Need help buying new HT system - $600-700 Budget (1 Viewer)

[kavorka19]

Hello. At my folks' house, I've currently got an old, old, old, old, old Bose HTiaB setup. I talked my dad into updating it and he's given me a ~$650 budget. I have no idea what to get him but I have a feeling that the HTiaB route isn't the way to go. Could someone post some suggestions as to what they think would be a good setup?
I can post specific dimensions and shape of the room it'd be going in, if that would be helpful.
Also, what are the main things I should look for in a set of speakers, a subwoofer, and a receiver?
Thanks to anyone who contributes!

 

[gene c]

Look for a receiver with some sort of automatic setup and room equalizer like MCACC or Audyssey. Most models but the very least expensive one's will have it. Otherwise, look for enough inputs/outputs and any other features youy must have (which I doubt will be very many. And most receivers are fairly well equiped these days.
For speakers, look for 6 or 8 ohms of impendance, not 4 ohms (pretty important). And also look for a sensitivity (or SPL) or 88 or higher (not as important). With a $650 budget I'd consider a factory refurbished Onkyo 9400 from ac4l.com http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKHTS9400/Onkyo-HT-S9400-THX-7.1-Ch-Network-Home-Theater-Receiver/Speaker/1.html With shipping it will put you a bit over budget though.
$250 for the receiver, $250 for the 5 speakers and $100-$125 for the subwoofer. That leaves a little left over for cables/wires.
Otherwize, look for a Pioneer 822, Denon 1613, Yamaha 473 or Onkyo 414 receiver. My current favorite places for receivers are ac4l.com (refurbished models) http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/category/AVReceiver/Home-Audio/Home-Theater-Receivers/1.html and newegg.com http://www.newegg.com/Receivers/SubCategory/ID-488
Newegg also has very good prices on Polk Monitor speakers (with low cost or free shipping) http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006922%2050012345&IsNodeId=1&Description=monitor&name=Polk%20Audio&Order=BESTMATCH
Other speakers in your price range are the Energy Take Classic 5.0 and 5.1 speaker packages, various Jamo packages at many internet dealers and Pioneer speakers at Best Buy and many other internet sellers. Try and avoid the subwoofers in the Energy, Jamo and Pioneer speaker systems. Look at the Dayton models at PartsExpress.com.

 

[kavorka19]

Thank you for your input, Gene.
Can anyone shed some light on which of these 2 is a better buy? And provide a brief explanation if you don't mind. (I'm still learning about this stuff )
Exhibit A vs. Exhibit B

 

[schan1269]

Neither. For the same money you can buy the HT RC460(the receiver included in both packages)
That sill gives you room for...
3 pairs of BIC DV62 and center (around $450)
3 pairs of Sony SS B-F and center($280-$400)
3 pairs of Polk Monitor 30 and a center (Depending on "NewEgg prices today"...$400-$500)
Then pick any one these subs...
BIC V80/1020/1220, Dayton sub 1000/1200 or even the Pinnacle sub 225
Any of those options can be had for the price of the two systems you linked.

 

[Jim Mcc]

Kiel, is he looking for a 5.1 or 7.1 system? A Blu-ray player also?

 

[gene c]

Thank you for your input, Gene.
Can anyone shed some light on which of these 2 is a better buy? And provide a brief explanation if you don't mind. (I'm still learning about this stuff )
Exhibit A vs. Exhibit B

The 9400 has better speakers and bigger subwoofer. But their sensitivity is still pretty low at 81 and 83 db meaning they will require the receiver to work really hard to put out a lot of volume. But I doubt your folks are going to listen at high volume anyway. The 9400 has the best speakers and subwoofer of any of their pre-packaged systems but I still wouldn't pay $730 for it. You can piece together a system like Sam suggested. But if you're looking for something as a complete package the 9400 is decent enough. I never cared for the speakers in most of the other Onkyo systems inc luding the 8409. More style than substance.

 

[kavorka19]

Ha. I just got off the phone with him and we discussed Sam's suggestions. We both liked them. I'd personally much rather build this system piece-by-piece rather than buying a HTiB.

• Since I think we're going piecemeal now, does that receiver recommendation still stand? I've heard of Onkyo, but I don't know if it's really any good.

As far as 5.1 vs. 7.1, aside from the speaker count, I don't really know what the difference is from an entertainment standpoint.

• 5.1 seems like more of an option now. Should we still get a 7.1 receiver in case of future additions?

What about bookshelf speakers vs. floor-standing speakers?

• I think I've turned him onto those Polk Monitor 30's
• He asked me about floor-standing speakers for front left/right and bookshelf speakers for the back left/right, and I didn't know the answer

And Jim, yes to having a Blu-ray player.
Thanks again!

