Noob needs help setting up Home Theater (1 Viewer)

I am fairly new to this arena and need some help buying my home theater setup. The following are the specs of the room and what options i want/need....

room is small...11' x 12.5 - 3 walls

$2500-$3000 to spend

need DVD player, receiver, and 5.1 speakers

I have speaker wire already pre-run in the walls

I will be using a projector

Receiver must have Svideo in and out (multiple ins preferably)

Receiver shoud have a coax in also


I was hell bent on getting a Bose lifestyle 38 system. It had everything that I wanted, until i read that I could get better sound quality cheaper. The two main functions that I liked about the Bose system were:

1. I could take all of my CDs, MP3s, etc and load them into the system. From there, I could choose what songs I wanted to listen to by VIEWING them on a remote control. The remote actually displayed the song, artist, genre, etc. We really liked that - and want that capability.

2. I can run external speakers from the system outside. The system could be playing two different songs...one out side and one inside at the same time, but we really dont care about that. Another point that we did not like, is that if you want to run speakers outside, you have to buy a $300 amplifier to do so. We definetly want to be able to play music outside.

I will be listening to music, watching movies and sports, and possibly playing some games. I do not want any standing speakers. They should all be wall mounted...hence...size is a factor (another reason i liked the BOSE.) I prefer something that looks clean too.


So, with everything being said....what should I do?

Thanks!

The Harmony 880 remote by Logitech has the same functionality you saw with Bose I believe. It can display your CDs based on artist and then let you scroll through them to select... or so I'm told. I personally don't own one and have a few problems with it that would keep me from getting one, but it has received very good reviews here on the forum from those who own them.

If you want a system that can play in two different zones you'll want to look for a receiver that has this feature. There are many out there as you move into the higher price ranges.

For specific hardware reccomendations you'd want to post in the specific forums for those products (i.e. Speakers, Receivers, Sources).

Welcome to the forum. You've asked a common noob question about what can I get that is better than Bose for the same price. Take a look at the primer/faq by clicking on the button at the top of this (basics) section then look at the post about "isn't Bose the best." It'll give you some background.

Essentially, the problem is one of physics -- speakers as small as the Bose CANNOT reproduce certain mid to low range frequencies. So to get a better performance, you will buy bigger speakers, usually with 6 1/2" midrange woofers plus a tweeter. But you don't want large speakers. The other option is to go with smaller "satellite" systems that use smaller speakers. These will sound better than the Bose, but be a little bigger. They will also likely be cheaper. Try the HSU ventriloquist, rocket tykes, orbs to get an idea of what they look like.

For many of us here, the decision comes down to whether your first priority is for your sound system to sound good or to look good. I like my swans, but they are big and the monitors (not floor standers) still weigh 20 pounds plus each. I love the way they look but they are in my dedicated room. If I was putting speakers in the family room, where my wife would have to look at them all the time and not just when listening, I'd sacrifice some performance and opt for a satellite system. It's all about what you want them to do.