[furby076]

So I posted in one of the other forums, and was told to come here. I will be moving in the next 3-5 months and I will be changing my audio system (I am fine with my tv which is a Toshiba Regza LCD).


My current system is a Sony Receiver (it's old, 1998 old), and a Bose Acoustimas (again 1998 old). These two items have worked amazingly well for me over the past 12 years. The Bose is expensive - but 12 years of good sound so I can't complain.


In addition to my TV I will connect a Comcast hdmi box, XBOX 360 and Sony PS3 to this unit so I will need 3 HDMI input, plus fiber cable input.


I could really use your help. I could spend the money on a Bose v30, but from my understanding I can probably get an equal system for a lot less by going to another brand. Given that each sales person (because they have incentives) will tell me their system is just as good as the v30 I can't trust them too much (I already had one sales person tell me my TV sucks and I should get a new one..really it doesn't).


My concerns:

• Quality
• Form Factor
• Longevity (if i can get another 12 years on an audio system then I would be really happy)
• Price
• Universal remote so it can control my TV, sound system, and comcast box

So what do you guys recommend?

 

[ickysmits]

Well, the Bose V30 goes for about $2500...


You could get something equal for a lot lot less but if you're willing to spend up to $2500 you could get something of excellent quality that should last well over 12 years - and it would sound significantly better.


You can get a good receiver for ~$400-$600 and $2k would buy some nice sounding and looking speakers. If you're interesed in something like that I'd suggest you take it to the speaker section . There are just so many choices and some information from you helps to narrow it down. Tell them:

-size of room

-type/size of speaker you're interested in (satellite, bookshelf, floorstanding, etc...)

-budget

-use (% movies/music/TV/etc...)


...and put Bose in the title, that gets responses.

 

[furby076]

Lol, I will give that a try. I would prefer to spend less, and I went to crutchfield and looked at a couple of their items


Unfortunatly I am no expert so I have no idea if that system is great and worth the money. Will it make great use of my blu-ray player sound? How about game sound?


I will try the other board, and any suggestion you may have would be great.


There are thousands of systems out there and I am clueless to them. Now if we were talking about building a computer, or plan a scuba dive trip..now that I could help someone out with

EDIT: Unfortunately I don't know the size configuration of the room I will be moving to. In all honesty in the new 5-6 years I will be moving a couple of times. I don't think my ear will be that discerning based on the room configuration.


Thank you

 

[ickysmits]

It's good to shop these things out sometimes. Onecall, another authorized Denon dealer, has the AVR-2310 $200 cheaper than Crutchfield -> http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=99586


That's a pretty good price for that receiver.


For the speakers - like you said, there are many choices. Here's a search for $1500 in the title -> http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/searc...rchid=14918349


The Def Techs are good but if you have a huge room or if listening to music was a priority then I'd urge you to look at something else.

 

[furby076]

Oh i plan to shop out the prices, I just need to figure out what is worth it. I used google and found a number of places for the speakers and the receiver which would be about $600 less total... Going to places like crutchfield is great for information, and shopping around.

What is a Def Tech? In all honesty my audio is mainly for tv, movies, and video games. Rarely do I play music on the system (maybe if I am entertaining friends, but then it is in the background playing softly). Given that some of this stuff gets ultra techy (more then my knowledge).


Do you think that receiver I listed is a good option or are there better things for that price?


I really appreciate your time Icky!

 

[ickysmits]

Sorry, Def Tech = Definitive Technology...the speakers you found on crutchfield.


If your room isn't huge then I think they might be a good contender. They're built to be good performers for movies in a smallish size. You can easily go have a listen to them if you have a Best Buy near you with a Magnolia inside.


It seems like you want a kind of small form factor? What are the dimensions of your room?


The receiver is a good option, I like Denon because of the Audyssey features they offer. There are good choices from all the mainstream receiver manufacturers - Denon, Onkyo, Harman Kardon, Marantz, Yamaha... In my opinion $400 usually buys a good set of features and connectivity for most people. After that you're generally paying for power and other stuff like network capability.

 

[furby076]

The new gear will be for a new place where I have no idea what the size of the living room will be (i haven't looked yet, but I will be moving in about 3-5 months). I imagine it won't be huge (e.g. loft). A standard house with a regular sized living.


I do like the small form factor - for me out of sight is key. While I enjoy my sony receiver - it's big. I have a PS3 but it would be nice to not have to turn on the PS3 to play a movie, stream netflix, or stream from my computer (network)...plus using the PS3 controller for a movie.


Reviewing the audyssey feature and having you say it is a viable feature makes me feel more confident in it. When I saw it last night I thought "wow that's cool" - but just because a retailer says something is cool doesn't make it so.


I didn't think about network connectivity originally. Do you have any suggestions of a receiver that has that, and possibly blu-ray? Receiver, blu-ray player, internet connectivity to stream netflix? I don't think that's available and it looks like I will need: Speakers (5 speakers plus sub, & Receiver.) I will then connect my comcast box (hdmi cable + optical), PS3 (HDMI + Optical), Xbox360 (HDMI,+ optical) and then output to the TV.


The denon AVR-2310CI has more then enough HDMI inputs for me, and 3 optical inputs which is just enough.


Thank you

 

[Blue_Fedora]

I just replaced my Bose Lifestyle 38 with a Onkyo S6200 and LG BD390. Could not be happier with the decision... now only hard part is to figure out what to do with the Bose :-/


The LG blu-ray streams beautifully with bot netflix and vudu and the receiver on the Onkyo system has all the latest codecs (okay probably not "all" but at least all that I seem to need to play the latest Blu-Ray titles).


Good luck in your search

 

[furby076]

Since it's in my price range how is this:

Onkyo HT S9100THX?


Would it be superior to the Denon?


As for your Bose, there is a saying I learned a long time ago: "To the victors go the spoils. To the power gamers go everything. To E-bay...where it all ends up"