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Mitchell Andrus
01-30-2010, 2:04 PM
I'm a few months from moving to the new house. Getting the shop set up has been the main focus so far 'cause I work there, but down-time entertainment is an important thing to get right too.

We're keeping the house in NJ for LOML's too-good-to-pass-up job and will bi-locate for a year or two. So, the 52" LCD and Bose system are staying in NJ for now. I've got to find a decent sound system for the NC house. I'd prefer to avoid the expense of a Bose again given that we won't need 2 of them under one roof. No cable in our area either, so it's back to a dish.

Anyone really happy with a Sony or other name brand surround sound system? Perhaps with a DVD/BR player built in?
.

Eric Franklin
01-30-2010, 4:11 PM
If you want a packaged solution, I would look at the Onkyo HT-S6200 which Amazon sells for around $550. It offers 7.1 surround sound including all the speakers and a receiver. You would need to just add the blu-ray player. It's rated one of the best theater-in-a-box systems available.

John O'Brien
01-30-2010, 4:26 PM
I bought a 32" Sony Bravia tv and then added a Sony home theater system. The HTS came with 2 wireless speakers (actually the small receicer box is woreless, but the 2 speakers are wired to the box). Instead os surround sound we moved the wirelsss speakers into another room. Sounds good when we play music. The wireless speakers can be shut off also.

All in all the package sounds pretty good, but we never had another to compare it to.

Pat Germain
01-30-2010, 5:08 PM
I'm not a big fan of "Home Theater in a Box" systems. Personally, I think you'd be better off going to Costco and buying a BlueRay player and 5.1 receiver. You'll get a lot more power that way. And a powerful receiver sounds better even at low volume.

I don't think it's worth paying extra for a 7.1 because most movies aren't recorded in 7.1. People say there's not much difference anyway. (But I admit, I'm not an expert on the subject.)

Do you also need a TV? Again, I'd go to Costco. Their selection of LCD TVs rivals BestBuy. The prices are very good and so is the Costco return policy. You won't get the latest and greatest models at Costco, but I think the price more than makes up for that.

Once you have a nice receiver, BluRay player and TV, I would recommend buying a very nice set of speakers. Certainly, space and budget are top concerns. But speakers are not an area where you want to cheap out.

Again, I'm no expert, but people have different opinions about what they like. For example, I'm well aware Klipsch speakers are very good hardware. But I personally don't really like the way they sound. I do like JBL and Boston Acoustics speakers. I just think they sound better even though some "experts" think they're crap. So, go with what sounds good to you!

For buying speakers, it might be worthwhile to visit a high-end sound shop and really give a listen. But otherwise, I think hardware from Costco is fine and the prices is great. A few months ago I saw a very nice Denon 5.1 receiver at Costco. It was a very nice model and the price was amazing.

And, if you do opt for Home Theater in a Box, Costco has very good prices on those as well. I have Sony DVD players and I'm very happy with them; unlike my previous DVD players that just quit working after the warranty was expired.

Neal Clayton
01-30-2010, 5:32 PM
harman kardon also sells refurbs via the factory on ebay, that's another option to save some cash.

i've always liked how they sound. i like logic7 for music too.

as for speakers, both myself and my parents have ordered from an internet dealer in canada by the name of axiom audio (google should turn it up) and for the price i'm pleased with their speakers. i especially like their subs, very tame, not room-rattling when turned up.

Bruce Page
01-30-2010, 5:46 PM
Mitchell, I just set up one of these yesterday: http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-SR806-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B001AMUF7K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1264887745&sr=8-1

LOML & I watched the new Star Trek blue-ray last night and the audio was impressive. It also sounds great with my ipod.

It replaced an older upper end Sony that did well with DVD sound tracts but not so well with music IMO.

John Lohmann
01-30-2010, 5:49 PM
I have a Onkyo SR706, I like it. Most new receivers have video processing that will take a video source & upgrade it to 1080p. It's not perfect but better than 480p.There is also a lot of audio processing to improve room acoustics & add various effects to change mono & stereo to 5.1 or 7.1. I have a few movies that are 7.1, but my speaker setup is still 5.1. The manual states that in setup you can use it in a 5.1 or 7.1 mode. If 7.1 takes off like it should why have a outdated receiver? Lots of good reviews on the internet if you take the time to look. A lot of this depends on your budget.

