Tuan Jim

Well, after 15 or so months in South Korea, my current setup (see http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=470162 and http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=491037) has performed adequately all year (although from time to time the center speaker on the htib seems to drop out temporarily - irritating, but I'm selling it on the way out anyways).

That said, I'm taking my 42" Hitachi 42HDS69 back to the US with me, but everything else will need to be bought from scratch. I did pick up a gamecube and Xbox 360 this past year as well - which will definitely affect my next couple of purchases. I was disappointed to find out that because my HTIB was all-in-one, I couldn't plug my xbox (much less my 360) into it to get DD 5.1 and was stuck with stereo from the TV speakers.

With that in mind, can anyone suggest either a decent receiver and independent speaker package setup for a decent price -- say, under $300-$500 since I'm almost certainly going to be in an apt -- or another HTIB that actually allows additional input/throughputs?

I still need region-free capability as well. I have an older Philips player (670 maybe?) that can play all my movies, but is limited to component outputs - even though my TV has 3 or 4 HDMI inputs. Looking at picking up a DVP-5890 (or whatever that Philips model is) to replace it - and save the older one for a small bedroom setup down the road.

Optimally, I'd like to run my Xbox, Xbox 360, and [new] DVD player all through one receiver (whether it's a dvd player or anything else) to get full 5.1 audio capabilities (DD only, DTS isn't an issue for me). Anything capable of optical audio out - from my Xbox 360, and probably my next DVD player - would be excellent too.

FWIW, suggestions for an entertainment center that would hold a 42" flatscreen TV, and at least 6 different "consoles"/systems would be appreciated - I had an interesting one bookmarked at bestbuy.com but it seems to have disappeared.

Sdallnct

You have asked a lot of different stuff, I'm only going to answer a couple;

You are going to have a tough time finding a decent sounding receiver in that budget that has 3-4 HDMI inputs that will handle the audio as well. Since you are using a cabinet (not hanging the TV on a wall and components close to the TV) why don't you use the TV for switching? Send all video to the tv via HDMI and send digital audio to the receiver via optical/coaxial? Most receivers have plenty of these type inputs. And since you have not mentioned HD or BD, then the newer audio formats are not really an issue (and even if they are there are other ways around getting it).

As for specific recommendations, my standard recommendation is H/K and KEF. Though it will be tough to get in the $500 range. Maybe Onkyo and KEF.

Also, I'm not picking on you, but we have to get away from this "I'm only in an apartment". Quality means quality regardless of size of room. Don't associate volume with quality (in the area we are talking about). Sure some Krell monoblock are very expensive, we are not talking about that here.

I'd suggest these for a "budget" speaker

http://www.accessories4less.com/cgi-.../KEFKHT1005BLK

Some have also reported circuit city clearing out the KEF2005 (one step up) for $300 as well.

For a receiver

One of the Onkyo's should work nicely.

Tuan Jim

Thanks for the reply. I definitely see that I wasn't very clear in my original post.

I have no issues with switching video inputs on my TV - I've been doing that for months now - cool. I just want to be able to get DD 5.1 from more systems than just my DVD player - which is the way that my old HTIB was set up - speaker wires plugged right into the back of the DVD player.

You're right - while I'm considering HD-DVD or BR down the road - maybe the upgrade for my 360 - it's not an immediate concern.

I'll look around some more at the brands you mentioned.

Thanks for the speaker recommendations as well. I guess most speaker "sets" on their own should work with any receiver.

Drexl

Are you only looking to spend $300-500 for everything, or would you be willing to build gradually? You could get a receiver like the Onkyo 605 for around $400 (maybe less), which would give you the connections and decoding you want now (and even for later when you get a BD player). Then, get better speakers down the line.

Sdallnct

Yea...I have to admit now that the 605 is less then $400 most of the time, it is a hard receiver to pass up. I just wish it had three HDMI inputs. But for the money it is hard to beat.

