Good basic dorm room system?

[hlesser]

<font color='#000000'>Looking to buy my daughter a good receiver &amp; speakers to take to college -- would consider surround (e.g., Home-theater in a box) but probably best to stick with good old-fashioned stereo. &nbsp;Any particular receiver &amp; speaker combos. &nbsp;She's not an audiophile and enjoys a mix of music that does not include hard rock, techno, rap, etc. &nbsp;Portability (i.e., no big towers), durability and good FM reception all pluses.</font>

 

[Audioholics]

<font color='#000080'>Budget?</font>

 

[hlesser]

<font color='#000000'>$700 is a rough ballpark but I'm flexible.</font>

 

[Yamahaluver]

<font color='#0000FF'>http://www.yamaha.com/cgi-win/webcgi.exe/gMIN00010


take a look at this page, some real good stuff for dorm and they are pretty close to Hi-Fi in terms of sonic character.</font>

 

[Audioholics]

<font color='#000080'>For spacial comfiness&quot; you can also look at Sony. May not be the best sounding, but they've got some nice space-saving units.

I would also agree/recommend going with a tabletop receiver solution rather than a HTIB.

You may also want to spend less money, and allow yourself the knowledge that if any harm comes to the &quot;dorm unit&quot; you don't have to worry. Later, you can help her decide what to get for her first home or apartment.</font>

 

[Khellandros66]

<font color='#000000'>If she has a computer with a DVD-Rom you could add a nice new Audigy ZS and add the Creative Labs MegaWorks 6.1 system or a Klipsch ProMedia Ultra 5.1

~Bob</font>

 

[hlesser]

<font color='#000000'>Any particular recommendations for specific products?

Current thoughts on receiver likely Denon, Onkyo or Yamaha.

Speakers (PSB alpha, B&amp;W, others?)</font>

 

[Khellandros66]

<font color='#000000'>hlesser,

If the is a combo for $700+ that can be had. &nbsp;I would be Yamaha RX-V640, and some Definitive PM100s x 3, PM80s, &amp; and nice Yamaha YST-SW315 sub. &nbsp;pair all this with a Xbox or PS2 and she'll keep busy

~Bob</font>

 

[hlesser]

<font color='#000000'>Thanks for your help. &nbsp;The Yamaha DVX-S100 looked tempting (and on the web at $450-500 vs. $999 list). &nbsp;I settled on an Onkyo AV receiver (TX-SR501) $269 and PSB Alpha B's $250/pr. &nbsp;I was mightily impressed by the PSB's at that price point. &nbsp;The SR501 handles 6.1 surround and HDTV-capable component video switching and has 65 wpc. &nbsp;I've had fairly good luck with inexpensive Onkyo receivers in the past so I thought this was a reasonable option. &nbsp;Thanks for all your help.</font>

 

[Khellandros66]

<font color='#000000'>Ya can't go wrong with companies that have good reputations to the likes of Onkyo and PSB

I hope your daughter loves it!

~Bob</font>

 

[Guest]

<font color='#000000'>If I was in dorm, I wouldn't care much about HT but a nice music system.  Don't you want your daughter graduates? j/k
As someone suggested, a audigy sound card and logitech THX speakers are nice, or a nice mini shelf system, good for music, less space and easy for moving.</font>

 

[mustang_steve]

<font color='#000000'>For a dorm, i'd agree with just using your PC for the sound system. &nbsp;It may not be the most convienient, but it will definately be the most space effiecient.

For speakers, i like the Onkyo GX-D90 for it's low price (about $120), reasonable sound quality for being a stereo PC speaker set, and the digital inputs (coax and digital) and subwoofer out. &nbsp;The set does have it's weaknesses though, one is the small woofer does not like too heavy of bass, but i &nbsp;feel adding a small sub will be a good fix for that. &nbsp;the other is mostly some colorations I have yet to tweak out of the set, but are nothing to bad.

For a sound card, any SB Live or audigy will do you nicely. &nbsp;If you do happen to have an N-force2 based computer witht he soundstorm audio, stick with that. &nbsp;The soundstorm is a bit better than the live (can't say for sure on how it competes with the audigy though), and has some very nice features as well.</font>

 

[Rip Van Woofer]

<font color='#000000'>Do not overlook Cambridge Soundworks speakers. I have had Ensemble III's (a sub and sat setup, since discontinued -- see what has taken their place at about $300) since letting go of my old Large Advents. Like the old Advents, they're Henry Kloss designs. They measure pretty flat, they're small, non-fatiguing and overall do a splendid job at a challenging price point. And they have a good warranty -- seven years -- and customer service to back it up. When my sub developed a buzz after over 5 years, they replaced it with no hassle.

They sell direct by phone &amp; Web: www.hifi.com</font>