Inexpensive home theater audio system.

[buck]

I am looking for some suggestions for an inexpensive home theater system that hopefully uses HDMI. I was hoping that someone here knew of a decent setup for cheap. Thanks for any thoughts.

 

[nismotigerwvu]

Ok, if you want bang of the buck, get yourself a nice receiver...like one of those onkyos you typically see on sale as refurbs...but a nice 7.1 with hdmi is a good start....You can get A LOT done right off the bat by using 2 floor standing speakers. They will certainly be more than enough bass and respond far better than any all-in-one package sub and should be able to make up for the lack of a center channel. You can then add pieces in one by one and sell off anything you don't want anymore (like say replace the standing speakers when you can afford a dedicated sub and get a nice set of satellites.

 

[nismotigerwvu]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?Item=N82E16882103209R

theres a good start

 

[buck]

Thanks for the advice, that makes alot of sense. I really dont think I need a sub yet so floorstanding speakers would be a great start. Now I just need to find a decent receiver for under $200.

 

[cheesehead]

Well, have you got $650?

Speakers: Radiient Elara 5.1 set - $350
http://www.radiient.com/Elara-...System?sc=2&category=6
This is the 5.1 version of the Radiient Europa speakers. The Radiient Europas are also sold stripped-down by Best Buy as the well-rated Insignia B-2111s. These are good speakers, and cheap, too!

NOTE:
If you're on a tight budget, wait 'till you can get the B-2111s (almost as good) for $60/pair. Buy three pairs, and use eiter one or two of them for a center channel.

Subwoofer: Dayton Sub120 - $150
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe...fm?&Partnumber=300-635
Dayton makes decent - and inexpensive - speakers. This is the biggest sub in their low-budget range. For $150, you're not going to get anything better.

NOTE: You could save $60, and get the Sub80. It's not nearly as good, though.

Receiver: Yamaha HTR-5940 - $150
http://www.radioshack.com/prod....jsp?productId=2428706
Yamaha makes good HT stuff. This is not the most expensive receiver, but when released it was considered a "good value for the money" - and that was for $320!

This setup costs very little, and should perform very well. IMO, 7.1 is silly; a good 5.1 system will smash a cheaper 7.1 system every time.

 

[Shawn]

Originally posted by: buck
Thanks for the advice, that makes alot of sense. I really dont think I need a sub yet so floorstanding speakers would be a great start. Now I just need to find a decent receiver for under $200.

Are you looking for a reciever that has HDMI? Because I don't think you are going to find one for under $200.

 

[cheesehead]

Originally posted by: Shawn

Originally posted by: buck
Thanks for the advice, that makes alot of sense. I really dont think I need a sub yet so floorstanding speakers would be a great start. Now I just need to find a decent receiver for under $200.

Are you looking for a reciever that has HDMI? Because I don't think you are going to find one for under $200.

Yeah, it's not likely.

I'd just go with the Yamaha I reccomended and an outboard HDMI switch

 

[buck]

How much more would i be looking at to get one with HDMI? If I have to wait, I have to wait. I am now thinking that I could start off with a decent receiver, and get two bookshelf speakers to start....

 

[Shawn]

Originally posted by: buck
How much more would i be looking at to get one with HDMI? If I have to wait, I have to wait. I am now thinking that I could start off with a decent receiver, and get two bookshelf speakers to start....

Well I have a Denon AVR-1603. It's a few years old but works and sounds great. It has plenty of power for my bookshelf speakers and I have no need for anything more than 5.1 surround.

If you are looking for something cheap until HDMI receivers get cheaper I'd pick up an older Denon like the one I have. I can't wait to check out the TrueHD on my HD DVDs but in the meantime my Toshiba HD-A2 converts the TrueHD to DTS when using the optical out and it still sounds pretty amazing.

 

[postmortemIA]

best Buy has some Receivers with HDMI inputs for $200

1

2

 

[buck]

Originally posted by: postmortemIA
best Buy has some Receivers with HDMI inputs for $200

1

That sony would work, I need to hunt down reviews for that thing. Thanks post.

 

[SLCentral]

You should realize that any receiver with HDMI under, say, $600, will only have HDMI PASSTHROUGH, for video only. Meaning not only will it not be doing any processing, just spitting out the signal the same way it came in (basically, a switcher), but you'll also have to run a seperate audio cable, like optical or digital coaxial. Just an FYI.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: SLCentral
You should realize that any receiver with HDMI under, say, $600, will only have HDMI PASSTHROUGH, for video only. Meaning not only will it not be doing any processing, just spitting out the signal the same way it came in (basically, a switcher), but you'll also have to run a seperate audio cable, like optical or digital coaxial. Just an FYI.

Wrong.