Tim Morton
01-30-2010, 5:52 PM
whats the budget? And whats is size of the room?

Mitchell Andrus
01-30-2010, 7:12 PM
whats the budget? And whats is size of the room?

Ah, great questions. The room is about 22 x 24. Budget, about $1,000.00 if we include a BR player. That should be plenty given that it'll get handed down to one of the kids once they buy a house. Our Bose is now about 6 YO and the similar current model is still up to $2,500.00+ w/o the player. Don't want to go there again. Great system, but we don't need 2.
.

Derek Gilmer
01-30-2010, 7:36 PM
My suggestion for around $1000 would be

Reciever - Onkyo 607 - $400 (shop around for maybe a lower price)
Blu-ray - Samsung BD-P1600 $150 (good picture quality and streams netflix/pandora/youtube)
Front left/right - Polk monitor 50 $100 each on newegg
Center - Polk CS1 $89 (CS2 for $129) on newegg
Surrounds -
inwall - Polk RC60i $100/pair on newegg
or
bookshelf - Polk monitor 30 $109/pair on newegg
Sub - Polk PSW505 - $229

It is closer to $1200 but would be a great sounding setup. You could switch the Polk monitor 50 towers to monitor 40 bookshelf style to save $100 or so and not give up much quality. Newegg has great prices on the polk stuff right now. Chances are you'll keep this one and pass the bose on to the kids :)

Jim Becker
01-30-2010, 8:41 PM
I'm very pleased with the Onkyo 7.1 system I put in here to support our media room. It was also reasonably priced. I would have preferred the Bose setup for speaker size, but it was out of the price range I wanted to be in at the time, etc.

Bryan Morgan
01-31-2010, 12:39 AM
I'm also a fan of Onkyo. Good quality stuff. Not the cheapest but you can find deals if you look around.

Tim Morton
01-31-2010, 8:58 AM
Ah, great questions. The room is about 22 x 24. Budget, about $1,000.00 if we include a BR player. That should be plenty given that it'll get handed down to one of the kids once they buy a house. Our Bose is now about 6 YO and the similar current model is still up to $2,500.00+ w/o the player. Don't want to go there again. Great system, but we don't need 2.
.

A couple more questions...judging that you purchased a Bose system and are happy with it tells me you want convenience out of the box and a nice simple system that is hidden from view but sounds "fun" rather than getting huge thunderous bass.

I am also assuming the $1000 budget is for a home theater receiver with a blue ray player and 5 speakers plus a subwoofer?

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MORDMS300SYMPL/MORDAUNT-SHORT/Ms300-5-Piece-Speaker-Package-Maple/1.html

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MARSR4002/Marantz/Sr4002-Receiver-80w-X-7ch-Hdmi-Home-Theater-Surround/1.html

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MORDMS309WSLV/MORDAUNT-SHORT/Ms309w-10-Powered-Suwoofer-W/150-Watt-Amplifier-Silver/1.html

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKDVBD507/Onkyo/Dv-bd507-Blu-ray-Dvd-Player/1.html

....problem is you would never want to listen to your bose system again:D

Zach England
01-31-2010, 9:19 AM
Buy a receiver and build the speakers. You are a woodworker for crying out loud. For people experienced in woodworking basic speaker boxes are a cake walk and if you want to get fancy aesthetically the sky is the limit. There are lots of kits that come with all components--you just build the cabinet to their specs and assemble the crossovers. Some even have pre-assembled crossovers if you are opposed to a little soldering. You could easily crank out 5 bookshelf cabinets and a subwoofer box on a single Saturday with a few sheets of MDF. MDF is really the only acceptable and easily available material for speaker cabinets.

I am a snobbish audiophile and look down upon all mass-market audio stuff. I listen to vinyl through tube amps, and really only like classical music these days. But I realize not everyone is an audiophile so I will spare you that ridiculousness.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-700

By the way, Bose sucks.

Bryan Rocker
01-31-2010, 10:40 AM
I would caution against buying too low a powered reciever/amp. I bought a Sony reciever/amp with surround sound back in the 90s. It is still running strong and it sounds crystal clear when you dare crank it up. My Sony powers Klipch speakers, KM1's for the mains, a center speaker, KM3 I think and a pair of surround speakers on the wall behind us. It sounds almost as good as and even better sometimes than in the theater.

