[jerome829]

Hey all,

Over the weekend my cousin bought a 50" plasma TV for our living room...

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...1&Sp=C&topnav=

Anyway, he's looking into getting some speakers for the TV, but neither of us know anything about home theater... he's only looking to spend $500 at the most, so my question is... is it still possible to piece together a home theater system or is he better off buying a HTIB?

I went and tried to look at reviews on CNET and found this: http://reviews.cnet.com/Onkyo_HT_S79...?tag=pdtl-list

Onkyo HT-S790

Should this do the trick or can he find better sound at a similar price?

I'm aware it has no DVD player, so if anybody could recommend one as well...

Thanks much.

 

[wakeride74]

So he has no receiver or DVD player or speakers??

 

[jerome829]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wakeride74 So he has no receiver or DVD player or speakers??

Right. I mean I brought down my Philips DVP642 from my bedroom but my $50 DVD player is no match for what's to be had in the video world.

I know my cousin wants something than just the audio from the TV but I don't think he has the the funds for a $2,000 system or anything... and just wanted to know if there was an alternative to this $500 HTIB.

 

[wakeride74]

I started out with a in-box deal and it was pretty bad... not because of the speakers but because of the receiver which was a JVC. When I upgraded my receiver it made all my speakers sound WAY better. Anyways you may want to have him look at etronics I've found some good deals there in the past.

 

[floydenheimer]

Check out the Denon HTiB's, they're probably the best you'll find.

Use Froogle or Pricegrabber to find them cheaper on the web.

If you really want to research a piece-by-piece setup, go to AVSForum for tons of info on A/V gear.

 

[brn80]

Denon receivers are really good. I picked up a B stock one from uBid.com ages ago for around ~125 shipped and it's great. Kicks the pants off the Kenwood and Sony receivers I've heard at my friends. Sound quality is top notch. I can't comment more on the other brands or speakers, but I recommend you check out the ~$40 speakers at Bestbuy that people are talking about. I didn't listen to it, but people have commented that it sounds great for at its price point. I did see it in person, and it looks real nice, nice finish and everything. Right now they're showing 49.99 on the site, but the price seems to flucuate a lot.

 

[jerome829]

thanks guys, i will keep looking - if you have any other recommendations, please... feel free!

 

[rock\]

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=199545

We tried to help this guy pick out a decent system, but he just went and bought a bunch of junk. Hopefully you are smarter and follow some of the good advice given.

 

[nysulli]

its more then the price your posting, but if you picked up the stuff used, this might be possible, and it sounds great for what it costs (helped a friend pick out a setup for $1200 bucks)

he went with a $400 yamaha reciever, some random dvd player, and some paradigm cinema series speakers, he got the midrange set, theres a cheaper set as well that should sound nearly as good. if you found the stuff used, you might be able to cut the cost down to ~800 bucks, but it'll blow any HTIB away

http://www.paradigm.com/Website/Site...CT_Series.html

 

[milkpowder]

[size=medium]Naim n-Vi[/size]

Straight from Naim-audio.com

Formats:
DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, CD Audio, CD-RW and CD-R

Video Outputs:
Faroudja ‘Progressive scan’ chip set for a smooth, solid and detailed picture.
DVI Digital video output for direct digital display connection.
BNC hi-definition analogue video output.

Video Features:
A proposed scaler/video processor upgrade will give ‘pixel for pixel’ compatibility with digital display devices.
Simultaneous progressive scan on the BNC high definition output and interlaced video on Scart video outputs (RGB/YUV, s-video or composite). Ideal for a back room video monitor or display set-up

Audio in/outputs:
Three external analogue and three external digital audio inputs for playback of external sources (digital TV, iPod, tape etc)
Audio ‘data straightener’ using a ‘voltage control crystal oscillator’ (VCXO) for low jitter audio conversion
High performance Burr Brown 6-channel enhanced multi-level delta-sigma DACs (up to 192kHz/24bit)

Amplifier:
High performance Tripath Class-T® 5-channel amplifier (50W 8 ohms and 90W 4 ohms)

Communications:
Naim NA-Bus for bi-directional control and interoperability with other Naim equipment.
RS232 port for connection for custom install ‘intelligent homes’

Description:
Combining DVD, home theatre and genuine high-end hi-fi music reproduction has suddenly become simple. The n-Vi delivers everything you need in one box: DVD and CD player, AV Processor, audio pre-amplifier and five-channel audio power amplifier. And each element expresses everything we know about making true to life music and video in the home.

n-Vi is available now with an optional FM/DAB radio module. Surround sound modes include Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby Pro Logic II.

Naim’s design team recognised that many Naim owners are primarily music enthusiasts and while adding AV to their systems would be a bonus they were perhaps not so convinced as to move to a separate DVD player and AV processor. In addition, many owners wish to have AV systems but not in the same room as their hi-fi system. n-Vi satisfies these demands and includes all the expertise, skills and attention to detail you would expect from a Naim product. The into-one-box integration has not lessened the desire or indeed even the requirement to deliver traditional Naim values of musical performance and the newer values of video and digital signal processing as illustrated by the award winning DVD5 DVD player and AV2 AV processor.

All you need to do for a complete surround sound system is add the speakers: conveniently, the n-System (comprising the n-Sats, n-Cent and n-SUB provides a perfect match).

 

[jerome829]

Thanks a ton, guys. I have a LOT to read. I will let you know what I end up telling my cousin and what he ends up getting... we both know nothing about home theater/audio but it sounds like a new hobby to me!

 

[Blitzula]

A Naim N-vi? Those running $500 now, are they?

 

[3DCadman]

I found a website listing the Naim for 2995 pounds (5,560 dollars).
You could assemble a heck of a seperates system for that much.

 

[milkpowder]

Woops...sorry. The n-Vi is way over your budget

Though, having auditioned A LOT of Naim gear, I wouldn't have any reservations with recommending this single box player/multi-ch amp.

(darn it I want a n-Vi with n-system!)

 

[jerome829]

Okay, so as far as the speakers go... looks like the best "budget" ones are the Insignias they have at BB.

Two pairs of those...

As far as a receiver goes?

And the DVD player?

Does a hi-end DVD player make a huge difference or would we be okay purchasing a $100 one?

I think I've convinced my cousin that $500 might not be enough... so I thought I'd skip on the center speaker and subwoofer for the time being...

Is that okay? Or should I have him go for the center speaker at the same time?

I was just thinking - the two pairs of the Insignias, a receiver, a DVD player, speaker stands (I guess) and speaker cable... am I missing anything?

Oh yeah, one final thing... as far as hooking up the DVD to the TV for optimal video quality, is this where we would use HDMI? Do DVD players offer such a connection? And if so, is this the way to go?

Thanks! I appreciate all the advice... I'm trying to read what I can on the AVS forum but man that place is completely overwhelming! I think it took me an hour to realize what LCR meant.