Imprint

Due in large part to the recommendations here, a couple of months ago I bought the Panasonic 58S1 plasma. Now I need a receiver and speakers. I hope you guys can help me (wasn't sure if I should have just hijacked a similar thread). Here's the situation:

---Panasonic 58" plasma (on a stand not wall mounted)
---Panasonic BD80 blu-ray (I think this handles all lossless formats)
---Xbox360 (1080p)
---Eventually getting a PS3 (1080p)
---AT&T Uverse (supports up to 1080i)
---Room is around 15' x 25' (TV is on one of the short walls)
---Usage should be about 50% Xbox (mostly Rock Band)/ 40% TV or movies/ 10% Music (mostly hard rock, metal, and alternative)
---I'm not looking to wake the neighbors (this is a house, not an apartment, btw).
---Don't want boomy bass.
---Receiver having 4 HDMI inputs would be nice, but I guess I could always get a switch later. Most important for the receiver is good sound.
---I prefer the look of tower fronts, but not a must have.
---Budget is $1500 for receiver and speakers.
---Only getting 3.1 at this time is perfectly acceptable (getting surround set up in this very funky-shaped room is going to be a challenge anyway).

Given those criteria (hope I didn't forget anything), would you mind posting a suggestion or two (model numbers or product lines if possible)? What would you get if you had my video equipment, and needed better audio than the plasma's speakers, with a budget of $1500?

Thanks!

Superman07

I think I'd look into a deal on one of the Onkyo (SR707, 607, 507 and RC160) or Denon (2310CI, 1910, 890, 790 and 590) receivers. I would then go with either a 3.0 setup (since you suggested towers) or a 2.1 with an SVS or HSU sub for ~$500. I'd pick either route depending on the bass response from whatever towers you chose.

Sdallnct

Well is probably going to fall on deaf ears...but....

For that budget I'd get a receiver that doesn't do lossless. There are some fantastic deals out there on receivers that don't do lossless. They are excellent sounding but because they don't do lossless (and many will with analog inputs), they are being being marked down.

Take the money you save by not going lossless and put towards better speakers. This will give you better overall sound than less nice speakers on a receiver that does lossless.

Lossless is a nice upgrade if you already have a really, really nice set up. Or you are getting a super nice set up. But you can have more of a positive effect on sound by getting nicer speakers. Especially on your budget.

In addition, if you skip lossless, and the receiver doesn't have HDMI or enough, let your TV do the switching for video.

As for speakers....here are some suggestions,

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/9903906-post7.html

edit, btw, I have nothing against lossless. My ONLY concern is taking away $$ form your speakers to get it. If you can get the speakers you truly want and then have the money for a good sounding receiver that does lossless, certainly go for it. Some of the speakers I posted above are a grand or so and that leaves $500 for a receiver. You can get a base H/K or Onkyo to does lossless for that.

This seems like a good deal for a receiver (stolen from Slickdeals) right at $500 and free shipping!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846

Superman07

Well the only things with lossless are the BD80 and the PS3, both which can handle decoding lossless themselves. So I understand correctly though (just checking), forgoing lossless on a receiver does not mean leaving out HDMI, right?

Also, it sounds like the OP is willing to buy better speakers in stages instead of opting for a so/so 5.1 up front. Given that I feel like getting a better receiver might not be such a bad thing.

I did notice that some of the Denon players have an ethernet port. I wonder when either, a) recievers will come within built-in wireless N, or b) how soon HDMI 1.4 is the standard with the embedded ethernet channel.

Spiky

I would buy something like this:
5.1 SVS set with 12" sub for $899
Denon receiver

That really looks like the best receiver in the ~$500 area. And the sub will do just what you want, give serious bass without being boomy. Assuming you set it all up properly, and the Audyssey in the receiver should help with that.

Although, I didn't leave cash for speaker mounts or stands.

Sdallnct

My only issue with that, is that there will always be a next better receiver. There will be another blue light or cool feature or extra HDMI or ethernet, or built in wireless, or ipod dock, or w/e that you will want on a receiver.

But high quality speakers can last a life time. And make the most difference in sound quality. I'd even argue get the nice speakers now and continue to use the receiver the OP has until he can afford a new one.

Sdallnct

Nice...

Looks like those speakers can be mounted on the walls or ceiling. I used plumbing pipes and in some cases covered the pipes with plastic covers (conduit). See the pics in my sig...

