Speaker and Receiver Buying Guide
Each year in December put out seperate buying guides for receivers, speakers, and TVs. This year with the shortened buying window we decided to double up on our guides. Today we take a look at speakers and receivers. The things that make sound! We have also decided to give you a collective guide rather than our individual picks targeting an entry, mid, and “high” level product. We put high in quotes because in our hobby, high can be really high.
We are practical in our hobby. We don’t want to break the bank but we do want a good experience. This list is for like minded people looking to either get into the hobby or move to the next level. Yes you may disagree with our picks. That’s OK. Let us know what you would recommend via the comments section or send us an email and we can follow up on the next show. But for now, here is our list of speakers and receivers.
Monoprice Premium 5.1.2 Channel Immersive Home Theater System with Subwoofer
This first pick is really really entry level. It's for the person who wants a 7.1 system but decided that the speakers they really want will break the bank. So instead they buy a great TV, and receiver and just want something that makes sound. The system comes as a 5.1.2 setup with upfiring Atmos speakers built into the left and right speaker. Pretty clever but probably not really that good. You would need to purchase two additional bookshelf speakers to make it 7.1. But even with that the system comes in at $300!
The speakers themselves can handle 100 watts and have a frequency response of 70Hz to 20kHz. They have a decent sensitivity rating as well, 88dB. That means you don’t need as much power to make sound as most other speakers this size. The subwoofer goes down to 30Hz. Seriously on paper this looks pretty darn good. We have not listened to these speakers before but at $300 we have no problem recommending them to the person who spent most of their budget on the TV and/or receiver.
For our mid level, we jump from a $300 set of speakers to a $1300 set. Speakers are very important and spending $1300 for a really good 7.1 system is really worth it. RSL makes outstanding speakers even though you probably haven’t heard of them before. The company has been around since the 70s back when sound was everything. The founder, Howard Rogers, wanted to create speakers that replicated the sound of a live performance. This passion led him to developing and patenting a compression wave guide speaker. This design uses a series of compressions and expansions that improves bass response and enhances dynamics while improving mid bass detail. We have listened to RSL speakers and were blown away by what they get out of their book shelf system.
The CG3 is a great looking set of speakers that are rated to 125 watts and have a frequency response of 100Hz to 20kHz, the center channel is 85Hz to 20kHz. Their sensitivity rating is 87db for the satellites and 89 for the center channel. The subwoofer is reasonably sized (H: 16” W: 15” D: 16 3/4”) with a 300 watt amplifier that has a frequency response of 24-200 Hz. The system really has no risk for trying either. It comes with free shipping, free 30 day trial, free return shipping, and no restocking fees.
Prime Pinnacle Surround System
We have been big fans of SVS since we reviewed their SB-1000 subwoofer many years ago. This year they introduced their Prime Pinnacle line of speakers that take it to another level. These are not cheap but won’t break the bank either. For a little over $3100 you can have a 7.1 setup that compares to systems that cost more than twice as much! These are beautiful floor standing speakers with satellites for the surround. If you opt for the piano black finish it will cost about $600 more. For this system we spec’d out the PB-2000 for the subwoofer which should give you plenty of boom!
With a rated bandwidth and power rating of 29 Hz-25 kHz and 300 watts respectively, the Prime Pinnacle speakers are the most capable speakers on our list.These speakers perfect for those who have a dedicated listening/viewing room. The subwoofer has a 12-inch driver and 500 watts RMS, 1,100 watts peak power that goes way down to 17Hz. You will feel this thing! SVS has a 45 day trial period with free shipping and returns and comes with a five year unconditional warranty
Sony STR-DN1080 7.2ch Home Theater AV Receiver
If we had our choice we would spend the money on the RSL or SVS speakers and go cheap on the receiver until we were able to upgrade down the road. Our components have been swapped out so many times but I speakers seem to last for years. So if you allocated most of your budget to the speakers you are in need of a decent receiver that is still pretty good. For that we have the Sony STR-DN1080 that will set you back about $450.
This receiver can handle all the new buzzwords: 4K and HDR passthrough, HDCP 2.2, Dolby Atmos, Airplay, Chromcast, Auto Calibration, and 165W per channel. Just a good basic receiver. Not much else to say. Actually in this price range you can pretty much go with any Yamaha, Denon, or Pioneer receiver and get the same performance. We had to pick one so we went with the Sony this year.
Pioneer VSX-LX503 9.2 Channel 4k UltraHD Network A/V Receiver Black
Pioneer Elites were more “Elite” back in the day but they are still very good. Coming in at our mid-level receiver the VSX-LX503 still has some chops for a $550 receiver. The amazing thing to us is that we spent a thousand dollars for a Pioneer Elite back in 2008 that had nowhere near the capability.
Today for $550 you get a 9.2 channel receiver that has three zones, 120 watts a channel, passes through HDR10, HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma), and Dolby Vision signals. If you have a Sonos setup in your home this receiver will fit right in with support. It also supports Airplay, DTS Play-Fi and Chromcast for whole home audio lovers.
Onkyo TX-RZ840 9.2 - Channel Network A/V Receiver
Many may question our high end selection. But from a feature point of view the RZ840 is loaded. Yes there are other receivers that would fit more the “High End” moniker but like we said we are practical. Spend your money on speakers. This receiver will do everything you want and only set you back $750 at retail. Just look at the features!
THX® Certified Select™ theater-reference sound - THX Certified Select guarantees the same reference volume level of a commercial theater in rooms where the viewing position is about 10–12 ft. from the screen. Power - 220 W (4 Ohms, Front) 130 W (8 Ohms, Front) All Channels Dynamic Audio Amplification - DAA features a custom High-Current Low-Noise Power Transformer, customized capacitors, and discrete amp output stages. Unique topology prevents phase-shift while high current improves speaker control for true dynamic speed.4K HDR - HDR (High Dynamic Range) video including HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, and BT.2020. The 4:4:4 color space is also supported. Six HDMI inputs, ARC-ready MAIN OUT, and SUB OUT pass 4K/60p and HDR video from player to compatible TV and projector and all terminals are HDCP 2.2 compliant. Dolby Atmos and DTS:X SMART AV Receiver - Access streaming content from Amazon Music, Pandora®*, Spotify, TIDAL, Deezer, and TuneIn and share sound as part of a multi-room system via Works with Sonos, AirPlay 2, DTS Play-Fi®, and FlareConnect. IMAX Enhanced - DTS:X sound technology optimized for the IMAX® signature experience, reproducing the full dynamic range of IMAX theatrical sound-mixes available with digitally re-mastered IMAX Enhanced content. Chromecast built-in with the Google Assistant
