Buying a Home Theater soon

[davidbr55]

Hi everyone,

I have been saving up to buy my first home theater.

I have been doing some research and I am not quite sure about what to purchase for my audio. That's where I need your input!

To me it seems like a waste to buy a receiver as I have a DVD player of my own, and the tv can accommodate everything that I need to connect. So, if there is no benefit in quality by taking everything through the receiver I would rather avoid the extra cost.

I am listing below the equipment that I want to connect, as well as the living room size. I am planning on purchasing a 5.1 system or something like that (I want the immersive 3D sound feeling).

My budget for the audio is about $500 - any suggestions?

My equipment:
TV: Samsung LN-T4661F
Nintendo Wii
Playstation 3
DVD: Toshiba SD-K860 with HD upconversion
HD cable TV

My room size:
~ 10 x 25

It would be great if I could avoid the cables running through the living room to reach the rear speakers, so wireless rear speakers would be fantastic.

Last piece of information - like I said, I have no experience with home theaters, but I can install something myself as long as it is not insanely complicated. I have plenty of experience with computers (hardware and software), so I will figure things out as long as I don't need special equipment for the installation. I would also really like to have one of those automatic adjustment ones (e.g. Yamaha YPAO, Bose ADAPTiQ, Harman EzSet, etc.)

Thanks in advance for your help and sorry for the long post.

Let me know if you need extra info.

 

[Gimpy Ric]

If you want 5.1 without a receiver, I would suggest you just get a "Home Theater in a Box" . AKA as a HTiB. There are hundreds to choose from, but to be honest with you, for the money you would spend on what I consider acceptable, you could have an Onkyo 605 receiver and some nice speakers. With a 605 and nice speakers, you'll blow yourself away in excellent sound quality compared to an expensive HTiB.

It's your call. Let us know what route you want to go, and we audioholics will be happy to make you happy .

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

To me it seems like a waste to buy a receiver as I have a DVD player of my own, and the tv can accommodate everything that I need to connect. So, if there is no benefit in quality by taking everything through the receiver I would rather avoid the extra cost.

If you don't have a receiver, where would you connect the 5.1 speakers?

For $500, you will have to get one of those Home-Theater-in-a-Box like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-SR800-Theater-Entertainment-System/dp/B000O8E8YW/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1195505641&sr=8-2

 

[davidbr55]

Gimpy Ric,

Thanks for the quick answer and willingness to help. I think your idea of buying a separate receiver and speakers is a good one. I do have three questions to follow-up on that idea, though:

1 - I did a quick search on the Onkyo 605 and it looks like the receiver alone would cost me around $430. Would I be able to buy a decent set of speakers for $70? I am assuming not, so would you be able to suggest a cheaper but still decent receiver?

2 - If I buy things separately and put them together myself, would I have to worry about proprietary connectors and things like that?

3 - In regards to adjusting the speakers so that they work optimally with my room, what the receiver be able to do that? If not, how could I do it myself other than just listening to it? (the problem there is that my current audio is coming from my tv, so anything will sound fantastic and I would never know that it's not the best I could get from my setup).

 

[rnatalli]

Speakers ($239 or $249)
http://www.tsto.com/cgi-bin/TSTO.storefront/4741f8c400266c4a2740ac1003410625/Product/View/2229
or
http://www.tsto.com/cgi-bin/TSTO.storefront/4741f8c400266c4a2740ac1003410625/Product/View/2516&2D1

Subwoofer ($80):
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=300-631

Receiver ($179):
http://www.accessories4less.com/cgi-bin/item/ONKTXSR505SLV

Cables ($50):
http://www.monoprice.com

Add it all up and it comes in a bit over $500 with shipping, but should put most HTIB to shame.

 

[rnatalli]

I did a quick search on the Onkyo 605 and it looks like the receiver alone would cost me around $430. Would I be able to buy a decent set of speakers for $70? I am assuming not, so would you be able to suggest a cheaper but still decent receiver?

Speakers are the key to your system. Your numbers are backwards in that your budget should lean heavily towards speakers.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Speakers ($239 or $249)
http://www.tsto.com/cgi-bin/TSTO.storefront/4741f8c400266c4a2740ac1003410625/Product/View/2229
or
http://www.tsto.com/cgi-bin/TSTO.storefront/4741f8c400266c4a2740ac1003410625/Product/View/2516&2D1

Subwoofer ($80):
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=300-631

Receiver ($179):
http://www.accessories4less.com/cgi-bin/item/ONKTXSR505SLV

Cables ($50):
http://www.monoprice.com

Add it all up and it comes in a bit over $500 with shipping, but should put most HTIB to shame.

Great suggestions. The Mordaunt-Short/ Onk system with a Parts express sub would make a heck of a little system and blow away any HTIB!

