General Home Theater Audio Thread

[Anubis]

you only got 2?

i suggest Top gun if those are the only 2 options

also classical music

 

[shortylickens]

I'm tired of surround. It really doesnt make me feel like I'm actually there, which is the whole damn point.
High quality stereo is far superior.

Also, Top Gun sounds great. Even though my Sony's had proper mids, woofers, and tweeters, they did not have great range. And the quality is much better. I'm picking up all kinds of background sounds like shoes clicking and buttons beeping & such. Its almost an aural overload. Will take some getting used to.

 

[Anubis]

ahh, glad you like them then, if you are hearing that much of a difference you should listen to some good classical music and see what you pick up

 

[Aikouka]

No idea where to post anything like this or if I'll get mod-smacked for doing it out of Hot Deals, but if you're interested in some fairly potent front speakers, Newegg has the Polk Monitor 70s on sale for $150 (+ $3 shipping).

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2028156

I use these in my front and they work pretty darned well.

EDIT:

HD Thread: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2075106

 

[shortylickens]

No idea where to post anything like this or if I'll get mod-smacked for doing it out of Hot Deals, but if you're interested in some fairly potent front speakers, Newegg has the Polk Monitor 70s on sale for $150 (+ $3 shipping).

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2028156

I use these in my front and they work pretty darned well.

EDIT:

HD Thread: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2075106

Sold out.

 

[Aikouka]

Yeah, apparently it didn't take very long .

 

[shortylickens]

OK, after a few weeks of listening to them I have learned theres all kinds of shit in movies I'm not supposed to hear. Its especially problematic with modern movies on blu-ray.
Way too much irritating little background noise and such. And my amp only lets me tweak bass & treble by +/- 6dB. I need a full equalizer to kill the painful sounds.

 

[ASTOCADDIDS]

Great. Lets expand on the whole media server concept. Likes and dislikes with different ways to reach the same end result as the apple tv.

 

[Howard]

OK, after a few weeks of listening to them I have learned theres all kinds of shit in movies I'm not supposed to hear. Its especially problematic with modern movies on blu-ray.
Way too much irritating little background noise and such. And my amp only lets me tweak bass & treble by +/- 6dB. I need a full equalizer to kill the painful sounds.

What noises are you hearing, how do you know they aren't to be heard, and how do you know an equalizer with solve your problems for you?

 

[etrin]

Well after listening to the speakers of my sony lcos tv I decided I wanted to "experience" my blu ray movies...LOL

so I have some house repairs and remodel and don't have a lot of money.
At first I thought ok a soundbar. That was until the $99 vizio went to a $249 and then oh get JVC $350 etc

Wait for that much I could get an onkyo 3300. then it was no get a 5300 powered amp and better speakers...then ETC ETC ETC

I pretty much gave up. I went from $200 to $300 to $500+ just as the minimum.
My small tv room right now is 12x13.
I just want something better than my tv and a sub that will work with the movie, I just want better sound that will enhance not make the windows raddle and I don't have a lot of money right now.

what do I do???

 

[Howard]

used receiver, used fronts, diy sub

 

[Emulex]

i want a receiver that can do my 3 front, 3 rear, and 1 sub(powered) - DVI from PC, toslink from PC, and component/stereo from wii.

I'd like something very small to replace this ginormous sony HTIB that spits out heat. I can't use the settings past 40% due to wife yelling at me.

Any tips?

HDMI doesn't seem to work as well on my old westy lvm42W2 - so i want to stick to DVI or maybe vga .

 

[sxr7171]

I'm tired of surround. It really doesnt make me feel like I'm actually there, which is the whole damn point.
High quality stereo is far superior.

Also, Top Gun sounds great. Even though my Sony's had proper mids, woofers, and tweeters, they did not have great range. And the quality is much better. I'm picking up all kinds of background sounds like shoes clicking and buttons beeping & such. Its almost an aural overload. Will take some getting used to.

For sure. Surround is a gimmick. Now, surround can be done right but for the most part the recordings are made to be gimmicks and to wow people. It's just like stereo in its infancy, there are some really crazy stereo recordings that are just gimmicky. They didn't really know how to effectively use the format then and people got really creative with it (hard panning, weird flying sounds etc.).

IMHO, the cost to get a good surround system is the nail in the coffin. Think about what a pair of quality speakers costs and then multiply by 2.5 for what? If done correctly the rear speakers should contain mostly ambience information and the center is not important if you have a correctly set up stereo pair and you are sitting in the sweet spot. Of course there is room for only one in the sweet spot. But that's the limitation of stereo.

 

[sxr7171]

Well after listening to the speakers of my sony lcos tv I decided I wanted to "experience" my blu ray movies...LOL

so I have some house repairs and remodel and don't have a lot of money.
At first I thought ok a soundbar. That was until the $99 vizio went to a $249 and then oh get JVC $350 etc

Wait for that much I could get an onkyo 3300. then it was no get a 5300 powered amp and better speakers...then ETC ETC ETC

I pretty much gave up. I went from $200 to $300 to $500+ just as the minimum.
My small tv room right now is 12x13.
I just want something better than my tv and a sub that will work with the movie, I just want better sound that will enhance not make the windows raddle and I don't have a lot of money right now.

what do I do???

The Onkyo looks fine. You can't beat that price and it will sound better than your TV any day of the week. I don't believe in spending $$$$ on what is used to essentially reproduce dialog and special effects. Save the real money for your audio system.

 

[sao123]

would be nice if this thread had a ranking of low/mid/high blu ray players for your home theatre. Seems to be the only neglected area.

