Home theatre advice

[Booty]

I want to get a new home theatre system for my living room... I want a pretty nice one, but probably can't afford to buy it all in one shot, so I was thinking about replacing it piece by piece. I don't even have a sub right now, so that's where I thought I'd start... any suggestions on which and where to buy it? I have the logitech z-680's for my computer, so I want this system to out-do those, of course (otherwise I'd just buy another set of them for my living room). I'm willing to spend $400-500 on the sub.

After that I need to replace my surround speakers, then my reciever/amp, then my floor speakers. So any suggestions on those are welcome as well. I don't know much about home theatre, so... counting on you guys.

 

i always thought one bought a reciever first and built around that...of course I dont know much.

 

[LikeLinus]

Originally posted by: Booty
I want to get a new home theatre system for my living room... I want a pretty nice one, but probably can't afford to buy it all in one shot, so I was thinking about replacing it piece by piece. I don't even have a sub right now, so that's where I thought I'd start... any suggestions on which and where to buy it? I have the logitech z-680's for my computer, so I want this system to out-do those, of course (otherwise I'd just buy another set of them for my living room). I'm willing to spend $400-500 on the sub.

After that I need to replace my surround speakers, then my reciever/amp, then my floor speakers. So any suggestions on those are welcome as well. I don't know much about home theatre, so... counting on you guys.

Option #1

Option #2

Option #3 (This is what I personally Have. I got it for around $400 and it is awesome.)

 

[Howard]

Want to DIY (re: sub)?

 

[rudeguy]

If you want a good sub, check out Velodyne. Great subs, and you can get one in that price range. Are you planning on getting a new TV as well?

 

[Entity]

What are all your current components?

If ViperGTS is still selling his sub, that's the best sub you can get for $400.

I'd recommend looking to replace your receiver first, though, unless you've already got a good receiver. There's a great deal on the Denon 3803 from 6ave.com that you can see in hot deals right now. Then start looking around at different speaker brands (I recommend Canadian speakers, like Axiom or Dahlquist).

Rob

 

[CPA]

I second the SVS sub.

 

[Entity]

Viper's Sub -- $400. Dunno how you'd get it to you, though.

 

[FFactory0x]

Go to bestpriceaudiovideo.com
and search for the JBL s-310's
Thier $175 shipped a piece and fvckin rock anything in their class. These used to be like 350-400 piece

 

[gooch]

Finding a good match between your speakers and receiver/amp is a good thing to look out for. Every speaker out there has a different characteristic. Instead of starting with the low frequency end of the system, I would recommend starting with the foundation of your receiver and floor speakers. Do a _bunch_ of auditions of different brands of speakers, keeping in mind what kind of sound you like. Bring your own material to audition with, something you are very familiar with and know what kind of sound you expect to come from the source.

After you start with your foundation, you can then add on the complimentary items, like surround sound and subwoofer. Again, with the subwoofer, there are many good products out there, it depends on what you are looking for in sound.

 

[Vanstorm]

SVS subs are pure love. I wish I had the money to buy one..

If I had one piece of advice it'd be: avoid Bose like the plague.

For a second, I'd say... go to a home audio store near you, if you have one, and listen to as many diff't speakers as you can. The pick the ones you like the best (as long as they aren't bose)

 

[EvilYoda]

I'm just curious as to why you're opting to upgrade the sub before anything else, but it's your system. As for a sub in that price range, I would seriously consider DIY (tempest, AV15, whatever), but if you don't have access to the tools/machines, then SVS is a great way to go. Velodyne does make some great stuff, as mentioned earlier, but for various reasons, I'd still suggest an SVS at that price level (and I sell the entire Velodyne line at work ^_^).

I would consider saving up the money and going with a new receiver and fronts first, but that's just me.

 

[Booty]

I want the sub first because I currently don't have one and my fronts have really weak bass. The reciever is an older (5 yrs) Kenwood. I don't have the money to buy everything at once, or else I would, but the thing that irritates me most about my stereo/home theatre setup is the weak (practically non-existant) bass. I do want the amp/reciever to be a good match to the speakers, and thus am open to suggestions as far as the whole system goes. However, I won't be able to buy it all at once.

