Advice wanted! Newbie choosing system.

solsun

I've just purchased my first HD television (Sony KDL-40XBR2) and now need help in choosing a HT system..

My budget is appx $1000. I live in a very small 1000 sq foot house with neighbors very close, so I am not looking for "earth shattering sound." I do however, want a nice, clean sounding system with a decent solid bottom end that will allow me to experience surround sound. My living and dining room are a combined space seperated by a partial wall, but the actual surround area I wish to fill is appx. 10'x11'. I have absolutely no room for large floor standing speakers, they have to be small, preferably modern looking and un-obtrusive. I have been considering the RM6900's. They are $599 at amazon.com. Would they be a good choice?

My Sony XBR2 has 3 HDMI inputs, so I'm not sure what I really need in a receiver... I currently have a Sony upscaling DVD player and am on a waiting list for the Direct TV HD DVR, both of which use HDMI connections.. I also will be connecting a Xbox and I plan to buy Apple's iTV box which will also connects via HDMI. So between the DVD player, HD-DVR and iTv, my tv'x HDMI inputs are accounted for. I actually prefer plugging my components into my tv because the Sony XBR2 allows me to calibrate the picture settings for each input according to the source. I'm assuming I can continue to do this and just run a digital audio out from the tv into the receiver rather than plugging all of my components into the receiver itself.. I would probably just run the DVD player into the receiver so at least one HDMI in/out is important.

For receivers I've been looking at the Onkyo TX-SR604 and the TX-SR674. As far as I can tell, the only difference is the SR674 upconverts analog inputs to HDMI... I'm not sure if I really need that feature but it may be nice for my Xbox connection..

Any advice or suggestions for both receivers and speaker systems would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

danger boy

although it may be tough to find good speakers in your budget.. here are a few things to consider for the best bang for your buck.

Sounde like you need a speaker system, receiver and subwoofer.

One option is for the speakers is to go with the Polk Audio SurroundBar. It's a one piece unit that sits on top or below your TV. or it can even be mounted on the wall.

It gives surround sound without having to spend money on speaker wires.. and having them spread throughout your room. I have heard them... they sound really good when matched with a decent subwoofer from Polk Audio or SVS or HSU.

As for receivers.. a few people have said that they ran into problems when matching an Onkyo receiver with some speakers. If i were you.. i'd also consider Denon, and Harmon Kardon, even Marantz would be a good choice.

solsun

So are you saying that you don't think the Polk RM6900 is a good set? They get a "very good" rating at cNet, but I know you can't always trust those reviews...

http://reviews.cnet.com/Polk_Audio_RM6900/4505-7868_7-31127887.html

The specs of the 6900's seem just what I'm looking for, but I would like some other suggestions if they aren't that great... The soundbar sounds like an interesting idea, but I'm not convinced that it would give me the "surround" that I'm looking for.. I will check if CC or Frys have one on the floor..

For receivers, judging by looks alone (I know you are all cringing at that statement,) I'd love to get a Harmon Kardon, unfortunately the model with the HDMI switching (AVR 645) would put me way over budget at $800 for the receiver alone.... Same with Denon. I will check into Marantz though, any model in particular?

Thanks again.

Fireman32

Solsun, Welcome to the forum! Somthing you might want to consider is going used. You can find alot of good equipment out there on the used market (EBAY, Audiogon) and stay within your budget. I have basicly the same size room as you and i live on the 2nd story of a 2 family home so I cant be earth shatering. I am running 2ch in my living rooom and with the small size it does the job quite well (on 8watts of tube power) This also may be an option to consider. Check out the showcase link on my sig and you will see my setup. All used equipment done with a small budget. Good luck with your purchase.

cfrizz

Welcome Solsun!

You might also look here for a B-stock Denon that has all the features you want: www.dakmart.com.

As for the surroundbar, if you add a pair of speakers in the rear I think you will get very good results. Check out the Surroundbar threads here on the forum.

Let us know what you come up with.

reeltrouble1

You should go to Circuit City and buy yourself some nice polk r-series monitor speakers and a sub, then add the onk or whatever receiver strikes your fancy, if you have a tweeter in your area give them a look as well.

RT1

solsun

Thank you all for the suggestions! I am really liking the idea of the surroundbar, especially with the ability to add two rear surrounds. The problem is the price, although I did see that it's $799 on amazon.com and you get a free PSW10 sub. Still, if I purchased the rear surrounds, I'd be at $1000 and that doesn't include a receiver... What to do... What to do....

Can anyone comment on the RM6900's? The whole 5:1 set is only $599.. Can they deliver close to the SurroundBars performance?

http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-Channel-Theater-Titanium/dp/B0002YK9TQ/sr=1-1/qid=1165941567/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-5699143-7099362?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

danger boy

I haven't heard the RM6900 in person... but i would think it would be good for your room size. plus I think you get a free PSW10 subwoofer but since the RM6900 already comes with a subwoofer.. you may be able to save $200 on the RM6900 or SurroundBar.

http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/promo.php?id=27

reeltrouble1

Sorry, not a fan. A nice set of HT speakers just cant fit into a box.

