Audio System Q&A

General_Bean · Joined: 07 Sep 2007 Posts: 710 Location: Crossroads of CT

Hello all my LCD Tanners,

I'm looking to buy a decent sound system for a new LCD HDMI 1080p TV I'm getting. I've been looking on sites such as best buy, newegg, and couple other mainstream sites (P.C Richards, Walmart, etc) and I'm looking to spend around 300-400$ at most on a decently good one)

My question is, I've noticed they can either sell separate speakers/receivers and they have this "Sound System in a box", is this even a good option? or should I buy the speakers then wait till next paycheck to get a receiver? It would be for the usual football sundays, gaming, and movies on Blu-ray.

Spanks
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theJ · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 15893

Depends on how much time you want to spend putting this thing together (as in researching time, not installation time). Home theater in a box (HTIB) is a great option for those people that just want basic surround sound at an affordable price without having to worry about matching speakers to a receiver. Most audiophiles would prefer to piece it together. Sounds like you're in the first category.

I bought a nice HTIB a few years back for $600. Has nice sound, can be very loud if i want it to be, but is also crystal clear at lower volumes.

FYI - if i'm piecing together a system i'm buying the receiver first. That way i can get the features i want and not have to worry about having speakers that don't pair correctly with my receiver. The receiver is the most important part anyways.
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General_Bean · Joined: 07 Sep 2007 Posts: 710 Location: Crossroads of CT

MrDrew · Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 1:02 pm Post subject:

You can get pretty good HTIBs in the $300 range. Amazon has an Onkyo for $268, and I've never heard an Onkyo system that sounded bad.

The one thing you need to make sure you have is enough inputs for all of the gear you want to run through it. Not all of the HTIB have a lot of inputs, and you run into problems down the line. I currently have an optical switch box connected to mine.
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diehardlionfan · Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 21540 Location: Ottawa

Mossburg · Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 12:44 am Post subject:

You'd probably have to spend around $1000 to get something good. You can spend a few hundred on a set, but it's not really that great.

My advice is save up and get something good. The best speakers and subs are not sold in stores, you have to buy them online. A good receiver will also make all the difference in the world, especially if you got a lot of stuff hooked up to it. theJ is totally right about getting a receiver 1st. I see a lot of really good receivers marked down by several hundred every now and then, and you can get a really solid mid range receiver for about $300.
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Mossburg · Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 1:19 am Post subject:

I also want to add that buying a sound system is unlikely buying any other technology. Pretty much everything like TVs, computers, phones, game systems, Bluray players, get outdated sometimes as soon as you buy them. This is not the case with audio. The actual quality of the sound is not always improved with newer releases. You will find that many brands sell the same speakers for many years.

That is why I recommend saving and getting something really good, because you are making an investment for the life of the equipment, you will not need to upgrade unless you simply want to get something even more upper scale.

This does not apply to receivers though, just speakers and subs.
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theJ · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 15893

theJ · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 15893

I will add: Mossburg is kind of right. If you save up and buy a really nice set, you'll own it for 15-20 years or however long it takes to die. If you buy a cheap one, you may end up replacing it within the next 5 years because it doesn't have the functionality you want (read; not enough inputs) or you want something with more kick/nicer sound/etc. Most of the $300 sets won't have many inputs, so if you have to hook up the TV, xbox, cable box, iPod, etc, you'll run out inputs and find yourself behind the receiver every other night switching cables around.

However, if you buy something in the $300 range, it'll certainly do. diehardlionfan is right in that cheaper systems do well enough at just creating surround sound that you probably won't tell the difference.

Take that for what it's worth. It all really depends on what you want out of this thing.
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“Never let your persistence and passion turn into stubbornness and ignorance.”
~ Anthony J. D'Angelo

Why do fans care about fines? It's not their money, and it goes to charity.