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HTIB or seperates, prefer it to be under $450

post #1 of 24
5/9/12 at 11:42pm
Thread Starter 
Hey guys, looking for a home theater system. We have netflix and others built into our panasonic 60" tv and we also have a ps3 so we don't need a blu ray player.
I would prefer a complete system that I could use a smart phone, ipod touch or ipad to use as a remote control. What are the thoughts on a panasonic HTIB?
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post #2 of 24
5/10/12 at 12:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by countryboy9799 View Post

Hey guys, looking for a home theater system. We have netflix and others built into our panasonic 60" tv and we also have a ps3 so we don't need a blu ray player.
I would prefer a complete system that I could use a smart phone, ipod touch or ipad to use as a remote control. What are the thoughts on a panasonic HTIB?



How big is you room?
If you're going to go HTIB I'd suggest looking at Onkyo or Denon. Those came with the receivers but you could also get the speaker packages like the MLT-1/2 or Energy Take Classics.
If you could up your budget a little more you might be able to build something around the Polk Monitor line.
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post #3 of 24
5/10/12 at 6:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by countryboy9799 View Post

Hey guys, looking for a home theater system. We have netflix and others built into our panasonic 60" tv and we also have a ps3 so we don't need a blu ray player.
I would prefer a complete system that I could use a smart phone, ipod touch or ipad to use as a remote control. What are the thoughts on a panasonic HTIB?

One thing to consider is if your using Netflix from your TV you won't get good surround sound from it (unless your tv is one of the few that can output 5.1 DD( most tvs only output 2.0 DD).

I have a smart TV as well with netflix and other stuff, I will never use it cuz the sound quality sux. However my sony bluray player has netflix and am running HDMI out of that to the receiver so I can get 5.1 DD from netflix on the bluray player.
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post #4 of 24
5/15/12 at 7:15pm
Receivers with iOS/Android app control usually start at $400, unless you get a refurbished or used one. for example:
- Yamaha RX-V473 $400 (http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-RX-V473...7132631&sr=1-1)

The Yamaha YHT-597 HTiB $550 includes the RX-V473 (http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-YHT-597...dp_ob_title_ce)

You'll get OK starter speakers with the HTiB, but you could put together a separates system with notably superior speakers + subwoofer for $750:
- Yamaha RX-473 $400
- Energy Take Classic 5.0 surround speakers $230 (http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Take-Cl...7132813&sr=1-2)
- Polk PSW10 subwoofer $120 (http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-Mon...YNEQRR4DHJT6FT)
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post #5 of 24
5/23/12 at 12:22pm
I was looking at the Yamaha YHT-797 for 700 on Amazon. Do you think those speakers you linked to will be vastly superior to the speakers included with that? Seems like they're slightly bigger cones in the 797 relative to the 597 series.
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post #6 of 24
5/23/12 at 2:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by skechada View Post

I was looking at the Yamaha YHT-797 for 700 on Amazon. Do you think those speakers you linked to will be vastly superior to the speakers included with that? Seems like they're slightly bigger cones in the 797 relative to the 597 series.

FWIW, I have the Yamaha YHT-395 system which has the same speakers as the 597 series. The speakers are good for what they are (we are very happy with the system) but I think you'd be better off with Energy/Polk combo if you want to go with separates. I'm going to upgrade my speakers some time this year and will be looking at that combo.
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post #7 of 24
5/23/12 at 3:52pm
Onkyo NR509, used like new Amazon Warehouse deals. Can use Android, iPod, iPhone as a remote.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...condition=used

Polk RM705 or RM6750 5.1 speakers system
http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-RM7...dp_ob_title_ce

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002WTK4S/...hvptwo=&hvqmt=

out the door under $450 shipped!
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post #8 of 24
5/23/12 at 6:34pm
@Afro GT

Between the two systems, the Energy Take Classic and the Polk RM6750, what do you see are the key differences, pro and con (not taking into account the sub on the Polks)?
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post #9 of 24
5/24/12 at 8:30am
the Energy is a little more stylish with the gloss black finish and the sats are slightly heavier.

If you're on a budget the RM6750 is the better buy. Newegg usually carries it for $199 shipped so the Amazon deal isn't too bad.
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post #10 of 24
5/24/12 at 8:44am
Thanks. I think the Polks would fit better on the the satellite stands (Atlantic) that I already have. I'm not sure how the shape of the Energy's would fit. Performance-wise, which one and why? I'm asking the same questions up in the Speaker forum so if you want to move the discussion up the (which is probably more appropriate) that's fine.
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post #11 of 24
5/24/12 at 10:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Otto Pylot View Post

Thanks. I think the Polks would fit better on the the satellite stands (Atlantic) that I already have. I'm not sure how the shape of the Energy's would fit. Performance-wise, which one and why? I'm asking the same questions up in the Speaker forum so if you want to move the discussion up the (which is probably more appropriate) that's fine.


