Home Theater systems...need advice

[The Rocket]

Hi Guys,
I'm going to buy an Home Theater/Hi-Fi audio system for my new house...any suggestions or advices? My budget is $400-$600...
I'm not an audiophile, I'm just looking for a good audio system at a good price. One more thing, should I avoid Bose?
Any input is very welcome.
Thanks.

[Darth Tater]

Yes, definitely avoid Bose...but they are out of your price range anyway (even though their $1500 systems sound like most $200 systems!).

Just keep in mind that's not much of a budget, as a lot of folks spend more than $600 on just cables :) What I would suggest doing is buying a piece at a time if possible. It will take longer and cost a lot more,but you'll be much more satisfied in the long run.

But if that's just not an option and you just want something that sounds better than the speakers in your TV, and all-in-one home theater system will deliver that. My father in law was just recently in your situation..he's no audiophile and just got a new TV and wanted something that sounded better than the TV and we got a Sony Bravia HT system that actually didn't sound too bad.

Of course I cringed when I picked up one of the speakers...made of plastic and weighs nothing, but he's happy with them. It has an upcoverting DVD changer built in, and a little wireless module for the rear speakers. I think this system was around $500, and if you have no other option or don't want a 'proper' system it's not a bad little setup.

[Doodad]

I have an out of the box type system and have no complaints. The room is a dining room we converted to a theater so it is small and the components manage to fill it just fine. And I slowly am replacing the speakers and other items to get even better sound. The sub is a big area. Nothing worse than a rattley, flubby bass during epic battle scenes.

[MrMike]

I used to install them (about 10 years ago). I always had great results with the JVC box systems in that price range. They seem to offer a lot of bang for the buck. My wife and kids bought me a JVC system for $250 on clearance this year and I love it. I had some concerns with the all-in-one approach (i.e., dvd player, receiver, amp all in one unit) but it has worked really well, especially for the price.

[Doodad]

I have a JVC as well and it has held up nicely. I had to replace the receiver recently due to a lightning strike that destroyed many things in the house, but that is not JVC's fault. I don't have the all in one bit, I have components to handle the dvd playing, vhs etc

[GAD]

Darth Tater is spot on with all points - especially re: Bose.

$600 is not a lot to spend, but as you're a self-proclaimed non-phile, a box system would work. I'm a fan of Yamaha systems myself, but honestly in that price range you'll probably be equally happy with most of them that aren't Bose.

GAD

[The Rocket]

Thank you very much everybody for your help.
Of course, as a total newbie on this subject, I'm a bit surprised about the general bad opinion regarding Bose...I guess they have a very good marketing policy because every electronics store will try to sell Bose products as "top of the line".
Thanks for the tips about Bose. I almost had my mind set on the Bose Cinemate system...the cheapest system in their line, but after your advices I will avoid that...

"all-in-one" seems the way to go...Sony or JVC...I will look into that. I will also investigate the one piece at the time otpion.

[pokey]

Receiver

Onkyo 506 refurb. Sign up at shoponkyo and it's $159 and use the 10 club points to get an extra 10 bucks off. Also refurbs currently are additional 10% off on top of that. Pretty good deal

http://shoponkyo.com/detail.cfm?productid=TX-SR506&modelid=75&group_id=1&detail=1&ext_war=1


Speakers

The Speaker Company 5.1 system w/ 10in sub

http://www.thespeakercompany.com/TSAT2000-HT10-B-Premium-Home-Theater-Bundle-P76C7.aspx

I just got mine yesterday and haven't hooked them up yet. I don't know how they can stay in business at the price they charge. They look to be very high quality.

Get wire from monoprice.

[GAD]

Thank you very much everybody for your help.
Of course, as a total newbie on this subject, I'm a bit surprised about the general bad opinion regarding Bose...I guess they have a very good marketing policy because every electronics store will try to sell Bose products as "top of the line".

Bose is a marketing machine. Everyone I know who makes good money, knows nothing about audio and wants "the best" goes out and buys Bose. They then show me how "loud" it goes, all the while assaulting me with distorted aweful sound. True believers can be hard to convince, especially when they just dropped $4000 on a premiere system.

For the price of a Bose system, you could build a fantastic HT system that would make George Lucas proud. They don't often have a high Wife Acceptance Factor (WAF), which is another reason why Bose sells so well.

For full disclosure, I owned a set of Bose Quiet Comfort II headphones for years until I got my Etymotic ER4P/S IEMs.

