Home theater Guru's help!

[SidewaysN2second]

I got a sony DVD player, and i am looking to get a home theater in a box type deal for my surround sound. I know that individual components are the way to go, but i wouldnt mind something like this as a basic starter system, any reccomendations on a decent home theater in a box? I am kinda partial to sony, but i would like to keep thep price around 375-500$ US (I am a canadian)

Please let me know if there are any good deals out there.


Reg

 

[BCYL]

I'm sorry to say Sony doesnt really make good audio equipment...

I personally would go with a Kenwood Home-threater-in-a-box kit... Out of all the starter kits I heard, kenwood ones sound the best...

dont go for those fancy looking ones, they dont sound good...

 

[SidewaysN2second]

Wow, really!? i thpought that the kenwood stuff wasnt too good as far as HT stuff goes, but if you say they put together a decent package, i will give it a look see can you reccommend any model #s?

 

[BCYL]

It really depends on what you are looking for.... the sound quality of Kenwood stuff is usually above the average kit, so I would recommend it... next you will decide how many watts you need... most of the entry kits now are around 500-watts, which is already more than enough for a small room...

If possible, it would be good to spend some money on a powered-sub too (most home threater kits comes with subs that are just powered by the receiver, which is pretty weak)...

I got a 350-watt RCA kit around 2 years ago, and I am very happy with it even now... the sound quality of the RCA kit isnt as good as the others but it's not bad... however it was cheap (got it for less than $200 2 years ago) and it definitely was worth every penny...

 

[SidewaysN2second]

i know what you mean about the sub, see, i saw a sony kit for 569 canadian that came with a 10" powered sub, but i didnt want to impulse buy, so i figured i ould come ask for a 2nd opinion

 

[yellowperil]

Not a guru but I have the Kenwood system (older model HTB-503). I believe the newer model is the HTB-504. I'm happy with mine, especially for the price I paid ($300 at uBid, refurbished). It's not a 'real' home theater but since I live in an apartment anything better would be overkill.

 

[BCYL]

Originally posted by: SidewaysN2second
i know what you mean about the sub, see, i saw a sony kit for 569 canadian that came with a 10" powered sub, but i didnt want to impulse buy, so i figured i ould come ask for a 2nd opinion

Yep... but depends on what your preferences are... for me the normal sub that came with the kit was enough... but others like their bass really strong, to the point where everything shakes when an explosion occurs on the screen...

If you dont care about such strong bass, maybe you can get a basic kit with a normal sub for now... if it's not enough for you, you can always add a powered sub later.

 

[SidewaysN2second]

I am the kind of guy who likes the Bass a little more than usual, lol but yeah i probably could just add on to the system later

 

[SidewaysN2second]

Anyone?

 

[Spendthrift]

energy take 5 system. without a doubt the best HTIB setup. be sure and get the energy sub to go with it. should be around the top of your price range.

miles ahead of the kenwood/sony/pioneer/ect HTIB setups

 

[EvilYoda]

Yeah, Energy's Take 5 series (any of them) are really nice. You might also want to check out NHT's HTIAB sets. But I thought to mention, that since you are a Canadian, you might want to check out local dealers, see if you can get a deal on Axioms all around, or even better (IMHO), Paradigms all around. You might be going a LITTLE over your budget, but I'd say it's worth it, and it'll be more modular (you can upgrade more freely) later on. Just a thought.

Good luck anywho, won't be long until the HT upgrade bug bites you........then you're in for it.

 

[SidewaysN2second]

I remember a few years back, my brother had an energy system, out of curosity, what kind of reciever comes with an energy system? any Links?

 

[RGN]

Originally posted by: BCYL
I'm sorry to say Sony doesnt really make good audio equipment...

I personally would go with a Kenwood Home-threater-in-a-box kit... Out of all the starter kits I heard, kenwood ones sound the best...

dont go for those fancy looking ones, they dont sound good...

Sony and Kenwood are both sub-par. Look at the Yamaha models. I've seen them for reasonably inexpensive.

 

[StattlichPassat]

Yamaha and Onkyo (Circuit City) make great home theaters in a box; might find something in your price range. Check online at places like ubid.com, buy.com, outpost.com- places like that too. Sony makes good stuff, but not at 'HTIAB' level.

