The Nature Boy

Hey guys. I realize I may be a bit too much of a neophyte for consultation, but I figure what the hell. I've always relied on my TV speakers, but ever since I got my first DVD player a year and a half ago, I"ve been very interested in upgrading my sound system. My budget is fixed at this point for such a venture, but I would like to get more out of my DVDs. In that vein, a few questions:

1. Are home theater's in a box to be avoided at all costs or are there merits to such a system?

2. Does higher wattage equal a greater depth of sound?

3. I'm far from an audiophile, I'm tone death and not particularly discriminent with regard to sound, does this open your ears up to sound more?

4. What is your opinion of low end systems, say under $150 for a complete system? Under $100 for a complete system?

Thanks for any help, and I apologize for any ignorance displayed, there's only one way to learn though.

RandyC

Good questions. A lot of people are snobbish about cheaper systems, including home theaters in a box, but I think they can be an excellent solution if that last small bit of performance is not important to you.

I don't know I would recommend something as cheap as $100-150, but that depends more on your budget. I have seen some pretty well rated systems for under $400.

Brian Shannon

There are some very good values in the mid range systems from Sony, Yamaha and Onkyo.

It can but there are many variables. High quality speakers with high current power amplifiers can sound fantastic but can also give you some real sticker shock.

Well that is a subjective question. Unless you are truly "tone deaf" you probably have never been exposed to better quality sounding equipment and do not know what to listen for.

I agree with Randy that those prices may be a bit low. There are some good values in the 400-500 dollar range. It sound to me like you are not hung up on the latest and greatest, check out some closeout systems at several stores.

Good luck.

AOD

1. There are some merits to HTIB. Well, for one, you get just about everything you need at once. Secondly............That's pretty much all I can think of. But, If I were to make a recommendation. If you have the money, put one together yourself. You don't have to get integrated components (such as a lot are coming now) and you get the components you want. Such as not being limited (i.e. get a Yamaha reciever, Denon DVD player etc..). One might see it as a "convenient" way to get into HT, not necessarily a quality one. Don't get me wrong there are a few better ones out there, but definitely not at the 100-150 mark.

2. Not necessarily. It all depends on A LOT of factors. For instance, you might get a Sony STR-DE995 with 110 watts x 7 @0.7 THD vs. a Denon 2803 with 90 x 7 @.05 THD. The Denon would win hands down. Granted, there are MANY other factors at play here, but this is JUST an example.

3. Not really sure what you are trying to ask, but I think just about anyone could tell the difference between, say, a Yamaha flagship RX-Z9 and a KLH R7000. You don't have to be an audiophile to notice that.

4. At $100-$150 for a complete system, you are pretty much looking at the bottom of the barrel for a complete system, but I guess if you live in a small dorm room, it might be all you need. Remember, like it or not, you get what you pay for.

Best advise one can give is to figure out what your budget is and do all the research you can. It will pay off in end. All IMHO of course and to be used at your own discretion.

The Nature Boy

Thanks everyone for their feedback so far, keep it coming!

As far as building it yourself, are speakers programmed for certain types of sound? I do have some 20 year old speakers that still sound and play great. I would probably use them for two front side speakers, if I could, but is there any special requirement to get Dolby Digital and DTS sound? Or is that all in the reciever and player and the speakers are just vessels of sound, and they don't need special requirements?

Gig

being relatively new to the scene myself i found that as the rest have said u get what u pay for. HT in a box aint bad if u know what ure looking for! you may find it tough finding a home theatre for $100-$150 though. I managed to find a decent one for $400. The only thing i can think of is that you could maybe try buying an ex-rental home theatre from somewhere. I managed to find my panasonic widescreen at an ex-renatl store in mint condition for around $400 less than new.

AOD

No, there are no special requirements for speakers to do DD or DTS. They have nothing to do with the proccessing of the sound. The receiver does that. The two speakers you have might be good for now (not sure what kind), but, just like everything else in this world, I am sure deterioration has occured after 20 years. It would be wise to eventually upgrade those as well. There are many deals to be found out there on speakers to.