***Official HTIB Alternatives Thread*** - Page 104

What's your sub budget?

Under $200, I'd recommend the Velodyne VX-10.

Under $300, either one of the Bic America subs (whatever the replacement for the Acoustech H-100 is now) or a Cadence sub.

Under $400, either Elemental Designs or HSU subs.

I was looking at the BIC F12, seem like a pretty decent sub for $250 on Amazon...

Anyone heard the Cerwin-Vega CLS-6 bookshelves?

A 6 1/2" driver, horn tweeter, frequency response down to 50Hz, 125w power handling and weighing in at an impressive 20lbs for only $150 a pair (shipped). Spec wise sounds like an awesome speaker for home theatre, but I haven't heard much about them. In comparison, The Speaker Company's 6 1/2" bookshelves which get great reviews weigh only 11 lbs and go down to 60Hz, but are only $90 a pair shipped. Energy C-100's are only 5 1/4" drivers and are $120 before shipping.

Thoughts?

I just ordered my HT setup and I wanted to express my thanks to those that helped and to those that keep this thread going. I was originally going with an Onkyo HTIB (the 7100 or the 9100THX), but thanks to this thread, i ended up piecing together my own setup. this si what I just ordered:

Receiver: Onkyo 606
Speakers: Polk RM705 5.1 system and 2 Polk FS Monitor 50 (will use these are fronts)

all for under 1k.

That sounds like a cool setup, enjoy! Any plans to buy the matching center speaker for those Monitor 50s?

Eventually, i would like to get the matching center, but it's not in my immediate plans. For now, I'll just enjoy what I've got coming and go from there.

First time poster, so bear with me, and thanks to those who contribute to this forum.

I just jumped in this week and ordered the bulk of my system after reading these forums for several weeks. I was aiming for a decent 5.1 system to start with, so I went to a local Best Buy to audition some speakers. Here is what I purchased this week:

AVR-1909 - $500 from Best Buy
Polk TSi 200 fronts - $230 from newegg
Polk CS10 center - $130 from newegg
Polk TSi 100 rears - $170 from Best Buy

So, I'm in at barely over $1k, and all that I really need now is a sub. I already have a 50" Panasonic plasma for display, and I have a dish network box and a PS3 as sources. The items from newegg are on their way now, so I'm getting pretty excited.

Here's my bargain 7.1 speakers for under $700 (shipped to Hawaii):

fronts - Axiom M3v2, $298 (B-stock)
center - Axiom M2i, $128 (B-stock, M2v2 is $133)
side surrounds - CSW S305, $159 (clearance, now sold out)
back surrounds - Coral BX-300, $20 (from Salvation Army)
sub - Sony SA-WM20, $89 (no longer made)

I'm pleased with the sound. The Axioms have gotten very good notices, and unlike other ID companies, Axiom does not charge extra for shipping to Hawaii.

Ok so I was going down the road with the whole HTIB thing. Then things started to get wonky because I kept reading more and more in the forums.

So I decided to try to build a HT-DIY kit... please provide your feedback...

So I got an
Onkyo TX-SR605 7.1 Reciever ($250 cash to a guy off Craigslist)
Energy Take Classic 5 Speakers ($200 to World Wide Stereo, free ship)
BIC Acoustech H-100 (eBay $259 shipped)

I'm gearing up for a Blu-Ray setup, dont have a player yet, but want one that can munch lossless codecs to pass over LCPM to my receiver. I'm thinkin PS3 actually...

Anyhow, that's what I got.

Thx

The receiver looks like an OK price - just make sure it works properly.

Why not the C-300, C-C50, C-50 system from wwstereo.com for $400 along with the ESW-8 sub from Amazon for $100? It's only slightly more...

that sounds like pretty awesome advice to me...

I emailed WW Stereo and asked if they could switcheroo my order from the Take Classic to these...

Thanks ickysmits...

The BIC is the better sub, but it's hard to resist the Energy closeout while it lasts (which won't be for too much longer). Another option, within budget but without the floorstanding C-300s is this:

Two pair: http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it...38/energy-c100
One center: http://www.buy.com/prod/Energy-C-C10...210807863.html
and the ESW-8 mentioned above.

I'd be inclined to go for that as you'd have 5.25 woofers all around - making a good match. The C-C100 is a better, but bigger, center speaker. It's nice to have a good center for fuller sounding dialog in movies and TV.

