noob need new Audio Setup help/suggestions

[Kilim]

So this is the equipment I have so far in my livingroom:
My livingroom is 16' L x 13' W.

Samsung LN-T4069F HDTV
SA 8300HD HD-DVR Cablebox
Toshiba A30 HD-DVD Player
PS3 40gb
Wii
Logitech Z-5500 5.1 Speaker System
IMPACT ACOUSTICS™ 3-PLAY™ HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPONENT VIDEO/DIGITAL AUDIO SELECTOR (To connect System Audio to the Z-5500)
Desktop PC Connected via DVI-HDMI Cables
Logitech Harmony 880 Universal remote​

Budget: ~$800
(Can possibly go $1000 within reason)

I am thinking of upgrading my audio and not sure how to do it right to get that Home Theater sound/feel.
I checked out the ConsumerSearch web review and am still kinda confused:
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/electronics/home-theater-systems/

I have my PS3 for my Blu-Ray viewing and my Toshiba A30 for HD-DVD Viewing and can use either for upconverted DVD viewing.
So I am thinking I won't need a system with an Upconverted DVD included.

I was thinking the Onkyo HT-SR800 as it has the HDMI IN/Out and also TOSLink or will the Onkyo HT-S990THX be a better setup in the long term? or how about the Onkyo HT-SP908?
And thinking that I can just get the Cables-to-Go HDMI or TOSLink Splitter if I need more In/Outs ports.

Would I need a system with HDMI Input/Outputs? I have seen seperate HDMI Switchers with IR Remote control also. http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat_id=3108&sku=40922
Would I need TOSLink Input/Output? I have a seperate TOSLinkSwitchers with IR Remote control also http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat_id=3108&sku=40324
What would you guys suggest?

Most important for me is the ability to control everything with my Logitech Harmony 880 Remote.

Right now I am leaning towards either:
(Budget is $800 or less)

Onkyo TX-SR605 AVR + Speakers or just the Onkyo HT-SP908.

I don't NEED the Upgraded DVD Player and I-pod dock of the 908.
(I will more than likely just give the Upconverted DVD player and I-pod dock to someone or ebay it)
But I do Not know if I can find a speaker setup that is decent or better than what comes pre-packaged with the 908 that I can get if I just buy the 605AVR + Speakers.

Or should I go for something like a Yamaha RX-V661/HTR-6060 and higher. Pioneer Elite 81TXV and higher or Maybe one of the Denon models and just get some starter set speakers?

What I am hoping for is a decent system for now that I can easily upgrade later on.
And what are the suggestions for what I should upgrade to?

I admit I am a noob when it comes to this and would like to get some help please

 

[rnatalli]

Checkout Audioholics $1k system recommendation. You wouldn't need everything on the list and some of the prices are lower now than when the system was originally listed:

http://www.audioholics.com/buying-guides/system-buying-guides/the-1000-bare-bones-system

That said, speakers are your highest priority. The X-LS speakers suggested in the Audioholics $1k system are excellent speakers for the money, however, they aren't the only possibility. There are some good deals on PSB Image at saturdayaudio.com and plenty of other good deals out there. It all depends on what kind of speakers you want and what kind of sound you prefer. You should spend 60-70% of your budget on speakers as they impact sound the most and choose speakers first so you know what receiver you may need. I wouldn't recommend going with any Onkyo speakers. Buy speakers from a real speaker company. Just because Onkyo makes great receivers doesn't mean their speakers are good.

That said, the Onkyo 605 is an excellent receiver as is the Yamaha 661, but these may be a little overkill in a system for $1k.

Also, don't spend loads of money on fancy cables. Monoprice.com is a great place to find excellent cables for cheap.

 

[Seth=L]

Most HTIAB systems won't sound much better, if at all, than your Logitech system. I think you could start out by getting the Onkyo TX-SR605, Yamaha RX-V661, Marantz SR-4001, or an H/K AVR-247 for your receiver and get a stereo set of speakers to pair with it with the remainder of the budget.

After you save some more money you can add the subwoofer, surrounds, and a center channel speaker.

 

[jcPanny]

Speaker options

Since you already have several hundred invested in HD-DVD and BluRay gear, I would recommend starting with a decent receiver that does HDMI audio processing (line the above mentioned Onkyo or Yamaha) and a quality 2.0 or 2.1 bookshelf speaker system in your budget. You can add the center and surround channels as budget allows.

Check out the bookshelf speakers from ID companies line SVSound and AV123 or look for Paradigm, Polk, Klipsch, etc. at local B&M dealers.

 

[Kilim]

How about the Onkyo TX-SR605, Yamaha RX-V661, Marantz SR-4001, or an H/K AVR-247 + Polk Audio RM6750 to start with (Or similar grade speaker set) ?
Also which would be a better AVR in the long run? Pros/Cons of each?

Right now I am leaning towards a good AVR and a decent Speaker set and upgrade the speakers slowly later.
Want to start out with something better than what I have now.

I am thinking I can put the Z-5500 in my Bedroom lol.

 

[Kilim]

So.
If I want at least a 5.1 System at this budget and plan to upgrade possibly in the future.
What should I get?

I also have some extra Z-5500 speakers I can use maybe while I slowly upgrade my stuff?

1 thing that is confusing me is how audio and stuff is processed from Equipment X thru HDMI to AVR.
I want at least 5.1, and having 7.1 upgradeability won't be a bad future option, but 5.1 is good enough for me.

I am no Audio Expert, just want some good sound in my livingroom better than what I have now.

