HMTIB Suggestions (1 Viewer)

[ChrisWG]

Hello all. I am a newb when it comes to anything home theater. I basically need a system for a small room; I want some nice performance for movies and music. I am not looking to spend more than $200 as this is my first system and I am a poor college student. I found this system and it looked to be a good deal:

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/nav...45&prDeTab=2#A

Would you reccommend this? Any other suggestions? Thanks in advance.

 

[ChrisWG]

Anyone?

Anyone?

 

[Jack Briggs]

Welcome to Home Theater Forum, Chris. Your thread has been moved to A/V Sources, which is where complete systems get discussed. The Basics area is for general discussion about home theater at the beginner level; brand-specific requests and information are done in the appropriate hardware-specific areas.

And since I don't know much about HTiBs, I'll let someone else comment on your proposed system. (Also, no thread bumping at HTF!)

 

[Charlie Campisi]

The Onkyo and Yamaha systems are usually recommended for HTIB, but I think your budget might be a hundred bucks or so shy. There are refurb Onkyos out there that might get into the $270 range. I don't have the link, but I know it's been posted here. Do some searches for "HTIB" in this forum. Or "onkyo" and "refurb" or "refurbished."

 

[LanceJ]

A lot of HTiBs sold by well-known manufacturers like Philips usually sound decent IMO as long as you aren't into "critical listening". And this HTiB has a sub with an 8" woofer so - in the typical small dorm room - it should actually have some feelable bass at least down to the 40Hz range (most music doesn't go below that point anyway). The USB connection looks useful too.

 

[Charlie Campisi]

Here's one of the links. http://www.shoponkyo.com/products.cf...subcat=Systems

I think if you register, you also get 10 "onkyo points" which are good for $10 off the purchase. Free shipping. No included dvd player, which is actually a good thing. There is a 5.1 system in your price range.

 

[LanceJ]

Or if you would rather have significantly better sound quality AND much more volume, this system would fill the bill:

Pioneer 8" ported bookshelfs (they're on sale a LOT for under $100 - I own the previous version of these & other than some high frequency graininess, they sound quite decent and have excellent bass nearly as good as my $425 Boston Acoustics i.e. they sound waaaay better than any HTiB speakers I've heard)

Sherwood stereo receiver (on sale for 80 bucks [its been on sale for a long time actually]. Feels solidly built to me)

You'll have to supply your own dvd player but those can found really cheaply. Portable models can also (usually) be used with home gear too. If you do play dvds through a stereo system, try to remember to use the dvd's stereo sound mix if available: choosing the 5.1 track will cause the player to cram all five channels into two channels (& it will totally eliminate the .1 bass channel) and the sound and stereo imaging won't be as precise as it should be.

Though I do like surround sound a lot, sound itself is more important to me so if you can't properly set up a 5.1 system in your room, the stereo system above would be the better choice IMO (including one using the 2-way 6.5" Pioneer models).

 

[ChrisWG]

Thanks for all the replies Charlie and Lance.

Charlie I will definitely keep the Onkyo in mind, I take it is much better than the Philips one I posted.

Lance, since I am new to this, I question why a pair of speakers would produce a better range and array of sound than 5. I really want the feel of sound coming from different angles, will the two Pioneers you posted be able to replicate sound like that? I also have never heard of Sherwood, is it a decent brand?

Also, with the systems posted, can one add subwoofer to the receiver for extra bass or will that mess with the balance of the speakers?

 

[Charlie Campisi]

Chris -

It comes back to budget. What Lance is trying to tell you is that $200 or $300 will buy better speakers if you're only buying 2, rather than 5. 5 bad speakers sound 5 times as bad because more does not equal better. I don't think he's criticizing any of the HTiBs individually, it's just that at your price point, you are sacrificing quality to be sure so an option to consider is getting less in number, but more in quality.

 

[ChrisWG]

Gotcha, I'll have to think about it then. But what about the Onkyo one thats in my budget that he posted? That's not a "bad" system as you say?

 

[ChrisHeflen]

I can't access the link for the Onkyo system previously posted, but I am sure it will be fine for your needs.
Here is another one that is a great little system, but a tick over your budget.

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4099551

You want 5.1 so go for it. It'll sound just fine.

 

[Charlie Campisi]

I recommended the onkyo. They are good systems for the price as compared to other similarly priced systems. Most here suggest the 770/780 level systems if you can scrape together the cash. If you are committed to your price, go to a store and listen to the onkyo, as well as a 2 channel set up that is within budget. Someplace like Circuit City or Best Buy could let you compare with Athena speakers, also good for the price. Not the best place to listen, but it might help you decide.

 

[ChrisWG]

Thanks, will do

 

[LanceJ]

Chris: what Charlie said!

Sherwood is one of those "quiet" brands but they make really good gear (and make it for other companies too). Here's their best receiver: Newcastle R-965.

With any conventional receiver you can add a subwoofer; however with most HTiBs, the signal that would allow you to do that is not usually available.

Another option would be to buy a basic 5.1 receiver (Sherwood, Pioneer, etc) for around $150; buy the front left/right mains; then as you are able to, continue to add the rear channels, a subwoofer, then lastly a center channel (in that order IMO).

 

[ChrisWG]

What do yall think about the Onkyo LSV950. It retails for around $800 but I can buy one from a friend used for like $300. Would it just be too much system for a bedroom?

 

[Charlie Campisi]

Problem with that design is the dvd/receiver combo. If anything happens to either part of that single box, you'd have to decide whether to fix it or replace the one component while the 'dead' part sits on the shelf and stares at you. All in ones usually aren't a good idea. The chief benefit to the Onkyo/Yamaha HTiBs is that they usually give you a pretty decent receiver that you can use for a while, even when you upgrade the components around it.

As for it being too big for a bedroom -- you'll find very few people here that will tell you any system or component is too big/powerful for a given application. Besides, at some point, you'll have a bigger room.

 

[ChrisWG]

Okay, gotcha. How would that system sound, considering it's almost a grand? Is it worth the risk of the all in one factor for such good sound for $300?

 

[Charlie Campisi]

Hard to say in a vacuum. Have you listened to it? Since it's a friend, will he let you take it home and try it out? You could buy another one for comparison at Circuit City and keep the one that sounds best in your room.

 

[ChrisWG]

Okay everyone, a little update...after scouring ebay for a month or so, I thought this one was a pretty good deal:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWN%3AIT&rd=1

Anyway, I obviously need a new DVD player. I would like to spend under $100 on it. What would yall suggest?

 

[Colin Runner]

Seriously look into the Logitech z5500 5.1 system. I have it and it is much better than my friend's Philips HTiB. A 10" sub makes the sound "bigger" and generally more pleasing. I got mine from Buy.com for $210 shipped, so not a bad deal at all!

EDIT: Oh, nevermind. Looks like you're already set with the Onkyo system. Great find for the $$!