You may need to get a panasonic or other 199.00 receiver and get the better speakers, the surround bar is not for anyone who wants an actual HT and is not intended to perform as well as an actual HT speaker set up.

RT1

cfrizz

I agree with you Ted. However, since he has so many space & volume limitations anyway, even if he got real speakers he wouldn't really be able to utilize them to their fullest extent.

Solsun, don't box yourself in so tight with your budget. There is nothing wrong with excercising patience & saving some more money to get something that will really do the job right & will keep for years.

solsun

I know, patience is a virtue... I just don't have much of it! I just spent $2500 on my tv and I really want a HT to go along with it now... I've got about $1000 left to spend and it's burning a hole in my pocket..

I was watching Pirates of the Carribean - Curse of the black Pearl last night, the picture was mind blowing but I kept imagining how much better the experience would be with the F/x and sounds circling around me..

I'm going to stop by a tweeters tonight and see if I can compare the Polk Surroundbar next to the Polk RM-6900's... I just called Crutchfield and the salesperson actually recommended the RM6900's over the SurroundBar for my situation.. He said the actual speakers used in the two systems are near identical, but that I'd be much happier with the RM6900's seperation. Plus it's $200 cheaper and comes with a sub. He also suggested Infinty TS-1100's, but would probably go with the Polks..

Thanks again for the suggestions. I'm still checking back.

Ricardo

Here's what I would do if I were you:

Speakers:
Polk RM10, $540 at Crutchfield.com
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-6sfNET4Qi4u/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?search=rm10&i=107RM105PB

Sub:
Polk PSW303, $100 at Crutchfield.com after the $200 credit you get with the speakers set.
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-6sfNET4Qi4u/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=12300&I=107PSW303

Receiver:

HK AVR-335, $398 at Harmanaudio.com; for those speakers and your room, more than enough power; these are refurbished but with full warranty and great customer service.
http://www.harmanaudio.com/search_browse/product_detail.asp?urlMaterialNumber=AVR%20335-Z&status=

You'll still need some extra money for wiring, mounts, etc...but hey, budgets are just for breaking them

solsun

Thanks, I'm just curious why you'd choose the RM10'S? The RM6900 set actually is the same thing as the RM20's with a sub. Aren't the RM20's better than the RM10's?

The pricing on these are strange.. At amazon the RM20's are $699, but the RM6900, which is the same RM20 set plus a sub is only $599. Maybe it's the color? The RM20's are black while the RM6900 is titanium.

Ricardo

solsun wrote:

Thanks, I'm just curious why you'd choose the RM10'S? The RM6900 set actually is the same thing as the RM20's with a sub. Aren't the RM20's better than the RM10's?

The pricing on these are strange.. At amazon the RM20's are $699, but the RM6900, which is the same RM20 set plus a sub is only $599. Maybe it's the color? The RM20's are black while the RM6900 is titanium.

yes, the RM20 are better than the RM10...but I think you can/should get a better sub than the ones that come with those packages.

Ricardo

Actually, looking at the specs of the sub that comes with the RM6900, does not look that bad...I'm just used to see what other brands have....

Go for it.

solsun

Oh, I see what you're saying... So is it safe to say that a better sub will make more of a a difference than better surrounds?

solsun

HTrookie wrote:

Actually, looking at the specs of the sub that comes with the RM6900, does not look that bad...I'm just used to see what other brands have....

Go for it.

Even though the RM6900 set comes with a sub for $599, amazon is offering a free PSW10 on purchases over $499. Do you think the PSw10 is better than the RM6900's included sub, or should I still need to upgrade?

Ricardo

The sub is one of the most important players of a HT system....but see my last post....RM6900 at Amazon's price, based on your needs and budget, IMO is a go.

Ricardo

solsun wrote:

Even though the RM6900 set comes with a sub for $599, amazon is offering a free PSW10 on purchases over $499. Do you think the PSw10 is better than the RM6900's included sub, or should I still need to upgrade?

I don't think it would be better, but take it; you can:

1.-Sell it to offset part of thh cost
2.-Use two subs.

jkn

My wife and I are in a similar boat, small house, odd room to put surround in. We were very sold on the concept of the SurroundBar and not having that many speakers/wires/etc... but have decided to go with separate speakers. We both enjoy our dvd's and I miss having a decent audio system for music in the living room (I have a decent pair of Mackie HR-824's in my music studio...) Our old Sony theater in a box from 2001 recently died... or at least died enough to annoy us and require starting the process. It sounded fairly nasty playing cd's through...

We bought a Yamaha HTR-5960 receiver.

