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This post is for people who are just starting out and are looking for an inexpensive setup for Home theater.
I have recently seen allot of mis-information being handed out from sales people about the quality of HTIB (Home Theater In a Box) systems and wanted to set some facts out in front of you so that you can be properly informed.
If your in the market for a new starter system have a read through here.
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First of all this is not going to be a bash Bose or any other company thread so please keep it respectable and informative. But for some really good hard information as to why you should not buy Bose read This.
One of the biggest issues with these so called HTIB systems is the upgadeability, They usually have integrated components and strange hookup connections that make it nearly impossible to replace one piece if it fails. Also if it includes a DVD or BluRay player and they fail your stuck and cant replace it without starting from scratch in most cases. Onkyo and Yamaha have some decent systems that are simply normal receivers and speakers that can be replaced if necessary as budget allows and is a far better way to go if you must go with a HTIB system. None of there lower priced systems offer what I would call good quality. You would need to spend about $700 to get into what I call satisfactory.
HTIB systems tend to be underpowered and in medium to large rooms they lack the power to fill the space and are usually unable to allow for connection of HDMI directly to the receiver needed for all the new uncompressed audio formats coming out.
Ok, now we get into the more technical side of things:
Why should I not get a HTIB system or a system like Bose you ask besides the above mentioned?
Well for one they are all built with small speakers all 5 or 7 speakers including the sub are smaller then what should be used. The drivers in the sattalite speakers are too small to produce high volume levels known as Decibels (db's). A standard db reading of movies is generally no less than 85db this is loud enough to make you feel that the movie is surrounding you. Almost all systems in this group simply can not reach this level safely and will distort. Put simply, if the speaker drivers are smaller than 6" across and or the cabinet is smaller then a spray paint can then don't expect much form them no matter what the specifications say.
The other problem is speaker design, a small speaker physically can not reproduce the lower frequencies needed. A so called full range speaker will have a frequency response from around 45Hz (low) to 20,000Hz (high) the cube or sattalite speakers only go as low as 300Hz at best and that leaves a big hole where there is simply no sounds in that range from 300 down to where the so called sub woofer picks it up at around 140Hz. For example a nice full range speaker will sometimes have three or more drivers, a tweeter that reproduces the highs, a midrange driver and a low driver. buying one of theses systems would be like taking out the low driver and then still using the rest. You end up with a whole lot of the sound missing.
This is where some companies fool you as they will then build a so called sub that has the ability to reproduce those missing frequencies but what they don't tell you is that they simply do not reach high enough and you still end up with a hole in your sound field. The other big issue and huge design flaw is that the so called sub woofer that comes with theses systems is far to small to make enough of an impact with that sort of frequency range and never go below 40Hz which is where most real subs are just starting to work and make an impact where it counts. A true subwoofer goes no higher than about 120Hz and if they are good will go as low as 10Hz but most start to roll off at about 25Hz. These frequencies are necessary for movies as things like thunder, a freight train going by or a Harley Davidson motorcycle driving by are heard or I should say felt.
If you do want to stay small get yourself some good bookshelf speakers that have a good solid wood cabinet not plastic and get a good subwoofer from a reputable company. And if you remember that cheep speakers give you cheep sound then your off to a good start.
What I am saying is if you must go with a HTIB system do not spend the money on Bose as they are far to over priced and do not preform as they say and are very over hyped. For around $1000 you can get into a great system that is far better and wont need upgrading right away.
Save some money before buying or buy a receiver first and use some old speakers you have around the house until you can afford to buy new. Another option is to buy used equipment and there are lots of ways to go about this that I wont go into here.
Have a look at this comparison done by another Shack member explaining the quality difference between decent speakers and the HTIB type speakers that you will get with most HTIB systems.
Another option that some people seem to be looking at is Wireless speakers, Now this in its self can create problems one of them is interference and noise. The other is connecting them to any receiver is not possible as you MUST have Pre-Outs and receivers under $400 do not have them including HTIB systems.
I hope this helps inform some of you who are in this situation and keeps you from making a mistake that will be regretted down the road.
If your insistent on getting into a complete system now and want a HTIB type of system here is two that I recommend both by Onkyo.
The Onkyo HT-S5100's is a good starter system, has real wood speaker cabinats, a 10" down firing subwoofer and even Audyssey 2EQ and an iPod dock. I would prefer if people would go with there top of the line system the 9100THX system its THX certified and has 3HDMI inputs, and has a fantastic receiver for the price (around $900) its going to be tough to beat. The Shack store doesn't have it at the time of posting this information. Amazon has it here
![]()
I have recently seen allot of mis-information being handed out from sales people about the quality of HTIB (Home Theater In a Box) systems and wanted to set some facts out in front of you so that you can be properly informed.
