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Please recommend me a first-time HTiB.

1617 Views 18 Replies 7 Participants Last post by phillyeagles2008, Aug 8, 2011

Orlics

Discussion Starter · Aug 4, 2011

Hey all, I don't really know anything about receivers and speakers, so I was wondering if you guys had recommendations for my budget and circumstances.

My TV room is about 20'x12'. There's a TV (42-inch, 2D) against one of the long walls, and a couch flush against the other long wall. We have a few gaming consoles, 3 of them using HDMI.

My budget's about $500-$700.

Don't know if I'd prefer smaller speakers or towers. I guess either would be fine.

I would probably spring for 5.1 right now with the possibility to upgrade to 7.1 in the future.

I don't need 3D, but I would like a way to stream stuff from my home network. The router is in the same room as the TV so I can use an ethernet cable or whatever.

I'm open to any suggestions and if you need any clarification let me know in a reply.

1 - 19 of 19 Posts

holt7153

· #2 · Aug 4, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by Orlics /forum/post/20777128

Hey all, I don't really know anything about receivers and speakers, so I was wondering if you guys had recommendations for my budget and circumstances.

My TV room is about 20'x12'. There's a TV (42-inch, 2D) against one of the long walls, and a couch flush against the other long wall. We have a few gaming consoles, 3 of them using HDMI.

My budget's about $500-$700.

Don't know if I'd prefer smaller speakers or towers. I guess either would be fine.

I would probably spring for 5.1 right now with the possibility to upgrade to 7.1 in the future.

I don't need 3D, but I would like a way to stream stuff from my home network. The router is in the same room as the TV so I can use an ethernet cable or whatever.

I'm open to any suggestions and if you need any clarification let me know in a reply.

What about something like this along with an Apple TV? It's a 5 speaker + receiver bundle for pretty damn cheap.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...aIZInsIBIDJ2_A

Otto Pylot

· #3 · Aug 4, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by holt7153 /forum/post/20780412

What about something like this along with an Apple TV? It's a 5 speaker + receiver bundle for pretty damn cheap.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...aIZInsIBIDJ2_A

But there's no separate, powered sub-woofer

It appears that it's built-in to the RF/LF speakers. You could look at the Yamaha YHT-395BL. No built-in DVD player or internet but it has a separate, powered sub-woofer and has all the current audio/video formats. It also has High Speed HDMI inputs/output which meets all current specs.

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Orlics

Discussion Starter · #4 · Aug 5, 2011

Actually, I should have mentioned that since I have an X360 and a PS3 I don't need internet on the actual receiver, since I can just stream using those.

And I also forgot to mention that I plan on playing music (indie rock, hip hop, etc) on them too.

I defer to the elder statesmen of AVSForum: Otto, the Yamaha you suggested looks great. You think music would sound good on it? Also, what's this I've read about LPCM?

holt7153

· #5 · Aug 5, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by Otto Pylot /forum/post/20780974

But there's no separate, powered sub-woofer

It appears that it's built-in to the RF/LF speakers. You could look at the Yamaha YHT-395BL. No built-in DVD player or internet but it has a separate, powered sub-woofer and has all the current audio/video formats. It also has High Speed HDMI inputs/output which meets all current specs.

You are correct that the Jamo package doesn't include a sub, but it also includes large tower speakers as opposed to small satellites. The OP has a large room probably better suited for bigger speakers, and I'm not sure the sub included in the Yamaha package (8"/100 watt) would have a lot of impact in that room. OP could always save up for a quality sub down the road.

Otto Pylot

· #6 · Aug 5, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by Orlics /forum/post/20781846

Actually, I should have mentioned that since I have an X360 and a PS3 I don't need internet on the actual receiver, since I can just stream using those.

And I also forgot to mention that I plan on playing music (indie rock, hip hop, etc) on them too.

I defer to the elder statesmen of AVSForum: Otto, the Yamaha you suggested looks great. You think music would sound good on it? Also, what's this I've read about LPCM?

I've only played Pandora streamed music thru it and it sounded ok. There is an optional iTouch/iPod attachment but you will be limited to the audio format. BD-DVDs sound awesome because of the lossless audio formats. "Regular" music would probably be better suited by a more robust receiver but for the price point, this really can't be beat. My only suggestion would be to buy one locally if you can from someone who has a 30-day NQA return policy and run it thru it's paces. The nice thing about the system is that the speaker connections are wire clip-in so you can always upgrade to a better set of speakers without having to worry about proprietary connections. A good set of speakers will make any system sound better.

Otto Pylot

· #7 · Aug 5, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by holt7153 /forum/post/20785944

You are correct that the Jamo package doesn't include a sub, but it also includes large tower speakers as opposed to small satellites. The OP has a large room probably better suited for bigger speakers, and I'm not sure the sub included in the Yamaha package (8"/100 watt) would have a lot of impact in that room. OP could always save up for a quality sub down the road.

