$500 budget or some - HTiB or something else? (1 Viewer)

[RobSB]

Hey guys, it's been a while since I've been around HTF. Last time I was here was a year ago looking for recommendations for a RPTV (I got a Toshiba 50HDX82, I love it).

Now I'm looking at getting the surround sound component of my home theater. Problem is, I'm having a much harder time convincing my parents to spend money on it. What can I say; the TV had much more immediate and obvious effects. It seems like their ideal budget is around $500. The room is 15'x25' and the system will be used 99% for home theater.

I found the Onkyo HT-S760. Seems like a good system. I would then get some nice 12 gauge speaker wire from Home Depot, and I would be set. Is there another option in this price range, or is this a good system?

 

[george.Legeza]

If you can stretch that budget a tiny bit you can buy one of Fluance's five speaker systems, a cheap (~$200) receiver, and the $120 10" Dayton subwoofer from partsexpress.com. This would probably put you over budget by about $100-$150, but it'd be well worth it, in my opinion. You would probably hear a phenomenal difference in sound between a setup like this and a ~$500 HTiB.

You can find my impressions of the Fluance SX-HTB five speaker system here if you're interested. For a price of around $260 you get two floorstanding speakers, a decent center channel, and two nice mini-bookshelf rears. The speakers themselves are pretty high quality with a nice, unobtrusive beech finish. It's also worth noting that on the actual product the beech finish isn't as bright as it appears in the pictures, so the speakers should blend in pretty well with most decors.

A quick search on this forum for Fluance or the Dayton 10" (try searching for DLS 10") should yield some more information and recommendations.

A bunch of people will probably be along to suggest some other cheap (and not so cheap) alternatives soon as well. Good luck with whatever you get and congrats on the new TV.

 

[RichardH]

$455 plus tax and shipping gets you:

JBL NSP1 II
buy.com $180

Dayton 10" powered sub
partsexpress.com $125

various factory refurbished receivers
~$150

At the $500 price point, this is definitely the way to go.

 

[John S]

The Onkyo HT-760 is one of the few HTIB's that I think is actually a decent performer.

For a step up, maybe look at a bargain 6.1 system with a 12" powered sub....


Onkyo SR-501 6.1 / component video switching - $180 ecost
AR 12" Powered sub - $129 at discount jungle
Yamaha NS-6490(Sheilded 3way 8" woofs) - $69/pair etronics
You need 3 pair for a 6.1 system

I actually installed this combo last weekend for my Borther-in-law, amazing performance, and a bargain price.

This system totally rocks. 6.1 gives you so much more these days, with all the extra sound modes they come with.

Good luck!!!!

 

[ericSchirm]

JohnS- Where did you find the AR 12" sub for $129? I went to discount jungle but it takes me to a 8" sub for $129. (AR PR808 Subwoofer )

 

[Ian-Fl]

I have a 425 sq. ft. basement theater. At first I was thinking about the Onkyo HTIB then I went to the NSP1 II and finally I decided to go with the sx-htb and a Dayton sub because of area. If I was in a room of 250 sq. ft. then maybe I'd go with bookshelf speakers.
As it stands I get a full sound from large speakers in a big room and I couldn't be happier.

 

[Donald_S]

I'm with George and Ian. Here is what I would do:

Fluance SX-HTB
Dayton 10" Subwoofer
Pioneer VSX-D412K

The Pioneer doesn't have the best specs for music, but it's a *very* capable HT receiver. Total cost is about $550 plus shipping. You can save $60 on the Fluance speakers by getting their lower model, but for $60 I'd go for it. I listened to systems in the $1,200 range that didn't match the capability of this package. Also the Partsexpress and Fluance folks are selling direct and will give you a lot more support then you'll get from BestBuy or something if you have problems.

But if you want one stop shopping and to save a few dollars, you've already chosen an excellent little system with the Onkyo. It's ugly, but does a good job.

Donald