My questions are general and perhaps could be broken down across posts to several different forums, but I hope this is a reasonable place to start.
In a nutshell, I am buying my first home and want to build my first home theater, starting with the audio at a pretty strict upper limit of $1500 (those mortgage payments are killer!).
===About Me
I am definitely not an audiophile. I have neither the ear nor the budget to spend a lot on equipment, nor do I think I have to in order to get decent sound. Also, since I've been using crappy 2.1 computer speakers all my life thusfar, just about anything I get will be sure to sound worlds better. I do value quality over sheer volume, and this combined with the fact that I'm sharing a structural wall with a neighbor means I can't blast things (too much) anyway.
===Location
speakeasy.
urf, marking up this addy is hard
org/~curby/filelib/floorplan_upper.gif
My first choice would be the living room (bottom of floorplan_upper). The ceiling slants up from the kitchen area to about 12 feet at the end of the living room. In this situation, should I put the front of the system (TV/etc.) towards the right or the bottom? I'm already considering blackout curtains so errant light/glare issues should not be a problem. Does the lack of a wall between the living and dining rooms wreak havoc with the sound (especially if I go with smaller speakers)? Would it be better to place speakers along the walls even if that means they're 10+ feet from the listener?
Feel free to photo/paintshop the image for speaker placement suggestions. =)
If there's no way this could work, I might try a bedroom, but that would be pretty far from ideal.
=== Other Equipment
As I said above, I'm concentrating on audio first. The primary sound source will be my desktop computer (Windows XP, recent hardware). I currently use a CRT monitor for DVDs, video games, and just general computing. With all sorts of HD technologies that are currently relatively young and expensive, I can wait for the dust to settle before getting a TV.
Eventually, I will probably be including a HDTV of some kind (and probably a DVD player), so my purchasing decision should be made with that in mind. I might also get an x-box, though that's really low priority.
=== Expected Uses
Playing music, watching DVDs, and playing computer games are all important to me.
=== Planning on buying
Some sort of sound card for the computer
Some sort of amp/receiver, preferably 7.1-capable
Either a 7.1 speaker set or 5.1 speaker set
=== Sound Card
How should I best get sound from the computer to the amp/receiver? I would like to keep it digital between the computer and the receiver to reduce cable clutter, maximize quality, and force the sound processing to be done on the receiver. On the other hand, at least some cards don't offer 7.1 digital outputs, so I will need to use analogs or a different sound card if I choose to go with 7.1 speakers. Assuming I'll be using SPDIF there, should I go coax or optical, and why? Optical cables seemed really expensive about a year ago, so maybe I could save a bit and go with coax unless there is a good reason not to.
The type of SPDIF I choose will also affect what sound card I can get. I'm currently looking at Turtle Beach, M-audio, and (sigh) Creative cards under $100. I have what seems like a strange set of requirements: I need a lot of support for sound/gaming APIs and a friendly, interoperable SPDIF output for going to the receiver, but ultimately a dumb card and dumb software will do as the card shouldn't be doing much processing.
TB Catalina - New gamer card, optical digital 7.1 out with LPCM/AC3 autoselect (whatever that means)
M-audio Revolution 7.1 - Coax digital out (Manual states LPCM/AC-3, doesn't say how many channels on this output)
Creative Audigy 2 ZS - Coax digital out with only 5.1 support, best game support, bad reputation for sound quality, software bloat, CPU-use, etc. (I couldn't find the manual online, and the specs are less than encouraging)
Any other cheap cards with decent game support? I know that if I'm going for music-only, I have many more choices, but I still play games. =)
Creative cards support up to EAX v4.0 while the other manufacturers support up to 2.0. How likely is it that support for more recent APIs will be added to the TB/m-audio cards through driver updates, or does support depend on the chip? Do you know if EAX 4.0 games are at least somewhat backwards compatible with EAX 2.0, or will such games only play in stereo with a EAX 2.0 card?
More considerations: How painless will it be to use the setup? I would like for my stereo music to be expanded to all channels, games and DVDs that support 3D tech to use all channels intelligently, and games/DVDs that don't support 3D tech to be expanded out as well as possible to all channels. It seems that many manufacturers like m-audio like the idea of application-dependent profiles, but if the drivers are intelligent enough to decide how to act on its own without my intervention, that would be ideal. Do you know if any manufacturers will remember my preferences and automatically select them in the future, for example?
How is software quality from these three manufacturers? I know the TBSC drivers used to be terrible, but they've gotten better. Creative has a reputation for being bloaty and CPU-intensive... is this still true? With my intended "just playback" uses, will I be able to simply avoid installing a lot of Creative software (like mixing, authoring, editing, ripping/burning, whatnot)? At a basic level, are the drivers stable?