GAD

[gwr]

Receiver

Onkyo 506 refurb. Sign up at shoponkyo and it's $159 and use the 10 club points to get an extra 10 bucks off. Also refurbs currently are additional 10% off on top of that. Pretty good deal

http://shoponkyo.com/detail.cfm?productid=TX-SR506&modelid=75&group_id=1&detail=1&ext_war=1


Speakers

The Speaker Company 5.1 system w/ 10in sub

http://www.thespeakercompany.com/TSAT2000-HT10-B-Premium-Home-Theater-Bundle-P76C7.aspx

I just got mine yesterday and haven't hooked them up yet. I don't know how they can stay in business at the price they charge. They look to be very high quality.

Get wire from monoprice.
I have to agree with this,I have had a Onkyo for a long time and it has never given any problems,Circuit City carries them and when you buy speakers make sure that your front,sub and center is the same brand or at least compatable,rears don't make that much difference. I have used DCM with great results,it's old stuff but for less money it will sound better then most speakers in your price range,keep an eye out for them on ebay.

[02Singlecut]

Funny.....I just bought a new LG 47" LCD TV and a Bose 3-2-1-GSIII. I'm perfectly happy with it in my TV room. It does just fine and came highly recommended to me by a relative. The same relative that handed me down his McIntosh and Dahlquist equiptment. He's worked in the Audio field for 30+ years at the retail level and now is the VP of Boston Acoustic. I tend to trust his ear and recomendations. :drink

[rog951]

Please stay away from Bose, for your own good. Not going to go so far as to say they're terrible, you just don't get nearly what you pay for.

Since you're a self-proclaimed "non-audiophile" I'd recommend a Yamaha box 5.1 (or 7.1, depending on how your room is set up) system. Best "sound per dollar" ratio that I know of in your price range, and the least amount of effort. Every Yammy system I've heard has sounded very good out of the box...I've got one in my family room and it sounds very good.

You might be able to get a little better sound quality by picking out seperate receiver/DVD/speakers, but you'll have to put the effort into research, and I honestly doubt any gain would be worth it at the $600 price point. Good luck!

[FlyingDutchman]

Check out www.Crutchfield.com (http://www.Crutchfield.com) for the reviews. Ive always liked Yamaha stuff. Stay away from Sony's all-in-one packages. They're DVD players seem to be suspect to premature failure.

Now is as good as time as any to find a decent setup on sale so do some shopping. Check out AVSforums as well for some good info although some of it will be over your non-audiophile head.

Found this setup at Crutchfield:
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_133SCPT760/Panasonic-SC-PT760.html?tp=6419

$329 with Free Shipping..I dont think you'll find much better for that price.

[Darth Tater]

Funny.....I just bought a new LG 47" LCD TV and a Bose 3-2-1-GSIII. I'm perfectly happy with it in my TV room. It does just fine and came highly recommended to me by a relative.

That pretty much sums up the Bose mentality.

"These speakers sound so wonderful!!"

"Well what did you have before the Bose?"

"The tiny little speakers in my TV."

Well of course they're going to sound better than that!

Here's an interesting read:
http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html

[kwaves99]

My good friend who's in the business came to my Home Theater system (separate components by the way). He saw my wife's 25 year old Bose 301 speakers, and he said friends don't let friends buy Bose.

[The Rocket]

wow!!!
Lots of great tips, thank you very much guys!
Unfortunately I live in Italy and I can not take advantage of some of the great suggestions you mentioned, but I guess I will find Yamaha or Panasonic stuff pretty easily also around here...

I've been reading some opinions on the specialized forums...I'm intrigued by the classic option of a good ol' amplifier connected with 2 good speakers since I will use the system to listen to music more than watching movies...I tought maybe I could connect the TV to the Aux input of the amplifier...but some of the HT systems you can find now are are really great and full of optionals...very tough decision..

[kwaves99]

wow!!!
Lots of great tips, thank you very much guys!
Unfortunately I live in Italy and I can not take advantage of some of the great suggestions you mentioned, but I guess I will find Yamaha or Panasonic stuff pretty easily also around here...

I've been reading some opinions on the specialized forums...I'm intrigued by the classic option of a good ol' amplifier connected with 2 good speakers since I will use the system to listen to music more than watching movies...I tought maybe I could connect the TV to the Aux input of the amplifier...but some of the HT systems you can find now are are really great and full of optionals...very tough decision..

You are better off getting a good quality AV receiver and a pair of speakers and start there. You will get a much bigger bang for the buck. Traditionally, the speakers in the Home Theater in a Box systems just aren't very good. Later on, when you can afford it, you can add a subwoofer and rear and center speakers.

[scottlr]

Be sure and check out Darth Tater's link. The guy has a table set up showing various alternatives to Bose.

