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***Official HTIB Alternatives Thread*** - Page 111

post #3301 of 3362
2/21/10 at 4:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kingcarcas View Post

Curious if anyone has setting recommendations for my setup..

Polk R50/150/CSR/Velodyne VX-10 and HK AVR-146. In the OSD i can change the frequencies the speakers and sub handle, it's a relatively small room, i can change settings on the sub too.

I have a Sony STR-DG1000 driving 4 x Polk R150, 1 x CSR and a BIC H-100 sub. I've got the crossover on the DG1000 set at 100 Hz, the crossover on the BIC set at the maximum value and volume on the BIC set between 4 and 5 (full scale is 10). I experimented with 80, 100 and 120 Hz for a crossover but decided that 100 Hz was the sweet spot for my room and rig.
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post #3302 of 3362
3/6/10 at 8:42am
Just curious about this deal for $749 at newegg:

Yammy 765 receiver
Klipsch sw-350 sub
Energy Takes 5.0

Is this a good matchup? Price looks real good.
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post #3303 of 3362
3/16/10 at 10:44am
Helping a friend out on a budget. He has a pretty large den. Speakers will mostly be used for TV and movies

Would like floorstanders up front and fine with smaller rears. Looking at spending $500 excluding subwoofer (not counting receiver) and $200 for a subwoofer....

Any good thoughts? Most suggestions here are for small speakers all around. Was looking at the Jamo but not sure if there is anything else out there
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post #3304 of 3362
3/25/10 at 6:03am
Hello,

I posted this in the speaker thread but this may be a better thread to ask. I orginally started looking at a HTIB but everything I read said I wouldn't be satisfied with a HTIB.

I am setting up my office for my 2nd home theater to watch movies and sporting events. The office is basically 12' X 14' but not symetrical.

My living room was originally set up in a 5.1 surround, my equipment is pretty old but works very well. The living room setup includes B&K Ref 50 and amp, Mirage 890i (older bi-polar circa 1990) as the surrounds, Mirage 190i (bookshelf speakers) as front L/R, Definitive Technology CLR 2002 as the center, and a Sunfire Mark IV subwoofer. I know this is not the best set up but I moved into a house with built in cabinets for the TV monitor and I have to contend with my wife's idea of aesthetics that is why the bigger towers are on the back wall. The TV is limited to a 32 Sony Bravia because of the size of the cabinet. The livihng room is used for entertaining and playing music where this system works pretty well.

Now I want to use my office as 2nd home theater and decided to move my Mirage 890i's up to the office as my front L/R spreakers where I just recently purchased a Panasonic TC-P50V10. I've also purchased a Denon AVR-1910 (got a great price at Electronic Expo for $389) and waiting delivery.

I now need surround speakers for both office and living room, a center speaker and sub for the office (I think the Sunfire subwoofer would be to much for the office). I've been considering Mirage and Definitive Technology for the surrounds and center. Maybe a package using the Procinema 600 and splitting the surrounds and taking the sub that comes with the Procinema package or buying two pair of Mirage nanosats or omnisats and adding a Hsu subwoofer. I'd like to keep the additional speakers under $1000, my wife would like it to be half of that but that's my battle.

Anyone have any speaker suggestions? thanks in advance for any advice.
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post #3305 of 3362
4/1/10 at 2:38am
Hey guys, if i have 3 HDMI devices and only 2 slots on my AVR i understand i will need an HDMI switcher. Thing is my AVR can't handle HDMI audio and it only has 2 Optical inputs, the HDMI switches only have inputs for HDMI, am i screwed having only 2 devices being able to use my speakers?
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post #3306 of 3362
4/1/10 at 8:16am
You can also get an optical switch. It'll get convoluted and you'll have to switch each separately, but it will work.

I would look into getting a better AVR at that point, unless you bought the thing recently and can't return it.
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post #3307 of 3362
4/3/10 at 9:29pm
Yah it's about a year old (HK 146)....though you might be right, less cables, more HDMI inputs and maybe even one of those fancy Anchor Bay chips
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post #3308 of 3362
4/22/10 at 5:51am
I'm trying to put together a budget 2.1 system (to be expanded later to 5.1).

I want to spend less than $500 on a receiver, 2 speakers, and maybe a sub.

I listen to a lot of music but the setup would also be used for PS3, blu ray, and DirecTV. I've been checking craigslist or slightly used receivers and think I'd be happy with a pair of Polk r50 floorstanding speakers (could I get away with no sub??)

I live in a condo and my living room is fairly small with 10 ft ceilings. What receivers or speaker options should I be looking at? I was recommended an Onkyo 606 as a good starter.

I would jump on this deal but I don't need the DVD player and refuse to pay for something I don't need. He won't piece it out...at least not yet.