One thing I'm deathly afraid of is crackling or skipping playback. Sometimes, when a machine is sitting idle and not doing much besides playing music, there will be little flaws in playback that stem from the machine (playing the same segment of audio again will not repeatedly give the problem). For example, I get this on my IBM R40e laptop running Redhat Linux 9 with generic drivers, and rarely but occasionally using my Asus P4P800E's onboard sound in Windows XP. I think this is the fault of the sound card/driver, since the other hardware should be plenty fast enough. Assuming what I just said makes sense, has anyone experienced this with any of the cards mentioned above?
=== Amp/Receiver
First of all, should I get a home theater in a box? I know that some like the Onkyo 770/777 are pretty well respected and are well within my price range, but some nagging feeling at the back of my head balks at the thought of a prepackaged system (plus the fact that systems like the Onkyo are 6.1, which I have been warned against due to imaging problems (I think that's the term)).
Assuming I make a system from components by myself, I guess I'll get an amp/receiver combo unit. Getting a two-in-one should make things a bit cheaper and as a non-audiophile I probably won't notice any serious quality problems with a 2-in-1 as opposed to separate amp/processor.
I thought the 7.1 vs 5.1 debate would be at the speaker level, but it must be answered here, as going from 5.1 to 7.1 can nearly double the price of the receiver. So: I want to buy a system and have it survive as long as possible, so I'm leaning towards 7.1 as future-proofing. Most surround-system-in-a-box speaker-only kits seem to be 5.1, so going 7.1 leaves me with the task of piecing together my own set of speakers (which might be a good thing anyway). On the other hand, most "7.1" sources nowadays seem to be actually 6.1. Is this a sign that it's too early to adopt 7.1, and any forward-looking 7.1 receiver will be made obsolete by the time people get around to standardizing "true 7.1"? The speakers will survive new standards, but I don't want to waste $200-300 on premature 7.1 support on a receiver.
I have no clue about what to look for, so tips are most welcome. I've read basic guides about the different Dolby surround sound formats, I know that THX certs are half truth and half marketing, but that's about it. I anticipate spending between $200 and $400 of my budget on the receiver, leaving $1000-1200 on 6 to 8 speakers. (If this is stupid or unrealistic, let me know.)
General questions to get started: what features should I go for? Are there any that are totally useless given my requirements and intended uses? I hear "Dolby Pro Logic IIx" (with the x) is pretty neat for 7.1 speaker systems... any thoughts? Feel free to recommend specific models that you've had experience with.
=== Speakers
Above, I mentioned HTIB speakers-only sets. Audioholics has good things to say about the RBH Sound CT-5.1 System, for example. Would smallish speakers like these have a problem with the room I'll be playing in (1 wall missing, high ceiling, etc.)? If I get 5.1 speakers with the intent of upgrading, would it be easier to find matching rear surround speakers for a pieced-together set than for a boxed speaker set?
Does a 7.1 setup give such better immersion that it overcomes whatever quality hits result from buying cheaper components? That is, will I be more likely to appreciate 5.1 speakers that are a bit better, or 7.1 speakers that are a bit worse due to my budget? Should the characteristics of the room affect my choice between 5.1 and 7.1? If so, how?
If I am piecing together my own speaker set and space is not an issue, should I go with all bookshelf speakers instead of small surrounds for better quality?
If I were going to spend $1000 on 4 surrounds, a center channel, and a sub, how should i distribute the money among them?
For an audio-newbie like me, how important is it to get "matched" main/center/surround speakers? Is the difference as painfully obvious as looking at a photograph on a typical CRT and LCD side by side?
=== Specific Models
Just to throw some names (of cheap models) out there:
Satellites
Infinity Primus 140/150/etc.
Sony SS-MB350H
AR PS2062
Polk R20
Speaker Sets
RBH Sound CT-5.1 ~$800
Harmon Kardon HKTS14 $400-650 (can expand to 7.1 with HKTS4)
Infinity TSS750 $550-700 (can expand to 7.1 with TSS SAT750)
Infinity Modulus II $1350-1500 (can expand to 7.1 with MS1 II)
Polk Audio RM20 ~$1000
Polk Audio RM7200 ~$900 (satellite model RM3300 seems rare)
Receivers
Denon AVR-1905/AVR-785S (same specs?!?) $400-500 for 1905, $350 for 785S
Sony STR-DE897/B $300-350 street
Onkyo TX-SR602 $450-500 street
Yamaha RX-V650 $350-400 street
Sound card models are listed above with sound card discussion
=== Other Information Sources
After reading around a bit, it seems that there aren't too many trusted sources for reviews. Most audio magazines only focus on high end equipment, which I am definitely not in the market for. Consumer Reports, which I like because they value price/performance ratios, is said to have archaic testing procedures that are in desperate need of revision (is that true?). In the end however, I probably would be more than happy with anything given any passing grade by any of these publications. Regardless, I'll go with any strong trends or repeated recommendations, so please let me know what you think about what I've said, and please give reasons if you recommend a specific product.
Lastly, I am still reading through all the various Internet forums and review sites, but figured I'd put this out early to make sure I get misconceptions and false impressions out of the way ASAP. Thanks!
