Hi,
I am buying my first home, and in turn, I am buying my first home theater system. I hope to get a good lcd tv (around 46 inches). I'm having trouble understanding much of the technical jargon, so I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction if I provided more laymens terms.
I don't think I've really provided that much info, so if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
Thanks.
Welcome to the site gmoiey.
If you are starting from scratch, you can always to the HTIB route. It'll give you all the bits you need, and if you buy the right ones they are upgradeable for later down the road so you don't have to replace everything in your setup when you decide you want better sound.
This link will take you to a comparison page between two of my personal choices for HTIB's. Both the Onkyo HT-S6200 and the Denon/Polk HT Bundle use standard bits and pieces. Now decision time...... I have always been a fan for the Onkyo kits because you get the most bang for the buck but either kit will allow you to hit the ground running.
If this wan't what you had in mind, let me know and I'll come up with some other ideas too...
And congratulations on your new home!
Current Gear: Sammy DLP Sony DVD [pre-HDMI] Sony STR-DE 995 Sony speakers
Hi srothfuss,
Thanks for responding. Is 7.1 really that much better than 5.1? Where are the other 2 speakers supposed to go? I have been looking at 5.1 receivers and speakers as I didn't think I would really notice the difference between the two.
I have been told Bose speakers are quite good, and I love the small form factor, but they come with an expensive price tag, and I still haven't figured out if the big speaker is supposed to go in front, or in the back.
I did some research, and I have pretty much come to the realization that I want my receiver to be the brains of the 'operation' so to speak. Since I am buying everything new, I don't expect to have an old hookups (i.e. everything will be connected through hdmi, if possible). With that in mind, it would still be nice to have video up-conversion. Also video/audio switching through hdmi is a must (I don't see the point of sending separate audio cables to the tv if the hdmi can handle it).
Most receivers these days are going to give you 7.1 or 7.2 (second sub channel), and It will definitely need to be the way you go, if you are planning a second zone. If you do a search on Dolby or THX 7.1, you will probably yield good diagrams outlining the rear channels and placement. Most manufacturer's these days include diagrams of your placement options if going with the 7.1, OR second zone. If you are going HTIB, as Srothfuss recommends, he's got a couple good options, If you are piecing out the equipment, Onkyo is still a very good choice the 607 has a ton of headroom and "futureproofing" (if that is even possible in an age where tech passes like the wind...) Look at Harman Kardon, Denon, Yamaha...you really can't go wrong. It's all in how much you are willing to spend.
Speakers are too subjective to give options here, so I will advise you to listen, and audition as many and as much as you can afford... Some of the boutiques will pressure you to buy, DEFINITELY do a price comparison with online retailers. I have given my opinion on Bose here before, and they DO fit for SOME people, but for the pricepoint, do yourself, (and your ears) a favor, and look/listen to other less expensive options. (OR at least how much MORE you can get with the price...)
Planar PD 7060 Projector Technics SH AC 500D KLH R 5100 5.1 Onkyo DVCP 701 6 disc Xbox 360/ Orig. Xbox/Softmodded Paradigm Focus B and CC 270 Dayton "Tiny Mighty" 10" subwoofer Bose 201 v 5
gmoniey: Is 7.1 really that much better than 5.1? Where are the other 2 speakers supposed to go? I have been looking at 5.1 receivers and speakers as I didn't think I would really notice the difference between the two.
I don't use a 7.1 setup myself. I think that 5.1 is more than enough for most situations. The extra two speakers would be placed in the rear of your room - to create more surround sound for movies. If you have the time, the Crutchfield Learning Center - for Home Theater has all kinds of information on speaker placement, speaker selection and other topics that relate to this area. There are so many useful and helpful articles that I still haven't read through them all.
gmoniey: I have been told Bose speakers are quite good, and I love the small form factor, but they come with an expensive price tag, and I still haven't figured out if the big speaker is supposed to go in front, or in the back.
I can fully understand this challenge. I've been planning on a new H/T system for the past few months and I plan on doing a system with small speakers and big sound. Honestly I haven't considered BOSE yet. Mostly I've been looking at the Mirage line of speakers for an on-wall placement.
