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Home Theatre Surround Systems


EmotionDetector
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Since moving into our house almost two years ago, I've been thinking about getting a Surround Sound system for the basement.

 

I have a great 55-inch Samsung LED TV, but the sound is far from great.

 

The basement is already finished, so I have no plans to break through the walls to run wires (though that would've been a nice option had it not been finished).

 

Do you guys have any recommendations or suggestions for good Home Theatre systems / brands? Basically, I am looking to purchase a reciever and speakers...possibly 7.1 or 10.1...no idea.

 

Any suggestions?

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QUOTE (EmotionDetector @ Apr 23 2012, 09:28 AM)
Since moving into our house almost two years ago, I've been thinking about getting a Surround Sound system for the basement.

I have a great 55-inch Samsung LED TV, but the sound is far from great.

The basement is already finished, so I have no plans to break through the walls to run wires (though that would've been a nice option had it not been finished).

Do you guys have any recommendations or suggestions for good Home Theatre systems / brands? Basically, I am looking to purchase a reciever and speakers...possibly 7.1 or 10.1...no idea.

Any suggestions?

Depends how much you wanna spend laugh.gif

 

Might wanna start here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/

 

 

I bought a Sony 5.1 system about 10 years ago, and replaced the subwoofer with a 15" Klipsch sub within a year. I like a nice boom.

 

My receiver and speakers are getting out of date, and this is the place I have been doing a lot of reading.

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Sony has never done me wrong. 1022.gif 1022.gif

 

I have a Sony 7.1 receiver/amp (Dolby TrueHD + DTS-HD MA), with 5 Klipsch surround sound speakers and a 10" Polk subwoofer. 5.1 is all I need; 7.1 would just be overkill in my apartment. Everything sounds GREAT thru it - the Blu-ray, DVD, DirecTV, and my CD's.

 

You don't need to destroy your bank account to get a good system. You should make sure that your receiver has as many HDMI and/or component video inputs as possible, in case you have multiple High Definition sources. Make sure your receiver has Dolby TrueHD + DTS-HD MA (Master Audio).

 

I didn't think I would be seduced by HD surround sound, but I was soooooooooo wrong. I can't be without it now.... laugh.gif laugh.gif laugh.gif

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I've got a Sony Surround Reciever with Kef surround speakers and sub. The star of my show is the Oppo Blu-Ray player. It plays DVD-A, SACDs and a host of file formats from my portable hard drives including MKV.

 

 

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Buy what sounds the best to you. Try and find a place that has lots of different brands so you can listen to as many as possible.

 

Also, check out speakers from Definitive Technologies. I've found that they sound as good as speakers costing twice as much. I think Best Buy carries them in their upper end Magnolia Home Theater.

 

And...for what's it's worth, I have Harmon Kardon components, and they sound wonderful, but my CD/DVD player and receiver both crapped out on me and needed repairs. Not very reliable.

 

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And keep this in mind. You system will only sound as good as your speakers. If you are going to dump money into your system, that's where you want to spend it.
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The biggest thing I can suggest it to make sure what the connectors are like on the back of the system. Panasonic's speaker connections are not universal. You have to use their speakers due to special Panasonic jacks and it severely limits your options. Also, make sure any ancillary items advertised actually exist. Panasonic (again) advertised a wireless solution to avoid running wires (or the inability to add longer wires due to its brand specific connectors again) that were apparently never actually produced and sold.
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Sony receivers are great, but the speaker need to compliment them or it sounds crap. Make sure you get speakers. Go everywhere, try everything and compare what fits in your price range. If you get bulky speakers (the speakers that have more than an inch or two of thickness), you probably won't need a sub woofer unless you really want to feel like you're in the middle of a michael bay movie (as in physically feel every explosion).

 

Unless you're restricted on space, get the larger speakers so you don't need a sub woofer. It sounds a hell of a lot better when the bass is coming out of the proper system.

 

7.1 surround sound is becoming a thing now, I don't notice much difference in it. 5.1 is amazing for every application (1 center, one front/rear left, one front/rear right)

Edited by USB Connector
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QUOTE (USB Connector @ Apr 24 2012, 09:47 PM)
Sony receivers are great, but the speaker need to compliment them or it sounds crap. Make sure you get speakers. Go everywhere, try everything and compare what fits in your price range. If you get bulky speakers (the speakers that have more than an inch or two of thickness), you probably won't need a sub woofer unless you really want to feel like you're in the middle of a michael bay movie (as in physically feel every explosion).

Unless you're restricted on space, get the larger speakers so you don't need a sub woofer. It sounds a hell of a lot better when the bass is coming out of the proper system.

7.1 surround sound is becoming a thing now, I don't notice much difference in it. 5.1 is amazing for every application (1 center, one front/rear left, one front/rear right)

I've found that a sub woofer makes a huge difference...big speakers or not. Having a sub woofer will make your other speakers to not have to work as hard, and makes the whole system sound better.

