Help me out guys...

[SteveB]

I don't know a lot about HT equipment and I am thinking about upgrading my stuff. I currently have a HK AVR 435, Hsu surrounds and the smaller Hsu sub and a XA2. I'm pretty happy with everything but want better.I have been really happy with Hsu and will keep the sub but probably upgrade to the new Hsu bookshelf speakers. These speakers:

http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/hb-1.html
http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/hc-1.html

I'm pretty set on these speakers unless some one can suggest something better in the same price range. Mostly TV and movies but some music.

One thing I have a hard time understanding is the receiver. My HK doesn't have HDMI inputs neither does my TV. Is it really that beneficial to run the video through the receiver? I use the analog inputs for the XA2 and video goes straight to the TV. I do listen to the radio some and plug the iPod in some too. I see a lot of talk about Onkyo but for some reason that brand doesn't appeal to me. Someone mentioned Emotiva in another post and that really looks good on paper. I looked at Emotiva Ultra Theater Series that's on special right now for $449.

http://www.emotiva.com/lpa1.html
http://www.emotiva.com/lmc1.html

Speakers would run $715 plus shipping, receiver $449 plus shipping, so I'm guessing about $1250 for a new set-up.

How does this set-up sound to everyone? Looking back over this my current Hsu surround speakers would handle the power from this amp so if the feedback is that the Emotiva is that good I could just get that and wait on speakers. I had a good holiday season at work and some of this commission is burning a hole in my pocket. I look forward to hearing the opinions of you guys and any other suggestions

[jerome]

SteveB wrote:

One thing I have a hard time understanding is the receiver. My HK doesn't have HDMI inputs neither does my TV. Is it really that beneficial to run the video through the receiver? I use the analog inputs for the XA2 and video goes straight to the TV.

Running the video through the receiver will help if you have several sources and at least one destination (TV, PJ, etc). For instance, you can connect one DVD player via HDMI, one videocamera via SVIDEO etc and still use the same output to your TV without having to switch cables.
Some people also use their receiver to upscale the video format from 480i, 720p to true HD (1080p). But that's only with HDMI cables.

If your TV doesn't have any HDMI input and you don't plan on buying a new one (or a PJ) then you don't need to think about HDMI switching in your receiver. If you have several video sources then using the receiver as a video will probably make your life easier.
If you only have one video source then you can connect it directly to your TV and connect its audio output to your receiver.

Hope this helps !

[Sonnie]

You mentioned HSU surrounds... what are your current front and center speakers?


Seems like HK has always been complimented with their sound, so I'm not sure you would be upgrading anything other than power and features by going to Emotiva. With those HSU's I don't think you really need the power and if you don't plan on upgrading the TV to HDMI, the features really won't be that beneficial for you. I might look more at upgrading the sub and maybe the speakers.

[chas]

The Emotiva LPA-1 amplifier is $449, but I believe they are out of the LMC pre/pro's and I think they are discontinued until the new LMC-2 arrives.

[tonyvdb]

The one big advantage with HDMI is the upscaling that the receiver does as already mentioned but another reason is that to get the uncompressed audio and the new TrueHD/DTS HD audio you need HDMI as the signals on most HD and BluRay players only pass that signal through the HDMI cable.

[Sonnie]

Yeah, but unless he plans on upgrading his TV, the upscaling will do him no good. The TrueHD and DTS HD will pass thru via is 5.1 analog inputs, won't it?

[tonyvdb]

Sonnie wrote:

Yeah, but unless he plans on upgrading his TV, the upscaling will do him no good. The TrueHD and DTS HD will pass thru via is 5.1 analog inputs, won't it?

Its my understanding that it will but then he needs to have another set of 6 cables running from the HD/BluRay player to the receiver and it wont pass 7.1 only 5.1 as non of the players I have seen have 7.1 analog outputs only 5.1. There are some movies coming out that have full 7.1 TrueHD/DVD HD audio. I also think the less conversion from digital to analog the better. Also not all receivers have 5.1 analog inputs.

[salvasol]

SteveB wrote:

... I don't know a lot about HT equipment and I am thinking about upgrading my stuff...

You're not alone ... everyday I learn a little about HT's

If you want to upgrade your equipment, if you don't mind, I suggest you to start with the TV for few reasons: 1) if you don't have a HDTV capable just analog, that signal will dissapear on Feb 2009 so you will need to get a converter or a new TV, you can look for a good offer and get one. 2)Even if you don't have a receiver with HDMI, your new TV most likely will have one , this will allow you to enjoy a better picture from your DVD XA2 ... and you can keep using the same receiver/speakers until you can upgrade them; your receiver has optical connections, so the sound will be good.

If you go this route, your next upgrade will be a receiver (with HDMI) and then speakers .

