Best HTiB System for $300.00?

[maximoiglesias]

Budget recievers

Well, I am glad we can help out somebody who, like me, does not have the resourses to buy a medium price (or higher) reciever.
I am quite happy with my Pioneer VSX - 516 7.1 A/V reciever, which is also reviewed by Alcoholics with a performance rating of 4, and it cost me only US$185.00.
This is an excelent budget reciever recomended to anybody with a small listening room and a set of good speakers.

I completely agree with MDS and thank him for his post. Instead of bashing the budget, let's try to help this person out (like Mike did with his link to H/K gear). It's cool to give the information that $100 isn't going to buy the state-of-the-art, but honestly I think that most people realize that.

I agree with bandphan that looking for a used unit would be a good approach. As MDS said, receivers lose value fairly quickly because of new features being introduced, so you might be able to get more for your money that way. Personally, I'd only buy used from someone that I knew and trusted, but that's just my preference and risk-averse nature.

belkincp, are there any features in particular that you want, or perhaps ones that you know that you don't want?

 

[rumonkey2]

Try to get lucky w/ a loball bid on the HKs at E-bay....
May take some time & definite luck - but you should be able to "win" a 146 for around $100...

If you can find the Sony mentioned, snag it...

NOTE: this may be a good weekend for such a buy...less people likely to be wasting time on Ebay...

 

[Seth=L]

For a $100 HTIAB the Sony isn't that bad, the receiver has serious connection limitations. You could always get a psyclone switcher for digital, component, and all kinds of other switching for around $100.

 

[majorloser]

I think that is his best bet. It is about twice his budget though. I usually advise against buying used unless you can afford to gamble on buying a dud.

Any thing new for $100 will have almost certainly have a short working life.

That Yamaha would be a good bet even if he has wait a little longer to buy it

After the discount that would be $169.96 with free shipping. If all he's looking for is a 5.1 receiver, things don't get much better than this. Just because you don't need the features today doesn't mean you should throw money away on an item that is already obsolete. I would be willing to bet that in the very near future all new cable boxes, satellite receivers, media players and displays will include HDMI. A receiver shouldn't be looked at as a short term investment unless your current circumstances dictates "disposable".

But if you're looking for less than $100, then by all means buy USED. You will always find somebody dumping their older gear. Might even want to check the pawn shops.

 

[belkincp]

Whats the Best HTiB System for $300.00? Refurbished is cool with me.

Any brand, as long as you know for a fact its audio quality is best you can get for system.

 

[WmAx]

Whats the Best HTiB System for $300.00? Refurbished is cool with me.

Any brand, as long as you know for a fact its audio quality is best you can get for system.

At this price for the TOTAL package(receiver + surround speakers + sub), you won't be getting 'best you can get', but instead, it would be more appropriae to look for 'the least bad sounding'.

If you could at least spend 300 or a tad more on just the speakers, and get a separate receiver and sub, I could recommend a really nice sounding set of speakers.

-Chris

 

[mike c]

Infinity Primus 142 or 152 bookshelves
http://stores.ebay.com/Harman-Audio_Infinity_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ10225969QQftidZ2QQtZkm
+ Harman Kardon receiver
http://stores.ebay.com/Harman-Audio_Harman-Kardon_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQfsubZ2QQftidZ2QQtZkm

settle for 2 channel first, save some more before buying a subwoofer, then center, then surrounds if you wish.

 

[belkincp]

is onkyo 904 good for 300?

 

[mike c]

are you looking for a receiver for 300 USD or the whole system for 300?

 

[belkincp]

im looking for system.... the 904 is 300$ i know usual price is around 600 ..is this best sound quality u can get for 300???

 

[WmAx]

im looking for system.... the 904 is 300$ i know usual price is around 600 ..is this best sound quality u can get for 300???

It's fine if you don't care for high sound quality. It will work okay for movies. Better than the built in TV speakers, certainly.

Personally, I think you should wait and save up a bit more, and then you can get a set up with some measure of quality sound. For $800-$900 total(included complete surround speakers, subwoofer and receiver), I could recommend a combination of products that will far outperform any HTIB system.

-Chris

 

[belkincp]

is getting a fluance 200 5 speaker package good quality.. then get cheaper reciever and wait later to get sub good sound quality??

would a sub be required to sound good?

 

[belkincp]

does white red stereo plus carry 5.1 surround?

does white red stereo plus carry 5.1 surround?

I see adapters that turn 5.1 analog into 3 1/8" computer audio plugs... so they can connect to computer surround sound speaker systems like logitech x530 etc...

will the 2 tv white and red rca cables carry the 5.1 signal to the speaker system?

true surround or virtual?

 

[markw]

does white red stereo plus carry 5.1 surround?

No, they carry two channel stereo only. You may be able to feed it to some sort of synthyzer (DPL, NEO, etc...) to emulate 5 channel sound but it still won't be 5.1.

For that you need some sort of digital feed (coax or Toslink) to some device that can handle a digital signal correctly, say a HT receiver.

Those "adapters" you see most likely have stereo mini-plugs on the ends and are intended to take the three stereo mini-plugs (six channels of audio) and convert them into six RCA plugs. These are needed because many sound cards use this format for 5.1 analog ouyput.

 

[belkincp]

so those adapters that supposedly turn computer speakers into home theater capable by using 2 to 3 1/8 converting are basically tricking ppl?

 

[markw]

I don't think you quite get it.

so those adapters that supposedly turn computer speakers into home theater capable by using 2 to 3 1/8 converting are basically tricking ppl?

If one uses three cables like you described (colors don't really matter), one can send the 5.1 analog audio output from a sound card (3 stereo mini plugs) to a home theatre system in the analog domain if the receiver can accept a 5.1 analog input. (6 RCA jacks)

Conversly, if the computer speakers in question require three stereo mini-plugs for an input, they can take a 5.1 line-level signal (six RCA outputs) from a preamp and allow them to be used by the speakers. You need a receiver with preamp outputs, though.

 

[belkincp]

how would one go about..conencting 3 1/8" to a reciever tha doesnt have mini inputs? r there recievers with them?

anything that can convert 1/8 surrond to toslink or coaxial?

 

[GlocksRock]

Not sure if there is an adapter that can convert that, but your source still can't output anything besides stereo from the red and white RCA. Your source needs to output 5.1 through toslink/spdif, or HDMI for you to get real surround sound. You can always get a 1/8 to stereo rca adapter to use with your receiver, but as previously stated, you will won't get surround sound from that, but you can still use a Pro Logic II decoder to simulate surround sound.

 

[Pyrrho]

how would one go about..conencting 3 1/8" to a reciever tha doesnt have mini inputs? r there recievers with them?

...

You can get wires that connect 1/8" on one end and a pair of RCA connectors on the other end, and then you would hook up three of these, assuming your computer has the three 1/8" outputs and the receiver has the six (or "5.1") inputs. You can find such things at:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021804&p_id=665&seq=1&format=2
(wrong picture, but the description is right)

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=240-135

 

[Adam]

how would one go about..conencting 3 1/8" to a reciever tha doesnt have mini inputs? r there recievers with them?

Use what the others have mentioned - the cables that have a 1/8" stereo minijack on one end and two RCA plugs on the other. You can get those online or at Radio Shack (as one example). Any receiver that has 5.1 analog inputs (i.e. six RCA jacks) can be connected to that.

EDIT: I was slow. See Pyrrho's post above - he covers it with links.