HOME THEATER: Component Search

[Sketcher]

01.16.05
Things change. The thread started out in search of the best HT on a budget, then an extended budget and now my speaker choice alone bumps me into mid $2k. I'm partial to but not locked on a Harman Kardon AVR-435 and DVD-31. I've been considering $2,400 worth of speakers from either Paradigm or Axiom. I'm currently leaning toward the Axiom items below:

Axiom 5.1 HT
Fronts: M22
Center: VP150
Rear: QS8
SUB: EP500

That particular sub, though highly rated is quite spendy. I am considering the SVS 25-31PC-Plus. The reviews on the SVS cylinders are killer... I'm just trying to get used to the idea of a water softener size piece of audio equipment adding to the room decor. THIS SUB looks appealing too... guess I have some reading to do.


Original Post

Home Theater sans brand bashing:

It's easy to slam and deride, more difficult to build and prescribe. We have both audiophiles and audio_inept who've built THX'esque systems on a budget and also plunked thousands of quid for crap.

* Those of you who really know your stuff with specs and have spent the dough on high-end gear have likely done enough research to recognize good value and reasonable performance to recommend equipment that doesn't give the rest of us nose bleeds. Those of you who've gone the budget route can let us know what's been good to you and whether the initial cost decision is the same one you'd make today.

With my current understanding (or lack thereof) this is what I'd buy if considering these budget ranges:

1. Started looking for the best $500 package I could get and immediately was in the $800 ballpark for gear with 'potential'.
2. Going the route of 'separates' builds in better quality at higher cost; choosing entry level branded components put me just under $1,300.
3. Considering a purchase that welcomes me to HT Heaven AND entry level audiophilia puts me solidly into $1.7k territory.

01.09.04 - I had listed price range packages but I don't have the time to update it all so I'm only going to list the items I'm working on for my project.

Currently at $2,167.00
1. Harman Kardon AVR 435 ($680)
2. Harman Kardon DVD-31 ($230)
3. Paradigm Atom FL/R, CC170 Center, ADP170 Surrounds, PDR-12 Sub ($1,257)
4. Stands, Cables....

This year I'm settling with my current Sony Trinitron 32" TV. Next year if I'm still into HT I plan to go the route of DLP Projection and 8' Screen. If I bought today, an Infocus Screenplay 4805 and a Stewart or Da-Lite Screen would probably be on the order list.

 

[imported_amx]

Well AT was never geared towards Hometheatere, there are many other ht forums like avsforums and audioholics. I have been in the HT market for quite some time now. I have 3 setups in my house and none of them have been HTIB. THough, there are quite a few good HTIB setups outthere.

 

[spaceman]

DHITB!

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: ncircle
DHITB!

That's all I got out of that post, too.

 

[rsd]

Probably depends on what you are looking for and what you can afford etc.

Personally, I bought an Onkyo HTIB S760 6.1 system (refurb) for $225 approximately, and for that price I think it has been fantastic (this includes receiver, 6 speakers, sub). Works perfect, and for me it would take several times the price to signifcantly upgrade it.

 

[SZLiao214]

Im curious about this to. Although i dont have the money for it, it would be great for future reference.

 

[DaveSimmons]

"What to buy" changes often depending on what is being closed out or is on special.

Onkyo does seem to have the best reputation for under-$500 HTIB packages.

If you only have $300-500 to spend, a HTIB is a decent choice. The other option at that price is to spend that money on a decent receiver (Onkyo 502 or 602 are good in the under-$300 range) and just a pair of stereo front speakers (Polks are nice, as are Paradigm and others). Add the other speakers when you can afford to.

 

[jammur21]

Originally posted by: rsd
Probably depends on what you are looking for and what you can afford etc.

Personally, I bought an Onkyo HTIB S760 6.1 system (refurb) for $225 approximately, and for that price I think it has been fantastic (this includes receiver, 6 speakers, sub). Works perfect, and for me it would take several times the price to signifcantly upgrade it.

me too

 

[Sketcher]

And Personal Experiences are what we're going for here. WHICH and WHY and WHAT would you do the same or differently. I've spent alot of time in AV forums and though I'm learning quite a bit I still want to know what ATOT members bring to the table. Understandably AT isn't geared toward AV, but it's the perspective of Computer Enthusiasts in regards to Home Theater that I'm interested in. You guys have built some pretty cool stuff, and I want to hear about it. There, an invitation to talk about yourself! Heh, regarding HT that is .

