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Please help me about a good 5.1 surround system.

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Please help me about a good 5.1 surround system.

Old 01-30-03, 06:24 PM
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Please help me about a good 5.1 surround system.

Hi all. Big thanks goes out to everybody who helped me with my questions about my new Panny 47 HDTV. Now I would like to move onto some Surround Sound questions. Ok I'm basically some time soon wanting to get a good cheap 5.1 system. I have about a 5 year old Sony SA-VA15 system. I know it is NOT a 5.1. I want to experience Lord of the Rings where I feel I am in the middle of the cave troll fight everybody was taking about when the DVD came out! My current system has very WEAK sound coming from behind even when I turn "back" up to 6 (max) and even when I set it to "surround" (not only is surround much quieter than "simulated" it also doesn't sound as clear) it sounds terrible compared to those 5.1 demos at stores. The one thing it does have is good sub-woofer. But I'm thinking even a cheap 5.1 would have as good sub.

Anyway here is a link to an auction I am looking at. It is a complete in package Avia 5.1 sound system. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...&category=1499

The Sony SA-VA15 I have now basically has 2 BIG main speakers to put on each side of the TV and 2 speakers (with stands) that I have behind the couches. I was wondering if that Avia system would be better than my current system (good sub and clarity). Other than that. Do you reccomend anything else? I wouldn't mind spending about $200 for something aslong as it is ATLEAST 2 to 3 times better than my current system. But that Avia seems great for the price. So what do you think? Give me some opinions please. I'm really excited about my new TV and I'm excited about updating my surround to 5.1 since I took the plunge for a new TV anyways. It's time to TOTALLY update!
Old 01-30-03, 07:16 PM
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Decent Home-Theater-In-A-Box (HTIB from here on) systems will run about $300 dollars. These include systems from Pioneer, Kenwood and Panasonic (I definitely wouldn't go with a system not from a major manufacturer). The Yamaha YHT-300 is also a fine HTIB.

However, the one thing that unites all these HTIB systems is that (at least in my humble opinion), the recievers are very nice, but the speakers are small-ish, plasticy and produce only decent/satisfactory sound. The speakers for the Kenwood, however, seem pretty nice.

These systems are fine for a first 5.1 system, though.

If you want to take things a step further, you might want to check out a separate reciever/speaker set combination. The Onkyo SKSHT-500 ($250ish at Circuit City) are large, substancial speakers that offer good sound and build quality for the money. The Panasonic SAHE100 or the Pioneer 811 are good bargain recievers that will provide both solid sound and lots of features (both are capable of 6.1 surround sound, for example) for around $300.

Last edited by dvdmovie1; 01-30-03 at 07:18 PM.
Old 02-03-03, 09:08 PM
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Be careful of the combination Home Theatre setups that have the DVD player built in the receiver. One example is the Panasonic HT75. Most of these systems have a THD of 10%. A good entry point is some of the Kenwood and Sony systems. The Sony HDDW740 and 840 (you need to buy a DVD separately) are not bad and reasonably inexpensive.
Old 02-03-03, 09:53 PM
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Don't forget about seperate setups...for about $700 you can put together a system that will last for years and years and years.

There's an Onkyo speaker setup that runs about $200 that's sweet, and you can certainly pick up a receiver for about $200 more...and you'd be in 5.1 heaven.

A buddy of mine just had me consult on a setup with him, and he grabbed a Denon 1603 with a Boston Acoustics System 8000 setup for $600 and change with some cables (dayton audio). for about $50 more he could have had the 1803 receiver, and then blown his downstairs neighbors out of the building...There's even a few Denon HTIB setups floating around...

You may be better served holding out just a bit longer, and picking up something that will be a definite upgrade rather than a stopgap solution.

Also, check www.audiogon.com out...they have classifieds (try not to be intimidated, it's a audio geek site) and you can pick up last year's models of things fairly cheap if you're patient...you may be able to grab a denon 1802 for about $200 (i've seen that happen...with shipping too!)

Oh, and check this out - this actually does sound solid...(and I rarely agree with the ad-money influenced Cnet...)

http://electronics.cnet.com/electron...5.html?tag=lst

Good luck!

Last edited by lordzeppelin; 02-04-03 at 07:15 PM.

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