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Looking for for a very small, cheap DTS amp with optical in, 5.1 speakerwire out

post #1 of 16
10/14/10 at 7:11pm
Thread Starter 
I'm looking for a small box audio amplifier with SPDIF optical and/or coax input and 5 speaker wire inputs plus an RCA plug for a powered subwoofer. The speakers I'm hooking up to it are not that high end and probably dont require too much wattage.

I'm looking for something in the price range of $50-$90.

I dont need it to have an FM tuner, CD player, DVD player, bluray player or anything else.

Heck, I dont even need a remote control as long as it has a volume knob.

Of course, id like something thats not total junk, and somewhat popular for its price range and class.


Thanks in advance for the quick reply!
Michael
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post #2 of 16
10/14/10 at 10:18pm
Ebay is your friend. I picked up a very nice Dennon that was a few years old for my bedroom 5.1 system. I'm running Directv over optical, The TV over optical and my Blu Ray player via COAX. I think I paid $45 delivered. Take a look and narrow it down to a few units and research them, lots of old reviews are still online.
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post #3 of 16
10/15/10 at 10:53pm
Thread Starter 
I'm sorry matt, but that's not much help. People suggesting to go do research as an answer to a question for a particular brand/model isn't my idea of a good answer.
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post #4 of 16
10/16/10 at 12:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MKANET View Post

I'm sorry matt, but that's not much help. People suggesting to go do research as an answer to a question for a particular brand/model isn't my idea of a good answer.

Well, first of all, you are looking for a receiver not an amp.

For less than $100 and "not total junk" your only hope is to go used.

So:

1. go to your local craigslist and ebay and search for AV receivers in the $50 - $100 range

2. if you find any google them to find out if they have DTS processing and SPDIF support in

3. if you find one that fits the bill then buy it

4. if you find one that you're not sure of then come back and ask about some specific make and model for opinions


==============================================

A quick search on amazon found these:

http://www.amazon.com/Technics-SADX9...212401&sr=1-16

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-STR-DE885.../ref=de_a_smtd

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-DS575...212401&sr=1-18

http://www.amazon.com/Harman-Kardon-.../ref=de_a_smtd

There's others, but any of these would do, and what do you want for $100.
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post #5 of 16
10/16/10 at 12:54am
Thread Starter 
The Denon/Sony/Onkyo's that I see are the typical large high wattage receivers mainly because of the size needed for the amp in it; plus they are meant to fit the standard a/v rack. I probably should have been a little more clear what I'm looking for, but here it goes again..
I'm "Looking for for a very small, cheap DTS decoder + amp with optical in, 5.1 speakerwire out"

Something with the form factor of an xbox or something similar. The funny thing is the blu-ray player that came with my Sony BDVE500W 5.1 theater in a box has exactly what I need... DTS decoding; plus a whole bunch of other formats I woudnt mind having, about the right amount of wattage for my existing similar 5.1 speakers, optical input, speaker wire input terminals AND its the right size... it happens to do blu-ray very well too.

Now, all I want is something like that whether it has bluray, dvd, no disc playback at all.. just the form factor is important to me.. wattage should be comparable. My sub I have is powered, so just need enough power for the 5 speakers.




Quote:
Originally Posted by rick240 View Post

Well, first of all, you are looking for a receiver not an amp.

For less than $100 and "not total junk" your only hope is to go used.

So:

1. go to your local craigslist and ebay and search for AV receivers in the $50 - $100 range

2. if you find any google them to find out if they have DTS processing and SPDIF support in

3. if you find one that fits the bill then buy it

4. if you find one that you're not sure of then come back and ask about some specific make and model for opinions


==============================================

A quick search on amazon found these:

http://www.amazon.com/Technics-SADX9...212401&sr=1-16

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-STR-DE885.../ref=de_a_smtd

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-DS575...212401&sr=1-18

http://www.amazon.com/Harman-Kardon-.../ref=de_a_smtd

There's others, but any of these would do, and what do you want for $100.
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post #6 of 16
10/16/10 at 4:15pm
Thread Starter 
Just to let you know, I ended up buying the old Samsung HT-Z320T 5.1 for $129.99




It does DTS decoding, spdif optical input, small form factor (receiver), relatively decent sound, and even comes with better speakers than the ones I have currently for close to the price range I was looking for without speakers.

It's perfect for my HTPC which outputs all it's sounds/movies/music/games/etc in DTS format audio. This home theater in a box package seems pretty comparable to my modern Sony bluray home theater in a box (shown above).

http://www.compusa.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=5532247 (Factory Refurbished)

I actually ordered it from Best Buy for $129.99 since I couldnt order it from the above link online or anywhere near a local store.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung+...stem&cp=1&lp=1
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post #7 of 16
10/22/10 at 7:48pm
Thread Starter 
This has to be the worst sounding home theater in a box I've ever heard. Believe it or not, it doesnt even sound close to the ones they were supposed to replace; which is kind of surprising... they have pretty decent ratings for a product in that class when they were first introduced. They have "tinny" sound and the subwoofer is pretty weak. The ones they were supposed to replace were given to me free by a friend. I guess Ill just hang on to the ones I had until I can afford to get a decent receiver and speakers. It's hard to believe how much this product went for when they first came out.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MKANET View Post

Just to let you know, I ended up buying the old Samsung HT-Z320T 5.1 for $129.99




It does DTS decoding, spdif optical input, small form factor (receiver), relatively decent sound, and even comes with better speakers than the ones I have currently for close to the price range I was looking for without speakers.