 

That's my experience, for what it's worth.

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Bose!
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QUOTE (USB Connector @ Apr 24 2012, 09:47 PM)

7.1 surround sound is becoming a thing now, I don't notice much difference in it. 5.1 is amazing for every application (1 center, one front/rear left, one front/rear right)

I agree. 7.1 is just overkill, IMO, especially because 5.1 is by far the dominant system right now. Personally, I don't know of any medium that offers true 7.1. Pro sports networks broadcast in 5.1 and 2.0. If the audio is 5.1, then having seven speakers is really unnecessary.

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They are closing the Best Buy near my house. They had some awesome sales, and I picked up a new Denon AVR3312CI marked down from $1099 to $714. My Harman Kardon crapped out on me about year ago, so I like having a stereo again. smile.gif

 

Now, if I could just learn how to set this bad boy up. There are so many different surround settings and options. This thing does everything but tell you your sperm count.

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QUOTE (burgeranacoke @ Apr 26 2012, 06:02 PM)
Never buy Bose, just a waste of money.

Waaay overpriced too. Tons of better options for less money.....

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QUOTE (ILSnwdog @ May 1 2012, 06:26 PM)
They are closing the Best Buy near my house. They had some awesome sales, and I picked up a new Denon AVR3312CI marked down from $1099 to $714. My Harman Kardon crapped out on me about year ago, so I like having a stereo again. smile.gif

Now, if I could just learn how to set this bad boy up. There are so many different surround settings and options. This thing does everything but tell you your sperm count.

Great buy.....that looks like an awesome reciever, wow!

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QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ May 1 2012, 10:37 PM)
QUOTE (burgeranacoke @ Apr 26 2012, 06:02 PM)
Never buy Bose, just a waste of money.

Waaay overpriced too. Tons of better options for less money.....

yes.gif

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Thanks for the input guys!

 

I've recently been looking at Denon receivers...I know my parents have one, and it's always been pretty good.

 

There is actually this package at Best Buy...a Denon receiver with Boston Acoustic Speakers.

 

Any thoughts on this combo?

 

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/denon-...bf070a56e9fen02

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QUOTE (EmotionDetector @ May 3 2012, 01:31 PM)
Thanks for the input guys!

I've recently been looking at Denon receivers...I know my parents have one, and it's always been pretty good.

There is actually this package at Best Buy...a Denon receiver with Boston Acoustic Speakers.

Any thoughts on this combo?

http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/denon-...bf070a56e9fen02

I've always heard good things about Denon and Boston Acoustic.

 

I'll let you know first hand about my new Denon receiver after I get to play around with it with nobody home. The wife and kids don't appreciate loud music like I do. biggrin.gif

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QUOTE (ILSnwdog @ May 1 2012, 11:46 PM)
QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ May 1 2012, 10:37 PM)
QUOTE (burgeranacoke @ Apr 26 2012, 06:02 PM)
Never buy Bose, just a waste of money.

Waaay overpriced too. Tons of better options for less money.....

yes.gif

Also agree. And Bose is too proprietary -- tough to mix others brands of speakers and subs with their systems.

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QUOTE (EmotionDetector @ May 4 2012, 01:19 PM)
There is another one that I just came across at Future Shop that is only on for 3 days.

Judging on the price...I doubt it's a powerful system. Anyone use Pioneer receivers? Any good?

Here is the link to this package:

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/pio...9254ec02d31en02

Pioneer is OK. I don't think they are in the same ballpark as Denon though.

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QUOTE (ILSnwdog @ May 4 2012, 02:20 PM)
QUOTE (EmotionDetector @ May 4 2012, 01:19 PM)
There is another one that I just came across at Future Shop that is only on for 3 days.

Judging on the price...I doubt it's a powerful system. Anyone use Pioneer receivers? Any good?

Here is the link to this package:

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/pio...9254ec02d31en02

Pioneer is OK. I don't think they are in the same ballpark as Denon though.

I have a fairly new Pioneer receiver. 7.1, 110w x 7, full HDMI 3D compliant. Not bad. Enough power to drive my big speakers, but the sound quality with stereo CDs is a little lifeless. Movies sound pretty good. I wouldn't mind upgrading to something different.

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QUOTE (ILSnwdog @ May 1 2012, 10:46 PM)
QUOTE (WCFIELDS @ May 1 2012, 10:37 PM)
QUOTE (burgeranacoke @ Apr 26 2012, 06:02 PM)
Never buy Bose, just a waste of money.

Waaay overpriced too. Tons of better options for less money.....

yes.gif

To be honest, I got my Bose speakers for free (my Mother in law owed us money, she won the speakers in a raffle, and we made a deal). My receiver is a JVC and I've never had any problems with it. All in all, my system sounds pretty dang good to my old ears.

 

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