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/ele/1699486839.html


Thanks in advance for all input and advice.
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post #3309 of 3362
5/4/10 at 5:02am
hey guys,

first and foremost, i love the site and how much knowledge is passed around here. i've learned so much already that i'm kinda confusing myself. i posted this question in the "home theater in a box" section, but this looks to be a much better place for responses. i got 0 responses in that section.

room size: medium sized living room with a pretty open floor plan. about 10' ceilings.
use: 70% gaming (ps3)/movies, 25% HD cable/sports, 5% music.
budget: about $1000 just for the receiver, sub, (2) floor standing speakers, and maybe a center channel. i will add onto the setup as i go along. i ultimately wanna end up with a nice 5.1 system with a wireless rear surround setup.

well, i haven't bought any home audio equipment in a number of years, so i'm way out of the loop. i have to pretty much start from scratch cuz right now all i have is a dinky little logitech 2.1 z4 system (was for my computer) hooked up to my TV via headphone jack. although the setup is better than the tv's speakers, it is definitely not cuttin it for my gaming and movies.

i want to be able to upgrade later so i opted to go against a "home theater in a box" type of deal. i would really like to start off with a nice 3.1 system (receiver + (2) floorstanding speakers + sub + center channel) for now. i don't really have a set budget, $1000 is just what i wanna spend right now to get me started. i will add onto the setup as i get more familiar with newer hardware and things like that. i wanna end up with a nice 5.1 system that has a very clean, minimalist look to it. i hate wires showing!

thanks in advance for any input. yur help is very much appreciated.
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post #3310 of 3362
6/1/10 at 10:53pm
i posted this in other section but it seems most appropiate in this section
i have looking to buy a reciever and speakers duh lol
my room size is 12x12
budget is 450-500 including speakers.
i am looking to get a 3.1 or 2.1 and then upgrade as i can to get the matching pairs.
it will mostly be used for music, tv, movies, ps3 in that order of importance

any suggestions?
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post #3311 of 3362
6/10/10 at 4:09pm
Hey everyone, after stalking around these forums and trying to absorb as much information as I can, I think I have enough knowledge in my head to make a post and see what you guys think =)

I am currently using Logitech X540's on my desktop computer, which I use for movies, music, games and everything in between. My computer is the absolute only thing these speakers will be on for at least 4 years or so, so this is far and beyond my main concern.

Logically, I was thinking of Z5500's as the next step to these speakers, but upon reading around these forums (and some others) a little bit, it seems like maybe those are not the best price for sound performance items for me!

I am fairly against buying a HTIB, especially when I don't need the DVD player/Bluray player. I am pretty much thinking of getting the cheapest 5.1 receiver I can get (that works with PC or possibly optical), and either the Polk 150's to start, or maybe just jump right into Energy Take Classic 5.0.

The main things I am wondering is:
a)How cheap/old can I go with a receiver before harming my sound? I've seen alot of praise around here for Onkyo receivers, but the cheapest one I can find new is still in the ~300 range, while I see alot of recommendations for buying receivers used, I'm not sure which models are good to go for, even afer perusing the Recievers forum.
b)Would I be better off going for Logitech Z5500s or a similar set (I believe klipsch has a comparable set, suggestions welcome!) that are solely for computer use (since that is all they will be used for), or will a decent Onkyo reciever + bookshelves + a nice sub put me miles ahead of those configurations?

My budget is a minimum of 400$ I guess (the 5500's) but I am willing to go to ~600 probably if I can really hear it =D

Please let me know your opinions in this thread or by PM, I'm having a hard time moving on from these X540s!

Thanks,

Nick

Edit:
Example, there is a Onkyo TX-DS656 for sale locally, would I be safe in picking one of those up, or is it just too outdated for a 5.1 computer setup?
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post #3312 of 3362
6/11/10 at 12:14pm
^^ Given the choice between the Energy Take Classic 5.0 speakers and Polk R150s, the much lower frequency response of the Polks (65 Hz) vs the Takes (115 Hz) would send me to the Polks. This would be especially true if I was going to temporarily run without a sub. JMO, YMMV

Here's an example of what could be done with $600. You could get a pair of R150s ($100), a matching Polk CSR center ($100) from Crutchfield and a BIC F12 subwoofer from BLT (http://www.shopblt.com/cgi-bin/shop/...er_id=!ORDERID!) for $200. That would provide a nice 3.1 system. Then get a used or refurb 5.1 AVR with the other $200 and save some $$ for the eventual addition of a pair of surround speakers. I'm sure there are other possible scenarios like this.
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post #3313 of 3362
6/12/10 at 4:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nik00 View Post

Hey everyone, after stalking around these forums and trying to absorb as much information as I can, I think I have enough knowledge in my head to make a post and see what you guys think =)

I am currently using Logitech X540's on my desktop computer, which I use for movies, music, games and everything in between. My computer is the absolute only thing these speakers will be on for at least 4 years or so, so this is far and beyond my main concern.

