Energy RC-50's vs. Infinity Primus P363's

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I can get the P153's for $130 while (after checking again) the P163's are still around $240 at their cheapest.

For surround speakers, you will not be able to tell the difference between the P163 vs. P153, especially when they are volume level matched.

So just grab the one with the lowest price.

 

[its phillip]

You can still get P162s for $85/ea, making them $170/pr.

 

[tonedeaf]

Welcome to the world of paralysis by analysis!
I have the infinity 362's along with the 350 center and 152 surrounds.
I own my home so I have a picture knocker off the wall,SVS cylindrical sub.
I purchased all from responses on this forum and have been very satisfied.
I auditioned speakers up into the 3000.00 dollar range and was hard pressed to hear MAJOR differences in sound although I really liked the PSB,s.
But being the cheapskate I am,Infinities were my choice.
They tend to be a tad bright but you can tweak with your equalizer.
Beware,they are top heavy and can be tipped easily(don't ask me how I know)
If you go without the sub,get the 162's as you will benefit from a tad more bass.
You can improve your 363's and center with some modifications provided by a banned member,do a search or ask Alex,I believe he had modified his.
For the price you aren't going to find a better speaker,they have excellent drivers.
My wife hates the system,that was my tipoff that it sounded good
She claims her coffee has sound rings in it when I watch War of the Worlds.

 

[Melee]

First off, if I get a PS3 or Blu-Ray Player then do I even need video processing from the AVR? I'm still confused on its usefulness and importance.

I'm trying to decide if it's best to just get a good enough receiver to drive the speakers adequately or if I want one with all of the features, an abundance of power, and that should alleviate the need for an upgrade for at least 3-4 years.

In the options with leftover budget, I could use it to buy the Surrounds, Blu-Ray Player + Surrounds, PS3, or something else useful that will bring me tons of joy. ^_^

What's the Best Option? lol I know this is a decision that I mainly need to make for myself since you guys have helped so much already, but I honestly cannot decide.

Infinity P363 Fronts
Infinity PC351 Center
Pioneer VSX-1120-K (Unless there's a better $500 Receiver?)

Infinity P363 Fronts
Infinity PC351 Center
Onkyo TX-SR508
$300 Left Over

Infinity P363 Fronts
Infinity PC351 Center
Denon AVR-791
$200 Left Over

Infinity P363 Fronts
Infinity PC351 Center
Yamaha RX-V667
$100 Left Over

Those are about the best Receivers I can find at the given price points. The Onkyo is $200, my Denon was $300, the Yamaha is $400, and the Pioneer is $500. (These are all new prices, btw.) Did I miss any that would be better? I know speakers are subjective but some receivers are just flat out better than others in features, usability, and performance. Marantz and Harman Kardon simply don't have anything in the Sub-$500 range that interests me.

Thanks! <3

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

First off, if I get a PS3 or Blu-Ray Player then do I even need video processing from the AVR?

Blu-ray is already 1080p so you will NOT need video processing from the AVR - you just need HDMI pass-thru, so even a lowly Denon 391 can do that (which is what I have for my family room).

In addition, your HDTV will most likely be able to upscale most non-1080p (like 720p, 480p, etc.) source to 1080p.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I'm trying to decide if it's best to just get a good enough receiver to drive the speakers adequately or if I want one with all of the features, an abundance of power, and that should alleviate the need for an upgrade for at least 3-4 years.

That is the rub. You don't need a nicer AVR, but if you have another $200, you may just treat yourself to a nicer AVR.

Based on my experience, I would never buy a refurbished AVR, though.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

1)
Infinity P363 Fronts
Infinity PC351 Center
Pioneer VSX-1120-K (Unless there's a better $500 Receiver?)

2)
Infinity P363 Fronts
Infinity PC351 Center
Denon AVR-791
$200 Left Over

Those options are good to me.

I would go with #2 - Denon 791.

 

[Melee]

Blu-ray is already 1080p so you will NOT need video processing from the AVR - you just need HDMI pass-thru, so even a lowly Denon 391 can do that (which is what I have for my family room).

In addition, your HDTV will most likely be able to upscale most non-1080p (like 720p, 480p, etc.) source to 1080p.

So video processing and upconversion are the same thing? I figured they were different as in like the video processing was how nice of a picture it produced when taking an input and displaying it on the tv and then upconversion was the reproduction of 480p or 720p into 1080p. Neither of those is a big deal for me if so as I watch everything through Netflix which streams most in 1080p and the games I play are all in HD.

I'm thinking you might be right that I should just keep the Denon. I'm not a big fan of it, but as far as audio + video quality and reliability, it is top notch.

I think I will buy a Blu-Ray Player with the remainder of my budget. I read through a few things on Google about Blu-Ray Players that can stream BR through Netflix? I would love to be able to do that if possible. Can the PS3's do this? I'm assuming the "hefty featured" players are going to be expensive so if it can then I'll just pick up a used PS3 for like $200 or so.

Thanks!