The H/K AVR-247 can be bought at Best Buy every now and then for around $425 (and online for under $350). It's a full HDMI processing/upconverting receiver.

All non-HDMI sources are upconverted and passed through the HDMI connection.

 

[SLCentral]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: SLCentral
You should realize that any receiver with HDMI under, say, $600, will only have HDMI PASSTHROUGH, for video only. Meaning not only will it not be doing any processing, just spitting out the signal the same way it came in (basically, a switcher), but you'll also have to run a seperate audio cable, like optical or digital coaxial. Just an FYI.

Wrong.

The H/K AVR-247 can be bought at Best Buy every now and then for around $425 (and online for under $350). It's a full HDMI processing/upconverting receiver.

All non-HDMI sources are upconverted and passed through the HDMI connection.

Well the MSRP of the AVR-247 is $499. The OP asked for something under $200. So yes, there are exceptions to what I said, but the MAJORITY of receivers under this price point with HDMI do not offer anything but passthrough. Hell, even the Pioneer Elite 90-series receiver, which is $649, only pass-throughs.

 

[postmortemIA]

so what's the point of passthrough? combines HDMI inputs to one output?

 

[sao123]

Originally posted by: SLCentral

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: SLCentral
You should realize that any receiver with HDMI under, say, $600, will only have HDMI PASSTHROUGH, for video only. Meaning not only will it not be doing any processing, just spitting out the signal the same way it came in (basically, a switcher), but you'll also have to run a seperate audio cable, like optical or digital coaxial. Just an FYI.

Wrong.

The H/K AVR-247 can be bought at Best Buy every now and then for around $425 (and online for under $350). It's a full HDMI processing/upconverting receiver.

All non-HDMI sources are upconverted and passed through the HDMI connection.

Well the MSRP of the AVR-247 is $499. The OP asked for something under $200. So yes, there are exceptions to what I said, but the MAJORITY of receivers under this price point with HDMI do not offer anything but passthrough. Hell, even the Pioneer Elite 90-series receiver, which is $649, only pass-throughs.

Many places have the Onkyo 605 for $399, and it has HDMI (not passthrough) and analog upconvert to HDMI... IMO this is the best budget reciever one can buy.

 

[krotchy]

Originally posted by: sao123

Many places have the Onkyo 605 for $399, and it has HDMI (not passthrough) and analog upconvert to HDMI... IMO this is the best budget reciever one can buy.

I just bought the 705 and I love it. The 605 is pretty much the same beast but with some stripped featured that I guarantee the op wouldnt miss. Honestly if you got the 605 OP you can upgrade the speakers slowly and end up with a terrific system.


However if you dont want to deal with this kinda expense, the Onkyo SR-800 is a fabulous HTIB that will more the cover all your needs and more. It can be found for under 450 bucks too. However HDMI is Switched only, unlike the 605 which can also play audio via HDMI.

 

[buck]

Ok, I almost pulled the trigger this weekend but thought I should come back and make sure what I am getting is what I can use.

Let me be more specific about what I have and what I want to do with my 42" lcd hdtv.


1.)My hd cable box *does not* have hdmi, only component. So decent sound from this.

2.)I have a xbox360 with component, I want to be able to play games and have the sound be great (having people over for halo3 party). I guess I will have to use the optical for this.

3.)I am getting a Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD Player, I want crisp quality sound for my dvds. I understand that I will not be getting $1000 worth of sound perfection, but enough that when I have people over for "300", it will impress me (and them).

4.)Good sounding cds (doesnt take much for this I guess).

I should have been this clear in my original post, but here it is.

The receiver I almost got this weekend was the onkyo 505, for $250ish. Would this be fine for a couple of years till I get a house and can really get something special?

Thank you so much for your help.

 

[krotchy]

Originally posted by: buck
Ok, I almost pulled the trigger this weekend but thought I should come back and make sure what I am getting is what I can use.

Let me be more specific about what I have and what I want to do with my 42" lcd hdtv.


1.)My hd cable box *does not* have hdmi, only component. So decent sound from this.

2.)I have a xbox360 with component, I want to be able to play games and have the sound be great (having people over for halo3 party). I guess I will have to use the optical for this.

3.)I am getting a Toshiba HD-A2 HD DVD Player, I want crisp quality sound for my dvds. I understand that I will not be getting $1000 worth of sound perfection, but enough that when I have people over for "300", it will impress me (and them).

4.)Good sounding cds (doesnt take much for this I guess).

I should have been this clear in my original post, but here it is.

The receiver I almost got this weekend was the onkyo 505, for $250ish. Would this be fine for a couple of years till I get a house and can really get something special?

Thank you so much for your help.