If your in the market for a new starter system have a read through here.
First of all this is not going to be a bash Bose or any other company thread so please keep it respectable and informative. But for some really good hard information as to why you should not buy Bose read This.
One of the biggest issues with these so called HTIB systems is the upgadeability, They usually have integrated components and strange hookup connections that make it nearly impossible to replace one piece if it fails. Also if it includes a DVD or BluRay player and they fail your stuck and cant replace it without starting from scratch in most cases. Onkyo and Yamaha have some decent systems that are simply normal receivers and speakers that can be replaced if necessary as budget allows and is a far better way to go if you must go with a HTIB system. None of there lower priced systems offer what I would call good quality. You would need to spend about $700 to get into what I call satisfactory.
HTIB systems tend to be underpowered and in medium to large rooms they lack the power to fill the space and are usually unable to allow for connection of HDMI directly to the receiver needed for all the new uncompressed audio formats coming out.
Ok, now we get into the more technical side of things:
Why should I not get a HTIB system or a system like Bose you ask besides the above mentioned?
Well for one they are all built with small speakers all 5 or 7 speakers including the sub are smaller then what should be used. The drivers in the sattalite speakers are too small to produce high volume levels known as Decibels (db's). A standard db reading of movies is generally no less than 85db this is loud enough to make you feel that the movie is surrounding you. Almost all systems in this group simply can not reach this level safely and will distort. Put simply, if the speaker drivers are smaller than 6" across and or the cabinet is smaller then a spray paint can then don't expect much form them no matter what the specifications say.
The other problem is speaker design, a small speaker physically can not reproduce the lower frequencies needed. A so called full range speaker will have a frequency response from around 45Hz (low) to 20,000Hz (high) the cube or sattalite speakers only go as low as 300Hz at best and that leaves a big hole where there is simply no sounds in that range from 300 down to where the so called sub woofer picks it up at around 140Hz. For example a nice full range speaker will sometimes have three or more drivers, a tweeter that reproduces the highs, a midrange driver and a low driver. buying one of theses systems would be like taking out the low driver and then still using the rest. You end up with a whole lot of the sound missing.
This is where some companies fool you as they will then build a so called sub that has the ability to reproduce those missing frequencies but what they don't tell you is that they simply do not reach high enough and you still end up with a hole in your sound field. The other big issue and huge design flaw is that the so called sub woofer that comes with theses systems is far to small to make enough of an impact with that sort of frequency range and never go below 40Hz which is where most real subs are just starting to work and make an impact where it counts. A true subwoofer goes no higher than about 120Hz and if they are good will go as low as 10Hz but most start to roll off at about 25Hz. These frequencies are necessary for movies as things like thunder, a freight train going by or a Harley Davidson motorcycle driving by are heard or I should say felt.
If you do want to stay small get yourself some good bookshelf speakers that have a good solid wood cabinet not plastic and get a good subwoofer from a reputable company. And if you remember that cheep speakers give you cheep sound then your off to a good start.
What I am saying is if you must go with a HTIB system do not spend the money on Bose as they are far to over priced and do not preform as they say and are very over hyped. For around $1000 you can get into a great system that is far better and wont need upgrading right away.
Save some money before buying or buy a receiver first and use some old speakers you have around the house until you can afford to buy new. Another option is to buy used equipment and there are lots of ways to go about this that I wont go into here.
Have a look at this comparison done by another Shack member explaining the quality difference between decent speakers and the HTIB type speakers that you will get with most HTIB systems.
Another option that some people seem to be looking at is Wireless speakers, Now this in its self can create problems one of them is interference and noise. The other is connecting them to any receiver is not possible as you MUST have Pre-Outs and receivers under $400 do not have them including HTIB systems.
I hope this helps inform some of you who are in this situation and keeps you from making a mistake that will be regretted down the road.
If your insistent on getting into a complete system now and want a HTIB type of system here is two that I recommend both by Onkyo.
The Onkyo HT-S5100's is a good starter system, has real wood speaker cabinats, a 10" down firing subwoofer and even Audyssey 2EQ and an iPod dock. I would prefer if people would go with there top of the line system the 9100THX system its THX certified and has 3HDMI inputs, and has a fantastic receiver for the price (around $900) its going to be tough to beat. The Shack store doesn't have it at the time of posting this information. Amazon has it here
