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But it is worth it?....
I'm in the market for a new home theater system but nothing that will force me to rob banks to pay it off. Here's what I have chosen so far...let me have it.
Onkyo HT-S770 6.1 System $469.99 Onkyo DV-SP502 DVD Player $299.99 Sanus BF31B Black 31" Speaker Stands $59.99/pair Harmony SST-688 Remote $199.99 I will watch more movies than I will listen to music. Is it worth $300 for a DVD player with DVD-A and SACD if I'm not going to listen to music on it? Or will it blow me away so much that it's the only way I'll listen to music ever again. J |
"coyotepx" wrote in message ...
I'm in the market for a new home theater system but nothing that will force me to rob banks to pay it off. Here's what I have chosen so far...let me have it. Onkyo HT-S770 6.1 System $469.99 Onkyo DV-SP502 DVD Player $299.99 Sanus BF31B Black 31" Speaker Stands $59.99/pair Harmony SST-688 Remote $199.99 I will watch more movies than I will listen to music. Is it worth $300 for a DVD player with DVD-A and SACD if I'm not going to listen to music on it? Or will it blow me away so much that it's the only way I'll listen to music ever again. J If it was me, and this is only my opinion, I'd be spending less on the dvd player and remote, and more on the base system. Pioneer makes universal players that play sacd and dvd-a for about $150. And decent universal remotes can be had for $50. Put the $300 savings from those 2 items into a better home theater in a box system. Jeff |
Jeff wrote:
If it was me, and this is only my opinion, I'd be spending less on the dvd player and remote, and more on the base system. Pioneer makes universal players that play sacd and dvd-a for about $150. And decent universal remotes can be had for $50. What he said. Also, you haven't mentioned speakers, but the savings on these items would be even better spent on upgraded speakers. JGM |
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On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 23:50:49 -0600, "coyotepx"
wrote: I'm in the market for a new home theater system but nothing that will force me to rob banks to pay it off. Here's what I have chosen so far...let me have it. Onkyo HT-S770 6.1 System $469.99 Onkyo DV-SP502 DVD Player $299.99 Sanus BF31B Black 31" Speaker Stands $59.99/pair Harmony SST-688 Remote $199.99 I have a Harmony remote and really like it, but on your budget you might be better off spending less on the remote and more for your 6.1 system. You can get a decent DVD player for a lot less, too. |
The Onkyo HT-S770 6.1 System $469.99 is a "Home Theater in a
Box" system Ah. I assumed it was a receiver. Feeding a $500 HTIB with a $300 DVD player is lunacy, IMO. As is controlling it with a $150 remote. If you are controlling the HTIB, a TV, and a DVD player, any $10 universal remote ought to do the job. JGM JGM |
Thanks for the suggestions. Is the Onkyo 6.1 system really not that good?
I've looked at this DVD player, Pioneer DV-578 (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-MSP2EYF...p?I=130DV578AS), $129.00. What do you think of it? Also, I know that the remote is overkill but I don't plan on this system being my final, until I die, system. Hence the remote that can learn as I grow. I, also, hope that it will control my DVR from the cable company. Thanks, J "Karl S" wrote in message ... On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 23:50:49 -0600, "coyotepx" wrote: I'm in the market for a new home theater system but nothing that will force me to rob banks to pay it off. Here's what I have chosen so far...let me have it. Onkyo HT-S770 6.1 System $469.99 Onkyo DV-SP502 DVD Player $299.99 Sanus BF31B Black 31" Speaker Stands $59.99/pair Harmony SST-688 Remote $199.99 I have a Harmony remote and really like it, but on your budget you might be better off spending less on the remote and more for your 6.1 system. You can get a decent DVD player for a lot less, too. |
"coyotepx" wrote in message ...
