YAHTT

[Oscar1613]

so i got my tv, next up is the sound system. i have a mid-sized apt living room so i dont need anything incredibly powerful. dont have any existing system, so i'd need to get anything and everything. budget is $1-2k, any suggestions are greatly appreciated

 

[apac]

If you need to start new I like the low end Denon receivers, but I highly recommend you scour the FS/T forum for a nice used receiver. I also recommend you check out www.svsound.com or www.hsuresearch.com for a subwoofer (probably ~$500). Hsu has a great deal on their VTF3-MK2 subs right now ($550 for a normally $700 sub), which I own and can personally attest to.

I'll leave speakers to Jello.

 

[Tiamat]

With the couch against the wall, I wouldnt bother with surround sound as you cannot get it set up correctly (according to dolby). I would probably spend 500$ on the Hsu sub as mentioned and then check out appropriate receivers for the features you want. Av123's X series has budget in mind...

 

[Oscar1613]

Originally posted by: Tiamat
With the couch against the wall, I wouldnt bother with surround sound as you cannot get it set up correctly (according to dolby). I would probably spend 500$ on the Hsu sub as mentioned and then check out appropriate receivers for the features you want. Av123's X series has budget in mind...

dolby says surround speakers can be perpendicular to the couch

 

[DaveSimmons]

What are you going to connect? How many consoles, DVD players, cable-sat boxes, etc and what types of connections?

The number of optical & coax digital inputs and HDMI / component inputs is something to keep in mind picking out a receiver, or a home theater in a box system that includes one.

Edit: in my tiny living room I just have the back speakers on the floor on both sides of the couch facing up. It works.

 

[jpeyton]

Text X 3

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[Oscar1613]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
What are you going to connect? How many consoles, DVD players, cable-sat boxes, etc and what types of connections?

The number of optical & coax digital inputs and HDMI / component inputs is something to keep in mind picking out a receiver, or a home theater in a box system that includes one.

Edit: in my tiny living room I just have the back speakers on the floor on both sides of the couch facing up. It works.

so far just one cable box via HDMI. need a DVD player (using PC via DVI for now), either HDMI or component. i'll probably get a wii once they become more available, dunno what that connects with tho. tv has 2 HDMI and 2 component connections, as well as 2 composite/s-video connections but i don't use them for anything right now

 

[nsafreak]

Jpeyton, insignia speakers?! Ugh.

$2k for an audio budget is pretty good. I presume you have the other components (DVD player, etc.) already so I won't bother recommending those components. Here's what I would recommend for each part of the home theater:

Receiver:

Harman Kardon AVR-245 nice feature set with pre-amp outputs for when you need more power you can hook it up to an amp
Denon 2807 a solid receiver with a solid feature set along with pre-amp outs as well. Will likely be more expensive than the H/K though

Speakers:

Paradigm Cinema 90CT I really like the Paradigm speakers that I have auditioned. I have a Paradigm subwoofer personally and I'm saving up for matching speakers.
Fluance SX-HTB I haven't listened to them personally but I have heard good things about them

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Jpeyton, insignia speakers?! Ugh.

Hahahahaha :laugh:

 

[TheGizmo]

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Jpeyton, insignia speakers?! Ugh.

Hahahahaha :laugh:

yea seriously don't listen to that guy. insignia FTL

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: TheGizmo

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Jpeyton, insignia speakers?! Ugh.

Hahahahaha :laugh:

yea seriously don't listen to that guy. insignia FTL

The insignias are supposed to be pretty darn good for the price, but if you have a $1k - $2k budget, I think you can get something a lot better.

For $1k, SVS or AV123 X-Series would be good choices.

For closer to $2k, Ascend Acoustics, Axiom, AV123 rockets, etc. would be good online brands.

The speakers are going to be the biggest factor in how things are going to sound in the end. It's pretty tough to pick out something without hearing it though. Some of these online brands have some great trial periods though. For example you could buy a pair of X-LS from AV123 and try them out in your house. If you don't like them, you can send them back and get your money back.

If you can go out to some retail AV stores and try some speakers in person, that would be a great way to figure out what kind of sound you like. Even if you don't buy anything there, it could give you an idea of the kind of products online that might have a sound that appeals to you.

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: TheGizmo

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Jpeyton, insignia speakers?! Ugh.

