Home Theater Rocks

Ted answers:

I'm not sure I understand, you have listed what appears to be three different sets of main speakers and one subwoofer. Are you planning to use some of these as surrounds or is that you are planning to choose one of the set of three you listed? Also, what about a center speaker?

I've never been a big fan of Cerwin Vega but I admit I probably have not heard a set in nearly 30 years. The speakers in the links you provided look pretty nice so I definitely need to get out and audition some of these. These are highly efficient speakers which means you can power them with just about anything. Pioneer has been getting good reviews recently with their receivers as has Onkyo. Personally I have always been a Denon fan for receivers. I don't use one myself because I use Anthem separates but I have a lot of friends with Denon. Even though with your speakers you don't need the higher power I would stay with the 3311 or higher just because Denon's build quality seems to be considerably better in their higher lines. Http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/5340.asp

Especially if you opt for the cls-215, you don't need the power but if you were to combine an external amplifier like the Emotiva XPA-3 http://www.emotiva.com/xpa3.shtm with the Denon receiver you could have one serious system. Those speakers have a 97 dB efficiency rating so at 200 watts you're looking at 120 dB 200w/1meter. The receiver's built in power is in theory just a few dB less but receivers typically don't have an adequate Power Supply to really provide their rated power all channels driven like the Emotiva does.

Just looking over the Cerwin Vega web site it doesn't look like they have any adequate center speakers to keep up with their mains. You may have to look into something else for the center. Of course for all practical purposes you should do ok with one of their centers but for really cranking it the center just wouldn't keep up.

Ted answers:

Only if it has a second source output. You will have to hook up speakers to this output. It's a feature that allows speakers to be in a separate room and listen to something different out of the same receiver.

Ted answers:

Most AV receiver have built-in speaker protector ( or some call it speaker overload protector). It is activated once a short is found in the leads of the speaker. If your sound is fine then you don't have to worry.

Ted answers:

It depends on what you are either trying to do, or what you will be doing with your set up. I see no reason not to based on your comments. For the money you have in hand, NAD C315Bee is an improvement from the Sherwood. This next suggestion is a game changer and it can make a potent in road to the artist's intention for the type of terrain intended by the author to the listener, often the ethos is what wins day. If the Sherwood can carry such a lofty expectation to lift and free the music into the cool breeze of the night bay, Sherwood is your man.If the merits of NAD proves even greater due to a noticeable execution due to better sonic capabilities to do the same thing task, by no means stay with Sherwood. NAD has the better inward technical package to keep the music and the artists to declare "call me who I am" and you will know my sonic signature music in the results.

Best.

Ted answers:

Bose suck because they're way overpriced. You can get better speakers for a lot less.

Optical cable won't pass HD audio bitstream or PCM, so you need an HDMI-switching receiver. Your best bet there is something made by Onkyo, Yamaha, Denon or Harmon/Kardon. They all have a variety of models, but you should plan on spending at least $400 on the receiver. The Onkyo TX-SR606 is on the budget end of things.

You also need speakers. This is a person decision. Everyone hears things differently so what works for me won't necessarily work for you. If I had your budget I'd go with Polk Audio front/center/surround and maybe a Polk DSW, Hsu, Elemental Design or Velodyne sub.

You can spend tens of thousands of dollars on speakers so I won't waste your time with ideals here. Here's an example of a very nice mid-range setup: The Polk Audio Monitor 60 makes a good front floorstanding speaker. They're going for $130 each. The Monitor 30s make a good rear speaker. They're only $100/pair. The Polk CS1 center channel is only $80 right now. That's a good mid-tier setup for under $500, leaving you plenty of room for that expensive subwoofer.

For good prices I recommend Newegg.com or Amazon. Some of the sub manufacturers aren't available retail so you have to buy direct. Another good place to get a great deal (if you don't mind refurb) is the Polk Direct store on eBay. Just pick the models you want, set your price and wait patiently as the different models cycle to the auction block.

Http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-SR606-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B0015S8PGW/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1239818137&sr=8-1

http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/tsi/index.php

http://www.hsuresearch.com/subwoofers.html

http://www.edesignaudio.com/product_info.php?cPath=2_41&products_id=406

http://www.velodyne.com/main.aspx

http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Polk-Audio-Direct__W0QQ_armrsZ1