 

[GlocksRock]

1 - I did a quick search on the Onkyo 605 and it looks like the receiver alone would cost me around $430. Would I be able to buy a decent set of speakers for $70? I am assuming not, so would you be able to suggest a cheaper but still decent receiver?

2 - If I buy things separately and put them together myself, would I have to worry about proprietary connectors and things like that?

3 - In regards to adjusting the speakers so that they work optimally with my room, what the receiver be able to do that? If not, how could I do it myself other than just listening to it? (the problem there is that my current audio is coming from my tv, so anything will sound fantastic and I would never know that it's not the best I could get from my setup).

1. There are other receivers out there that are pretty good, but honestly you would be much better off spending the extra money on a receiver now, so you don't need to upgrade it again in the near future, because once you get into this hobby, the bug to upgrade bites you really fast. The Onkyo 605 has a lot of good features for the money, especially since it has HDMI and the ability to decode the latest HD audio formats.

2. No, that is the beauty of having a receiver such as the one listed above, you will have enough digital optical, digital coax, component, and HDMI inputs so you can add just about anything, and in the event you do want/need more HDMI inputs, you can easily add a switcher to any of your HDMI inputs. If you go the home theater in a box route, you run the risk of them using proprietary connections so that you can't use any of it's pieces with other equipment in the future. Plus it has video upconversion, which means you can input any composite, s-video, or component video sources and have them be output via HDMI or component video, so you only need to connect one video cable to your tv.

3. Yes, most of the nicer receivers do have the auto setup feature, the Onkyo TX-SR605 does have the Audyssey 2EQ.

You can get the onkyo here on sale right now, add it to your cart to see the discounted price.

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=87018

Or get a package deal with speakers for $780 shipped, and it includes speaker wire, the only wires you would need are the ones to connect your gear to the receiver, and those can be had for cheap from places like monoprice.com, firefold.com and bluejeanscable.com

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=89484


Specs on the speaker package can be found here:

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=89484

Not a high end system, but a very good place to start building from, and a definite HTIB killer.

I know it's a little over your budget, but your ears will thank you, and future upgrades will be easier to deal with since the receiver has plenty of inputs.

 

[nick1000000]

Gimpy Ric,

3 - In regards to adjusting the speakers so that they work optimally with my room, what the receiver be able to do that? If not, how could I do it myself other than just listening to it? (the problem there is that my current audio is coming from my tv, so anything will sound fantastic and I would never know that it's not the best I could get from my setup).

This is true, but I think you are confused about what a receiver does. It is not just for connecting components. If you want a 5.1 system you will NEED a receiver. Without it, you will have nowhere to plug the speakers into.

 

[no. 5]

1 - I did a quick search on the Onkyo 605 and it looks like the receiver alone would cost me around $430. Would I be able to buy a decent set of speakers for $70? I am assuming not, so would you be able to suggest a cheaper but still decent receiver?

Onkyo 504, or 304, Yamaha 5930.

But put every penny you can toward speakers.

2 - If I buy things separately and put them together myself, would I have to worry about proprietary connectors and things like that?

No.

3 - In regards to adjusting the speakers so that they work optimally with my room, what the receiver be able to do that? If not, how could I do it myself other than just listening to it? (the problem there is that my current audio is coming from my tv, so anything will sound fantastic and I would never know that it's not the best I could get from my setup).

The Yamaha HTR-6030 and Sony STR-DG510 are two inexpensive receivers that I can think of that have some form of auto setup.

Or, you could buy a SPL meter for balancing each channel level.

 

[DavidG]

If you want to go for a decent, inexpensive, HTIB the Onkyo HT-SR800 mentioned earlier is one of the best in your price range that I know of.

If you could stretch your budget just a little, I would recommend the Onkyo TX-SR505 ($179 reconditioned), HSU VT-12 ventriloquist 5 speaker setup(quite efficient speakers at $299)and the Dayton 8" sub ($80) or larger Dayton sub.

If you don't like those ideas maybe you should start with an inexpensive receiver like the TX-SR505 ($179)and 2 decent front speakers such as
AV123 x-mtm towers ($339) or HSU HB-1bookshelf's for $129/ea. You can add the surrounds and center channel later, as well as a sub.

__________________
Samsung 50" 1080p DLP
Yamaha RX-V659
JBL L880 fronts
JBL LC1 center
Bose cube surrounds (deciding on JBL L820 or L830)
Samsung DVD-HD960
JBL CVSUB50
JBL SUB135

 

[davidbr55]

The Yamaha HTR-6030 and Sony STR-DG510 are two inexpensive receivers that I can think of that have some form of auto setup.

