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angryhampster posted:If you're on a budget and/or worried about size, BIC's small sub is surprisingly good. Awesome, thanks -edit reviews were convincing just ordered. Thanks again! Nostalgia4Dogges fucked around with this message at 23:39 on Aug 26, 2014 |
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Aug 26, 2014 19:04
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My friend's girlfriend wants to get him a home theater system for his birthday. He budget is $400 which I know isn't much. So far I have the Andrew Jones bookshelves and center channel ($155) and just need a receiver for him. I currently own those speakers so he had heard them and he and I have discussed him purchasing them so I know he likes them. As far as receiver I'm looking at the Onkyo TX-SR313 for 179.99. It has all the inputs he would need as well as the features he would use. A calibration feature would be nice but is probably out of budget. I have the Yamaha RX-V373 that I got as a return for 189 but I don't see anything like that available. My concern with the Onkyo is its mixed reviews. Either it's rated high and is great or its rated 1 star and a dud out of the box or dies soon after purchase. I know Onkyos have had a reputation of overheating and the HDMI ports not working so I was wondering if anyone has experience with this model or any suggestions for alternatives. Keep in mind the $400 is after taxes and shipping.
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Aug 26, 2014 21:08
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Dale Meets Wall posted:My friend's girlfriend wants to get him a home theater system for his birthday. He budget is $400 which I know isn't much. So far I have the Andrew Jones bookshelves and center channel ($155) and just need a receiver for him. I currently own those speakers so he had heard them and he and I have discussed him purchasing them so I know he likes them. As far as receiver I'm looking at the Onkyo TX-SR313 for 179.99. It has all the inputs he would need as well as the features he would use. A calibration feature would be nice but is probably out of budget. I have the Yamaha RX-V373 that I got as a return for 189 but I don't see anything like that available. My concern with the Onkyo is its mixed reviews. Either it's rated high and is great or its rated 1 star and a dud out of the box or dies soon after purchase. I know Onkyos have had a reputation of overheating and the HDMI ports not working so I was wondering if anyone has experience with this model or any suggestions for alternatives. Keep in mind the $400 is after taxes and shipping. Check bestbuy openbox/clearance. The Pioneer 1123k Has been marked down from $599 to around ~$260 lately. You can view local stores on their website.
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Aug 26, 2014 21:13
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Dale Meets Wall posted:My friend's girlfriend wants to get him a home theater system for his birthday. He budget is $400 which I know isn't much. So far I have the Andrew Jones bookshelves and center channel ($155) and just need a receiver for him. I currently own those speakers so he had heard them and he and I have discussed him purchasing them so I know he likes them. As far as receiver I'm looking at the Onkyo TX-SR313 for 179.99. It has all the inputs he would need as well as the features he would use. A calibration feature would be nice but is probably out of budget. I have the Yamaha RX-V373 that I got as a return for 189 but I don't see anything like that available. My concern with the Onkyo is its mixed reviews. Either it's rated high and is great or its rated 1 star and a dud out of the box or dies soon after purchase. I know Onkyos have had a reputation of overheating and the HDMI ports not working so I was wondering if anyone has experience with this model or any suggestions for alternatives. Keep in mind the $400 is after taxes and shipping. I don't have experience with that model, but I do have experience with Onkyo's RMA process - and it's really good. They sent me a box and packing materials, paid for shipping both ways, and I received the unit back 4 days after I sent it out. Oh, and it was 1 year out of warranty. Not saying I wouldn't look at other receivers, but I definitely wouldn't rule out Onkyo just because of a couple of DOA units (happens to everyone).
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Aug 26, 2014 21:16
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Don Lapre posted:Check bestbuy openbox/clearance. The Pioneer 1123k Has been marked down from $599 to around ~$260 lately. You can view local stores on their website. Can't go wrong with a Pioneer receiver and Pioneer speakers, especially when it's not their entry-level unit for that price. If you can't find a Pioneer, alternatively Denon X1000 for $250 refurb: http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavrx1000/denon-avr-x1000-5.1-channel-networking-receiver-w/airplay/1.html MultEQ XT is the main draw here.
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Aug 26, 2014 21:55
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I'm a bit limited on receiver choices by my entertainment center shelves. Are there any good choices that are 13.1" wide or less? I've tried to check them on amazon but it looks like a lot of descriptions switch length and width.