I think you would be quite pleased with the Polks, and if you continue to watch prices they are available at Amazon and New Egg regularly. Also, on Ebay Polk has an outlet store of sorts where deals can be found on returned or even completely unused overstock speakers and systems are sold. Some of my favorite Polks are actually a few year old models such as the R30, R40, and R50s. And, I continue to see NOS or little used units. Often times, you can pick up some R50s and a nice sub woofer locally on Ebay from a local seller. I bought my vintage B&W DM603 S2 and DM640i towers this way for one quarter or less the original price.

Although if it were me, I would actually opt for separate larger front tower speakers along with a separate center speaker. You don;t have to get super huge towers. The rears looks nice enough. Sometimes piece meal deals can get you really nice equipment.
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post #12 of 24
5/24/12 at 12:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phase700B View Post

I think you would be quite pleased with the Polks, and if you continue to watch prices they are available at Amazon and New Egg regularly.

Yeah, I'm leaning towards the Polk 6750s. The newer Polks are more triangular shaped and I don't know how they would fit on the Atlantic satellite stands that I already have. I hadn't wanted to get a new sub at this time but the Polk sub has more control features so why not? Now, it I can get past that one little issue
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post #13 of 24
5/24/12 at 4:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by afrogt View Post

Onkyo NR509, used like new Amazon Warehouse deals. Can use Android, iPod, iPhone as a remote.

Polk RM705 or RM6750 5.1 speakers system

out the door under $450 shipped!


I was looking at buying separately as well, but I saw the Onkyo 7409 htib and was wondering if that was a better choice than getting the 509 and polk speakers. It's on sale for $469 here on Amazon, my budget is similar (sub $500).
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post #14 of 24
5/24/12 at 8:58pm
Well the NR609 receiver goes for $369 by itself so you're only paying $100 for the sub and 5 speakers. Not a bad deal.

The sensitivity is really low on the Onkyo speakers. 81db for the fronts and center, 79db for the surrounds.

The Polks have a sensitivity of 89db, so it'll take a lot more power to play the Onkyo speakers at the same volume as the Polks. The NR609 receiver is pretty powerful though.
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post #15 of 24
5/24/12 at 9:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by afrogt View Post

Well the NR609 receiver goes for $369 by itself so you're only paying $100 for the sub and 5 speakers. Not a bad deal.

The sensitivity is really low on the Onkyo speakers. 81db for the fronts and center, 79db for the surrounds.

The Polks have a sensitivity of 89db, so it'll take a lot more power to play the Onkyo speakers at the same volume as the Polks. The NR609 receiver is pretty powerful though.

Exactly what I saw. But as a novice, I'm not exactly sure what to make out of it. Is it correct to say the ~10db difference in sensitivity mainly affects output "power" rather than sound quality?

So far what I've seen is that the main difference I'd see between the 509 and 609 is the video processing and the overall power 3.x on the 509 vs 6.x on the 609. I think that I'd definitely like to stay with the 609 or similar while staying under $500. That makes my options pretty limited, do you know of any 5.1 speakers under $130 that would beat the Onkyo's? I'm going to keep searching but will probably end up buying the 7409 this weekend if I don't find anything promising. I'm itching to get a new toy to play with
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post #16 of 24
5/25/12 at 2:49am
Until Onkyo and Dennon get their quality issues sorted out, +1 more for Yamaha.

I got my first yamaha receiver in 2003 HTR-5635 and it has served me well up until Feb of this year when I replaced it with a RX-V667 used off of Amazon for $250.

I started with only 2 speakers and a sub (NS-6490s for $100 in 1994 along with a YST-SW50 for $100 that I used with a Sony mini bookself system) I eventually Added 4 more NS-6490s for $200 over the years along with 2 SW-215s in 2003-4 for $100 each) and finally a center in 2006 (NS-C125)
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post #17 of 24
5/25/12 at 8:09am
The NR609 is clearly a better receiver than the NR509. Much better feature set, more power, better on screen display, video upscaler, etc.

Maybe the Onkyo speakers are your best bet in a package deal.

Quote:


Until Onkyo and Dennon get their quality issues sorted out, +1 more for Yamaha.

Never had a problem with a Denon receiver at all and I currently own 2 of them.
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post #18 of 24
5/26/12 at 10:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by afrogt View Post

The NR609 is clearly a better receiver than the NR509. Much better feature set, more power, better on screen display, video upscaler, etc.

Maybe the Onkyo speakers are your best bet in a package deal.

Never had a problem with a Denon receiver at all and I currently own 2 of them.

