[MikeJT323]

Hello, I am pretty inexperienced with home theater systems but I have always wanted to invest in a nice one. My old Philips HTS3400 finally gave out on me but I am currently not in a position to spend the money on a great system at the moment. What I am thinking, since it was just the dvd player/receiver that stopped working, is I could buy a new receiver and continue using my old speakers. The idea would be to slowly build my ideal system piece by piece as I can afford it. But what I noticed with my Philips speakers is they use some type of quick disconnect system and I wanted to be sure I could still use these speakers with any receiver (see attached photo). My assumption is I can just remove the connector and expose the wires and they will be just like any speakers, but I wanted to make sure before I go spend money on the receiver. If it makes a difference, the receiver I am looking into getting is an Onkyo TX-NR626.

I know the Philips speakers are not great speakers and I intend to replace them when I can, but for the moment I really need to make these work.

 

[C0rk]

No you can't. It's dependent on the speakers and the speakers for the HTS3400 are 3 ohm (http://download.p4c.philips.com/files/h/hts3400_37/hts3400_37_dfu_aen.pdf). 3 ohm speakers would harm any standard receiver (and if not harm, send it into protect mode).

If this were temporary (say you were waiting on new speakers), you might get away with using the speakers at very low volume, but I wouldn't do it. Instead, get a pair of some decent, low cost speakers (say the Pioneers) and build from there.

 

[Transmaniacon]

Yeah that's what it looks like. You just need to make note of the polarity, it might be labeled on the connector, so just make note before you cut it off.

Check out www.accessories4less.com for some great deals on refurbished receivers. It's a good way to save some cash, I would recommend the Denon AVR-X1100 for $250.

 

[MikeJT323]

Ok thanks for the feedback. I have a follow up question. Since I am currently on a budget of roughly $300-400 (trying to buy a new house, baby on the way so less is better) what would you recommend? I could buy the Onkyo or Denon receiver to be my long term receiver and get some budget speakers to hold me over for a couple years or I could do the other way around. Or I could just go with another $100-200 home theater in a box or sound bar.
Sorry, as I said before I really don't know much about home theater systems so I really appreciate the input.

 

[357]

Spend the most of your $$$ on speakers. To be honest with you, you'll get more bang for your buck in the DIY section of the forum.

I would not recommend a sound bar or HTiB.

 

[MikeJT323]

COrk you mentioned some Pioneer speakers. Is there a particular set I should look in to?

 

[justthinking]

I strongly advise you to hold off building anything since you have a baby underway, especially if it is for family room...

Get a soundbar for now, once you have the money saved and baby is more than 2-3 yrs old, you can move the soundbar to bedroom and start building your system then..

 

[C0rk]

I was referring to the often discussed Pioneer Andrew Jones line. But I took a quick look and if you go that way, go for the x2's, not the x1's, as the reviews say the crossovers are much better. They list for $129, but I got them for half of that, so if you wait it out you'll probably see a sale.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008NCD2LG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I didn't see whether you were going to use your system for music or movies. The Pioneers will be fine for movies and adequate for music. But definitely better than any satellite speaker you'll find. I use the Pioneers in my home theater room and they are decent. For music I use Axiom M22s and the two brands don't even compare a little, but you have to start somewhere.

But back to the point, if you are mostly using the system for movies, you could save some money and get a decent starter system that can be expanded later (but not a HTIB!); something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Denon-DHT-131...051&sr=1-2&keywords=denon+home+theater+system

Finally, I used a Harman/Kardon 5.1 satellite system (with an Onkyo receiver) when my kids were small and it was just fine. The satellites could be mounted higher so no possibility of the baby/tykes getting where they shouldn't. And having the system there was a nice release from all the new kid pressures. So I say - don't wait! However, get a lesser receiver and spend the bulk, say 75% of the budget on speakers; a $200 receiver will be just as good for you purposes as an expensive one, and receivers are replaced far more often than speakers.

 

[Transmaniacon]

Ok thanks for the feedback. I have a follow up question. Since I am currently on a budget of roughly $300-400 (trying to buy a new house, baby on the way so less is better) what would you recommend? I could buy the Onkyo or Denon receiver to be my long term receiver and get some budget speakers to hold me over for a couple years or I could do the other way around. Or I could just go with another $100-200 home theater in a box or sound bar.
Sorry, as I said before I really don't know much about home theater systems so I really appreciate the input.

