speaker system vs home theater image
Joe.R
If this includes a Blu-Ray player, or has one built in, I will go up to $700.
Bonus question: What is the new standard for surround sound? When I stopped following this stuff in the early 2000's it was 5.1 channels. That's what most DVDs supported, and that is the amount of speakers most home theater systems had. Is it now 7.1 speakers or more?
Answer
All-in-one kits with a built-in DVD or BD player are not good. You do seem to get a lot of toys, but the basics are missing: Quality amplification = No. Variety of inputs = No. Upgradeable components = No. You'd be far better off looking at a Blu-ray player + AV Receiver + 5.1 speaker package (satellites & active sub).
Firstly the Blu-ray player. You've allocated up to $200 for this. For under $150 you can have a Panasonic or Sony 3D Blu-ray player with wireless networking. If you are not bothered about 3D and have no plans to change your TV for a 3D capable one in the near future then save some bucks here and just go for a basic one, but the price difference is shrinking all the time so the saving might be less than $20 so why not have the 3D player anyway. There's no issue mixing brands either between the BD player and the audio gear.
As for home cinema kits, Onkyo and Denon and Yamaha all make packages with decent AV Receivers and speaker kits as a bundle. Most are 3D capable, and a few are 7.1. My view on 5.1 vs 7.1 is go for it if you have an unlimited budget and a really big room. However, if you're working to a strict budget then it's better to do 5.1 well than stretch things and do 7.1 badly.
New sound formats - The important ones for performance are DTS-Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD for Blu-ray audio, and Dolby ProLogicII (DPLII) for any stereo sources you want to have in surround. All of the kits I'll recommend do these formats.
ARC - Audio Return Channel. This is new feature added in the latest version of HDMI - the 1.4 version. If your TV and AV Receiver have the ARC feature then you no longer need an optical connection to get sound from the TV back to the surround kit. The HDMI cable will carry sound back.
Other things to consider... Blu-ray players often have streaming features (YouTube etc) and also require periodic firmware updates to cope with new encoding and features on discs. This is done via the net. A wired network connection is best but wireless will do too. There's also a good chance that the receiver you get might have internet radio or AirPlay. Once again a wired network connection back to your wireless router will allow you to access thousands of internet radio stations and enable you to stream music from your WiFi connected smartphone or tablet to the receiver.
Traps to avoid: "Super performance" HDMI cables. The HDMI connections from your Blu-ray player to the AV Receiver, and from the Receiver to the TV don't need $50 cables. As long as the cable is rated High Speed and meets the HDMI 1.4 spec and is of decent construction then all will be well. Avoid the cheapest the Ebay or the web has to offer. Those really tend to be crappy. $10 is a reasonable amount for a 3-5 ft cable.
All the following have HD audio decoding, DPLII
Yamaha YHT397BL - simple 5.1 surround system sold via the electrical barns. 3D and with ARC. $449
Yamaha YHT497BL - alternative to 397 - sold via specialist dealers. $430-£479. The 397 has the same basic spec but better speakers.
Yamaha YHT597BL - step-up model with net radio, AirPlay, Yamaha SmartPhone app (Android & Apple) which works remarkably well. $549
Onkyo HTS3500 - simple 5.1 surround system sold via the electrical barns. 3D and with ARC. Passive sub to keep costs down. $399
Onkyo HTS5500 - step-up model - 7.1 surround system, more power, better speakers, smarter auto set-up system (Audyssey 2). $599
Denon DHT-1513BA - pitched at the upgrader market - Better amp (discrete channels) and packaged with a 3rd party speaker kit from specialist manufacturer Boston Acoustics. The spec won't look as impressive but trust me, this kit is all about performance rather than bling. $599
Hope this helps :-)
All-in-one kits with a built-in DVD or BD player are not good. You do seem to get a lot of toys, but the basics are missing: Quality amplification = No. Variety of inputs = No. Upgradeable components = No. You'd be far better off looking at a Blu-ray player + AV Receiver + 5.1 speaker package (satellites & active sub).
Firstly the Blu-ray player. You've allocated up to $200 for this. For under $150 you can have a Panasonic or Sony 3D Blu-ray player with wireless networking. If you are not bothered about 3D and have no plans to change your TV for a 3D capable one in the near future then save some bucks here and just go for a basic one, but the price difference is shrinking all the time so the saving might be less than $20 so why not have the 3D player anyway. There's no issue mixing brands either between the BD player and the audio gear.
