title says it all.

what do I need to know in order to get decent shit. should just get a "system in a box" or can I do better buying everything separately, or is that dependent on price range?

thx all.

[/n00b]

12/28/2007 1:34:24 PM

If you want to watch HDDVDs or BluRays you need to make sure it can accept multichannel PCM over HDMI. thats the key.

http://www.avsforum.com

12/28/2007 1:48:13 PM

For HITB go with Onkyo. You will always spend more than you really need when you start buying individual components.

12/29/2007 2:50:29 AM

Buying boxed kit is most definitely for limited budget. If you have no components at all and would have to buy mains, rears, center, sub, receiver, and disc player, you're looking at around $3500 - $4000 to buy quality components independently (in which case Denon components and Klipsch speakers are a good place to start researching).

If you don't have the money, ^ is right on.

12/29/2007 12:14:09 PM

FYI, every now and then Onkyo will have stellar deals on refurbished and/or discontinued products. I usually see it on Slickdeals but just check the site every now and then:
http://www.shoponkyo.com/

12/29/2007 1:45:02 PM

what is your price range?

12/29/2007 1:50:41 PM

http://www.accessories4less.com has awesome deals on refurbed Marantz. I just got the Marantz SR4001 for $250 (i noticed the price is now higher..$300). It arrived on the 3rd day and looks brand new. If i didnt know, id say it was a brand new unit. Its working perfectly and has a 1 yr marantz warranty and you can get an extended warranty through a4l if you want. A lot of ppl on avsforum.com buy from here and report good things.

I got some Infinity Primus speakers from http://www.theaudiovideosource.com for a fantastic deal. I got the PC350 center for $140 and two P252 towers for $110 each. i'm using a couple of old bookshelfs for surrounds. These speaks are a great bang for the buck and have had great reviews from audiophile mag, the forums, and other online sites. If you need surrounds, the matching P52 or P62 bookshelfs are like $65 a pop.

All in all for around $600 it kicks the shit out of an Onkyo HTIB system both sound quality and capability wise. I'd look into something like this.

12/29/2007 1:59:31 PM

Quote :

"Buying boxed kit is most definitely for limited budget. If you have no components at all and would have to buy mains, rears, center, sub, receiver, and disc player, you're looking at around $3500 - $4000 to buy quality components independently (in which case Denon components and Klipsch speakers are a good place to start researching). If you don't have the money, ^ is right on."

There is no reason for someone buying their first home theatre to spend $3500-$4000...that's outrageous! You can easily get a great home theatre setup for $500 (or even less)! Just take the time to do a little research, read reviews, and listen to them yourself before buying. Stick with a major brand: Sony, Yamaha, Onkyo (little more pricey).

Home theatre in the box might not be the best sound/quality but it will definitely make it easy to choose and will include everything you need.

If for some reason you are an audiophile but yet you haven't bought a home theatre then maybe $3500-$4000 price range is what you are looking for...but I doubt it!

12/29/2007 10:00:59 PM

another vote on the onkyo systems. Awesome sound for the money.

12/29/2007 10:07:20 PM

^^ define great.

i have friends that come over with "great" home theater systems and have an eargasm during transformers.

onkyo is a good starter system if thats what you're looking for.



[Edited on December 29, 2007 at 11:02 PM. Reason : .]

12/29/2007 11:01:32 PM

Here is the system I put together with all my research and help from the guys at avsforum.com.

I wanted to go less than $1000 for my first system, and this is what we came up with:

Polk Audio RM10 5-pack
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/products/systems/subsatsystems/rm10pack/

Onkyo TX-SR505 (Chose this because I dont do my video switching with my receiver, my tv has multiple HDMI inputs)
http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?class=Receiver&m=TX-SR505&p=i

HSU Research STF-1 Subwoofer
http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/stf-1.html

Got all 12 gauge wire from monoprice, and ran it in the wall. I chose 12 gauge because I had some pretty long runs. I also put in one of those 10 post wall plates to make things pretty.

My den was a real bitch to wire, I am on a slab and its a two story house with the den on the first floor. I have seamless hardwoods between the rooms down here, so i had to take up the baseboards all around the room, take out the bottom part (not sure what its called) of the front door, and run the cables around that way. I used an edge cutting saw to trim the hardwoods back about 1/4" from the wall wherever it got too close and ran the wire in the channel that that created, then I put the baseboards back on top to seal it up.

It ended up coming out great, and I couldnt be happier with my setup. The HSU STF-1, despite being thier lowest model, is more than enough bass for my house.

12/29/2007 11:35:46 PM

http://bensbargains.net/merchants/77/OneCall_com_Coupons/


OneCall.com has the Onkyo HT-S990THX Home Theater System for $700 + $0 shipping = $700 shipped. [BizRate]


7x110W at 8 ohms, Wide Range Amp Technology (WRAT), HDTV-capable sound

THX certified - THX Surround, Dolby Digital EX, Pro Logic IIx and DTS-ES

12/30/2007 1:38:55 AM

Thats a pretty good deal. Only the Onky 9xx HTIBs w/ the 605 receivers will take multi channel PCM over HDMI which is MUST for HD sound (DD+ and TrueHD). It really sounds good so i'd recommend it. the Onkyo 505 won't do it.

12/30/2007 2:48:23 AM

Yeah, the only reason i went with the 505 is because i dont do any video switching with the receiver, and dont use anything but digital audio. I also dont have any HD-DVD or blueray player yet, and dont expect to within the next 2-3 years.

Like danny said, the 605 or 705 are good ones if you have the dough/need the features.


I figure Ill just upgrade the receiver when it is time for me to make the leap to HD-DVD.

12/30/2007 11:15:26 AM