Home theater Components Help!

[gtg653t]

Hello,

I'm a relative newbie to the world of home theater. I have previously owned an Onkyo HTB 5.1 system and it worked great. Now that I'm out of college I would like to get something more sophisticated. I have recently purchased a Toshiba 65 DLP Hm167 and want to built a system around it from scratch. I need help in knowing exactly what components to get. Currently I'm looking into getting the following:

Denon AVR 3808 7.1 Receiver:1200$
Denon DVD 2500BTC Blue Ray Player:1000$
SVS PB12 Subwoofer:1200$
Energy RC10 Bookshelve speakers-500$/a pair = 2
Energy Center Speaker C-C100BK-:157$
Energy Speaker Systems C 500BL/ Loudspeakers:243$/pair=2

I wanted to stick with Onkyo but I heard the new receivers have problems when you try using the HDMI inputs. Also not sure if I should get any extra components like an equalizer, conditioner, monster power supply; if its really worth it I will. I'm just not sure if it would actually improve anything.

Any advice on curtains and information on room design enhancements is also extremely appreciated.

My total budget is around 5K and the above is what I thought to be the best items I could get for my price point. Any suggestions on speaker, subwoofers, receivers, etc is appreciated. Also not sure if the denon blue ray player is worth the hefty price tag, I just really want to maximize the image quality from my tv.

Also I'm confused about the main difference between an Amp a receiver and a pre amp, I'm guessing all I need to get is a receiver but again I'm new to all this

In regards to the speakers, there are so many choices out there, I know the denon receiver is capable of 7 channels but can I just get 2 loudspeakers, 2 bookshelves a center and a sub. I just had a HTB before so all the thinking was done by someone else, so I need to catch up.Lastly are there guidelines to match a receiver with a powerful sub, in terms of watt outage? Thanks if anyone is kind to answer

[tonyjover]

gtg653t wrote:

Also I'm confused about the main difference between an Amp a receiver and a pre amp, I'm guessing all I need to get is a receiver but again I'm new to all this

Hi,

A receiver is a radio receiver, pre-amps, and power-amps all in one box. It performs all of the functions of the below three units in one.

A tuner is a 'radio' with outputs to feed an amplifier

A Pre-amp is the 'first stage' of amplification. It handles all the input switching (DVD, Tuner, Cable, Satellite etc), it handles all the decoding, it might handle video switching between the various inputs, and it then gives a number of line-level outputs to feed power-amps (two for stereo, 6 for 5.1, 8 for 7.1 etc)

A Power-amp is the beast that drives the speakers. For a 5.1 setup you could have two stereo amps for the fronts and rears, plus two mono amps for the centre and sub. Or you could have 6 mono amps.

Hope that helps explain at least one of your queries.

Regards,
Tony

[tonyjover]

Oh,

I'd also suggest that when you have your final list drawn up, you check out Ebay. That's where I've bought 90% of all my AV equipment for the last few years.

Regards,
Tony (again)

[gtg653t]

Thanks for the clarification tony, much appreciated!!

[salvasol]

Welcome to the forum

gtg653t wrote:

... Currently I'm looking into getting the following:

Denon AVR 3808 7.1 Receiver:1200$
Denon DVD 2500BTC Blue Ray Player:1000$
SVS PB12 Subwoofer:1200$
Energy RC10 Bookshelve speakers-500$/a pair = 2
Energy Center Speaker C-C100BK-:157$
Energy Speaker Systems C 500BL/ Loudspeakers:243$/pair=2

Like you said ... there is a lot of equipment to choose from
I think that instead of the Denon Blue Ray you can get something cheaper (yesterday I saw a Sony BP for less than $400) ... about the speakers; Have you considered getting an SVS system??? ... a 5.1 with the same sub you want is $1149 and with a PSB10 is $999 ...

... Also not sure if I should get any extra components like an equalizer, conditioner, monster power supply; if its really worth it I will. I'm just not sure if it would actually improve anything...

To me, the only extra component will be the monster power supply, this will protect your equipment from power changes

...Any advice on curtains and information on room design enhancements is also extremely appreciated...

I suggest you to start a thread on the accoustic forum ... I'm sure you'll get a lot of info there.

...Lastly are there guidelines to match a receiver with a powerful sub, in terms of watt outage?

Well, most of the subs have their own power amp, so it doesn't matter which receiver you get ... but in the other hand, for the speakers you need a receiver with at least 100 wats per channel (your Denon is okay it has 130WPC) ...

Good Luck ... have fun.

[eugovector]

Check out Tripp Lite surge protectors instead on Monster. Twice the performance, half the price.

[nova]

My preference would be to spend a lot less on the electronics and more on the speakers. I'd also skip the EQ, line conditioner etc,... maybe the aforementioned Tripp Lite, but thats about it.

I'd break that budget down to;
~$800 - $1000 for the receiver
~$400 or so Blu Ray
~$2500 - $2800 for speakers
~$800 - $1000 for the sub

[gtg653t]

Thanks guys for all the great Inputs!!.

As far as speakers go, I'm still trying to research the best I can get for my money. So far
Energy
(RCR -300$ for surround, RCRL-500$ FOR CENTER,RC-10-350$ FOR SIDES,RC30's or RC70 FOR FRONTS-though pricey!!-1000$ each)

and

Monitor Audio(RS6-1000$ or GS60-1500$, Both fronts)

strike me as the best sounding from the reviews I have read and demo's I have listened. Also I'm not sure about the Denon 3808 anymore, I have been reading the specs on the Onkyo 875 and its got more certification like THX2 Ultra, not sure if this will make a dramatic sound difference. I really want to utilize all the great add on's like DTSHD or even Dolby TrueHD etc, ( DTS is wayyyyy better than Dolby by the way in my opinion, the sound is superior, Not sure why dolby is still in business really!!) but I have read that the Onkyo has issues with over heating and HDMi connectivity issues.Also let me know if anyone has any Amp recommendations to go along with a high end receiver since the speakers I want to get I'm guessing would require at least 200w per channel RMS. Lastly I have been trying to solve my blue ray dilemma and read several and several threads without any clear answer on which one has the best picture and audio quality, I'm just spending allot of money on speakers, receiver, tv etc so I want to make sure I get the best possible image and sound, if that means PS3 so be it, but I find that hard to believe, kinda like saying Bose is the best audio experience!!!

[tonyjover]

For BluRay we have the Sony BDP300 which was mentioned earlier. Sony have recently reduced its price. It supports true 24P and looks stunning. Its upconvert for SD DVDs is the best I've seen. I'd highly recommend it.

Regards,
Tony

[mrstampe]

If you are not opposed to preowned equipment, don't forget to consider Audiogon.com. You get a lot more for your money, and several prefer this source to ebay.

[nova]

Well,... FWIW, unless you need that 4th HDMI input, you could save $400 - $600 by going with the Onkyo 805 vs the 875.
hmmm,....

Onkyo 805 $799
MA RS6 $999
MA RS1 $499
MA RSLCR $499
SVS PB12 plus/2 $1099
Sony PS3 $399

and you're under budget with cash left over for stands, wires, etc.

I really like the Monitor Audio, course I could be biased being a former owner of MA Silver 5i's. MA knows haow to build 'em. Have not heard the Energy's you are looking at, but I think the MA's at half the price are much better bang for the buck.