new to ht (1 Viewer)

[mckinley_phipps]

im lookin to buy my 1st home theater system, im moving into an apt. so i think id have to settle for a htib. id like to keep it under 600 but if there was a nice complete system id go up to 1000. its important that the system include a dvd player. like i said im new to ht and im not sure if i sure go with a 5.1 or 6.1 system. ive looked at a couple manufacturers sites and saw a few that caught my eye. the yamaha yht-940, kenwood htb (756,805, or 896)dv, and the onkyo ht s767c. for some reason i cant find any reviews or even sites that sell these systems. if u have any input on any of these systems or want to offer some suggestions on which way i should go , your input would be greatly appreciated, ty for your time.

 

[Vincent_S]

As a former Onkyo owner, I think you would be happy with the Onkyo. Later on if you wanted to upgrade your speakers you still have a decent receiver to power them.

 

[Bob McElfresh]

The Kenwood HTB systems have a good reputation. They usually have all the essential parts as separate units so you can slowly upgrade pieces later. Avoid the others that are all-in-one's which force you to swap out everything.

Since the HTB's tend to change quickly, most magazines dont bother reviewing them. "Stereophile Guide to Home Theater" did a review on the now-discontinued HTB-503 a few years ago. It held it's own against their 'reference' budget system where the speakers alone cost $1100. Not bad for a $600 HTB.

 

[Lew Crippen]

I’d consider the Acoustic Research HC6, 5.1 speaker system. This can be found for $350–$400. You can easily find a decent progressive scan DVD player for $250–$300 and a nice receiver that will drive the HC6 system for another $250–$300 (Denon 1803 for example). If you don’t pay the top price for all of the above, you will have $50–$150 left for cables, etc.


This will be far superior to any HtiB deals.

 

[Garrett Lundy]

Don't forget to set aside $30 for a SPL-meter (available at RadioShack) and $15 or so for a Sound & Vision set-up & calibration DVD. There are other brands of set-up DVD, but the sound & vision is the cheapest and extremely easy to use for first-time HT buyers.

 

[mckinley_phipps]

thanks for the responses and everything and like i said ive never owned a system before so my next questions might seem pretty stupid to most but what exactly does an spl meter and the disc your telling me to get do. ive heard of both just from reading stuff online but im not really sure what they do

 

[Garrett Lundy]

The set-up DVD is a tool for optimizing your televison and sound system. It takes you step-by-step on hooking up your system, placing your speakers, and wiring everything together.
The disk also has video test patterns (such as the colour bars ) for properly setting your tv picture controls. (Yes, it explains every picture control for proper set-up, including TINT, which is nearly impossible to get right without a set-up disk).

The disk (I have a Sound & Vision disk) also includes a few short video clips, a DTS-ES song, and the ever cool Dolby and DTS trailers to watch on your newly perfected picture.

The SPL meter (Sound Pressure Level) measures how loud something is (In decibles). You'll need to use this in conjunction with a set-up disk to ensure that all five of your HTiB speakers, and the subwoofer are playing at the correct volume.

You'll also need an SPL meter if you ever buy an equilizer, and they're good for finding the proper placement for your subwoofer (But thats another can of worms). And its fun to find-out how loud everything in your house is too

My A/C unit is 63db when turned-on