Hello GoldenEar world! I am new to the Home Theater scene and even newer to GE. But I'd like to think of myself as an educated newbie since I've been around sound, AV, and computer equipment for most of my life. I've been doing a lot of research for at least 6 months now and have almost narrowed my search down to the following equipment -

Phase I : 5.1 system (WAF)

• -2- SuperSat 60 Front Left/Right
  -1- SuperCenter XXL Center
  -2- SuperSat 3 Surrounds
  -1- ForceField 5 LFE
  Anthem MRX710 Receiver - up for debate

Phase II : 5.2 system

• -1- FF 5 to even out LFE in room

Phase III : 5.2.4 system

• -4- Invista HTR 700 Atmos

Phase IV : 7.4.4 system

• -2- Triton One for Front Left / Right
  Move SuperSat 60s to Surrounds

Phase V : Amplification

• -2- Parasound A51

My question is how does this setup sound (pun intended) to the expert / veteran GoldenEar listeners? I think I read on the forums that someone moved their SS60s to surrounds and did not have great results. They thought moving the SS60s to surrounds were a waste of speaker power, from what I gathered, and ended up purchasing more SS3s for surrounds. They then moved the SS60s to another room as Front Left / Right speakers. Here's the forum posting by icharis.

Another question is does anyone have any thoughts about Anthem receivers? I heard one at the dealer and it sounded pretty amazing, but I'm not sure what model it was. Any predictions on when they will release their Gen 3 receivers? I'm hoping they will release something before October as I am planning on purchasing Phase I early Oct and would like to have HDMI 2.0 / HDCP 2.2.

Last question (for this post) - I thought I read somewhere that the SuperSats were getting new pivot mounts offered by the dealers. Is this true? If so, when will they be available? Do they come with the speakers or is there an additional price? I would love a mount that is not flush to the wall so I can "toe-in" these speakers a bit.

I've attached some pictures and a floor-plan layout of the room. As of this moment in time, I'm using the TV speakers with half of a Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1 setup (2.1). They have served me well, but they are still just computer speakers and I am going to finally move them back to my PC where they belong. I will be using this setup for mostly Home Theater. If I had to put percentages on it, I would say 60% Home Theater and 40% Music / Gaming.

Any thoughts and advise on this setup would be greatly appreciated!

Here is the layout of the room and dimensions.

Welcome to the forum Rob138,
Great questions and this is just the place to ask them.
You don't sound like a newbie at all, this is a well thought out plan.
And I am assuming you have auditioned some GoldenEar Speakers, that is the reason why you want to use them to build your theater, right? That is the best thing you can do.
I am of the opinion that you need great speakers for home theater, the same as music. And 40% listening to music is a lot. I would just suggest the Triton Ones first, right off the bat, even if you cannot afford any other speakers for a while. They will give you that music in spades, and even sound pretty great for movies! They will give you a phantom center channel and blow away your family and friends with how great they sound. Then add the rest of the HT bit by bit as you can, according to plan.
As to Anthem receiver, I cannot comment. IF you have the budget, then a separate pre-processor and amps should be better, but if you need to go receiver, then Anthem is probably great. I would listen to the new Marantz stuff when it comes out with the new video standards, it will have atmos too.
Hope this helps, but there are lots of guys here who can help more.
I am just happy you are going with great speakers, you really cannot go wrong.
Have a great time putting together your system, and let us know what you decide--how it worked.
God Bless,
Wayne

Thanks for the comments, Wayne! And thank you for the welcome.

I have auditioned the Tritons and SuperSats at a local dealer and were floored as to how they played. Actually, I was an unannounced guest since I didn't know you had to sign up for auditions, but the dealer took care of me and my many questions. I would love to go back and properly audition them as I was kind of interrupting someone else's audition! oops....

As of right now, the plan has to be SuperSats or nothing (WAF) until we move to a bigger house. If you take a look at the floor-plans I provided, you will see that the room is not really all that large. I would absolutely love to purchase the Triton Ones right off the bat, but I literally don't have the room for them in the existing space.

Rob,

Welcome to the forum, as Wayne has said. I think you have a great plan going here! Based on the size of your current room, I understand your concerns about the size of the Triton Ones. My Wife's first words when she first gazed on ours was "THAT'S RIDICULOUS!"

I think the equipment you have picked out is great and I like your idea of phasing things in. My only recommendations would be the order in which you purchase your equipment and the choice in receiver. I don't believe the Anthem does Atmos, so if that is a definite goal, you're better off looking into the Marantz receivers as Wayne has recommended. Depending on how soon you want to get started and what you have currently, I would wait until Christmas for the receiver. The newer generation Will have the DTS:X format and updated HDMI standard. The Marantz 7702 mkII is at the top of my list and due out around October.

In regards to the order of your gear, I would push th Triton Ones to phase 2. With them and a single FF5, you won't need another subwoofer unless you are in a really big room! They will also greatly benefit your home theater and music listening experience more than the addition of Atmos, IMHO, but I admit I am partially biased. Okay, maybe completely biased: I LOVE my T1s! If it's any consolation, my Wife has gotten over the size of them.

Let us know how your additional auditions go and what you decide on. Of course, we'd love to SEE your progress through your phases. Happy hunting and listening!

Cheers,

T Cobe

T Cobe, my wife just about said the same thing! lol She is 5'0" and 3/4" (she always insists that I add that 3/4") so the 4.5' Tritons look huge to her. There is no way I would be able to bring the Tritons in without a fight! She did agree to it when we move so I'm counting down until that glorious day.

The biggest draw to the Anthem receivers for me is the ARC technology. It seems like they put a lot of time and love into their corrective software to accurately place the sound in the room. I had a Denon a while back that I ended up returning. I just couldn't get the Klipsch speakers to sound right in that room with that receiver. I thought Denon and Marantz were sort of sister companies. Is that true? I'm looking for a receiver first and split off to separates later. I should be able to use the receiver as a pre-amp and just add two amps later.

My goal is to get Phase I purchased and setup early October. Is there a cheap(er) 5.1 receiver or maybe a DAC that will hold me over till the new generation of receivers supporting Atmos and DTS:X? I know a bunch of receivers now have Atmos, but I haven't seen many receivers supporting DTS:X. Maybe that would be a better route to go...