Upgrading to Dolby Digital, DTS. (1 Viewer)

[Edwin_M]

Hi, I'm a major DVD fan (550+) but when it comes to sound I'm not that well informed. I have a Dobly Pro Logic reciever with five speakers. I wanted to know if I can buy a Dolby Digital and DTS reciever and still use my speakers without having to buy new ones. Plus, on the back of my old speakers it says max input 30W. If I get a 600 watt reciever am I in danger of damaging my speakers? Any help would be appreicated.

 

[Evan S]

Edwin,

To upgrade to Dolby Digital and DTS, you do NOT need new speakers.

Your speakers do not seem to be able to handle a lot of power. That doesn't mean you can't buy a 600 watt receiver. You still can, but if you turn the volume up too loud, you run the risk of blowing your speakers.

I would say, buy the reciever and enjoy the benefits of DD and DTS, and see how much strain you are putting on the speakers. If you hear audible distortion at even moderate volume levels, you may want to upgrade those puppies down the road.

What kind of speakers are they?

 

[BryanZ]

First things first. What speakers do you have? What is your budget for a receiver? What receiver are you considering? Do you have a sub?

Now to answer your question, I'd say as long as you do not turn it up past the 3/4 mark you should be fine but I'm not guaranteeing anything.

 

[John Berggren]

I'm thinking of picking this up after the Holidays:

Sony 600-Watt 6.1-Channel Dolby Digital/DTS Home Theater Receiver

Model: STR-DE1075

Currently I have 4 JBL speakers - the 1.5 foot tall rectangular ones. (Great descrip) 2 each 2 model years apart.

I also have 2 Polk standing speakers.

I would need to buy a center channel, and the system comes with a subwoofer (at least now).

Should I use these speakers? If so which? Anyone have speaker recommendations?

Anyone think I've chosen a bad audio component?

 

[John Berggren]

ALSO: I have a rabbit who runs around, and I've considerred wireless speakers. Would it be a good idea to try wireless, or better to reinforce standard speaker cable?

 

[Nick L]

The msrp on the sony web site says $700, for that kind of bank you could get a much better reciever. I think the Onkyo 676, the Denon 2802 possibly 3802, H/K AVR320 maybe 520 would be much better choices depending on your budget.

As for the speakers you'll have to decide if you want to replace them and if you want the center channel to match. IMO if they sound good, no reason getting rid of them.

Nick L

 

[Thomas_Berg]

stay away from the DE line of Sony products!! they're crap!
whats your receiver budget? you can do much better for the $$. do you want 6.1 or is 5.1 enough? for the price of that receiver you can get an Onkyo TS-DX595 or the Outlaw 1050 (www.outlawaudio.com), which is 6.1 and highly regarded around here.

the system comes with a subwoofer

what system? when buying a center channel, make sure it's timbre matched with the front two basically just buy the same brand of speaker). again, what's your budget?? i can recommend specifics if i know a $$ range.

 

[Edwin_M]

Thanks for answering. My speakers are from an RCA home theater package I bought back in '97 and the reciever I have is 120 watts and I'm happy with the level of sound I get out of my speakers so I don't plan on raising the volume level past the 1/2 mark (I rarely pass the 3/4 mark). My budget right now for a reciever is $300. I really can't go higher than that. What do you guys recommend?

 

[John Berggren]

The component is roughly $569 at Best Buy. Does BB or another B&M carry Onkyo or Denon? I also have a $100 bonus at work that I was going to pick up a $100 BB gift certificate with to cut the cost of such a system ( I need to buy, then expense $100). If my JBLs are worth using, I can pick up the remaining JBLs. My housemate wants me to use the Polks because 1) they cost a lot at the time and 2) he thinks they are better than the JBLs.

I'm open to discussion and recommendation on this. I would prefer not to spend more than $1000 on the receiver and speakers to go with it.

 

[Adil M]

If you know anyone at CC you can get the Onkyo 797 for 582 dollars at cost. It's originally priced at 1000.

 

[Dave Vaughn]

I would go to www.hifi.com and check out their speaker/receiver packages. They have some pretty good packages for around that price category with Onkyo or Marantz receivers. I would avoid Sony for their receivers...they aren't built very well and don't have very good sound quality when you listen to them next to an Onkyo, Marantz or Denon. Just my $.02

 

[Nick L]

I would have to go with the Onkyo 484. Really good receiver for under $300(from JandR.com).

Nick L