Newbie looking to get a HTIB

This would be better to post in the HTIB forum. This forum is more for people who purchase separate speakers and not a all in one box. Most on here would think that a HTIB is totally worthless, they are not upgradable, they have a very small sound and lack in bass. So if you would be interested in pieceing together your system this is the place but if you want a all in one no matter what they can help on the HTIB forum.

I recently upgraded from a HTIB. I wasted money by not purchasing separate components up front. I outgrew the HTIB very fast and it was a waste of money and time in hindsight.

I'd suggest getting something like the Denon 591 with BA speakers (I think its BA), if you want a HTIB. Definitely don't buy a HTIB with a proprietary recevier/DVD/Blu-ray player. You will be locked into that. I did that with a Sony HTIB and 2 years later I replaced it.

I know some are not big on sound and he might be happy with the Onkyo for many years to come, but there are some that ask for advice on a cheap sub like a Polk and say they just have to have a 100 dollar sub and a few months later there back on here saying "help I need to get bass from my cheap junkie sub what can I do" after everyone told them to save up and buy nice quality equipment that they will be more happy with in the long run. Sorry for the rant LOL, I know some can't afford thing especially in this economy but its just kinda a DUH moment. When you see those posts.

Well first off the receiver is the main piece. You need to find one that has all the options or bells and whistles you'll need. Take a look at Crutchfield and read up on receivers. Don't over spend on a receiver and then buy cheap speakers, for example if you total budget is say 1500 only about 350 or so is for the receiver use the rest for the speakers. So you have no interest in watching blu rays or just not budgeting bluray player into this? And if your totally not interested in blu rays at all thats a nice TV you have for not wanting HD movies. When your buying seperate componets the receivers don't include blu rays you just go buy a stand alone blu ray player.

Recommended receiver brands: Onkyo, Denon, Marantz, Harmon Kardon, Yamaha, Sony ES only, NAD

Speaker brands that are well received: Axiom, Aperion, Ascend Acoustics, Elemental Designs, Salk, Klipsch, Energy, HSU, SVS, Bower and Wilkins, Monitor Audio, Paradigm, PSB, Polk, Infinity, Emotiva.

Does your HTPC transmit HD audio soundtracks like Dolby TrueHD or DTS-MA?

You should definitely get the same brand for your front 3 speakers. matching surrounds would be nice too if possible. Sub can be completely different brand as some the best subs are made by dedicated subwoofer companies.

I would buy the front speakers before the sub. Having a sub and no other speakers wont do you much good. You can get two front speakers, then a sub and then the center if you wish.

go to newegg...they have polk speakers and nice recievers for a good price...also they'll get delivered in a few days

the 4350 does not have the newest audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD or DTS-MA, if you don't mind spending like 60 bucks and getting a 5400's ... those can do it

The 608 is a good little receiver but the receiver should not be the 1st thing that you buy. The first thing that you choose is your speakers. Once you have your speakers picked out then and only then do you start receiver shopping. You'll base your receiver purchase on the speaker's requirements and a list of features that you want. For example while the 608 is a fine little receiver it won't drive 4ohm speakers. Wait on the receiver until you've selected the speakers.


The most important to match are the left-front, center, and right-front (aka LCR). Those need to be from the same brand and product line so that the transition from "L" to "C" to "R" and back is absolutely seamless. A timbre match with the surrounds is nice but far-far less critical.

Another thing to keep in mind is the frequency response of the speakers. You'll want to choose speakers that extend down to at least 80hz. That's the point where the source of the sound becomes harder to identify. Above that point the transition between speaker and sub and back becomes the audio equivalent of watching a ping pong match. At or below 80hz the transition becomes far less noticeable, and if you have the speakers and sub properly balanced then the transition back and forth will be transparent even if the sub is placed behind you.

But there is no need to match the brand of sub with the speaker brand. In fact I recommend against buying mass market brand subwoofer. You'll get far-far-far better bang for the buck buying your sub from an internet direct subwoofer specialist. For a subwoofer to do its job well you'll need to size it to the cubic footage of the room. That includes any spaces that are open to the room. I'd contact (listed alphabetically) Elemental Designs, Epik, Hsu Research, and SVSound and have have each size a subwoofer to the room. All are honest and in my experience none of them will try to over sell you. If they have two recommendations I tend to go a step up. It's a lot easier to turn a large sub down than it is to turn a small sup up past 100%.

Without a budget it's hard to recommend specific speakers. Especially since speakers are very subjective. However I'll toss out some budget ideas. If you don't mind tower speakers then Infinity's Primus P362 towers and timbre matched PC350 center are very good for their price. These are rumored to be discontinued but can still be found for between $150-220ea for the 3 fronts. A good match for surrounds would be their P152 bookshelves ($150/pr). If you can't afford the whole thing in one bite then start with the front 3 and a sub and then add surrounds later.

Another popular cheaper but less attractive option would be 3 Behringer B2030P bookshelf studio monitors ($55-75ea shipped) as the 3 fronts. The downside is the homely industrial grill-less look. They were meant for recording studios - not homes. The upside is they're about the best sounding bang for the buck going. You can use two more as surrounds or use a pair of Wharfedale WH-2 bipolar surround speakers ($80/pr) as the surrounds.

Of course if you have a larger budget then the sky is the limit.

+1 for what Sholling said. Although I always recommended getting the receiver first to get the cheapest one you can get with all the options you need. You really shouldn't be looking at 4ohm speakers anyway espcially if you want to power them with a receiver. If you are even looking at 4ohm speakers you should budget in separate amps, IMO. I would stay away from the Behinger speaker for HT they make good computer speakers, but there is much much better more reliable options out there than those. IMO its better to go with bookshelf speakers and use the money that you saved and add that to the subwoofer budget. But the Infinity P362s are a great deal and are around the same price as a good set of bookshelfs.