It's perfect for my HTPC which outputs all it's sounds/movies/music/games/etc in DTS format audio. This home theater in a box package seems pretty comparable to my modern Sony bluray home theater in a box (shown above).

http://www.compusa.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=5532247 (Factory Refurbished)

I actually ordered it from Best Buy for $129.99 since I couldnt order it from the above link online or anywhere near a local store.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung+...stem&cp=1&lp=1
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post #8 of 16
10/22/10 at 10:27pm
LOL!!

I'm sorry, LOL, but I just read this thread for the first time and all i could think when I read you wanting all this for <$100 is "OMG, how crappy is this going to be!" I didn't know this stuff came so cheap!

Less than $90.01 Must NEVER be used in the same sentence with "not total junk"

I want a new car, v8, for $9,001 but not total junk.

I can't believe there are people who have such high expectations when they want to spend not a single penny more than the least expensive unit available.

What got me laughing is one minute you tell us what you purchased (OMG, you didn't get that!) and you sound so happy and then the very next post I can tell how pissed off you are! Normally i wouldn't laugh about this situation, but you were pretty rude to the 1st reply you got after he gave you excellent advice. You can't be like that when you come here asking for help and someone gives it to you.

So what did you expect it to sound like? A Rock concert??? You got what you paid for!
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post #9 of 16
10/22/10 at 10:41pm
Seems like your needs are a bit tough to fill. You want small, cheap and good sounding...not sure what I would recommend. You might need to change your parameters a bit. I would guess though, that it's not the receiver in the system that sounds bad. It's the really cheap speakers, and the really cheap subwoofer.
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post #10 of 16
10/22/10 at 11:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MichaelJHuman View Post

You want small, cheap and good sounding....

You can only pick two of those at a time.
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post #11 of 16
10/23/10 at 9:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MKANET View Post

This has to be the worst sounding home theater in a box I've ever heard. Believe it or not, it doesnt even sound close to the ones they were supposed to replace; which is kind of surprising... they have pretty decent ratings for a product in that class when they were first introduced. They have "tinny" sound and the subwoofer is pretty weak. The ones they were supposed to replace were given to me free by a friend. I guess Ill just hang on to the ones I had until I can afford to get a decent receiver and speakers. It's hard to believe how much this product went for when they first came out.

LOL! Seriously, what did you expect?!
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post #12 of 16
10/23/10 at 2:12pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for your feedback. The problem isn't the entire package, the receiver that comes in the package seems just fine for power requirements in the amp. The main problem (only one of you noticed) was the speakers. Unfortunately, with these home theater in a box products (sony, samsung, etc) force you to use proprietary plugs for the speaker input on the receiver. If I could use my old speakers and speaker wires (which dont have connectors), I would be fine. Unfortunately these proprietary speaker wires are relatively expensive; even on ebay. Anyway, I now know that I need to spend much more to get a significant upgrade over what I have. Hopefully, people understand that I know what to expect now; and, wont get any more redundant "LOL what did you expect" replies.
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post #13 of 16
10/23/10 at 2:58pm
you could just cut the speaker wires from the samsung and then splice in the other speakers you have. the only hard part would be figuring out the polarity of the two wires going to the speaker.
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post #14 of 16
10/24/10 at 12:48pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the reply. Thats exactly what I was going to do, but just in case I didnt like the way it sounded for any reason at all or it stopped working (its refurbished afterall) I didnt want to risk not being able to return it. At least not too easily.

BTW, The Sony BDVE500W 5.1 theater in a box (for my living room setup) sounds 5 times better than the Samsung I bought for my media room. I did pay much more for the Sony, but I thought it was because of blu-ray playback and all the other digital audio formats; plus, it was brand new.

Quote:
Originally Posted by collin View Post

you could just cut the speaker wires from the samsung and then splice in the other speakers you have. the only hard part would be figuring out the polarity of the two wires going to the speaker.
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post #15 of 16
10/25/10 at 12:25am
Why are you so enamored with TIB solutions? You are well aware everything is cheaped out to make the price point from your latest experiance. Buy some decent used stuff and enjoy quality sound.

If you have speakers you like, find an decent used receiver.
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post #16 of 16
10/25/10 at 12:42am
This would be perfect:
http://us.marantz.com/Products/2926.asp
It's exactly what you are asking for: small, good sound, not junk at all. It's just $400 for what you want.
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AVS › AVS Forum › Audio › Receivers, Amps, and Processors › Looking for for a very small, cheap DTS amp with optical in, 5.1 speakerwire out