Advice on Home Theatre audio setup???

[Poison]

Just picked up a new LCD last week and have good knowledge on what to look for when it comes to TVs.

Am not as versed in what to look for in home audio setup.

Not looking to spend a ton on this, say about $500-$600 and am asking for fellow cpers advice on what to look for (specs, output etc) or suggestions on a particular setup in this price range.

Also if any CPers work at any of the electronic stores let me know so i can bring you some business!

Thanks

[Komskies]

I asked a question about speakers a couple months ago and created the following thread:

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=78587

I have been extremely happy with the quality of these speakers so far. For their size, they can pump out some very powerful, crisp, high quality sound.

I'm not an audiophile by any means, and I don't know too much about the technical specs of the system, but they have more than exceeded my expectations. They support both optical audio and coax.

Edit: because I didn't want to bump that old thread, I just wanted to note that I ended up getting them from Memory Express. I was able to get them to price match TigerDirect.ca, and got them for about $160 less than Memort Express' advertised price (I think I paid $340 for them). The manager was complaining about how they're selling them for under cost as he punched in the discount.

Memory Express has a price match policy where they will match any online Canadian retailer as long as you pick up in-store.

[Poison]

I guess i should mention im hoping to get a couple tower rear speakers, knowing the little i do piecing together a system is much better quality wise but was hoping for a htib suggestion that fits my price range.
Thanks for the link though komskies, give me more places to look!

[Komskies]

Just think, for your $600 budget you could get the Z-5500s and almost have enough left over for a PS3 to fill your Blu Ray player needs.

Also one more thing: get any cables/speaker wire you need from http://www.monoprice.com

As far as I know there is no better one-stop shop for cables that can match the prices on MonoPrice.

[OBCT]

Considering your budget, I'll second Komskies suggestion.

Price match tigerdirect.ca's $329.97 at any Memory Express location (looks like only the NE has any in stock at the moment), save $100 and pay no shipping. That's a pretty good deal for a capable 5.1 package system.


In addition to that, remember to never overpay on cables and wires. monoprice.com is just one option here. (I've also heard that Superstore carries some decent, cheap electronics accessories)


EDIT: A little late to the game am I. :/

[Poison]

So is this system upgradeable, say if i want to add a couple huge tower rear speakers? Just out of curiosity why this logitech system? Is it the best bang for the buck? Considering i want to spend up to about 600 theres nothing better for a couple hundred more?

Oh and the blu ray at this point really makes no difference to me, this is mainly for sports watching etc.

[OBCT]

If you're really interested in rear towers, Poison, I've gotta know whether or not your $600 budget is set in stone (or whether putting more money into the audio side of your home theater setup in later months is something you're interested in/willing to do). Also relevant is the type of listening you plan to be doing now and down the road. TV / gaming / DVD movies / Blu-ray Disc movies / music / other?

You are right in thinking that piecing together a system slowly, gives you a better chance of completing a "great" system sometime down the road, especially as you sound like one of us -- a "regular joe" with a real world budget to work with.

If near $600 is how much you want to spend on the sound system altogether, I would still recommend the Z-5500. Though it is not audiophile friendly, it serves it's purpose real well, and I expect you'd be surprised by it's competency in a variety of audio formats.

[Bob]

I got a Z-5500 from Dell two years ago for $199. Just wait until the have it on sale; Dell has one seemingly every few weeks (check RedFlagDeals). Of course, since then I've switched to a proper receiver and a Energy Classic 5.1 system, and I think it sounds quite a bit nicer than the Z-5500s, but for $199 they're a very good deal.

Also, the Z-5500s only have two real inputs (Optical + Coax, 6 channel direct is more for PCs), and I was forever swapping cables around--a task which I grew to *hate*. If you have more than two devices (say, PS3, PVR, Xbox), it can be a real annoyance having to swap cables to get 5.1 audio.

[Poison]

I think OBCT id like to piece together a killer system but again am pretty new to the audio aspect of the sound system and am always afraid im going to get hosed.
So lets suppose i just want to start with this $600 budget but want to fill the need somewhat right now, would the speakers be the best thing to start with? Receiver? Any suggestions towards buying something now with my budget on my way to a killer system?
TV is what it will be mostly used for, sports watching for the most part, but eventually ya ill do the blu-ray movie path too but again that can be left for later down the road and doesnt need to be included in this initial 600.

Oh and another main question is is there a particular brand i should be focusing on while building, something that isnt outrageously expensive for each piece but has very good quality?
Or are some brands better at certain things than others? (ie. Bose for receiver, Polk for speakers etc.)

[OBCT]

Originally Posted by Poison

So is this system upgradeable, say if i want to add a couple huge tower rear speakers? Just out of curiosity why this logitech system? Is it the best bang for the buck? Considering i want to spend up to about 600 theres nothing better for a couple hundred more?

Oh and the blu ray at this point really makes no difference to me, this is mainly for sports watching etc.

I'm constantly a little bit behind in this discussion!!

