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General discussion

HELP: Surround Sound ****** Here

Feb 21, 2005 1:33PM PST

I'm trying to buy a home audio system and have been reading everything possible. As far as receivers, I've heard that the Onkyo 5.1 and 6.1 systems are good, but a friend just convinced me that all Denons and most Yamahas similarly priced are better....

Also, looking for a surround sound speaker package in the 500-1000 range and have been told that systems out of the box (Circuit City, Best buy, etc.) are worthless.....bottom line, i'm clueless.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Discussion is locked

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Onkyo
Feb 21, 2005 2:58PM PST

With infiniti speakers. Polk speakers are damn fine to.

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haha
Feb 21, 2005 11:33PM PST

whoever told you that "out of the box" systems are worthless... is just trying to make himself feel better because he might know a little bit about electronics or perhaps feel better about the $109410510515.00 he spend on his system. There are several good speakers out there that are within your price range. Athena has some nice stuff, thats what I got. Whatever system you do end up getting, be sure you calibrate it (or tune it) correctly, if that makes sense.

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I wont ever
Feb 22, 2005 5:47AM PST

Wont ever have a worry about kidney stones. 1135 watts will pulse any body parts. Out of box, I would think is a kids stereo.

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******...
Feb 22, 2005 4:55AM PST

I don't have much bad to say about Onkyo, but I haven't heard any recently. When I was first in the market for a receiver, I listened to a wide variety and decided that Yamaha was the best option in my price range. I upgraded to a better Yamaha a couple of years later (bought used) and then to a Denon 3802 (my current receiver).

The Denon is my favourite so far - not quite as exciting for movies but better for music. It doesn't give the same level of performance as high-end seperates, but it provides a lot of entertainment value for the buck.

As far as speakers go, I'm not a big fan of HT-in-a-box packages. I have the Athena Micra system for a small HT set-up and it sounds good in a relatively small room. It wouldn't be my first choice for an everyday music/movie system if I had any budgetary options, though.

If you're going to drop some money on a competent receiver, then I'd suggest going with something like the Athena towers ASF1 or 2 for the front and 2 pairs of ASB2s for surrounds, and front and rear centres. If you get the ASF2s, you likely won't need a sub, though you may want one for movies.

As mentioned by someone else, Polk and Infinity make good real-size speakers for a reasonable price. PSB, Paradigm and Axiom are other excellent choices. You haven't stated how much you're willing to spend, so it's tough to give recommendations. I read somewhere recently that Mirage speakers were being blown out in the states to make room for a new line. If this is the case and you have the opportunity, make sure you audition some.

Although songs like "let's get ********" are popular these days, it's societally unfortunate that we're embracing this kind of language.

Cheers

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re:
Feb 22, 2005 5:25AM PST

for $700-$800.....can i get a receiver and decent speakers?

The Polks did not get good reviews. Where can i find the Athenas?

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hmmm...
Feb 23, 2005 3:12AM PST

Perhaps I don't know the lingo "out of the box". I consider my system to be "out of the box" because I took the components out of the boxes myself & hooked them up myself. I have:

Receiver:
Yamaha RX-V750

Speakers:

front left/right: 2 x Athena AS-F2
rear left/right: 2 x Athena AS-R1
front center: 1 x Athena AS-C1
sub: 1 x Athena AS-P400

is this "out of the box" ?

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the box...
Feb 23, 2005 5:34AM PST

I assumed that the original poster was referring to 5.1 speakers that come in one big box (like HT in a box systems). My Athena Micra system is like that: 4 identical satellites, a small centre and a sub.

Neither your receiver, nor your speakers could be referred to as an "in the box" system, but I doubt that our friend could find one within his/her budget range. That's whay I suggested a bevy of ASB2s as a possiblity.

cheers

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Reply
Feb 23, 2005 3:57AM PST

From my personal experience...I bought a Onkyo 6:1 Home-Theater-In-A-Box (HTIAB) (reciever only.no additional DVD - they do have system that have a receiver and DVD player) system from Circut City for ~$550. I bought it after researching here. If you notice, Onkyo's HTIAB are rated very high. I have been extremely pleased with the performance of my system, it has fullfilled all my needs. And it has excellent sound. From others input, Onyko is a great brand to buy, though, Denon and Yamahas, maybe right up there too. I would say that for a HTIAB, you are not going to get much better than an Onkyo, but remember, you are buying a system, reciever, bass and speakers, and that is what is ranked high for Onkyo. If you buy individual pieces, Sony recivers, Denon speakers, I think the rankings change. I did not want to fuss with having to search for everything that was best, but wanted the convience of buying one thing, for a reasonable price and getting everything I needed. You also have to consider speaker size. The Onkyos are large, both front and rear, but that is why they are able to produce such good sound (for their price). If you want small, I think you can find very good speakers, but they often cost alot more. One last thing as I ramble on, get a sub-woofer that is powered (there should be 2 cords - one going to the receiver, and one is a powercord going to a plug in the wall). Hope this helps somewhat. let me know if you have anymore questions.
BJD in Mebane NC