As for home cinema kits, Onkyo and Denon and Yamaha all make packages with decent AV Receivers and speaker kits as a bundle. Most are 3D capable, and a few are 7.1. My view on 5.1 vs 7.1 is go for it if you have an unlimited budget and a really big room. However, if you're working to a strict budget then it's better to do 5.1 well than stretch things and do 7.1 badly.
New sound formats - The important ones for performance are DTS-Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD for Blu-ray audio, and Dolby ProLogicII (DPLII) for any stereo sources you want to have in surround. All of the kits I'll recommend do these formats.
ARC - Audio Return Channel. This is new feature added in the latest version of HDMI - the 1.4 version. If your TV and AV Receiver have the ARC feature then you no longer need an optical connection to get sound from the TV back to the surround kit. The HDMI cable will carry sound back.
Other things to consider... Blu-ray players often have streaming features (YouTube etc) and also require periodic firmware updates to cope with new encoding and features on discs. This is done via the net. A wired network connection is best but wireless will do too. There's also a good chance that the receiver you get might have internet radio or AirPlay. Once again a wired network connection back to your wireless router will allow you to access thousands of internet radio stations and enable you to stream music from your WiFi connected smartphone or tablet to the receiver.
Traps to avoid: "Super performance" HDMI cables. The HDMI connections from your Blu-ray player to the AV Receiver, and from the Receiver to the TV don't need $50 cables. As long as the cable is rated High Speed and meets the HDMI 1.4 spec and is of decent construction then all will be well. Avoid the cheapest the Ebay or the web has to offer. Those really tend to be crappy. $10 is a reasonable amount for a 3-5 ft cable.
All the following have HD audio decoding, DPLII
Yamaha YHT397BL - simple 5.1 surround system sold via the electrical barns. 3D and with ARC. $449
Yamaha YHT497BL - alternative to 397 - sold via specialist dealers. $430-£479. The 397 has the same basic spec but better speakers.
Yamaha YHT597BL - step-up model with net radio, AirPlay, Yamaha SmartPhone app (Android & Apple) which works remarkably well. $549
Onkyo HTS3500 - simple 5.1 surround system sold via the electrical barns. 3D and with ARC. Passive sub to keep costs down. $399
Onkyo HTS5500 - step-up model - 7.1 surround system, more power, better speakers, smarter auto set-up system (Audyssey 2). $599
Denon DHT-1513BA - pitched at the upgrader market - Better amp (discrete channels) and packaged with a 3rd party speaker kit from specialist manufacturer Boston Acoustics. The spec won't look as impressive but trust me, this kit is all about performance rather than bling. $599
Hope this helps :-)
What is the best way to power a pair of quality stereo speakers?
Phil McCra
I plan on running a pair of Paradigm Mini's through my Onkyo home theater receiver.
I keep reading that maybe the home theater receiver is not the best way to power a pair of good speakers.
What is the best way to drive a pair of speakers for the best possible sound reproduction?
I keep hearing the terms tube amp, amp, etc.
How would you do it?
If you power them up via an Onkyo HT receiver, would the difference really not make a difference?
Thanks
Answer
Your Onkyo receiver is a good quality "solid state" amp that will work just fine powering those speakers. Which are very good bookshelf speakers, by the way.
Audio Tube amps are the realm of high-end audiophile sound systems. Once apon a time all amps were vacuum tube-driven, until the invention of the solid state transistor.
The debate of tube vs solid state is fierce and can often turn volatile, so I won't even start THAT debate here.
But for your purposes, that Onkyo will do fine for now. If you're looking for a good return on your money for improved sound, start first with a good powered sub-woofer. Those Minis are good speakers, but your missing out on a whole lot of bottom end without a sub.
Look a Paradigm, Hsu, SVS, and Velodine manufacturers.
Your Onkyo receiver is a good quality "solid state" amp that will work just fine powering those speakers. Which are very good bookshelf speakers, by the way.
Audio Tube amps are the realm of high-end audiophile sound systems. Once apon a time all amps were vacuum tube-driven, until the invention of the solid state transistor.
The debate of tube vs solid state is fierce and can often turn volatile, so I won't even start THAT debate here.
But for your purposes, that Onkyo will do fine for now. If you're looking for a good return on your money for improved sound, start first with a good powered sub-woofer. Those Minis are good speakers, but your missing out on a whole lot of bottom end without a sub.
Look a Paradigm, Hsu, SVS, and Velodine manufacturers.
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Title Post: What is the best home theater in-a-box for under $500?
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Author: Yukie
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