Yes, the Z-5500 is the best bang for your buck at this price point. If I thought you could get a significant upgrade by moving up another $200-$300, I'd tell you so. I don't think you can.

You'd have to move into the next realm... the realm of capable, reasonably priced (for what they are) tower speakers; unfortunately, you can't get 5.1 competency in tower form for $600. Think double that as a starting point.

Of course, you can start small and work your way up. You could get a receiver and a couple of good towers as L and R right now, and then save up some more for a sub, then for two more rear towers, and finally a center channel to complete the 5.1. It will cost you substantially more than $600 to make it worthwhile, IMO, but you will certainly be satisfied, and it doesn't have to strain you financially.


ANOTHER option is to completely ditch the surround sound idea, as your only real source material will be television by the sounds of it (certainly not Blu-Ray). Some people (not everyone) actually prefer a system where more money is put into the main front channels instead of spreading the $$ thin across 5 or more cheaper speakers. I don't know what you think about this, but it's an option.


The last idea is going with a HTiB. They are not ideal, but they are quick and easy. The main reason I don't recommend them right away is because they just don't offer the sonic fidelity of other systems (like you piecing together towers, for instance), and they are not usually any better of a value than the Z-5500 @ $330, believe it or not. I haven't had my pulse on the Canadian HTiB market for some time, so I don't know what you could pick up for $600 these days. It could be worth a look... there's always an opportunity for a smoking deal. Speaking of which, if you do decide to go thsi route, I would strongly suggest waiting for Boxing Day. Usually Visions or Future Shop (sometimes others) have a few deals worth waiting in line overnight for that time of the year.

[Poison]

Thanks for all your helpful ideas OBCT, it sounds like if i want to go piece by piece im looking at ~$2000????

HTiB i have looked at as well but to be honest can never really tell with those how they spread out the wattage between al the components and how much youre really getting for your buck.

In your opinion, in a strictly general sense, what brands are known for better quality sound? (again in the mid price range)

[OBCT]

Originally Posted by Poison

I think OBCT id like to piece together a killer system but again am pretty new to the audio aspect of the sound system and am always afraid im going to get hosed.
So lets suppose i just want to start with this $600 budget but want to fill the need somewhat right now, would the speakers be the best thing to start with? Receiver? Any suggestions towards buying something now with my budget on my way to a killer system?

TV is what it will be mostly used for, sports watching for the most part, but eventually ya ill do the blu-ray movie path too but again that can be left for later down the road and doesnt need to be included in this initial 600.

Oh and another main question is is there a particular brand i should be focusing on while building, something that isnt outrageously expensive for each piece but has very good quality?
Or are some brands better at certain things than others? (ie. Bose for receiver, Polk for speakers etc.)

Well, this is interesting. I'll do what I can to help you out.

First of all, you've gotta find a receiver. Some brands are better than others, but value is the most important factor here. It's also gotta be somewhat future friendly -- you shouldn't have to buy a new receiver in a year when you're ready to upgrade to Blu-Ray, for example. As I said in my last post regarding HTiB, I would probably target a few models (or a range of specs) you like, then wait until Boxing Day and pull the trigger then. If you can wait that long. Receivers are ocassionally heavily discounted - you might fall into a steal of a deal.

As for the towers... I'll do some poking around and come up with some recommendations. If anyone else has something to add, please do! I haven't lived in Canada for a couple of years, so my knowledge is quite limited in terms of current market prices up there.

[Poison]

Awesome, i appreciate all the help OBCT, again video specs and talk makes sense to me but somehow once it goes into the audio world im lost, like how the wattage is distributed per piece, how some systems with less wattage are actually utilizing the power better etc.

[OBCT]

Originally Posted by Poison

Thanks for all your helpful ideas OBCT, it sounds like if i want to go piece by piece im looking at ~$2000????

HTiB i have looked at as well but to be honest can never really tell with those how they spread out the wattage between al the components and how much youre really getting for your buck.

In your opinion, in a strictly general sense, what brands are known for better quality sound? (again in the mid price range)

Yes. Sounds about right.


Depends what for. In terms of individual components, this is my take.

Receivers
Denon/Onkyo/Marantz/NAD
Pioneer Elite/Yamaha/Harman Kardon
Pioneer/Sony/Adcom

I might've missed a few, but these are the main players. This subjective rating is just for perceived "quality" and "feature set", not value. For example, Pioneer receivers are often known for being available at very good price point, making their value more impressive than Sony in this area (IMO). None of this matters until you start shopping or you find a killer sale, though.

RE: Sony... I don't like their individual components right now. They have a pretty good thing going in terms of all-in-one systems, wireless speakers, customer service, etc, etc, but it's all overpriced. You can do better than Sony if you're looking at individual components.


Speakers
too many to list; individual opinions vary too wildly

[dre]

I prefer a speaker that has no coloration. Those speakers
are usually meant for recording studios. I gave myself a bigger budget
when it came to buying speakers (my wife still hates me for it).
What you need to do is go and listen to as many speakers
as you can, according to your budget.
OBCT nailed it though.

I think the mistake most people make in their home theater set up is
speaker positioning.