Also, I know that the remote is overkill but I don't plan on this system being my final, until I die, system. Hence the remote that can learn as I grow. I, also, hope that it will control my DVR from the cable company. You should spend as much as possible on speakers. That's what mostly determines the sound of the system. Don't buy speakers from a catalog without auditioning them first. Speakers don't become obsolete like other audio equipment. Buy a $60 DVD player, a $200 receiver, a $20 remote, and spend everything you can on speakers. There are $20 universal remotes that will get you by. By the time you have a system complex enough to justify it, the features of a remote that costs $150 today will probably be available in something under $50. If you don't need it now, don't buy it now. Electronics always get cheaper. The worst mistake you can make is getting stuck with substandard speakers, because they're the most expensive and difficult element to replace, yet other audio upgrades will be wasted until you do. Getting a better receiver won't make crappy speakers sound any better. Getting good speakers *will* make a crappy receiver sound better. The audible difference between crap speakers and good speakers is immediately evident to anyone. The difference between a good receiver and a mediocre one is inaudible to the untrained ear. RichC |
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Karl S wrote:
On 17 Nov 2004 11:29:42 -0800, (RichC) wrote: "coyotepx" wrote in message ... Buy a $60 DVD player, a $200 receiver, a $20 remote, and spend everything you can on speakers. Excellent advice. I hate to sound like a broken record but RichC's is the best advice when putting together a system. Build around the speakers. David |
RichC wrote in message om... "coyotepx" wrote in message ... Also, I know that the remote is overkill but I don't plan on this system being my final, until I die, system. Hence the remote that can learn as I grow. I, also, hope that it will control my DVR from the cable company. You should spend as much as possible on speakers. That's what mostly determines the sound of the system. Don't buy speakers from a catalog without auditioning them first. Speakers don't become obsolete like other audio equipment. Buy a $60 DVD player, a $200 receiver, a $20 remote, and spend everything you can on speakers. Agreed. Top notch advice. You could also consider buying only the front 2 speakers initially, which will get you started with a pair of better quality speakers. Then add a subwoofer. Then surrounds. Then a center channel. Or perhaps the surrounds, then the sub, then the center. Do some research to find out what brands are considered high-quality, but let your ears be the final judge. 40% of the people in this NG may advise you to buy BrandX, but YOU may not like them. You'll end up with the same system eventually, mark my word, so save yourself the expense of the initial low-end system. You can then look into getting a flagship receiver such as the Denon 380x or 580x (x will change as the years go by), which comes with a high-end remote which you may find appealing, which would save you the initial $200 expenditure on a remote. |
On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 23:35:35 +0000, Hugh Candlin wrote:
You could also consider buying only the front 2 speakers initially, which will get you started with a pair of better quality speakers. Then add a subwoofer. Then surrounds. Then a center channel. Or perhaps the surrounds, then the sub, then the center. How well does the current breed of receiver handle disconnected outputs? Once upon a time, that would be disastrous for the output transistors. Can you safely run a newer receiver with some speakers "missing"? -- Gerry Wheeler Naples, FL |
"Hugh Candlin" wrote in news:[email protected]
news.ops.worldnet.att.net: You could also consider buying only the front 2 speakers initially, which will get you started with a pair of better quality speakers. Then add a subwoofer. Then surrounds. Then a center channel. The center channel is EXTREMELY important when it comes to surround sound. If possible, I would spend as much on the center as the main 2 speakers. With 5.1 encoded material, I would say 80% of all sound comes out of the center channel. -- Lucas Tam ) Please delete "REMOVE" from the e-mail address when replying. http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/coolspot18/ |
Lucas Tam wrote in message .. . "Hugh Candlin" wrote in news:[email protected] news.ops.worldnet.att.net: You could also consider buying only the front 2 speakers initially, which will get you started with a pair of better quality speakers. Then add a subwoofer. Then surrounds. Then a center channel. The center channel is EXTREMELY important when it comes to surround sound. That's what the phantom center mode is for, if you decide to acquire a system in the manner that I suggested. If possible, I would spend as much on the center as the main 2 speakers. That is indeed one of the reasons that I gave the advice that I did. If he can afford to buy 3 good speakers, then he probably should do so. But, again, he may prefer the sound of the phantom mode. With 5.1 encoded material, I would say 80% of all sound comes out of the center channel. I should probably have mentioned the phantom mode up front. I was in no way trying to minimize the imporance of any of the speaker positions. I was advocating a method of getting the best bang for the buck without first having to buy an el cheapo system. It is just one method of building a system. I'm not claiming that it is the only way, or the best way. Heck, I didn't even say he SHOULD do it. Only that he could CONSIDER it. |
Great advice from everyone as I'll consider all that I've read here. However, no one answered the question of getting a DVD player with DVD-A and SACD capabilities. Is it worth it for movie purposes only?
J "coyotepx" wrote in message ... I'm in the market for a new home theater system but nothing that will force me to rob banks to pay it off. Here's what I have chosen so far...let me have it. Onkyo HT-S770 6.1 System $469.99 Onkyo DV-SP502 DVD Player $299.99 Sanus BF31B Black 31" Speaker Stands $59.99/pair Harmony SST-688 Remote $199.99 I will watch more movies than I will listen to music. Is it worth $300 for a DVD player with DVD-A and SACD if I'm not going to listen to music on it? Or will it blow me away so much that it's the only way I'll listen to music ever again. J |
Again, here's what I've now come up with. Once I get a house, I will invest big(ger) into my system. Until then, I'll start in this price/quality range.