Many years ago, when I was also under the impression that Bose was top of the line, I needed stereo speakers. I went to Best Buy back when the one here had a nice listening room. I compared the few brands they had. Bose were the most expensive in every size range. I was on a budget, but also looking for as good a sound as I could get. I ended up getting a pair of JBLs that sounded far better than the Bose. That was 1993, and I still have those speakers, and they still sound great.

[02Singlecut]

That pretty much sums up the Bose mentality.

"These speakers sound so wonderful!!"

"Well what did you have before the Bose?"

"The tiny little speakers in my TV."

Well of course they're going to sound better than that!

Here's an interesting read:
http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html

Pretty much sums up TGP mentality........

I said it does fine for my TV room. Did I say it was the best??? Did I knock any other recomendations ???

What was I using prior? A 40" Mitsubushi tube... Denon components and Boston Acoustic Satellite speakers, all from 1995. The room needed an update and it got it. It looks great....sounds great and no having a ton of cables etc. running all over the place. It's a TV room...... :huh

[Darth Tater]

What was I using prior? A 40" Mitsubushi tube... Denon components and Boston Acoustic Satellite speakers, all from 1995. The room needed an update and it got it. It looks great....sounds great and no having a ton of cables etc. running all over the place. It's a TV room...... :huh

So the Bose system sounds a lot better than the Denon components and Boston satellites?

[Zilmo]

Just bought a Klipsch system. Reasonably happy with it, but I would like to run my regular tv programs through it and don't know how.

[FlyingDutchman]

Funny.....I just bought a new LG 47" LCD TV and a Bose 3-2-1-GSIII. I'm perfectly happy with it in my TV room. It does just fine and came highly recommended to me by a relative. The same relative that handed me down his McIntosh and Dahlquist equiptment. He's worked in the Audio field for 30+ years at the retail level and now is the VP of Boston Acoustic. I tend to trust his ear and recomendations. :drink

I guess its troubling to read that the VP of Boston Acoustic is "highly recommending" Bose products. Why wouldnt he recommend his own? Is Boston Acoustic more overpriced than Bose? Also your inclusion of your new 47" LCD TV purchase as well comes across as you are just plain better than us.

The OP is looking for a sub $600 Home Theater. Not a $2500+ setup.

:munch

[Darth Tater]

I guess its troubling to read that the VP of Boston Acoustic is "highly recommending" Bose products.

:munch


Well Boston was recently bought out by a Japanese conglomerate and now has no real connection with the Boston of old. So maybe this VP guy knows something we don't?

[Turbozag]

I put together a nice setup for cheap by going to pawn shops. For the spare room.

I got a set of Cerwin Vega speakers, with 4 speakers on nice metal stands, a center speaker and a powered subwoofer for $150. Then bought a used Denon 5.1 amp for $35. Best under $200 system around...

[02Singlecut]

So the Bose system sounds a lot better than the Denon components and Boston satellites?

Never said they did........I listed my 40" tube on CL for $50.00 as it would have cost me well over $200.00 to have hauled off and disposed of as E-Waste. The kid who showed up out of the 50+ phone calls I recieved, had just been laid off from Comcast. I decided since he showed up when he said he would, brought a couple friends to help load the 300lb TV and heavier stand, that I'd give him the whole system. I paid more than $3000.00 @ cost for the TV and it had served me well for 13years, the rest of the stuff was given to me. I said the room needed an update....and it got it. I consulted a relative and the relative told me what IHO would best suit my needs, reguardless of who's name was on the faceplate and who he works for. I wanted clean.....nothing hanging on walls....no visable cables and compact. For what I wanted it was good and I'm happy with it. I never said it was better than or the best.....Just happy with the system.

[Zilmo]

Never said they did........I listed my 40" tube on CL for $50.00 as it would have cost me well over $200.00 to have hauled off and disposed of as E-Waste. The kid who showed up out of the 50+ phone calls I recieved, had just been laid off from Comcast. I decided since he showed up when he said he would, brought a couple friends to help load the 300lb TV and heavier stand, that I'd give him the whole system. I paid more than $3000.00 @ cost for the TV and it had served me well for 13years, the rest of the stuff was given to me. I said the room needed an update....and it got it. I consulted a relative and the relative told me what IHO would best suit my needs, reguardless of who's name was on the faceplate and who he works for. I wanted clean.....nothing hanging on walls....no visable cables and compact. For what I wanted it was good and I'm happy with it. I never said it was better than or the best.....Just happy with the system.


How dare you have an opinion! What are you, a commie or something?

[02Singlecut]

I guess its troubling to read that the VP of Boston Acoustic is "highly recommending" Bose products. Why wouldnt he recommend his own? Is Boston Acoustic more overpriced than Bose? Also your inclusion of your new 47" LCD TV purchase as well comes across as you are just plain better than us.

