Cheap H.T. Set-Up?!?!?!

[Shwamdoo]

OOOOO-K...

My dad is looking at making the move twords home theater and I'm trying to make sure he gets the most for his money as far as the stereo is concerned. I really don't know much about which brands are worth listening to and I was just hoping for some sugestions. I'm not sure how much we want to spend, but we would like to keep it as cheap as possible without beeing H.T. In-A-Box quality.

Thanks.

[markw]

...sometimes even lower if you count Coby as a brand. Of course, you get what you pay for.

Now, if you want better than HTIB, what are your expectations, dollar and sound wise wise.

Entry level Sherwood, Yamaha, Panasonic and other brand name HT receivers can be obtained for under $150 if you watch the sales and go up to the price of moderate used cars. But, the good side is the point of diminishing returns is quite low, particularly for non-audiophile demands.

As far as speakers systems go, that's another vortex you can easily be sucked into withouft specifying a dollar amount.

[Defshep]

Check out Pioneer's VSX-D514 receiver (Best Buy, Circuit City) for around $150 and Sony's latest speaker models, you can find the ssmf550h 3-way towers for $150 a pair at Best Buy. Sony's matching center channel for under $100, ssmb150h bookshelves $50 a pair. People are kinda quick to knock Sony speakers, but an employee at best buy was amazed at the sound the 550s were putting out! Anyway, this under $500 setup will sound better than most HTIBs. You may want to also look at Onkyo's HTIB at Circuit City for under $500. Yamaha has a comparable system at Best Buy for around the same price. I can only vouch for the Pio/Sony setup 'cause that's close the same one I've had for about a year. Good Luck!

[Shwamdoo]

Sorry guys...I shouldn't have posted without being more spacific.

We are trying to do a 5 channel set up with maybe a subwoofer for around $2000.00. We can stretch a bit but that is a good price estimate. I have found that B&W, PSB, and Paradigm have reasonable priced H.T. systems. And, also, Epos has an affordable and highly regarded system. Any other suggestions as to what I may be overlooking?

We are also going to purchase new electronics. We are considering the Linn CLASSIk Movie Di, and several different things from NAD and Rotel. Can you think of any other companies im overlooking that would be worth hearing in the H.T. realm?

From my experience with stereo equipment, my natural instinct is to stear away from the main stream brands and twords the more specialized manufacturers. Does this philosophy apply to H.T. as well?

[enrique]

I'll tell you what i got which i enjoy very much.I have the Rotel rsx1056 with B&W 603s3 and lcr600 center i will be getting the 601s3 for surronds when i can(using def.tech. for now).It's a very good system IMO.The 603s3 and the lcr600 would run you 1,500. without a discount with would be approx 15-20% less depending on you dealer.The rotel is about 1,300. but with discount its would be less.Just so you know i was able to get the rotel for 1,100. and the front three spkrs for less than 1,200. just so you can get an idea.You can always do what i did and get peice by peice.I got my receiver first then the front three spks.Still waiting for the surronds.Of course when you add the sub it will be more but in my case i already had a sub from previous sytem which i may or maynot change in the future.Sorry for long post but just trying to give you an idea.

[edtyct]

Sorry guys...I shouldn't have posted without being more spacific.

We are trying to do a 5 channel set up with maybe a subwoofer for around $2000.00. We can stretch a bit but that is a good price estimate. I have found that B&W, PSB, and Paradigm have reasonable priced H.T. systems. And, also, Epos has an affordable and highly regarded system. Any other suggestions as to what I may be overlooking?

We are also going to purchase new electronics. We are considering the Linn CLASSIk Movie Di, and several different things from NAD and Rotel. Can you think of any other companies im overlooking that would be worth hearing in the H.T. realm?

From my experience with stereo equipment (#), my natural instinct is to stear away from the main stream brands and twords the more specialized manufacturers. Does this philosophy apply to H.T. as well?
Shwamdoo,

This is a tough one to step into; everyone can get into the act and recommend something good. Some of the gear that you mention already would be great, but I'll suggest a speaker set that hasn't come up too often lately--the Magnepan MMG W and Center, which are offered currently at a slight discount on Audioreview and only available factory-direct. The ad is located on the righthand side of this page periodically. These flat-panel speakers aren't for every musical and aesthetic taste, but if your dad's musical/cinematic interests tend to the more subdued, they might be just right (I'm assuming that he's at least my age of 54). If you're interested, you can check out the details and the reviews at Magnepan's site. I will say, however, that a good subwoofer is mandatory with these particular speakers, as well as amplification that can handle their nominal 5-ohm load. If you were going to use a receiver with them, its power rating would have to be reasonably high, and it would have to be a high-current design. Rotel and NAD spring to mind immediately, but some of the more expensive mass-market receivers might have the guts. Otherwise, separates would be the way to go.

Another caveat concerns the Linn Classik Movie Di. Far be it from me to dissuade anyone from buying a Linn product. But in this case, the cost is nearly $5,000, some of which might be allotted to other high-quality electronics and speakers. The Linn, as good as it is, locks you into its amp/tuner section and doesn't deliver either SACD or DVD-A, which your dad might enjoy somewhere down the line. Now, a receiver is obviously going to lock you into its multiple sections as well, but not at such a high price. Plus, this is a good time to buy a DVD player at modest cost and get at least solid video performance and possibly respectable audio as well. I'm sure that the Linn does a fine job, but the law of diminishing returns certainly applies at its price. A well-regarded universal player like the Denon DVD-2910 will set you back only $600 or so. Mate it with, say, the Rotel RSX-1056 receiver for $1150, the Magnepans MMG Ws for $900, and a good sub for $1000 or less, and you've spent only $3650, compared with the Linn's $4900 or so and no speakers yet. These numbers are just examples; you could easily spend less and be happy. Your budget is more than adequate to build a competent HT. You might want to spread the wealth a little bit for flexibility.

Ed

[Shwamdoo]

Thanks for the advice there everyone.

Ed- I saw that add a few days ago and went to investigate. It looks quite interesting and I will definitly be going to have a listen. My unlce has the Magnepan MG 3.6 running on two Rogue Audio Magnum M-120 Mono-Blocks and it sounds fantastic. I would love to hear some more of Magnepans stuff.

Enrique- I went to hear the B&W 600 speakers last week and I was fairly impressed. They will definitly be considered.