And I am planning on getting a new TV as well, but not for a while do to the money issue... plus I'm hoping by the time I get one I'll be able to get a decent sized plasma model.

To state what I have now for speakers and what not is downright embarrassing, so let's leave it at cheap front/surround speakers that need replaced as soon as I can afford to. I want to get good stuff that's going to last me a while, so that's why I thought it might be better for me to just buy one thing at a time instead of trying to get it all at once and having to worry more about my budget.

Again, I'm open to suggestions, though. I don't need a new DVD player, and the TV will be purchased later on (it'll be at least 6 months). Like I said, my reciever and speakers are a joke, so I want to get those replaced asap (over the next month or two).

I'll check this thread again after work and see what's up.

 

[Savij]

My roommate had a Velodyne VLF 1012 and that thing sound great and I think that would be in your price range. I listened to a lot of Velodynes a couple of years ago when I was shopping and liked most of their stuff over the cerwinwega, jbl, yamaha (best buy, circuit city floor models) stuff that i heard in the price range. I've heard lots of good things about SVS subs, but I haven't ever heard one...

 

[amnesiac]

I talked to ViperGTS and it looks like ground shipping runs about $100 or so.

After extensive research, I've come to the conclusion that his sub will probably tear to shreds anything else in that price range and probably anything within 4x the price.

I would have bought it but I got bills to pay.

For < $500, the Adire Rava and Hsu STF-2 (or VTF-2) are going to give you the best bang for the buck. Velodyne, Energy, Klipsch, and Paradigm all make good, readily available woofers too but they're more expensive.

To state what I have now for speakers and what not is downright embarrassing,

You have Bose, don't you?

As far as speakers go, Ascend, Axiom , and Onix are all good choices for internet-only companies and offer 30-day trial periods. I personally have Ascends and love them to death. They get awards left and right for "best budget speakers."

For store-bought, many people are happy with their Paradigm (atoms, monitor series, etc.), Mirage, Klipsch, Energy, and Monitor Audio speakers.

Make sure you get a center channel that is timbre-matched with your mains. That usually means buying the same brand and same model line.

Surrounds are not quite as important but should also be the same brand.

For receivers, Onkyo is a good budget choice. Denon, H/K, Yamaha all are excellent as well. I have an Onkyo Tx-SR600.

If your new TV is HDTV-capable, chances are you WILL need a new DVD player. I bought a Panasonic 47" TV and progressive output from my Onkyo DVD player was unacceptable. I switched to an open-box Denon DVD-1600 with the Faroudja chip ($250) and it's LEAPS AND BOUNDS better.

 

[V00DOO]

For $400 to $500 price ranch, you may want to consider HSU Research.

For more info goto Home Theater Spot.

 

[Booty]

Thanks for all the good info, guys. I'm not incredibly picky about alot of this stuff... I actually don't watch movies all that often, but when I do I'd like them to look and sound a lot better than they currently do. Truth be told, I could probably pick up a home-theater in a box and be happy with it compared to what I have now, but I know I'd want more. I've been looking at these products, and I'll be honest... $800 recievers and $1500 fronts are way beyond what I can justify spending any time in the near future. I figured if I was going to buy this thing piece-wise, I'd do it right, but maybe I need to re-think this.

I'll just swallow my pride and list what I've got... old Kenwood reciever (VR-207 I think), crappy cheap-o KLH fronts (also about 5 years old), old Realistic bookshelf speakers (used as surround), no center or sub. The DVD player is a combo DVD/VCR that I got for Christmas that I'm satisfied with for the time being... when I get a better TV, I might notice the difference and then get a new DVD player. The TV is an old Sanyo. Getting the picture? Old stuff... half of it hand-me-down... so, eventually I'd love to have a nice big HDTV and a balls-out home theater system, but I'm probably only going to be able to drop $500 or so at a time every couple of months into this thing, so... where to start?