Home Theater Options/Question?

[brucebanner]

Well after having my current set up for the last 4+ years I figured it was time to upgrade my home theater system. So as an early xmas gift to myself I went out and purchased for myself a Sharp Aquos LCD of the 70" variety(http://www.sharp.ca/en-CA/ForHome/Ho...C70LE732U.aspx). Now I'm not anywhere near as baller as Rage and whoever else picked up the new 80" but a real nice upgrade from my current 46".

With my current set up I have a Samsung home theater in a box and it served me well but I would like something new, with blu-ray as well I suppose.

I'm not against another HTIB and that's what I was looking at to start with. Something like http://www.samsung.com/us/video/home...r/HT-D6730W/ZA I think would do well. I like how it has the wireless rear speakers and fits in the budget real well.

I am also thinking about putting together a "real" home theater system but figure it may exceed what I would like to spend($1000 on the top end.).

So turning to you once again Beyond for some ideas.

What do you guys think or suggest would be a good set up?

[triplep]

Regardless of what you buy, and I am not trying to bag on your top limit of $1000, but if you are buying new, there is absolutely no way you would be within this budget for a 'real' home theatre set up. You might get lucky and find something used, but from experience, your speakers will quickly eat through that budget, not to mention you will have to get a receiver, plus a blu-ray player. Just those two components would probably eat up half your budget, so it doesn't leave alot for speakers. I am sure just a sub would eat up another 300-400$. So you are already at your limit.

As far as a HTIB is concerned, all I can really recommend is for you to go listen to some you are interested in, and just pick one up that you like. Everyone will have their own tastes and argue over which one is better. The Samsung that you suggest, will most likely do the job, and as long as you like the sound that is coming out of them, then thats all that counts, since you are most likely going to be the one listening to it the most.

[WhippWhapp]

calgary.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-electronics-Onkyo-TX-SR875-receiver-W0QQAdIdZ321375211

+

calgary.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-electronics-Paradigm-Cinema-70-CT-complete-set-w-sub-W0QQAdIdZ331822180

This is what I would do given that budget, plus you should have room for a boxee if you can barter a bit.

[codetrap]

LG® 55LW5300 55-in. Cinema 3D* 1080p LED LCD HDTV** with Blu-ray™ Disc Player

Sony 770 Watts 7.1-Channel 3D-Ready AV Receiver

Infinity Primus Speakers

I picked the Sony because it can up-convert to HDMI from any source, so the XBOX (no HDMI) and the Wii will be up-converted. I use a PC with a GT550 HDMI, a 64GB SSD boot drive, and a couple of TB for storage to play movies directly off of. Creative Xi-Fi sound card upconverts all stereo movies to 5.1, and passes the regular 5.1/DTS etc directly to the receiver. I use XBMC with the Transparency skin. 3D Movies rock. For streaming TV, I have a Hauppage 850 Tuner with an IR blaster so I can use my harmony remote to control the PC, or Sat remotely via the network. Currently using Beyond TV to stream on the network, but I'm looking at WinTV now since it came free with the 850.

[brucebanner]

Originally posted by triplep
Regardless of what you buy, and I am not trying to bag on your top limit of $1000, but if you are buying new, there is absolutely no way..

I'm definitely not against going used if piecing something together. I don't consider myself very knowledgeable when it comes to home audio gear. So what brands are good to look into and ones to stay away from. I did know a $1000 wasn't going to go very far with a system put together versus a HTIB.

Keep the ideas coming.

[Neil4Speed]

Calling Mitsu3000GT!

[triplep]

Originally posted by WhippWhapp
calgary.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-electronics-Onkyo-TX-SR875-receiver-W0QQAdIdZ321375211

+

calgary.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-electronics-Paradigm-Cinema-70-CT-complete-set-w-sub-W0QQAdIdZ331822180

This is what I would do given that budget, plus you should have room for a boxee if you can barter a bit.

Depending on his TV and if it is 3d ready, that receiver won't do the job since it is 1.3 HMDI when the new ones are 1.4HDMI.

The speakers look okay, I probably wouldn't complain, since Paradigm does make some really nice speakers.


Codetrap: you do realize those speakers you posted where 2000$? Plus the receiver..... it is going to put OP way over his budget.