Once you pick the LCRs you can pick the sub and receiver. You just have to decide on the LCRs first so you know what you need in a receiver.


It's not that bad. Measuring the room and attached spaces will take a whole 10 minutes. Calculating the cubic footage (LxWxH) will take seconds. Stick them in emails (or call) and you'll have an answer in a day or less. All of the companies are friendly no-pressure sub builders. Just bear in mind that eD doesn't maintain inventory. If you need it fast then SVS and Hsu are your choices.


You want the L&R tweeters at ear height. The center can be angled up or down to point at ear height. If you just want something cheap Walmart (B&M only) sells some decent looking wood bar stools for $21ea. If the height is right for you they make decent stands. You'll also want some sort of feet to isolate the speakers from the stands. A set of these cheapies per speaker work well enough.


Prices bounce all over the place with these. The nice thing with Amazon is if you don't like them then returns are easy. I'd start with a pair and see how you like the sound. Just don't expect deep bass without a sub.


They don't make a center and finding a timbre match would be tough. Some people just live with one upright, others flip one on its side. Upright is better. Remember these were intended for recording studios on a budget. BTW you'll find a ton of reviews out on the web.

For future reference: Emotiva ERD-1 surrounds are only 4.25" in depth, making them much easier to mount on walls without getting in the way. I searched far and wide for a solution that doesn't stick out very far from the wall, and the ERD-1's are the most shallow I found. They're also affordable ($350/pair), and stack up very well against other surrounds -- even against many that are much more expensive! (Also note that the ERD-1's are 4 ohm speakers, so cheaper/lesser receivers may require an external amp to power them).

The key to your system will be the quality of the front three (L/C/R) and the subwoofer; so, take your time and make the right decisions there.

Do you have any idea at all what your max budget might be for the L/C/R/SW and AVR? It might be easier to provide specific suggestions if we know what $$ we're working with... otherwise, the suggestions here are really going to be all over the map!

I always recommend putting as much as possible into the LCRs and sub and putting off the surrounds when money is tight. You can always go back and add surrounds later.


Yes Polk Monitor 70 but in my opinion the Infinities are much better speakers.


Measure them and add them to the room size. Here's why: Subwoofers give that visceral deep bass feeling by ever so slightly altering the air pressure in the room. Any open spaces attached to the room dilute that pressure. The larger the space the sub(s) have to pressurize the more air it has to move and the more/larger the driver(s) required. That's why a subwoofer is almost useless outside. In a pinch you can get away with less than optimal sized subs by being almost on top of them. Like using them for end tables. Or you can start with a medium sized sub now and add a second or third later.

This is key. A low cost receiver would have a tough time with the ERDs. A step down in quality but plenty good enough for most people using entry level gear are Wharfedale WH-2 surrounds. They may not be the best bipolar surrounds in the world but they are likely the best for $80/pr. I had no trouble driving them with an old Onkyo TX-SR606. The WH-2s would be a good choice for the OP.

Note to OP: Palehorse's suggestion to use bipolar surrounds is a good one. They give a diffused theater like sound. In general bipolar surrounds are placed to your left and right and about 2 feet above the ear. In contrast monopole (ie Infinity P152 or Behringer B2030P) surrounds should be to your left and right at ear level.

Edit: Generally you place your first set of surround speakers (5.1 system) to your left and right, but they can be up to a 45 degree angle behind. The side surrounds can be monopole and bipolar based on personal taste. It's when you get into 7.1 that you have rear surrounds and those are generally monopoles.

Actually, I'd personally use dipole on the sides, and bipole or monopole in the rear -- depending on space/placement limitations.

I also prefer my Monitor 70s over the Infinity alternatives.

You could use them. I'm speaking in general terms. I've used them for rears but that was because I didn't have enough room behind me for monopoles. They're cheap and if you decide that you don't like them for rears you can always move them to the bedroom. If you hang out here long you'll eventually have a 5.1 rig in there to.


A perfectly valid opinion. It's just a personal taste and available space decision. I run monopoles in my family room because Jim Salk doesn't make bi/dipoles; and I run dipoles in my bedroom because of placement issues (and I had them on-hand); and I run bipoles for surrounds in my home-office.

BTW here is a very-very-very technical discussion of the P362's predecessor the P360.
http://www.stereophile.com/floorloud...ty/index3.html

OP if you're in the US and don't need 3D compatibility then a refurbished Onkyo TX-SR707 from accessories for less would be a really nice choice. It's last years model so no 3D support but it has a good amplifier section and lots of great features for under $400. I'm running one in my bedroom.

Not to toss in another opinion, but I've helped, with good result, people in your situation before. I'll be short and specific. #1 buy the best front speakers you can. I don't think you can go wrong with this:

Paradigm Reference

That's your front 3 built in to one unit.

Or 4 of these + a center: Hsu Research They make nice subs too.

Then you'll need something to power them, like this: Pioneer 1020 The MCACC is commonly prefered to Audyssey's lesser auto calibrators.

Then you'll want a nice sub, at a good price.[IMG]Emotiva Ultra 10[/IMG] (If you wait 11 days to order, the Ultra 12 will be on sale again for "Emofest".


Just another perspective on the matter. The Paradigm deal is almost unbeatable. That's an incredible speaker system, and easily mountable above the TV firing down towards the listening position, or beneath the screen. Add surround speakers as you budget for it.