The OP is looking for a sub $600 Home Theater. Not a $2500+ setup.

:munch

Because they no longer make the SubSat6 all in one system which I wanted years ago. He's a relative and just because he works for a company he's not going to steer me wrong to make a f'n buck.

And just how does me buying a $949.00 TV make me better than "US" ???I just simply stated that I bought a new TV and Bose system on the recomendation of a relative and I am happy with it. :NUTS

[zekmoe]

Receiver

Onkyo 506 refurb. Sign up at shoponkyo and it's $159 and use the 10 club points to get an extra 10 bucks off. Also refurbs currently are additional 10% off on top of that. Pretty good deal

http://shoponkyo.com/detail.cfm?productid=TX-SR506&modelid=75&group_id=1&detail=1&ext_war=1


Speakers

The Speaker Company 5.1 system w/ 10in sub

http://www.thespeakercompany.com/TSAT2000-HT10-B-Premium-Home-Theater-Bundle-P76C7.aspx

I just got mine yesterday and haven't hooked them up yet. I don't know how they can stay in business at the price they charge. They look to be very high quality.

Get wire from monoprice.

As good as you can get for the price you want to spend. Reasitically, you'll have 99% of the stuff be not so great and not so bad. Just adequate, so the Onkyo recommendation is the one step up you can actually achieve in this price range.
There's more to this than being an audiophile. It's alot like a "what it does" hobby in as much as a "what it sounds like".

[02Singlecut]

How dare you have an opinion! What are you, a commie or something?


How's the 52" ? Comrad.....:BEER

[Zilmo]

Also your inclusion of your new 47" LCD TV purchase as well comes across as you are just plain better than us.




Wow! where the hell did you come up with this out of what he posted? This sounds like the same kind of bullshit spouted by Squier players when anyone spends more that $400 on a guitar. Take a chill pill dude.

[Zilmo]

How's the 52" ? Comrad.....:BEER
I'm digging it, but I guess that must make me feel that I'm better than "them".

What horseshit.

[Flavum]

My budget is $400-$600...

How about this?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Sony_watchman_fd210.jpg

Sorry - this is my lame attempt at humor. No offense intended!

[GAD]

Sorry - this is my lame attempt at humor. No offense intended!

Well I sir, am offended!

In fact I'm offended at just how offended I am!

You... you.... offender!

GAD

[Darth Tater]

How about this?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Sony_watchman_fd210.jpg

Sorry - this is my lame attempt at humor. No offense intended!


That has a cleaner sound than any Bose system I've ever heard :)

[FlyingDutchman]

Wow! where the hell did you come up with this out of what he posted? This sounds like the same kind of bullshit spouted by Squier players when anyone spends more that $400 on a guitar. Take a chill pill dude.

I just did... :argue

[TheRockDoc]

Laughing at all the Bose stuff.

When I was involved in designing home theatre systems, we use to say, "No highs, no lows- must be Bose.


hehehehe

I found a Pioneer Elite receiver on eBay for less than $200 shipped. I'm sur eyou can find some stuff in your $ range

[moody07747]

those boxed kits are not bad in some cases and quite nice in price. I suggest getting larger speakers though as the mini ones lack mid range quite a bit...
Bose colors the sound too much and is a ripoff in the first place so yea avoid them.

[The Rocket]

Thank you very much for your help.

[BadAssBill]

I'm a little confused by all the Bose hate. I got a pair of bose in HS, circa 1987ish, and they lasted me all HS, went all over the US to college (parties, outdoor bashes, etc) and are now in an old buddy of mines den. Still sound very good.
I'm no audiophile (currently have HK reciever, Boston Acoustics, Velodyne system) but I've always thought the Bose were a good choice for low tech, easy to install, folks. I thought they sounded very good in most applications.

[The Rocket]

Hello guys,
I tought to give you a short update...after reading your advices I went to the electronics store to give a listen to the different solutions...

after a few tests I realized that I'm more of a 2 channels stereo hi-fi system guy rather than a Home theater fan...I will use the system to listen music more than watching movies...
...SO I bought a pretty good amplifier and two speakers:
- amplifier: ROTEL RA-06
speakers: B&W CM1

in the future I could buy a subwoofer and connect the system to my TV for a kind of Home Theater effect.

By the way, while I was at the store I had a listen to some Bose systems too. They were pretty expensive but very "efficient" and compact.
For the quality of the sound, I think that the combination I chose was much better and even cheaper, but I wouldn't say that Bose was rubbish. To me it's just overpriced...that's my 2 cents.

Thanks again for your inputs.