Need Home Theater Advice - Help me pick

[Kristy]

You also can't go wrong with Denon.

I owned a Denon for years that I bought late in high school and had it all through college. It was one of the first 5.1 with only DTS and Dolby Digital which isn't much compared with what's out there these days (W/HDMI and all) but it was a good little unit. Think I ended up selling to some college kid for @$50-60.

Anyway, another good choice is Yamaha. I have a RX V863(?) that I picked for up @$1,000 (but it's been a few years) and run it through a pair of JBL's and center JBL and Advent satellites


(right one -had to go back and look at exactly what the model # was )

I never heard anything sound better for the money and even new for @$600 you can pick up one that has all the fixings like all that Dolby theater sound shit, like the VX1700 (@$700 retail) and it does twice the shit of the one I have now! Beautiful unit, I do say so myself!


Review here:

http://reviews.cnet.com/av-receivers/yamaha-rx-v1700/4864-6466_7-32004259.html

I highly recommend Yamaha equipment for home theater, but shop around; look at Denon, Pioneer, and even Harmon Kardon, stay in budget guidelines but definitely give Yamaha a look.

Right, not much help, am I?

[Nitro Express]

I have had good luck with Onkyo. I have had multiple problems with Bose equipment finding it to be overpriced, unreliable, and not enough features finding other brands match the sound quality for less money. Sony can be a diamond in the rough or pure shit. If buying Sony read the reviews because some of their stuff is really good for the money and some of their stuff is awful. It amazes me how much system you can get now for such low prices.

[twonabomber]

Bose is all clever marketing.

all i know is that i want two big fuckin' speakers flanking my HDTV. like four foot tall sumbitches.

[Nitro Express]

Of course you can't go wrong with anything by onkyo.. The reason I chose onkyo is in the power. Cheaper systems are rated by how much power it can output during a single frequency (say 1200 hz or something), while better systems tend to be tested throughout the entire frquency range and the power rating is therefore much more accurate. Not only that, but be wary of anything that advertises power output in terms of "peak" - peak is bullshit. If your receiver can sustain at least 75 watts/channel it'll rock - even without separate powered subwoofers.

I always buy twice the power I actually use. Systems always sound better if you leave half or less of the amp power in the can. Once you start pushing it to peak you start degrading the sound quality. When RMS wattage is so cheap now, why not?

[Nitro Express]

Bose is all clever marketing.

all i know is that i want two big fuckin' speakers flanking my HDTV. like four foot tall sumbitches.

Sometimes less is actually better. I hooked up two high and mid range Bose speakers into an old Sony receiver running a sub woofer and just using the front speaker bar on a Mitsubishi TV in a room that was 20'x30' and it sounded great. Unless your back speakers are set up right and are really good, sometimes you just don't need them. Sometimes with the right room you can get by with less. Sometimes the more simple system sounds better.

[twonabomber]

bullshit. nothing exceeds like excess. you were around in the eighties, you know that.

[Kristy]

There is a saying young grasshoppers: "No highs, no lows, it must be Bose."

[Nitro Express]

I have set up quite a few home theater system, HD tv, laser disk, DVD Audio, connected to 5 other componants etc..wall of sound..? more like wall in the basement of 12 audio and video machines all needing to talk to each other with wire, for friends... I seem to be able to figure out the 50 sets of wires that run from machine to machine, the backs of some of these amplifiers have 50 connection possibilies.. s video HDMI Componant in/ out, HDMI it's nuts back there, I am no raodie wires can be a bitch like a big nasty rats nest..is this going to be a obsolete thing...do I need to come out of the dark ages..I am serious and could use some 411 most of the time I just act like I know everything, I know nothing about wireless home systems..?

I think wireless is fine if your room situation makes it difficult to run wires and I'm amazed at how good some of those systems sound but if you are really serious about making a top end system it's going to be wired. I have a friend who custom installs very expensive home theater systems and it's still wire in that league.

[Nitro Express]

bullshit. nothing exceeds like excess. you were around in the eighties, you know that.

Who's says you can't dime it on occasion? I like my sound systems to be like a Porsche. Most the time you are just driving it around at normal speed but when the occasion presents itself, you want something to be there.

[Nitro Express]

There is a saying young grasshoppers: "No highs, no lows, it must be Bose."

That's if it works. Keep the original box because you will be packing it up and sending it to the warranty repair station.

[ashstralia]

g'day sarge! i'm with kristy. the yamaha stuff is really good bang for the buck, reliable, and sounds great.

[Dan]

Sony Still Kicks Ass.Now Waiting For FORD To Say Something About That.

[Seshmeister]

Who's says you can't dime it on occasion? I like my sound systems to be like a Porsche.

Any time you use it onlookers assume you either have an unusually small penis or are having some sort of mid-life crisis?

[clarathecarrot]

I think wireless is fine if your room situation makes it difficult to run wires and I'm amazed at how good some of those systems sound but if you are really serious about making a top end system it's going to be wired. I have a friend who custom installs very expensive home theater systems and it's still wire in that league.

Thankyou,

They are making these cables now that are a single wrapped cable with everything in it, ethernet, hdmi, phone, s vid, alarm for homes and running ti to every room all color coded that would be simple if you are buying new.

Smart House wiring I think they call it.

However if you could remote all of your old system 1989 amplifier, ( I know those geeks in silicon valley can do this) stuff then it would have to be linked to a computer somehow wirelessly that may be they way.

Maybe these days are going away..maybe this is the only reall way to get what we need I am in the grey area...? indecision killed the cat.



I used to call my easy chair, command central, because the table next to it had literaly 15 remotes on it and if I didn't use them regularily I would forget how to..lol.

[Nickdfresh]

Excellent recommendation from POJO.

Onkyo makes good shit. You also can't go wrong with Denon.

Bit disappointed with the Onkyo I bought about six years ago. The going digital thing basically knackered the power and warmth offered by the old fashioned tubes in my late-1990's vintage Onkyo. Okay for movies, it kind of sucked for blasting music. But I guess that's something that's across the board rather than exclusive to Onkyo...