Logically, I was thinking of Z5500's as the next step to these speakers, but upon reading around these forums (and some others) a little bit, it seems like maybe those are not the best price for sound performance items for me!

I am fairly against buying a HTIB, especially when I don't need the DVD player/Bluray player. I am pretty much thinking of getting the cheapest 5.1 receiver I can get (that works with PC or possibly optical), and either the Polk 150's to start, or maybe just jump right into Energy Take Classic 5.0.

The main things I am wondering is:
a)How cheap/old can I go with a receiver before harming my sound? I've seen alot of praise around here for Onkyo receivers, but the cheapest one I can find new is still in the ~300 range, while I see alot of recommendations for buying receivers used, I'm not sure which models are good to go for, even afer perusing the Recievers forum.
b)Would I be better off going for Logitech Z5500s or a similar set (I believe klipsch has a comparable set, suggestions welcome!) that are solely for computer use (since that is all they will be used for), or will a decent Onkyo reciever + bookshelves + a nice sub put me miles ahead of those configurations?

My budget is a minimum of 400$ I guess (the 5500's) but I am willing to go to ~600 probably if I can really hear it =D

Please let me know your opinions in this thread or by PM, I'm having a hard time moving on from these X540s!

Thanks,

Nick

Edit:
Example, there is a Onkyo TX-DS656 for sale locally, would I be safe in picking one of those up, or is it just too outdated for a 5.1 computer setup?

Jamo 5.1 speakers only $200-$250 shipped

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it..._c=site_search

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it...06-hcs-1-black
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post #3314 of 3362
6/20/10 at 2:09pm
So my sister is getting married; she & her fiance have a 55" LCD, a BluRay player & a Wii, currently just using TV's built-in speakers. I wanted to buy them a decent entry to mid level 5.1 system (living room size TBD as they are moving soon)- the HTIB offerings look like garbage, so I poked around & came up with this:

Onkyo TX-SR608 receiver
2x Polk Audio Monitor 40 (fronts)
1x Polk Audio CS2 (center)
2x Polk Audio Monitor 30 (surround)
BIC America F12 (subwoofer)

All for just over $1K shipped. I Tried to find a single internet vendor that had everything, best I could come up with was 2 for this mix- the subwoofer offerings seem to suck at most places, had to go to another vendor for that. I figure if they end up with a bigger room they could easily add another pair of Monitor 30s to upgrade to 7.1 later (or bigger fronts & demote the 40s to surrounds).

They will be using it for 70% HD cable TV; 15% Wii, 15% BluRay - no music except maybe a music channel on cable during the infrequent house party.

Anyone think I can I do any better than that for a grand?? Hurry- wedding is in 2 weeks, I need to buy this stuff...
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post #3315 of 3362
6/20/10 at 6:43pm
Is it possible to get something similar to the Sony DG910 receiver for under $150?

I need some entry level receiver for my Athena Micra 6 and I'm not trying to break the bank. Some entry level Onkyo/HK are good but they're only PASS THROUGH HDMI.
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post #3316 of 3362
7/2/10 at 8:23pm
Currently I have an old JVC dedicated music system set with 2 tape decks, a 6-CD drive bay, and 4 speakers, but I'm looking to upgrade to something that plays CDs as well as works with these:

Panasonic 50" Plasma (HDMI-capable)
Cable DVR Box (HDMI-capable)
DVD Player in component (or Blu-Ray in a future upgrade)
HTPC (HDMI carries audio)

I've been looking around and it seems to be hard to find any sort of dedicated CD-playing music systems (not having tape decks in the new system is fine), but the feature I'm looking for if possible is to have a CD-player with multiple-CD switching capabilities.

Looking for advice on these two solutions I'm thinking of:

1) Pick out a new HTIB/speaker set, receiver, and a CD player, and have them all work with the TV/DVR/DVD/HTPC

2) Just find another more modern dedicated CD player system. (if they still do exist)

I'm leaning towards choice 1, but my budget will have to be in the $400-600 area.
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post #3317 of 3362
8/15/10 at 4:32pm
This is a great thread. Thanks for all of the info!!
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post #3318 of 3362
8/27/10 at 1:21pm
Hello everyone, I'm from Europe and I would like to assemble a receiver/speaker combo.
I live in a small apartment so that will probably be a factor in deciding which components to get.
If you want to see pictures of my apartment, I put the link to them at the end of the post.
I'm looking to spend no more than €1000 on the components right now. The idea is to end up with at least a 5.1 setup but I understand if it's not possible from the beginning.

The system will be connected to a 42" Panasonic TX-P42V20, a PS3, an Xbox360 and maybe a PS2.

So what I need is:
1) A receiver which will last me a long time.
2) Speakers. (I know nothing about them...)

