Question

Not so much a smart home question but, I am thinking of investing in a surround sound system for my living room, I’d prefer to go wired as opposed to wireless. I know bose is the big name, any other suggestions?  

Answer 1

Klipsch no doubt  

Answer 2

Anything but Bose to be honest Yamaha amplifier / receiver with wifi (MusicCast ready) Klipsch , wharfedale, Dali speakers all good

Answer 3

Definitive tech

Comments

@bedrail yes. I paired two definitive tech speakers as my back speakers when I went from 5. 1 to 7. 1. They're awesome

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@garate2 their outdoor 6500 speakers are outstanding as well

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@bedrail I'll check them out in the spring when I start expanding outdoors

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Def Tech is a good balance of quality sound and affordability. Denon provides major bang for your bucks and at a risk of sounding like a dick, if you’re considering Bose then you won’t notice the “brightness” of the Denon.  

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@garate2 yeah I have them hooked up to a Russound amp.  

Answer 4

I've been very happy with the sound in my Denon and Polk audio setup but don't like the limited integration with their heos speakers. From what I can tell the Sonos sound the same are a hair bit cheaper and there are way more opportunities to integrate

Answer 5

Bang and Olufsen ftw!  

Answer 6

Bose is the name for people that like to piss away money and know nothing about acoustics. I’ve built better sounding systems with $100 used tower speakers off kijiji.  

Comments

@quartzite, yeah the older Bose speakers were good but ever since they started putting out sub/sat the sound quality have gone downhill; just too bright with poor midrange and boomy (read not tight) bass. I used to dislike Amar Bose until his death upon which he left majority of Bose stocks to MIT research department where he taught. Dr Bose is alright in my book now.  

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@douceur Bose designs first and engineers second. I spent ten years as a Bose professional dealer and it was the worst product to sell and install. Speakers sound like crap unless you put them through their $2, 000 processor. The problem is because they design it for looks they have to EQ the crap out of it to get any kind of quality out of it. And even then it’s a very coloured sound and not at all a flat response.  

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@quartzite, my 901s were really good but a lot of people wouldn’t like it because of the environment people put them in. The reflected sounds bounce of hard surfaces/walls creating harsh standing waves. Put some draperies in the room behind them and suddenly it’s warm and dare I say, accurate.  

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@douceur I lugged around way too many sets of 802’s as a teenager to ever want another Bose product!  and they were always missing the thumbscrews for the flanges!  

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@douceur OMG they still make them and they still have the stupid extra flange to pole mount them. still can’t just recess a pole hole in the bottom of them! ‍♂️‍♂️

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@quartzite, one of the best cheaper pair of speakers I had were Paradigm Monitor 7s. Clean highs with accurate midrange and decent bass. The only other pair I owned that beat those were the old MK satellite 1. The solid wooden ones that preceded the S-1b

Answer 7

Do you care about sound quality? if not then bose, klipsch put out a loud sound that most people are impressed with. definitely not monoprice. if you do care about quality then look into Marantz, Anthem, B&W, Kef, Monitor Audio, Focal

Answer 8

All depends on how much money you're willing to spend. I've got a denon 7. 2. 2 receiver and Polk signature series speakers all around. Might have $1500 invested.  

Answer 9

B&W. Best speakers ever!  

Answer 10

Go listen. We can say all kinds of names but you will be the one listening. Also take your own music and movie.  

Answer 11

Interesting question, first of all I would not go with a Bose system. But, you need to separate out the speakers from the AV Receiver. First, you need to go to listen to all the speakers and find which ones you like the sound as they all have different tonal qualities. Then you need to research the AV receivers, specifically for feature and functions which you would like. Most, if not all are made with the same components, so its everything else that matters.  

Answer 12

I have two suggestions that were given to me when I got my first surround sound 20 years ago. 1. Put most of your money in the speakers. That technology doesn't change much over the years. The receivers change frequently. And that's true I still have the same speakers but am on my fifth receiver. 2. Like you I thought Bose was the big name. Not even close. They're a player in the low end for those that don't learn much about surround sound.  

Answer 13

Listen to this podcast. I've listened to over 800 of their podcasts and have never heard mention Bose once. Bose is not a player for those in the know. Htguys. com

Answer 14

Love my paradigm speakers. 20 years old and sound great still.  

Answer 15

KEF are always a great choice, especially paired with a Marantz avr. Klipsch are a bit bright.  

Answer 16

A few suggestions: 1. What do you actually want from your surround sound? It can mean a lot of different things. From a sound bar that replicates surround sound to actual speakers surrounding you. The configuration can be anything from 3. 1 all the way up to 9. 1. 4 Dolby Atmos or even higher with speakers in the ceiling. 2. Now it's time to get real, what can your space actually accommodate? The shape, size, and construction of your room will be the practical limitations of any system you design. Do you have a great room with an opening in the back to another room, is one wall glass, concrete, etc. 3. Now get really real, what is your budget? You are not going to be able install a quality 9. 1. 4 system for $200. This where the rubber meets the road and you can actually start getting a real world idea of what to expect. Speakers that I like: Elac for high quality budget speakers B&W for high end speakers

Answer 17

No highs, no lows, must be Bose. I like Monitor Audio or B&W.  

Answer 18

Listen and test, is a matter of quality and taste, american equipment is more vivid vs uk equipment is plain, both great. If you have a great ear will return the extra bucks if not will not return. Invest heavy in speakers with many tweteers and care about quality where 1 and 0s stop.  

Answer 19

If you just want surround sound then there are loads . but do you want whole house sound where your lounge sounds is the same as you bedroom and bathroom ., walk from one room to another with the same music playing or the same radio channel is playing ? Home automation drifts towards whole house sound rather than just a surround sound .