surround sound help

by osmosis88 Jul 12, 2009 8:57PM PDT

Hi, i have recently purchased a Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blue-Ray player.
My television set is a Samsung le40a656a

I am more than happy with the image capabilities this pair gives. However, i feel i cant thoroughly enjoy HD without a much better audio solution.
currently i have the sound coming through my t.v and am looking to purchase some form of av receiver or amp but this is not my area of expertise.
Weeks of traversing the internet has only left me more confused and unsure of what to buy.

Its reached the point where i cant even decide if HDMI input/outputs are essential or is 'digital audio output (optical) an acceptable method?
How important is it to have DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby True HD codecs?
I am so confused!

Which is the best route to take? and could you recommend a good solution, well priced yet high performing?
I have a top budget of

Discussion is locked

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Some Direction...

by WildClay Jul 13, 2009 12:10AM PDT

When I went to upgrade my receiver it was for the main reason of getting as many audio decoders as possible for a reasonable price, I find DTS and more specifically HD-Master and some of the others a great value add, without them you generally end up with a mixed down audio signal and that can take a lot from surround experience.

HDMI is the best connection for 1080p material and has other advatages such as controlsm but is no requuired for 1080i or below.

Personally when not using HDMI I prefer optical digital audio over coax, but I think as long as the bits make it there is little difference.

I like the Sony ES line, you can check the Sony site for details on features, codecs, etc. There are a lot of choices I have just had real good luck with the Sony and found I get a lot of bang for the buck on audio decoders without compromise in other aspects of the sets.

When I added the other 2 speakers for 7.1 I have to say it was and improvment but not enough to worry about at this time.

Going back to the basics, I found the single best investment besides the HDTV was getting a receiver that could handle the various audio stream native, not converted from the Blu-Ray or DVD player. That made a significant difference in the experience. Top Gun was one movie I used as a test movie and the HD-Master DTS just blows your socks off compared to the downmixed PCM to me.

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Why Sony vs. Onkyo/Denon?

by Pepe7 Jul 13, 2009 12:50AM PDT

After reading your other recommendation for Sony receivers, I am curious why you are in the Sony camp vs either Onkyo or Denon(?) Just wondering your reasoning.

cheers,
Pedro

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Bang for the buck...

by WildClay Jul 13, 2009 7:35AM PDT

I looked at a lot of receivers last year, read a lot of reviews, both professional and consumer and had a "wish list" of things I wanted in the form of codec's, specs, flexibility, input / output options, ability to assign audio inputs to video inputs was a big must, and price.

For my needs Sony edged out the others, at the time mostly since the ES system I got had all of the audio codecs, a rich collection of inputs and the ability to assign nearly any audio input to a given video input. I still had/have a lot of legacy gear, like my 400 disc DVD Changer (Sony), PVR (Panasonic), a composite input from a A/V sender hooked to PVR in another room, my cable box at the time, and so the TV and Blu-Ray player were at the time the only things where I was going to be using HDMI, all but the composite inputs were component and either fiber or coax digital audio. TV is a Panasonic Plasma.

The Sony ES came in about the same on basic specs for the dollar, power (RMS), THD, etc as the other sets, but in audio codec it had the most, at least at the systems I looked at for the price, it was around 100 bucks cheaper and had enough of overy type of input to meet my requirements, both current and near future, my cable box is now also HDMI.

I had an old Sony receiver that had served me very well for years, still is in the basement game room so I had experience with the brand. It turned out very well, the system sounds great on the same JBL peakers I had and I added 2 more for 7.1.

As far as I know there is nothing wrong with the Onkyo or Denon, although I must say I see more threads posted on Onkyo issues then any other brand as far as receivers go on here, but I did not know that then so it did not play into my decision at the time, but that adds to my comfort in suggesting people look at the Sony line.

So bottom line I suggest it becasue of the experience I have with it, the features, and quality at a good price.

surround sound help

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