[JiPi]

Yes! Me and my dad decided we were going to be shopping for home theater components. Now that the house is cleared from all the crap his - err.. Never mind

We have a bunch of place and we want a good theater system!

He says he's willing to put in about $2k CDN in it. He was eyeing a system already which is composed of this :

1. Denon AVR-1403 (Reciever - 615$)
2. Denon DVD 900 (DVD - 625$)
3. Mission M70 (Two pairs, Speakers - 279$)
4. Mission M7C1 (Central speaker - 299$)
5. Mission MS8 (Subwoofer - 479$)

This comes up to about 2300$ CDN.

Question is, would I be able to get something much better than this for about the same price (try not to bust the 2.5k if possible)? I'm guessing yes, but I didn't know where to look. So I decided to ask the pros

That system mentionned above has been getting crazy reviews from a couple of Hi-Fi magazines here (its got the '#1 home-theater system 2 years in a row' award). But a couple pages later, you see a Bose Triport ad saying they got an 'Exceptional Sound'.

So I don't know what to believe!

Help me!

 

[archosman]

Just realise whatever you get will be slightly obsolete in a year or two! Seriously though if you can go hear it audition the system. Take a few of your favorite discs and give it the run-thru. Whatever you decide on read the damn manual and learn how to properly calibrate it for the room you put it in. Might want to go to Radio Shack & buy a sound meter from them. We had a home theatre at the last place that I worked at. I went in and spent a good 2 hours setting levels. One day one of the top sound mixers here came in while we were watching something. He thought it was one of the best balanced systems he had heard. I rule?

 

[soundboy]

Isn't the Denon 1403 just 5.1?? I think for the same price, you can get a Onkyo 501 that can support 6.1. Onkyo gear, to my ears, sounds better than Denon. As for speakers, you should check out the Mission M71....exceptional mini-monitors for music/movie and will better integrated with the subwoofer.

 

[CRESCENDOPOWER]

.

 

[JiPi]

Bumpety bump bump. I really need to prove that we can probably get way better for the same amount of money. My dad just won't believe me, and he says Denon is god-like.

<sigh>

 

[zbuddah]

brand new Denon 3803

the above thread has the details and I think the deal is still on

ooops forgot price for 650 too

 

[Polygon]

Well, whatever you do, don't buy Bose. You will only end up getting ripped off. I have some suggestions, some that people here might not agree with, but I have had very good experience with the following components:

1. Receiver: Denon AVR-1804.
2. DVD Player: Toshiba SD-4900
3. Front & Rear Speakers: MTX Monitor 10 Loudspeakers.
4. Center Speaker: Mission M7C1
5. Subwoofer: Velodyne VAI CHT12

You can get the Denon for about $377 shipped off eBay brand new. Retail for those is $500. I like the sound of Denon receivers over Onkyo, Harmon & Kardon, Yamaha, and of course, Sony. The DVD player you can get for around $170. Why pay over $400 for a DVD player when the Toshiba DVD players look just as good for a lot less money and they have all the same features. Laugh if you will, but I have an older pair of MTX loudspeakers that sound exceptionally clear. In fact these MTX Speakers I am suggesting have a frequency response of 92dB. They are around $300 per pair. I just feel that the floorstanding loundspeakers have much more to offer than the small monitors. They sound great for home theater and they are great for music as well. If you don't believe me than I would suggest the Wharfedale WH-2 Bi-Polar surrounds. They sound GREAT have a 90dB frequency response and you can get them for $85 per pair shipped. For your center channel I like the WH-2 as well, but I would stick with the one you have picked out. When it comes to subwoofers however, accept nothing less than Velodyne. You can get that sub for about $500. I have never heard a better subwoofer than Velodyne, granted this can't compare with their higher end series but they are very good nonetheless.

If you want some links to any of the components I just posted PM me and I will get you any info you need. Also, all the prices I listed are in U.S. dollars.

 

[utep10]

I'll admit that I'm not as picky on the HT stuff like I am the two channel stereo stuff. One thing I can confidently say is "Don't get the Bose system" unless you really are more concerned with having a "Bose system" versus having a better sounding system.

Do you have any components now (speakers, amps, etc.)?? Sounds like your room is big so maybe having the 6.1 or 7.1 capabilities is something that is beneficial for you. If you have a small room, then you can get a higher end used 5.1 receiver and save money.
I say make sure you get good speakers and subwoofers, and separate amp (if your going components). If you have some old speakers that can be used for the rear speakers temporarily, then you can spend more money on the center and front speakers. Will sound somewhat front heavy but will leave you an easy upgrade path for the rear speakers later.
The decoding and the source (dvd player) are the things that change quite abit. Be careful of spending ungodly amounts of money on the decoder.
I know some people have definite opinions on the Onkyo/Denon debate but I think that they are both good brands for that price range along with Yamaha.

Congradulations on the HT budget and good luck and enjoy.

Bruce

 

[JiPi]

Can anyone enlighten me regarding the differences between AVR-1803/1804/3802? BTW, the deal for the 3803 is off, but the 3802 is also reduced so we might go for this one only if the difference in price is really worth the 300$ more.

Anyone?

 

[Polygon]

I know that the 1804 replaces the 1803. The 1803 is last years model.