Help Please!!!

[Esco5710]

I'm new here but I've been to other "audio forums" mostly car audio but I definitely have to say that they are 200% helpful and interesting.. Weill, I need some help deciding on a nice home theater system.. I just bought a 52" HDTV and I want a nice system (nothing over the edge) but something with good power, sound and look.. I bought this system (http://www.electronics-expo.com/product.jsp?x=DAVFX80) but I'm just not convinced that this will satisfy all my needs. I have a MD player, 200 Disc Changer, DVD player, connect the playstation 2, possibly an MP3 player and of course be able to hear the TV thru the speakers. I appreciate any input on a nice set up with surround sound speakers...

 

[jaxvon]

Welcome! First things first:

What is your budget?
How big is your room?
What is your usage in % for music and home theater?
What kind of "look" are you seeking?

 

[Esco5710]

Thanks...

Obvioulsly the least as possible and the most for your money but I'm willing to spend around $600-$700 for a nice receiver, surround sound speakers (5 plus the sub- prefer powered sub) and a DVD player with HDMI connection. The TV i bought has that connection as well.

I don't know the square footage but I would say the room would be around 20 by 15" i guess.. im real bad in estimating size of things..

I'm not clear of what you mean by percentage of music and theater but it would probably be more so for music than movies so i would have to estimate 65/ 35 music....

Thanks.. I really appreciate ur input..

 

[jaxvon]

That budget is fairly tight for what you're looking for. I think you're going to have to eschew the HDMI receiver for now, as the cheapest receiver I know of with HDMI is $1300. Ouch.

Is it possible you could sell the Sony system to increase your budget? Here's a system similar to mine. I think it could be in your budget.

Receiver: Pioneer VSX-1015TX $450 at Best Buy
Speakers: 3 BIC DV62CLR across the front, $315 shipped, 2 BIC DV62si Surrounds, $121 shipped
Subwoofer: Cadence X-Sub, $250 shipped
DVD Player: Pioneer DV-578AS ~$100 shipped
Cables and Misc: $100
Speaker Stands: ~$100

Total: $1436 shipped out the door

Yes, it is out of your initial budget, but I guarantee that it will rock your room. Hard. I think that if you sold the Sony System, you could afford something similar to what I have above. But there are lots of things to think about...

 

[Esco5710]

Yea thats definitely higher than i was expecting to go.. But I should probably raise my budget to $900-$1000.. I was planning to return the system.. It's not used or anything... I was thinking about an Onkyo receiver (between $300-$400), a DVD player that has the HDMI (I've seen some for less than $200)... I was hoping to find a nice speaker set up for around $400- $500 including the sub... Doesn't really sound possible im guessing..

 

[jaxvon]

I'm sorry. It's definitely possible. It's just one option. But I think if you were to up your budget to around $900, you'd be able to do a lot better. And yes, less expensive receivers will work very well. The Pioneer just offers a LOT at that price point.

Onkyo makes some good stuff, as does Yamaha. There are definitely DVD players in your price range that have HDMI. I was just saying that there aren't any receivers that do HDMI. If you don't really care about running the HDMI through your receiver, then yeah, go for the HDMI stuff.

I'll do some research and post again. That was just off the top of my head. I'm sure I can find something to fit your budget and still yield good sound.

 

[Esco5710]

I'm just trying to have the option to connect those components I mentioned. Isnt HDMI only for the picture quality of the DVD? So I don't see the benefit of having it thru the receiver.. Maybe I'm misunderstanding something. Thanks for your time and effort to research some information...

 

[MACCA350]

HDMI carries both picture and sound digitally. The other benifit of routing through a receiver is for switching. But some have stated that sometimes HDMI is not as good picture quality as using component, I'm not sure why but I think it has something to do with the processing required by the DVD player or/and Display for the use of HDMI cable(I'm assuming this isnt a problem for highend components)

cheers

 

[jaxvon]

Indeed, HDMI is a one-cable solution for 7.1 channel, HI-Rez sound AND up to 1080p video. Still working on that recommended setup...

 

[Esco5710]

Ok the more you keep hyping up the HDMI thru the receiver the more I want it and budget keeps getting higher.. What's your opinion on the Sony system I purchased?

 

[jaxvon]

Heh, that happens a lot in this hobby. As far as the Sony system goes, i really don't think it's very good. The only good products that Sony makes (in my opinion) are their pro headphones (specifically the MDR-7506 phones) and their TVs. Other than that, i think you can do much better elsewhere.

If you really want an HDMI capable receiver, the cheapest I've seen is MSRP $1000. Since you were hoping to spend that much on the whole system, I think it might be pushing it. However, it really depends on what you want to ultimately spend and obtain. In this price catagory, increasing your spending by a few hundred dollars yields BIG results for improvements. Do you have a new budget, now that HDMI is looking so sexy? Or are you just going to stick with about $1000 for now...

 

[Esco5710]

I'm willing to go around $900 to 1G... YOu got something in mind?

 

[Esco5710]

Can someone help me out??