For placemement you want to use speakers with a wide range of frequency response for your front speakers & center channel. The larger the range, the better the sound (in most cases.) You generally want the front speakers L&R and the center channel to be match pieces. You have some flexibilty in the rear speakers since they don't work as much as the fronts.
gmoniey:I did some research, and I have pretty much come to the realization that I want my receiver to be the brains of the 'operation' so to speak. Since I am buying everything new, I don't expect to have an old hookups (i.e. everything will be connected through hdmi, if possible). With that in mind, it would still be nice to have video up-conversion. Also video/audio switching through hdmi is a must (I don't see the point of sending separate audio cables to the tv if the hdmi can handle it).
Nice. If you are planning to buy individual components you can get all of those features in a lot of recievers these days. Have you picked out any pieces yet?
I've got to run but post back and we'll try to figure out what solution works best for you.
Hi Guys,
Thanks for getting back to me, I appreciate it as I feel a bit like a fish out of water. I haven't picked out any pieces yet (even the tv), and I have another week or so before I need to, so I hope to use this time wisely.
I have been reading a lot of reviews and such about both receivers and speakers, and I feel like I am making progress, but I still think I am a ways out before committing to any particular piece.
As for the speakers, I just threw BOSE out there because it was suggested to me; in all honesty, they are most likely out of my price range. I just like them because of their small form factor. I really want the speakers to hang from the ceiling (except for the sub) as that will ensure that I don't necessarily need an end table to place it on. I did read up on the Mirage, and even found some good reviews for the Energy Take Classic; but other than those two, I haven't been able to find many other small form speakers.
As for the receiver, I was worried that going with 7.1 would just be a waste of 'power' (or some other key factor). But it may make sense for me, as my living room is rather large, and awkwardly shaped. In fact, It might help if I draw a diagram of my living room layout. I will try and do that sometime tonight.
I am definitely finding your comments helpful though, as it is at the least, helping me define a set of minumum specs for my reciever (i.e. 4 hdmi inputs, 1080p up conversion...do I really need up conversion if all of my inputs are hdmi already?)
The Mirage Nano's and Omni's garner great reviews, listen if you can. I have a couple good friends who picked up the Energy's VERY good for the pricepoint.
Good luck and post back, whatever your decision
After doing a lot of research (and taking your advice into account), I think I have narrowed the system down to fit my budget (well, maybe a little over my budget...but isn't that always the case), and my needs. To recap the key factors, I am essentially looking for a receiver with good hdmi up conversion, multiroom support, and a set of good small form speakers. Please feel free to be as critical as you like with my decisions, as I would rather hear it now, than after I make my purchases.
For the speakers, it is basically down to the Energy RC 5.1 and the Mirage Nanostat 5.1. They are essentially at the same price point, both have the form factor I am looking for, and both have great reviews. I am leaning towards the Energy however.
For the receiver, it looks like the Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K will fit my needs the best; however, I am also looking at the Onkyo TX-SR607, Yamaha RX-V765 and the Denon AVR1910.
I hope to have these hooked up to a Samsung 52" LCD (Either the LN52B750 or LN52B630).
I have a couple of other questions if you guys don't mind (sorry, half of it is excitement about this new system, and the other half is concern about spending a lot of money just to get it wrong).
Generally speaking, I have heard that the wire that comes with speakers are sub par, would you agree? If so, what gauge would you recommend (and to which speakers)?
Lastly, I drew a little sketch of what my setup will look like. I am most concerned that I may be placing the speakers in the wrong places, and I want to avoid drilling too many holes in the ceiling/floor (The sub will be on the floor, and the speakers will be ceiling mounted). You can find my living room mockup here: http://www.gliffy.com/publish/1879780/ (please excuse the crud drawing)
Thanks again guys...I really appreciate your advice.
First off, my interests are mainly in car stereo, so take anything I post here with a grain of salt ....
gmoniey:For the receiver, it looks like the Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K will fit my needs the best; however, I am also looking at the Onkyo TX-SR607, Yamaha RX-V765 and the Denon AVR1910.
For home stereo, I've heard more positives about Onkyo or Denon than Yamaha or Pioneer, but it's all second-hand info from me.
I never heard of speakers coming with wire, but I think a lot of the fancy brand-name wire is mostly hype. Decent quality wire is worth investing in, but don't go for the outlandish claims (and prices). There is a wire size calculator here.
Speaker placement doesn't look ideal to me, but I'm no expert. Are the speakers only for home theater, or for music also? I'm sure other members will chime in, but CF also has a free A/V Design Group that you could run your ideas past.
