[Warcam]

Sorry if this was mentioned elsewhere. I was wondering, at a seating distance of 10 ft., would one be able to notice a difference in PQ from the Oppo980 (read the 981 may be worse for plasmas) as opposed to other integrated HTIB's, specifically my new Panasonic PT960, on a 42" display?


I bought the 960 from B&H on black Friday (or Sat.) after my 7-year-old Sony DAV-900's disc changer finally went out. I wanted to maintain a very modest budget, and have something easy to set up right away, and with supplied speaker stands (didn't know Monoprice existed @ the time). However, after spending the last month lurking these forums, I'm thinking I jumped the gun too soon. Don't get me wrong; it's a nice little system with great audio (esp. for my small, more enclosed viewing area) and a decent pic, but I'm wondering if it's worth paying the shipping, and possibly a restocking fee (1 piece of styrofoam used to encase the wirless transmitter was accidentally thrown away, maybe a couple pieces of wrapping as well) to exchange the 960 for another system (maybe Sony 2300 or 7200) to go w/the Oppo.


For various reasons, I've decided not to jump on the Blu-ray bandwagon just yet; I'd just like to have a great upcoverting player to enjoy my current SD collection on. What do you think? Bite the bullet, pay the shipping (& possibly restocking fee), and go for the Oppo & separate receiver (which would probably add another $300+ to what I've spent, 'cause I'd have to get 2 pairs of stands @ Monoprice

) and get it out of the way, or should I just stick with the 960, as I probably wouldn't notice much difference anyway? Thanks in advance.

 

[Blacklac]

IMO, if you have the funds, do it. I don't know about thet HTIB player, but they tend to be less than stellar.


Personally, I'd just ditch the whole HTIB idea, but that's just me. I'd do something like get the Oppo, a decent receiver and something like a decent 2.1 or 3.1 setup for now. I mean decent, like some bookshelves and a matching center channel. When you get a little more money, add 2 more bookshelves for a 5.1.

Denon 1609 AVR
Bookshelves - either for front L/R or surrounds or both
Center Channel
If you could afford these, I'd get them as your Front L/R


Find whatever sub you can afford, honestly you won't get much for under $200 but something is better than nothing.


For about $750 you can get the Oppo 980, that Denon 1609 and atleast that 3.0 setup I listed. Than get a sub and the rears when you can afford it. That should be much better than that HTIB setup.

Oh, and that Denon 1609 has 3 nice Audyssey features. MultEQ, Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ. Read about them from www.audyssey.com

 

[Warcam]

Thanks for the advice. I had thought about a 3.1 system, but read that many complained it just wasn't the same feel as a 5.1. Of course, given my entire "home theater" area is about 12x12, that may not be as much of an issue.

 

[QuiGonJosh]

May I suggest you check out the Pioneer DV-410V DVD player? It's nearly identical in terms of quality to the Oppo and half the price. As for speakers and an AVR, there's a couple of very good 5.1 receivers that can easily be had for $150-$200 from Pioneer and/or Onkyo. Just check Amazon. And speakers, well, tSc is just awesome. Wonderful price and performance. I bought some bookshelf speakers and a new center channel from them and they're a steal. They also sell through Amazon as well. You could probably spend less than $500 on a total DVD and 5.1 package and trust me, it would be a lot better than a HTiB.

http://www.thespeakercompany.com

 

[Warcam]

Will definitely look into that. Thank you. The only thing, though, is I really have nowhere to place bookshelf speakers. I never wanted to go through the trouble of mounting speakers on the wall, mainly because the couch is up against the wall (wallboard, to be exact), and I like the freedom of moving the stands around if I want without having holes drilled in either the wallboard or concrete (behind the TV....section of the basement w/bar, fireplace, etc.). I may have to take a pic of the area and post it to give a better idea. I think I'm more concerned with PQ than audio, although all the recommendations so far have piqued my interests.

 

[QuiGonJosh]

I bought these Sanus stands for my speakers and they fit my tSc A5 bookshelf speakers perfectly and are quite cheap compared to others. I have the 24 inch model. You should be able to find them for around $35-$40.

http://www.sanus.com/us/en/products/...ns/pcat/basic/