Would you suggest getting a Denon for Multi EQ instead of the 609 because I'll already have an xbox for networking? I've read countless threads saying that Multi EQ is much better than 2EQ because it EQs the sub. What exactly does EQing do, I'm not sure I understand it fully. By the way, thanks for your help!
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post #19 of 24
5/26/12 at 11:08am
Yes MultiEQ is much better than 2EQ and MultiEQ XT is better than that.

http://www.audyssey.com/audio-technology/faq

If you don't need the networking, get the Denon AVR 1712 since it has XT.
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post #20 of 24
5/26/12 at 7:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by afrogt View Post

Yes MultiEQ is much better than 2EQ and MultiEQ XT is better than that.

http://www.audyssey.com/audio-technology/faq

If you don't need the networking, get the Denon AVR 1712 since it has XT.

At $400, the 1712 is a bit out of my price range.. I'd have to get the 1612 which just has MultiEQ No higher res filters for me.

Am I completely missing something or is the EQ just adjusting for room setup and acoustics when you run the EQ whether that is 2EQ or MultiEQ. After you run it, it doesn't actively run every time you play a movie or listen to music does it? I feel like manually setting the AVR could be just as effective as Audacity couldn't it?

I really must be missing something because everybody seems to be going wild over MultiEQ because it EQs the sub (which is really difficult?). Sure that's nice, but if it doesn't actively run, you could do that by spending enough time trying to tweak the sub power couldn't you?

Sorry for kind of hijacking this thread, but it seems like most people really know about Audacity EQs but I just can't seem to grasp the idea..
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post #21 of 24
5/26/12 at 8:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by anuj1450 View Post

At $400, the 1712 is a bit out of my price range.. I'd have to get the 1612 which just has MultiEQ No higher res filters for me.

Am I completely missing something or is the EQ just adjusting for room setup and acoustics when you run the EQ whether that is 2EQ or MultiEQ. After you run it, it doesn't actively run every time you play a movie or listen to music does it? I feel like manually setting the AVR could be just as effective as Audacity couldn't it?

I really must be missing something because everybody seems to be going wild over MultiEQ because it EQs the sub (which is really difficult?). Sure that's nice, but if it doesn't actively run, you could do that by spending enough time trying to tweak the sub power couldn't you?

Sorry for kind of hijacking this thread, but it seems like most people really know about Audacity EQs but I just can't seem to grasp the idea..

I have the 1612 and I really love the sound. I only needed 5.1 and I think it is about the best out there for bang vs buck.

I think the auto setup of my surround sound will be a nice touch. I do also feel however that nothing can compare to the way YOUR ear sees things. I will use the auto stuff but in the end it will be my tweaks that make things the way I enjoy them.

And no it does not always run, it is a one time thing (you can change later if you choose). I think people have been doing it by ear for many years with good results, I have little faith in electronics making my choices for me as we all have different tastes.
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post #22 of 24
5/27/12 at 12:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by corbintechboy View Post

I have the 1612 and I really love the sound. I only needed 5.1 and I think it is about the best out there for bang vs buck.

I think the auto setup of my surround sound will be a nice touch. I do also feel however that nothing can compare to the way YOUR ear sees things. I will use the auto stuff but in the end it will be my tweaks that make things the way I enjoy them.

And no it does not always run, it is a one time thing (you can change later if you choose). I think people have been doing it by ear for many years with good results, I have little faith in electronics making my choices for me as we all have different tastes.

Exactly! People on AVS often make it seem as if MultiEQ automatically means better sound quality than receivers without it or that it's this amazing technology. I guess I haven't heard what it can actually do, but it seems like it's mostly for convenience?

I think that the Onkyo's extra feature set might be worth having to spend some time with the sub and manually EQ it.. But for some reason, I keep second guessing myself..
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post #23 of 24
5/27/12 at 8:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by anuj1450 View Post

Exactly! People on AVS often make it seem as if MultiEQ automatically means better sound quality than receivers without it or that it's this amazing technology. I guess I haven't heard what it can actually do, but it seems like it's mostly for convenience?

I think that the Onkyo's extra feature set might be worth having to spend some time with the sub and manually EQ it.. But for some reason, I keep second guessing myself..

I do think it is about convenience and the feeling that you have done things the way they are "supposed" to be done. As I said thought, nothing beats YOUR human ear.

I decided to stay far away from Onkyo! Onkyo has an issue with heat and I can report my Denon runs nice and cool. I am very happy with my purchase after going round and around and finally deciding on the Denon. I looked at all the pros and cons and decided and think I made the right choice. It truly blows my older Pioneer out of the water for sound quality.

A word of advice, don't look at wattage in your research. A quality receiver is a quality receiver and my Pioneer was 100 watts per channel and the Denon is less and yet the Denon sounds better and goes louder while remaining clearer. The Denon runs much cooler to boot.
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post #24 of 24
5/28/12 at 9:29am
I created my own thread because I'm still confused/indecisive and I feel bad about hijacking this one!
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