Hahahahaha :laugh:

yea seriously don't listen to that guy. insignia FTL

nsafreak & TheGizmo, once again proving that the retards on ATOT are no match for AVSForum/Audioholics/Audioasylum.

 

[nsafreak]

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: TheGizmo

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Jpeyton, insignia speakers?! Ugh.

Hahahahaha :laugh:

yea seriously don't listen to that guy. insignia FTL

nsafreak & TheGizmo, once again proving that the retards on ATOT are no match for AVSForum/Audioholics/Audioasylum.

And I wondered why somebody went through the trouble of writing a FireFox addon to specifically block jpeyton posts. I should have been more specific I suppose though. Insignia's aren't that bad when it comes to speakers but when your budget is $1K to $2K you really should be looking at something better.

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: nsafreak

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: TheGizmo

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Jpeyton, insignia speakers?! Ugh.

Hahahahaha :laugh:

yea seriously don't listen to that guy. insignia FTL

nsafreak & TheGizmo, once again proving that the retards on ATOT are no match for AVSForum/Audioholics/Audioasylum.

And I wondered why somebody went through the trouble of writing a FireFox addon to specifically block jpeyton posts. I should have been more specific I suppose though. Insignia's aren't that bad when it comes to speakers but when your budget is $1K to $2K you really should be looking at something better.

Yes, like some premium Fluance, right? :laugh:

And you're recommending budget speakers you haven't even listened to.

 

[Imported]

Anyone here have the Panasonic SA-XR57? I've read quite a few good things about it on AVSForum and I'm currently looking to get it. My budget is quite a bit less and so far I'm getting the Velodyne CHT Front Row speakers, BIC H-100 sub, and the only thing left is a receiver in the $300ish price range.

 

[Oscar1613]

from the HK spec:

Question: I've connected the HDMI? output on my DVD player, set-top box or other source device to one of the receiver's HDMI inputs, and I've connected the receiver's HDMI output to an input on my video display or TV. Although I am able to see the picture on the display and I can hear audio through the TV's speakers, why can't I hear any audio through the speakers connected to the receiver, even when I disable the TV's speakers?
Answer: Your receiver is capable of switching HDMI signals, but it cannot access the data and process it. Thus, the receiver is passing the audio and video information through to your video display without processing it in any way.

are there any receivers that can process the HDMI audio? or do they all require an optical/coax connection too?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Oscar1613
from the HK spec:

Question: I've connected the HDMI? output on my DVD player, set-top box or other source device to one of the receiver's HDMI inputs, and I've connected the receiver's HDMI output to an input on my video display or TV. Although I am able to see the picture on the display and I can hear audio through the TV's speakers, why can't I hear any audio through the speakers connected to the receiver, even when I disable the TV's speakers?
Answer: Your receiver is capable of switching HDMI signals, but it cannot access the data and process it. Thus, the receiver is passing the audio and video information through to your video display without processing it in any way.

are there any receivers that can process the HDMI audio? or do they all require an optical/coax connection too?

Some will process the audio as well, but the low end receivers with HDMI just tend to have switching.

Unless you're going to be using a player in the future that will only output certain audio tracks via HDMI (like HD-DVD players and such if they don't have multichannel analog outputs), then it's not such a big deal. Digital optical or digital coaxial are still going to get you very good results.

 

[Oscar1613]

yeah... it'd just be nice to have everything on one cable

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: nsafreak

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: TheGizmo

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Jpeyton, insignia speakers?! Ugh.

Hahahahaha :laugh:

yea seriously don't listen to that guy. insignia FTL

nsafreak & TheGizmo, once again proving that the retards on ATOT are no match for AVSForum/Audioholics/Audioasylum.

And I wondered why somebody went through the trouble of writing a FireFox addon to specifically block jpeyton posts. I should have been more specific I suppose though. Insignia's aren't that bad when it comes to speakers but when your budget is $1K to $2K you really should be looking at something better.

Yes, like some premium Fluance, right? :laugh:

And you're recommending budget speakers you haven't even listened to.

Yeah the fluance are rather "meh"

If you absolutely need floorstanders and your total budget was around $750 or something for 5.1, then they might be a good idea.

