Surround Sound Sugestions????

[Deathwish238]

Yeah B&W is a bit pricey. I'll see if I can find an NHT dealer that has some speakers of theirs to demo, I've always wanted to hear some

Originally Posted by Joshua

So death would this be even better than the onkyo htsr600? Buy the Onkyo HT-S3100 5.1 Receiver/Speaker System and other Home theater systems at circuitcity.com

Those are replacing the HT-S600, so yes.

[Joshua]

This may sound really dumb but...

Is 7.1 better than 5.1? The only reason I ask is because arn't most things set up for 5.1 anyhow so isn't 7.1 a waste?

[xboxguy101]

Originally Posted by Joshua

This may sound really dumb but...

Is 7.1 better than 5.1? The only reason I ask is because arn't most things set up for 5.1 anyhow so isn't 7.1 a waste?

Yes most things support 5.1, but the things that do support 7.1 really show how sweet it is. You might not notice a big difference, but it depends on the setups.

[Joshua]

So what happens when you have 7.1 and are only using something that is set for 5.1? 2 speakers just sit there and do nothing?

[MyXbox360]

Originally Posted by Deathwish238

For the bedroom, I'ld just get a HTIB...no need to really spend lots there. The Onkyo HT-SR600 would be good. Wall mount the speakers so they don't take up floor space.

Do you own this house? If so, for the living room you could even consider running the wire through the wall. A bit more work, but you can't beat the results.

Pictures of your living room would help a lot to see if you can do without the wireless setup. With $800 you'll want to spend as much on speakers rather than wireless.



Given the $800 budget you should not look at a HTIB, instead you want to get a receiver and then pick out speakers or a speaker package.

Receiver:
$200 - Amazon.com: Onkyo TX-SR505 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black): Electronics
$270 - Amazon.com: ONKYO TX-SR506 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver - Black: Electronics
$370 - Amazon.com: Onkyo TX-SR605 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black): Electronics

Onkyo is a good bang for the buck without sacrificing sq. The $200 SR505 will get the job done. The SR506 has a few more features like auto eq and an extra HDMI input. The SR605 has HDMI Upconversion so you'ld only have to have one HDMI cable going to the HDTV and nothing else. If you are interested in that you'll probably want to bump your budget up to $1000 or so.

Subs:
$156 - Parts Expressayton SUB-120 12" 150 Watt Powered Subwoofer
$278 - Bic Acoustech H-100 Powered Subwoofer : Audio & Video from Overstock.com
The Dayton isn't bad. I have my parents buy one and it's impressive for the money. However the BIC trumps it in every way possible and will give you much better bass. If you plan to do a lot of music listening, the BIC will be especially worth it for the tighter bass it'll give you.


Now for speakers, I don't have time to look too much atm...but a basic setup would be 5 Polk speakers(Fry's FRYS.com) or perhaps other comparable brands like Infinity, Athena, etc. There are a lot of brands out there and it's always best to audition them first to figure out what sound you like. There are no best speakers, just what sounds best to you

I want to keep it as simple as possible. I own the house but don't want to screw speakers into my walls or run cables through my walls. I would show you some pictures but right now someone has borrowed my camera for the next few days. I looked into these components you suggested and they seem good enough for me. I originally just wanted to get a home theater in a box since I never setup my own system but if I get a better system this way I will risk it.

What is your opinion on sound bars? Polk Audio says their sound bars replicate surround sound. SurroundBar - Surround Sound from a Single Speaker by Polk Audio

Thanks again for the information.

[Shike]

Originally Posted by MyXbox360

. . . What is your opinion on sound bars? Polk Audio says their sound bars replicate surround sound. SurroundBar - Surround Sound from a Single Speaker by Polk Audio

Thanks again for the information.

If done just right they can mimic surround sound to some extent, but are not a replacement for the real thing by any means. Also, sound quality will be questionable being much closer to a HTiB if you get it working in the first place (room acoustics are extremely important with those).

[MyXbox360]

Originally Posted by Shike

If done just right they can mimic surround sound to some extent, but are not a replacement for the real thing by any means. Also, sound quality will be questionable being much closer to a HTiB if you get it working in the first place (room acoustics are extremely important with those).

Figures, if it sounds too good to be true it must have a downside.

[Deathwish238]

Originally Posted by Joshua

So what happens when you have 7.1 and are only using something that is set for 5.1? 2 speakers just sit there and do nothing?

They will be matrixed into playing something. 7.1 gives you better immersion and if you can do it and have the budget for it there's no reason why not. You however need to have at least a few feet to each side and behind you to properly place speakers.

Originally Posted by MyXbox360

I want to keep it as simple as possible. I own the house but don't want to screw speakers into my walls or run cables through my walls. I would show you some pictures but right now someone has borrowed my camera for the next few days. I looked into these components you suggested and they seem good enough for me. I originally just wanted to get a home theater in a box since I never setup my own system but if I get a better system this way I will risk it.

What is your opinion on sound bars? Polk Audio says their sound bars replicate surround sound. SurroundBar - Surround Sound from a Single Speaker by Polk Audio

Thanks again for the information.

Camera phone would be better than nothing.

Soundbars are okay. They're a last resort or a good bedroom option imo. Not to mention they're very pricey.

If you really want to minimize wires, save up a bit more and up your budget for wireless. The KEF wireless is pretty decent, just pricey at $600 for the wireless modules and amps. I know KEF does offer an entire speaker package consisting of



It's up to you to decide what's worth it. If you play a lot of games, I'ld spend the extra bit to have speakers to your sides, even if they must be wireless. I hear a difference in games instantly while only sometimes in movies. The most important speaker for movies is your center and sub.

[MyXbox360]

Originally Posted by Deathwish238

Camera phone would be better than nothing.

Soundbars are okay. They're a last resort or a good bedroom option imo. Not to mention they're very pricey.

If you really want to minimize wires, save up a bit more and up your budget for wireless. The KEF wireless is pretty decent, just pricey at $600 for the wireless modules and amps. I know KEF does offer an entire speaker package consisting of



It's up to you to decide what's worth it. If you play a lot of games, I'ld spend the extra bit to have speakers to your sides, even if they must be wireless. I hear a difference in games instantly while only sometimes in movies. The most important speaker for movies is your center and sub.

Yea I just got from college I will try and post up pictures of my living room and bedroom tomorrow. Soundbars don't sound good enough for what I want. I would spend more on wireless speakers but I want to be sure it won't interfere with my wireless devices. I will try and buy whats best but the more they cost the longer I have to wait, but I think it will be worth it.

[Joshua]

Deathwish I'm gonna pick up the onkyo 3100 on Thurs. I went and listen to it today and it sounds great! The sub on it is a little wimpy so could you recommend an active?? Sub that would go good with this system?