Tuan Jim

Actually after today, I probably will make this a longer term investment (I just found out that although my dvds will get back to the US in about a month, it'll take about 3 months for my TV to make it back - surface shipping).

With this in mind, I'll probably buy a smaller tv (27"-32" - which can later go into my bedroom) for gaming/dvds in the meantime (to go with my older DVD player) and build up piece by piece. That Onkyo 605 does look really nice - appreciate the info.

http://reviews.cnet.com/av-receivers...tag=prod.txt.1

Not to sound like a total idiot - since this is my first receiver - can you avoid what they mention about de-interlacing jaggies by just plugging the HDMI video out from DVD players/consoles directly into the TV and just running the optical audio outs from the players/consoles into the receiver? I assume the tradeoff of running HDMI through the receiver is in cutting down cables, but if you don't mind cables or a little extra remote work - it seems like the video quality won't take a hit.

Similarly, it might be me, but I don't see any speaker cable inputs in the back of that receiver - am I missing something?



To be honest, with my new job, my budget will definitely be less restricted than my army pay, but I'd still prefer to avoid going overboard.

Thanks a lot for the great replies.

Drexl

HDMI video connected from the player to the receiver will not be altered when output to the TV. It's when component is connected to the receiver and then converted to HDMI for output that you may run into issues. Connecting component to the receiver and having it output as component would also be fine. Anything you may have uses S-video or composite should convert to component output with no problems (though of course the quality won't be as good).

You'll have to use HDMI for the DVD player to upscale.

One more thing: since you said this is your first receiver, look at the measurements for it and get a feel for how big this thing is. I could see it being intimidating for someone who's never owned a receiver. Also, it will need to be well-ventilated, so keep that in mind if you're looking for an entertainment center to house it. Don't stack anything on top of it. Having it out in the open may be safest, but you could put it on a shelf as long as there is 8" of clearance on top and 4" at the rear (their recommendations).

Tuan Jim

Thanks to some of the other threads in here, I'm on the verge of picking up the Onkyo 606B (in black) as a receiver (finally got my 42" TV from Korea).

Now, I need to find some good speakers to go with it - and this again is something I have no familiarity with beyond my old HTIB. I'm open to any good speaker setup (up to and including 7.1 now) that are fairly small in size (small apt right now) - and if possible come with at least a couple of stands for the rear surrounds - and obviously they'd need to have compatible inputs to the receiver. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated - I'd prefer to keep the cost around (or under) $500.

Additionally, I need a new HDMI capable region-free player. My current model is the Philips 727, but it's getting shifted back to the bedroom and I need a new primary player. I'm open to Oppo or something like that though I have no experience with them - and I'd like to stay under $200 for this baby. Main needs - upconverting, HDMI, optical audio out.

thanks a lot.

Drexl

Personally, if I was only going to spend $500 for speakers, I wouldn't bother with a 7.1 setup. I think you'd be better off with a higher quality 5.1 setup, or even a 4.1 setup (no center channel). Some would even suggest a 2.1 setup.

Would you be willing to do without the subwoofer for now and get it later? I mean, the cheapest sub I'd even consider would be $300 or so, and that doesn't leave much for the other speakers. The subwoofers in those cheaper HTIB systems don't really give you the low frequencies a real sub would give you, but rather they fill in some of the mid-bass that the small speakers can't put out. So, you'd be better off buying some speakers that can do some mid-bass on their own, and then supplementing them with a subwoofer later.

Tuan Jim

Well, 5.1 would still be fine for surround (my last htib had that), but I'd prefer to get the speakers and subs as a package (maybe with a slightly higher price point if necessary). I was looking at cnet for reviews, but they didn't seem to have too many for this sort of thing. I don't think all speakers are created equal, but with a quality receiver is the end result going to be largely the same in my price range?

Tuan Jim

Just got back from Best Buy - went there to pick up another DVD rack - while I was there, I figured, let's see what they've got. So I looked around and what do you know: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1108126065790 -- actual item was en route though so I should be picking them up later this week/end.