I like my little Celestion, but that is a tempting system....

Spiky

Yeah, me too. (like I haven't looked at your setup before!) My surrounds are just on a screw with the eye-hook (like the SVS offer) since I wanted them flat on the wall, anyway. I just painted my plumbing pipe for the rears. The pipe had to come out of the drop ceiling.

(they are BIG screws, lag screws or close, in studs)

Spiky

Don't think he has one now. Said it's just the TV.

SUPERMANROB

Imprint speakers are very subjective and it would be hard for anyone to tell you what sounds good to you. My suggestion is to go out and listen to as many speakers as you can and find out what sounds good to you. We can then suggest speakers they are in the same company as those you like.
I kinds agree with Sdallnct(again ) opinion,in that I would plug in as much as you can to your two fronts and build from there.
If you have to buy a a AVR I would buy the most economical with HDMI inputs on it. I would look for refurbished ones from the usual suspects(Onkyo,H/K) just for easy hook up applications to what you have now. The new loseless codecs won't come into play until you have a 5.1 system anyway,so you could just get one without HDMI and save even more money.
Eventually get a matching center and do not go cheap on the sub,this is a crucial part of an 5.1 system. I would go with a ID company like some of the ones mentioned(SVS,HSU,Epik,etc).
You mentioned wanting to buy a PS3,I would suggest putting that way off since you have the Panny 80 which will decode the audio codecs.
Hope this helps

SoSpacey

You have a huge room. 25 x 15 is a lot of space to fill. how high are your ceilings? is the room sealed?

most economic receivers are going to have a tough time pushing power to fill that room properly. most economic speakers are going to have to be pushed pretty hard in that environment. and most subs are going to have a tough time pushing air around that room.

you may want to get a bit creative here.

is $1500 your total budget or just what you have to spend right now? how much would you be willing to spend in the future?

have you considered used speakers? audio-heads are always looking to upgrade their speakers and good used prices can be found. quality speakers will last 30 years so buying some used speakers that are 5 years old is usually quite a bargain. speaker technology doesn't change much.

what Rob was eluding to, I think, is you may want to look at a receiver that passes audio over HDMI. Your source (PS3/BR player, etc) will do the actual decoding and pass it to the receiver already decoded. your receiver will then accept it and play the already decoded material through your speakers.

receivers from 4-5 years ago all used this feature until receivers with decoders built in became popular. the receiver in my signature is one example of a receiver that does this. sure it only has 2 HDMI inputs but I have a switch from monoprice so i never notice that there are only 2 inputs.

my receiver will blow the pants off of most receivers that fall within your current budget. it originally retailed at $1500. it's a true 130wpc and weighs in around 45lbs. Its not one of these rinky dink 25lb receivers.

there are receivers out from Onkyo, Pioneer and Denon that will fall into this category as well. I am sure you could find a refurb still at around $500 of one model from any of these manufacturers.

Sdallnct

Looks like the Onkyo 707 has dropped for $480! Free shipping and no tax for most makes that a great deal. Oh it is at Amazon and stolen from slickdeals.

Spiky

I've got $599 that says it's not close to 130w.

Imprint

Awesome! Thanks for all of the input. I'm out of town and have sketchy internet service, but I've been able to do a little research.

Onkyo SR707 vs. Denon 1910: The reviews I found seem to be about the same for both. Worth $50 more for the Denon or save it and go with the Onkyo?

I might go ahead and order the SVS 5.1 system (with the 12" sub). The sub is $600 by itself, so it's only $300 more for the other 5 speakers. I know SVS subs have a very good reputation, but I couldn't find much about the satellites and center. I guess for only $300, I can use them for a while and upgrade later if I want.

Spiky, you are correct. I do not have a receiver at all now. I've always had a roommate that had a surround system (always a Sony, Bose, Samsung, or other lower tier audio).

SoSpacey, Yeah, the room is pretty big. The ceilings are 12' and flat. The room is not sealed, because it opens up to the dining room at the opposite end from the TV. Also, I should say that the furthest seat is only 12' from the TV. The back side of the room does not have seating. We don't listen to anything very loudly. That being said, when everyone comes over to play Rock Band, they get so loud that I have to turn up the TV. The TV speakers can get loud enough to hear over the rowdies, it's just the plasma's speakers sound like crap (nonexistent bass as you can imagine).

