Help required for a 7.1 HTIB (1 Viewer)

Hi, I am quite new to the HT world and am keen to setup something which would give me a good surround sound while watching movies.
I have a Panasonic 50" Plasma Viera and need something which would compleemnt well to the Blu Ray movies i watch ( have an LG 3D bluray)
Saw a deal in Amazon and am wondering if all of you experts out there can review and post their comments?
http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-S5400-7-1-Channel-Theater-System/dp/B004O0TREC/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
itsfor sale for 300 bucks but am not sure if i would go overboard with speakers considering i have an average living room.

Gururaj:

Welcome to the HTF!


My son got an Onkyo 5400 earlier this year after graduating college and he moved into his own apartment. He is loving it! Sounds like you are already off to a good start with a Panasonic Plasma. I think you'll be pleased with the 5400. And it gives you the option to upgrade down-the-road if you are so inclined.

As to the 7.1...it won't overwhelm...but it will immerse you and fill your room with sound. I guess the biggest consideration is how well the speakers will fit into your room layout. You may need some speaker stands depending upon how your room is laid out.

All the best!

Thank You so much Mike!! I was very close to buying that and then my eyes stumbled upon one of the Yamaha Receiver based HTIB which had an Airplay based feature. Would keep you posted on my research and my findings.

Research them well.

One of the big pluses about the Onkyos is that they have inputs to add several new components (video game players, etc) as the user sees fit. Also, they use standard speaker cabling rather than proprietary speaker plugs which means no upgrading (or replacing if any of the speakers go bad).

And I have watched several movies and sporting events at my son's apartment and have VERY impressed with how well his HTIB performed.

Sure..i actually on my visit to Costco i came across the below combination. I know in the Expert guru world for Home Theaters Bose is not recommended as such but do let me know how the below combination suits?
Bose Accoustimass 6 Series 3 + Pioneer vsx-822-k 5.1 channel receiver( AV)
overall the demo @Costco looked pretty awesome and they have like a 90 day return policy as well. I read somewhere that the wires are somewhat thcker and more to be installed but not sure that the above combination for 799$ would be a good purchase?

Stay away from Bose.

How about the Pioneer 1022 ($299) and the Definitive Technology Pro Cinema 600 ($229)?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882117410
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882325104
There's also a real nice $999 Martin Logan speaker package on sale for $399 They're really small bookshelves rather than satellites.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882981013
Here are some other to at least look at.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2100310494+1299919925&name=Home+Theater+Speaker+System&cm_sp=homeaudiospeakersubcat494flashstorefronthometheatersystems&Page=1
The Bose system uses a single 2 1/2" driver in it's little speakers and a 5 1/4" driver in it's bass module. The Pro Cinema uses a 3 1/2" driver and a seperate 1" tweeter. Their subwoofer has an 8" driver (bigger really is better).

Listen to these guys. They know of what they speak.

Absolutely, that was my main intention of joining this forum and checking with you guys.....)

Oh Thats nice, i spent a day nearly going about in Amazon searching based on good reviews. The Pioneer 822 caught my eye as apparently its got the Airplay feature which i can probably make use of with my 4s, ipad and mac pro....but then i saw that Yamaha has something similar too....
I sure dont want to fall into the Bose pithole , will surely check the links . Thank you so much!

Wow the Martin logan thing..i am so sorry for my ignorance but is it really a good brand? i mean the ad does say premium speakers.. the good thing is there is an additional 120$ discount and the deal for the 5.1 speaker set is coming around 279 bucks? Is there a catch somewhere with these speaker sets?

how would the below link be?
Its martin Logan
http://www.amazon.com/MartinLogan-MLT-2-Theater-System-Black/product-reviews/B0049P2000/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
but reading a lot of negative reviews about newegg..spending some extra buck for amazon would it make sense?
can i use the above set and pair it with any receivers? I mean is there something which i need to look out when i purchase a Receiver? I for sure would want to make use of the Airplay feature but wouldnt want to lose out on the conventional usage of a Receiver . Just to get a fancy feature i dont want to compromise on the regular features?
on a separate note , how would the above speakers pair up with the Pioneer AV receiver 1022 mentioned above?