In order to save a bit - we'll likely get front towers (currently pondering the differences between RTi's and MONITOR series...) and possibly do a phantom center channel until we can add a real one. We're planning to add a few pieces at a time.

polktiger

solsun wrote:

Oh, I see what you're saying... So is it safe to say that a better sub will make more of a a difference than better surrounds?

Definately go with upgrade of sub over surround channel upgrade. The Sub does more work. Hard to ignore that amazon price though. $599 is a deal compared to where it ususally sells. For a room your size you can probably get away with the 6900's sub.

solsun

Thanks for your help.. I think I'm going to do it..

Still one more question regarding the receiver.. As I said I really like the look of the H/K units, but the Onkyo's feature HDMI switching for $379... Would you still choose the H/K over Onkyo and why?

Here's the onkyo I'm considering:

http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000HEFJNM/ref=pd_rvi_gw_3/102-5699143-7099362

polktiger

I think they are moving to HDMI 3 soon, but that may not be an issue since you will be limited by your TV. H/K has traditionally had stronger amps than the Onkyo. Also, have you looked at HDMI cables? Are you sure you don't want to use component video?

Ricardo

solsun wrote:

Thanks for your help.. I think I'm going to do it..

Still one more question regarding the receiver.. As I said I really like the look of the H/K units, but the Onkyo's feature HDMI switching for $379... Would you still choose the H/K over Onkyo and why?

Here's the onkyo I'm considering:

http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000HEFJNM/ref=pd_rvi_gw_3/102-5699143-7099362

I'd choose the HK just because I have had that brand and it is a great receiver; not saying that the Onkyo is not.....go with whatever you feel it's the best deal.

solsun

To Polktiger: No I'm not sure... I honestly am brand new to all of this... I did buy an HDMI cable for my Sony upscaling dvd, it was $50... I've found them cheaper online though and was told its not as important to get the super high quality cables with digital connections... It's more important with analog connections.. Digital is digital no matter what..

HDMI 3? What do you mean limited by my tv? My Tv has 3 HDMI ins.

polktiger

I read somewhere (may be imagining things) that they were in the process of modifing the HDMI format. It apparently has some design shortcomings the understanding of which are above my pay grade.

solsun

polktiger wrote:

I read somewhere (may be imagining things) that they were in the process of modifing the HDMI format. It apparently has some design shortcomings the understanding of which are above my pay grade.

Uggh... Don't tell me that!

solsun

Okay, took a leap of faith, I just placed my order for the RM6900 with free PSW10 from amazon without ever hearing them.. I think they will be sufficient for my needs.

I'm still undecided on the receiver, will probably go down to CC to check them out..

Thanks again for all of your advice.. I'm sure I will have some questions on the setup once I have everything.. Glad to know that you are all so helpful

polktiger

Congrats - I think you will be pleased and with both subs and the equivalent of an RM20 all for $599. You will be very happy. It may not sound like $10,000, but how cares, you only spent $599. That is a great deal no matter how you slice it. In reality, you can't go wrong with either AVR, and if you want to do HMDI and get the H/K, just direct connect to the TV on the video cable. Nothing says you have to go through the AVR. The main reason to do so would be if you only had 1 HDMI input on the TV and more than 1 HDMI source. Since you have 2 on the TV, I would say you can do whatever you want to.

BTW - If you can spare and extra $100 and you have a tweeter, they may have some Yamaha RX-V2500s left. I got mine as a sealed box closeout the day after Thanksgiving for $499.

jkn

Looks like a great deal. Congrats.

solsun

Sigh.... So, I just came back from CC. They didn't have the RM6900, but they did have the RM6800 which uses the RM10 speakers instead of the RM20's. It wasn't connected so I couldn't test it out, but I am very thankful that I saw it in person... I like the design and shape of the speakers, but man, the titanium grill covers are UGLY! They covers really ruin it for me. They look much better in pictures than they do in person. The silver aluminum backs look good, but why did they have to use that cheesy shiny silver for the grill cover? It looks so cheap. Now I know why the RM-6900 is $100 less than the RM-20's.. Fortunately, I was able to cancel my order with amazon before they shipped..

So now, I'm back to the drawing boards..

In the CC TV section they did have a surround bar on display... It was hard to tell what it really sounded like with so much other noise around, but I was fairly impressed.. I think if I added two rear surrounds, it would give me the surround I'm looking for.. At this point, it looks like I'm going to go over budget.. So I'm deciding whether I should go for the RM-20's at $699 or should I go for the Sound Bar at $799 and add two rear surrounds later. One concern with the Sound Bar is that it will be about 1 foot away from a wall on the right side and the amazon product description said not to place it within 3 feet of a side wall.

Also, regarding the free PSW10 sub. In a room my size, would it really make a difference if I upgraded to the PSW303? I noticed that even though the PSW303 is $100 more, it is an 8" woofer instead of the PSW10's 10". What difference can I expect?

Sorry for all the questions.