Overwhelmed Newbie!

[CajunBadger]

<font color='#000000'>Let me first apologize because this post is likely to get lengthy and maybe unnecessary info! &nbsp;In truth, my questions are so basic even after reading a decent bit, being pointed to some good faq's and articles may be the step before my continuing further. &nbsp;Any suggested sites, faqs, forums, etc would help greatly - I'm willing to read, learn, and then ask questions rather than have it spoon fed to me! &nbsp;Ok that said...

I'm looking at putting together a complete home theatre system component by component and not necessarily all at once. &nbsp;I've tried to read as many articles (including looking at the links provided by Rip Van Woofer) and my brain is about to explode. &nbsp;It will currently will be set up in a room sized 11' x 13' but likely be moved into a larger room. &nbsp;While wanting the full effect, I may consider waiting on the tv to get more for my $$. &nbsp;My budget is a bit flexible but would like to stay around $750 for the receiver and speakers and $1500 for an DTV/HDTV (thinking 40&quot; or larger). &nbsp;Currently I watch sports and regular tv, but also will be watching DVD's more often.

The only components I have remaining that can be used at least temporarily are:
1) A Magnavox 27&quot; SDTV with composite inputs hooked up to a digital cable box with coax RF-out &amp; conv in, Aux Audio in (L&amp;R), S/PDIF, composite, and S-video connectors.
2) An inexpensive DVD player (ultimately bound with the TV to the bedroom!) with composite, component, S-video, and coax connections.
3) Two Epicure 4 floor standing speakers which have very nice sound and could be used for the front two speakers.

Now the questions:
1) Receiver - what should I be looking at for in terms of connections for now and upgradability (likely will add a pc digital audio converter later), decoding (Dolby Digital, Dolby Surround Pro Logic II, Surround EX, THx, etc), and ...?

2) DTV/HDTV - should I take the plunge with HDTV (HD ready as likely not buying a set top box and not sure if cable company may provide one) or will a DTV be more than adequate? &nbsp;Rear projection - crt or .... vs directview? &nbsp;
type of connectors...to much to ask - guess again an faq with some initial hints would help a great deal!

3) Speakers - very important but think I can hit the reviews on these. &nbsp;Any insights of course are appreciated!

Thanks and I feel so much more of a newbie now than ever,

-- CajunBadger &nbsp;

</font>

 

[Rip Van Woofer]

<font color='#000000'>The current Consumer Reports (I know, I sound like a broken record...) has tests of AV (home theater) recievers and speakers, including ratings of the factors you mention. Pick up a copy and check out their recommendations in the store to see if you agree (you're the final arbiter, after all!).

With your budget you're unlikely to spend big bucks on the reciever so I woudn't worry too much about upgrading. By the time that's an issue you might just replace the unit. By then you'll be rich, of course! And I think all but the most el cheapo units have all the processing options you'll need.

I think if you spend about $300 on the reciever and the rest on well-chosen speakers you'll have a nice setup for a small room. Choose efficient speakers and it'll make the move to the larger space just fine. To get the most bang for the buck I'd forego surround speakers for now. Just get the best nearly full-range right and left units you can find/afford, plus a good center channel. Then add a powered sub and rear surrounds later when the budget allows.

And don't forget about buying used! Great way to stretch the dollar, especially on a reciever. Take it from a cheap b*****d!

Not being into HT myself I can't speak to the TV selection, except that the typical rear projection TV would be rather large for a small space like yours. And have they improved on off-center viewing?

Glad to hear people are checking out my links.</font>

 

[Rob Babcock]

<font color='#8D38C9'>Given your budget you may run into a few problems. &nbsp;While you can get a pretty good TV for the price you've allocated, budgeting $750 for a reciever and speakers won't get you much, unfortunately, even if you keep your main speakers. &nbsp;

Mostly this is due to the problem of voice matching: &nbsp;no matter how nice of center and surrounds you get, the results won't be very satisfactory unless the front three speakers at a minimum, and preferrably all 5, are closely voiced. &nbsp;(Voice matching means that the speakers sound identical to each other, or at least resemble each other very, very closely).

Your best option would be to buy a matching Epicure center channel, assuming the line you own is still in production. &nbsp;I'm not familiar with them, so I don't know.