Martin Logan is one of the better speaker brands. They haven't been sold in normal retail electronics stores, just higher end audio/video stores. But they are starting to show up in places like Magnoliai HiFi. These 5.1 speaker sets are an attempt to get their products into more homes.
Yamaha also make pretty good receivers.
Quite a few people around here have purchased receivers and speakers from newegg and so far I haven't heard of any complaints. But I haven't bought from them myself yet. I wasn't aware of an additional $120 discount. That's worth the risk to me. But maybe not to you.
The main differences between the 822 and the 1022 is the 1022 does analog to hdmi and 480 to 1080 video conversion so if you have any older equipment like a vcr it will convert the analog video to digital for output via hdmi. It also is a 7.1 receiver vs. 5.1 and the amp section is just a little bit better but not enough to worry about. If you don't need video conversion or 7 amplifier channels then the 822 should work just as well for you. The 1122 is where the bigger differences are, but at a higher cost of course.
The ML speakers are designed to work well with just about any receiver you buy, including the 822/1022.

How would the below be?
how radical the sound would be with the above setup ( pioneer 1122 + Martin logan ) Vs
http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-YHT-897-5-1-Channel-Network-Theater/dp/B007PU2Y2K/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
the above is an HTIB but if its cabpable of giving an equally good surround effect and new features...then is it worth the try?

That Yamaha system isn't really a htib, it's a receiver/speaker package like the Onkyo 5400 you started with (and would perform about the same as the 5400). The 473 is on par with the receiver in the Onkyo 5400 and the Pioneer 822. The real weak link in the Yamaha and Onkyo systems is the speakers and subwoofer. Just looking at the description on Amazon of the Yamaha 897 it looks a little over-priced to me. If you really want a good sounding system you have to buy speakers/subwoofers from companies that specialize in them. Like Martin Logan, Polk, Infinity, etc.
The Pioneer 1122 has quite a few more features than the 822 and 1022 but it's only worth the price if you will actually use those features. Most people, my self included, buy more receiver than they really need.
Here's the Product Brochure for the 1122 from Pioneers website. The items in BOLD are step-up features from the 1022.
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/ephox/StaticFiles/PUSA/Files/Home/VSX-1122-K%20New%20Single%20Sheet.pdf

been doing some reading and found some thing....had almost finalized on ML 2 5.1 sound in amazon and then someone else recommended
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882290200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882290210
That would cost you $220 and could add the Polk PSW 505 for $170.
http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-12-...2511522&sr=1-1
both the speaker sets i am planning to setup with a Pioneer 1122
can u let me know your opinion on this?

The links you posted are dead.
I figure it out though...Polk CS1 and Monitor 30.
I's stay away from a Polk sub. Buy a BIC instead.
Polk 30/cs1 vs ML MLT...
Not a fair contest...
The Polks reach 80hz. The MLT reaches 110hz...
Just in "ease of set-up", buy the Polk. If you want even more confusion...
http://www.amazon.com/BIC-America-DV62si-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B00006JPDI/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1354863019&sr=1-2&keywords=bic+dv62
More efficient than the Polk Mon 30. Not a whole lot more...but still.

Oh my bad..copy paste error
You are right on the confusion front.. maybe i am thinking a lot too much. However the only reason is that i got burnt once by ordering something cheap from Cyber Monday and then realized it was not worth it.
Also since i am new to this whole HT world, i never even knew something like Martin Logan existed. The whole of marketing is captured nowadays by the Sonys, Bose ( still cant fathom why they are so expensive ! ) and the panasonics.
I think i woudl go for the MLT without ado but do u still think there would be something like the Energy Take or some other brand which can be around the same rate and provide me good clear surround when paired with something like a Pioneer 1122k?

If you must have a "tiny 5.0 set" that can't reach 80hz...
Energy Take, Boston MCS130, Polk RM6750, Def Tech ProCinema600, Mirage MX, Yamaha SP1800, JBL Cinema 500, Klipsch HDT500, Polk TL1600, Boston Acoustics SoundWare...ML MLT 1 or 2...
Then, in my opinion, of the "small speaker sets"....The MLT 2 is the best one...based on a price(today) of $385.
If the MLT-1 weren't $271(more like $225), I'd say it was better...on the price/sound curve. If the MLT-S moves back up to $500...then it isn't the best one price/sound.
By the way, this time 2 years ago Amazon had a "pricing glitch" in their system for over a month on a Mordaunt Short 5.1. This particular set(no longer available) was available in "pieces". Somehow, for an entire month, Amazon switched the "package price" with the "subwoofer by itself price"...
An MSRP $1400 5.1 set was selling for $225 that had a real honest to God 25hz sub. The sub was priced $545. And yep, that entire month...that was the best 5.1 "tiny set" there was.

Ok...after much ado and research..ordered the Pioneer 1122k....
Pioneer VSX-1122-K 630W 7-Channel A/V Receiver, Network Ready, Pandora, iPod/iPhone, Black..... Step one done!!!
Next step is Speakers!!!