need some advice on selecting audio equipment

[s3034585]

Hi Guys
I am new to this forum and also new to all these techinical details about home theather and stuff....

i want to buy a home theather in a range of 2000$.... i dont know whether i should go for Home Theater in a Box (HTIB) or for individual parts....
which one is better HTIB or putting the parts....

my choice of sound is clean and more effective bass.... the system i am looking for is to play music and movies both....

i have been trying to various forum but the ammount of techincal data is leading me no where... can some tell me from where should i make a start.

many people talk about AV receviers, dvd player and then selecting speakers.... if so then what feature/specs should i look for..

as off now i dont have lcd or hdtv but i do plan to take them in future... so basicaly i am looking something which is easily to compatible to the latest techonology...

hope to hear some info from u guys....

thanks in advance....

 

[Davemcc]

I'll try to point you in a direction, whether its right has yet to be determined.

First, go listen to as many speakers as you can and try to define what you like in terms of sound. If you don't like your speakers, no receiver or dvd player will make you like your system any better. Once you know what you're looking for in speakers, check back here and there are knowledgeable people that will give you opinions, options and potentially bargains for what you want.

Choose a receiver according to the features and connectivity you need from a reputable company, like Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo, Marantz, Pioneer, etc.

The dvd player is of least concern as even most bargain players will provide good sound and picture. Feel free to post any potential purchases for review by the knowledgeable people here, and I will humbly exclude myself from that list.

 

[riceaterslc]

First, go listen to as many speakers as you can and try to define what you like in terms of sound. If you don't like your speakers, no receiver or dvd player will make you like your system any better. Once you know what you're looking for in speakers, check back here and there are knowledgeable people that will give you opinions, options and potentially bargains for what you want.

great advice Dave. speakers will have the greatest impact on listening, no matter what people say. setting a baseline for speaker budget will let you (somewhat) easily pick out your other components! dont forget about mail order companies like axiom or av123, they make some great speakers.

 

[mazersteven]

Try, and audition speakers at a small boutque type store with good listening rooms. It's very hard to audition speakers at places like Best Buy, because of the background noise, and speaker placement isn't very good. Also the listening rooms aren't the best. But if that's your only choice to audition, do the best you can.

Bring DVD's and CD's from your collection. That way your listening to material your familier with. "Take Your Time", and make this fun. It will pay off in the long run.

A few Brands to Audition

Paradigm
Monitor Audio
Kef
B&W
PSB
Energy
Polk

 

[ParadigmDawg]

If you could provide a little more info; we can guide you some more.
1. Room size in cubic feet
2. Physical restraints (Can you go with towers, bookshelves with stands, sat.speakers...etc...)
3. Comfort level with ordering through internet

To answer your 1st question; we dont advocate HTIBs. You can get a really nice set-up for 2K that will be much better than a HTIB.

An economical way to do this is just go with one of the 5.1 systems from AV123, SVS or HSU if you dont mind buying over the net.

Mezer offered some great advice that should be followed; go listen, listen, listen. Pick your speakers first, then the AVR. Your speakers should be ~2x the cost of the AVR or more. They are the most important.

 

[Nick250]

To add to the posts above about speakers is the break down of your budget. Sixty to sixty five percent of your HT budget should go to speakers and that is $1300 in your case Cheap out on anything but speakers. All DVD players will sound the same so $100 should take care of that. That leaves you with $600 for miscellaneous stuff and a receiver. For around $500 there are a ton of good receivers. Pick one on features and price, they will all sound the same. I happen to like Denon, Yamaha and Onkyo. I would suggest Onkyo since this is your first "big" system and Onkyo's are user friendly, Yamaha second and Denon last because it while they make fined receivers, the manuals are horrible. They are all equal in quality IMO.

Lastly, speaker choice and room acoustics account for just about all of the sound quality you hear. Look at your choices from that standpoint and you will be way ahead of most newbies.

Nick

 

[mazersteven]

All DVD players will sound the same so $100 should take care of that.

Nick

I wouldn't say that is 100% true. True most DVD players you can purchase at Best Buy for $150, or under will perform the same. But there are some nice DVD players on the market that will give you better picture, & sound quality then others.

This is the DVD player I would recommend getting.

http://www.oppodigital.com/dv981hd/dv981hd_index.html

 

[s3034585]

If you could provide a little more info; we can guide you some more.
1. Room size in cubic feet
2. Physical restraints (Can you go with towers, bookshelves with stands, sat.speakers...etc...)
3. Comfort level with ordering through internet

To answer your 1st question; we dont advocate HTIBs. You can get a really nice set-up for 2K that will be much better than a HTIB.

An economical way to do this is just go with one of the 5.1 systems from AV123, SVS or HSU if you dont mind buying over the net.

Mezer offered some great advice that should be followed; go listen, listen, listen. Pick your speakers first, then the AVR. Your speakers should be ~2x the cost of the AVR or more. They are the most important.

Hi Guys
Thanks a lot for ur sugesstions....Wht is the main factor to be looked at while listening the various spks... i mean the loudness /clarity.
Because mostly the sales people try to imphezise on lower and higher end freq....


To Greg..
a)The room size is around 15*15 ft...
b) no physical restraints.. (is there any diff in sound with diff kinds of spks...)
c) No issue on ordering over net.....

 

[Davemcc]

15 x 15 might be tough for bass reproduction. Square rooms do horrible things with low frequency wave reflection. Check the resources in the Acoustics and room setup forum for more info.

Because you say that there are no restraints on physical types of speakers, I would point you to full range towers so that your bass is not eminating from a single source, generating standing waves in that square room.

 

[mazersteven]

Because you say that there are no restraints on physical types of speakers, I would point you to full range towers so that your bass is not eminating from a single source, generating standing waves in that square room.

For his $2000 budget I recommend going with a better bookhelf speakers and not floorstanders. A sub will handle the low frequences.

Room acoustics will help with the room.

 

[AmpItUP]

It is best if look into popular name brands first, just so you're sure about the quality.

 

[AmpItUP]

It is best if look into popular name brands first, just so you're sure about the quality.
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Ford Ka Brochure 2007 by Ford Motor Company Limited UK - Ford Ka Brochure 2007 by Ford Motor Company Limited UK

 

[mazersteven]

It is best if look into popular name brands first, just so you're sure about the quality.
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That is not always true.