 

[its phillip]

PS3s do netflix, and there are plenty of awesome games available so I'd definitely recommend it over a standalone player.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

So video processing and upconversion are the same thing? I figured they were different as in like the video processing was how nice of a picture it produced when taking an input and displaying it on the tv and then upconversion was the reproduction of 480p or 720p into 1080p. Neither of those is a big deal for me if so as I watch everything through Netflix which streams most in 1080p and the games I play are all in HD.

I'm thinking you might be right that I should just keep the Denon. I'm not a big fan of it, but as far as audio + video quality and reliability, it is top notch.

I think I will buy a Blu-Ray Player with the remainder of my budget. I read through a few things on Google about Blu-Ray Players that can stream BR through Netflix? I would love to be able to do that if possible. Can the PS3's do this? I'm assuming the "hefty featured" players are going to be expensive so if it can then I'll just pick up a used PS3 for like $200 or so.

Thanks!

The PS3 can do just about anything, including Netflix HD streaming.

Bottom line is, if your source is 1080p, you don't need any fancy video processing; you just need the HDMI pass-thru.

A few months ago, I bought a LG BD player with Wireless-N Netflix streaming on amazon for $137 for the family room.

 

[Melee]

How is the Video Quality w/ the PS3's Blu-Ray Player?

I mean, it seems to get a "top-of-the-line" BDP that you have to spend like $300-$500 on it. I would much rather just buy the PS3 Slim for $200-$250 and call it a day. The CNET Review I found said that the PS3 Slim was second only to the Oppo BDP-83 but that review was from 2009 so I'm not sure if that still holds true or if there are better options for cheaper now?

On a brighter note, the rest of my system is decided now. I guess I will just be sticking with my Denon AVR and then buying the P363's + PC351. I'm still trying to decide if I want to grab the P153's for $130 to finish the 5.0 System or if I want to get a BDP first. Decisions, Decisions. lol

 

[tonedeaf]

Get the ps3,you will like the quick load times.

 

[its phillip]

I would imagine the video quality for bluray players to be essentially the same. Where things might differ is in how they upscale dvds and the like. Other differences will be load times (big differences exist), build quality, and feature support.

Of course, that's all a guess since I only have used a ps3 and some sharp bluray player, so I'm not exactly experienced with a lot of them.

 

[Melee]

DVD upscalibility isn't a big deal for me. If I buy a Blu-Ray Player, then I plan on watching Blu-Ray Movies and not DVD's. I don't own a single DVD. I simply have the 4 DVD's at a time plan from Netflix and I can upgrade to Blu Ray Movies for $2.00 which is nice.

Does anyone know the cheapest place to find a PS3 Slim? Factory Refurbed would be wonderful. ^_^ I'm not going to be picky with it as long as it's not scratched all to pieces. I definitely want a Slim though and not the larger ones.

 

[its phillip]

I don't think I'd buy a refurbed console.

I'd either wait to buy one until amazon has a deal where you get a free gift card or whatever with your purchase, or buy a bundle if there is one available - for example, a 160GB ps3 is $300, and the 160GB ps3 with killzone 3 is $300, so if you were going to buy kz3 anyway, you may as well buy the bundle. You can always sell the game too to get some of your money back.

 

[Melee]

The Killzone 3 Bundle is definitely looking nice. It's basically the only game on PS3 that I really want to play.

Any idea of how to determine the newer models from the old? I'm seeing people selling PS3 Slims but they are 120gb or 250gb and the only two listed on Sony's site are a 160 and 320.

Also, with the Bundle it comes with the 160GB PS3. Is there any difference between it and the 320 besides the Hard Drive? I mean, is it still going to have the same quality BDP and everything else in it?

 

[its phillip]

The only difference in current ps3 models is the hard drive size.

 

[PENG]

DVD upscalibility isn't a big deal for me.

I think you have got that right. DVD upscaling should not be a deciding factor because most current BDP including the PS3 can do good enough a job that you cannot tell the difference between most of them and the Oppo 83. Some says if you have a 100+" screen you will notice the difference but if I have a screen that big I probably won't use it to watch DVD anyway. The PS3 is no longer second to the Oppo 83 because many Panasonic and Sony players have surpassed it in terms of loading speed, noise level, and ability to play SACD (the slim cannot). But the PS3 is still top IMHO when you consider its versatility.

 

[Melee]

I think you have got that right. DVD upscaling should not be a deciding factor because most current BDP including the PS3 can do good enough a job that you cannot tell the difference between most of them and the Oppo 83. Some says if you have a 100+" screen you will notice the difference but if I have a screen that big I probably won't use it to watch DVD anyway. The PS3 is no longer second to the Oppo 83 because many Panasonic and Sony players have surpassed it in terms of loading speed, noise level, and ability to play SACD (the slim cannot). But the PS3 is still top IMHO when you consider its versatility.

Well, what I'm trying to figure out is if I will actually play the PS3 enough to warrant the cost. It seems I can find a decent Sony or Panasonic BDP for $100-$150 while the PS3 will cost me $300. I already have the games I play for XBOX, aside from maybe Killzone if it's any good, so I would hate to buy the PS3 and only use it for Blu-Ray when I can get a player much cheaper. This definitely requires some more thinking.

 

[Melee]

Has anyone heard the Infinity C336's or Yamaha NS 777's? I found some nice deals on both but I can't really find much info on them.