Hi guys, new to forums here and pretty much new to surround sound too. I have been researching different products for a few weeks and finally pulled the trigger on a new system without hearing any part of it first. Probably not the smartest decision but what the hey, live and learn lol.

I actually based my purchases on reviews, lots and lots of reviews.. I feel like I am an expert in my own mind on a lot of brands now after researching so much. I'm a little ocd about that I guess.

Anyways, I've been home theatering for the last 4 years on a 32" Sharp Aquos with an LG soundbar and a little active subwoofer that came with it. We thought it was great for awhile, but lately the sound seems all garbled to me and the once "decent" bass has become laughable I guess.

So after a lot of financial consideration I decided to upgrade to a 5.1 system and a new television. I started with a $1200 budget (lol) and ended up going about $1500 over that.

I started with a 55" LG 120hz led. Wanted a plasma but my kids leave games and carrtoons paused all the time so I opted out of that idea.

I originally was going to buy a Klipsch Quintet 5.0 speaker set, then I changed my mind to Energy Take Classics and finally pulled the trigger on Infinity bookshelf speakers. I based this decision on my personal experience with Infinity speakers which is I have never heard any that sounded bad, they always took all the power you could give them within their range and didn't distort and sounded great and loud! So I bought 3 163BK speakers, 1 for my center and 2 for my L/R fronts and I bought 2 162's for my rears. I know there's a lot better top of the line speakers but I tried to do the best with what I could afford.

I topped these off with an Outlaw LFM 1 Plus and I'll be pushing these with a Denon 1713 receiver.

Just these purchases put me way over my budget lol. So the other day my first speaker came in. (I ordered from different places due to sales, Fry's had the 163's and 162's for $50 a piece but a limit of 2 each). I got thrown for a loop when I opened the 163 up and saw that there are no wall mounting options for it. So I had to order a couple more speaker stands in addition to the two I had already ordered for the rears.

Then we decided we needed room darkening blinds and I ended up ordering some blackout curtains for our 2 windows.

So now I'm sitting here waiting for Fed-Ex.. Impatiently lol. The worse part about it is I'll have everything delivered today except for my Outlaw Sub which isn't scheduled for delivery until Wednesday.. That's going to suck huh lol.

I'm sure hoping it's worth the wait and I hope this is all going to be the improvement I'm wanting. My room is 15x16x9 so I'm thinking judging by the size of these Infinity bookshelfs that my house is going to be rocking! They are a lot bigger than I expected. Five of them plus a 12" 350w sub is going to be crazy, I probably wont even be able to turn it up past 1/4 without my wife yelling about turning the kids deaf lol.

Anyways, thank you for reading if you did lol. I'm really excited and anticipating a whole new level of sound when I get this all hooked up!!

I feel torn between trying to point out some defects in the research that this home theater enthusiast attempted and being welcoming.

So ... "I welcome this new member and like a trusted friend I will now whisper some things that only a close pal would say without fear of upsetting their relationship" --



Yep, not real smart. This stuff ain't like a dishwasher that you can trust a "consumer organization" to put standardized dirt on a plate and tell you which comes cleaner. Audio systems interact with one's home. One ought to listen to 'em.



Nope. You are now an expert at reading reviews. Unfortunately LOTS & LOTS & LOTS of people on the interwebs are too. Nothing to be proud of. Most "reviewers" on the interwebs specifically do not mention the sweet sweet sweet deals that are cut to them by folks that supply the devices under review. Nor do they mention the bizarre history of brands that have little to do with previous incarnations of firms that may have made products bearing those monikers...



Not an uncommon path at all. Welcome to the club!



WHOOPS! Which outdated interweb "expert" gave that lousy advice?!? Plasma set produces a superior picture and has had not issues with imagine retention for generations.




I think that your past experience with Infinity is kind of meaningless -- The whole "brand" thing has been destroyed by decades of mergers and "product repositioning". While there are certainly worse choices out there I also know that you could have gotten speakers that are much more capable. Some are available from Atlantic Technology, a firm with close ties to Outlaw. Others from RSL, NHT,Tekton or other "internet direct firms" that offer very generous term to TRY THEM OUT AT HOME... Now I am not saying the Infinity selection is fit for the trash, and I have read a decent review or two or 'em, just that whether they sound awesome in your home or awful you are stuck with 'em...

