HT audio setup on a budget (1 Viewer)

[jonnyMa]

Ok Im a complete newbie and am pretty clueless(Sure youve heard it a million times before ). Anyway im moving house and have a room to myself and decided to make a dedicated home theatre(on a tight budget). Now im pretty clueless about display devices(ive decide to go for a projector) but when it comes to auio I really dont have a clue. Now ive heard that the "ht in a box" packages arent great but my question is would I be better just taking the hassle out and going for one instead of messing with stuff I know nothing about. Also what sort of things should I be looking for in my audio setup( I know about 5.1 and subwoofer and the really basic stuff) For instance I was looking at the Sony DAVDZ500 Hi-Fi Surround Sound package(on dixons.co.uk, cant post a link sorry!) its 1000 watt rms output. what would I be missing with this compared to a system of seperate components. Bacially is it worth the hassle?

I will say I dont have a very sophisticated ear and wouldnt be an audio perfectionist, but I do want something with balls that adds to the experience. I have $1000 to spend( and thats pushing it change would be nice )

Lastly what exactly is the purpose of the receiver. Most ht in a box packages ive come across dont have a receiver. Is the receiver just built into the dvd player? And if so what are the drawbacks of this as opposed to a seperate receiver? Thanks.

 

[John Garcia]

This might be better suited for the basics area.

The receiver is the heart of the system - it handles processing of signals, volume control and amplification of those signals. All systems have to have one in some way or another. Ignore the claim of 1000w, as this means very little. This is their way of making their system sound like you are getting a lot of power, when in fact the receivers with most HTiB systems are not exactly powerful. There are a number of ways they can inflate their power ratings to make consumers think they are getting "1000w". There are generally two kinds - an "all in one" that has the receiver/DVD, and others that have a separate receiver and player. With the exception of a few, I'd say if you are going for a one box solution, in the intereste of future upgradability and flexibility, you should look at one that has separate components.

I don't like the cheapest Sonys, but the ones at about $1K are not too bad for the price. The reality is, $1K is not a bad budget for a starter system, and you WILL get a better system buying separate components. The number one drawback of All-in-one receiver units is that upgrading to a better player or a better receiver is either difficult or impossible, meaning you are stuck with it until you can afford to replace most or all of it.

Rather than rush into it and getting less than you could for that kind of money, I'd spend a little more time researching, asking questions and see what you can really get for that money