I’d appreciate some advice on getting a HT sound system

[Bisz]

Howdy all. I have a 50” Pioneer Plasma and a Samsung BD player and am now looking at getting a HT sound system. I just moved into a new house and there is a lot of stuff I need to get so the budget is $1,000 max. I was looking at all of the HTIB packages at Future Shop / Best Buy and in searching for a review on one of them I came across this site so I decided to see if there is something better than I can get form my money. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

[GMichael]

First off, welcome to AR.

A budget of $1000 is a little tight but can be done. And done a lot better than any HTIB solution.
I am going to be very general due to a lack of time, but I'm sure that others will give you more info.
There are several good receiver manufacturers to choose from. I'm sure you'll end up very happy with most any of these. Yamaha, Onkyo, and Pioneer are all making some very nice HT receivers. Choosing 5.1 or 7.1 will be your first choice. If you have a small to midsize room, 5.1 is plenty. 7.1 is nice for larger rooms but it is not all that necessary. Maybe if you want to be future proof, but I'm sure that 5.1 will make you very happy.
There are a few nice speaker manufactures as well. Infinity, JBL, klipsch and KEF all make some nice entry level speakers. There are tons more, especially if you can increase your budget. Main thing is to not go for those tiny cubes that the women are so fond of. They have way too many compromises. Book shelf speakers should be fine if you get a sub, (and you will want a sub!). Take a trip out to your local Best Buy and take a look at what they have. Don't buy anything yet though. Just listen to everything they have. Different people hear sounds differently so what I like may not be what you like. Once you find a receiver and some speakers that impress you, you can search on line for those models and find better prices.
Here is a good place to get wires and cables from. http://www.monoprice.com/products/department.asp?c_id=102

Things to avoid. Bose, Monster cable, and pushy salesmen who know what you want.

[Bisz]

Hi GM, thanks for the advice.

For the size and layout of my room I think 5.1 will be good. I'll look around for those 3 brands of receivers and see what looks appealing, though I would have an instant preference for Pioneer just because I already have the Kuro.

For the front speakers I would prefer something bigger that I can set on the floor on either side of the TV stand, which is 1.8m / 7' wide, so no tiny cubes for me.

I am fairly new to sound systems, but I did plenty of research before I got my TV (boxing day) so I already know about monoprice (got my HDMI cables there) and staying away from Monster.

[GMichael]

Sounds like you've got a good start. Try to get a receiver with HDMI connections.

Another thing that you may want to consider. I've seen many members here suggest that you may be better off putting your whole speaker budget into just the two front speakers for now. Then as more cash becomes available, you can build around them. Just make sure that you pick something that has a matching center available. Not all towers do, and you do want your speakers to have the same kind of sound. The sub doesn't have to match but those 3 front must.

Glad to have you aboard. Don't forget to check back for more replies. I'm just a tiny fish in this big pond. Watch out though. They'll try to get you to spend more and more and more.
Hi Rich. How much have you spent since joining up?

[amarmistry]

I bought Harman Kardon HTIB (CP35) 2 years ago. Came with Receiver, DVD Player and, 6 surround speakers, one center channel and one subwoofer. $1200 delivered. I bought this one based upon reviews. I am very very happy with it.
You might get new ones with HDMI though.
I highly recommend HK HTIB.

[f0rge]

i would look into an Onkyo 606, they can be had very cheap only (~$350)

as for speakers, this is where you're going to start running into budget problems.

is there any chance you would be satisfied (at least temporarily) with just the front 3 or are you dead set on surrounds as well?

what about going used for speakers? you can piece together a nice used setup if you shop smart.

lastly, will this be your primary music system as well? if so your front mains should be suitable for stereo listening.

anyway those are some ideas, once you get a better idea of what exactly you're looking to accomplish we should be able to help more

[lucasskywalker1]

First off, Welcome fellow Newbie! I must agree with GMichael build on the front 3 and I too am a DYED in the WOOL PIONEER man not sure if your model plasma has the SR+ remote capability but if it does I do reccommend trying to stay along those lines of keeping most of the components Pioneer. Having that option allows to hide all the components in a video closet and still with a good remote you'll control all features without having to purchase a RF setup. Yes, it's easy to let things go crazy if you have no other serious hobbies, I started out Nov. 1, 2006 with spending 3,500.00 on a TV and by April 07 we had spent 20K just in components no services included. Hint for you and others, once I did my homework and friends viewed my setup when the time came 6 of them have all asked me to help them shop at BB, my one condition would be they had to swipe my rewards zone card for the transaction. Currently, I attributed with spending over 40k inthe past 2 yrs. which in turn has given me 2k in reward zone dollars to spend on more HT equipment. Its' good money for something I enjoy doing. Try it you'll like it, TRUST ME.

