- Joined
- Jul 3, 1997
- Messages
- 66,715
- Real Name
- Ronald Epstein
I hope that anyone who is thinking of buying
their first Home Theater system on a budget gets
to read this thread.
I think it is very important that I relay to
all of you that if you are on a budget, and want
to get into Home Theater, there is absolutely hope.
I had a sort of "awakening" this evening, and
I'll start off from the very beginning.....
People I work with know I am a big shot who
runs his own Home Theater Forum
They always come up to me saying they just
bought their first DVD player, have a family,
and not a lot of cash to throw into a Home Theater
surround system. They always show me these ads
for these $400-$500 packages that includes a
receiver, 5 speakers and a subwoofer.
I always scoff at those systems. I tell people
not to buy that crap. Being the Home Theater
professional that I am, I always tell people
that you need to spend good money to buy decent
speakers and a decent receiver. What you get
for $400-$500 is merely a toy. That's how I felt.
My friend and co-worker, Brian, just bought
his first DVD player. He wanted to add surround
to his system but did not have a lot of money to
spend.
He told me about this JVC Home Theater package
that Costco was selling for $350. I laughed.
He went and bought it anyway, and asked me to come
over to help him hook it up.
I come over, and he already has the speakers
hanging on the wall. Cute speakers -- look good.
He even has the subwoofer in the corner all set up.
I look at the receiver. It's a real lightweight
(not like the 40-50lb. quality heavyweight receivers).
Still, the receiver looks pretty nice, and it has
built in DTS and DOLBY DIGITAL decoding. There
are TOSLINK and FIBER OPTIC digital inputs. The
receiver even rates at 100 watts per channel.
I help him hook everything up, and I throw in
a DTS demo disc. Well....I gotta tell you...I
was blown away! The sound off of this baby was
pretty damn good. Sound was very clear and crisp
even at blasting level. The bass was very prominent
and full of thrust, thanks to the subwoofer. The
directional surround was excellent.
Now mind you, this was a small living room. I
don't think this setup would have sounded as full
in a huge room - but that has yet to be tested.
I was just absolutely stunned that a cheap $350
surround receiver package could sound this good.
There was no distortion in the sound, and we were
amazed at the clarity of the instruments while
listening to The Eagles in DTS.
Most of all, the greatest satisfaction I got
was watching this guy's wife, mother and two
young boys sitting their with their jaws gaped
open. They were experiencing Home Theater for
the very first time, and were just knocked out
silly by the gorgeous deep, rich sound that
came from every direction of the room.
So this is what I am saying and not saying...
I consider myself to be a person that can pretty
much tell if a Home Theater system sounds good or not.
I own an above average audio system over $2k. Still
not the best -- but not too shabby.
I would always tell people that if you can afford
it, you should buy a top-grade receiver that has
heavy amplification and not cheap circuitry. I
then would tell them to invest in quality speakers.
But most people just starting out in Home Theater
don't have that kind of cash. Most all of us
started out with something small at first, and
slowly, we upgraded over the years.
After this evening, if someone asks me if a
$350 surround receiver w/speakers package is the
way to go, I think that I would say YES! --
at least, to the JVC Home Theater Package.
For the average family who is not looking
for anything expensive, this package will give
you AMAZING Home Theater sound. It is the ideal
package for anyone with a DVD player that wants
to turn their living room into a Home Theater, and
not worry that a cheap system will sound like crap.
Most of all, to see a family that went into buying
this system blindly -- not knowing what to expect --
suddenly sit in total astonishment while the dragon
from DRAGONHEART flew across their heads, is one
of the most gratifying experiences that anyone
could have. I was an absolute HERO to this family.
I have to step back and realize that while I can
afford to buy expensive Home Theater components
from time to time (because I am single), there are
families who have too many expenses to be able
to make Home Theater their luxery. For that reason,
I am a true believer that this JVC package will
deliver outstanding sound for anyone looking for
a startup system. It will change the way you
and your family watch movies.
------------------
Ronald Epstein (pronounced like the English "Ronald Epstein")
Circa 2000
Home Theater Forum Administrator
All forum questions & to get on our private forum mailing list (new members)... Email: [email protected]
Problems with the webpage or site? Contact WEBMASTER
Email Packy [email protected]
their first Home Theater system on a budget gets
to read this thread.
