I need so much help choosing new HTIB!

[cksmm5]

I am not an audiophile. I simply want to purchase an entry level HTIB for my husband for Christmas. I do not understand the specs and reviews. We have a small living room that is open to the kitchen, however, the speakers will be mounted in the living room.We cannot have stand speakers as we have small children. My husband has an Xbox, VCR, satellite receiver and we want to upgrade to an HDTV in the near future. Okay, that being said, I don't understand what connections I need to look for or what is the best choice out there. Here's the kicker...I do not want to spend over $300.00. Can anyone help?

[hershon]

Take my advice. Don't get anything in your price range and don't get HTIB. You're just going to be chasing good money after bad. For about $1,000 you can get a good system with speakers (try orbaudio.com). Even if you get things at reduced prices on Ebay or Amazon.com you are wasting your money. My best analogy is the people who buy HD 4:3 TV's instead of widescreen HD TV. Even if you don't have the money don't waste it on (a cheap) HTIB. In this case, nothing is better than something.



I am not an audiophile. I simply want to purchase an entry level HTIB for my husband for Christmas. I do not understand the specs and reviews. We have a small living room that is open to the kitchen, however, the speakers will be mounted in the living room.We cannot have stand speakers as we have small children. My husband has an Xbox, VCR, satellite receiver and we want to upgrade to an HDTV in the near future. Okay, that being said, I don't understand what connections I need to look for or what is the best choice out there. Here's the kicker...I do not want to spend over $300.00. Can anyone help?

[gjamendola]

I wanted to do something in this price range for my gameroom in my basement. Ended up buying a Toshiba SD-V55HTSU at Best Buy. It's one of those HT in a box deals. This is not something you want to crank up but at moderate volumes it sounds great and I was even impressed with how the sub performed for what I spent. If you're expectations are set right for your budget, I much rather have this than nothing... not to mention its an AM/FM Stereo, DVD player, VCR and 6 speaker HT. Right now the price is about 300 bucks. They ran a special back in November that had it priced at 250 with a 50 rebate (end result = 200). The idea here was to run my son down there when Dad wanted to use the good stuff in the living room.

Hope that helps...

[JSE]

Check here,

http://www.shoponkyo.com/catalog.cfm?id=9

Go to bottom of page and look at the systems.

and here,

http://www.yamahashoponline.com/searchresults.asp?dept_id=11


Onkyo and Yamaha are probably some of the better HTIB systems our there. You might even look even deeper into their websites. Sometimes you can find good deals on refurbished systems. They carry factory warranties in most cases.

JSE

[Woochifer]

A lot of choices in this area, but as Hershon said, at this price level, you're compromising in a big way. The best thing about home theater is that you don't have to buy the whole thing at the same time. It took me over two years to gradually piece together the components in my system, but I'm really happy with the end result and each additional piece along the way improved upon the listening experience.

The cost and choice in HTIB will depend on whether or not you need a DVD player, and whether you're looking for a compact "cute" system or are willing to go with larger components.

With the compact systems, they are limited in that they don't come with a lot of connections, which limits how many components you can plug in. Also, they often stick the amplifier for the speakers inside of the bass unit, which reduces the size of the control unit, but it also compromises the performance and limits how you can place the speakers and upgrade them in the future.

A full-sized receiver gives you more connections and they use standard speaker cables, so you can upgrade the speakers later on if you wish.

With the HTIB market, the big compromise is with the speakers. At your budget, the speakers that come with a HTIB will sound horrible, and only marginally better than typical TV speakers. You can get a decent starter receiver to control all of your components for about $200, but a good entry level multichannel speaker set like the Energy Take 5 or the Paradigm Cinema series will usually run about $500. Even mail order speaker sets like the well regarded Hsu Research Ventriloquist VT-12 cost at least $300.

http://www.energy-speakers.com/take5-2/take5-2_speakers_system.html
http://www.paradigm.ca/Website/SiteParadigmProduct/ParadigmModels/CinemaCT/CinemaCT_Series.html
http://www.hsustore.com/vt12.html

With a budget of $300, I would just start with the receiver and maybe a pair of bookshelf speakers. You can get an entry level Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo, or Marantz receiver for around $200. And you can start with a pair of decent bookshelf speakers for under $200. Infinity, Polk, JBL, and Klipsch are widely available at big box electronics stores, while entry level specialty brands like Paradigm, Boston Acoustics, PSB, and Energy are available at independent audio stores and specialty chains. Bose has the name recognition because they're the only speaker company that advertises on TV, but they are usually a poor value for the performance that they offer.