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Aug 26, 2014 22:02
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Pudgygiant posted:I'm a bit limited on receiver choices by my entertainment center shelves. Are there any good choices that are 13.1" wide or less? I've tried to check them on amazon but it looks like a lot of descriptions switch length and width. Your problem is there is a standard width that most manufacturers use.
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Aug 26, 2014 22:09
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Pudgygiant posted:I'm a bit limited on receiver choices by my entertainment center shelves. Short version: no. Long version: yes, but you're limited to T-amps, super expensive stuff (Cyrus Audio), super rare stuff (Teac AG-H550) or Bose. In all likelihood it's cheaper to replace the shelf.
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Aug 26, 2014 22:15
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Don Lapre posted:Your problem is there is a standard width that most manufacturers use. To clarify, this standard is either 17" (for home equipment) or 19" (for pro equipment) to fit in a rack.
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Aug 26, 2014 22:16
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Thanks for the info. I was afraid I'd have to replace the shelf.
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Aug 26, 2014 23:26
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Pudgygiant posted:Thanks for the info. I was afraid I'd have to replace the shelf.  You... do.
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Aug 27, 2014 00:01
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Hob_Gadling posted:There will be measurable differences in the sound. Whether they are meaningful to you is something you'll have to tell us; we've moved from reference to preference. I went out and grabbed a Marantz NR 1403. I wanted Marantz sound, but I don't need 4K right now or networking because I already have three other ways to airplay stuff or stream Pandora or whatever, so the 1403's "barebones" was all I needed. Audyssey setup was interesting. It found that I had some of my speakers out of phase. It saved me possible hours of agonizing fiddling all around. First of all, my cabling woes are heartily solved. I've got space to spare and I think I'll go out and grab a bunch of shorter HDMI cables because I don't need to run everything all over the place and across each other anymore. To answer my own question about a noticeable difference in sound? Definitely. My sound system has gone from "this sounds good" to "I want to listen to this stuff in my living room so I can hear it properly". Surround now sounds right. The range of my Klipsch speakers is properly demonstrated. I played Hotline Miami for a long time with the sound cranked up and I think more than half the reason I played for so long was because of the sound. Also, when Ms.Zero came home after I had set it all up, she immediately responded to the sound quality improvement with a "holy poo poo" and sat down by herself to watch a concert blu-ray. Wife approval cannot be underestimated and having her ask if we can't buy another for the basement room too is an achievement on Marantz's part. Thanks to everybody in this thread who weighed in.
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Aug 27, 2014 14:50
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Don Lapre posted:Check bestbuy openbox/clearance. The Pioneer 1123k Has been marked down from $599 to around ~$260 lately. You can view local stores on their website. This times 1000. It is worth waiting for a good deal on openbox or clearance. That is how I got my Yamaha rx-567bl 7.1 receiver for $106 (normally $400+). It didn't come with the remote but I was able to order it directly from Yamaha for $30 so total cost $136, I think it was a great deal. I am only using it for 3.0 right now but I am thrilled that it has room for growth.
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Aug 28, 2014 15:22
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Apologies if this has been answered (and if this isn't the right thread) but I couldn't see any concrete information on it. I've cobbled together a 7.1 set up and the front speakers are a pair of big old Wharfedale XP2s which were given to me by my ex's father a few years ago. I know they're hecka old and likely to be frowned upon by anyone with the barest knowledge of speakers, but that's not my issue. I know they're unshielded (they gave an old CRT a quick acid trip), but I don't know what this means in terms of keeping them near my games consoles. Will I knacker my WiiU/PS3/PS4 if I have them near the speakers? Currently the speakers are ~2m apart with the consoles in the middle. I really hope the advice isn't "buy new speakers". I'm getting married next month and completely can't afford it - I only own the consoles from winning a competition!