I am a fan of B&W speakers, but unless you score a major find (discontinued model, and the owner wants the newest one) you aren't going to find them cheap.

That being said, I know soundsaround typically has speakers/receivers/bluray players packaged in a bundle, it isn't your typical HTIB, since all the components are different, but they seem to be discounted alot 2000$ worth of equipment for 1000$. So you might want to go in there and see what they have currently packaged together and at what prices. The good thing about them is, that if you get bored, and want to upgrade, you can just upgrade the speakers, instead of starting from scratch.

[ganesh]

As others pointed out 1000 is not going to get you too far. If you want good quality HT then stay away from HTIB's.
As for the brands I am not a big fan of Paradigm or B&W's they both do a really good job in marketting, I hope they put some of that effort into R&D. However end of the day it all comes down to what you like. Each person's ear is different. I would say just go out and check some of the gear. If you want check out the following places,
General Audio
Absolute Audio
Loyalty Sound (Mostly Audio but you can definitely get the speakers from them - Speak to Dave and mention my name. He is a excellent knowledgeable guy)
Audio Room (Tell Kirk I sent you over and he is a friend of mine)
Sounds of Music
If you need any other info let me know.
Thanks

[WhippWhapp]

Originally posted by triplep



Depending on his TV and if it is 3d ready, that receiver won't do the job since it is 1.3 HMDI when the new ones are 1.4HDMI.

The speakers look okay, I probably wouldn't complain, since Paradigm does make some really nice speakers.


Codetrap: you do realize those speakers you posted where 2000$? Plus the receiver..... it is going to put OP way over his budget.

I am a fan of B&W speakers, but unless you score a major find (discontinued model, and the owner wants the newest one) you aren't going to find them cheap.

That being said, I know soundsaround typically has speakers/receivers/bluray players packaged in a bundle, it isn't your typical HTIB, since all the components are different, but they seem to be discounted alot 2000$ worth of equipment for 1000$. So you might want to go in there and see what they have currently packaged together and at what prices. The good thing about them is, that if you get bored, and want to upgrade, you can just upgrade the speakers, instead of starting from scratch.

3d wasn't mentioned by the op, but would be easily solved by a switch/splitter- also most blu-ray boxes have dual hdmi out for legacy equipment?

Correct me if I'm wrong, I abandoned disc based media long ago.

[codetrap]

Originally posted by WhippWhapp


3d wasn't mentioned by the op, but would be easily solved by a switch/splitter- also most blu-ray boxes have dual hdmi out for legacy equipment?

Correct me if I'm wrong, I abandoned disc based media long ago.

I don't think that it's most.. I think that you'll pay more for dual hdmi out.

Blown budget: Yeah, I see that now. They weren't when I bought them originally. Got them on sale.

I also don't really use the DVD player a lot. I use digital media sources.

[Cheeba]

Originally posted by triplep
[B]Regardless of what you buy, and I am not trying to bag on your top limit of $1000, but if you are buying new, there is absolutely no way you would be within this budget for a 'real' home theatre set up.

This. Any surround audio setup under $1K is going to sound like garbage. Note that any HTIB is about as low as you can go on the sound quality scale without playing music directly from your iPhone speaker. Whether or not you care about - or even notice - the difference in sound quality between an average setup and a good setup is up to you. It's all subjective –_I'd recommend a Honda Civic to lots of my friends, but I wouldn't drive one if Honda paid me $20K to take it!

Have you thought about a 2 channel setup? I have no idea why everyone is so caught up in surround setups - most of them sound like utter crap! I'd take two decent channels over 5+ crappy ones any day, and I'm a film buff. And $1K can build a decent little system if you choose wisely. Given that you took the time to seek advice about it, it seems as though you have at least some interest in SQ, so give the 2-channel some thought.

[wtf im nameless]

Originally posted by ganesh
As for the brands I am not a big fan of Paradigm or B&W's they both do a really good job in marketting, I hope they put some of that effort into R&D.

B&W has more patents on how to measure distortion from a speaker than they do on speakers themselves.

R&D at B&W:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowers_...26_development

They started the Steyning Research Establishment which is regarded as one of the best audio research facilities of its kind in the world.

