Need help with HTIB Bose Cinemate II or Onkyo HT-S7400 770W 5.1 or Other (1 Viewer)

[JPunisher]

I posted this on the speaker section of the forum but got no responses. Hoping to get some help here. I have also updated the post with some new developments. UPDATE: I did some searches and I hear that the Onkyo HT-S7400 might be a better option than the bose. I can also get this $700 system for about $550 which makes it cheaper than the bose. Anyone have any experiences with this or could provide a better recommendation? I tried to demo these speakers but cant find anyone that has them. They need to be ordered. Thanks. Link to Onkyo Setup: Onkyo HT-S7400 ORIGINAL: First let me explain my situation. I am planning to build a media room in the next 1-2 years but I would like a very inexpensive setup for my living room in the mean time. The more money that I put into the living room means the less I can spend on the media room. The room is about 16 X16 and very open. The dinning area and kitchen are shared by this room which really gives me only 2 walls to work with (this eliminates the idea of using a sound bar that produces virtual surround). My TV is above my fireplace and would prefer that the front speaker setup be small bookshelf speakers placed on the mantle and the rears need to be tall or on a pedestal as I have nowhere to mount rear speakers. My budget is about $800. At first I started looking at sound bars but anything under $1000 sounds like crap. Because of my budget limitations the best thing I could find within that price point was the Bose CineMate II $599. It is a 2.1 speaker setup with just left and right component or optical cable connection. It sounds great for what it is but I really think it is expensive for what it is. I know that I am asking a lot with this budget but I am really looking to see if I can get anything better for the money. Can anyone suggest something better within that budget or is the bose system the way to go? The setup does not have to be 5.1 but I would prefer it to be. Thanks, JPunisher

 

[gene c]

For some reason the content of your post didn't appear. Edit: Now it's up. So is mine Anyway, Bose isn't very highly thought of around these types of forums for the reason you gave. Way over-priced for what you get. Onkyo receiver/speaker packages are usually a good value but the speakers and sub are always the weak links, although the ones in the 9300/9400 are fairly decent. The Onkyo HT-540 speaker package would be a little better than those in the 7400. http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-SKS-HT540-Channel-Theater-Speaker/dp/B000GU78Z4/ref=sr_1_38?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1322323724&sr=1-38 Since the rear speakers pose quite a problem I'd start with a 3.1 system first. Look for a good $250-300 receiver like the Denon 1612, H/K 1600 or Onkyo 509 etc. and then either a good little speaker/suwoofer package like the Energy 5.1 Take Classic http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Classic-Theater-System-Black/dp/B001202C44/ref=sr_1_8?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1322323827&sr=1-8 or get them separately. Newegg.com has great prices on Polk Monitors. PartsExpress.com is a good place to look for in-expensive subwoofer with the BIC F-12 often recommended. It's also available at Amazon. The Boston Acoustics CS2310 is also a real good speaker package but they are smaller than they look. Can'y beat the price, though. A new member recently bought the Denon 1612 and Boston CS2300 and thinks they're very good for the price. But I'd really consider a 3.1 first with better front and center channel speakers. Maybe Infiniy Primus series front bookshelves and a center along with that BIC sub. A tight fit for under $800 but with some carfull shopping... You can also save some money on the receiver by buying last years model (like the H/K 1600 I referred to earlier) or a factory refurbished model. If you're looking for a smaller receiver consider the Marantz 1402/1602.

 

[JPunisher]

Gene C, Thanks for the reply. As for not seeing the post, I got a message saying that a moderator had to approve the post since it was my first time in this forum. I think that might have been the problem. I took some time to look over your suggestions and this is what I have come up with. For receivers, I narrowed it down to the Onkyo NR609 or the Denon 1612. I stepped up the Onkyo from the 509 for two reasons: 1. I could upgrade later to 7.1 if I ever wanted to. 2. I don’t think the NR509 supports analog to HDMI upconversion which if I understand correctly would allow me to use only 1 HDMI to connect to my tv. For speakers I am leaning towards the Energy Take Classic 5.1. The Infinity Primus 3.1 with BIC F12 breaks the budget. Below are the four setups: 1. 3.1 Infinity Prime, BIC F-12 Sub, Onkyo 609 $854.40 2. Energy Take Classic 5.1, Onkyo 609 $768.99 (leaning towards this one) 3. Boston Acoustics CS2310, Onkyo 609 $569.76 4. Onkyo HT540 7.1, Onkyo 609 $594.35 If you would like to know the price with the Denon just subtract $20 from any of the 4 options. You can add the BIC F12 by adding 189.69 to any of the above. Option 1 already has the BIC Sub. I am currently leaning towards option 2. So looking at these options I have some questions. Could you rank the speakers in quality from highest to lowest? Could you rank the receivers from highest to lowest? Which setup would you recommend? Thanks, JPunisher

 

[gene c]