Thanks for all of the help guys!

Imprint

I'm back home and have been able to do more research (it was hard to do on a phone with 0 to 1 bars on Edge network...). I think I have decided to go with the Denon 1910 and the 5.1 SVS system with the 12" sub (as suggested by Spikey). I have two more questions before placing my orders, though.

1. Amazon has the Denon 1910 for $550. However, 6ave (via Amazon Marketplace) has an open box for $400. If this was a TV, I wouldn't take a chance on the open box, but I'm tempted to for a receiver. What do you think?

2. This is probably a really stupid question, but I'll ask anyway. Our house has a burglar alarm system that has a glass-break sensor. The sensor is located (basically) in the same room as the TV. We watch a lot of horror movies, so windows being broken is commonplace in our entertainment. Does anyone know if this would be a problem? I guess I should keep my phone next to me when watching anything louder than normal in case I get a call from the alarm people lol.

Thanks again for all of your help and suggestions. I will most likely place my orders tomorrow.

Spiky

1. 6ave is often used by Denon as an authorized dump zone for either closeouts or refurbs. So it should be a good place. But what is the warranty compared to the normal Denon warranty, compared to the $150 difference? That's what I would look at.

2. Keep it off while you're home. I'm betting more than just breaking glass noise would set it off. When ours were put in, the installer just clapped or smacked the wall to make noise to ensure it was functioning. This is why they often have 2 on modes in the alarm, one that skips motion or noise sensors for while at home.

One warning, SVS subs are not small. Some people have issues with that. Some think the insane power and quality makes up for it.

JZ1276

ok for a $1500 budget you can get everything you need and have a better than average system. You can get the entry level Pioneer VSX-819H-K which handles all the new HD codecs. Speakers you can get Definitive Technology ProCinema 60 5.1-Channel Home Theater Speaker System PC600 and you'll be set with about $400 left over.

Imprint

The 6Ave merchant listing is under the "Used - Like New" category, and they added this in the comments: "Comments: FREE GROUND SHIPPING! Open Box Item. Like Brand New Condition. Full Denon Warranty. 6th Avenue Electronics is an Authorized Samsung Dealer. Satisfaction Guaranteed." Open box in this case would probably be cosmetic damage (if anything) rather than functionally damaged, right?

True. I was thinking that sensor was active even when the alarm was off, but it is the fire alarm instead. We'll just not arm it when watching movies. Or playing "YYZ" in Rock Band lol.

Yeah, using the measurements, I have two places it would definitely fit and one more that would be tight but possible. I'm sure it will still look huge even after measuring the space required.

SUPERMANROB

imprint where did you find this (1910) for $400? can you give the link?

Imprint

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...2103055&sr=8-1

Click on "used and new" on the right side. Then scroll down to the "Used" section, and 6ave is the first merchant listed.

SUPERMANROB

Imprint thanks Had a friend that was looking at the 1610 and trying to get them to looking at the 1910 instead. That seems like alot of AVR for the price? I like that it looks like it upconverts everything to 1080P? and uses a Anchor Bay VRS video chip and has AudysseyMultEQ.

Imprint

Update: Several weeks ago I did order the Denon 1910 refurb from 6ave via Amazon. The package and all contents looked brand new and have had no problems so far. However, Denon's reputation for confusing manuals and setup are true. I think I finally have it set up right though.

I also ordered the SVS SB-01 5.1 system with the 12" sub upgrade. Glad I ordered then since the price was $300 less than the new packages about to ship. Anyway, I couldn't be happier with these speakers. The monitors are plenty loud enough and sound fantastic. Also, I can't explain how good the sub is. And I'm still just running a 3.1 setup. I haven't figured out how I will do the surrounds.

If you remember, I was wondering about the possibility of setting off my glass-break sensor in my alarm system. Well everything has been a-okay even at volumes higher than I usually listen. Until last night. I was testing some stuff and really cranked the THX intro to Attack of the Clones DVD. As soon as the glass ball broke, the room shook and the alarm started screaming! I'll go back to listening at reasonable volumes.

Thanks again for all of the help guys. I'm a happy camper.

Spiky

I once played that THX intro at reference, with peaks over 115db. It made my children cry, literally.

Louder is not always better. Although it proved something to me about my SVS sub.