Now this should do the trick - now I just need to order the receiver and dvd player. I'll pick up speaker wire and stands (for the rear satellites) when I pick up the actual speakers.

While I'm on this subject though, is there any preference for speaker wire? Does it make a big difference? I'm assuming that there won't be any issues setting these up with the onkyo.


edit - I realize this is probably bottom of the barrel right now (even though it is still Yamaha), but I think it'll certainly do the trick for my current situation - and it should be a fairly simple matter to upgrade in the future.

Drexl

Just don't get talked into buying Monster Cable. While you won't really benefit from it now, I'd go ahead and get some decent wire to have in place when you upgrade. How long do the wires need to be, for the longest run (probably the surrounds)?

Tuan Jim

For the rears, with my current TV setup and room - probably 20 feet or so would do it (they'll probably be closer than that).

Drexl

Well, I would go ahead and get some 14 gauge wire, a 100ft spool from Monoprice, unless 50ft would cover them all. 16 gauge (about $13) would probably be fine for now considering the speakers, but I'd go ahead and get the 14 gauge (about $21) to have in place for when you upgrade. If you see this wire in the store for around the same price, you can just get it there, but if you need other cables Monoprice would be cheaper.

Find out what other cables you need and add them in too, since the shipping will be around $7 for one item but not much more for each additional item.

Tuan Jim

I've cut and stripped wire before for other projects, but never for speakers - I assume this is mostly the same except for there being two main strands that need to be handled separately carefully?

Tuan Jim

One more quick question - with the Onkyo 606B (http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4223886) and Oppo DV-981HD (http://www.oppodigital.com/dv981hd/dv981hd_index.html) can I connect the DVD player to the receiver with an HDMI cable for audio or should I get an optical audio cable?

Drexl

Yes, make sure they are completely separated at both ends. Letting them touch could seriously damage the receiver. Banana plugs can help with this, but they're not necessary.

Yes, one HDMI cable will do it. You wouldn't want to use optical later when you get a BD player, since you need HDMI for lossless audio (though it also works fine for lossy audio on DVDs as well).

The only reason you might want an optical cable is if you want to use the TV's speakers sometimes. I don't know about the 606, but many receivers will not pass the audio from HDMI to the TV unless the HT speakers are disabled. There's a setting to select whether you want it passed on to the TV or to the HT speakers, but not both at the same time.

Some people don't like this because then they have to change a setting to get the audio to pass, then change it back to use the speakers. Personally I would just use the HT speakers all the time (processing stereo sound into surround is certainly not a requirement for this) and not worry about changing settings. However, if you want you can also connect an optical audio cable directly to the TV to use those speakers, so that HDMI sound goes to the receiver and optical audio to the TV. Note that the PS3, if you ever get one, does not support sending audio out of 2 outputs at the same time, so you would have to change a setting there if you want to switch back and forth.

Tuan Jim

Thanks a lot for the tips. HDMI is cool because that's also how I have my Xbox 360 (and HD-DVD player) connected.

On my last setup it was a bit of a pain because my DVD player (HTIB) had the speakers but the xbox 360 was plugged right into the TV HDMI slot so I had to turn internal speakers on or off depending on whether I was watching a movie or playing a game - having them off all the time and running everything through the speakers won't be a problem. I also wanted to confirm what cable types I needed so I could get them all at the same time through monoprice.

I really appreciate the info.

Tuan Jim

One more question - this is probably a non-issue and maybe even a dumb question -- but I figured I might as well ask now and save myself some hassle in a few days.

With these yamaha speakers: http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/p...0&CTID=5003000



will I have any issues if I have to turn the rear surrounds horizontally to mount them on my speaker mount/stands - mainly for stability issues (unless I can find some washers that will hold the screws tighter)? I'm guessing it won't affect the actual sound output too much - does it actually matter if the tweeter is on the same plane as the woofer?

thanks.

eedoon

Hmmm I'm not exactly an expert but if there is change if you turn the speakers... it won't be a jarring one.