Home Theater ******s *******s

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Looking to by a Home Theater sytem and I m not really sure what to go with. Budget limitations are pretty tight so I need help

under 499.
Doesnt necessarily have to have a DVD player.


Question about wireless rear speakers. Has that technology improved any? I d be interested in if it isnt as full of static as it used to be.

[TopDaugIn2000]

if you are looking for premium sound, I recommend these:

http://images.bestbuy.com/BestBuy_US/images/products/7366/7366735_ra.jpg

well worth the $$ in my book. LOVE them.

they'll run you 5 hunnert at best buy

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7366735&type=product&id=1122653506577

[85Sooner]

Looking to by a Home Theater sytem and I m not really sure what to go with. Budget limitations are pretty tight so I need help

under 499.
Doesnt necessarily have to have a DVD player.


Question about wireless rear speakers. Has that technology improved any? I d be interested in if it isnt as full of static as it used to be.


Save your money and let it build up or ......... well just save up.

Look for
Yamaha RXV661 469.00
Paradigm Cinema90 CT 650.00
You will not be disappointed

[I_SMELL_FEAR]

Save your money and let it build up or ......... well just save up.

Look for
Yamaha RXV661 469.00
Paradigm Cinema90 CT 650.00
You will not be disappointed

I agree on the save up...or build it as you go. The Theater in a Box solutions are pretty poor in my opinion, I know several people that bought the whole package and ended up replacing it all in a few years anyway.

I dont have a super home theater, but Im happy with it. It took me about a year to get everything bought. It also gives you time between money to do plenty of research and get what you want.

My main advice would be dont be tight on your center channel or your sub. You could probably get by with cheaper rear surrounds, but you want your voice sound clean (center) and your bass to be powerful...at least I do.

[Frozen Sooner]

I'll second the recommendation on the Yamaha RX-V series. My last two receivers were both Yamaha RX-Vs and I've been extremely happy with both-the only reason I replaced the first one is because I wanted a receiver with HDMI ins.

Which brings me to another point: with that sweet-*** TV you're buying, you're going to want to buy a BluRay or HD DVD player in order to take advantage of the 1080p24 support built in to the display. That being the case, you need to be looking at a receiver with HDMI switching so you can take full advantage of the audio advantages BD and HD DVD offer over DVD.

JMODMIR. When buying a receiver, I always try to future-proof as much as possible. Not only are the suckers expensive, but they're a pain in the butt to wire up. An added advantage of HDMI switching is that you don't have a massive tangle of wires behind the receiver for your video switching.

I remeber on my RX-V659 that I had three component video inputs, four optical audio inputs, and one 5.1 RCA analog input going in to the back of the receiver plus 5 speaker wires and an RCA out to my subwoofer amp. The wires were so bulky that they'd almost overbalance the receiver. :)

Now all I have is two HDMI plugs, one component input and optical wire (wish I'd had the foresight to buy a receiver with 4 HDMI slots!) and one solo optical wire feeding in. Plus seven pairs of speaker wire and the sub RCA, natch. :) It's MUCH less funky back there.

[85Sooner]

I'll second the recommendation on the Yamaha RX-V series. My last two receivers were both Yamaha RX-Vs and I've been extremely happy with both-the only reason I replaced the first one is because I wanted a receiver with HDMI ins.

Which brings me to another point: with that sweet-*** TV you're buying, you're going to want to buy a BluRay or HD DVD player in order to take advantage of the 1080p24 support built in to the display. That being the case, you need to be looking at a receiver with HDMI switching so you can take full advantage of the audio advantages BD and HD DVD offer over DVD.

JMODMIR. When buying a receiver, I always try to future-proof as much as possible. Not only are the suckers expensive, but they're a pain in the butt to wire up. An added advantage of HDMI switching is that you don't have a massive tangle of wires behind the receiver for your video switching.

I remeber on my RX-V659 that I had three component video inputs, four optical audio inputs, and one 5.1 RCA analog input going in to the back of the receiver plus 5 speaker wires and an RCA out to my subwoofer amp. The wires were so bulky that they'd almost overbalance the receiver. :)

Now all I have is two HDMI plugs, one component input and optical wire (wish I'd had the foresight to buy a receiver with 4 HDMI slots!) and one solo optical wire feeding in. Plus seven pairs of speaker wire and the sub RCA, natch. :) It's MUCH less funky back there.

Yeah but your an animal ;)

[Frozen Sooner]

Heh. Doesn't EVERYONE have an HD DVD player, a PS3, a 360, a cable box, a CD player, an iPod, and a 7.1 setup hooked up to their receiver? Oh, crap, I forgot to list another optical connection. One for the 360, one for the cable box, and one for the CD jukebox. Which I think I'm going to ditch, as I usually listen to CDs through the PS3 now-I guess with FW 1.90 they offer CD upconversion. Plus I like having all the track info on the screen.

Wow. I spend WAY too much money on this stuff...

Oh, hey, as for decently-priced good 5.1 speaker setups, Mirage has some decent stuff. I'm using Mirage for my rears and center, and they provide a really nice sound for the price. If you want to step up in price, I can highly recommend B&Ws. I've got a pair of 602s as my front channels, and they provide a VERY natural sound.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Thanks men. I m ordering that receiver and will order the speakers in a few weeks when I steal enough cash.

I asked the company if they accepted vCash but they said they didnt know what that is..Losers

[KHS Sooner]

Heh. Doesn't EVERYONE have an HD DVD player, a PS3, a 360, a cable box, a CD player, an iPod, and a 7.1 setup hooked up to their receiver? Oh, crap, I forgot to list another optical connection. One for the 360, one for the cable box, and one for the CD jukebox. Which I think I'm going to ditch, as I usually listen to CDs through the PS3 now-I guess with FW 1.90 they offer CD upconversion. Plus I like having all the track info on the screen.

