Ok, I need an honest, no BS assessment on how a Samsung q990d system will compare to a cheap 5.1 (or 7.1 etc) system.
I can get a q990d for $1400aud which includes rear speakers and a sub. Will connest with the samsung tv and its all just ready to go out of the box.
Surround sound setups range from free to $40,000… of course a well thought out setup will be better but I just want to hear the cars overtaking me when I watch Ford Vs Ferarri.
For the “sub 2k” price bracket. As a novice, how much am I leaving on the table really?
You could definitely get a basic 5.1 setup going about 1k. I went with an onkyo tx-nr6050 and a klipsch 5.1 reference theater pack. It blows every soundbar I’ve used out of the water, I would say the q990d has the benefit of having two back speakers and the convenience of being wireless.
I’d say if you get a return option on the soundbar setup, give it a shot. And if it doesn’t meet your expectations then return and look into a budget AVR and some speakers.
Thats another problem I have. Is Klipsch a good but niche speaker brand or a aliexpress rebranded turd priced up to sucker suckers? What brands used to be good but are now coasting on their reputation and making shit?
Lol. I have no idea.
Thats the one thing I get from the Samsung, I know its current tech and the Q990 punches in the same league as the Sonos gear.
Klipsch is like Bose in my opinion… performance doesn’t justify the price tag. I have bought two 5.1 systems from them over the years and was disappointed after comparing them to some stuff I got later that was relatively close in price.
I bought a 5.1 set of Pioneer reference speakers for my PC and they are fucking amazing, but not budget. I can say they are incredibly high on bang for the buck though. I also still have a pair of huge Pioneer box speakers from the early 90’s that are still kickin ass. So I can recommend that brand at least.
I can’t speak for the most recent crop of commerical speakers, but generally speaking as you move up price points you do get better quality components.
There’s been a ton of consolidation in audio brands. As for Klipsch, they’ve been bought out twice. Voxx bought them in 2011. Gentex bought them, along with Onkyo and Integra in 2024. Klipsch is a bit guilty of boom and sizzle, but some people really like that.
The last Klipsch speakers I tore into, which are now about 10-15 years old, appeared to have decent drivers and a fairly expensive crossover in terms of material cost.