[undersinjake]

Hey guys so i really want to get a home theater system for a good price for black friday.

I'll be using it with my samsung 40" lcd, ps3(older ps3), xbox 360, cable box, and computer.


I'm very new to this and would like to keep it around $300 or so for now with the option of upgrading speakers or receiver in the future.


the ones I have been looking at are the

onkyo hts3300 or hts5300 (both pretty much same price with deals)

or the Yamaha YHT-393BL only $263 on amazon right now.

I think the yamaha has a powered sub while the hts3300 does not?


anyways, what would be the best for the money? Or can you recommend me a good receiver with better speakers for somewhere around the same price?


thanks guys!

 

[undersinjake]

any suggestions?

 

[Tulpa]

Hard to recommend the Onkyo hts3300 with its passive sub unless you get it for way less than MSRP.


Onkyo hts5300 has the firmware issue that makes the LPCM from the "fat" PS3 swap the rear surrounds. If you have a bitstreaming player (like the newer PS3), this isn't an issue.


Yamaha YHT-393BL is about as good as the comparable Onkyos, and has the powered sub. In your situation, this might be the best.


For $300, your budget would be eaten up by the receiver, leaving very little for speakers.

 

[undersinjake]

yeah I'm thinking about going with the yamahas ... are they at least decent? Could I just upgrade the speakers in the future?

Or what if I was to upgrade the sub some time soon should I go with the hts3300 and then upgrade the sub or just go with the yamahas?


edit: also i guess the yamahas are 263 + $30 shipping... they also have the Yamaha YHT-493BL at amazon for 299.99 and free shipping but what is the difference between those and the Yamaha YHT-4393BL

 

[Tulpa]

Yamaha is comparable to Onkyo. Good, affordable, lots of support. And yes, the Yamaha can upgrade the speakers, just like the Onkyos. A better sub should use the same RCA cable connection.


The Onkyo HTS3300 would have to use speaker wire to upgrade to a better sub, although many higher-than-entry-level subs do have the connections. While it's not impossible to upgrade, it's less than ideal. Not a huge hassle, but I prefer RCA cables for subwoofer connections.


The HTS5300 would upgrade just like the Yamaha. Its firmware issue is correctable (if it isn't corrected when you get it) but it has to be sent in for service.

 

[undersinjake]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Tulpa /forum/post/19545208


Yamaha is comparable to Onkyo. Good, affordable, lots of support. And yes, the Yamaha can upgrade the speakers, just like the Onkyos. A better sub should use the same RCA cable connection.


The Onkyo HTS3300 would have to use speaker wire to upgrade to a better sub, although many higher-than-entry-level subs do have the connections. While it's not impossible to upgrade, it's less than ideal. Not a huge hassle, but I prefer RCA cables for subwoofer connections.


The HTS5300 would upgrade just like the Yamaha. Its firmware issue is correctable (if it isn't corrected when you get it) but it has to be sent in for service.

thank you for the help

butt he original sub with the yamaha should be better than the hts3300's sub? Also I did edit my post if you could take a look.

 

[Tulpa]

Looking at Yamaha's site, it doesn't seem to be a whole heck of a lot of difference between the 393 and the 493, other than SLIGHTLY larger speakers on the 493, but not enough to really sway me either way.


Yes, powered subs tend to be more capable than the passive ones.

 

[undersinjake]

alright the last thing is...

the yamahas don't decode the lossless HD audio codecs or something Is this true and is it going to be a problem

 

[Tulpa]

They don't appear to decode, but if your PS3 is the older ones that decode, they should just pass the decoded PCM for the receiver to use. From what I'm reading, they use HDMI audio.


And they can use the legacy lossy codecs that still sound pretty good with Blu-rays. Some even say they hear no difference between them and the lossless codecs.

 

[histreet]

I am in the same situation here. I can get the Onkyo HTS5300 for $400 and the Yamaha YHT393BL is $300. So is the $100 difference worth it for the Onkyo? This is for a basement with PS3, 3D Bravia 55" and cable box which is DVi unfortunately so have to run optical out.


Also question about running the wires in the wall. I only need one long HDMI to the TV from the receiver right? I was thinking about running an extra one just to be future-proof (not sure what I would use it for though). So I have PS3 into receiver, Cable optical into receiver, then one HDMI out to TV?


Thanks for your help. I haven't set up a new system with HDMI before. Looks like both these have 4 HDMI ports.