Configuring A Home Theater System

Hello community of HTF. I've just registered here and am wondering a few things.

I went to a bose store recently and stopped by their theater. This sounds absolutely 100% better than mine. I am almost positive either the receiver / speakers are not worth the time, or I'm setting it up wrong.

I could use the help from anywhere here that knows what they are doing.

To start: (Copied from a previous post I've seen below)


1. What are the dimensions of your room?
It's the basement, pretty large, I'd say its about 30 by 30 ? -- Actually this is where i'll be putting it... its currently in an apartment room. Ignore that though, its going in the basement (30 by 30 ish)

2. Is this system primarily for music, home theater, sports, or gaming?
All of the above ....mmmm love my music / movies / sports / gaming.
Actually, not so much gaming...but a little

3. Do you prefer loudspeakers, bookshelf speakers, in-wall speakers?
Definitely not in wall speakers, I have my rear speakers mounted up on the wall behind me atm and the 2 front are sitting on stands (ear level)

4. What components does your system already consist of?

-42" LCD TV
-Upconverted Sony DVD player (not gonna grab blu ray yet... wait a couple yrs)
-YAMAHA HTR 5835 "Natural Sound" This was a HTiB from Bestbuy, not sure where you'll find this anymore.
-Speakers (See above) - 5.1 system
- Xbox 360
- DirecTV HD DVR
- WII
- COMPUTER - yup.. hookin up the monster

Anyway, my main concern here is the sound - IT sounds nothing like I think it should..maybe I'm just full of air.

I already have most or at least some of the components it seems, I'd like some help figuring out how / where / what to buy.

How: How to set it up correctly, using what cables and connecting to what

Where: Where do I place these speakers? (If i must i'll draw a PAINT version of my basement.... it'll be awesome I promise)

What to buy: SHould I use my current speakers and receiver or should I buy new ones, or if possible USED?

Thanks for the help in advance, if you need more information from me to help me figure out my problem that'd be great =)

Re: Configuring A Home Theater System

No Edit button and registered to forums - Sorry for bump:

Forgot to add, budget for this would be about 300$ and less, especially since I have most of the stuff needed (minus the receiver / speakers)

Re: Configuring A Home Theater System

Hi James,

First thing, forget BOSE. Overpriced and under perform.

Second, for $300, you will not get anything better than you already have. Even the cheapest "decent" HTiB systems are nearly $1000, and the speakers with them are not great.

The best "cheap" receiver out there right now is the Onkyo 606. It can be found for about $330 or so. A little cheaper is the Onkyo 576, but you give up decoding of the new HD formats. Not a big deal for you now, but you should try to plan ahead at least a little.

Not sure where to go with the speakers. A sub will cost at least $200.. For a good and cheap sub, about $400. For you size room, you need at least $700. Add speakers and your budget is blown 5 times over.....

Re: Configuring A Home Theater System

I expected that reply of bose, never said it was good, just said it was better ;-).

So with my current system, me being an average person, is this even that great of a system, or on the other hand, is there any way at all for me to upgrade it?

If this takes buying each piece each time I get the money required, thats fine with me. Working a job for the summer, but if that, I only plan on spending max 1000$, and if I can get help from a friend, 1500$-2000$

If you can make me a few suggestions or a list of systems i could configure between the 1000-2000$ range, maybe one for 1000, another for 1500, and lastly one for 2000. That would help alot, thanks David.

Re: Configuring A Home Theater System

James, from what I could find on the internet, you have a decent receiver. The only thing that concerns me is the fact that in has an amplified subwoofer channel. I can't find if there is a sub pre out. I also can't find much info on bass management. Do you have a link to the manual?

I'll get some ideas for you a bit later when I have time. I'm sure others will chime in as well....

Re: Configuring A Home Theater System

I looked for a manual - no luck

Yamaha HTR-5835 BK 5.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver XM Satellite Ready at Vanns.com | features

this is the same exact thing i think.. black too

Re: Configuring A Home Theater System

Yes, it has a sub out connection. That Yamaha isn't bad at all, especially not having blu ray yet. You should get some better speakers and sub. I recommend the ones in the link below:
SVSound - Complete Systems
They aren't sold in stores, but they have an excellent return policy, if you don't like them. But I doubt you'd return them. Most people know that SVS makes one of the best subs out there, and their speaker line has won awards also.

Have your speakers you have now been calibrated? That will probably make a big difference. You really need an SPL meter and a calibration disc. Radio Shack sells the meters and Amazon.com sells "Digital Video Essentials" and "Avia" discs. Most Disney dvds have the THX Optimizer on them. You can use that in the meantime. Ideally, the volume of each speaker should be the same, at the sweet spot (sitting position). Most people raise the level of the center just a tad, above the rest, because about 95% of the voices comes from the center speaker.

Make sure the dvd player is setup to output "Bitstream" for audio, not PCM. You might want to bump up the level of the sub just a bit too.
Get these things set right, and even with the speakers you have, it should sound better than the Bose, or at least, as good.

I just sold a Yamaha HTR-5940 receiver, that I used for about a year. I upgraded to an Onkyo TX-SR805. The Yamaha sounded great. It just didn't have the HDMI inputs I'll be needing soon, and was only 6.1 surround, whereas now, I'm 7.1 capable. 7.1 will be setup soon though.
Good luck!

Doing a search at Yamaha site, turns up the manual. But they want you to sign up to download it. See here: http://www.yamaha.com/yec/pages/sear...rchDetail.aspx
Just type HTR-5835 in the search box.

Re: Configuring A Home Theater System

I've not yet calibrated my speakers, that's what I complain about every second I am listening to a movie, i can NEVER hear the voices over the sound effects! Hopefully that will help a lot.

Re: Configuring A Home Theater System

Yes, calibrate the speakers. It will make a huge difference.

I'll second the SVS recommendation. Only issue is the size of the room - perhaps get the package with a bigger SVS sub.

Next thing to do is go to local HT specialty shops and listen to speakers. Find the ones you like best and the get the SVS in for a trial.