I'm not a fan of using the receiver to switch video signals ... I prefer to connect them directly to TV, I read that sometimes you can have problems with the conversion of the signals ... as far as the upconversion of video signals, I think most TV's will upconvert them

[SteveB]

I guess I should have said something about my TV, I have a NEC 42" plasma that's almost 3 years old. I am very happy with my TV and am only looking to improve the sound. My TV is only a monitor so I have to use a cable box and it's hooked up using component cables since that's the only option I have with it and fiber optic for sound. A new TV will have to come along at some time but not in the near future.
I am running an HDMI to DVI cable to the TV from the XA2, if I understand what some of you are saying, running from the HD player to the receiver then to the TV is going to give me a better picture? There would be better upconverting than the XA2 would do? That really confuses me.

Sorry Jerome, but what is PJ?

Sonnie, I currently have Hsu Ventriloquist center and 4 surrounds.I guess it's Hsu's version of HT in a box. The HB series I posted the link to is a larger bookshelf style speaker. I do have a set of old Klipsch speakers that I could use for the fronts. I had them hooked up for a while before I got the Hsu speakers. They over powered the surrounds I had been using. Maybe I should just hook them up and see how that works.

Tony, I do have the 6 cables from the XA2 to the receiver, 5 channels plus sub.

Salvasol, I read this forum and one other every night. I have learned most of what I know from these two sources. It's hard sometimes to weigh what appears to be straight opinion or fact.

Thanks for the input so far. Any speaker or receiver/amp ideas? .I guess I just have a bad case of the 'I wants".

[Sonnie]

SteveB wrote:

I am running an HDMI to DVI cable to the TV from the XA2, if I understand what some of you are saying, running from the HD player to the receiver then to the TV is going to give me a better picture? There would be better upconverting than the XA2 would do? That really confuses me.

Running your HDMI through a receiver is not necessarily going to give you a better picture. If you only have one source and it's the XA2, run it directly to the TV as you have it now. This eliminates another source that the video signal will have to run thru. Remember what Jerome said... Running the video through the receiver will help if you have several sources and at least one destination (TV, PJ, etc). A "PJ" is a projector. In your case, you only have one input (one source).

SteveB wrote:

Sonnie, I currently have Hsu Ventriloquist center and 4 surrounds.I guess it's Hsu's version of HT in a box. The HB series I posted the link to is a larger bookshelf style speaker. I do have a set of old Klipsch speakers that I could use for the fronts. I had them hooked up for a while before I got the Hsu speakers. They over powered the surrounds I had been using. Maybe I should just hook them up and see how that works.

If you like the HSU sound, upgrade the speakers first, then consider a receiver or separates combo later on.

I would not mix the Klipsch with the HSU speakers, especially in the front.

SteveB wrote:

Thanks for the input so far. Any speaker or receiver/amp ideas? .I guess I just have a bad case of the 'I wants".

You could upgrade to another receiver, but again, I doubt you would notice any difference with the speakers you are running. It's possible you could tell a difference at very loud volumes if you were to upgrade to something like the Emotiva separates.


IMO... you will make a more noticeable difference by upgrading speakers and particularly your sub. The sub can have a huge impact on your listening experience. This should be more of a noticeable difference than upgrading your receiver. At this point, upgrading your receiver is going to do nothing more than change your decor from that of the HK to whatever else you replace it with. If you want an upgrade in visual appearance, go for it!

[SteveB]

Thanks Sonnie,
I'm happy with the performance of my sub even if it is the low end of the range. My apartment isn't that large and I often wonder if the people downstairs have to listen to the bass. I haven't heard the Hsu bookshelf speakers but they are getting good reviews in magazines and what I have read on the web. I had to base my decision to get the speakers that I have on information taken from the web and it worked out well. Can you suggest any speakers that would work as a center, front and surrounds and stay in the $800 or lower range?
As for the receiver, I see that the newer models are listing True HD as a type of input they work with. Is that really any different than the 5.1 analog inputs that I am using now? Do they actually do anything with it or does it just pass through the same as my HK does?
I've lost my train of thought so I'll stop for now. Thanks again guys.

[Sonnie]

The only difference in those receivers is that they have the ability to decode the TrueHD, but your XA2 already does that and as you suggest passes via 5.1 analog.

As far as speakers... a 5.0 setup for $800 may not be much of an improvement over what you have now. I would probably start with the front LCR to start with so that you can upgrade better. Does HSU offer any towers and/or better center models? I've been looking for something for our great room and there seems to be just too many to choose from.

[SteveB]

Sonnie,
Hsu doesn't do a tower speaker. Their real emphasis is on subs and I think their other speakers are just something to add for people shopping for subs.