Looking for some recommendations. (1 Viewer)

[Dreldan]

Alright I'm new here but i plan to stick around. I've just recently gotten out of the custom computer hobby. Don't have time to sit on the computer while my wife and child do other things. So i've gotten into the home threatre hobby and I want to get a good qaulity/impressive sound system. I do have a budget to work with looking to spend no more then 700 dollars, but I could be persauded to spend more if it was really worth it.

Here's what i need, a receiver and speakers. I don't think i need anything else. I have a ps3 which acts as my dvd player and then my cable box. I'd like the receiver to have atleast 3 HDMI imputs. I live in an apartment so my living room isn't huge and I can't really think of a way to position rear speakers with my current living room set up. Now i don't plan to live in an apartment for ever so i could purchase a surround system and store the speakers untill i got in a place where i could really use them. I guess just tell me your thoughts I'm new to all this and i almost made the mistake of buying the BOSE 321 system luckily I decided to do some research and was surprized to find that nobody that is an audio fanatic approves of bose.

I went to my local store and found a ONKYO system that i liked for about 649. Unfortunetly i don't know exactly which system it was but the sub was a 290 wat 12" and it was a 7.1 speaker setup with an onkyo receiver. Sounded good in the store, but with 7 speakers seems ridiculous for my current situation. I'll be on here frequently so if you have any other questions just reply and ill get back to you quickly.

 

[Robert_J]

Onkyo packages are recommended all of the time. They sound good and are relatively inexpensive. They also allow upgrades as your hobby progresses.

Don't be turned off by the 7 speakers. Most receivers can be configured to work with less. I'm using my 7.1 receiver now as a 5.1.

-Robert

 

[Dreldan]

I went back to figure out exactly which system it is. The system im currently looking at and hoping will meet my expectations is the onkyo HT-S6100 system
I'm just wondering if there is a better bang for my buck, or if this system is about the best i'll get for near 600 dollars.

Will this system be loud but also have decent qaulity? Will the sub be sufficient for a good amount of rumble while not sounding horrible?

 

[Ed Moxley]

That system should serve you well. It even decodes the Dolby Digital True HD and dtsHD MA, from blu ray movies. So, your PS3 should shine with that system. It's probably about as good as you're gonna get, for the money, and being a whole system. Also should do very well being in an apartment environment.

Enjoy!

BTW............
Glad you didn't buy the Bose. You won't find much love for Bose, in the home theater world.

 

[Robert_J]

They list the sub as 25 Hz–150 Hz but they don't mention if the low end is -3 db or -10 db. From their description of having a plastic enclosure for the sub, I assume that it is a -10 db rating. Will it rumble? Yes. Will it reproduce the low end in the movie Pulse with authority? No.

Sometimes we will mention reference levels. That is defined by Dolby as 105 dB PEAKS at the listening position. The LFE can be 115 dB peak. If you have a small room that is completely enclosed then you can probably hit that with the highs. I think it will be difficult with the sub especially as you try the lower frequency material. My sub can hit 120db peaks from 80hz down to 17hz. To achieve this takes a pair of 50 pound, 15" drivers, a 2,400w amp and a parametric EQ to fatten the in-room response.

It may sound like I critisizing the system you have picked out. No. It is a great system for someone getting started in this hobby or a non-critical listener who just wants to enjoy the movie. Based on your comments above, I just wanted you to have realistic expectations with this.

-Robert

 

[Dreldan]

Thanks for all the information guys!

My next question would be this. I realise a lot of it is probably opinion but what should i updgrade first when i get around to it? I don't know if i could ever aford to upgrade 7 speakers and the sub at the same time. So if i was to do it peice by peice. How should i go about doing it? can i do just the front speakers or will that make it sound weird having different types of speakers? Should i upgrade the Sub first? What is lacking the most in this system?

Oh i had one other thought, I've seen in a lot of reviews that people aren't satisfied with the wires provided with this system and people are upgrading them. What size wires should i get? I don't know much about this stuff sorry for all the questions.

 

[Ed Moxley]

A decent set of speakers are going to cost as much, or more, than this whole system is costing. Can say about the same thing for a good sub. Some manufacturers put together a set with a sub, for a good deal. One such set is: SVSound - Complete Systems
Very good set with sub, for the money. You can get the 5.1 set, and add another pair, for the back ones later.

If you don't buy a whole set of speakers, you need to get at least the front three at the same time, from the same brand and series, so they'll match. As far as which to do first, fronts or sub, it depends on which is most important to you. To some people, the sub is most important. To some, the speakers.

Systems like that usually come with 22 gauge or 24 gauge wire. Longer runs especially need heavier gauge wire. I'd use either 12 gauge or 14 gauge. I use 14 gauge with mine. Got a 100 ft. spool of wire at Lowe's, for about $25. Works great.

 

[Robert_J]

I would upgrade the sub first. That upgrade will depend on your budget. Or you can stop by the projects section and try your hand at a DIY sub.

The next upgrade should be the center followed by the left and right speaker. Make sure to get them from the same manufacturer/product line so that they are timbre matched. If you decided to go DIY on the sub, then DIY speakers are the next logical step.

Finally the surrounds should get the upgrade. Staying with the same manufacturer as the fronts.

The wires just may be too small. I'd get some bulk speaker cable from Lowes. Just don't buy some expensive, name brand stuff. It's just wire. There was a great article in a magazine a few years ago that pitted a bunch of high end speaker wires against each other in a blind listening test. One of the highest rated speaker wire was the HD-14/3. That was code for Home Depot 14 ga extension cord. Yep, a cheap extension cord beat a bunch of high end wires costing hundreds of dollars each. The author thought it would be funny to slip it in the contest as a joke. I think the joke was on the listeners who thought that their mega expensive wire was better.

-Robert