I found a Black Friday deal on the Sony receiver for $99! So, I think I will buy that one. I do have one question about it, though. Looking at the Sony webpage, it looks like the HDMI is only up to 1080i. Does that mean that anything that is 1080p and goes through the receiver gets downgraded to 1080i?

Thanks,
David

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I found a Black Friday deal on the Sony receiver for $99! So, I think I will buy that one. I do have one question about it, though. Looking at the Sony webpage, it looks like the HDMI is only up to 1080i. Does that mean that anything that is 1080p and goes through the receiver gets downgraded to 1080i?

Thanks,
David

Yup. Down-converted to 1080i.
Can your TV upconvert back up to 1080p? If so, no problemo.

 

[davidbr55]

Yup. Down-converted to 1080i.
Can your TV upconvert back up to 1080p? If so, no problemo.

I will look into it. But, even if it does that seems like there could be an issue there. I am no expert, but 1080p to 1080i back to 1080p should lead to a worse signal than I started with.

Looks like that black friday deal isn't that great after all...

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I will look into it. But, even if it does that seems like there could be an issue there. I am no expert, but 1080p to 1080i back to 1080p should lead to a worse signal than I started with.

Looks like that black friday deal isn't that great after all...

You could just hook it directly to the TV and bypass the receiver's video circuits. I bet you won't notice any difference. Going from 1080p to 1080i back to 1080p isn't like going from 480i to 1080p. In fact, all of the 1st Generation blu-ray players downconverted all 1080p sources to 1080i first before upconverting back to 1080p output. Same with most 1st Generation "1080p" TVs. They downconverted all 1080p sources to 1080i, then upconvert back to 1080p. Sounds really stupid, but that's what happened. Worked well enough.

 

[davidbr55]

Qucik question: if I bypass the receiver and put video directly into the TV, but audio through the receiver, would there be any synchronization issues?

Also, I have cable TV, would I be able to split the signal between video and audio?

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Qucik question: if I bypass the receiver and put video directly into the TV, but audio through the receiver, would there be any synchronization issues?

Also, I have cable TV, would I be able to split the signal between video and audio?

will not be an issue. I run all my video directly to the display and audio to the AVR.

 

[Seth=L]

1. There are other receivers out there that are pretty good, but honestly you would be much better off spending the extra money on a receiver now, so you don't need to upgrade it again in the near future, because once you get into this hobby, the bug to upgrade bites you really fast. The Onkyo 605 has a lot of good features for the money, especially since it has HDMI and the ability to decode the latest HD audio formats.

2. No, that is the beauty of having a receiver such as the one listed above, you will have enough digital optical, digital coax, component, and HDMI inputs so you can add just about anything, and in the event you do want/need more HDMI inputs, you can easily add a switcher to any of your HDMI inputs. If you go the home theater in a box route, you run the risk of them using proprietary connections so that you can't use any of it's pieces with other equipment in the future. Plus it has video upconversion, which means you can input any composite, s-video, or component video sources and have them be output via HDMI or component video, so you only need to connect one video cable to your tv.

3. Yes, most of the nicer receivers do have the auto setup feature, the Onkyo TX-SR605 does have the Audyssey 2EQ.

You can get the onkyo here on sale right now, add it to your cart to see the discounted price.

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=87018

Or get a package deal with speakers for $780 shipped, and it includes speaker wire, the only wires you would need are the ones to connect your gear to the receiver, and those can be had for cheap from places like monoprice.com, firefold.com and bluejeanscable.com

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=89484


Specs on the speaker package can be found here:

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=89484

Not a high end system, but a very good place to start building from, and a definite HTIB killer.

I know it's a little over your budget, but your ears will thank you, and future upgrades will be easier to deal with since the receiver has plenty of inputs.

I second this recommendation. I know it bites the pocket book, but this setup does so much more for the money. As an owner of Boston Acoustic speakers I can say they have great bang for buck speakers. As a previous owner of 3 Onkyo receivers, I can say they are one of the best bang for buck receivers. The TX-SR605 does so much for money it's insane. It is the least expensive HDMI 1.3 receiver that can process audio from HDMI. It can pass up too 1080p and supports all the niceties that come with HDMI 1.3. Your PS3 connected to the Onkyo can get you HD audio from lossless formats Dolby TrueHD and possibly in the future (when the firmware upgrades become available) DTS-HD MA.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

will not be an issue. I run all my video directly to the display and audio to the AVR.

Yeah, I hook my HD DVD & Blu-ray players DIRECTLY to my Mitsubishi TV via HDMIs for video. Cut out the middle-man completely. Absolutely no issues whatsoever.

What kind of outputs does your Cable TV have?

 

[davidbr55]

What kind of outputs does your Cable TV have?

I haven't replaced the box yet.