***Official HTIB Alternatives Thread*** - Page 109

I don't quite understand...you have a nice receiver, why would you buy the Onkyo 9100 to get another receiver that's not as good?

If it’s home theater you’re after, and willing to sink $1k in the Onkyo 9100, why not get a better set of speakers and sub instead. Maybe something like an SVS 5.1 package or similar and keep the Thiel for 2 channel listening if you still appreciate them. I don’t think the Energy Takes would do very well as satellites to bigger fronts.

Actually, I am taking the 2700 away from a set up, so the 9100 would give me a receiver to replace it. I like your suggestion, thank you. So, using the Thiels with a 5.1 will in fact create a 7.1 system...I guess you believe the Thiels will provide a smooth front (after calibration). Thanks for your solid ideas, any other thoughts are also appreciated.

Bummer, that's a nice receiver.

I have no idea how you'd incorporate the Thiel speakers...what little I know about them is that they target 2 channel. What I do know is that Takes, with the little 3" drivers, wouldn't sound very good with the larger Thiel. How about buying a Thiel SCS from Audiogon to use as a center?..just a thought. Probably best to get opinions on incorporating those 3.5's in the Thiel owner's thread.

I won a pair of the Polk Monitor 30 cherry finished for 45 dollars + 20 shipping from the Polk store Anybody else uses those and could please comment?

thanks

What would be a good receiver for around $350 that has dolby prologic llz? I've been looking at the Onkyo Tx-sr607, but people seem to be having handshaking issues with it. Would you still recommend this receiver or another one?

I'm looking to buy Take Classic 5.0 to pair with the receiver then later incorporating a new sub and height speakers.

Thanks for the input.

Ok so I bought the Onkyo S6200. Overall pretty great. Hella loud sub, great receiver, and descent speakers. Problem... they fronts are not magnetically shielded. So I know my Sammy plasma isnt affected by that but what about my PS3? Is it possible to magnetically shield them myself? Im really not sure where to look for this one. Any help would be appreciated.

Energy C-50 @ $85
System Type Bass Reflex, Rear Vented
Frequency Response 65Hz-20kHz +/- 3 dB
Nominal Impedence 8 ohms; Minimum Impedance: 4 ohms
Recommended Amplifier Power up to 100 watts
Components Chambered 1" Aluminum Dome
4-1/2" Composite Fiberglas cone
Useable Bass Response (-10db Anechoic) 60 Hz
Sensitivity (anechoic) 85dB
Sensitivity (2 speakers in a typical room) 88dB
Crossover Point 2.9kHz


The Speaker Company P6 @ $60
Woofer(s) 6.5" Polypropylene
Midrange Driver(s)
Tweeter Type 3/4" Silk Dome
Magnetic Shielding Yes
Frequency Response 60 Hz – 20 kHz +
Crossover Frequency 2.5kHz
Impedance in Ohms 8
Power handling (watts) 10-100
Sensitivity 89 dB



i narrowed it down to these two are the best bang for buck currently. speaker company's sale on the P6's would it be a superior buy vs. the c-50? considering the larger woofer and silk dome tweeter?

I would go P6 just for the better specs and silk dome, I have yet to hear a budget speaker with a nice sounding metal tweeter

is there anything worth waiting for on black friday?

i know the polk's are gonna be on sale but there garbage

Polk garbage? maybe the stuff you used to be able to buy at Circuit City but still garbage??

[/RANT ON] This seems like your umpteenth post on this subject. People keep giving you advice and apparently you just haven't heard what you're predisposed to hear or something. Will you PLEASE just make a decision...and leave out the "I'm a poor college student stuff" - everyone has heard it. What the heck are you going to do when life actually confronts with some real nitty gritty choices??[/RANT OFF]

im a poor college student

Thank you.

see attached

I had been using a Yamaha HTiB for about 3 years. The receiver is a HTR-5920. The tv I had been using was a Pioneer PDP-5080 and it really annoyed me that the tv speakers sounded much better than the speakers that were in the HTiB.
I upgraded to a Pioneer Pro-101FD monitor recently and decided to upgrade the sound too.
I kept the receiver but gave all of the speakers and passive subwoofer away. First I picked up a powered 10" subwoofer.
Also, I had an old set of Acoustic Profiles PSL-52B speakers and decided to try them upfront. The difference was amazing to me. So, I bought a PSL center channel from ebay and then picked up some little PSL-.05 satellites for the rear.
Now I'm going to get some PSL-8.6 32" floorstanding speakers, and put the 52B bookshelfs in the rear.
The cost is next to nothing as these vintage speakers from 1995-1999 sell for next to nothing! I paid $46 for the center channel, $20 for a set of 4 satellites and I'll be paying $75 for the floorstanders.
The improvement in sound that I have now, versus what I'd been listening to for the last 3 years is nothing short of amazing to me.
I really encourage anyone who is less than happy with his HTiB to experiment with quality vintage speakers!
The entire system will cost me less than an expensive center channel from a current name brand company!