[BadAssJazz]

Watch out though. They'll try to get you to spend more and more and more.

Ha, so true. But in their defense -- and partially in mine -- this is one of those interests that inherently ruins budgets.

When I first got into this wacky hobby, I started off with a modest budget of $2500. "That's it," I told myself. "Not spending a penny more. "

...And then I started researching and realized there was just no way that I could get what I wanted being so rigid...

...And then what I wanted evolved...

...And then on the 7th day the Lord rested, but upgrade-itis set across the land while He slumbered....

That $2500 went poof in no time at all. In fact, that was the orginal MSRP for just the mains that I now own. It goes quickly. But that's part of the fun.

Not that finding what you want within your budget isn't fun, too. It's just a little tougher to convince yourself that you've achieved that immortal plateau of perfect contentment, if you aren't realistic about your budget and your wants. Not needs, but wants.

[blackraven]

Consider the Energy C-300 or C100's or the front channel's, CC-50 or CC-100 for center
and the C-50's or C-100's for the rear along with the Energy ESW8 or ESW10 subwoofer.

Receiver=Onkyo 606 or something similar.

Check out the prices of www.audioadvisor.com on the energy speakers.

For under $1K you will be hard pressed to do better.

[Bisz]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I don't want to go used but I'm not against getting just the front three speakers. This will be the primary music system.

blackraven, great site, if only more of those speakers came in black I would get everything right there.

f0rge buddy, where is the best place to get audio stuff in Ontario, or a good site that won't rip me off on shipping, also where can you get a 606 for $350?

[Bisz]

Ok, I'm going to go with the Onkyo 606 at hhgregg for $380USD which seems to be a decent price for it. Still looking around for a place that has Energy speakers at a decent price and where shipping won't cost more than the actual speakers.

[Bisz]

Howdy again.

I'm getting real close now.

I have decided to go with the Onkyo and with just the front two plus a centre. For the front speakers, would the Energy c300 Tower or the c200 Bookcase be better?

Also, any real difference between a cc50 and a cc100? AudioAdvisor no longer has the 100s so I was going to settle for the 50. However, if I get the c200s I may later down the line get the c500s for the front then move the c200s to the rear, at that point the cc50 may be a bit undersized. I don't know.

Thanks!

[Luvin Da Blues]

f0rge buddy, where is the best place to get audio stuff in Ontario, or a good site that won't rip me off on shipping, also where can you get a 606 for $350?

I've had real good luck and excellent service from these dudes...

http://www.solutionsav.ca/new.html (Toronto)

I don't think they have a store front but check out what they carry and go listen locally. Good Luck with the hunt. :3:

[Bisz]

Ok, so, here is what I got/am picking up:

- Energy - C-200 - Bookshelf Speakers for the front *
- Energy - CC50 - Center Channel Speaker **
- Energy - ESW- Powered Subwoofer
- Energy - C-100 - Bookshelf Speakers for the rear
- Onkyo 606


* I saw no reason to go with the C-300s but if anyone thinks I should have gone with that do let me know, just for my information. The specs seemed the same and the bookshelves will fit better on my TV stand beside my TV.

** Would have gone with the CC100 but Audio Advisor didn't have it at the time. Is there really going to be a large difference?


I'll have it home and hooked up late next week and see how it all goes. Thanks all.

[luvtolisten]

You can get the Energy 8" sub here at a good price. They had the 10' too, but it's out of stock now.:
http://www.highdecibels.com/proddetail.asp?prod=ESW-8

[Bisz]

Getting the Pioneer 919 or 1019 instead. A little bit more money but it looks better and will fit better with my Kuro plasma.

[AVMASTER]

check out Onkyo HTS7100,pretty good receiver , 7.1 speakers and sub, even a i-pod dock. Pricing at 800.00. The speakers may not be all that but you can always switch them out when budget allows