They are also used by some of the highest regarded recording studios including Abbey Road and Skywalker Sound to name a couple:
http://www.abbeyroad.com/
http://www.skysound.com/

And on top of that you want to send a guy with a $1,000 budget for an entire home theater to a place that sells used speaker cables for $2,500?

http://www.absoluteaudio.ca/products...category_id=50

Sure, this is "marketing" but when you make the best speakers in the world you can afford to do it:

[brucebanner]

The TV isn't a 3D tv. This is the model I purchased: http://www.sharp.ca/en-CA/ForHome/Ho...70LE732U.aspx.

I don't really need a Blu-Ray player(I stream most of my movies.) but if I got one it would be a plus.

As far as what stores to visit, I live in Red Deer so coming to Calgary for HT gear isn't really going to happen unless it's a real good deal.

I have someone trying to trade me some HT gear for my old TV & HTIB.


http://reddeer.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-s...AdIdZ331301667

Is what he's offering. Is this stuff worth anything near what he's asking in price? From the pictures the receiver looks to be older (which is fine) but is this stuff worth looking at?

EDIT: I threw the $1000 budget out there as start. I can maybe double it, I don't really want to but if it's going to make that much of a difference I can increase it.

[triplep]

Originally posted by wtf im nameless




B&W has more patents on how to measure distortion from a speaker than they do on speakers themselves.

hahaha, I bet he also isn't a fan of the Magico ultimate II or in that matter any of their line, plus he probably doesn't also like MBL.......


To op! NO DONT DO IT, those are sooooo old and no where near what he is asking for them. I am almost 100% that receiver doesn't even have HDMI inputs.

As someone mentioned, maybe a 2 speaker set up would be something you could do now. And in the future get the rears sub etc. I know I ran a 2 channel set up for a while, and it just sounded amazing.

If you are looking for used audio equipment check out

canuckaudiomart.ca/com I have problems loading the .ca version no problems with the .com version

[ganesh]

Originally posted by wtf im nameless




B&W has more patents on how to measure distortion from a speaker than they do on speakers themselves.

R&D at B&W:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowers_...26_development

They started the Steyning Research Establishment which is regarded as one of the best audio research facilities of its kind in the world.

They are also used by some of the highest regarded recording studios including Abbey Road and Skywalker Sound to name a couple:
http://www.abbeyroad.com/
http://www.skysound.com/

And on top of that you want to send a guy with a $1,000 budget for an entire home theater to a place that sells used speaker cables for $2,500?

http://www.absoluteaudio.ca/products...category_id=50

Sure, this is "marketing" but when you make the best speakers in the world you can afford to do it:

Thanks for all the info.
Best speakers!!! I highly doubt it. That is my humble opnion. I am not a big fan of them. I know I opened up a can of worm and I have no intention of high jacking OP's thread.
As for the budget I know the places I listed are expensive but I already mentioned that to OP.
I rest my case

[wtf im nameless]

Originally posted by bruceod
I threw the $1000 budget out there as start. I can maybe double it, I don't really want to but if it's going to make that much of a difference I can increase it.

At $2,000 you can almost pick up an entire Bowers and Wilkins 5.1 speaker system with a Denon receiver. It would be entry level components from both companies but both brands are highly respected and it will be far better than anything you can find in one of the big box stores.

Here is what you'd be looking at:

All speakers are Bowers and Wilkins:
Fronts: Pair of 686's
Rears: Pair of 686's
Sub: ASW608
Center: HTM62
Receiver: Denon AVR-1612

[brucebanner]

I just got back to work and will be out of town for a week anyways. Going to use this week to do some research on some recommendations. Hopefully come up with some good stuff this week and I'll be able to decide on something for next week when I get back home.

I appreciate all the help guys, keep it coming.

EDIT: Oh and triplep, I figured it wasn't worth anywhere near what that person is asking.

I know I said I wasn't knowledgeable with this stuff but I'm not going to get taken by something like that, or those dudes that drive around in the vans with stuff.
Second opinion is always good is all.

[Khyron]

I'm cheap bang-for-buck in most things.

A lot of speakers go +50% off on Bestbuy/FS etc or you find them on-line. I liked my older Polks, so finally upgraded to a full new matching set. But for example, the towers were "sticker" at 499 each, got the pair for less than 500. Rears were on Kijiji for half off. I paid a bit more for a better centre channel, and then I got a lower end sub for 200ish on sale - more than I need for sure.

