New member w/questions (1 Viewer)

[bsmith0000]

Hey guys.. new to the board, and relatively new to home theater as well. I have always been into home theater and sound but now i am going to get a good system set-up. I have a couple questions regarding my desired set-up..

1) My current set-up includes 40" LCD, Sony 350 Blu-Ray, Cable box !
I would like to add a Harmon Kardon AVR-146 receiver, Klipsch SL or Quintet III's, Klipsch 10"sub. I have a relatively small space, its an apartment. I just wanted to know whether or not the extra range in the SL's would be very noticeable in a smallish set-up ? I want the most out of my movies, i wouldn't be using it for listening to music THAT much, just when i'm bored or cleaning up the apartment.
I really dont want bookshelf speakers, i dont have anything to set it all on and dont want a huge shelf set-up.. i wouldnt mind getting two floor speakers, but then they are kinda out of my price range. If anyone had any other ideas or help choosing speakers that would be small for the rear and center and either two small fronts or two cheaper but equal quality floors i would appreciate that.

2) I have the Sony 350 Blu-Ray and hear some things about how to get the best HD quality of sound.. am i capable of getting the best sound out of the disk from the player and/or receiver ? If so whats the best way to wire it.. HDMI or optical ?

3) I want a remote that will take care of it all ! The things i want it to do is.. TV, Cable box, Blue Ray,change inputs for when i want to play Wii.. also if i connect my iPod to the receiver can i change songs with a Harmony ? I thought the 550 or 670 would be just fine since i don't have any IR, but what "special features" does the 550 and 670 have that's not listed on the sites because they both seem to be the same.

Im sure these are questions asked a lot, I work a lot and don't get much time to search online to reviews and when i go into stores i get different opinions from each person so i thought this might be the best way to get help.

 

[bsmith0000]

some more questions I thought about..

4) Do i have to have 7.1 receiver in order to receive HD sound ? I know it might be really off but i thought i read it somewhere.

5) will the HK receiver 30watt x 5 be plenty to power the Klipsch Quintets ?

6) Is there anything else i should look into when getting a receiver to get the best sound and picture ?

7) How important are power surge cleaner/protectors ? I already have a Monster Power Center that has like 7outlets and 1500jouls and does the "clean power " thing.. is that a gimic or worth it? Also whats the benefit of getting something like the Monster mp hdp 1800's that i see a lot of people have ?


If i could get some help i would really appreciate it !
thanks!

 

[SethH]

1 - The quintets would probably be adequate for your situation, but may cause the upgrade bug to bite you more quickly.

2 - This is a tough question. Have you already bought your receiver? The receiver you mentioned does not decode the HD audio formats through HDMI. If you have not bought that receiver, you may consider an upgrade to the HK 254 or a receiver from another brand. Or, you can just use optical and have regular DD and DTS sound.

3 - I haven't used either of those specific remotes. I have an older Harmony 676 and it does everything I want a remote to do at this point. I've been very pleased.

 

[bsmith0000]

Thanks for the reply.. after some research today i figured out I will stick with the Quintet III's due to the size of my place and i demo'd them out and they seem to be enough.. for now ! I will also get the 10" Klipsch sub along with the Harmony 550 remote, i like the style apposed to the 670.

I have not chosen a receiver yet.. i took a look at some and realized the HK I started out with will not do the HD sound.. can someone explain this a little more to me, I am still a little lost on what to look for. I really love the HK's, but I guess i am looking for some similar receivers to compare it against. I am looking for the most inexpensive HD receiver.. whatever that means.
I have the Sony 350, will that still give me the HD sound or is that how the DVD or CD is made ? I know the HK 254 says it will give "Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio " but how does that work.. can i play standard DVD's or CD's and it will play them in HD or it just Blu-Ray's ?

Also I have the Sony 350 and wanted to get some more insight on how to "program" it.. right now I am using the TV speakers, but on the menu there are a bunch of options for sound and video options.. does anyone have a thread that explains more about what to change for optimal performance?