Those are some tough questions. The Denon 1612 is also 5.1 without video upconversion. You would need the 1912 to get both of those, probably busting the budget again. As for the speakers, I'd call the speakers in the Boston and Energy systems a wash. They're both pretty good given their size. My brother has a tower based Boston system in his house and uses the CS23's as surrounds. They have wood cabinets and have a nice look/feel to them and even though they use farly in-expensive drivers and tweeters they sound very nice. I've heard the Energy Take system at a friend of a friends apartment but couldn't put them through their paces. Sounded pretty good too and they have a real good rep. Both systems suffer from a barely adequate sub woofer in anything but a small room or an environment where a bangin' sub just isn't an option (like an apartment). Of the two, for the price I'd definently go with the boston's, chuck the sub (or sell it on CL/Ebay) and get the BIC. The Onkyo speakers are better in some ways, worse in others. They're a pretty basic speaker but have much larger front and center channel speakers which is a plus. The surrounds are real basic but they get the job done. I doubt they even use an actual crossover and most likely just use a bass-blocker on the tweeter. But they sound better than they should. The sub gets a lot of flack but in reality, it's not that bad. It's listed as going down to 25hz and has a decent amp so it might just be good enough. Ac4l.com has the entire set as a refurb (with warranty) for about $170. And did I forget to mention the Polk Monitors at Newegg.com? http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100008225%2050012345&IsNodeId=1&name=Polk%20Audio M30's $80/pr, M40's $150/pr, CS1 $60. Real good value. Add that BIC sub :yum: Too many choices. The Energy's also use a metal tweeter which might be a bit brighter sounding than the soft dome tweeter in the Boston set. Even though the Energy's have the best reputation among the set, the Bostons with the BIC sub or even the Onkyo package (for the price) might be the better bets. I'm thinking the 609, Boston speaker package and the BIC sub would be pretty nice little system. Or maybe 4 Polk M30's and a CS1 center with the BIC? About $450 shipped(?) Real close on that budget. If you can't use that much sub then the 609/Energy system might be worth a look. I can't say whether this made things clearer or not . It's tough to recommend speakers on the net. Carolla? Civic? Focus? People have their own ideas about what sounds good. Many members won't even try.

 

[JPunisher]

Gene, I took a look at the Polk Setup and this is what I came up with: 4 Polk SII M30s, Polk SII CS1 Center, BIC Sub, Onkyo 609 - $779.68. (just within budget) Now I am leaning towards this setup. I looked at the Boston CS2300Bs but they look like really cheap. Would the polk speakers be a better quality speaker than the boston? Thanks, JPunisher

 

[gene c]

I wouldn't call the Bostons really cheap. They are entry level speakers, just like the Polks, but the fit and finish are really pretty good, they have wood enclosures which is rare for a speaker that size, and they're very attractive. The Polks might have a slightly better tweeter in them but aside from that they're both comparable. The main difference is the Polks are much larger. 5 1/4" drivers vs the 3 1/2" in the Bostons. The Polks, BIC and 609 would be a very nice setup. Three of the most recommended products around. I would prefer the Denon 1912 over the Onkyo 609 because it has a more advanced version of Audyssey and Onkyo's customer service is apparently non-existant, but I don't think you can find the 1912 as low as the 609. Denon products aren't usually discounted as much as Onkyo's are. BTW, where were you planning on buying all this stuff. You need to buy the receiver from an authorized dealer to protect warranty coverage. Ac4l.com caries both Denon and Onkyo as new and factory refurbished (and Marantz), but there's been a blip on the screen as far as refurbed Onkyo'g go lately so I'm hesitant to recommend them at this point.

 

[JPunisher]

I looked up the specs for the polks and they are too big! I can’t fit them in the room. My fronts and center need to be on the mantle of the fireplace as I have a window on one side and a door on the other. I am back to the Bostons. I looked up the Denon 1912 but the cheapest I can find it is $549. Ac4l.com does not have it in stock but it was a good deal. At $549 I am going over budget by about $200. I am going to have to settle with the 609. The receiver is sold by amazon (not an amazon seller) and I looked them up and they are an authorized dealer. The bostons are not but at $199 I am not that worried. So I think I am going with: BA CS2300b, Onkyo 609, BIC F-12 - $759.65. I am assuming that non of this brings any wires. Any recommendations? Thanks for all of your help and patience. JPunisher

 

[gene c]

Not sure where you're located but I think Fry's still has the Boston towers and larger bookshelf speakers on display. Give them a look if you can. The two most popular sites for wires and cables are PartsExpress.com http://www.parts-express.com/wire-cable.cfm and Monoprice.com http://www.monoprice.com/products/department.asp?c_id=102. But I've also bought some real cheap cables from Amazon to give away with some things I sell (I buy and sell off ebay/CL etc mostly for fun and to learn a thing or two) and they worked just fine. The last batch I bought was a 3-pak of 3 foot hdmi cables for less that $10. BlueJeancables.com if you want a real good quality cable at a fair price. If you buy regular cables like RCA or subwoofer cables from Monoprice get the Premium ones http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10236&cs_id=1023603&p_id=6305&seq=1&format=2. Coaxial digital, subwoofer and composite video cables are all the same thing. They just have different color coding. Monoprice optical cables are the best around for the price http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10229&cs_id=1022904&p_id=2763&seq=1&format=1#largeimage. I don't care for their HDMi cables. The premium ones are too thick which makes them harder to bend. If you need a long run then I'd get them. Or you could just go to the local store and get them, but don't get the name brands. Too expensive. I got my speaker wire for my living room from the car stereo dept at Walmart (couldn't wait for the mail man). If you're going to run the speaker wires in the wall then get CL-2 rated wire to satisfy local fire codes. Monoprice has good quality CL-2 rated wire for a good price http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10239&cs_id=1023902&p_id=2819&seq=1&format=2. We mostly use 14-16 gauge wire but 16 should be O.K. as well but no thinner.

 

[JPunisher]

Thanks for all of the help Gene.