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New to Home Theater Stuff. Pls help!

6K views 58 replies 6 participants last post by  Jungle Jack 
Hello,
HTIB's are certainly convenient. However, what is truly lacking is speaker quality compared to purchasing a AV Receiver and a speaker package.

If your budget is fairly tight and high playback levels are not that important, any one of these packages will do nicely. I do like that the Yamaha decodes the newest surround codecs from Blu Ray Players True-HD and DTS-MA.

Hopefully there is a store which carries all three in your area. Getting a chance to listen to them will help in making the best informed decision.
Cheers,
JJ
 
Hello,
A speaker package like this:http://www.svsound.com/products-spks-sbs01.cfm would provide a much higher level of sonic fidelity. Look at the 5.0 package on that page. Most HTIB's use speakers that are pretty lacking in realism and rely on a subpar "subwoofer" to provide most of the sound. Often the subwoofers in HTIB packages are not able to reproduce the lowest octave and mostly give much boom around 80 Hz.

If you went with the SVS package, all you would need is a subwoofer and a receiver. Given you are in a apartment, a huge subwoofer is not a priority so you can find a quality smaller one for well under 400 Dollars.

There are a number of receivers available for under 400 Dollars as well that will trounce the HTIB receiver as well.

So, all in all, for around 1200 Dollars you could have a truly high quality system that will give you years of service. I am not sure how important music is to you, but the difference in quality between the SVS package and a HTIB is vast. And this difference can really be appreciated in music.

If you get a chance, look at the speakers in a HTIB. One the whole, they weigh nothing and are these plastic towers of mediocrity. Compared to a dedicated speaker, the difference is vast.
Cheers,
JJ
 
Hello,
Funny. While you were writing that you did not want to spend more than 1200 Dollars, I was proposing a system for under 1200 Dollars. Go figure.
Cheers,
JJ
 
Hello,
Ladycruz, an AV Receiver does indeed have an AM/FM Tuner. But, it is primarily the heart of a system.
The newer ones offer HDMI Switching, amplification, decoding of all codecs (Dolby Digital, DTS, True-HD, DTS-MA, etc) In America, we primarily use them as Integrated Amplifiers and few use the FM/AM portion of the receiver. In Europe, where there are many more Radio choices, many purchase Radio Tuners and Integrated Amplifiers. Integrated Amplifiers incorporate a power amplifier and preamplifier. A preamplifier is what provides volume control, inputs to hook up TV, Xbox, PS3, etc...

Integrated Amplifiers and receivers handle all of this with the difference between the two being the radio tuner in a receiver. Again, here almost everyone uses receivers.
Cheers,
JJ
 
Hello,
As always. Tony, you and I are on the same page.
JJ
 
Hello,
You can watch DVD's through your Xbox 360. Adding a Blu Ray Player would be nice and some are available for 100 Dollars now.
And you would need to purchase cables. Depending on how new and the model of your 360, it might have an HDMI out. In which case, you would need a HDMI cable. If you have an older 360, you would need an optical digital cable for the 360, HDMI for the cable/sat box, and another HDMI from the receiver to the TV. In addition, you will need speaker cable, and a RCA cable to connect the subwoofer to your receiver.
Cheers,
JJ
 
Hello,
Makes sense to me. And given the abyssmal reliability of the Xbox 360, I would say it is a good thing to not play DVD's on it. Now that Blu Ray Players have plummeted in price, well worth getting one instead as they can play DVD's as well.

Here is a great link for cheap quality cables as well:http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/hdmi-cables/index.htm
Cheers,
JJ
 
Hello,
Good luck. At least listen to some of the HTIB's you are interested in before purchasing. I can completely understand getting one box which includes everything you need is mighty tempting, but the price paid for that convenience is mediocrity.
JJ
 
Hello,
I have listened to SVS Speakers and they offer amazing value. They use very high quality speaker components (tweeter, woofers, cabinets) and have been reviewed extensively by many Professional Reviewers and have received excellent reviews.

I do not currently use SVS Speakers, I am running Martin Logans currently. In truth, they are fairly expensive. My speaker system retails for around 15 thousand Dollars.
Cheers,
JJ
 
Hello,
Your link is the correct one. The 5.1 Package will be excellent for you and miles better than the speakers bundled in a HTIB. I was looking for the page you provided when I posted that link.

The Onkyo I linked originally retailed for 900 Dollars and really is a great buy for 400 Dollars.
Blue Jeans Cable sells quality cable on the cheap and will save you hundreds over going with something like Monster Cable.

Altogether, this would really be an excellent package that will provide your family with years of quality performance. At a price comparable to upper range HTIB's. This really is a system comparable to 2-3 thousand dollar systems.
Cheers,
JJ
 
Hello,
Tony, you are probably right about HTIB prices, before I started moderating here, I never really looked into HTIB's. Certainly have seen them setup though. Something about injected plastic molded floorstanding loudspeakers makes me ill.
JJ
 
Hello,
I have been thinking about that exact same thing. Not kidding. It is a great idea.
Cheers,
JJ
 
Hello,
Truly sorry to read that your Speakers have been delayed for this long. SVS makes such a good product at such a good price, but that means nothing if they are not getting the Product out to you when promised.

Hopefully, your Speakers will get to you soon. If not, there are many other choices out there. For value, they are very tough to beat. However, Hsu offers excellent value and similar products to what you ordered.
Cheers,
JJ
 
Hello,
I would check out Hsu Research. They make fantastic Subwoofers and very good Speakers.
This is a very nice Package:http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/enthusiast1.html
And for 100 Dollars more, this includes a much better Subwoofer:http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/enthusiast2.html
I know the current SVS 5.1 package retails for 1049. However, if memory serves you were supposed to get the last of the earlier generation S Series and might have been less.

Again, I am so sorry that SVS has delayed your order to the point of you canceling. I honestly feel terrible as I recommended and encouraged you to order them. It really is a shame as the SVS package is fantastic. Especially the Subwoofer.
The Hsu are showing In Stock and I have never heard of delays with Shipping of their Products.

I really do not think Orb Audio is in the same league as the SVS or the Hsu. Have you already cancelled your order?
Cheers,
JJ
 
Hello,
The Hsu's Speakers are a different design. They are Horn Loaded. An advantage to this arrangement is they are more efficient than conventional Speakers. That is they will play louder with less power. Hsu makes excellent, well engineered Speakers regardless of design. And their Subwoofers are fantastic.
Here are some reviews of the Speakers:http://www.hsuresearch.com/reviews/UAVMar07_2pages.pdf
And another:http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/home...secrets-review-of-speakers-and-subwoofer.html

In truth, I lean towards SVS and initially recommended them. I wish SVS could give you a real timetable as to when the Speakers will be available. I am somewhat confused as the Speakers you ordered were supposed to be the last of the earlier generation of the S Series and should have been in stock. Owing to the popularity of the Subwoofer, I can understand that being backordered. However, Hsu Research is no mere consolation prize. They are a legitimate alternative. Their Founder Dr. Hsu attended MIT and is truly considered one of the finest Designers out there.
Cheers,
JJ
 
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