Here's my component setup.

 

[LikeLinus]

You know i always see people on here talking about Energy's Take 5/6 products, but every HT place around here says they are overpriced junk. For the price you pay for their set you can get some higher quality sets. That's what i've been told by several independant shops around town.

 

[flot]

Are you strictly going to use the speakers for listening to DVDs?

You might want to seriously consider buying some "high end" computer speakers... Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but some of these have optical or coax digital ins, and do the 5 channel decoding, right? Skip the receiver entirely.

If I'm wrong on that, sorry. Not too up on PC speakers, just know that a friend's klipshes really impressed me for the money.

As for the home theater in a box systems - yeah, they're pretty much awful. You will be much happier in the long run getting a budget receiver and a pair of speakers now, then adding on a center, and finally rears, as you can afford it. Assuming you can get a receiver for $250-300ish and speakers for $100 apiece, you'll have a MUCH better system than most of the crap box stuff.

Also, don't rule out used 2-3 year old speakers. People are always upgrading their systems. Find something you like (for gods sake, don't go to best buy) and look on ebay, see if you can find a $400/pr set of speakers for half that.

 

[kami]

Well, if HT in a box is your only option, then I can suggest a Panasonic one. My buddy has one very similar to this one and it sounds good for the price.

edit: future shop has this one for $699.99 canadian

 

[SidewaysN2second]

Well, here's the Deal, i HATE futureshop, lol and yes, i already have a dvd player, and i woul dmainly use the system for DVD's, maybe even fook it up to the PC

 

[EvilYoda]

an addition to what I said earlier (don't think i specified that you would have to buy a receiver......but it's worth getting an older receiver off of ubid or ebay), is HTD, Home Theater Direct, Level III.

 

[arod]

Be sure you get a receiver that has either optical or coaxial inputs, which ever one your DVD player has. That will be the only way to get true surround sound.


Heres what Id suggest you get.

A Pioneer Receiver off ebay (A good one can be had for 150 US, I just bought one for my dad for 159 plus shipping)

Speakers wise I love the Wharfedale set of speakers. Right now you can get surrounds and a center from buy.com for 220 and pickup some 8.1's on ebay (I got a new pair for 130). And get a decent sub (ubid or ebay is a good place to find decent subs). This system will kick@ss, Beleive me its the clearest sounding system I have ever heard.

 

[SidewaysN2second]

See, Ebay for me is kind of out of the question, if i could get stuff off the boards, or find someone who was willing to depart with their setup, then i would be set im kind of looking for simplicity in getting everyhting together

 

[NewSc2]

Originally posted by: flot


You might want to seriously consider buying some "high end" computer speakers... Someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but some of these have optical or coax digital ins, and do the 5 channel decoding, right? Skip the receiver entirely.

If I'm wrong on that, sorry. Not too up on PC speakers, just know that a friend's klipshes really impressed me for the money.

yeah... i have the videologic digitheatre dts for about $350, and decided it was too good to leave on my PC set-up, so right now it's downstairs on the 62" HDTV downstairs and it sounds a LOT better than the small system i had set up on the TV. There's a digital coax and an optical out for the receiver, and it comes with a remote (which i've suceeded in losing).

If you like a lot of bass, then the Klipsch Promedia 5.1's should do fine, at about the same price... although i really didn't like the Klipsch v2-400's at all.

 

[RanDum72]

Here's a Kenwood system from Crutchfield for $499.

Or for something a little better, step up with these Polk speakers and add your own receiver.

 

[psualum]

For a starter set I'd look at the JBL SCS135 6-piece speaker package and then purchase a receiver separately.

Here are two sites to assist you with your research:

Cheap Home Theater

Home Theater Forum

 

[slag]

Originally posted by: kami
Well, if HT in a box is your only option, then I can suggest a Panasonic one. My buddy has one very similar to this one and it sounds good for the price.

edit: future shop has this one for $699.99 canadian

I have the HT-75 panasonic, picked it up at best buy when it was on sale for $349.00. Spent another hundred on speaker mounts and stands and it compliments my 60 " mitsubishi big screen just fine. The panasonic is a 5 disc changer that does dolby pro logic as well as dolby digital. The sub is not powered, but has good bass. Its perfect for my basement movie, xbox setup.