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Aug 29, 2014 08:29
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Don't worry about it. There's nothing particularly sensitive to magnetism in most modern electronics. You could put them right on top of the speakers with no ill effects. Incidentally, don't diss the Wharfedales outright, they were pretty darn good speakers back in their day. What you can do is make sure all the speaker surrounds are in good condition and not rotted, and perhaps replace the crossover capacitors. They've probably completely dried out by now. KozmoNaut fucked around with this message at 09:24 on Aug 29, 2014 |
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Aug 29, 2014 09:21
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After living without a TV for 8 months I've decided I'm going to buy myself a projector, I've started looking at my options and the prices vary wildly based off a variety of factors. To help myself figure out my budget I'm going to pick out the audio system first. My plan is to start cheap then work my way up to a full surround system so I'm only going with 2.1 to start. I'm thinking I'll go with the Onkyo 414 recommended in the OP but I'm at a loss for speakers. I'm guessing Polk Audio would be a good choice since they seem to be more budget friendly. I'm located in Germany so I'm under the impression that my options will be very different, can anyone provide some suggestions on what I should be looking for? Are there any european sites that may offer package deals worth considering? Through a mix of digging/searching came up with these items: https://www.hifisound.de/en/Top-offers/TANNOY-MERCURY-VC-CENTER-SPEAKER.html https://www.hifisound.de/Lautsprecher-Selbstbau/Lautsprecher-Bausaetze/MIVOC-SB-180-II-KOMPLETT-BAUSATZ.html Ashex fucked around with this message at 20:45 on Aug 31, 2014 |
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Aug 31, 2014 17:13
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Haven't been able to get my Onkyo 709 fixed up. Looking at a Pioneer SC-81 for $885 or a Denon AVR X3000 for $600. Is the Pioneer significantly better than the Denon? I'm under the impression that they are basically peers, and Crutchfield has a nice discount on the Denon. I want good sound quality for my Klipsches in the basement but I have a pair of JBLs upstairs and I like the idea of running my music upstairs off of my downstairs receiver; potentially also getting a small TV up there and pairing it with the JBLs.
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Aug 31, 2014 18:18
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Hey so I got my BIC v-80 sub and it keeps blowing fuses. I'm trying to connect it to my vizio VSB200 soundbar using a regular sub audio cable. It'll make a quick loud sound then the fuse is blown. I thought maybe it's because the volume on the sub wasn't set at 0. So I connected the sub directly to a wall outlet, made sure the sound levels were 0, made sure the sub was off, and when I went to turn it on the same thing happened. The fuse in the sub is 1A 250v so I got some bussman fuses that are 1A and say "Use in circuits up to and including 250 volts to 3 amps." And they're the same exact size as the stock one so I assume that's not the issue. So what's up? Faulty sub? Try to send back to amazon? Am I an idiot and missing something here? -edit sent it back to amazon probably going to order another hopefully there isn't another underlying issue Nostalgia4Dogges fucked around with this message at 16:12 on Sep 3, 2014 |
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Sep 1, 2014 04:52
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http://www.bestbuy.com/site/denon-i...02003&cp=1&lp=9
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Sep 3, 2014 15:49
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Is there an updated post that recommends systems for $x like in the OP I should look at?
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Sep 5, 2014 08:45
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EvilElmo posted:Is there an updated post that recommends systems for $x like in the OP I should look at? Not really at the moment. Typical low end setup is 3.1 or 5.1 of Pioneer FS52 and BS22 speakers, Polk SW505 subwoofer and Denon/Yamaha/Pioneer/Onkyo not-cheapest-entry-level receiver for ~$600 or so. A lot of people have also liked Polk Monitor speakers and bigger 12" subs for ~$800-1200, depending on details. If you catch a good sale you might get stuff cheaper, Pioneers and Polks are relatively often sold at half price or so.
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Sep 5, 2014 13:24
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Got the denon x3000 for $600 to drive my klipsch rf-82s. hope I did ok!
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Sep 5, 2014 15:34
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Elwood P. Dowd posted:Got the denon x3000 for $600 to drive my klipsch rf-82s. hope I did ok! I have the older klipsch rf3's which are essentially a harsher rf-82. With a decent amount of power these speakers play very very clean. You will like them. I like to use Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies album/ep. The pickups used for the guitars are very detailed, and these horn speakers seem to play that album well.
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Sep 7, 2014 06:08
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For watching movies, we currently have a single speaker thing (http://www.audiopro.com/products/addon-t10-0) which, while good quality, is not really sufficient for obvious reasons. The rest of the setup is a video projector, Blu ray player, chromecast, laptop when the chromecast cannot be used to stream from the NAS. I'd like some left/right separation, surround, but above all, I value the clarity of dialog. Basses are of secondary importance. To minimize cabling, I thought about geting two floorstanding full-range speakers, two wireless rear speakers and a basic receiver. Alternative is a 4.1 or 5.1 set of small speakers, the rear ones preferably wireless, and again, a receiver. Budget: around 500$-1000$ if possible. Thoughts / recommendations ? NOTE: I tried connecting a speaker through a bluetooth adapter, and there was a noticeable delay in the sound. How do wireless speakers avoid this ? Does the receiver manage a delay setting or something ? Or is it real time streaming ?
