Which surround sound home theatre should i get?

[blink0r]

I'm pretty new to this. I know i want a DTS, dolby digital, etc, etc... but i'm not really sure of which ones are the best. Any of you guys have experience?

I'm looking at a silver sony system (5.1, no dvd player) for $290us. I'm looking to spend no more than $300us. Thanks for any advice you can give me.

[lessthanjakejohn]

What do you need?

Receiver?Left FrontRight FrontCenterLeft BackRight Back Subwoofer

right?

http://www.cnet.com > product reviews

[lessthanjakejohn]

Get this

http://www.bestbuyplasma.com/p...P230K

[Jesda]

BOSE BLOWS.

Just thought I'd share.

[MasterMan]

bose is awsome u just have to get the right kind, their cheaper line of products suck..

[lessthanjakejohn]

If you are willing to spend an extra 50 USD, then check out this awesome deal

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi...avf=N

a DVD with receiver and a free set of 5.1 speakers

[aaronsnocker1]

If you are looking for a really good home theater system then get ready to spend more than 300 bucks. If you want something that sounds ok then get the sony. I would personally wait save up the extra cash and get an onkyo receiver with polk components and a velodyne sub. It is worth the wait and if you hit it right you could have a really nice 6.1 for about 500 dollars. Why rush and get something cheap when you will end up wanting to upgrade it in no time. Just be patient.

[lessthanjakejohn]

thats what im doin ^^

[lessthanjakejohn]

Onkyo TX-SR501S Receiver ($270)Pair of Polk Audio RTi28 Bookshelf Speakers (200)Polk Audio CSi30 Black Center Channel Speaker (150)JVC XV-N44SL Progressive Scan DVD Player (90)

$709.96 : (

AND I still have 2 or 3 more speakers and a subwoofer to buy

I may ditch the Onyko in choice for a cheaper JVC unit

[longrunQ]

I think surround blows.

A great stereo (audiophile) setup will have you feeling like the action is really taking place in your room.

Problem is, $300 will buy about 2 feet of cable or one interconnect.

I can only dream of the day...

[spec-v5150]

My Bose system is awesome. I pieced it together. I have the center channel and the rest are their lower line products. All connected to a 5.1 receiver with a JBL down firing sub. Eventually this will go in my video game room. My REAL system will be a Onkyon 7.1 receier. Then my speakers will be all Bose 901's......awww some day

[rydwhite]

If you have the cash, go with Klipsch. I had a Klipsch surround sound system installed with a progressive scan dvd and receiver. It sounds better than anything I have ever heard. I did alot of searching for a great surround system and this was by far the best I found.

[Aztek72]

I think surround blows.

A great stereo (audiophile) setup will have you feeling like the action is really taking place in your room.

Problem is, $300 will buy about 2 feet of cable or one interconnect.

I can only dream of the day...

Two channel works well to some extent but for a true home theatre freak nothing but less than Dolby Digital will cut it. Since I have a pretty big living room, DVD tracks playback with life-like ambience. For home theatre bundles, check out Onkyo. They make some quality receivers and very nice speakers.

Right now I have an Onkyo DV-301 DVD jukebox linked to a Harmon Kardon 7.1-ch THX receiver. I also have some nice Jamo speakers and a nice 43" Pioneer HDTV set. Great for football Sundays!

[BadMojo]

BOSE BLOWS.

Just thought I'd share.

I wouldn't say that, but I do think you pay an awful lot for the Bose name. IMO, you can get a much better (but less well known to the general public) product than Bose speakers. I've been impressed with the Polk stuff I've heard.

I'm still not quite clear on what you're trying to get...is your $300 budget just for a receiver, or are you talkin' about one of those "home theater in a box" things?

As for receivers, Harman Kardon was my brand of choice way back when, but I'm not sure how well made their stuff is now. My 2 channel HK receiver feels much more solid than most of the new HK stuff I've seen. Harman Kardon *may* be somewhat out of your price range.

Last I heard, the general consensus was that Onkyo made decent middle of the road stuff for a good price.

In my experience, Sony's lower end stuff blows, as does their support after the sale.

[TurboKA37]

this is what i have: http://www.bostonacoustics.com...yID=3

along with something like this: http://www.yamaha.com/yec/prod...0.htm

all i can say is you get what you pay for. i installed a sony "home theatre system in a box" system for a friend and let me say it sounded like a walkman compared to my system. also make plans to spend nearly $200 in speaker wire and optical audio lines themselves. i suggests saving up. your not going to be happy with a $300 system

[lessthanjakejohn]

Whats an optical input/output?? Audio and Video? Just audio?

[spec-v5150]

this is what i have: http://www.bostonacoustics.com...yID=3

along with something like this: http://www.yamaha.com/yec/prod...0.htm

all i can say is you get what you pay for. i installed a sony "home theatre system in a box" system for a friend and let me say it sounded like a walkman compared to my system. also make plans to spend nearly $200 in speaker wire and optical audio lines themselves. i suggests saving up. your not going to be happy with a $300 system

Well not everyone is an audiophile. I had a 350 home theatre in a box and it worked quite well. i mean it served its purpose and to perfection. Now if you get that same 300 in a box setup and expect top of the line quality, then you are doing yourself. But for someoen who doesnt wanna blow thousands on a setup, get the cheap stuff. The receiver I want alone cost almost 2000 bucks. Needless to say, I dotn have it yet

[spec-v5150]

Whats an optical input/output?? Audio and Video? Just audio?

I am no expert, but I am pretty sure optical is audio. Like a optic cable is also known as the digital cable that lets you get the DD 5.1 or DTS5.1, 6.1, etc. If you use just the plain old RCA's you get analog sound. WORLD of difference.

[Fezzik]

My 0.02 cents is go with Klipsch. Excellent set of speakers.

[TurboKA37]

no, im not really an audiophile, its my parents that paid for the system and its the family's. yes you are correct about the optical cable, the only way to utilize the power of your brand new 5.1 or 6.1 dolby digital surround sound sytem is to either use optical or coaxal cables for the audio. you will most likley need the optical because not too many recievers use coaxial input/output. one of the best ways to save money is to not pay the big bucks for stereo wire. i think bose was charging about $60 for a spindel of about 60 ft of wire (believe me you'll need that much) but we got ours at lowe's i believe for MUCH cheaper, im pretty sure it was under $20

[blink0r]

I'm a university student. Now what do you guys suggest?

I can't really afford $1,000us (thats over $1,500 canadian).

[lessthanjakejohn]

What all do you have, and what all do you need?

I'd get this http://www.bestbuyplasma.com/p...P230K

but actually for 350 dollars this is probaly the best deal youll find if you dont have a DVD player

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-1...avf=N

[blink0r]

I've only got a 27" RCA tv and a sony dvd player.

I'd like the reciever, 4 speakers, center and a sub.

I'm also only 21, so i don't need an amazing system. I just want something that'll pound if it has to and something to make movies more exciting. I"m honestly not looking for an amazing system.

[lessthanjakejohn]

get the sony or the pioneer above then

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi...avf=N

[blink0r]

Hey whats your AIM? I've got a few questions if thats alright