Updated 08/19/2008 - HDTV and Surround Sound Recommendations!

[Deathwish238]

Believe it or not, the new Kuros will have 5 times deeper blacks. They're coming out in June.

[Butler]

Just a quick question, Will higher quality scart help my freeview box picture quality on my HD TV?

[Deathwish238]

You mean will a more expensive SCART cable improve your pq? At best you may see a marginal difference, I say don't waste your money

[tallica81]

Hey everyone a couple of a weeks ago i very nearly went and bought myself a yamaha HTIB but i've now decided i will probly go for a half decent component setup. Now i've finding it very hard to decide on anything because there is so much out there.

The room i want it for is my bedroom so i have some decent sound when playing games and watching movies. Although all the reccomendations on here are great they dont always apply to me being in australia ( Price differ, availibility) so im wondering if there is anyone on these forums from australia...west aus would be even better, that can help me find my way through this and get a decent setup.

EDIT: My budget is probly just over a grand can be flexible.

[Deathwish238]

My best advice is to first figure out what type of sound you like. That'll help you do research online which will aid you in narrowing down your choices.

Listen, listen, and listen to as many speakers as you can. Go to all the local speaker stores and give what they have a listen, but I don't recommend listening to stuff too much out of your price range...unless you want to think about speakers you probably shouldn't buy/can't afford.

I was perfectly content with my setup, but after hearing some $12k speakers I find myself wanting more


btw, you should plan to spend 20% more than your budget....so if you have $1000 to spend shoot to spend $800ish. Also, it's better to spend a little more now than get upgraditis like many do and see yourself losing money when you sell what you have


Take a look at Aperion, they're a great value

[Deathwish238]

My best advice is to first figure out what type of sound you like. That'll help you do research online which will aid you in narrowing down your choices.

Listen, listen, and listen to as many speakers as you can. Go to all the local speaker stores and give what they have a listen, but I don't recommend listening to stuff too much out of your price range...unless you want to think about speakers you probably shouldn't buy/can't afford.

I was perfectly content with my setup, but after hearing some $12k speakers I find myself wanting more


btw, you should plan to spend 20% more than your budget....so if you have $1000 to spend shoot to spend $800ish. Also, it's better to spend a little more now than get upgraditis like many do and see yourself losing money when you sell what you have


Take a look at Ascend Acoustics, they're a great value

[gingerade202]

i just bought a new 37 inch toshiba.
Toshiba - 37" 720p Flat-Panel LCD HDTV - 37AV500U

And im just wondering if any one has any setup settings that i can use for it:?

[tallica81]

Originally Posted by Deathwish238

My best advice is to first figure out what type of sound you like. That'll help you do research online which will aid you in narrowing down your choices.

Listen, listen, and listen to as many speakers as you can. Go to all the local speaker stores and give what they have a listen, but I don't recommend listening to stuff too much out of your price range...unless you want to think about speakers you probably shouldn't buy/can't afford.

I was perfectly content with my setup, but after hearing some $12k speakers I find myself wanting more


btw, you should plan to spend 20% more than your budget....so if you have $1000 to spend shoot to spend $800ish. Also, it's better to spend a little more now than get upgraditis like many do and see yourself losing money when you sell what you have


Take a look at Ascend Acoustics, they're a great value

Thanks for all the advice deathwish. I think since its gonna be mostly gaming the sub is probably a high priority im just so confused about all the receivers and stuff on the market so i need some guidance.


Ascend Acoustics look very good but once again they are based in the US and i doubt you could even get there products in aus (correct me if im wrong).

[Deathwish238]

hmm, I didn't catch that you're in Australia.

What brands do you have to choose from? If you want a great sub, normally I'll tell people to get an SVS...but that may not be an option given where you are.

For receivers, look at Onkyo and Yamaha as they're generally a better value. No matter what you buy, you need Dolby Digital decoding and an optical input. You should preferably have Component inputs as well

Originally Posted by gingerade202

i just bought a new 37 inch toshiba.
Toshiba - 37" 720p Flat-Panel LCD HDTV - 37AV500U

And im just wondering if any one has any setup settings that i can use for it:?

Find the official/master thread on the avsforum

[WRHSFootball63]

Just a quick question. The calibration that you say is necessary first how does it help and second how much does it help?