The room dynamics would definitely affect the sound but the sub-woofer does have a separate volume control so there is some compensation there for dynamics. You can also adjust bass/treble separately if need be and the receiver gives you the option of picking between 6 ohm impedence for 100W per or 8 ohm impedence for 80W per. Also, as I mentioned in another response, the speaker connections are standard wire clip-in so upgrading speakers are not limited to proprietary connectors like they are on some other systems. Better quality speakers can and will make a big difference in fidelity.

schan1269

· #8 · Aug 5, 2011

That 509+jamo+dock package is a steal.

Who cares it streams? Don't use it if you don't want to. The 509 is still better than pretty much everything else its price(the ONLY receiver I ever recommend over it is the Denon 1712...and that is if the person needs the upconversion over the networking)

Otto Pylot

· #9 · Aug 6, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by schan1269 /forum/post/20789213

That 509+jamo+dock package is a steal.

Who cares it streams? Don't use it if you don't want to. The 509 is still better than pretty much everything else its price(the ONLY receiver I ever recommend over it is the Denon 1712...and that is if the person needs the upconversion over the networking)

That's fine. Your opinion.

jonnythan

· #10 · Aug 6, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by holt7153 /forum/post/20780412

What about something like this along with an Apple TV? It's a 5 speaker + receiver bundle for pretty damn cheap.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...aIZInsIBIDJ2_A

That's a ridiculous price. It's like 50% off the combined price of those units.

To the OP: I'd jump on this immediately. Buy it, and save up for a few months and get a real subwoofer later. A $100 subwoofer isn't going to do anything significant in your room anyway.

holt7153

· #11 · Aug 6, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by jonnythan /forum/post/20789960

That's a ridiculous price. It's like 50% off the combined price of those units.

To the OP: I'd jump on this immediately. Buy it, and save up for a few months and get a real subwoofer later. A $100 subwoofer isn't going to do anything significant in your room anyway.

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jonnythan

· #12 · Aug 6, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by holt7153 /forum/post/20790003

Have you heard the Jamos? I haven't read any negative reports on them, but it always raises my eyebrows to see big towers and full-size centers and surrounds priced so low. Doesn't seem like it could be right.

holt7153

· #13 · Aug 6, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by jonnythan /forum/post/20790126

Have you heard the Jamos? I haven't read any negative reports on them, but it always raises my eyebrows to see big towers and full-size centers and surrounds priced so low. Doesn't seem like it could be right.

I personally have not, but all I hear is good things about them by owners here on AVS.

Orlics

Discussion Starter · #14 · Aug 7, 2011

Pulled the trigger on that bundle. Thanks!

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holt7153

· #15 · Aug 7, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by Orlics /forum/post/20794473

Pulled the trigger on that bundle. Thanks!

Nice job-congratulations!

afrogt

· #16 · Aug 7, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by schan1269 /forum/post/20789213

That 509+jamo+dock package is a steal.

Who cares it streams? Don't use it if you don't want to. The 509 is still better than pretty much everything else its price(the ONLY receiver I ever recommend over it is the Denon 1712...and that is if the person needs the upconversion over the networking)

Schan,

The Denon 1712 doesn't do upconversion. Where are you getting your info?
http://usa.denon.com/us/product/page...2-b82562dfac73

schan1269

· #17 · Aug 7, 2011

I meant 1612, my bad(the 1712 is 7.1, then without the upconversion)

See what I mean, it is hard to keep track of the "hop and skip" features of Denon.

afrogt

· #18 · Aug 7, 2011

Neither the 1612 nor 1712 do upconversion. The 1912 is the lowest xx12 model with analog to HDMI conversion and the 2312 the lowest model with upscaling.

Last year's 1911 had upconversion and upscaling and the 591 &1611 had analog to HDMI conversion. Denon dropped the feature from the lower end models this year.

phillyeagles2008

· #19 · Aug 8, 2011

I just upgraded from a Sony HT-SS2300 to a LG LHB976 and I could not be any happier...

The Sony colorizes the sound a bit and can be very bass heavy, but the LG has a great well balanced sound, so much so that my father-in-law who is a die hard audiophile was jealous, if you hear or see any negative feedback about the LG it is probably because the owner did not read the manual to insure proper setup...

The LHB976 has such impeccable sound quality you will be hard pressed to find anything in its price range to compare, you would literally have to pay $1000-$2000 for anything better, and if you shop around you can score it for a little more than $500...

I got mine for $530 and it gives me WIFI, DLNA, 3D, ARC Audio, Wireless rear speakers, 2 extra hdmi inputs, 1080p upconversion as well as mp3 upconversion audio to make even mp3's sound great and I get a solid build quality...

I think if the LG LHB976 fits your needs and you go with it I highly doubt that you'll be disappointed, but no matter what you decide good luck in your hunt and what ever you get make sure you like it

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1 - 19 of 19 Posts

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