opinions on Home theatre surround sound system

[Hoov]

So i just won 700 $ in my fantasy football league and im ready to go blow it on a home theatre surround system.

My roomate just bought a lcd big screen tv for our house and dvd burner, i am not that much for tv and didnt want to shell out cash for something i dont care that much about, but i love music so i said i would buy the stereo surround system and that would be my contribution.

So i was at best buy yesterday and they wanted to sell me a whole system (the receiver, speakers and a 5 disc dvd/cd player) the guy said i would get a better deal buying the whole package, but i heard from someone else that when they sell you an all inclusive package you usually dont get the best quality products and i dont need the dvd/cd player, just the receiver and speakers.

I am willing to spend up to 500 on this, there was a panasonic model that came with 2 towers and 4 other spekers and total watt output was 1200, that thing was so fricken loud and the sound quality was still decent, i was tempted to buy on the spot but then i decided to wait and get some oppinions. another cool thing about this model was that later you could use a wireless transmitter and have a speaker hooked up in another part of the house. most of the other models didnt have that option.

So anyone have oppinion about whether to buy the whole system or buy speakers and receiver seperate ? or which brand is a really good one ?

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

Hoov: More times than not, you get what you pay for. As far as the packages in a box, I would suggest you look at Sony Dream System, Samsung HT or Polk Audio (Circuit City only, I believe). They are all really good systems. You probably can't go wrong with any of these. I had a Sony system before I upgraded to the Boston Acoustic speakers/Yamaha receiver and it was a really good system for the money that lasted a long time with no issues.

Remember to Price check before buying, especially with the new year's sales coming up! Best Buy, Circuit City and Sears (don't overlook Sears, they are great for this type of stuff) all Price match any sale item from competitors. If you bring in an advertisement to Sears from Circuit City (or vise-versa), they will match it to get your business. You can cost yourself money by not doing this! They will price match up to thirty days after the purchase, so keep checking their websites/advertisements for the thirty days after purchase.

Research their websites prior to going in. They earn commision off of this stuff and will naturally want to sell you something more expensive if they can. The more you know, the better!

Don't get the in-store warranty! Your products should have a one year factory warranty already, so you will be double covering for the first year for no reason. If you are concerned, ask them if they will warrant the product after the first year in case you decide to get additional coverage later.

Also, I can't say this enough, you get what you pay for with a lot of these items! Stay away from Walmart type products when it comes to items with sound or picture quality involved! There is a huge difference! I normally shop for the "best-bang-for-the-buck, so I am not being biased here.

Finally, bring a DVD to test them yourself. I would suggest "Monsters, Inc", which is one of the best surround sound movies ever made. The scene where they are walking to work (probably third scene in), will test most of the popular aspects of surround sound, including the base. Fight-Club is a really good movie as well.

Hope this helps!

 

[Hoov]

Thanks Joe Rod. A lot of good info there.

 

[TheBigEasy]

Do me a favor and research a Bose system. IMO, they are the best. I have a Bose system and wouldn't trade it for the world.

Good luck and happy spending!!!

 

[Meat-O-Rama]

I would stay away from the all in one systems with the receiver, DVD, and speakers. In my experience the quality is sacrified on all ends to make a nice affordable system.

My biggest beef with them is that they tend to have proprietary connectors. Meaning you might not be able to take these speakers and plug them into a different receiver down the road.

I would buy the recevier by itself, and the speakers by themselves. Although a package deal of just the speakers would probably save you some money without sacrificing too much qulaity. Cambridge Soundworks is a brand I trust and use in my home theatre seup, and they tend to have some good, affordable packages.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

The only problem with Bose is that he has no shot at getting a good Bose product for the range he is looking for. Bose is traditionally overpriced due to their reputation.

For example, he can currently get a Sony Dream system with a 5 DVD/CD Changer, MP3 player capabilities and is XM satellite ready at Sears on sale for $499 (model DAV-FX500, which is the entry level Dream system). They will usually advertise 10% off around the beginning of the year if he uses a Sears card (Best Buy and CC usually offer these incentives from time to time as well), which he should then use to invest in upgraded speaker wire. If he doesn't have a card at the store he buys from then he can sign up for one and get approved within a few minutes. A similar Bose product will pull him out of his price range. Hoov, you should probably do yourself a favor and go to Best-Buy, Circuit City and Sears over the next few days prior to any big sales that come out. Listen to the products that interest you up to maybe a little over your price range in anticipation that they will go on sale after the New Year. Ask the sales associates what sales they have coming up for New Years (they usually know this readily). Get the price, sale info and the model numbers of the ones you like, then go back to your computer and do some research. Websites like Smarter.com give reviews from experts and consumers alike. That way, you get the system you want with as much input as possible. Nothing worse than regretting a purchase of that much money.