Thanks in advance!


+My tiny home theatre project.+
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post #3319 of 3362
9/30/10 at 5:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mittyman View Post

Just curious about this deal for $749 at newegg:

Yammy 765 receiver
Klipsch sw-350 sub
Energy Takes 5.0

Is this a good matchup? Price looks real good.

Thanks, for posting about newegg--I didn't check the Energy Takes there. I just ordered them from Amazon (same price) but with Newegg, you get a $100 gift card!

Luckily they haven't shipped and I was able to cancel.
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post #3320 of 3362
9/30/10 at 5:25pm
I was going to go the HTIB route but got detoured by this site.

I went from the Onyko 3300 to the 6300 but once I got to 500 bucks, it started to make sense to do separates.

There is a nice deal on the Pioneer 1020 at Amazon (350 after a coupon promo code IO2OFALL) With these I'm going to try some JBLs from BBuy . . . for 190. But I also want to give the Energy Takes a try. I was going to do Amazon but the $100 gift card from Newegg is terrific. I have a feeling that I'll just return the JBLs (B&M is easy). If I kept them the budget would be about $600 . . . the Energy Takes would make it about $700 (counting cables and wire from Monoprice).
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post #3321 of 3362
1/10/11 at 1:01pm
Combine these http://www.amazon.com/KEF-C1SYSTEM-S...4693029&sr=8-6 with any receiver and you would have yourself a nice little setup.
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post #3322 of 3362
1/14/11 at 10:31pm
Hi Guys,

Like many others in this forum I'd like to create a home theater on a budget and don't even know where to start. I prefer to get separates as I know HTIBs are not the same quality. That being said my total budget is about $500-700 so I don't want to go too crazy. The room is a bit large and open ended at 14' by 18' and my other components are a 55" Samsung 1080p LCD, XBOX 360, Playstation 3, Wii, and Motorola Cable Box from Comcast. My uses are gaming, movies (some in Blu-Ray), and Netflix streaming. I'd like to connect everything to the receiver and have it all pass through to the TV with a single HDMI cable.

Here is what I would like out of the system:
5.1 Surround (expandable to 7.1 is a bonus but definitely not required)
HDMI 1.4 (or whatever the latest spec is)
The latest audio decoders
At least 4 HDMI Repeaters

Also I'm still not sure how I'm going to run wires for the surround so I may look into a wireless solution such as rocketfish. Smaller speakers is a plus as well. Product availability on Amazon is a plus as I prefer to purchase products there. Sorry I know this is a bit open ended but I'm really not well versed in home theater. Thanks for any help you can give!
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post #3323 of 3362
1/15/11 at 12:10am
Onkyo 308 200 bucks
A pair of monitor 40s, 110 bucks when on sale, get stands. Use velcro tabs.
Pair of monitor 30s, 80 bucks on sale
Monitor c10 center, 80 bucks on sale
F12 bic America sub, 200 bucks

Sign up for newegg email, monitors go on email sale all the time, use promo code.
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post #3324 of 3362
1/16/11 at 4:10pm
Thanks for the suggestions. I think I've narrowed down my choices a bit so I wanted to get your thoughts on these setups.

Option A: Around $500
Onkyo 508 OR Pioneer 820 + Polk RM 705 5.1 Package

Option B: $600 but includes speaker wire
Denon 591 + Boston Acoustic Speaker Package



I'm leaning toward Option B because it seems that the quality is a bit higher though either option seems to have similar specifications. Once again the room is about 14x18 and I plan to connect a PS3, XBOX360, and Cable Box all via HDMI plus a Wii via component. Planning to have a single HDMI between the Receiver and TV which should work because these are all HDMI 1.4a repeaters. I'm using a Harmony One to control everything so I don't care about the included remote or anything. Any thoughts on which to choose? Thanks!
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post #3325 of 3362
1/17/11 at 6:20am
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...?EdpNo=6297343

I would get this. This is a great bargain and down the road you can get another sub as this is 7.2.
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post #3326 of 3362
3/12/11 at 11:40am
Anyone tried out the Energy Bookshelves for $80? Or the floorstanders for $150? Thinking of getting those for another room, but they have a good reputation so i started wondering if they might be better than the Polk R series that i was recommended in this thread
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post #3327 of 3362
3/28/11 at 3:08pm
great thread!!
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post #3328 of 3362
3/28/11 at 8:45pm
Even with the momentum at Diamondstar...the whole thing fell apart.
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post #3329 of 3362
3/30/11 at 6:53pm
Hey guys, does anyone know of a decent receiver that supports 3D/7.1 that's less than $200?
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post #3330 of 3362
3/31/11 at 11:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vader182 View Post

Hey guys, does anyone know of a decent receiver that supports 3D/7.1 that's less than $200?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882120164
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