1) If your Cable box has Coax or Optical out use that. If you are stuck with only L/R from the cable box there isnt much you can do about audio. Remember Component is Video ONLY. HDMI has Video and Audio (Slightly better audio than Coax/Optical)

2) Xbox 360 + Optical is the way to go for sure. Mine sounds fantastic this way to my Onkyo 705

3) The HD-A2 would be best hooked up to a reciever that can decrypt audio via HDMI, but you wont lose much if anything from Optical/Coax.

4) L/R Input is all your gonna get from a typical CD player. If your using your 360 it will do optical, but most solutions will be the same here.


The Onkyo 505 is nice, and considering your needs will fit you just fine. Going Coax from your cable box and HD-A2, and Optical from your Xbox you would still have 1 Digital input free. The HDMI switch is nice and all, but remember no audio comes in through this.

Personally though I would upgrade to the Onkyo 605 for a real keeper and can be had for 400-450 if you get the right deal. Still this is alot more than 250, so its alot to consider. The ability to take Audio over HDMI and not just switch it is awesome and the 605 is the cheapest receiver you will find that can do it. However it only has 2 HDMI ports so its not a huge deal.

The 705 is the best point for price/features. The 705 has 3 HDMI, tons of Digital Inputs, THX Select2 certification, and Pre-outs for all 7.1 channels + a Powered zone 2. Honestly I feel like its a receiver that can last you 10 years without considering change.

To Sum up:

505 - Will suit you now, but not super flexible, although at this price it has an amazing feature set. At 250 price cant be touched, and it will likely suit you perfectly well, plus can always get a 2nd life in another room if you want to upgrade.
605 - Adds HDMI audio and more power/features including component -> HDMI upconversion (up to 720p). Good mix of power and features at 400-450ish
705 - Powered Zone 2, 7.1 Pre-outs, 3 HDMI and 6 Digital inputs, Neural THX 7.1 DSP, more powerful autoconfig and THX Certification. At 600-650ish its definitely expensive but will last a long time.

Honestly you cant go wrong with any of them IMO, but really Id suggest the 505 or 705 depending on how adventurous you are and how long you want this to be your main receiver.

2 years ago I was in your situation and opted for the SR-590S HTIB from Onkyo and the system more than sufficed until I just needed something bigger with more inputs. Now that system is in my bedroom for its second life and I am still happy with it. I just moved onto the 705 in my living room. If you can see yourself buying the 505 and then moving it to your bedroom till the next gen Onkyo's are out then by all means do it. You wont be disappointed with any of their receivers.

 

[buck]

Thanks so much for that info.
Now for my next questions leading off of your info Krotchy....

Why do i need to have my hdmi/video input go through the receiver? If the 505 doesnt accept audio from the hdmi, what is the benefit?

Would I be better off getting a $200 receiver with no HDMI and use the extra for my speaker fund? Am I going to lose any signifigant audio sound (play dvds) with a receiver like the 505 or the next one down?


I realize that I will lose quality with each step that I take off the price I am going to pay for the receiver. I am just trying to find my cut off point that would keep me pretty happy and the Fiance sane. I am pretty sure I am going to get the 505, I was just curious about these questions.

 

[Shawn]

If you hook up the Toshiba HD-A2 to that receiver you will have to use an optical connection. It'll still sound great, but you won't get TrueHD. That can only be sent through an HDMI connection. I don't know how much better TrueHD is since I haven't heard it for myself, but other people have said that it sounds amazing.

 

[buck]

Originally posted by: Shawn
If you hook up the Toshiba HD-A2 to that receiver you will have to use an optical connection. It'll still sound great, but you won't get TrueHD. That can only be sent through an HDMI connection. I don't know how much better TrueHD is since I haven't heard it for myself, but other people have said that it sounds amazing.

What kind of receiver are you using? (I see you have that same HDDVD player)

 

[Shawn]

Originally posted by: buck

Originally posted by: Shawn
If you hook up the Toshiba HD-A2 to that receiver you will have to use an optical connection. It'll still sound great, but you won't get TrueHD. That can only be sent through an HDMI connection. I don't know how much better TrueHD is since I haven't heard it for myself, but other people have said that it sounds amazing.

What kind of receiver are you using? (I see you have that same HDDVD player)

See my other post in this thread ^^^. It's a Denon AVR-1603. It doesn't have any HDMI connections.

 

[cheesehead]

Originally posted by: buck


Would I be better off getting a $200 receiver with no HDMI and use the extra for my speaker fund? Am I going to lose any signifigant audio sound (play dvds) with a receiver like the 505 or the next one down?

Oh good gravy yes. Yes, yes, yes. Even cheap receivers will sound worlds better with half-decent speakers.

Three pairs of NSB-2111s ($65/pair from Best Buy) plus an inexpensive sub is a cheap way to get 6.1 sound that won't be half bad.