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Recommend a home theater (HTIB) under $400?

Discussion in 'Techno-Magic' started by Death Rabbit, Sep 28, 2010.

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  1. Death Rabbit

    Death Rabbit Straight, no chaser Adored Veteran Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Remove all ads!
    So it's time - I'm finally getting the flat screen of my dreams - the Samsung UN46C6900. The 2010 model 6 series has all the features of the 8 series (local dimming, 7mill:1 contrast, etc.) but without the 3D capability (which I don't consider very cost-effective or necessary) and is 120hz vs. 240hz (but as I understand it, the difference between the two isn't much unless you watch a lot of sports, which I don't). It's both in my price range and worth the 2 years I've been waiting to get one.

    But I need a good sound system to go with it, and I've never bought one. I'd like a 5.1 surround sound system, though if I must go with wired speakers I'd like them to look kinda cool and/or not take up much room. I've heard mixed things about Soundbars, though I'm willing to give them a shot (my TV will be in a corner, so the sound will reflect fairly well). I'm getting the TV from Best Buy this week, so if anyone could recommend anything they carry (on their web site) that'd be appreciated.

    I'd prefer a system that's a receiver plus speakers, rather than a BlueRay player bundle, if I can help it. I already have a PS3 so I don't really need the player. However, I've noticed that most HTIB's come with either a BluRay or a DVD player as the receiver. But if getting a great system means I have a BluRay that collects dust, well, whatever. Maybe I'll watch movies on that instead to extend the life of the PS3.

    I'd like to stay under $400. Thanks in advance.
     
    Death Rabbit, Sep 28, 2010
    #1
  2. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Here're the speakers I got ~10 years ago. I was able to get the satellites in white to blend in with the walls though. Unfortunately, that hits your budget without a an AV recevier... :) I think I got a different subwoofer too; Energy seems to have discontinued the set with just the five speakers without the subwoofer and with the four white satellites.
     
    Blackthorne TA, Sep 28, 2010
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  3. Chandos the Red

    Chandos the Red This Wheel's on Fire

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    Most of the "recession deals" on good speakers ended recently, but the good news is that there are still a few good deals out there:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290034

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290204

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290105

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290200

    Too bad they are sold out on the Monitor 60s. Last year I got an outstanding deal on a set of JBLs, but those have gone way up in price since then. I have a set of Polks in my office and they sound very good. In fact, the sound is a bit more "live" than the JBLs that I use for my main HT system. However, the sound is a tad harsher and they are not as smooth in the highend as the JBLs. Also, the JBLs have a better soundstage. But in the price range, I don't think you can beat the Polks. Notice the reviews. Also you can hear both Polks and JBLs down at our Fry's on West Road. I don't know if BB has them or not.

    Also, there is a price war going on in receivers, atm, especially Yami and Pioneer, so you should be able to pick up either one at very good pricing (except the newest models). There is also some good pricing on Onkyo gear as well. 5.1 DTS or Dolby Pro Logic II should be easy for any of those, since I think 7.2 is the standard now; some of the newer systems are using 2 subs besides the addtional sides.

    But don't expect much in the way of real power from an inexpensive unit.

    Just an example of a very inexpensive receiver with 1080p video processing/HDMI/DTS HD and Dolby IIz:

    http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-VSX-820-K-Audio-Video-Receiver/dp/B0039XQL2G/ref=pd_cp_e_3
     
    Chandos the Red, Sep 28, 2010
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  4. Death Rabbit

    Death Rabbit Straight, no chaser Adored Veteran Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    That combination is a bit out of my price range, Chandos. The receiver alone is $300, which wouldn't leave me much room for speakers. Any recommendations a bit farther south?
     
    Death Rabbit, Sep 28, 2010
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  5. Chandos the Red

    Chandos the Red This Wheel's on Fire

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    Ok, I think I found something for you, DR:

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.ht...d_t=201&pf_rd_p=1274856982&pf_rd_i=B001XURGSK

    For a limited time, purchase a Pioneer VSX520 receiver and a Klipsch 5.1 speaker system for just $399.00.
    NIce price!

    http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/receivers/pioneer-vsx-520-k-fl
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2010
    Chandos the Red, Sep 28, 2010
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    Death Rabbit likes this.
  6. Death Rabbit

    Death Rabbit Straight, no chaser Adored Veteran Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    That looks perfect, Chandos - but when I click on it, it charges me for both. I think the discount for the pair is only $50 off. Unless I'm doing something wrong, that's still $600.
     
    Death Rabbit, Sep 28, 2010
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  7. Chandos the Red

    Chandos the Red This Wheel's on Fire

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    Are you sure? I got that info off the page with the speakers. It should still be there, I think...yeah, it's still there...try the page with the HD 300s.
     
    Chandos the Red, Sep 28, 2010
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  8. Death Rabbit

    Death Rabbit Straight, no chaser Adored Veteran Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Oh, I get it - you have to get all the way through the checkout process, to the final screen before the discount shows up. Yaharr. I see it now. This looks dope!! Thanks, man. Any additional cables or anything I'll need?
     
    Death Rabbit, Sep 28, 2010
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  9. Chandos the Red

    Chandos the Red This Wheel's on Fire

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    You will need about 50 feet of speaker cable for a medium sized room, DR.

    Wait, 100 feet is what I used. The room is 18X20. No, sorry again, it's 16X18. I had it written down, but had to look it up.
     
