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Audioholics $2500 Recommended System

by Gene DellaSala — February 01, 2013

EMP 7.1 Impression System

Following the post-Christmas break, we have put together an irresistible package deal for you that has both excellent value and performance. At this price, the focus is offering the best audio experience possible. It is assumed the buyer already has a display which they may upgrade at a later date.

The Recommended $2,500 System includes the following components:

Harman Kardon AVR 1650 7.1 HDMI 1.3a A/V Receiver - $499
EMP Impression 5.0 Bookshelf System [E5BiB/E55WiB/E5CiB] - (Black) - $969
EMP ES1010iB Dual 10" Subwoofer (Black) - $499
Onkyo BD-SP309 3D Blu-ray Player - $199
APC AV C10BLK Surge Protector - $119
Cables To Go Velocity 2m HDMI Cable with Ethernet - $22
Cables To Go Velocity 10ft 12AWG terminated Speaker Cables ( x 3) - $12 x 3 = $36
Cables To Go Velocity 100ft 12AWG Speaker Cable - $77
Utralink Integrator 4m Subwoofer Cable - $20

System Price: $2,440

System Details

The Harman Kardon AVR 1650 is no girly man receiver. Typically at this price you find chip amps and wimpy power supplies from some of the big name brands. Harman decided, however, to step it up with this bad boy which features discrete amplification for all seven channels for its very conservatively rated 95wpc x 7 output claim. The AVR 1650 sports 4 HDMI inputs and handles all of the latest HD audio formats (ie. Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD, etc). Rest assured that this baby's emphasis is audio first but it will still serve as the A/V center piece for your system for years to come.

The speaker package we have worked out is quite astounding at this price point. The heart of the system includes the acclaimed EMP Impression 5Bi bookshelf speakers. This system includes the matching 5Ci center and two 55Wi surround speakers. The ES1010i dual 10-inch subwoofer provides the rumble to you room to ensure you feel and hear the full impact of your favorite Blu-ray discs.

Wirelessly tap into streaming entertainment services like Netflix and VUDU, direct to your TV from the Internet. All that, and you still get unmatched quality for your Blu-ray discs. The Onkyo BD-SP309 is no ordinary Blu-ray player. It's got your high definition needs fully covered while also playing back standard definition DVD with utmost precision and accuracy. It also sports 3D compatibility (though we doubt many of you will use it).

Protect your investment with the most trusted name in the industry. APC is the world leader of power protection and their solutions are based on real engineering, not marketing ploys. All of their products are UL certified and tested to ensure they will do no harm to your products and provide real protection against power surges and faults.

Rest assured our cable recommendations are snake oil free. We chose slightly pricier 12AWG speaker cables because they offer the best performance for the price which will ensure minimal losses to your speakers and maximum fidelity. Use the Velocity 12AWG pre-terminated 10ft 12AWG speaker cables for the front 3 speakers. We included a reasonably-priced Ultralink 4 meter subwoofer interconnect to ensure excellent performance and durability. For HDMI, Cables To Go remains a solid recommendation not just for performance but for durability which is why we included their 2 meter Velocity HDMI cable solution with Ethernet to keep you ready for upgrading down the road.

Wrap Up

The Audioholics $2,500 system represents extreme value and emphasis on audio performance and aesthetics. At this price its not typical to get such high performance, high output and great looks all in one. While this package will work well in small rooms, it can also be safely used in larger theater rooms (2-3000 ft^3) with excellent results. For larger rooms, we suggest upgrading your speakers to the EMP E55Ti towers, or perhaps even adding an additional EMP ES1010i subwoofer which will increase overall output while also providing more consistent bass for all of your listening seats.