You can always flip the ESW-8 later and get a better sub but these Energy speakers are almost gone...and already hard to piece together.

thanks for your advice... I liked the towers and went for the C-300 package... should work out for me, hopefully =)

I'm helping a friend with her first 5.1 setup. She lives in an apartment so the space is fairly small and blow you away sound levels and bass probably isn't a plus It will be mainly used for Xbox gaming, DVDs, and Netflix streaming (stereo). She's also pretty into music so I wouldn't be surprised if she starts using it for that too with her Ipod.

Budget is around $500.
I'm planing on selling her my Yamaha RX-V1400 for $150 (maybe dropping that to $100 to get her better speakers). Does this sounds about right? I tried to price it on Ebay.

So that leaves $350 - $400 for speakers. I understand the closeout Energy speakers seems to be the best deal right now and had her set on the C-50 set from audio advisor posted a few pages ago but now they're sold out. Here's other sets I've pieced together form various sites.

1)
Energy C-50 $100 x2 = $200
Energy C-C50 $80
Energy ESW-9 $100
total $380
http://www.wwstereo.com/#/ecommerce/...TV/10/144501//
http://www.wwstereo.com/#/ecommerce/...TV/10/144378//
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ENESW8

2)
Energy C-100 119 x2 = $238
Energy C-C100 $114
Energy ESW-9 $100
total $452
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it...38/energy-c100
http://www.buy.com/prod/Energy-C-C10...210807863.html
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=ENESW8

3)
WWStereo set
Energy C-300 (2)
Energy C-50 (2)
Energy C-C50
total $400
http://www.wwstereo.com/#/ecommerce/..._84__0_0_0_-1/


Now that the C-50 set is more expensive than it was a few days ago, it seems like the C-100's might be a better bargain. Are the 100's worth the extra $75?

Also the last set doesn't include a sub to keep costs down. Is she going to be missing a lot going with a 5.0 setup rather than 5.1? Keep in mind she's in an apartment. I'm not sure she would add a sub later if she went with the 3rd option.

Any suggestions? better prices? should I be looking at any other brands?

Well, after several hours, I got my system up and running. the only thing, and I know i read about this before, is that I'm not getting sound out of the rear surrounds. I threw in The Dark knight, and it did sound awesome, but its a 5.1 track. Is not getting sound out of the rears normal, or is there some setting on the onkyo 606 or PS3 that i need to set??
If any of you can refer to thread on optimal settings I'd appreciate it too.

I don't know, but Dolby Digital Ex and PLIIx are two settings for deriving back surround channels from 5.1 sound, so you could look for those. PLIIx also derives 7.1 sound from just two channels.

The PS3 has check boxes to tell it what audio types to output.
http://manuals.playstation.net/docum...diooutput.html

Hi all,

I was sent to this site by a friend and he recomends it highly.

I am updating my family room completely and all i have currently is my Sony KDL 46XBR6 series. So i am in the market for components to augment this TV.

Mu budget is to keep evertyhing under the 1k mark. Thus i was first looking at the HTIB until i saw this thread.

So after some shopping today and some haggling, here are the compponents and prices that i have been offered from a local dealer. I would greatly appreciate all comments before i purchase these.

surround sound speakers boston acoutics MCS 100 $379
AV receiver yamha RX-V465BL $300
blue ray pioneer BDP-51FD $320

Thanks

Hey all... Gonna go ahead and throw my idea out here and see what you guys think/what alternatives may be better for me. Not sure on surrounds yet... this is as far as I've got.

L/R: Polk T90e 2x $139 = $280
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...pk=polk%20t90e
C: Polk CSM $69
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...Tpk=polk%20CSM
Sub: Polk PSW10 $99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882290034

After trolling around here for a couple of days trying to make an informed decision on what to purchase for my first true audio system, I went with the following:

-Onkyo TXSR606 Reviever
-Energy C-300 5 Speaker Home Theater System
-Energy ESW-8 Subwoofer

This is hooking up to my new Samsung LN52A550 TV and a PS3.

I have stands for the 2 satellite speakers.

What I need to know now is what to purchase to connect it all together. I already ordered 3 HDMI cables from monocable.

What wiring, clip, etc. is needed to the optimal configuration? Where is the best place to purchase?

And is there anything else that you you recommend...

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for all of the great info, AVS is invaluable when looking into home audio/visual. Everyone's contributions are greatly appreciate...

