.6's are a step up on the 9.5's but you can't pick and chose on the base 9.5 pack. I had these a while back and I sold the 9.5's on trademe and then purchased the 9.6's separately.

The Audyssey mic setup is the one I was referring to. Give this a whirl with your current setup and you might be impressed enough to keep what you have.

It's worth noting that if you have the older fat PS3 then the only way this can output HD audio is to internally decode it and send it out as raw LPCM data. Works fine, and means you don't need a receiver that can decode the HD formats itself. The old Onkyo 576 was like this, could accept LPCM but not decode all HD audio formats itself. That said, these days you'd probably be silly not to get a receiver that can do the lot, just incase you change to a stand alone bluray player at a later date.

The new slim PS3 can bitstream/send the compressed HD audio out to a receiver to decode, rather than decode it itself.

Anyway, check JB Hifi / Paul Money / North Shore Auto Soundz (depending on where you are in the country). They all offer lots of speaker deals and you might find something that better suits your needs/budget.

sbowness

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#274717 20-Nov-2009 12:21

Thanks Jaxson.

I'll be getting the PS3 Slim as part of this purchase.

From my reading of the brochure the SR507 appears to decode the formats that I would need. Am I right?

Jaxson

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#274743 20-Nov-2009 14:27

Nimma:
Don't be a tool, in new installs or retrofits in ceiling speakers are becoming more popular especially where aesthetics are concerned. These speakers are great value at less than 25% of the cost (landed) of the next best option.

Yes good price, thanks for the link.
Shouldn't put everything in the ceiling, but good option for rear surrounds (which can be in ceiling) or front's mounted in wall.

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