Advice in blowing $300 (1 Viewer)

[Mike_NW]

Here's the deal: Today I was handed a $300 gift card to Best Buy. Surely there must be something in that range that would upgrade my relatively modest HT system. Suggestions appreciated.

Right now I have:
Sony STR-DG800 Receiver
KEF Q50 Fronts
KEF Model 90 Center
KEF Compact-Q Surrounds
Mirage BPS-100 Sub
Pioneer DVR-520H
Comcast HD/DVR Box
Toshiba SD-4980 DVD Player
Toshiba 46-inch TheaterWide Rear-Projection TV

Comcast box and DVD player are running HDMI into the receiver. All audio is optical and/or digital coax.

I do not currently have a CD player or changer. I've been playing them through my DVD player. The 400-CD changer appeals to a degree given that I have about 300 CDs and probably won't buy 100 more. But the thing is 7.5 inches tall and I've got 6-inch shelves. And I'd really rather have a device that allows me to rip selected tracks in lossless form and play them back through the receiver. I would be open to purchasing any iPod-like device that would accomplish such a task, but I'm not sure one exists.

Adding an amp for additional power also appeals, but I have no idea how this works.

Things for $300 and under at Best Buy include:

These Amps
This Sub
These changers

 

[Brent_S]

If I were you, I'd have to look hard at adding $100 out of pocket to get the Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD player.

 

[Mike_NW]

So very tempting. I think you are right. However, the format wars scare me, and there aren't many HD-DVD titles at this point, and regular DVDs look very good on my current player. Hmmm.

 

[John Brill]

It's sad to say that no upgrade for $300 will have a noticible impact on your existing set-up. Playing CD's on your DVD player is quite acceptable and I've found the massive CD changers to be more of a pain in the a@# than they're worth.

However, what I did this weekend in the form of an "upgrade" has actually proved to be quite practical and satisfying. I jumped on the "Ipod" bandwagon (mainly due to the fact that there are way, way, way more accessories for the Ipod than there are for competitor products) and purchased the 30 gig version. I already had all my CD's ripped at 320kbs bitrates and was using a logitech wireless solution to play them on my HT. However, this meant leaving my computer on at all times which I didn't like doing and left me out of luck for car and gym listening options. Also, I couldn't get a second docking station from Logitech and didn't want to buy a second complete kit for my second HT which meant I had to pick one when I wanted the option of playing my music collection on both. With the Ipod, it has the capacity to hold my entire music collection (and a couple of movies to boot!), I bought 2 docks to plug into each of my receivers and I bought a dock for the car. Quality is very good for most of my listening requirements. If I want to sit back and do "critical listening", I still have the original CD for just that purpose. These times are rare with 2 babies but will hopefully come back!

So, for $300, this option would bring you quite a bit versatility and enjoyment of your music collection. Another option is to purchase either an X-Box 360 or PS3 for gaming enjoyment but these will cost more than $300.

 

[JohnRice]

Mike, the CD changer is an idea, but not only are they tall, they are also extremely deep. Besides, if you have a computer close, that is your cheapest potential for some sort of music server, particularly if you want lossless compression. You can get an extra hard drive with the card and have plenty left over.

Also, unless I am mistaken, you don't have to blow that whole card in one shot. It is essentially a pre-paid credit card which you can use repeatedly until the money is gone.

What I would do is look into using your computer for a music server and then dive into the music/movie section of the store. After all, that is why you have the system in the first place. Take this opportunity to get some titles you couldn't justify before. Like John said, $300 just isn't going to be enough to make a noticeable improvement in your system. So, rather than throwing it away on hardware, get some software.

I would really shy away from using it for a HD player. Let the dust settle, more titles to come out, prices to drop and so on.

 

[MaxL]

i agree with mr rice. developing your library of music/ movies is a great option. i don't think you're going to find a significant upgrade on anything you've listed. if i had to get hardware though, i'd pick up a harmony universal remote and upgrade any cables if necessary. that said, i wouldn't normally go for the ar or monster cables, but for free, they could be a nice replacement for any true cheapo stuff.

 

[Mike_NW]

Thanks for all the advice. I wound up purchasing quite a few DVDs, including a few concerts I wanted, and then I did splurge on one overpriced digital coax cable to replace the much wimpier looking one that came with the receiver. I was looking for DVD-Audio to hear what that might sound like, but did not find anything I was interested in.

As a side note, my receiver's manual said digital coax holds up better than optical for high-volume sound. I'm not an expert on the technology, but I always thought optical was supposed to be the best. I'm using an optical cable from my Pioneer DVR, which is not used for music, and digital coax from my DVD player, which is used for playing music. My 110-watts-per-channel system presumably lacks the power to test the limits of either cable, but I would be curious to know if there are any practical differences or limitations.

 

[JohnRice]

Coax is typically thought to be slightly better, in theory at least. In the end, I have used both. You will notice most very high end CD transports don't have optical outputs. I would say to just not worry about it.

 

[Phil Taylor]

Late to this thread but it sounds like you made the right choice. I also prefer coax for its durability and generally lower costs. Frankly I think I would have spent it all on media and don't believe I would have purchased a monster cable or similar. As long as a cable is adequately and properly constructed it's fine - Monster is a bit overrated and overkill for my tastes. I get my cables from monoprice.com - great cables at even greater prices

 

[Mike_NW]

Thanks. I do have some monoprice optical cables and they seem to work very well.