First System under $1000 (1 Viewer)

[Adam J]

Hello,

I am primarily a video game player but also enjoy DVDs

as much as thenext guy. I have a PS2 and know that

Dolby Pro Logic II will be used in upcoming games to

add a surround sound experience. I first considered the

Bose 3-2-1 system. Their new display caught my eye

when I went to check out receivers and the idea of having

3 speakers instead of 6 was appealling. Ticket price is

$999 so I figured I would investigate and see what else I

could get with my money. I wasn't even sure if this Bose

system did Dolby Pro Logic II. (Which thanks to this site

I now know it isn't possible for the Bose system to do

DPL-2 since it doesn't have the6 speaker configuration)

I ended up seeing the Harman Kardon-120 at Circuit city

for $399. They were out of stock, but I was able to get

one from Hifi.com for $350. Circuit City also had the

RM-6000 Polk Surround speakers for $599. This was a

bit out of my price range so I kept looking. I ended up at

Crutchfield.com where they had the same speakers for

$399! I didn't see many reviews of these speakers but for

$399 I couldn't pass them up!

I also got:

2 Sanus 30" Speaker Stands $99 at Best Buy

1 Monster 13' Optical cable for $45 at Circuit City

2x Acoustic Research 50' speaker wire 16-gauge bundles

for $20 each at Best Buy

So after wiring and everything I spent $933 on my system.

(I doubt the Bose system included wiring)

I know this is a very low end system, but I am pretty happy

with it. Of course that may all change after I get it hooked up.

The only negative I have right now is that the Sub for the

Polk speakers is not shielded and I want to put it behind my TV.

Hopefully it is far enough away from the picture tube that it

won't cause a problem.

(Any suggestions on this will be appreciated)

I just wanted to share my experience with all of you and get

any negative or positive feedback. Also, any tips on setup

from people who already have this receiver or speaker system

would be appreciated. I will reply to this post later after I get

things hooked up and let you all know how it sounds. Thanks for listening.

 

[Marc Rochkind]

Well, I think your idea that you might do better than Bose for $999 is solid, and it's good that you got a real system instead of one that claims to do surround sound virtually.

I don't know anything about the specific equipment you have.

I would keep the sub away from center of the TV back. Place it as far to the side as you can get it.

For any system, how the speakers are positioned and how the whole system is set up, particularly with respect to sound levels, can be more important than what equipment you have. You need a sound-level meter to make the proper adjustments. Everyone buys these at Radio Shack for $30 - $50 or so. Also, the Avia setup disc (another $40 or so) is extremely helpful.

Good luck!

 

[Dave Schofield]

Bose systems do include wiring, since its 'proprietary' (not speaker wire, more like a RCA interconnect). If there is anything to be said for Bose (?), its that their systems are very easy to set up.

 

[Adam J]

Thanks for the tip on the Sound Level Meter and Setup disc Marc. I will check those out.

I know my room is not very good acoustically so these tools should really help me get the most out of it I can.

Thanks again, I appreciate it!

 

[Ten_Smith]

Likely, your system does sound better than the Bose would have. Plus, you have the added advantage of being able to upgrade any component you want down the line. Bose systems are not really up-gradeable (proprietary speaker wiring, integrated receiver/dvd-player), so if you want to improve them you pretty much need to start from scratch.

 

[Ted Lee]

you absolutely made the right choice! i don't think anyone could harp on a hk/polk setup. you should congratulate yourself!
make sure you read the ht 'primer' thread at the top of this forum...lots of good info.

 

[Adam J]

Well my system sounds good to me.

I have a 13.5X15 foot room.

I wish I had paid the extra $350 and got the RM6200 series but it was out of my budget.

What I think is the difference is the bass.

When I turn the volume up there is definitely a threshold where alot of deep base sounds the same. I believe this is a limitation of my 8" sub. It also could be due to the placement of the sub (I have it in the corner). Anyhow, over all I am happy with my purchase and the sound fills my room. I should also add that I have a 36" Sanyo Tv that I bought for $570 at Best Buy and the PS2 was $300 so all in all the whole system ran me $1800.

Star Wars: Episode I is a completely different experience.