Inifinity TSS-750 5.1 Speaker Set $630(http://www.crutchfield.com/S-76Yu7lt...750P&s=0&cc=01) Sony STR-DE 597 Receiver $180 (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-76Yu7lt...597B&s=0&cc=01) Onkyo DVD Player $85 (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-76Yu7lt...301S&s=0&cc=07) "coyotepx" wrote in message ... Great advice from everyone as I'll consider all that I've read here. However, no one answered the question of getting a DVD player with DVD-A and SACD capabilities. Is it worth it for movie purposes only? J "coyotepx" wrote in message ... I'm in the market for a new home theater system but nothing that will force me to rob banks to pay it off. Here's what I have chosen so far...let me have it. Onkyo HT-S770 6.1 System $469.99 Onkyo DV-SP502 DVD Player $299.99 Sanus BF31B Black 31" Speaker Stands $59.99/pair Harmony SST-688 Remote $199.99 I will watch more movies than I will listen to music. Is it worth $300 for a DVD player with DVD-A and SACD if I'm not going to listen to music on it? Or will it blow me away so much that it's the only way I'll listen to music ever again. J |
coyotepx wrote:
Again, here's what I've now come up with. Once I get a house, I will invest big(ger) into my system. Until then, I'll start in this price/quality range. Inifinity TSS-750 5.1 Speaker Set $630(http://www.crutchfield.com/S-76Yu7lt...750P&s=0&cc=01 http://www.crutchfield.com/S-76Yu7ltReRQ/cgi-bin/prodview.asp?i=108TSS750P&s=0&cc=01) At the price point you're at, take a serious look at this holiday special from AV123. This company has customer service that is easily the equal of Crutchfield (i.e. ecelllent) and this combo make the Crutchfield offering look like a toy. Here is a link to their website but you won't find this offer listed. It is posted in their forum section only. http://www.av123.com/products_catego...ers&brand =13 ELT Kenwood Bonus Offer * Purchase any Cherry-Stained Birch ELT System for $999.00 and receive a Kenwood VRS 7100 6.1 Digital Receiver and progressive scan DVD player...FREE Here's the fine print: OFFERS MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER SPECIAL. OFFER LIMITED TO PRODUCT MENTIONED ABOVE ONLY - MAY NOT BE MODIFIED. B-STOCK DOES NOT APPLY. CANADIAN PRICING SLIGHTLY HIGHER. Call or email - 877-543-7500 Option 1 Thanks! Happy Holidays. |
"RichC" wrote in message om... "coyotepx" wrote in message ... Also, I know that the remote is overkill but I don't plan on this system being my final, until I die, system. Hence the remote that can learn as I grow. I, also, hope that it will control my DVR from the cable company. You should spend as much as possible on speakers. That's what mostly determines the sound of the system. Don't buy speakers from a catalog without auditioning them first. Speakers don't become obsolete like other audio equipment. You should spend as little as possible to get what you want, and that goes for speakers as well as the rest. There is almost no relation between speaker price and sound quality. There is a slight relation between price and bass extension, but less than you might think. Norm Strong |
normanstrong wrote:
"RichC" wrote in message om... "coyotepx" wrote in message ... Also, I know that the remote is overkill but I don't plan on this system being my final, until I die, system. Hence the remote that can learn as I grow. I, also, hope that it will control my DVR from the cable company. You should spend as much as possible on speakers. That's what mostly determines the sound of the system. Don't buy speakers from a catalog without auditioning them first. Speakers don't become obsolete like other audio equipment. You should spend as little as possible to get what you want, and that goes for speakers as well as the rest. There is almost no relation between speaker price and sound quality. There is a slight relation between price and bass extension, but less than you might think. Norm Strong That wasn't his point. He may have worded it diffently so everyone could better understand it. If he had said, "You should spend as much as possible WITHIN YOUR BUDGET on speakers." Would that still garner the same response? I don't think it should be necessary to give a lecture on value every time we post something. If someone hasn't got the sense to understand that throwing money at a purchase as the only criteria is folly, then there isn't much that we can do help them in the first place. David |
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UnionPac2004 wrote:
"coyotepx" wrote: Again, here's what I've now come up with. Once I get a house, I will = invest big(ger) into my system. Until then, I'll start in this = price/quality range. Inifinity TSS-750 5.1 Speaker Set = $630(http://www.crutchfield.com/S-76Yu7lt...ew.asp?i=3D10= 8TSS750P&s=3D0&cc=3D01) Sony STR-DE 597 Receiver $180 = (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-76Yu7lt...sp?i=3D158STD= 597B&s=3D0&cc=3D01) Onkyo DVD Player $85 = (http://www.crutchfield.com/S-76Yu7lt...sp?i=3D580DVS= 301S&s=3D0&cc=3D07) Have you heard that speaker package before? Does Crutchfield offer a liberal return policy if you're not happy with them? I have not personally heard them myself, and buying speakers without hearing them first would not be the route I would take... With the good internet direct speaker companies like Ascend, AV123, Axiom, etc, you have a minimum of 30 days to try the equipment in your own home. You can return them for the cost of shipping for any reason during the trial period. It's pretty easy to get the trial period extended if you call the company and state a reason. A bit of research will narrow down which company has speakers that best fit the situation. I went with Ascend's but in coyotepx situation, the AV123 package looks ideal. Low end Infinity's aren't even in the same league. Also, unless Sony has made improvements in their DE series of receivers, I would avoid them. Although if you plan on upgrading to a better receiver eventually, it may not matter. Good advice. Sony has taken a wrong turn with the DE's. There's lots of better values out there. David |
On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 04:24:35 -0600, "coyotepx"
wrote: Great advice from everyone as I'll consider all that I've read here. However, no one answered the question of getting a DVD player with DVD-A and SACD capabilities. Is it worth it for movie purposes only? I love mine, a Pioneer 563A. There is a Pioneer 578A now for around $130. http://www.crutchfield.com/S-eivFG4w...V578AS&g=54700 Best audio out of this thing is through the 6 channel analog outputs. I can't tell if your receiver has an input for that. Some nice titles for this a SACD: Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon stunning Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells ditto Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road James Taylor - JT DVD-A Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery Doobie Brothers - The Captain and Me Donald Fagan - The Nightfly Yes - Fragile Richard Thompson - Rumour and Sigh. There are much more expensive 'universal' players out there, like the Denon 2900 at around $700, but I doubt my less discerning ears could tell the difference. Rich M. |
"coyotepx" wrote in message ... Great advice from everyone as I'll consider all that I've read here. However, no one answered the question of getting a DVD player with DVD-A and SACD capabilities. Is it worth it for movie purposes only? No. Movies don't have DVD-A or SACD soundtracks. However, a "universal" player is pretty handy, in my judgement. They tend to simply play pretty much everything: lots of different formats of audio and video on a variety of pressed and burned media. This capability can be a comfort in these days of home-brew disc-making. But it's beginning to look like DVD-A and SACD are going to remain niche formats, marketed primarily at audiophiles, with very little program material not also available in more conventional formats. This could still change, but it doesn't look promising IMO. Still, in a budget system intended primarily for movie watching, there are great players in the $60 range that will give you tremendous performance. You can upgrade later without remorse. Note that one thing universal players do have is internal decoders and system setup menus, allowing them to be used with separate amplifiers, old "DD Ready" receivers, and other equipment without decoders of their own. But any AV receiver you buy will have its own decoders, so this point is almost certainly moot, and the universal player's decoders are something you'd end up paying for and not using. RichC |
"Jeff" wrote in message om... "coyotepx" wrote in message ... I'm in the market for a new home theater system but nothing that will force me to rob banks to pay it off. Here's what I have chosen so far...let me have it. Onkyo HT-S770 6.1 System $469.99 Onkyo DV-SP502 DVD Player $299.99 Sanus BF31B Black 31" Speaker Stands $59.99/pair Harmony SST-688 Remote $199.99 I will watch more movies than I will listen to music. Is it worth $300 for a DVD player with DVD-A and SACD if I'm not going to listen to music on it? Or will it blow me away so much that it's the only way I'll listen to music ever again. J If it was me, and this is only my opinion, I'd be spending less on the dvd player and remote, and more on the base system. Pioneer makes universal players that play sacd and dvd-a for about $150. And decent universal remotes can be had for $50. Put the $300 savings from those 2 items into a better home theater in a box system. Jeff Agreed that the DVD player is a bad choice, because its outsourced by toshiba, which is almost a guarntee that you'll have trouble with it. Not to mention its overpriced. A better pick is the samsung rd841 or 941, both play dvd audio and sacd and "upconvert" to 1080i An even better choice is a DVD recorder, Sony has the rbx-300 which is my latest player. The picture is outstanding, the GUI and controls intuitive, and its currently on sale at Circuit for 359 (or 349 on the web) Not to mention that the picture is about what you'd expect from a 300 to 400 $ player... in a word outstanding. Works like a VCR but with a better picture. I can record in the slowest speed and the picture is still fair As for remote, I'd go to remote central.com. One of their advertisers are selling refurbished pronto tsu-3000's for 199$, you can get a new one for 300$. Both prices are with a charging station. I swear by mine |
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