Wow. I spend WAY too much money on this stuff...

Oh, hey, as for decently-priced good 5.1 speaker setups, Mirage has some decent stuff. I'm using Mirage for my rears and center, and they provide a really nice sound for the price. If you want to step up in price, I can highly recommend B&Ws. I've got a pair of 602s as my front channels, and they provide a VERY natural sound.

Good jesus man.

[85Sooner]

Heh. Doesn't EVERYONE have an HD DVD player, a PS3, a 360, a cable box, a CD player, an iPod, and a 7.1 setup hooked up to their receiver? Oh, crap, I forgot to list another optical connection. One for the 360, one for the cable box, and one for the CD jukebox. Which I think I'm going to ditch, as I usually listen to CDs through the PS3 now-I guess with FW 1.90 they offer CD upconversion. Plus I like having all the track info on the screen.

Wow. I spend WAY too much money on this stuff...

Oh, hey, as for decently-priced good 5.1 speaker setups, Mirage has some decent stuff. I'm using Mirage for my rears and center, and they provide a really nice sound for the price. If you want to step up in price, I can highly recommend B&Ws. I've got a pair of 602s as my front channels, and they provide a VERY natural sound.


Non erotic Man love to ya bro!

[bluedogok]

I bought my Kenwood before HDMI was out, it was cheap and works alright but I am now looking at an Onkyo TX-SR705 receiver (http://www.us.onkyo.com/model.cfm?m=TX-SR705&class=Receiver&p=i). I like the Sirius Connect function plus the 3/1 HDMI switching. Now I have a hybrid of HDMI/Component-Optical-Coax connections plugged into the TV and the receiver. The DirecTV HD-DVR is hooked to the TV with the HDMI, I have an optical connection into the receiver. The Denon DVD player is HDMI into the TV and Coax into the receiver. The PS3 is Component into the TV and Optical into the receiver. The 400 disc CD changer, Sirius PnP and turntable are RCA. I pulled the cassette deck and X-Box off that receiver. Planning on getting a HD-DVD player so I need more connections and the Onkyo has them.

[Taxman71]

As stated, definitely go the component route and upgrade as you can afford to. Skip the HTIB unless you simply want to upgrade your TV's speakers and don't really want to get into home theater audio....because it is addictive.

Obtaining a future-proof receiver will cost you plenty (I also have a Yammy RX-V and love it), but you should be able to get one minus HDMI switching, etc. for a reasonable price. You will eventually move it to another room and upgrade when you can later.

As for speakers, spend all your money on the 3 fronts (esp. center channel) and your sub. The rears don't do alot and there are alot of cheap options, including in-ceiling speakers. Definitely make sure your 3 fronts are the same brand and model for timbre matching.

I have a Paradigm speaker setup with the Yammy RX-V receiver and an Oppo DVD player and love it. However, when I eventually add another HT in another room, I will give alot of thought to the the home theater direct speaker (www.htd.com) (http://www.htd.com%29). I have a few of their ceiling and shelf speakers and they are a great value.

[Frozen Sooner]

I bought my Kenwood before HDMI was out, it was cheap and works alright but I am now looking at an Onkyo TX-SR705 receiver (http://www.us.onkyo.com/model.cfm?m=TX-SR705&class=Receiver&p=i). I like the Sirius Connect function plus the 3/1 HDMI switching. Now I have a hybrid of HDMI/Component-Optical-Coax connections plugged into the TV and the receiver. The DirecTV HD-DVR is hooked to the TV with the HDMI, I have an optical connection into the receiver. The Denon DVD player is HDMI into the TV and Coax into the receiver. The PS3 is Component into the TV and Optical into the receiver. The 400 disc CD changer, Sirius PnP and turntable are RCA. I pulled the cassette deck and X-Box off that receiver. Planning on getting a HD-DVD player so I need more connections and the Onkyo has them.

I'd switch the setup on the PS3 and the DirectTV HD-DVR. The PS3 will do 1080p24 if your TV is able to display that, then just run a optical cable to the receiver until you upgrade. Plus, the PS3 will actually upscale your regualar DVDs better than that Denon will.

[bluedogok]

Mine is 1080i, I just hooked the PS3 up a week ago and it was open. I have to keep the access to the sat HD-DVR fairly simple, it is just a turn on the TV proposition for my wife. We mainly listen to the audio through the TV, the HDMI connection allows the optical to be hooked up also. I think if you have the component and RCA hooked up it may disable the optical. Not sure, I haven't messed with it since the initial hookup.

The Denon DVD-757 is pretty good at upconverting, it also does SACD and DVD-A. I think the PS3 does SACD and the Toshiba HD-DVD will do DVD-A so after that I will probably relocate the Denon to a different room.

[Frozen Sooner]

Nope. The Tosh won't do DVD-A, much to my chagrin. The PS3-at least the 60 and 80GB models-will do SACD and output it as 5.1 PCM over HDMI instead of DSD. Supposedly the difference is inaudible, but a future FW upgrade is supposed to allow passing of DSD as bitstream to an HDMI 1.3 receiver.

[OU4LIFE]

Heh. Doesn't EVERYONE have an HD DVD player, a PS3, a 360, a cable box, a CD player, an iPod, and a 7.1 setup hooked up to their receiver?

yes, no, no yes, yes, no and YES.

[TopDaugIn2000]

Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes they both
Oh yes, they both
Oh yes, they both reached for
The gun, the gun, the gun, the gun,
Oh yes, they both reached for the gun
for the gun.

[Frozen Sooner]

yes, no, no yes, yes, no and YES.

Good for you too, then? :D

[OU4LIFE]

eh...