 

[Sketcher]

I personally like the satelite/sub configuration (space consideration) but I want to avoid the lack of dynamic range or 'missing' frequencies issues some complain about. Who knows, mabye I can't tell the difference. But on the satelite front, I've been looking at these: http://www.orbaudio.com/

Any opinions?

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: ncircle
DHITB!

That's all I got out of that post, too.

I got a one week ban for saying that once

 

[Fandu]

Do NOT do HTIB, you can get a lot more for your money by buying everything yourself. For example, I picked up a Kenwood 5.1 100WPC amp for $99 over in hot deals, and then I picked up the $199 Fluance 5 speaker set and for $300 I have a stereo that's much, much better than any HTIB for the same price.

 

[nsafreak]

It's really a budget thing more than anything else. There are some really nice HTIB systems from companies like Onkyo and then there are some ones that are major crap like Sony. For folks that are looking to spend under $500 for a home theater system I typically recommend the HTIB option because most of the time $500 will just get you started if you're building it piece by piece. Hell I'm not a big spender by any means and my subwoofer (Paradigm PDR-10) and receiver (Harman Kardon AVR-230) came close to a grand when I originally purchased them and those are just two parts of the system. Then there are the folks that are looking to expand later on but want something to start off with now. For those folks I recommend either gettting the receiver and a pair of front speakers or a HTIB with a receiver that can handle a good deal of output. So after that long diatribe just what are we looking at in terms of a budget? If we're looking at around $500 I would suggest this Onkyo HTIB system. Very nice system for the money that is expandable for the future to a certain extent. If we're looking more towards a higher budget range then I would suggest the following:

Harman Kardon AVR-335 - I'm a big fan of Harman Kardon and this is a really nice starter receiver from them. Frankly I use the 230 myself and it's served me well, haven't really needed to upgrade and if I ever need more juice I can still use it as a pre/pro and hook up an amp through the pre-outs.

Paradigm 90 CT - Very nice and complete set of speakers to start a person out with along with a nice powered subwoofer. I don't have all Paradigm speakers yet but I'm working my way towards that goal. I've auditioned a good amount of Paradigm equipment and it sounds very good. I know there are other good speaker packages out there from companies like Polk, Klipsch and JL but I prefer the sound I get out of Paradigm.


Those two will get you off to a very good start. In all honesty I don't know how much you're looking to pay for the Paradigm speaker set. I'm going to guess somewhere in the $1000 range but you'll have to find a local dealer to audition them and purchase. They are not speakers that are sold via large stores like Circuit City. Personally I got my Paradigm subwoofer from Cherry Creek Audio here in CO.

 

[biostud]

My system consist of

NAD T750 Surround reciever
NAD 524 CD-player
2xDali 808 front/floor speakers (2x 8" 1x5" 1x1")
2xDali 104 rear/floor (2x6,5" 1x1")
Dali C-1000 center (2x5" 1x1")

I don't really know to much about speakers, but I'm pretty sure I will always choose NAD (except maybe DVD-players). I like to keep things simple and I wan't good sound rather than flashy features. And from all reviews I've read, and from my own albeit little knowledge, this is what NAD delivers. I would recommend looking at the NAD homepage, where you can also find reviews of their products.

Including cables I think I've paid $2500 and IMHO it's worth every dime. Every time I listen to music I can just sit back and enjoy how well it sounds. It's not something I need to renew every 2-3 year as with computer parts, but I think I use it just as much as my computer.

NAD L-70

 

[Ornery]

You won't have shlt, till your cables are burned in!

 

[EngenZerO]

my system is currently consistis of

ascend acoustics cdm-170 book shelf speakers for left/right fronts and left/right rear surrounds
ascend acoustics cmt-340c for my center speaker
svs 25-31pci subwoofer tuned to 22hz

harman kardon avr-430 w/ new upgraded cpu and dsp
harman kardon dvd22 player

trust me a htib will not do, i first purchased a pioneer htib and within 5 months i needed to upgrade to my current setup. the htib is cool if u just want some surround loving and ok experience... but trust me just like pcs you will feel the need to upgrade. you will richer and clearer sounds that image and sound extrodinary as well as bass that really is flat and rattles your entire room... i felt like i needed that so i had to get the gear i have listed above. i have all my stuff calbirated to an avia disc, and trust me it sounds fricking awesome at reference level.

its realy worth it, trust me if you spend around 600-700 on a htib you will dissappoint yourself in the longrun because you could have just invested that money into a real system.

