Need help!!

[mel677]

I am currently looking to buy a new surround sound system, but I have absolutely no clue when it comes to this stuff. I have a 2 year old LG 42" Plasma which is currently hooked up to my 7 year old JVC surround system, which is no longer good enough for me... and a cheap Phillips DVD Player. I was thinking of also upgrading to a new Blu-Ray player.

I have been looking around and one system that I was thinking of is;

Yamaha 7.1 Channel HDMI Receiver (HTR6060) with
JBL Home Theatre System (SCS500.5)

Would that be any good? I am open to suggestions!!

Thanks!

[RoadRunner6]

Give us some help. Looks like your budget is somewhere about $300-$400 for a receiver? $400-$500 for speakers???. Music (what type) and movies? Do you like it loud, extremely loud? How about room dimensions, carpets, are you in a house, apt.? The more info the better we can help...are you in the States?

[Mr Peabody]

I would highly recommend the Onkyo 606, this receiver can be bought from Amazon.com for $349.00 and you won't find a better value. The 606 has fully functioning HDMI inputs with video upconverting, it includes all the latest decoding for Blu-ray and a host of other features. I recently compared this unit to Yamaha and Sony's $299.00 receivers for another member and for the extra $50.00 you get so much more performance and features, it's a "no brainer". Onkyo's receivers usually test higher than their power ratings where the others fall short of reaching their claimed power with all channels driven.

I like Paradigm speakers in entry level but you can't get a complete system for $500.00. If you really can't go much more than that see what a Polk package would set you back. If you have some room to play I'd recommend Paradigm, I think I did that already..., or B&W entry level. If you can find Acoustic Energy, they sound very good but aren't the last word in bass response.

[mel677]

I am in Canada, I have about 1000-1200 to spend on the receiver and speakers. I am in a house, it will be going into our basement rec room. My floor is carpeted, and it will be in a very large room. About 20x10 (i think).

Where would I purchase a Onyko?? I have heard the name before, but have never seen it. A friend recommended the Yamaha but as I mentioned... I have no clue when it comes to this stuff.

Thanks

[Mr Peabody]

I don't know which walk-in store to refer you but www.amazon.com carries Onkyo or Yamaha, if they don't stock it they will link you to a provider. Just check the return policies in case not completely happy. I give Amazon just based on price there are several online stores that carry Onkyo.

[f0rge]

finding Onkyo in Canada is hard, I tried that route and could only find a few places and they were ridiculously over priced.

futureshop has some pretty amazing prices on energy speakers these days

C-500 tower mains $300/pair:
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10087380&catid=19171&logon=&langid=EN

C100 bookshelf rears 160/pair:
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10112898&catid=10552&logon=&langid=EN

They have a center available, but i cant find it. That would give you a decent speaker setup for about $550 that would definitely fill your room.

Now you're going to need a receiver, make sure it has Dolby TrueHD and DTS:HD/DTS:MA. Figure spending $400-$550 in Canada, I dont recommend futureshop for that.

That brings you up pretty close to your budget with taxes and stuff, and you're still without a sub. You can probably get by without one for a while since your mains are towers, but eventually you're going to have to spring for one.

[mel677]

THanks a lot... you have given me some options. I will go and look on Amazon. I am not in any major hurry, so I will shop around with the brands you have offered.

[TWJ CDN]

Onkyo can be found in Canada at NCIX.com, London Drugs (West). I will probably be picking up the 606 today from LD for $629 CDN.

[f0rge]

Onkyo can be found in Canada at NCIX.com, London Drugs (West). I will probably be picking up the 606 today from LD for $629 CDN.

compared to $299-349 on ebay/amazon.com that's pretty expensive if you ask me.