***Official HTIB Alternatives Thread*** - Page 99

People really like the Hsu Ventriloquist setup. Its a good satellite/sub system. Is it better than a full size Athena bookshelf? I don't think so.

Its nice for what it is though and the subwoofer is really good.

There is a good deal on this speaker. Any idea if this speaker is good, how will it match with Primus 362B for front speakers? I know its a good idea to keep the same brand for LCR but right now the infinity centers are too expensive/ too big for my setup.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...F2IwReO49nYDFg

Please let me know your opinion

Thanks
Anand

No idea how it will match for certain, but in all likelihood it probably won't match.

I'd just go "phantom center" with the two Primus speakers and save for the proper Infinity center down the road.

could someone tell me who the correct ebay seller is for the h-100?

i see a seller called sounpros and one called acousticsounddesigns.

thanks!

Im thinking about getting a temporary receiver which i can use till i can afford the Onkyo 705. My question is about the audio input to the receiver. I believe all the components are connected to the receiver and the receiver to the tv.

Now since my receiver will not be able to pass through 1080i picture to my tv, how would i wire it such that the picture quality is not lost. Im basically trying to figure out whats the next best type of wiring i can use so that the sound is not bad. I assume i will have to use the audio out on my tv to the receiver.

Also, where can i get speaker wire? 16 gauge is supposed to be standard. is there any other spec i should look for? copper vs some other conducting meaterial?
My speakers will be with in 1 to 10ft of the receiver.

PS: i decided to get the TX-SR604. Im getting a good deal on Craigslist. I can do HDMi with this receiver and it should keep me hapy for a year or two.I can spend the extra money on a nice tv stand -- probably a Z line tv stand with mount. I just need to purchase the cable now and test my speakers this evening

Thanks
AR

They're both authorized BIC Acoustech dealers and both based in Vegas. Either one would work for you, just make an offer.

great, thanks

Anyone else having their replies deleted from this thread?

Odd, but my last entry (or more?) to this thread is gone. I wonder what happened?

Thanks,

There was a system failure that deleted a lot of posts from the past week and they can't be recovered. Nothing malicious, just an accident.

Before you jump on me, i have an honest question. I have the infinty 362b for front (it really annoyed grumpy (the wife) because they were big). Im getting a Onkyo 604 for the receiver and i was wondering if i can buy the bose satellite speakers for surround speakers. They are small and i could wall mount them with minimal hardware.

I have to plan to add the center and the sub in the coming months. Appreciate your response.

Thanks

As long as the Bose speakers have binding posts or clips that work with standard speaker wire (meaning, doesn't use Bose specific connections), and your receiver is rated to handle them (others can chime in on that, as I don't know the specs), then they will work.

I won't comment on how they'll sound. I honestly don't know, although you'll probably get some critiques.

I was looking at getting a TX-SR606 and and two Polk Audio Monitor 50s from Amazon. I will be in an apartment for the next 6 months so I can't really use a major sub or anything too loud. Will these work pretty well and allow for upgrades later? Or will I be missing something with just the two Polks.

I have an Xbox, Cable Box, PS3, so I wanted all the HDMI inputs.

Thanks.

Wakee,
I just set up my initial system yesterday, I have primus 362B for fronts and a TX SR 604, which is very similar to 606. The sound was unbelievably crisp, and i hadnt even touched the calibrations. Just out of the box and plugged in to the speakers, it sounded so good. My only problem, my neighbor from above came down and told me nicely to reduce the bass. If you live in an apartment i think your setup will work very well. I would suggest the R50s, they were available for 60$ ea this weekend in frys. i dont know if the deal is available online.

Well that's my luck! The R50s sale ended yesterday they're back up to $199, but the guy said they go on sale every other week........

i can confirm that, i have seen it on sale very often. Wait it out , these are very good speakers for the price. Recently i purchased the Infinity 362B at frys., The polks werent on sale then. The primus was slightly better than then polk so i decided not to wait. But the polk are great too.

AR

Spend a little more cash on the Speakers, and buy something used/closeout for the receiver. THe local tweeter near me has the sony str-dg810 for like $139 on closeout....check their clearance page. The speakers make much more of a difference in the sound, so you're better off spending the money there.



I highly recommend the Rti8 at $149 each (frys?) if you can find them, or maybe even the rti10 (saw them at 479/pr at one point). Receiver shouldn't be the majority of the money you spend. Honestly, if you're only going to be running 2 channel, theres no reason to spend $$ on the receiver, just buy one on craigslist.

There are some other small speakers that might have a high WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) because of size, mounting and color:

http://www.orbaudio.com/
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/owm3/ ... you can also check Polk's closeout store on eBay at http://stores.ebay.com/Polk-Audio-Direct

I haven't heard these, so I don't know how well they sound. I've heard that surrounds aren't driven very hard in most HT applications, so you can often get away with less expensive speakers in those positions.

I'm going with inexpensive in-ceiling speakers for my surrounds; I chose These from forum sponsor Monoprice.com. That's another option.

I finally realized something ... my upgrades to my system are costing me in ways I didn't expect. I paid $49 a pair for some Polk R150 bookshelf speakers, and $120 for paint for the family room. I paid $109 for an Onkyo 304 A/V receiver, and $300 for valances for the living room. I paid $149 for a Velodyne refurbished VX-10 sub and $348 for wood blinds for the family room. I paid $38 for the in-ceiling speakers and $158 for bamboo pleated sliding glass door vertical shade. Gumpy = Happy.

So I have been spending today reading here and other forums trying to find the best 5.0 system to meet my needs. I am hoping you fine folks can help me narrow it down further.