Onkyo or Pioneer or Denon receiver for around 400-500 bucks with 3-4 HDMI ins would be fine.

Playstation3 is fine for the blueray player, it also does streaming/media centre stuff.

Try and make sure the front 3 speakers are same line/brand. Rears can match or be something else.

[brucebanner]

Alright guys, a little searching around tonight netted me something like this.

Receiver:
http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...c358685952en02

Two front towers:
http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...1cf88be39fen02

Sub:
http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/...8478159e66en02

As far as rear speakers go, I could always pick something up at a later date as those klipsch fronts have great reviews from what I can see.

Those three items put me at a price point I'm comfortable at and I would think they would be much better then any HTIB I could pick up in the same ball park for price.

Thoughts?

[Mitsu3000gt]

LOL at the comment of Paradigm and B&W not being good. They are some of the most highly regarded speakers in the world. Also, I've never in my life seen a Paradigm or B&W advertisement, I'm not sure where the marketing comments come from either. Paradigm owns the most advanced loudspeaker R&D facility in the world, if anyone is wondering where they spend their money. They also happen to make some of the best components available (Anthem). What they are most famous for is making speakers that compete at levels well above their price category. At the end of the day though, sound quality is mostly personal preference - you should audition and buy only what YOU think sounds good. If you can't tell the difference between a $100 speaker and a $1000 speaker, do not spend the extra money.

Secondly, there are big points of diminishing return in the home theater world, and you should buy at one of those points for maximum bang for the buck. For example, in your situation, $1500-2000 will get you a system that sounds probably 10 times better than a $600 home theater in box.

Proper setup and calibration can also make up for not having the most amazing equipment. A properly done "budget" system will almost always sound better than a poorly set up system costing many times more.

Your center channel and sub woofer do 90% of the work in a home theater. The center handles all on screen noises and voice, and you sub does all the bottom end. If you are to "splurge" on any one item, make it the sub woofer. How big of a sub you need depends on room size, as well as desired effect. Most people have subs way too small for their rooms, run them on max gain, and they sound like ass.

Here is something I would recommend for you:

OPTION 1:

Entry level receiver, but something with room calibration (Audyssey or MCACC). Room calibration will be the most noticeable improvement for most people, even those who don't care about home theater it's obvious. Denon and Onkyo offer the most bang for the buck, and are good brands. Pioneer makes some good stuff too. I would recommend a last-year Denon or Onkyo model, somewhere in the $400-$700 range for maximum bang for the buck. $1000 is the sweet spot for receivers, but that will blow your budget too fast, and you will likely be quite pleased still with something less. Most people just need a few HDMI inputs, decent power, and room calibration. These days that can be had for surprisingly cheap.

Speakers...there are lots of good bang for the buck speakers but I always recommend people start with checking out Paradigm first. There are probably a dozen brands I would happily recommend, but at least this gives you a starting point. The following would blow the doors off any home theater in a box, and give you an actual "home theater" feeling:

Fronts: Paradigm Titan Monitor: $598/pr
Rears: Paradigm Atom Monitor:$398/pr
Center: Paradigm CC290 ($549)
Sub: Paradigm DSP:3200 (12") ($799) - this sub can also be calibrated, which will make a MASSIVE difference unless your room is acoustically flawless.

$2344 less standard ~25% discount = $1758

Add a decent receiver and you will be barely over $2,000. That system will absolutely demolish something like a Samsung wireless HTIB.

So, if you want to feel like you have an actual home theater, you're looking at $2000 or so. If you want "better than TV speaker" sound, and that's it, pick up a HTIB. The point I'm trying to make is if you spend a bit more, you will get WAY WAY more.

OPTION 2:

Start with a receiver, and a pair of nice front speakers - maybe a sub too. It will provide you with a ton of good sound still, and you can finish off the surround experience whenever it's a good time for you. Most of the above comments still apply. If it were me, I'd just get er done all at once, because it's not THAT much more money, but whatever works.

A couple more things...
- Do not buy speakers at big box stores like FS or BB, you will just be paying hundreds of % markup for a mediocre speaker.
- Do not buy speaker wire if it costs more than about $0.25/ft, and do not buy a HDMI cable if it costs you more than about $10-20. www.monoprice.com is where you should be looking for ALL cables. 16ga speaker wire should be perfect, you don't need any of the really thick stuff.