GenPion

I've been reading up on various models and I really am unsure as to what to purchase. I'm looking at spending no more than $150 though if I can get a 5.1 Surround Sound system for around $100 that would be my preference. I want something that will create theater quality sound but that won't have large bass... I don't want to go deaf or for my neighbors - heck, even my family members, to be annoyed by the sound.

Since I am looking at putting this in my bedroom I'm essentially hoping for something affordable and better than what I currently use: the speakers on my Olevia 27" HDTV. It only has one HDMI port so I'm not sure if that is a problem. I have a HD-DVD Player I could connect the speakers to. Granted, I really do not understand this Surround Sound game. I went to Circuit City today and the lowest price they had was for a Sony 5.1 Surround Sound System for $190. Everything else was at least $300, and included an Upconverting DVD Player - which is something I don't need.

Any help would be appreciated.

SoSpacey

at first I thought this thread was a joke but I think you are serious.

your best bet may be to purchase a set of powered logitech computer speakers. but even then, $100 is a low budget.

GenPion

No, sir, I assure you I am being serious.

Why is it so funny for someone to ask for help in finding a Surround Sound System? I'm 18 years old and just recently upgraded my 11" TV/VCR Combo to a 27" HDTV and I purchased a HD-DVD player to go with it. Now I'm interesting in getting a surround sound system. I'm not looking for the best brand... I'm not looking for 1,000 wattage or whatever for multi-hundred dollar figures. I just want to know a brand that sounds good, gives a more theater-quality sound, and has a decent price tag on it that someone else might have and would be willing to recommend.

Raul3

Well, for that prince you'll only get crap. Really, really bad sound. It'll be money really bad invested. You can't get decent surround sound for $100 or $150.

If I were you I'd be looking for an used onkyo home theater in a package. Maybe something that's 2-3 years old. That'd be a decent surround. That's if you don't want to expend more than $200.

Most people will tell you: get a decent receiver, a good pair of mains, and later when you have more money you can buy center and surrounds. Of course that'll cost you at least $300 (for receiver and mains).

GenPion

I hope I'm not asking stupid questions, but what does a receiver do? Is that necessary in order for surround sound speakers to function? I found some Sony Speakers on eBay that I might be able to win at a decent price but they don't come with a receiver. Would that be a problem for me?

shelland

Your expectations for your budget are completely out of line. You're not looking for the best brand or to spend multi-hundreds, but looking for theater quality sound. That's simply not possible.

Many people on this site have several thousand dollars invested in their sound setup. You can get something "OK" for closer to $400-500 with an Onkyo home theater in-a-box. Or there are some budget options discussed at AVS Forum which would still be in that price range. But for anything less than that, you're really not going to get anything with remote quality - unless you happen to find something used.

If you're stuck on the $100 budget, don't waste your money.

Chicken Warrior

There's a store in town here that has well over a dozen 'surround sound' packages between 60 and 200 dollars. They all come with DVD players. Does that mean they're set up to work only with the provided players and would require receivers for other systems?

Superman07

I think people are taking issue with your request for "theater quality sound" and the fact you are on a $99 budget. Not your request for help with finding a surround sound system.

As others have stated up thread, you are not going to find what you are looking for at a $99 price point.

There is the option to go with a receiver and add speakers as your budget allows, as other have said. However, since you are limited to your room and no a budget you may want to consider something similar to below:

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/sp...kers/&cl=us,en

I have the following setup for the cmoputer which is pretty nice. One of the benefits was that it comes with a mini receiver/control moduel. You won't be doing any switching, so it isn't a receiver in and of itself, but it does part of the job a reciver does (decoding). However, it won't handle your HD DVD audio codecs.

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/sp...s/224&cl=us,en

I know it's more than your budget, but if you look around you may be able to find something similar near your budget. However, you're going to have to find out what inputs and outputs work between the two systems (dvd, computer and speaker system). Your dvd player WILL likely decode some codecs, so a cheaper pair of speakers (just speakers) won't have to work about that (e.g.; the controller/decoder module above).

Sdallnct

Don't waste your money. Check out Craigs list or the newspaper for used if you want to get something now. Otherwise, I'd just save up. Typically I say "get what you can and enjoy" but that budget is not enough to "enjoy" by any real meaning of the word. And that is no offense, just I can't image anything sounding remotely good for that range. Some people spend a $100 on a clock radio!

wewantflair

Every single one of them is a worthless piece of shit. Most of these HTIB sets deliberately exclude SPDIF/Optical inputs, making them completely worthless.

Chicken Warrior

I still think prices are being blown out of proportion here. I've seen full Yamaha 5.1 receiver packages for $399 new and I'm pretty sure they include SPDIF/Optical.

Sdallnct

You can get a decent set up for $400 to $500 but even then that is not going to give you "the theater experiece" the OP is asking for. And the OP said $100-$150 and they just isn't going to happen.

GenPion

I meant home theater sound... as in anything better than what my TV delivers. I phrased it wrong. I'm actually not stupid enough to think I could buy theater quality sound. Heck, I doubt even the home theater setups that cost thousands of dollars come close to that. Anyway, I wound up spending $190 on on a Sony HT-DDW795 Home Theater System. Hopefully that's better than what I currently use. The reviews I read seemed positive for the price. It has a Receiver. Now that I know how important that is I will never make the mistake that it isn't necessary again. I am new to this after all...

I want to thank those of you who gave me advice and were actually trying to help me.

Also, for the person that assumed I must have only an up-converter: that isn't the case. I have a HD-A2 HD-DVD Player. My signature says so. I know I won't get the full sound potential with my HD-DVD's but I only own five so it's not that a big a deal to me.

Chicken Warrior

Let me know how that works for you...I'm in a similar position.

GenPion

I just watched my first movie with the surround sound system I purchased set up. It sounds great. I really think you would have to be an insane audiophile to find something wrong with the setup... it works great in my bedroom. So if you have similar specifications to what I have I say go for it. You won't need to spend a minimum of $400 to get something nice like some of the others in this thread have stated.

shelland

As long as you're happy, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks...

Sdallnct

I'm not going to get into "how much do you have to spend" as there is no real answer. But there is a huge difference between $100 in the OP and the $4,500 you mention.

Also remember sound is very, very subjective. I have heard several thousand dollar speakers that I really did not like. I currently have speakers that I only spend a few hundred on that I really enjoy.

Sound is also an education issue. The more you listen and listen to good systems, you more you will appreciate. And more importantly the more you will discover what is important to you. Also, just because you have a small space doesn't mean you should ignore quality.

shelland

Very important point, IMHO. A quality set of speakers and power source sound better both soft and loud. Having that equipment doesn't mean you have to crank them. They sound better at every volume level. I've had $2k+ in just my speakers for about 4 years, and have rarely 'cranked' them.

A BMW is better than a Yugo, but that doesn't mean it's only better because it goes faster. It's better at 20 MPH too... (no offense to any Yugo owners )

Raul3

I love these threads!
The OP asks for help. He receives a lot of true and valuable information from different posters, most of them with a lot of experience. The OP goes a does the opposite. He comes back and say that the replies were wrong.

CKMorpheus

For a first home theater system for an 18 year olds bed room, he made a good choice. My first home theater system was a $250 HTiB from Kenwood. It sounded phenomenal to me. Now I have an Onkyo 605 and a round of Polk Audio speakers at my new apartment. As long as you're happy with it, bro, good for you

Superman07

Glad I'm not the only one who picked up on that.

However, I am glad that the OP found something that he is happy with and also fell within his budget.