Need Recommendations for 5.1 setup

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Glavinsolo
I'm a total noob these days when it comes to receivers and speakers.

I have about $300 max to spend on a 5.1 setup. Receiver and speakers.
I don't need it to include a dvd player as I'll be buying a ps3 along with this.

Any suggestions?

300 is not enough for a receiver and 5.1 speakers that are decent. Honestly, for that budget I would say your best bet would be the Logitech Z-5500's.

It pains me to say that but from my experience it does beat out the cheapo $300 HTiB. You're not going to piece together a system for $300. Well, I suppose you could almost do a few pairs of Polk R50's and a cheapo/refurb Onkyo receiver. However, you still would have no sub.

If you can save up more to be able to get something more worthwhile I Would suggest that.

 

[Glavinsolo]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: Glavinsolo
I'm a total noob these days when it comes to receivers and speakers.

I have about $300 max to spend on a 5.1 setup. Receiver and speakers.
I don't need it to include a dvd player as I'll be buying a ps3 along with this.

Any suggestions?

300 is not enough for a receiver and 5.1 speakers that are decent. Honestly, for that budget I would say your best bet would be the Logitech Z-5500's.

It pains me to say that but from my experience it does beat out the cheapo $300 HTiB. You're not going to piece together a system for $300. Well, I suppose you could almost do a few pairs of Polk R50's and a cheapo/refurb Onkyo receiver. However, you still would have no sub.

If you can save up more to be able to get something more worthwhile I Would suggest that.

http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-Y...er-Black/dp/B000O3OER8

 

[Glavinsolo]

Hello all,

I am looking for a budget HTIB. 5.1 setup, no need for added dvd player. Just receiver 2 front 2 rear and center/sub.

I found this http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16882115101

Its a Yamaha, they used to be good don't know about how they are now.

Anyhow that is around where I want to be in terms of price. Is there anything else out there better for the money?


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[Glavinsolo]

I also just found this setup

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm...uctDetail.do#prodspecs

Any thoughts

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Glavinsolo
I also just found this setup

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm...uctDetail.do#prodspecs

Any thoughts

Many people recommend this as a budget HTiB setup. It's $120 over your original stated budget though.

As for the Yamaha, I haven't heard anything about it but it appears to be fairly basic. Without hearing it though I can't comment on its quality.

 

[Glavinsolo]

Originally posted by: PurdueRy

Originally posted by: Glavinsolo
I also just found this setup

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm...uctDetail.do#prodspecs

Any thoughts

Many people recommend this as a budget HTiB setup. It's $120 over your original stated budget though.

As for the Yamaha, I haven't heard anything about it but it appears to be fairly basic. Without hearing it though I can't comment on its quality.

Thanks,

Yeah the Onkyo HT-SR800 is decent for the money. Is there anything close to it that has

• On screen display

• Speaker Upscaling (using middle speakers when 5.1 is used)

• Full HDMI support

 

[Glavinsolo]

Ok I finally figured out everything that I need in a home theater system if anyone knows it exists. I know its probably going to be out of range of my first naive choice. I try and look for best value not necessarily with in a budget.

Receiver
On Screen Display
>or=2 HDMI in and >or=1 HDMI out (non Pass through)
If a 7.1 system have the speakers in the mid be upscaled when playing 5.1


Speakers
7.1 or 5.1 doesn't matter
3 way front and/or 3 way rear
Wireless Rear speakers and/or wireless sub (as long as it is known that this doesn't severely degrade quality)

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: Glavinsolo
Ok I finally figured out everything that I need in a home theater system if anyone knows it exists. I know its probably going to be out of range of my first naive choice. I try and look for best value not necessarily with in a budget.

Receiver
On Screen Display
>or=2 HDMI in and >or=1 HDMI out (non Pass through)
If a 7.1 system have the speakers in the mid be upscaled when playing 5.1


Speakers
7.1 or 5.1 doesn't matter
3 way front and/or 3 way rear
Wireless Rear speakers and/or wireless sub (as long as it is known that this doesn't severely degrade quality)

Yes, that would be over your budget. Couple questions for you:

1. Why do you need a on screen display out of a budget model?
2. I am not sure what you mean by "have the speakers in the mid be upscaled when playing 5.1" I can guess you mean you want them all to play which would just be PLII. Something most every receiver that is new has. However, you really don't have the budget to go 7.1.
3. Why do you want 3 way speakers? You simple won't find these in your price range and they have disadvantages that make them not a smart choice for you.
4. You aren't going to find wireless speakers unless you get a computer speaker setup. Keep in mind that wireless speakers need to be plugged into the wall unlike wired models and are therefore not wireless at all.

 

[krotchy]

Pretty much the cheapest HDMI receiver with audio processing is the Onkyo 605, and its still a quite nice receiver. It also has an on screen display via HDMI. You can find it for about 380 dollars or so on sale. However this is going to make your budget a good deal higher than your initial statements.

For speakers, you could combine it with the Onkyo HT-SKS540 speaker system which can be had for 240 dollars, giving you a 620 dollar system. Cnet gave that 7.1 set a pretty darn good review for the money, and I actually have this exact setup in my bedroom as a secondary system.

However I would recommend hitting Yoyo's thread for some other speaker idea. Personally I really like the Athena LS series which are on clearance at audioadvisor. The only problem there is Klipsch bought their parent company out and phased out the entire Athena brand. Still you can get a nice setup based around the LS-100B Fronts, LS-C100B Center and some LS-50 rears for a nice price right now, though they are only 2-way, which is still good.

If you feel you need 3-way speakers, I honestly cannot think of a good cheap set to recommend.

For subwoofers, the cheapest one that people recommend is the Dayton Sub12 from partsexpress (120 dollars or so). The cheapest one which is recommended frequently at avsforum is the BIC Acoustech H-100 (250 Dollars)

Again all this is going to up your initial recommendations significantly, but it can be worth it.