Hope This Helps!!!
Anyone else have suggestions?
2002 Ford Focus Sony CDX-GT410u Sony XT-100HD HD Tuner Stock speakers, no amp, no subs
TigerHeli: For home stereo, I've heard more positives about Onkyo or Denon than Yamaha or Pioneer, but it's all second-hand info from me.
I would generally agree, in fact, I accidentally stumbled upon this reciever when looking for reviews for an onkyo set on cnet. But it seems to have great reviews for a mid range review.
Thanks, I will submit a post there.
Sorry for the slow response.. It has been busy on my side of the fence the past 2 days. However....
gmoniey:Thanks for getting back to me, I appreciate it as I feel a bit like a fish out of water. I haven't picked out any pieces yet (even the tv), and I have another week or so before I need to, so I hope to use this time wisely.
No problem. There's a lot to learn so ask all the questions that you have.
gmoniey:Energy Take Classic
Boy, I just looked at these online and they seem (on paper) to be the way to go. I'm going to go audtion some on Saturday at a local reseller. I might end up going with Engery over the Mirage... So many choices...
gmoniey:As for the receiver, I was worried that going with 7.1 would just be a waste of 'power' (or some other key factor). But it may make sense for me, as my living room is rather large, and awkwardly shaped. In fact, It might help if I draw a diagram of my living room layout.
You can refer to this article in the crutchfield learning center: In-Wall, On Ceiling Placement to assist you in setup. I would try to get all the speakers directed towards your listening area ear level.
For me - it's always been the Onkyo 607. Not trying to persuade you but out of those... I personally would go Onkyo.
gmoniey:Generally speaking, I have heard that the wire that comes with speakers are sub par, would you agree? If so, what gauge would you recommend (and to which speakers)?
In all the speakers I've ever bought there was a packaged set of 20gauge speaker wire. Personally, I perfer larger gauge wire that can handle higher voltages without building up resistance and creating voltage drops over long runs. This is where the new wire comes from... Buying quality, low oxygen stuff is up to you. But thicker gauge wire is recommended.
Here's a great article written by Amanda on choosing and installing speaker wire
Keep the questions coming...
srothfuss:For me - it's always been the Onkyo 607. Not trying to persuade you but out of those... I personally would go Onkyo.
Yea, I still have my reservations about going with a Pioneer model, as TigerHeli mentioned, you generally dont think of Pioneer as a good audio brand. It was really this cnet review that got me thinking about the pioner (http://reviews.cnet.com/av-receivers/pioneer-vsx-1019ah-k/4505-6466_7-33496205.html) and here is the review for the onkyo (http://reviews.cnet.com/av-receivers/onkyo-tx-sr607-black/4505-6466_7-33553470.html).
The review really praised the up conversion ability, and the ipod features, but then again, you don't know how much time they put into each review, so you have to take it with a grain of salt. I read a bunch of other reviews online, and for the most part they were good, but there were also some bad ones, complaining that the specified output wattage was much higher than reality. Also, everyone generally complained about this unit overheating. I really want something that will last me years, as I don't plan on purchasing these items for a long time (I'm the kind of person who will be content for the next 10 years)
Seems like I still have to do some thinking / research about the receiver. Part of the problem is that there are so many out there, and its difficult to widdle down. Also, a receiver is not really something you can demo at the store, as you don't encounter many of the headaches until you bring it home.
srothfuss:In all the speakers I've ever bought there was a packaged set of 20gauge speaker wire. Personally, I perfer larger gauge wire that can handle higher voltages without building up resistance and creating voltage drops over long runs. This is where the new wire comes from... Buying quality, low oxygen stuff is up to you. But thicker gauge wire is recommended. Here's a great article written by Amanda on choosing and installing speaker wire
Yea...thats what I meant when I referred to the speaker wire. The gauge, not the brand. I think the expensive wires like monster are just marketed as holy water, but dont make much of a difference (except for price of course).
Thanks again for all your help!
An option to ease the reciever purchase: Buy from a company that has a return policy for electronics. That way, you can try out the Pioneer unit and have, at least, one option if the unit is not to your liking.
Pioneer is a great company. I have used some of their AV equipment in the past, but not recently.
I was doing some more research on recievers and came across the Harman Kardon AVR 3600. I haven't found too many reviews on this piece, so I was wondering if anyone had it, or a model like it?
Thanks