Further, while I won't really criticize your choice of the LFM-1 Plus you could have spent less than HALF as much for the M8 which is an OUTSTANDING value / solid match to the kind of setup you seem to have assembled (and frankly the bass output for your home is probably a better match) AND THAT WOULD'VE given you the cash to buy something like this http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-NR717-7-2...0287&sr=1-5 this WHICH is about the cheapest surround receiver with PREAMP LEVEL OUTPUTS that allow you to STEP UP to more powerful external Outlaw amps. Better amps have a HUGE impact on sound, NOT JUST VOLUME, and allow you to upgrade in a more 'stepwise' manner down the road.



I have no doubt that you will enjoy this much more than the previous very low quality LG setup, but I feel bad that you did not come here first for a little advice about what might have been a better use of your funds. The differences at the "near entry level" are quite dramatic.

Youch!! lol..

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be an expert or self-proclaiming I am one.. I was joking that I read A LOT I didn't just read reviews by experts, I went to every site that sold the products and read all of the reviews by the people who purchased them..

I guess I wish I would've came here too, I tried a couple other forums and got little feedback, I was looking for the Quintets, someone suggested the Energy's and then someone somewhere else said no those are too small, get bookshelfs and recommended the Infinity's. I hope they sound good. We'll know soon.

As far as the M8.. I didn't want an 8" sub, I want to rattle my neighbors windows if I want to. I owe him a few late night interruptions.


And holy moly man, have you seen the price of those Atlantic Technology Bookshelfs? Sheesh... Unless they have a value line that I didn't see the things are like $250 a piece!

Thanks for the welcome! You didn't upset me at all. I hope you're wrong though. :P

Reviews and internet "chatter" have their value. You've got to take things with a grain of salt, of course - some may be overly flattering or gloss over issues, others may harp on defects more than is realistic - but they can be useful. The components that benefits the most from listening tests are speakers, mostly because personal taste factors in so heavily. Hopefully the new gear will serve you well.

It better or the wife is going to string me up by my #%^%!!

Welcome to the saloon. Some of us desperadoes are a little trigger happy. I think you will be very impressed by what you have assembled compare to what you had before. Bigger picture and more power along with better channel separation and bigger bass is really going to be a big improvement. The wife will be impressed and to get her in the right frame start off with a great chick flick with some great music and big bass. Last of the Mohicans will be perfect. Good luck and let us know how it sounds. We have all been strung up for the same reason in the past.

For the last year or so I've been using three 163s across the front and four 153s for surrounds.

Their off-axis response is some of the best (most consistent) I've heard for a bookshelf speaker. If you play the centre speaker by itself, you'll notice that it sounds the same from any seat on your couch. Plus, reflections off the side walls (which help widen the soundstage) don't change the tonality of the speaker when they combine with the direct sound. Another advantage of consistenct off-axis response.

I set up my L/R speakers on stands and aimed them at the person on the opposite end of the couch. This really helped keep the nearby speaker from being too loud for the person on either end of the couch. I couldn't do this with my previous speakers; if they weren't pointed directly at you, they didn't sound to good (poor off-axis response).

Hope you enjoy your Infinity speakers as much as I am.

I had to mount mine on the wall face out straight, hopefully it doesn't ruin the sound. I wanted to use stands but I'm afraid of the kids knocking one over on, or the baby pulling one down on herself.. They are heavy. I do have stands though so I will keep them and when the baby gets big enough I'll hook them up on the stands ( in a few years lol)

Being a musician I've been to countless shows, played shows, listened to lots of stereos and PA's etc.. I can't believe I've never heard music through a surround system before.. Man have I been missing out.

I didn't know music could sound so awesome! I haven't even got my sub in yet today but I'm sitting here in total bliss rocking out to Alice In Chains, back up vocals sneaking up behind me singing in my ear, scorching guitar solos screaming around me like I'm enveloped in a musical wave of energy... I can't even describe it... (you all know what I'm talking about though lol)

As soon as I hook the sub up and the bass drum is thumping in my chest I probably wont want to leave the house...

A few people had me questioning if I made the right decision getting these Infinity speakers... I couldn't imagine a better sound! You were wrong!! :P This is seriously awesome!

Yes. Yes we do. Welcome to the group.

I'm still running Infinity speakers for my surrounds and they're working just fine.