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Sep 7, 2014 16:28
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Spatule posted:For watching movies, we currently have a single speaker thing (http://www.audiopro.com/products/addon-t10-0) which, while good quality, is not really sufficient for obvious reasons. If dialog clarity is important, you definitely want a center channel speaker. Go with a 3.0 or 3.1 to start. You can upgrade to a 5.1 later, when budget allows. This is a great receiver for the price, if refurbished is okay with you: http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...1BbkaAm6v8P8HAQ People often recommend the Andrew Jones Pioneer speakers in the thread. You may also want to look into Polk (inexpensive), Aperion (30 day free in home trial), or Klipsch (listen to these in person first!) in your price range. The Polk PSW505 and BIC F12 are both inexpensive subwoofers with a ton of punch and extension for the money, if you want to step up to 3.1 (I'd recommend it highly).
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Sep 7, 2014 17:41
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So I'm looking to upgrade my HT system, figured if I can have a 60" tv I can get something a little better than my current system. My receiver is a STR-900 from a HTIB that I bought like..12 years ago. It's done the job, but it only does HDMI passthrough, so I have to hook everything up to the TV, then run optical back to the receiver. Plus I lost the remote so that sucks (controlling with phone apps looks awesome). Ditched the speakers a long time ago and got some Polk Monitors (bookshelf). I mostly use this for movies and games, music occasionally. My sources are HTPC (with XBMC/Kodi, Xbox/PS4, cable box, maybe something else down the line. Looking to keep it around 1k, I went ahead and ordered the Andrew Jones Pioneer floorstander speakers+center based on recommendations here and the good reviews I read online (Only 3.1 for me, for now anyway). Now I'm looking at a new receiver which is where I need suggestions. Looking to spend 5-700, I've been looking at the x3000 since it looks like a great deal now that they're on clearance (though AVSForum seems to think the x2100 is better), and the Yamaha Yamaha RX-V775WA. I'll probably wait on upgrading the sub, pick up a PSW505 when they go on sale. Tanbo fucked around with this message at 21:57 on Sep 7, 2014 |
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Sep 7, 2014 21:54
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My parents have a pair of Bowers and Wilkins CM8 speakers in order to "keep up with the Joneses." However, they don't have any other audio gear. They would like to have these speakers used double duty: listening to music (mostly classical on CD) and for TV viewing. They have a fairly small living room, where the space between seating and where the speakers would go is about 8 feet. They live in a condo so I don't expect them to blast the poo poo out of these speakers but since they are losing their hearing it isn't outside the realm of possibility. I'm going to need a receiver that can do the following: 1. Pass RCA video to HDMI (they have a ton of stuff on VHS still). 2. Easily stream music from her Samsung Galaxy phone. 3. Drive the aforementioned speakers. I might be able to persuade them from spending so much money on speakers but for now let's assume that they won't return them. Budget for the receiver is around $2k. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
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Sep 8, 2014 05:22
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Hob_Gadling posted:Not really at the moment. Typical low end setup is 3.1 or 5.1 of Pioneer FS52 and BS22 speakers, Polk SW505 subwoofer and Denon/Yamaha/Pioneer/Onkyo not-cheapest-entry-level receiver for ~$600 or so. A lot of people have also liked Polk Monitor speakers and bigger 12" subs for ~$800-1200, depending on details. If you catch a good sale you might get stuff cheaper, Pioneers and Polks are relatively often sold at half price or so. The dreaded Australia tax. I can get the speakers from Amazon, but the sub and receiver will be expensive :'( Almost double what Amazon sells it for.
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Sep 8, 2014 10:11
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kimcicle posted:I might be able to persuade them from spending so much money on speakers but for now let's assume that they won't return them. Budget for the receiver is around $2k. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Denon AVR-X5200W. Does almost anything you can expect a home theater receiver to do. http://www.denon.fi/uk/product/pages/product-detail.aspx?catid=hometheatre&subid=avreceivers&productid=avrx5200w
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Sep 8, 2014 13:41
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Hob_Gadling posted:Denon AVR-X5200W. Does almost anything you can expect a home theater receiver to do. That thing's a freaking monster. I mean, if they're dead set on spending $2K, it will work but I'd honestly just go with an AVR X1000 in a small condo living room. Sometimes, just because you have the money doesn't mean you need to spend it.