Having experience with them vs. decent bookshelf speakers, they're quite easy to surpass in terms of sound quality. I have not heard the Insignias, but I would put my money on them sounding significantly better than the Fluance set.

Polk R30s / R50s / R300s and such from outpost when they go on sale would be my first thought for budget floorstanders.

With a $1k-$2k budget though, I think those are all a tier (or two) below the options that could be afforded.

I wouldn't spend too much on the receiver if possible either. I have no doubt that the Denon 2807 is a nice one, but spending ~$900-$1k of a $1k-$2k budget on just the receiver doesn't make sense to me.

btw, is used / refurb an option for you Oscar1613?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Oscar1613
yeah... it'd just be nice to have everything on one cable

I never really saw the big deal about that since it's just two cables instead of one. Going from 6-8 analog cables to transmit surround audio to a single digital cable seems like a big improvement in terms of cabling, but just running one more audio cable from the player to the receiver never seemed like a big deal to me.

I guess every bit helps though

 

[nsafreak]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: Oscar1613
yeah... it'd just be nice to have everything on one cable

I never really saw the big deal about that since it's just two cables instead of one. Going from 6-8 analog cables to transmit surround audio to a single digital cable seems like a big improvement in terms of cabling, but just running one more audio cable from the player to the receiver never seemed like a big deal to me.

I guess every bit helps though

That's how the rear of mine should look. Instead it's a royal mess with all of the wires I have running back there. Did you just use standard electrical tape on that?

 

[Oscar1613]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: Oscar1613
yeah... it'd just be nice to have everything on one cable

I never really saw the big deal about that since it's just two cables instead of one. Going from 6-8 analog cables to transmit surround audio to a single digital cable seems like a big improvement in terms of cabling, but just running one more audio cable from the player to the receiver never seemed like a big deal to me.

I guess every bit helps though

yeah its not a big deal... i was just curious, cause all things being equal, i'd prefer the single. but if i have to search extensively for one or pay a huge premium, then yeah i'd just take one with coax/optical.

used/refurb is an option, but i'd prefer new unless it was a killer deal

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: nsafreak

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: Oscar1613
yeah... it'd just be nice to have everything on one cable

I never really saw the big deal about that since it's just two cables instead of one. Going from 6-8 analog cables to transmit surround audio to a single digital cable seems like a big improvement in terms of cabling, but just running one more audio cable from the player to the receiver never seemed like a big deal to me.

I guess every bit helps though

That's how the rear of mine should look. Instead it's a royal mess with all of the wires I have running back there. Did you just use standard electrical tape on that?

That's duct tape stuck to itself to create non-sticky rings. I don't know if that made sense or not. Both the inside and outside of the rings are the grey side.

The power cables all run out the left side (as seen from the front) holes while the signal cables run through the right side. the power cables, speakers wires, and video cables all take different paths from the bottom and are as far away from each other as I could manage.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Oscar1613

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: Oscar1613
yeah... it'd just be nice to have everything on one cable

I never really saw the big deal about that since it's just two cables instead of one. Going from 6-8 analog cables to transmit surround audio to a single digital cable seems like a big improvement in terms of cabling, but just running one more audio cable from the player to the receiver never seemed like a big deal to me.

I guess every bit helps though

yeah its not a big deal... i was just curious, cause all things being equal, i'd prefer the single. but if i have to search extensively for one or pay a huge premium, then yeah i'd just take one with coax/optical.

used/refurb is an option, but i'd prefer new unless it was a killer deal

I haven't been keeping up on the latest round of receivers so I'm not sure what the best options are for HDMI capability.

Fannerman91 posted a link to this thread about a week ago with some information about the capabilities of different HDMI offerings.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=738511

If I were in your position and it came down to either getting a receiver with full HDMI capability and getting budget speakers
or
Getting a decent receiver that lacks HDMI but getting better speakers

Then I'd go with the cheaper receiver and better speakers/sub. The receiver is probably going to be the component that's obsolete soonest so I wouldn't spend the bulk of the money there.

On a $1k budget, I'd be thinking maybe ~$200-$300 on the receiver
On a $2k budget, I'd be thinking maybe ~$500 on the receiver

Personally I'd rather have the better speakers and sub than have to compromise on that part of the system in order to get more connectivity from the receiver unless you really NEED to have that feature.

 

[Oscar1613]

how about the panasonic xr700