    Chandos the Red, Sep 28, 2010
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  10. Death Rabbit

    Death Rabbit Straight, no chaser Adored Veteran Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Maybe you can help me translate this, from the review:
    Does this mean I will still get a readout display on my TV screen to adjust the sound, it just won't be in 1080i? It'll be fuzzier? Or does it mean there's no OSD at all, and I'll have to do everything from the receiver LCD screen? A very, very minor concern, but it seems like the only downside to this unit.
     
    Death Rabbit, Sep 28, 2010
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  11. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    I believe what that is saying is that the receiver does not provide an OSD on your TV, you will have to look at the receiver screen to see what adjustments you're making.

    That's how my receiver is (a 10 year old Kenwood), but the display is big enough for me to see what I need to with the receiver under the TV.

    Also, the cables you'll need will depend on how you want to hook everything up and what units you want to do your video switching (i.e. your TV or your AV receiver can do the video switching; which one you want will depend on which one does a better job I suppose).
     
    Blackthorne TA, Sep 28, 2010
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  12. Chandos the Red

    Chandos the Red This Wheel's on Fire

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    I'm fairly certain this is how it works: In other words, your new HD TV will have to display the 1080p. For instance, my 50" Sony, which I got back in 2006, is not 1080p, but if I get a high-end receiver it will still process the video signal at 1080p -- upscaled. Also, you will not be able to display any of the functions of the receiver on your TV display, but on the display of the receiver itself. If you plug an IPhone into your receiver you can see the artist/song info/album artwork on the device you are using rather than the TV screen.

    Upscaling:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_scaler
     
    Chandos the Red, Sep 28, 2010
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  13. Death Rabbit

    Death Rabbit Straight, no chaser Adored Veteran Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    That doesn't sound like a very big deal to me. I don't mind looking at the receiver screen, since once I get the settings the way I like them I doubt I'll dick around with them all that much, right? I wish it had a USB connection, but my PS3 does, so that's not a big whoop.

    Anything else I should know or be aware of?
     
    Death Rabbit, Sep 28, 2010
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  14. Chandos the Red

    Chandos the Red This Wheel's on Fire

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    Networking to your PC. Also, the power amp will not be as robust as the higher-end units. Those are the big issues I can see from what you are using it for.

    Oh, and I don't see any phono jacks for vinyl on the Pioneer, unless I'm missing them.
     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2010
    Chandos the Red, Sep 28, 2010
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  15. Gaear

    Gaear ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful

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    :2c: ... Upscaling would be unfortunate, as the true beauty of HD is to be found in a unit's native resolution, which should ideally be 1080p since that is the industry standard. Any kind of conversion results in loss.* That said, I understand about your budget limitations. Just saying. :)

    *An easy way to see this disparity in action is to set your computer monitor's display to something other than it's native resolution (assuming you have an HD monitor currently set to native).
     
    Gaear, Sep 28, 2010
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  16. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Is the receiver going to be right up front with the TV? If so, then yeah it's probably no big deal. You'll probably want to see what volume you set it to, as well as what surround mode/decoding it is operating at with the current source, so you know if you need to adjust the source to get the surround output you want.

    That is the current standard for BD. Most other sources (e.g. OTA or cable TV; not sure about satellite) are not 1080p at this time. So, something (including the TV itself) will be converting most content to the native resolution of the TV.
     
    Blackthorne TA, Sep 28, 2010
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  17. Death Rabbit

    Death Rabbit Straight, no chaser Adored Veteran Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    @ BTA - Yes, it'll be in a cabinet directly below the TV. The doors will be closed much of the time, though.

    @ Gaear - If the upscaling I see is only on the display from the unit (which I will view only when making adjustments) - and not the picture signal I'm getting from either my digital cable, PS3 or Wii, (the other 99.9% of the time) then would that really matter? Unless I'm misunderstanding something, if the fuzziness is only on the audio display and the other signals are what they're supposed to be, then I'm not worried. I don't care if THAT part is crystal clear, as long as it's in English. (again - I may be totally misunderstanding something here, correct me if I'm wrong)

    @ Chandos - Can you recommend some speaker wire appropriate for this system? I will eventually connect my PC to this system, but that's a down-the-road consideration.
     
    Death Rabbit, Sep 28, 2010
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  18. Chandos the Red

    Chandos the Red This Wheel's on Fire

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    Chandos the Red, Sep 28, 2010
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  19. Death Rabbit

    Death Rabbit Straight, no chaser Adored Veteran Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Death Rabbit, Sep 28, 2010
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  20. Gaear

    Gaear ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful

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    I'm far from an expert on this, but I thought that's what the government mandate (since June 2009 in the US, I think) was all about? I thought broadcast networks (the freebies) had to broadcast in HD now, and that HD packages offered by your cable company (for premium channels) conformed to that standard as well.

    lol, sorry, I'm probably misunderstanding myself. ;) What I'm asserting (perhaps mistakenly) is that if you have a monitor that features a native resolution other than 1080p, the signal coming from your cable, which I believe is 'HD,' will have to be converted to whatever resolution your monitor is. Whenever that happens, there is loss in image quality.

    Is the native resolution of the unit you have your eye on 1080p? I thought one of the quotes or links you posted said otherwise.

    Sorry if I'm only muddying the waters here.
     
    Gaear, Sep 28, 2010
    #20
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