 

[zerocool1]

from what I've understood, there are the cheaper receivers that skimp by going based on resistance, but the key is current. That's why good recievers are heavy as all hell, its got a massive transformer. Resistance based recievers are weaker on the bass, from what I remember. I might be wrong on that.

 

[nsafreak]

Originally posted by: zerocool1
from what I've understood, there are the cheaper receivers that skimp by going based on resistance, but the key is current. That's why good recievers are heavy as all hell, its got a massive transformer. Resistance based recievers are weaker on the bass, from what I remember. I might be wrong on that.

No you are quite correct. I wouldn't base your purchasing decision off weight alone but the vast majority of receivers that are decent out there are pretty heavy. Mine isn't too terribly powerful yet it's a hefty 30 pounds and I have some friends that have some really nice receivers that also are pretty hefty.

 

[EngenZerO]

Originally posted by: nsafreak

Originally posted by: zerocool1
from what I've understood, there are the cheaper receivers that skimp by going based on resistance, but the key is current. That's why good recievers are heavy as all hell, its got a massive transformer. Resistance based recievers are weaker on the bass, from what I remember. I might be wrong on that.

No you are quite correct. I wouldn't base your purchasing decision off weight alone but the vast majority of receivers that are decent out there are pretty heavy. Mine isn't too terribly powerful yet it's a hefty 30 pounds and I have some friends that have some really nice receivers that also are pretty hefty.

what you all said is right...

the best way to choose the correct reciever is to first buy some speakers... each reciever will make your speakers sound different... onkyo, denon, h/k, pioneer elite, nad, rotel, yamaha... all have different sonic characteristics that will make your speakers sound different. So the best way to choose a reciever is to first get your speakers then demo recievers with your speaker setup.

 

[spacejamz]

here's my vote for another Onkyo...I have the 770 Silver (130 watts x 6) with 120 watt sub...

you can catch them on sale at frys for $399...this system kicks a$$...

 

[seanws]

i paid around $600 for my yamaha htib set-up. 6.1, sub, receiver and 5-disc dvd. dont remember off hand how many watts it is. i do watch a lot of movies, and love the theatre feel at home, but cant justify spending over $1000. i have better things to spend my money on

 

[nsafreak]

Originally posted by: seanws
i paid around $600 for my yamaha htib set-up. 6.1, sub, receiver and 5-disc dvd. dont remember off hand how many watts it is. i do watch a lot of movies, and love the theatre feel at home, but cant justify spending over $1000. i have better things to spend my money on

And that's fine for a lot of people. But for myself personally even though I do have other things I spend my money on my HT is one of the primary things.

 

[nsafreak]

Btw my current setup (not including all components) consists of:

Harman Kardon AVR-230
Paradigm PDR-10 subwoofer
Cerwin Vega V-5C center
Sony MB-SS3000H fronts
KLH rears

Nothing too spectacular I'll admit for the speakers although I do plan on changing that in the future. The H/K receiver has worked out great for me and has a real nice sonic qualities, for me at least.

 

[EngenZerO]

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Btw my current setup (not including all components) consists of:

Harman Kardon AVR-230
Paradigm PDR-10 subwoofer
Cerwin Vega V-5C center
Sony MB-SS3000H fronts
KLH rears

Nothing too spectacular I'll admit for the speakers although I do plan on changing that in the future. The H/K receiver has worked out great for me and has a real nice sonic qualities, for me at least.

harman kardon makes some killer stuff...

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

IF you aren't in a hurry, definately go with doing it yourself.

I've built mine over the course of about 3 months, for well under $2000, and have a (IMO) nice system that is a helluva value

All were purchased from Hot Deals websites except the sub (Found it cheap on pricegrabber)

Panasonic 53x54 53" TV = $1,170
Onkyo SR-502 refurb = $170
Velodyne CHT 5 piece speaker system = $160
Velodyne VX-10 sub = $133
Toshiba V592 Upconverting DVD player = $155

$1,788 total

MSRP is $2,700, and even on a good sale day you'd still be looking at well over $2000.

Just have to be willing to wait it out.

I'm trying real hard to wait on a deal on a Harmony remote...