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Sep 8, 2014 15:09
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KillHour posted:Sometimes, just because you have the money doesn't mean you need to spend it. It isn't conspicuous consumption if you don't spend the whole budget, is it? As a cheaper alternative I'd suggest AVR-X4100W or X3100W. For practical purposes they've got almost all the same features but are about 30% and 50% cheaper, respectively. The speakers themselves probably cost somewhere around $2000, I wouldn't pair them with an entry level receiver because at this point the differences between receivers are audible.
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Sep 8, 2014 15:31
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I have a few questions about setting up a 5.1 system. I got handed one for free (it was left in a house that relatives purchased). I currently have a 2 speaker system hooked up to a receiver. The audio goes like this: Every device goes into the TV, and then the audio out from the TV goes to the audio in of the receiver, that goes to the speakers. They're rather large, but nice, bose speakers from the early 80s that I've had for years. But I like the setup because I never have to mess with the receiver. There's only one audio setting: Aux in from the TV. I am guessing this wouldn't work with a 5.1 system, because I'm only sending stereo (2-channel) out of the TV to the receiver. 1. Is there a way I can send 5.1 out of the TV to the receiver? 2. If not, what sort of audio cabling do I send from devices? For example, I have a Roku and a bluray player that are hooked up only via HDMI cable. Does that mean I am going to have to go Roku --> HDMI to Receiver --> HDMI to TV in order to get both 5.1 stereo and picture to the TV?
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Sep 9, 2014 19:19
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Liam Emsa posted:1. Is there a way I can send 5.1 out of the TV to the receiver? Depends on the TV, but probably not. Some TVs allow you to send 5.1 from TV channels back to receiver via optical and more commonly via HDMI ARC (which is poo poo). quote:2. If not, what sort of audio cabling do I send from devices? For example, I have a Roku and a bluray player that are hooked up only via HDMI cable. Does that mean I am going to have to go Roku --> HDMI to Receiver --> HDMI to TV in order to get both 5.1 stereo and picture to the TV? Exactly like you described. Blu-Ray, Roku, Playstation, HTPC, whatehaveyou via HDMI to receiver which sends picture via one HDMI to TV. Sounds also like you'd want to set up some HDMI-CEC to control everything with one remote.
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Sep 9, 2014 19:26
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So I want a receiver that basically has like 4-5 HDMI inputs, an HDMI output, and then plugs for the 5.1 channel speakers, right?
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Sep 9, 2014 19:28
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Liam Emsa posted:So I want a receiver that basically has like 4-5 HDMI inputs, an HDMI output, and then plugs for the 5.1 channel speakers, right? Yes. Fortunately for you, that's practically all modern home theater receivers.
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Sep 9, 2014 19:32
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My parent's (very) old Sony receiver kicked the bucket and they are thinking of replacing it with this to have less cables running around, and reuse their rear speakers for not too much money: http://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/audio-visual/hometheater-systems/front-virtual-surround-systems/yht-s401_w/?mode=model Is that thing decent ?
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Sep 9, 2014 19:39
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Spatule posted:Is that thing decent ? For a soundbar? Yes. Are you sure you're buying what you think you're buying? That's a complete unit in itself, you can't connect extra speakers to it and it doesn't need a receiver. It's not a replacement for a receiver.
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Sep 9, 2014 19:51
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Hob_Gadling posted:For a soundbar? Yes. Are you sure ? This is the back : http://www.easylounge.com/Content/photos/y/a/yamyhts401,21468-1200px.jpg Looks like you can add rear speakers, making it 5.1 ? edit: the one that died http://www.hifidatabase.com/Detailed/Sony_STR-DB940_5040.php Hope I can fix it and keep it. That thing is dope. Spatule fucked around with this message at 20:33 on Sep 9, 2014 |
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Sep 9, 2014 20:21
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Spatule posted:Are you sure ? You're right, you can add rear speakers to that. My mistake. I still maintain it's not a replacement for receiver. That's an subwoofer with HDMI input. If you want a soundbar, Yamaha soundbars are a very nice choice. As long as you know what you're getting it's all good.
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Sep 9, 2014 20:48
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Getting my first home theater for our first house. I want something multi-zoned to go from the family room to the patio. Does this setup look good or am I missing something? Denon AVR-X4000 refurb Polk CSI A6 Polk RTi A5 x2 Polk PSW505 There are already a couple surround speakers in the ceiling of the family room and patio, but not sure what type. I basically want to be able to control the sound from anywhere via my phone and send all the output to the patio from the family room.
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Sep 9, 2014 23:07
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