I would also HIGHLY recommend you properly sized or larger speaker cable. So many people lose sound quality/volume etc because they go with 18-24 guage wire. I just finished rewiring my house, I looked around at the different types of cable. I finally used 12 guage stranded underground cable for my satelites. It was only $35 for $50. YOu can use larger cable or even 2 runs of the same size cable to achieve great results. Don't waste your money on "Monster" cable. It doesn't live up to the hype. Do some searches via google. You will be amazed at what you find.

One more thing on the satelite speakers. I look at where I might set up the room if my LOML decided to rearrainge the LR. I put an additional set of boxes and speaker cable runs to handle that as well........

Mitchell Andrus
01-31-2010, 11:29 AM
A couple more questions...judging that you purchased a Bose system and are happy with it tells me you want convenience out of the box and a nice simple system that is hidden from view but sounds "fun" rather than getting huge thunderous bass.

I am also assuming the $1000 budget is for a home theater receiver with a blue ray player and 5 speakers plus a subwoofer?

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MORDMS300SYMPL/MORDAUNT-SHORT/Ms300-5-Piece-Speaker-Package-Maple/1.html

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MARSR4002/Marantz/Sr4002-Receiver-80w-X-7ch-Hdmi-Home-Theater-Surround/1.html

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MORDMS309WSLV/MORDAUNT-SHORT/Ms309w-10-Powered-Suwoofer-W/150-Watt-Amplifier-Silver/1.html

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKDVBD507/Onkyo/Dv-bd507-Blu-ray-Dvd-Player/1.html

....problem is you would never want to listen to your bose system again:D





Thanks, I'll have a look at these.

I poked around a little lest night. You really have to be aware of what the mfgrs are selling. One sells identical systems...(for example) #...A300 for $659.00 or #...B200 for $559.00 if you don't need the high-boy cabinets. Identical otherwise, an extra $100.00 for high-boy cabinets.

I like to checkout this site for reviews and comparisons:

http://home-audio.toptenreviews.com/home-theater-in-a-box/

I've got little time to fedutz around trying to design/source/balance a speaker/boomer setup. The Bose was a gift from LOML. Bose isn't cutting edge anymore. I know there are other 'system in a box' kits out there that can blow the doors off of it. If I end up with a better system, the Bose goes in the closet regardless of it's cost. Ease of setup is important.
.

Randal Stevenson
01-31-2010, 11:50 AM
I have some friends with some high $$$ stuff, and I picked their brains a bit. I was wanting something decent, yet not loud enough that it would attract some problem neighbor kids, or the cops as someone down the street doesn't like my music selection.
I don't have BR yet, and plan on a separate player. I do have a DVD, CD, Phono, and PC I plan on hooking up. I also have a portable music player (old Iriver), that will hook through the front (mini stereo). I found out about Phono Preamps, as a inexpensive way, to not have to buy a high end receiver.
What I ended up narrowing it down to, is the Yamaha YHT-391 or the Onkyo HTS5200. I picked up the Feb issue of Consumer reports (friend looking for a laptop for school, I tell them look for x, but don't have specific models known), and it listed the above, as well as Onkyo HTS7200 and the Yamaha YHT 591, with the Onkyo's receiving the top two scores.

Tim Morton
01-31-2010, 11:58 AM
Thanks, I'll have a look at these.

I poked around a little lest night. You really have to be aware of what the mfgrs are selling. One sells identical systems...(for example) #...A300 for $659.00 or #...B200 for $559.00 if you don't need the high-boy cabinets. Identical otherwise, an extra $100.00 for high-boy cabinets.

I like to checkout this site for reviews and comparisons:

http://home-audio.toptenreviews.com/home-theater-in-a-box/

I've got little time to fedutz around trying to design/source/balance a speaker/boomer setup. The Bose was a gift from LOML. Bose isn't cutting edge anymore. I know there are other 'system in a box' kits out there that can blow the doors off of it. If I end up with a better system, the Bose goes in the closet regardless of it's cost. Ease of setup is important.
.

Those were by no means the meant to be "you must buy these"...just wanted to show you the site...and they offer really nice prices on good stuff. The speakers a bit small to get "loud"...but for most listening should be fine and they look nice to boot.;)

Another option would be something like this:

http://hometheatermag.com/hometheaterinabox/onkyo_ht-s9100thx_integrated_system/#