By starting with just a pair of speakers, you set yourself up nicely for gradually adding onto the system as funds become available. (And this is also a good foray into future birthday and holiday presents) All of those receivers that I mentioned have virtual surround sound functions built in, which gives you a simulated surround effect from as little as two speakers. You can use the receiver's virtual surround mode in the meantime with two speakers, and then add the center and surround speakers and the subwoofer later on. The end result will be miles ahead of what you can get with a $300 HTIB system.

[Geoffcin]

I am not an audiophile. I simply want to purchase an entry level HTIB for my husband for Christmas. I do not understand the specs and reviews. We have a small living room that is open to the kitchen, however, the speakers will be mounted in the living room.We cannot have stand speakers as we have small children. My husband has an Xbox, VCR, satellite receiver and we want to upgrade to an HDTV in the near future. Okay, that being said, I don't understand what connections I need to look for or what is the best choice out there. Here's the kicker...I do not want to spend over $300.00. Can anyone help?

That being said, you can get a good STEREO setup, that will be expandable. You don't want to spend $300 and have to chuck it all in a year or so, so I would settle for STEREO now (the TV will sound MUCH better), and upgrade later.

[Lensman]

I am not an audiophile. I simply want to purchase an entry level HTIB for my husband for Christmas. I do not understand the specs and reviews. We have a small living room that is open to the kitchen, however, the speakers will be mounted in the living room.We cannot have stand speakers as we have small children. My husband has an Xbox, VCR, satellite receiver and we want to upgrade to an HDTV in the near future. Okay, that being said, I don't understand what connections I need to look for or what is the best choice out there. Here's the kicker...I do not want to spend over $300.00. Can anyone help?

The advice you've received recommending you buy a good surround sound receiver and just two of the six speakers you'll eventually need is, if I may say so, sound. The result of starting with an incomplete system and building out will yield a much more versatile and satisfying system to enjoy over the years. In this aspect, home theater gear is like furniture. You can spend $300 for a futon sofa or $1,500 for a quality sleeper sofa. Both will do the job, but one looks better, is more comfortable, and will hold up to wear and tear longer. The sleeper seems expensive until you consider how many years you'll use it. To this day I still use a pair a quality speakers I purchased 18 years ago for $800. If your husband is really particular when it comes to stuff like video games/music/computers/home electronics/cars, this is a better way to go.

However, it will cost more money over time and I do understand it can sometimes be hard to justify the expenditure when faced with other expenses life constantly throws at you. If it's simply not feasible to afford multiple expenditures of your $300 budget to complete a system, and it's either this or nothing (and speaking for myself, I'd still prefer a better stereo system to a lifeless home theater rig), here's what I recommend:

ONKYO HTS660B 5.1-Channel Home Theater System
This is the lowest thing I'd even consider suggesting to anyone regardless of budget. It is about the least expensive system with a real surround sound receiver. It has connections for the devices you mention your husband has. It also has composite video connections for use with an HDTV. Additionally it has reasonably full range speakers with separate drivers for high and low frequncies (as opposed to virtually everything else in this price range which have a single "full range" speaker). This is last year's model so it can be found (though it may take some looking) for about the price you mention wanting to spend. Here's a link to an Amazon Z-Shop selling one new for $339.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00009P3GV/qid=1102529833/br=1-9/ref=br_lf_etk_ce_av__9//102-5152013-6995344?v=glance&s=electronics&n=172593

Circuit City sells a current year 6.1 version (the Onkyo HTS770) for $424.99.

I'd say the next things up would be the Denon DHT-485XP or Yamaha YHT-550, though both appear to sell for right around $500.

This is a tough price point and the options I've mentioned are the only things I'm aware of in the $300 to $500 price range I feel are worth considering. Hope this helps.

[cksmm5]

Thank you so much for the advice. I wasn't even considering separate compnents, but after reading your posts, you've convinced me it is the best way to go.

After much research, I have decided on the Pioneer VSX-D814, for the connectivity options, online reviews and price point. I realize it is not top of the line, but I think my husband will be very happy with it. I think, too, he will enjoy adding different components to it over time. I am only getting entry level speakers because of budget constraints, but I am trying to get the best entry level I can afford. Still researching that...

Thank you again. Your advice was invaluable.