Acoustic Profiles, that's a Canadian company right? I have not seen their speakers around for a while now

Yes, Acoustic Profiles was a line of speakers built by Audiosphere, out of Markham Ontario. I believe the line ranged from about 1995-1999/2000. My PSL-52B bookshelfs are from 1995 as well as my PSL-8.6 tower speakers. My PSL-C3 center channel is from 1999.
The nice thing about the setup now is I can use the tower speakers to listen to music in stereo and the whole setup for 5.1 surround sound for movies.
Before when I had the little Yamaha box system, I never used it to listen to music.

I've been looking at the "Sony Bravia DAV - HDx589w 5.1-Channel Theater System" However, it comes with a DVD system in which I do not need. I am wondering if any here knows if there is a 5.1 sound system to complete a home theater that is well worth it and comes with ONLY the speakers and sub, and not the DVD player. I am hoping the speakers will be cheaper without the DVD system. I do not need it nor do I need a blu ray player because my PS3 will handle all of that. Please offer suggestions! THANKS!

well the purpose of this thread is not to use HTIB but if you don't have a big room, you can find a Energy Take 5.1 Classic set for around 400 bucks, I think.

For those looking for HtiB alternatives, I highly suggest that the LCR speakers all reach or go below 80hz in frequency response. Otherwise you are losing alot of midrange. Many of these HtiB speakers only reach 120-110 hz on the low end.

On a seperate note, I am curious if anyone has purchased speakers from TSC and what their opinions are of the product. I have an Elemental Designs 5.1 system that I purchased in 2007 and love it.

Hi all--

My old man has asked me to research a home theater sound system for him. The budget is pretty reasonable (at $1000 for everything), but it needs to fit within WAF criteria and the room that the TV's in is rather large. I would estimate the room at about 20,000 cubic feet.

My recommendation to him was the Energy Take 5's on sale at newegg for 150, plus a Denon 590 @ ~ 350. That leaves 500 for a sub to try and fill the room with bass. Maybe 2 Hsu STF-1's? Part of the idea is that he may decide to upgrade in a year or two, and then he could just pick up a nice set of mains, and move the Takes to the rear for a 7.1 setup.

Thoughts, comments, recommendations? Thanks in advance!

Can you put that into dimensions (L x W x H) so we can make sure what we're dealing with?

With an 8 foot ceiling that's a 50' x 50' room....kinda big for the little Takes.

EDIT: scratch that…it’s a huge room no doubt. I wouldn’t go with the Takes and those subwoofers however - bass is all good but the Takes are tiny and can't resolve anything too deep. They’re fine if you live in a rabbit hutch but at some point you have to get speakers that can go deeper and are enjoyable. Your actual listening area probably isn't that big. I don’t think little Takes would sound good as surround speakers to big floorstanding speakers in front either.

I’d go with the SVS package instead and get a decent receiver -> http://www.svsound.com/products-sys-sbs_black.cfm
The speakers are sealed so they’re easy to place and they’d be respectable for surround duty in the future. They aren’t the most attractive though but you're asking a lot for $1k in a huge room, WAF goes out the door…

Oh lord. Here comes another moron.
We are building a man cave in our new house.
The space is @ 25' x 25' divided in half by lally columns.
One side is going to have a pool table - I managed to buy that in 35 seconds. (I went with green over burgundy felt.)
On the other side - what? A 50" something or other, maybe LCD, maybe plasma, blu ray, just ordered Direct TV, probably a Wii (because I want it) and a SOUND SYSTEM.
I was going to get an HTIB - but this forum has inspired me to waste untold hours looking at separate components.
There is a guy selling Jamo speakers on eBay fairly cheap - never heard of them but read about them here. They have the obscurity appeal that I favored 30 years ago when I had a few semi-serious audio systems.
Is is true that 7.2 is a waste for the time being?
Can I reuse: 4 Boston Acoustic Mirco 110X for anything? They are tiny. Or the old Bose cubes I still have (the kind that swivel in the middle) or the BA Avidea 610-PV700 sub? I had a HTIB in the old place.
No, right?
I have maybe 2,000 to spend on the TV and the sound.

Please - someone just tell me what to buy so I can get back to doing work.

I like loud things (played in a number of bad garage bands) and dry crisp bass. No boom-boom. I believe that larger speakers sound BETTER (subjective) than tiny ones and do I really need a $500 "power conditioner" thing that they sell at BB? Wouldn't a surge protector handle 99% of that?

Thank you for your consideration. I need a drink.

The room's kinda hard to explain, so here's a simple drawing:



These are rough guesses and not to scale, but it'll give an idea. But it indicates that I was perhaps overly conservative earlier with the 24k estimate--at 8 ft ceilings, this is 10k cubic ft. Still, a pretty terrible room for home theater, but you work with what you have.

It's a big room but at least the main area isn't 50 x 50. I still wouldn't go for the Takes...what did you think of the SVS speakers? Their subwoofers are highly rated. Another highly rated subwoofer company is eD and they have speaker/sub packages that would fall within your budget...maybe a tad more.
http://www.edesignaudio.com/index.php?cPath=2

I think you should be searching/asking in the speaker and subwoofer section for more ideas.