 

[Seth=L]

Edit: sorry for the long post, I wasn't aware it would be this long.

Pros and cons of each receiver.

Onkyo pros:

HDMI 1.3 (deep color support)
Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS-HD audio processing
Powered zone 2
Reputable for ease of use and setup
HDMI upconversion (converts all inputs to HDMI if you wish)

Onkyo Cons:

Reported popping when switching audio automatically (pops slightly through speakers, only a minor annoyance in my opinion)
No multichannel preouts for addition amplification
No scaler

H/K pros:

Scaling (to 720p)
preouts for all channels
pretty hefty at 30 pounds, which indicates it has more power (other receivers in the 25 pounds vacinity)
Looks very nice
HDMI conversion (converts all inputs to HDMI if you wish)

H/K cons:

Not HDMI 1.3, but can still process high resolution uncompressed audio from an HD player that decodes HD audio (Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS-HD) internally.
H/K's reliability reputation is decreasing (but not as poor as Kenwood, Sony)

Yamaha Pros:

Multichannel preouts

Yamaha cons:
Not HDMI 1.3, but can still process high resolution uncompressed audio from an HD player that decodes HD audio (Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS-HD) internally.
No HDMI upconversion (can't convert inputs to HDMI)
No scaler

Marantz pros:

Multichannel preouts for adding amplification
Marantz has a good reputation

Marantz cons:

Not HDMI 1.3, but can still process high resolution uncompressed audio from an HD player that decodes HD audio (Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS-HD) internally.
No HDMI upconversion
No scalers

If I missed something or any of this information is incorrect feel free to correct or add as you wish.

To the OP (Kilim)-

I would recommend starting off with a nice set of stereo bookshelf speakers and a subwoofer. Once you can afford to upgrade again you can get some matching floor standing speakers or another pair of Bookshelf speakers for surrounds, then again when you can afford to add a center channel. This approach will get you the best stereo sound you can afford now and you will have a very nice system once it is said and done with.

The Polk system you mentioned is not worth much consideration, in my opinion. Satellite/subwoofer speaker systems aren't typically that great, and I don't expect that Polk's would be any different. The subwoofer is a really weak point with that system. It won't be able to have the depth and level of output compared to even the most modest separate subwoofers.

This system from BIC (Acoustech) is well received and those speakers can be driven by basically anything. You can find the system online for around $1000, which is an amazing price.

(before it is asked, the H/K's power ratings are considerably lower than their competitors because they rate their receivers with all channels driven at 1khz. The competition does their power ratings with only one or two channels driven in most cases and usually are about the same in terms of power as similarly priced H/K gear.)

 

[Kilim]

Thank you for the long response!
I am a noob and any and all info is greatly appreciated!

This is how I am planning to setup:

Toshiba A30 ------> HDMI ---------> AVR --> HDMI to Samsung LN-T4069F HDTV
Wii ---------------> Component ---> AVR--> HDMI to Samsung LN-T4069F HDTV
PS3 -------------> HDMI ----------> AVR --> HDMI to Samsung LN-T4069F HDTV
SA 8300HD DVR --> HDMI ----------> AVR --> HDMI to Samsung LN-T4069F HDTV
PC ---------------> DVI-to-HDMI ----------> HDMI to Samsung LN-T4069F HDTV
PC Audio ---------> Toslink --------> AVR​

Equipment possible resolutions:

A30 - upto 1080p/24
PS3 - upto 1080p/24
Wii - 480p
SA 8300HD DVR - set to run native 480i/480p/720i/720p/1080i dependent on source​

I just want something that is somewhat "Future-proof" and yet better than what I have now.
I am wondering if I can use my extra Z-5500 Surround and Center Speakers as parts of the new 5.1 system I will build, plus the new Mains and Sub.
With a budget planned I am thinking I can get: 605 + new L-R Mains and a Sub and use spare Z-5500 Surround and Centers until upgraded.

Seems like the only AVR listed with HDMI 1.3 is the Onkyo.
Should I get that instead then for my "Future-proof" jitter?

Question about the Onkyo Cons:

Reported popping when switching audio automatically (pops slightly through speakers, only a minor annoyance in my opinion)
No multichannel preouts for addition amplification
No scaler

Does the popping happen each and every time? any work-around to this?
What is a Multichannel Pre-out? is it important?
Whats a scaler? is it important?


Right now, the Onkyo 605 sounds great for teh price and features.
I have read that the 705 is THX Cert and have 1 additional HDMI Input and the 875/905 can actually upconvert any source to 1080p!
Is upconverting of ALL Sources to 1080p even that important?
Anything other than the 605 would mean I will have to wait and save more $$$ but wondering if its even to my benefit to spend more if I can make do with soemthing cheaper that may work for me.

I heard that with the Onkyo 605, ANY Inputs other than HDMI will downscale to 720p, is this true? (ie: Component to AVR to HDMI TV)
Could a HDMI Switcher resolve this issue (ie: http://www.amazon.com/CABLESTOGO-40922-SELECTOR-SWITCHERS-INPUTS/dp/B000YTPEE4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1199579428&sr=8-1 )
or maybe Compoennt straight to TV and Toslink to AVR (will this reduce any of the Audio quality/features?

I live in a small apartment and just would love that better Home Theater feel as I LOVE watching movies.
Just soemthing better that my current system would be nice but not also make me broke lol.


PS:
Your link does not work.

 

[Kilim]

Bump.

PS:
I am also thinking of the Onkyo 705 now and then slowly get better speakers.