 

[shortylickens]

Can anyone tell me how to tone down the horrid overdrive on modern movies? The latest Harry Potter bluray is killing my ear drums. Am finding the Polk 150's are a little TOO hi-fidelity. They pass on crap I just dont want going in to my brain. My current amp only supports very basic treble and bass adjustments. Was thinking maybe I need to get a better receiver with proper equalizer settings.

Discuss?

 

[Fenixgoon]

Hey guys I'm looking to start a basic HT setup. My brother recommended the SVS SBS bookshelf speakers to start with. I'm unsure of what to get for a receiver and/or subwoofer though. Going by YoYo's estimates, I should be spending about 125 on each, or would it be better to get a ~$250 receiver and wait for a while on the sub?

When I get a sub (or upgrade the starter sub), I am definitely getting an SVS. my brother has one and it's insane.

 

[alexander33]

Hello to all. (New registration) (First time posting) I am trying to send this as a new thresd>

Please help. I am looking to achieve better sound from my TV. (42” Panasonic Plasma) this TV is in a regular sized bed room.

I cannot run wires for surround sound so I am thinking two speakers’ floor standing or bookshelf, whatever is recommended. A center channel speaker, A receiver and a subwoofer.

Moderately priced

I am Open to any suggestions and recommendations.
Are there any speakers that give somewhat of a surround sound?

Will 2 front speakers and a center channel speaker provide any effects, ambiance, the soundtrack, etc. of surround sound . I am not expecting true surround sound from 3 speakers. Maybe just a semblance, similar to surround sound.

I am hoping for the best setup that can be found for a good price. (need help)


I am hoping to get about 3 recommendations for each:

2 front speakers:
A center channel speaker
A sub-woofer
A receiver
My budget is around $800.00 a little more if needed.
I am ok with refurbished product.

I will appreciate all recommendations, suggestions, advice.

Thank You, alexander
.

 

[Peppered]

Get these for your front if you have the room to use it as a center also.

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-SP-FS5...7177003&sr=1-2

And just use there book shelf one for the other channels.

I went from using there center to using a floor standing as a center and I am very happy for what what I paid and what they sound like.

There are better speakers out there but that is a personnel taste what you think sounds good may not to some one else.

These speakers have great reviews and if you have a a amazon prime account shipping is free and no problem if once you get them you find out they are not what you want as long as it is with in 30 days.

 

[Peppered]

I just got there sub but haven't hooked it up yet but it is also suppose to be good for the price.
I am not expecting to compare it to HSU or other subs though.

 

[Lewy]

I am now a firm believer in setting up a library of cd's ripped to FLAC or another lossless format and playing them through a good USB DAC to the system of your choice. The advantage is that you can now have truly high-end sound through a pretty cheap computer and be able to access your music almost instantly from file. I use the free Foobar2000 software for file setup and listening and the free Cdex version !.7 Beta4 for ripping my Cd's to a music file. With a 1 TB drive going for so little why not have true cd quality?

As for choices beyond the computer it depends on your time and finances. I started small many years ago with a self built Heath-kit system and some small Jensen speakers. I have changed and modified my system many times both with DIY speakers and amplifiers and with
manufactured units. Presently I'm using self modified but manufactured equipment with some updated speaker drivers, crossover mods and I also placed better op-amps and capacitors etc into my amplifiers and dac etc.

You don't need to do any of that though in order to have really good sound. For me it's a hobby. There are plenty of good references in the lead article of this thread. If young and very poor, like I was, I would start out with a USB dac and tri-amp combo Like the Topping TP-30 about $100 new) and drive some very efficient speakers with it like a pair of Bose 301's picked up on Ebay or Craigslist for around $100 or new for $220. or go even cheaper with a $25 tri-amp and any good efficient bookshelf speaker and still have very good sound. See the "Assistance required in selecting the right speaker system" sub-thread in the "Home Theater PCs" thread senior to this one for a lot of good suggestions including mine.

 

[Lewy]

I am now a firm believer in setting up a library of cd's ripped to FLAC or another lossless format and playing them through a good USB DAC to the system of your choice. The advantage is that you can now have truly high-end sound through a pretty cheap computer and be able to access your music almost instantly from file. I use the free Foobar2000 software for file setup and listening and the free Cdex version !.7 Beta4 for ripping my Cd's to a music file. With a 1 TB drive going for so little why not have true cd quality?

As for choices beyond the computer it depends on your time and finances. I started small many years ago with a self built Heath-kit system and some small Jensen speakers. I have changed and modified my system many times both with DIY speakers and amplifiers and with
manufactured units. Presently I'm using self modified but manufactured equipment with some updated speaker drivers, crossover mods and I also placed better op-amps and capacitors etc into my amplifiers and dac etc.

You don't need to do any of that though in order to have really good sound. For me it's a hobby. There are plenty of good references in the lead article of this thread. If young and very poor, like I was, I would start out with a USB dac and tri-amp combo Like the Topping TP-30 about $100 new) and drive some very efficient speakers with it like a pair of Bose 301's picked up on Ebay or Craigslist for around $100 or new for $220. or go even cheaper with a $25 tri-amp and any good efficient bookshelf speaker and still have very good sound. See the "Assistance required in selecting the right speaker system" sub-thread in the "Home Theater PCs" thread senior to this one for a lot of good suggestions including mine.

They are both capable of being driven by 10 watts . The 301 is bigger, better and a little bit more expensive but still reasonable on Craigslist etc.

 

[mikeyanrol]

This is really Look's great !!! Thanks for information

 

[alcoholbob]

nm

 

[gebrown]

Hi

I'm looking to buy a portable speaker for my boyfriend for Valentine's day and I've seen Audio Minx Go from here http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/ - does anyone know if it's any good? I've read a few reviews and it seems to have really good ratings?

Any advice would be great!

Thanks