That Denon receiver, and a pair of Pioneer BS22 bookshelves would be a nice start. Add in something like a Dayton SUB-1200 when funds permit, and then you can a C22 center after that. I think going this route lets you build up a nicer system, instead of buying a whole 5.1 package from the start.

 

[MikeJT323]

Great, thanks a lot everyone. I appreciate the thorough responses. I will weigh all my options and go from there.

 

[htpcforever]

The Pioneers will be fine for movies and adequate for music.

I never understood this type of statement. What makes the sound of a trumpet different if it is played from a trumpet all by itself versus that of a trumpet being played by a guy standing on a street corner in a movie?

 

[david.sargent.775]

I never understood this type of statement. What makes the sound of a trumpet different if it is played from a trumpet all by itself versus that of a trumpet being played by a guy standing on a street corner in a movie?

In general, the purpose of a speaker is to reproduce the source material accurately, and if a speaker can do that, it should be good for music or movies. Of course you would want a trumpet to sound like a trumpet and not a kazoo, regardless of whether it is "music" or movie. However, for critical music listening people are listening for more than that. Things like stereo imaging, width of sound stage, and fine details are typically more important for music than for movies. So, a speaker that is good for movies might not be good for music.

On the other hand, I would think that for the most part a speaker that is good for music would also be good for movies. However, you might have some "music speakers" that have a narrow sweet spot, which would not work so well if you have multiple people watching a movie, unless they like getting real cozy. And there are other things that might make a music speaker not so good for movies, such as sensitivity to speaker placement. If a speaker designed for music likes to be three feet from the wall in order to perform at its best, and that doesn't fit into your home theater layout, then it won't be all that good for movies. And there are probably some other reasons a particular speaker designed for music may not be the best for movies.

 

[justthinking]

I never understood this type of statement. What makes the sound of a trumpet different if it is played from a trumpet all by itself versus that of a trumpet being played by a guy standing on a street corner in a movie?

Because in the movie, how a particular trumpet sound will not be your main focus..but with music, you are expecting the trumpet to sound good..

 

[C0rk]

I never understood this type of statement. What makes the sound of a trumpet different if it is played from a trumpet all by itself versus that of a trumpet being played by a guy standing on a street corner in a movie?

What David said (and he said it bettr than I will). When I'm watching a movie I'm typically distracted by plot, characters, action, or in general - the visuals; but when I'm listening to music, I'm focused in on the nuances of the music and that's it, so I'll notice imperfections more. Of course, when money is no object a good speaker will do both (in most cases, with a nod to the good point David made). In my case I usually listen to music in a different location than I watch movies, so that room has the better speakers, my budget then drove the home theater room speakers.

 

[htpcforever]

In general, the purpose of a speaker is to reproduce the source material accurately, and if a speaker can do that, it should be good for music or movies. Of course you would want a trumpet to sound like a trumpet and not a kazoo, regardless of whether it is "music" or movie. However, for critical music listening people are listening for more than that. Things like stereo imaging, width of sound stage, and fine details are typically more important for music than for movies. So, a speaker that is good for movies might not be good for music.

On the other hand, I would think that for the most part a speaker that is good for music would also be good for movies. However, you might have some "music speakers" that have a narrow sweet spot, which would not work so well if you have multiple people watching a movie, unless they like getting real cozy. And there are other things that might make a music speaker not so good for movies, such as sensitivity to speaker placement. If a speaker designed for music likes to be three feet from the wall in order to perform at its best, and that doesn't fit into your home theater layout, then it won't be all that good for movies. And there are probably some other reasons a particular speaker designed for music may not be the best for movies.

Ah, so a very limited speaker might be good for music, but its limitations will make it bad for movies. These limitations are not necessarily bad (such as stereo imaging), just limited to things movies do not need. Thanks!

 

[htpcforever]

Because in the movie, how a particular trumpet sound will not be your main focus..but with music, you are expecting the trumpet to sound good..

Maybe I am just unusual, but I expect a trump to sound good in both movies and music. Of course, my eyesight has never been all the good, so my ears are probably more sensitive because of it.