One other thing, I would suggest buying speaker wire at Radioshack as opposed to Best-buy or circuit city. The speaker wires that these products come with are usually garbage. Best buy in particular pushes 16 gauge monster cable, while radio shack has a generic brand that is just as good at a much lower price. Gold plated gives the best quality sound.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

If you do go to the seperate receiver/speaker package, Yamaha and Onkyo have a great "bang for the buck" reputation. I have a Yamaha that I bought with my Klipsh speakers several years ago and I did not have to upgrade even though I bought new Boston Acoustic speakers this year.

The problem with seperate speaker/receiver packages is that you can get out of your price range in a hurry. If you go that route, I would say to go ahead and spend the whole $700.

 

[JPM]

B&H Photo in NYC has a couple of nice "packages".
Here is one just about in your price range. The monster cables are overkill.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...385&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

 

[the kid 05]

Do me a favor and research a Bose system. IMO, they are the best. I have a Bose system and wouldn't trade it for the world.

Good luck and happy spending!!!

i got a bose home sys and while its good, its just not loud enough for my tastes, maybe thats cuz its a 2.1 and my other for my computer/gaming in 5.1.

 

[Hoov]

i got a bose home sys and while its good, its just not loud enough for my tastes, maybe thats cuz its a 2.1 and my other for my computer/gaming in 5.1.

I like certain kinds of music real loud.... if im spending a good bit of money then when i play godsmack or metallica i wanna be able to feel the music vibrating through me.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

I like certain kinds of music real loud.... if im spending a good bit of money then when i play godsmack or metallica i wanna be able to feel the music vibrating through me.

That's a good piece of info to know. You will definitly want to go with a system that has two larger front speakers (towers or something with at least four to six inch sub-woofers in them). Many surround sound systems don't target high performance for listening to music and offer a good quality front-console and subwoofer along with four smaller speakers designed to produce surround sound, but not the sound that a music buff is looking for. When tuned into a stereo setting, the music will only channel through the front two speakers and not use the center console at all. In addition to a good surround sound movie, you will want to bring a good CD to sample as well. Most of the floor jockeys will know exactly what type of system will suite you so don't be afraid to ask their opinion of what to sample. You should be up-front about your price-range though, because if you start to mix and match then the price can shoot up real fast!

 

[Kevinicus]

Those systems in a box usually come with a weak passive subwoofer. I'd reccommend buying everything separately (speakers in pairs). It's more expensive, but much better IMO. I'd say at least $300 for a receiver, $150-$200 for a good subwoofer. The speakers, you can probably go a little cheaper with unless you absolutely have to have the best quality. Really the watt output is not going to be very important for people with home systems. I doubt you will ever come close to maxing out a system.

 

[burmafrd]

Yamaha for the receiver- best bang for the buck. MK powered sub woofer.
BOSE or POLK for the speakers. If you look for sales and spend a little time on the internet shopping, you can probably get a really good setup for $500-700.
Make sure you check out the speakers carefully- use music you want and play it at the stores so you can hear the speakers work.

 

[Doomsday]

Love my Polk system. I have the Monitor 60s (front), CS2 (center), Monitor 30s (surround) and a PSW10 subwoofer and it kicks some serious butt for the money.

 

[the kid 05]

I like certain kinds of music real loud.... if im spending a good bit of money then when i play godsmack or metallica i wanna be able to feel the music vibrating through me.

Yeah! have you heard Godsmacks new album? (well newish came out last early summer lol) i belive its called IV its, takes some getting used to but then after your 3rd or 4th time listing to it you can deff tell its a godsmack album.

 

[Dallas]

Why anyone buys a pkg system is beyond me. No offense. I am just not a fan of box systems.


You start w/ the receiver - then you add speakers ( tower ) - then you add center channel speaker - then you add some rear speakers.



Everything begins w/ the receiver.


Denon all the way. Speakers ?? Boston Accoustics!! Bang for the buck ?? Klipsche or ummmmm thats pretty much it.


P.S. Center Channel - Center Channel - Center Channel I cant say enough about how important the center channel is.


D