Please recommend BOSE alternative. (1 Viewer)

[Douglas Kaye]

Hello,


I am looking to buy a home theater system for Christmas.
I have a 60" tv (not plasma).
My living room is about 15 X 20.
If I go to a store and listen to the Bose lifestyle system, it sounds pretty nice. I do a little research and find out that most anyone with even a little knowledge HATES them and thinks they suck and they are overpriced pieces of paper in stylish cubes.

Can anyone reccomend a great system within the $2,000 range?
Space is really an issue and I really would like small speakers.
Of course I would like to spend as little as possible, but would also spend more if necessary. I used to be into the whole HT thing pror to DVD's and now have lost touch with it. Please someone throw me a bone! Thanks in advance.

Douglas Kaye

 

[Tim K]

Well, first question has to be "what are you looking for?"

I'll assume you want:
a 5.1 speaker setup (5 speakers and a sub) and a Dolby Digital/DTS receiver. What about a DVD player? Do you have one or do you need one? Is your TV HD-ready?

 

[Bob McElfresh]

In terms of speakers, look at Gallo. They are small, softball-sized speakers that have made Stereophile's Guide to Home Theater several times. www.roundsound.com

You need a sub with any small speaker.

 

[ChrisLazarko]

Well i'm assuming you would like something about the same size as the Bose speakers? If so I would definantly check out what I recommend below, although the subwoofer is going to be somewhat bigger than the Bose Acoustimess bass module. Also, the system total will probably be less than $2k.

For $1000 you should be able to get a decent deal, some things I would recommend looking at are for reciever/speakers/sub would be:

Reciever:
Harman/Kardon AVR-125
Harman/Kardon AVR-230
Denon AVR1603
Onkyo TSXR501
Yamaha RX-V440

all of those recievers there can be found for about $200. Out of them all I would recommend the Harman/Kardon AVR-125. It has a good strong amp in it. It also has alot of features for audio and has a very sleek look which is something I really like. I think it's also a little more feautre rich that the other ones on the list. Check out www.soundcity.com for the HK AVR-125.

Also, the HK AVR-230 is a brand new model with 6.1 surround sound. Some people like the extra channel while I personally could care less, 5.1 is fine for me. This reciever will run you about $350 or so but is very nice and offers alot more power of the AVR-125... Either way almost any reciever should do for a room.

Speakers:
Klipsch Quintets
Athena Micro's
JBL NSP1

All three of those can be found at Bestbuy for about $400. They do not include a subwoofer but offer great sound for the price. Unfortunatly nobody can really tell you which is better than the other because they all are great speakers but they all sound much diferent. I find the Klipsch to be bright, the Athenas to be more neutral and the JBL to be a little warmer. So the best I can say is go and listen to them for yourself, you can find all 3 of them at BestBuy.

Subwoofer:
Athena ASP400
Inifinity PS12
SVS 25-21PCi ($550)

The Athena and Inifinity are both about $350 at OneCall and give some decent bass responce, down to about 25Hz. The SVS is going to give alot more bass responce at alot higher level and is much more impressive than anything else on the market I have heard for the price.

If you factor in a $200 reciever and $400 speaker then you have spent $600 and only have $400 for a subwoofer. But if you can afford the entry-level SVS it will be a great subwoofer for a beginner.

Hope this helps you.

 

[Douglas Kaye]

I am looking for great sound.
I would like a THX certified receiver. I don't know what a difference the ultra and ultra 2 make in the audible sense. 5.1 seems to be the standard as well, and I would like that, I suppose, unless the 7.1 makes enough of a difference without making it way out of budget.
My wife and I love music as well, but live in a city apartment and don't get too much of a chance to really crank it up, so volume is not much of a concern.
I guess my priority list would be as follows:

Quality Home theater Sound
Price
Size

I have a DVD player(Apex ad-5131), my tv is not hdtv, But I believe we will have that coming in the next few months.

BTW, you guys are really a life saver with your knowledge. It would be near impossible to get unbiased good sound (no pun) advice, anywhere else.....
Thanks,

D Kaye

 

[ChrisWiggles]

I wouldn't consider THX as a requirement at all in choosing a receiver. Not really worth it at all. It doesn't really have much bearing on the overall performance of the unit compared with the competition. It's a guarantee that it won't flat-out suck, but IMO, it doesn't provide much more than that.

There are TONS of speakers out there, go listen carefully and pick what sounds best on music.

Paradigm has lots of great entry-level stuff, and the cinema series is small, if that's a priority(but needs a sub).

SVS makes stunning subs, of course.

 

[ChrisLazarko]

I wouldn't recommend THX certified recievers either. I see no point in them.

Also, what I recommended above should be a good start to HT. Do some shopping around, look at what I recommended among other things as well.

Good luck.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Please, in the future, ask for speaker recommendations in the Speakers/Subwoofers area. The Basics area is strictly for asking about, as its name should tell you, about basic home-theater matters. It is not for asking about specific model recommendations.

 

[prashanth_sharma]

Try the Niro 1.1 Pro system, Its made by the guy from Nakamichi, Niro Nakamichi. u can see it at http://niro.net

It has an integrated DVD/digital amp unit and 1 unit with all the 5 channels speakers in it AND according to this review it vastly outperforms Bose(not that it takes much to do that.

There are many more glowing reviews for this system on the net. Cost $799.

CNET has a review here

 

[John S]

See if you can still get in the 6ave, sub'n the 3803 for 3802 orders for $650 to your door deal. If size wasn't so much of a concern, I'd get a 15" sub, and then look for speakers that match your needs for the money you have left to spend.
Since size is a concern, get the meanest 12" sub you can possbly find, I think there are even some dual 12" driver subs with smallish footprint out there as well.

I'm not sure if there is another reciever out there that matches the 3803 deal from 6ave for $650 brand new, and from a factory authorized dealer.

 

[Ernest Yee]

I would second that great deal on the Denon.

As for speakers, I hear the

HSU Ventriloquist are good
Also the NHT SuperZeros have been popular small speakers
You might also want to check out Paradigm Atoms.