Budget: $600
Room size: 20' x 15' x 10'
AVR: Onkyo SR606
Use: 90% TV 10% DVD

I will get a sub later. Right now I just want to get the speakers in place.

The finalists:

The Speaker Company TSAT-1000 ($300). It's cheap.

PSB: 2 x Alpha B1s, 2x Alpha LRs, 1 x Alpha C1 price tbd but looks like in budget

SVSound: 4 x SBS01, 1x SCS01 $650, slightly over budget and won't arrive until October.

Those are the three finalists are the PSB and SVSound speakers that much better than the TSC set to warrant double the price? Are there other speakers I should be considering?

Thanks

Hey,

I'm looking for a full 5.1 speaker set up and a 7.1(just in case I add later) receiver that can process LPCM through HDMI. My main use will be gaming and blu-ray movies through the PS3.

The price I am willing to pay is ~$1000, so I guess I am looking for a receiver that is approximately $300. The only receiver that I have seen in that range is the Sony STRDG720.

Much like Tiyuri, I was also looking at PSB's Alpha Series, except I was looking at 2 x T1s, 2 x B1s, 1 x C1 and 1 of PSBs sub woofers, I assume it was there entry level sub. I can get that set of PSBs for ~$700.

Other products that are available locally are Yamaha, Monitor Audio, B&W, NAD and everything that Futureshop has. So does anyone have any comments about the set up I was looking at or any other suggestions?

How's this for a deal?
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-696

Thinking about upgrading my sub in my main system, while getting a cheap secondary system for TV watching via the deal above. Upgraded receiver from ~10 yr old Sony STR-DB830 to Onkyo 705 in the theater room a few months back, old receiver could be used in the primary TV watching room w/ new cheap speakers. Theater room speakers are ~10 yr old Infinity BU-120 sub, CC-3, RS-3, QSP-1 5.1 system. Both rooms are ~18'x13'. Main theater has 96" screen on 13' wall. TV room has 60" DLP angled in the corner, mostly against the 13' wall.

Also, any suggestions for adding 2 speakers to take the old 5.1 Infinity set up to go to 7.1? Or should I just be looking to buy a new 7.1 speaker setup at some point?

I have a Yamaha HTIB (it was $400 a year ago) and I'm sitting here listening to my computer speakers ($20-30 1.5 years ago) and it blows it away... why...

ANYWAYS, I want to upgrade, what should I upgrade first? I'm thinking bass, but I have trouble hearing dialogue so maybe center? I feel maybe I wired it bad or haven't calibrated the sound/receiver. And is there at all a reason to upgrade my receiver if it has all the connections I need? Do some have better power output than others?

dark ness bear start over begin with a nice receiver onkyo 705 or 604 get your 3 matching speakers (infinity beta 50's c360') or someting along those lines then work your way up with rear sourrounds in the future (if tight budget) then your sub last.

and your expereince will change

hey guys, been lurkin for a while, have a question...

is there a list of good retailers anywhere, i have seen fry's mentioned and the 'bay but any others that a reputable?

also, i see a lot of mention of the R50's and Monitor 50s, just goin off the price from the polk website, are the R50's $200 better than the Monitor 50s? and if so.. how much better are the Monitor 60s compared to the 2 for an extra $10 ($650 for a pair of M 60 vs $640 for R50s)

thanks alot guys.

I have a Philips HTIB and I am dying to upgrade, I have a fairly small living room in a townhouse so i am thinkin a decent AVR and solid L/C/R should suit me fine for a while and would still be better than the HTIB crap i have now

thanks again...

Well, I can not quantify how much Monitor 50's are better than R50's, but to my ears there was good bit of difference. I liked the sound of monitor 50's much better than R50 and R300. But the current Fry's deal is for monitor 50 in Maple color for 99 dollars. If they were in black color, I would have bought them over R50s (available at 59 dollars in black). So even though I really liked Monitor 50s over R50s, I ended up buying R50s for the price and color. I am waiting for monitor 50's in black to go on sale.
Hope this helps

Great thread this.
It is kind of baffling the question "how does the speaker set SX-HTB from Fluance ( http://www.fluance.com/fluan5speaks.html) compare with Polk speakers” hasn’t been answered yet. I have searched in AVS forum and even Googled it. There are some reviews but there is no data about which Polk series does Fluance compete with? Does it compete with R50s/R150 etc combination or the monitor 50 series or something even better from Polk?
The flunance deal and reviews sounds very promising but lack of clear comparison or ability to hear them first hand (or first ears ) is holding me back.
Help!!!

(I might contradict my earlier response where I said color was a factor in me choosing R50 as Fluance is only available in lighter color. But I am willing to look beyond color combination if I could get an entire set in matching color).

yeah i realize u cant quantify a speaker sounding better than another.

This is what i was thinking to replace my Philips HTIB:

Onkyo 606
2 x Monitor 60 for L/R
1 x CS1/CS2 (which is the better fit for the Monitor 60s?)

or would 2x RTi A5 ($379/pair refurb. from Polk) and their coordinating center be better

would it be worth it to spend a little more and get the Monitor 60's or just get the monitor 50's when they go on sale at fry's?

I got my Monitor 50's in black for $99 each(free shipping) from Amazon back in May. They are not that price now on Amazon, but their prices do change if you can wait.

Anyone guys?

If you can afford the ticket, the A5s are seriously better than the Monitors though I think that pair got snapped up...there will be others.

cool thanks Ron, I will keep my eye open for another good deal for the A5's