 

[kavorka19]

I just got off the phone with him and he seems to like Sam's suggestions, as do I. I like the idea of building it piecemeal, rather than a HTiB, a lot more. I think that's the route we'd like to take. We liked the Polk Monitor 30s, Polk CS2 Center, and the Dayton 1200 sub. If we're going 5.1, does that suggestion for the Onkyo 7.1 receiver still stand (for expansion purposes)? Or is there another, perhaps better, receiver someone can suggest?
As far as 5.1 vs. 7.1. I don't really know the difference from an entertainment perspective, other than having a different number of speakers of course. I think he's leaning more toward 5.1 though, unless I learn about some large quality difference.
He asked me about doing floor standing speakers up front and bookshelf speakers in the back. It sounds good, but I'm not sure what's best practice.
Lastly, he does have a Blu-ray player.

 

[schan1269]

If he wants towers, that would be the Monitor 60 or 70. Often the 70 is less than the 60. Either is a good choice.
Doing 7.1 is also a preference. If he is going to WATCH A LOT OF BD, then the 7.1 is worth it. If he is sticking to DVD or streamed content, I would stick with 5.1.
As for BD player. I'm "against" a smart BD player for one reason...
A simple BD player like this...(or Sony...or LG)
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMP-BD77-Ultra-Fast-Booting-Blu-ray/dp/B00752R4Y6/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1355369801&sr=1-1&keywords=dmp+bd77
plus a Roku box(there are 3 versions...depending on what services he wants)
http://www.amazon.com/Roku-XS-1080p-Streaming-Player/dp/B005CLPP84/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1355369844&sr=1-1&keywords=roku+2+xs
Those two together are the same price as a "smart BD player"...but the Roku brings more to the table than pretty much every smart BD player...

 

[Al.Anderson]

You're asking a lot of gray area, opinion questions - meaning the answers depend on personal preference. (Nothing wrong with those question, just understand that the responses aren't fact.)
Onkyo is among the "normal receiver" standard manufacturers: Onkyo, Pioneer, Yamaha, Marantz, Denon, Harman/Kardon. They sell a lot of product because they are often the price /performance leader. For that reason sometimes they're placed lower on the list ("if everyone's getting them they must not be special.") I had two and they worked great, and I still went with Yamaha on my most recent purchase, so I'm not immune either.
For a long time most films were released in 5.1, so having 7.1 was a frill. The last year or two of BR releases changed that a bit, but it's still not a must buy. Also, if you don't have room behind your primary listening position, it's not worth it. (For instance, if your couch is up against the wall.) On the plus side, if you get a 7.1 you can always configure it as 5.1, so no harm done. On the negative side, receivers now have about a 3-5 year shelf like (new technologies come out like clockwork), so buying for future expansion is not a good idea. (On the flip side, speakers last upwards of 20 years, so sinking extra money into those to get something you really like is much more justifiable.)
Towers add a little bottom end. But you are paying mostly for the cabinet, not acoustics. With a good sub you get about 95% (I made that number up) of the low end of a tower. My reco is if you're on a budget go with bookshelves (not satellites). Unless of course you'll every time you look at the system you'll wish you had towers, then just give in now.
I sorta have to disagree with Sam on the smart BR player vs a media player (one disagrees with Sam at their peril, he's usually right), but my reasoning is that having another device adds just that much more switching annoyance. A lot of people on the forum swear by generalized remotes like the Logitech, but they've never worked that well for me. So I have found I'm less frustrated having abandoned my media player and using the BR and receiver for their built-in features directly (I have music and video on a NAS/LAN). If you're looking for an arcane feature, sometimes you have to get the media player, but for general use the built in features of the BR is all you'll need. Also, the smart BR adds about $20, so you can start there and see if you get what you need, then get the media player if you're not satisfied. (BTW, lat year I got some great Sony closeout BRs at one of their outlets for $20 each. So check them out if you have one near you.)

 

[schan1269]

The Sony stores in outlet malls. Last year they had their "bottom 'non-frill'" close-out for $20-$40(depending what part of the country you lived in). I bought 10, for gifts.
I'm sure if you can find an outlet Sony Store near you, find the close-out BD players (usually a white box with blue trim) and "pick one"...
Their screaming deal a while back was the BDP 2000ES(I think that was the model, might have been 3000ES) that had a "laughable" MSRP of $1600...they were closing out for $79.99.

 

[maeaguilar]

I can recommend you the Samsung SWA-5000 Wireless Receiver
Product Features
A compact rear-channel amplifier
Receives rear-channel audio signals wirelessly from your system's main unit
Enjoy full surround sound with less setup hassle
Easy setup, just connect to rear speakers to the wireless unit
Compatible with select Samsung home theater systems
Audio Channel: 2
Audio Latency: 18ms
Total Power: 133~167W x 2 (Variable)
Wireless Channel: 6
From one of the best home theater receiver brand in the world, Samsung!

 

[Al.Anderson]

I bought 10, for gifts.

I bought 4 "for gifts". 3 wired ethernet ($20), 1 wireless ($30). But I wound up using 3 and only giving the one as a gift.
I had a hard time getting past the smell test - if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. I actually asked the salesguy if there was a catch (as if that was going to work).
Wish I had snagged 10.