HDMI cables should be fine from your TV to the receiver and the PS3 to the receiver (is there anything else that would need one? Cable box or something?)

Only thing else it looks like you need is speaker wire. You can order from Monoprice or just head to Lowes Depot and pick some up. 14 gauge is usually recommended. 12 gauge if you have a really long run to your rear speakers.

There's no real "optimal configuration" wire as long as it's good quality (which you can see for yourself.) Just grab some GE brand or Monoprice brand or whatever. Heck, even lamp cord will work.

You can also buy banana clips which make installing a bit easier (especially if you think you'll be disconnecting and reconnecting the wires alot) but that's just a convenience. No sonic improvement.

that's awesome, it's like almost my exact setup except with a BIS Acoustech sub... I'm pretty much hoping to rock lossless codecs from Blu-Ray

Just an FYI:

Onkyo 606 on sale at ecost.com for $250 (recertified) with 1 year warranty. I picked one up, but only ~30 hours left before the sale ends.

UPDATE:

Scratch that. Sold out. They just sent me an email that my order was canceled as item was out of stock. Dang it.

I have been researching for my first Ht setup and I was almost set for the onkyo 6100, but then I started reading this thread and it got me interested in buying separate and building a good system. I am on a budget and I think so far for the receiver I think the onkyo 606 best fits my budget, I saw it on ecost for 252, but on shoponkyo its for 349 for refurbished, does anyone know what the difference is between the ecost reconditioned and the shoponkyo refurbished.

I am also thinking of just buying the front two speakers and a sub for now and the adding things to it later. I live in an apartment and the room is not that big, I am no audiophile and just want to enjoy movies with good surround sound. Can anyone recommend a good pair of speakers and sub for a good price without breaking the bank. My total budget is not to exceed $500, if this cannot be achieved than I might consider the 6100, when there is a sale going on or something.

sid369,

the ecost model is sold out. It shows as instock, but it's not.

HI everyone,

I just purchased a projector. Have a small 11' x 13' room I'm going to use. Only for movies.

Here is my thing. I just need something to hold me over for a few years. I want to be able to turn the volume up to a reasonable loudness and hear clear sound.

I don't need super duper great sound. I won't be listening to music. Now here is the catch.

I want to spend the absolute least possible to get my system up. I mean if I could get it for $50 I'd take it. If my computer speakers weren't so crackly, I might use those, lol!

What 7.1 could I set up or buy pre-packaged at the poor man's end of the spectrum? What are really good, but super cheap components I could use? I wish the first page would be updated...its back in 2007 info. Also, I'd like to go even cheaper than those if possible!

I need everything including a receiver for 7.1 (will probably keep this in even the future system). Will get 5.1 if big difference in prices.

If you've got some Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries, or other used stores close, you may be able to get usable speakers there. Also, garage sales. I bought two Coral bookshelf speakers at a Salvation Army store about 7 years ago for $20 that I still use as the 6 and 7 of a 7.1 system. And before that I used a pair of Sansui floor-standing 3-way speakers as fronts for several years -- got them for $25 at a yard sale. So my suggestion is to get a moderate quality 7.1 receiver and patronize used stores and garage sales to pick up some old speakers. You don't have to sweat making the absolute best decisions, because if some speakers sound awful, you can just throw them out. It will be fun.

thanks Greg. sorry for overstating my case. I'm willing to spend a little for decent sound. I just ebayed a used sr706 receiver for $300.01.

Now I need decent speakers. I saw on the front page they had $50/pair speakers. But that's from several years ago. What's the best 50-75/pair speakers around nowadays? Would I be better off finding a packaged 5.0 or 5.1? Or can I piece together a system like this just as cheaply and better? Or are the 50-75 just significantly worse than the 100/pair and I should just move up?

If you look around this site you can find lots of links for Energy stuff - probably the best value but they're just over $100 a pair for the book shelves. You can also look at Athena bookshelf speakers on audioadvisor.com, there is an open box center speaker available.

In the $50 range check out parts express: http://www.parts-express.com/wizards...TOKEN=92950248
The MTX and Pioneer speakers are very cheap but I'm not sure about shipping. I'd go with Energy, however, the level of quality is much better for just a bit more $.

Someone else can give better advice than I about this. I like Axiom speakers, but the low end of their line, which is what I have, is $133 for the M2v2 small bookshelf speaker.