I think it is very important that I relay to
all of you that if you are on a budget, and want
to get into Home Theater, there is absolutely hope.
I had a sort of "awakening" this evening, and
I'll start off from the very beginning.....
People I work with know I am a big shot who
runs his own Home Theater Forum
They always come up to me saying they just
bought their first DVD player, have a family,
and not a lot of cash to throw into a Home Theater
surround system. They always show me these ads
for these $400-$500 packages that includes a
receiver, 5 speakers and a subwoofer.
I always scoff at those systems. I tell people
not to buy that crap. Being the Home Theater
professional that I am, I always tell people
that you need to spend good money to buy decent
speakers and a decent receiver. What you get
for $400-$500 is merely a toy. That's how I felt.
My friend and co-worker, Brian, just bought
his first DVD player. He wanted to add surround
to his system but did not have a lot of money to
spend.
He told me about this JVC Home Theater package
that Costco was selling for $350. I laughed.
He went and bought it anyway, and asked me to come
over to help him hook it up.
I come over, and he already has the speakers
hanging on the wall. Cute speakers -- look good.
He even has the subwoofer in the corner all set up.
I look at the receiver. It's a real lightweight
(not like the 40-50lb. quality heavyweight receivers).
Still, the receiver looks pretty nice, and it has
built in DTS and DOLBY DIGITAL decoding. There
are TOSLINK and FIBER OPTIC digital inputs. The
receiver even rates at 100 watts per channel.
I help him hook everything up, and I throw in
a DTS demo disc. Well....I gotta tell you...I
was blown away! The sound off of this baby was
pretty damn good. Sound was very clear and crisp
even at blasting level. The bass was very prominent
and full of thrust, thanks to the subwoofer. The
directional surround was excellent.
Now mind you, this was a small living room. I
don't think this setup would have sounded as full
in a huge room - but that has yet to be tested.
I was just absolutely stunned that a cheap $350
surround receiver package could sound this good.
There was no distortion in the sound, and we were
amazed at the clarity of the instruments while
listening to The Eagles in DTS.
Most of all, the greatest satisfaction I got
was watching this guy's wife, mother and two
young boys sitting their with their jaws gaped
open. They were experiencing Home Theater for
the very first time, and were just knocked out
silly by the gorgeous deep, rich sound that
came from every direction of the room.
So this is what I am saying and not saying...
I consider myself to be a person that can pretty
much tell if a Home Theater system sounds good or not.
I own an above average audio system over $2k. Still
not the best -- but not too shabby.
I would always tell people that if you can afford
it, you should buy a top-grade receiver that has
heavy amplification and not cheap circuitry. I
then would tell them to invest in quality speakers.
But most people just starting out in Home Theater
don't have that kind of cash. Most all of us
started out with something small at first, and
slowly, we upgraded over the years.
After this evening, if someone asks me if a
$350 surround receiver w/speakers package is the
way to go, I think that I would say YES! --
at least, to the JVC Home Theater Package.
For the average family who is not looking
for anything expensive, this package will give
you AMAZING Home Theater sound. It is the ideal
package for anyone with a DVD player that wants
to turn their living room into a Home Theater, and
not worry that a cheap system will sound like crap.
Most of all, to see a family that went into buying
this system blindly -- not knowing what to expect --
suddenly sit in total astonishment while the dragon
from DRAGONHEART flew across their heads, is one
of the most gratifying experiences that anyone
could have. I was an absolute HERO to this family.
I have to step back and realize that while I can
afford to buy expensive Home Theater components
from time to time (because I am single), there are
families who have too many expenses to be able
to make Home Theater their luxery. For that reason,
I am a true believer that this JVC package will
deliver outstanding sound for anyone looking for
a startup system. It will change the way you
and your family watch movies.
------------------
Ronald Epstein (pronounced like the English "Ronald Epstein")
Circa 2000
Home Theater Forum Administrator
All forum questions & to get on our private forum mailing list (new members)... Email: [email protected]
Problems with the webpage or site? Contact WEBMASTER
Email Packy [email protected]
