posted
It's finally happening. Our television we've had since we were married is dying. It is so blurry at times we cannot read the program guide (we have dish network).
So, this Christmas(or after) we are going to purchase a new TV.
We cannot afford a plasma/lcd/new technology type television. We do plan on getting one eventually though, we just can't afford it at the moment.
In the future we want to get a surround sound system so we can enjoy out movies.
We also want to eventually get a CD player that holds 200 or 300 CD's.
I need advise about brands and future plans.
Should I select a brand and stick to it so I can have easier compatability (remote control compatibility too) for future exspansions?
When it comes time to get a surround sound system, should I buy the receiver seperate and then buy the speakers? Or go for the package sets that are everywhere?
What is dolby 3.1 and 5.1? does it make a difference?
I kinda lean towards Sony products(I've had good luck with them). Is Sony a good brand for a full entertainment type system? Is Panasonic better?
Wow , that's enough questions for now.
Just share with me your knowledge and expeirences if you have any.
posted
When I was buying my home theatre system I spend a fair amount of time doing listening tests with movies and music that I knew well to compare.
There is no doubt you get what you pay for. If you want to spend up big, then sure, go for perhaps a marantz receiver and amp with some Klipsch speakers. That's not the be-all-and-end-all or even a recommendation, just a great combo I heard in my search.
But the thing is that it's not JUST about the sound - and you're talking to an ex-opera singer here! Money matters.
I wound up with a mid-range Sony package that was still a component system so that I could upgrade bits as I go, if I want to.
In reality I live in an amazing, yet fairly small apartment. My Sony gear fills the room and then some. And it's compact and looks good with the rest of my gear.
One day I'll have a bigger place and perhaps I'll wind up with a really kickass system. But until then I'm more than happy having spent around a grand US and gotten a system that does everything I need.
Posts: 2245 | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Dolby 3.1 means that the system uses two side speakers and a single center speaker in addition to a subwoofer (which provides more powerful bass for rock music and action movies). The center speaker gives you clearer and more "realistic" speech, and assists in the illusion of positional audio. Dolby 5.1 gives you nearly realistic audio, as it adds two more speakers behind you -- thus making it seem as though you're in the middle of the action, assuming you're not deaf in your right ear like me and can therefore hear in stereo. Dolby 6.1 and 7.1 add still more speakers.
Depending on the size of the room, you may find that even 5.1 is overkill unless you're a perfectionist -- especially if you've never had a decent sound system of any kind before.
Sony makes decent receivers, although certainly not the best ones out there; we're feeding everything through a Denon, which I think sounds a little richer. Sony does, however, make some of the best massive CD changers (200/300 discs) out there, and their speakers are presentable -- although, again, you'll certainly get better performance from other companies.
For the price, a Sony home theater package makes a good deal of sense if you get it on sale. In general, though, you'll find that Sony DVD players aren't quite as great as some of the other brands out there -- including Panasonic.
I would recommend that you either buy a very cheap TV now or make the jump to HDTV. Let's face it: HDTV will be the future, and so you're going to wind up buying one in a few years anyway even if you don't buy one now. Of course, the longer you wait, the cheaper these sets are going to get -- especially DLP or LCD sets, which are the types you're probably going to want.
Why will you want DLP or LCD technology?
Because eventually you will join those of us who have hooked up computers to our televisions. There are several huge advantages to this, like the convenience of not NEEDING a 300-disc CD changer to queue up 300 hours worth of music. And when you do this, you'll find that DLP and LCD sets are really the only techs out there that will give you the resolution you'll want without the risk of burn-in (which is a major threat to computer use).
posted
To be honest, I found a perfectally good surround sound system at BB for under $160. It has Dolby 5.1, with a 5 disk changer, which i find to be plenty.
You can find some nice sets between then 300-400 range, and that shoudl be all you need even if you have a large room to fill.
A component system is better, but usually runs a lot more, and is overkill for a lot of people.
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Tullaan, it depends on how you spend your money typically, but if it were me (and it was a year ago when we decided to rearrange our house), save up for a DLP TV set. We chose a 42" Sony Grand Wega, and it is fantastic. We *love* it. I regret, however, that we bought one of Sony's Home Theatre in a Box deals...it was cheaper that way, but we've had nothing but problems with it. Our friends have Denon, and it sounds fantastic.
Were I to do that part over again, I'd call a local a/v company to come in and make recommendations, then have them install everything. It's what I'm going to end up doing anyway, probably, since I'm really not happy with the current way it's set up.
Yeah, it's far more expensive going this route than just buying a $500 conventional TV set and cheap home-theater-in-a-box. But in the bigger picture, our long term plans had always been to have a big screen tv and home theater system, and it didn't make sense to buy something we didn't really want long term. Maybe your goals are a different. But assuming you're basically where we were a year ago: my recommendation: Save your money, put up with the dying TV, and wait until you can afford what you truly want. That'll give you time to do some smart shopping, talk with people about systems, and find out who really knows their stuff. If you're at all like me, you know a little, but until you start really getting into it, you don't know enough to make good, educated, buying decisions.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
http://www.axiomaudio.com/ has some great speakers for really reasonable prices, especially if you check out their factory outlet. Mark bought our speakers through them, and we'll definitely be going back for more.
We got our TV from Best Buy, it was a discontinued 30" widescreen HDTV tube from Phillips. We've been very happy with it so far, with two exceptions: the sound coming from the TV's speakers sucks, but we always use the sound system, anyhow, and the channel changing is really slow. Still, for around $600, we're happy to have such a nice clear picture.
Posts: 1681 | Registered: Jun 2004
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, that's enough questions for now.![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
