[xcooperx]

i found this one on sale http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Onky...77422/catOid/-12954/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do , any comments on this system???

 

[ringram]

Not sure what the usual rate should be, but it looks like a sweet deal to me.
XM radio and ipod ready stick out

 

[briandmiles]

If your looking for an inexpensive system, that looks pretty good.

Brian

 

[ianiwane]

Onkyos are decent systems for the price. They make some pretty good consumer receivers but their speakers are not that great.

 

[bgoodwins]

I consider their recievers to be the best bang for your buck Speakers, not so much.

 

[jebarj90]

definitive technology is the only way to go. IMO

 

[ianiwane]

definitive technology is the only way to go. IMO

There are so many options. There is no "only way to go." Different speakers will sound good to some and bad to other. I personally like Paradigm for speakers but I would not say its the only way to go. Although best bang for the buck subwoofers are hsu research or svs (HSU has a little better value than SVS). I personally have a HSU VTF-3HO with turbocharger (sounds funny but it works).

If you don't want to go with a HT in a box and still do not want to spend much money. Look at HK, denon, onkyo for their lower end receivers. HSU or SVS for subwoofers. And fluance.comfor some very cheap but decent speakers. You could put together a decent system for a reasonable price.

 

[jebarj90]

Ian. I agree with what your saying. But I have definitive's and I love them. I also like denons. The receivers do very well and have great features. The lower end models are pretty hard to understand if you dont have a manual.

 

[lwooters]

My hubby does home theaters for a living and I can tell you that for receivers, Onkyo is the way to go... can't say much for their speakers though

 

[TheOtherGeoff]

infinity or kilpise for speakers but your gonna spend some dough on it. Bose doesnt make a half bad system either.

 

[attack11]

everything bose makes is bad.

that onkyo boxed setup is pretty good for the price. their new receivers smashed a price barrier and the higher end features are trickling down.

 

[ianiwane]

Agreed bose is bad. Infinity, klipsh, polk are all ok consumer speakers. Out of the 3, polk is the only one that currently has a really good line of speakers. The LSI series of speakers that polk makes are good. Just don't buy any of their subwoofers.
Also onkyos higher end line called integra is really good for recievers. For higher end stuff I also like anthem audio and outlaw audio.

 

[attack11]

i'm looking forward to replacing my marantz sr7400 with an onkyo tx-sr605

i also second paradigm for speakers. canadian made and amazing performance for the price. velodyne has a pretty good tone match to their monitor series for subs.

 

[xcooperx]

thanks, i think im gonna get that Onkyo.

oh anyone knows where i can get good deals of hts ?

some people are changing the stock wires on thier speaker to improve the sound quality, is this true,?

 

[DiabloCanine]

I bought a Yamaha because they have individual amps instead of one. Here is a link to one that is close in price......DC

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8251456&st=yamaha&type=product&id=1169512521608

 

[bgoodwins]

cooper check craigslist and ebay for low price. and as far as speaker wire goes, its kind of a misnomer.You might notice a difference, but i doubt it.

 

[ringram]

I remember when Bose was considered "good", at least I thought so. That was back about 10 or 15 years ago.
Those fluance speakers that ianiwane mentioned I've heard good things about, but unfortunately have not heard them. He ended up buying a JBL speaker setup (5.1) and it sounds pretty damn good.
A good friend of mine has Infinitys and loves 'em. I've had some nice set of floor standing Yamahas(12" driver) for ~ 10 yrs and they still sound pretty crisp.
But I agree that you have to hear them and form your opinion. Everyone has a different "ear" for sound and what is appealing.
Onkyo (and Harmon Kardon), at least several years back, were considered a couple of the best brands of receivers, but they also were 8 ohm(?), whereas most speakers are 4 ohm (or maybe I have it reversed). Point it, you can't use just any ol' speaker on them. Maybe that's changed.
Avoid going too cheap on any component, if you plan on having it a while. Someone once told me that your stereo/theatre is only as good as it's weakest link.

 

[ianiwane]

Most home audio receivers are rated down to 4ohms. Most home audio speakers are listed at 8 ohms (but typically range anywhere between 4-8ohms). Lower the number for the resistance (ohm) the greater the resistance. IE if you have a receiver rated at 4ohms and plug a speaker lower than 4 ohms it will blow out the receiver.
For speaker wire some people say it helps. Home depot has some cheap/good 12-14 guage speaker wire. I wouldn't spend more than that. Right now I have over four thousand invested on just the sound aspect of my HT system. That is just on components I currently have. Retail on it is over 6 thousand. Deals can be had. For some good used stuff check audiogon.com.

For a cheap onkyo system alway check the fry's adds. They have some crazy deals every once in a while. It all depends on what you are looking for and also a big factor is what size is the room you will be using this in.

 

[ianiwane]

I bought a Yamaha because they have individual amps instead of one. Here is a link to one that is close in price......DC

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8251456&st=yamaha&type=product&id=1169512521608

I've never heard of that before. Typically no all in one consumer receiver will put out the rated wattage when all channels are played at once. I know yamaha does not. They do make some good receivers at reasonable prices. Most likely that receiver in that link will not put out more than 50 watts with all channels playing.

You may also want to consider the newer digital receivers. Panasonic makes a couple really good ones. Very cheap and plenty on the power.

 

[attack11]

some people are changing the stock wires on thier speaker to improve the sound quality, is this true,?

no. it's a placebo that people love to buy into; sorta like green markers on cds in the 80s.

being electrical current, you just need a big enough wire that can handle the load you need, and for a home theatre 16g works perfect.

you could drop $300+ on cables or interconnects and you'll hear zero difference. for kicks i went the expensive route for my tube 2.0 system and while the cables and interconnects look nice, i've swapped em for low end cables when i needed more length and well, electricity is electricity

lower ohms gives you more punch. i doubt you'll find 4ohm in a receiver under say $750. for music 4ohms is nice but when you have an lfe signal i prefer 6 or 8ohm for the detail.