Decent Basic All-In-One System (1 Viewer)

[Ed O'Brien]

I'm a car audio junkie that is new to the home theater market. I am looking for an All-In-One home theater with a DVD player in one package. (I like to keep the remotes to a minimum, so I'd like it all in one box. I know I could use a universal remote, but I'm just trying to keep it simple.)

Anyway, I'm looking for just a basic 5.1 kit for around $600. (for a room about 20 ft x 10 ft) I know this isn't a lot of money, (I've spent more than 3 times this on my car stereo) but I just wanted to see what is out there for a decent price.

I'm not an audio newbie by any means, so any technical explanations of why to go with certains brands/models will not go wasted.

I'm just looking for some baseline recommendations of decent systems worth their price, so I can get started from there. I know in the car audio world there is sometimes better performance and value when you go outside the common namebrands of sony, pioneer, kenwood, etc.

Thanks!

 

[John S]

You want a sub, 4 sats, a reciever, and a center channel for $600??? I think you can do it decent, but I would put all the money into the reciever, 4 sats, and center channel and save for a really good sub.

 

[Bill_Wil]

Ed,
Here's a decent, well regarded, all-in-one system in your price range. It also comes in silver if you prefer.
http://www.shoponkyo.com/catalog_det...&p=i&ext_war=0

You can usually find these systems at circuit city if you want to check it out.

 

[steve nn]

If I were determined to go with a HTiB I would go with Bill's recomendation. This is a good HTiB and will trounc most compitition even at a higher price point.

If upgrading is in your future? I then would go the sep rout and do the sub at a latter date as John sugjests. This option will save you $$ in the long-run and you will end up with a better system.

 

[ChrisLazarko]

My opinion is just to skip HTiB. Basically they are low-end speakers with a low-end reciever, in most cases unless you spend alot.

I would probably go to the path of some satellite speakers, a decent reciever, and perhaps save some $$$ for a subwoofer.

Some system to look at are JBL, Klipsch, and Polk Audio which all sell satellite speakers at an affordable price.

www.soundcity.com has a great deal on a Harman/Kardon AVR-125 reciever for about $200 and you can't really beat that, especially a HK.

A subwoofer is another subject all together.... which should be somehting you might want to tackle at a later time. If you just want something that is gonna do the job and produce decent bass then a Polk Audio PSW202 isn't bad, Sony also offers a few subs which aren't bad either for there price.

If you are a stuck with HTiB then I think Bill has got it down there.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Hi there, Ed. Since you're requesting brand-specific advice regarding an HTiB, I'm moving your thread to A/V Sources. Basics is for asking such questions as, "What's an 'HTiB'?" or "What's a receiver?" or "What is this stuff called 'fire'?"