If you can't find one, I suggest you move your current main speakers to the rear and buy 3 speakers for the front. &nbsp;This could be a stereo pair and a center or 2 pairs of bookshelf speakers. &nbsp;The latter would have the advantage of giving you an extra to use as a rear center for 6.1 DVDs. &nbsp;The downside to this is that won't leave a lot of coin for a subwoofer. &nbsp;Still, it can be done.

One choice you might want to consider is the Epos ELS3 Mini. &nbsp;This nifty bookshelf is about $300/pr from AudioAdvisor.com, and The Absolute Sound (one of the finest audio publications in the world) has hailed them as among the best under $1500. &nbsp;2 pairs would leave you about $150 or so for a sub (not a lot of $, but I'll address that later...).

A second choice is the Bronze B line from Monitor Audio. &nbsp;The Bronze B3 towers and matching Bronze center would come in very close to your stated budget and would offer fantastic sound. &nbsp;The B3's have enough bass that you could initially skip the subwoofer if you needed to. &nbsp;Another MA option would be to go with either the bookshelf Bronze B2's and a Bronze center or 2 pairs of B2's. &nbsp;TAS has also given the B2 a Golden Ear award for value priced speakers and says they'd be a bargain at $1,000 (msrp is about $350, $225 for the center channel. &nbsp;You can usually get a lot better price than retail by shopping around).

I can heartily recommend that Bronzes- they've been praised by every magazine I can think of, and I myself still have a pair of the previous models, the Bronze 3's, in my bedroom system. &nbsp;They are incredible speakers at the price and honestly aren't a huge step down from my main rig. &nbsp;Going with B2's and a Bronze center would leave you a bit more for a decent sub, too.

Some of these options will deplete the whole $750 for speakers: &nbsp;I strongly urge you to do so, too. &nbsp;I say this because the speakers are the most important link in the chain. &nbsp;No matter how good the source or reciever, the speakers will dictate the final sound. &nbsp;If you skimp here, they'll be a bottleneck that'll prevent you from getting good sound. &nbsp;At the entry level, there are some serviceable recievers as cheap as $150, and if you don't need SOTA performance, I suggest buy a cheaper Pioneer or Techniques. &nbsp;Things change fast enough with electronics that you'll likely want to buy a new reciever in a year or two anyway, so unless you're gonna blow $600 or more, just get something cheap. &nbsp;But speaker technology tends to be very mature, and progress is pretty gradual. &nbsp;If you get speakers you like now, you may be happy with them for years. &nbsp;Skimping here will only guarentee the need to buy new ones as your tastes and budgets progress.

Yamaha makes some very inexpensive subs that are considered to be remarkable for the price. &nbsp;If you go this route you can get good bass for about $150. &nbsp;This should be enough in a room as small as you plan to use the system in.

Hope this is helpful. &nbsp;Feel free to ask if we can help; this can be intimidating for the newbie.

This is a great site, and you will find some great advice here. &nbsp;But I also suggest you check out AudioCircle.com for some advice; we have a forum called The Starting Block dedicated to those just starting out in this hobby. &nbsp;There's a lot of traffic there and many, many articles about a broad variety of subjects. &nbsp;It's a great resource for the audio/video newb!

Later,
Rob</font>

 

[Rob Babcock]

<font color='#8D38C9'>Sorry, I forgot to mention the TV. &nbsp;It depends on the market you live in. &nbsp;Many areas don't offer a lot of true HDTV, and even calling the local cable company often won't get a correct answer. &nbsp;There may be over-the-air HD reception, but that's something you'll just have to check into.

It's tough to advise you, there. &nbsp;I myself have seen a lot of superb HD demoes, but I haven't bought an HD set yet. &nbsp;The area I live just doesn't have HD yet (although the local cable company just announced that we will have HD very soon). &nbsp;I do believe it's just a matter of time, so you won't have long to wait if you do buy one.

Right now the best use of an HD set is for DVD and gaming. &nbsp;A good HD set will allow you to use a 'progressive scan' DVD player to get the maximum resolution from DVDs, and the Xbox has some high def games.

There are some pretty good RPTVs under $1,500. &nbsp;I think you're wise to go with at least a 42&quot; to 46&quot;- your DVDs will look awesome. &nbsp;Panasonic and Toshiba both make some great TVs in your price range.</font>