Yeah, eD has some good stuff--their subs are one of the three options I game my old man. Of course, if I had it my way, I would order a few eD woofers for the guy and make an IB, but he doesn't want anything DIY about this project . Too bad, I plan on making sono's with the 18's, and we could split the shipping .

Looking at the SVS, I like the 6" woofers and the associated lower response that they provide, but the cabinets look like plastic and the sensitivity is 4dB lower (with similar power handling capabilities). Now it's possible that the manufacturers measure sensitivity differently, I'll admit, but seems like the Takes would put out more sound. Am I mistaken? Geez, they really need more places in the area that you can audition stuff at .

I'll post in the speaker sections too, then. Thanks!

Preface: This site is great. I am always amazed at the time, energy and dedication hobbyist share with strangers. Your knowledge is invaluable. Thanks! Like many previous posts, I am looking for my first system and in some ways my last. After this initial purchase I don’t see myself having the resources to invest further. I would like to end up with a complete 5.1 system.

Background: I began by looking at HTIB systems. I knew from the get go I would be getting a subpar system and was okay with it. I was looking at the Onkyos S6200 and S7200 initially until I received a bonus at work that bumped me up to the S9100 (available for $850 amazon or newegg). I almost pulled the trigger but decided to delve into the audiophiles lair, my biggest and best mistake. I am truly overwhelmed…help!

Budget: $850 is my cap, sorry.

Dimensions: The room where this will be used is 17ft wide by 20ft long and a vaulted ceiling with the highest point at 10 ft 3 inches (not much of vault…I know). The TV is placed on the longest wall (50inch Panny plasma). Let me know if you need more detail than this.

Requirements: I use the term loosely as I don’t have the cash to back it up.
1. Receiver
a. 7.1 or 7.2 receiver
b. Zone two capability (I have stereo speakers on the deck)
c. At least 4 HDMI repeater (audio and video, right?) inputs.
d. Latest codec support (TrueHD, DTS-HD)

2. Speakers
a. 5.1 system
b. Book shelf style fronts and surrounds, wall mountable (I am willing to mod this myself)
c. A reasonably sized Sub.

Conclusion: Should I just bite the bullet and go for the S9100? I recently read a review of the SBS-01 5.1 speaker system and fell in love with her, but I don’t want to blow my whole budget ($800 special) on speakers and be stuck with the donated all in one Samsung five disk changer HTIB. I considered buying the SBS-01 system without the sub (around $399 I believe) and saving up for something later but I am not convinced I will have the money for this in the future (I have the Sammy sub too). I do have some speakers I could use as surrounds (old school Kenwood stereos or again the sammys) if I really felt like I was benefiting from the increase in quality on the fronts/center.

Please feel free to ask questions. Like everyone, I wish I had some real cash for this but…

I have been reading all that I can on this forum and THANKS for all the info. This sight is a life saver. I had thought about a HTIB route until this site. Now for the help I need. My room is L shaped with the side being about 50 ft lond and the bottom part about 30 ft. This is a combo kitchen / den / living room. The TV is at the bottom of the L at the end. I have been looking at several systems and need some input. The systems so far that have caught my eye are the HSU HB-1, the SVS SBS-01, PSB Alpha B1, AVS 123 and the JBL ES-20. Please let me know which way to go on this. I forgot to mention that the ceiling is 10 ft. If I am looking at this from the wrong way let me know. Thanks for the help.

I still may go the route of the HTIB, but would like to explore some options first.

I currently own 2 JL audio 10" w4's that have been in my closet for almost 10 years. They are in perfect condition, but I am never going to install these in my truck. Can I build a box and use these in a 5.1 setup? I currently have them listed on Craigslist, but could pull them if they would be useful.

I'm also looking at the following on CL. Are any of these worth considering?

-Option 1 $150: Infinity TSS 450 5.1 channel surround speaker system (no receiver)

- Option 2 $69: Front/main Yamaha NS-a 635a (2)
Center Kenwood CRS 157
Rear Yamaha (not sure what these are, but I think they are the same as the front only smaller)

What about the following receivers?

-$150 Pioneer VSX D912 7.1
- $80 Kenwood VR 906
- $125 Onkyo HT R530 7.1
- $ 200 Harman Kardon AVR 130
- $100 TEAC AG D9100
- $75 Onkyo TX SV373 5.1
- $100 Pioneer VSX 305

Thanks for the input. It is very much appreciated.

Jason

Some of those receivers look overpriced. If you don't care about HDMI then try this Onkyo 800 -> http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/d...530604405.html

Some reviews:
http://www.hometheatersound.com/equi...o_tx-sr800.htm
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volum...er-4-2003.html

These JBL speakers look like they might be worth checking into their value...I'm not familiar with them but they could be good and they look nice for a low price -> http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/m...532679404.html

Maybe he'll take $200 even....and these would make decent surrounds -> http://cgi.ebay.com/JBL-TOUR-2-Way-B...item2a03777fba

Direct from the manufacturer but they go for ~$50 at auction...the Harman Audio store has some of those too.

Check with the guys at subwoofer section but I don't see why it wouldn't be possible to make an enclosure for those JL woofers...just get an amp plate from parts express. Make two subwoofers and double your fun!