can i do home theater decently for $500? (in a small room) (1 Viewer)

[adam dolph]

i have a toshiba 27a50 that i'd like to turn into the centerpiece of my modest home theater. i'm really considering home theater in a box because of all the features, convenience and cost, though i haven't heard anything for myself yet (the panasonic with dvd-audio comes to mind, or possibly pioneer or onkyo). other options i'm considering are getting a "high end" computer 5.1 setup with or without a dts decoder (with a dts decoder to hook up directly to a dvd player, without if i get a new sound card and hook it up to my computer, xp1800 with radeon 8500). i know from what everyone's told me that htib is the worst way to go, but it also seems to be the cheapest. for a small room (15x20), is htib that bad? or is component still clearly better without necessarily being more expensive? TIA!

 

[John Garcia]

$500 is nearly impossible for separate components, IMO. A cheap receiver and speakers alone will eat that budget, and leave nothing for sub, and source. At that price, an HTiB or used is probably your only option. Otherwise, I would recommend building a portion at a time and get better gear.

 

[Albert M]

You may want to check out the Kenwood HTB-505 for that price.

 

[Michael Lomker]

HTIB is the worst way to go but if I didn't have the money then it is better than nothing. I've actually been considering an HTIB for my bedroom...primarily due to the clutter that separate components would create.

 

[AllanN]

The Kenwood seems to be highly recomended. Although for a little more you can get a cheap reciever 250-300 the JBL NSP1 speakers $200 shiped from jandr.com (probiably for a limited time) the DLS sub from partsexpress.com for $100 or the Sony SA-WM40 $150 pluss some ratshack interconects and speaker wire mabey $50.

 

[John Garcia]

The Kenwood seems to be highly recomended. Although for a little more you can get a cheap reciever 250-300 the JBL NSP1 speakers $200 shiped from jandr.com (probiably for a limited time) the DLS sub from partsexpress.com for $100 or the Sony SA-WM40 $150 pluss some ratshack interconects and speaker wire mabey $50.

While true, that doesn't include a source (DVD, CD, etc...), and that is already more than $500. It will be better than an HTiB, and be a good start. While the NSP-1 setup is good, I would say start with a receiver, DVD and a pair of decent bookshelf speakers. J&R has the JBL S-26 for $159/pr. You can probably get by without the sub with these speakers until you can afford the sub, center and rears.

 

[Greg_R]

I would suggest getting a modest receiver, main speakers, & DVD player and then slowly add to the system as money permits.

Your computer idea is used in many high-end projection systems but requires a lot of tweaking to work correctly. S-video output from a HTPC looks (IMO) pretty bad. You will need a decent RGB->component transcoder ($$$) which costs as much as an external DVD player.

 

[steve nn]

I would get the Onkyo for $500--%550 then upgrade as you go. You will still need to get a DVD though. This would serve you very well as would the Kenwood. I would not go with any thing less. These two will do a good job in a bigger room that you mention. GOOD LUCK !