[Baconbeard]

Guys, I need some advice on what I need to do to get surround sound at my house. I don't have a media room, but I have a downstairs living room where I keep my bigscreen HDTV that will work just fine.


Here is my situation. I bought a top of the line Yamaha 5.1 receiver along with two towers about 6 years ago, and they still work great. I bought those with the intention of completing the surround sound, but I never did for various reasons.


I would hate to see those go to waste, but if I have to start from scratch, I will. So my questions are should I just keep what I have and buy two rear speakers, a center channel and subwoofer, or should I start from scratch?


If I can build on what I have, is it better to keep it all Yamaha or does it really matter? Any suggestions on what is good to buy? I have a budget of about $2 grand.


Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[jwatte]

It's fairly important that the center channel is sonically matched to your mains. Thus, if there is a center that's in the same series as your towers, get that. For surrounds, it's less important (but you should still strive for the same general sound).


Does your receiver do DTS and DD-ES decoding? If so, you can keep it. If not, you may wish to upgrade the receiver to something that does the more modern formats, assuming you're going to watch HD movies.


If you don't yet have any bass traps or acoustic treatments, chances are that your best bang for the buck is to add some bass traps or panels in the corners

 

[Baconbeard]

Yes, my receiver does both Dolby digital and DTS. It was a pretty top notch receiver when it came out, but it is just a little older now, and I didn't know if newer ones are much better.

 

[ericgl]

Just more connectivity and bells and wistles.

 

[jwatte]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Baconbeard /forum/post/0


Yes, my receiver does both Dolby digital and DTS. It was a pretty top notch receiver when it came out, but it is just a little older now, and I didn't know if newer ones are much better.

DD is one thing -- DD EX is another. EX adds the rear channel. If your receiver has 6.1 or 7.1 out, it probably has it. If not, then you can't actually take advantage of it, which may or may not be important depending on what movies you watch or games you play.