HTiB advice--Quick! (1 Viewer)

[Todd Bohlke]

I have a couple of friends at work that have convinced themselves that they want a crappy Sony HTiB as their home theater setups. They plan on buying them within the next couple of days so I don't have much time to influence them. I wasn't able to get them to change their minds on the HTiB in general, but they said they would be willing to hear what a better model might be. Is the reigning $500 HTiB champ still the Kenwood HTB 504 or is there another model by Kenwood (or another maker in that price range) that is a better buy? Thanks for any quick responses!

 

[Mark Hedges]

Well, I have a crappy Sony HTIB system and I think you could certainly do worse. If they are looking to keep it under $500 I don't think there is any other choice than a package deal. I would discourage them from getting one of the "Dream System" products as they are very limited in their upgrade potential but I think a model like the HT-DDW840 (or if they don't have a DVD player the HT-5500D or HT-6500D) is a decent start into the world of HT.

These systems are fairly fully featured with DPLII & DTS, and even though they are low-end they sound much better then the TV sound does.

Mark

 

[greg baker]

If that is the budget then I think you should definitely should get the onkyo HTIB. For $499 I don't think it can be beat. it is available at Circuit city.

Greg

 

[Todd Bohlke]

Greg--

How is the sub on the Onkyo system? In comparison to the Sony SA-WM40, would it be worth shelling out an extra $150 to replace the included one on the Onkyo system?

 

[greg baker]

To be honest many people feel that the sub is the strongest part of the system. Read the review on cnet.com( product reviews). Also circuit city.com has lots of customer reviews on this sub. It is certainly no svs but it is a great sub for the price of the package.

Greg

 

[steve nn]

Todd I just posted over in the Basics Area in regards to your question. Boiled down imo I would go with the Onkyo 650 as a first choice and then the Kenwood 505 as a second choice. The Onkyo 650 is the number one rated HTiB bang for your $$ at this time.

 

[Chris James]

Listen to Steve. He knows what he is talking about.

(I have the Onkyo, and listened to the Kenwood extensively)

 

[Todd Bohlke]

Thanks for the replies! Chris & Steve: do you agree w/ Greg that the sub that comes w/ the Onkyo setup is good enough not to need an upgrade (to the Sony sub at least)? Is the 605 the same setup as the 550 w/ a receiver and if so, would it be worth getting the 550 and getting a slightly higher quality receiver? Thanks again

 

[steve nn]

Yes to the HT500 speakers with a slightly better receiver. There have been some sporadic issues with Onkyo 650 TX-SR500 receiver so I here? As far as the sub goes I definitely would not pay the extra $$ for a Sony. That would be to lateral. Your friends could upgrade the sub down the road if they chose to. For the $$ the Onkyo HT500 speaker-sub package would be a very good option knowing of course there is room to grow. With some it will be all they might ever want and then there are others.

 

[Chris James]

I haven't had any problems with the receiver, so I'd recommend doing it either way. Get the whole system, or speakers and a better receiver. The sub that came with it was great. I've never heard a WM40, so I really can't compare. I did upgrade to an SVS 16-46PCi, and it was quite a difference (Hehe).

 

[steve nn]

Bass-LFE scares me.