first HT help

sambani · August 2008

hello im new to these forums and already love it here. heres my question. i have an old pioneer HT in a box. im looking to upgrade but not sure on some things. im on a somewhat of a limited budget, around 500- 800 or maybe alil more.

was going to start with a Onkyo TX-SR506 receiver Refurbished. and for the sub a Polk Audio PSW505 can get the sub for 230 new here. as for the speakers im not sure, was looking at tsi 200 bi wired. this is going in a 12 x 10 room and dont have room for a full 7.1 set up. my pc has a Optical output, will a Digital Optical Audio Cable be the best way to connect the two? will be useing this system for games and mostly music, anything from metal, country, rock and many other types. and adding a 300 disc cd changer later on. will i need a DAC or an amp for this set up. sorry for the long post and all the questions

Marty913 · August 2008

sambani wrote: »

hello im new to these forums any already love it here. heres my question. i have an old pioneer HT in a box. im looking to upgrade but not sure on some things. im on a somewhat of a limited budget, around 500- 800 or maybe alil more.

was going to start with a Onkyo TX-SR506 receiver Refurbished. and for the sub a Polk Audio PSW505 can get the sub for 230 new here. as for the speakers im not sure, was looking at tsi 200 bi wired. this is going in a 12 x 10 room and dont have room for a full 7.1 set up. my pc has a Optical output, will a Digital Optical Audio Cable be the best way to connect the two? will be useing this system for games and mostly music, anything from metal, country, rock and many other types. and adding a 300 disc cd changer later on. will i need a DAC or an amp for this set up. sorry for the long post and all the questions

It's not really a long post at all. I have a couple questions and opinions. First, I think the TSI 200's a great first real HT choice, and with the receivers you're looking at you probably don't need to worry about bi-wiring (fun to try but I doubt you'll hear and difference).

Were you going to get 4 200's + a center channel or are you going to start with 2 speakers. A lot of options here. On a limited budget you have to decide what gets upgraded in the future or which component you keep the longest. Example: do you get 2 TSI 200's or 4 TSI 100's, or add more later. Either the 100 or 200 would work very well in a 10 X 12 room.Those type questions.

The PSW505 is also a good choice for the long run. In the short run the PSW12 will match up extremely well with either the 100'a & 200's and save you $80. In a small room it would be more than enough.

As for the receiver, I'm not sure what the 506 costs refurbished so I don't know what to say. It's OK but a little light on power although more than enough for the speakers. The 606 would give you 20% more power plus a few more little goodies. I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of Onkyo but they do offer a lot for the $$.

The optical connection is absolutely the best way (other than HDMI) to go. Either way, no DAC is needed for a basic home theater setup. The sound comes out digital to the receiver via the optical cable so no digital-analog-conversion is required. The receiver will handle it.

Hope some of this helps,

Marty

NewHTguy · August 2008

In order for the local experts (I'm not one of them) to give you good advice you should specify how much you will use the system for HT versus music. Mostly people prefer 2.1 for audio and if you listen to mostly music you might want to spend your entire budget on a 3.1 system (fronts, center, and sub) and pick up some surrounds later on.

Also ask yourself whether you will want to upgrade in the next year or two. I started out with a budget of $800- 1000 and ended up spending that much on a receiver once I got hooked. The path you take if your budget is firm might not be the one you take if you may want to upgrade.

Finally, I would strongly advise you to take your time and learn. I did not and it ended forcing me into a less than optimal set-up. I managed to sell my bad purchases at very little loss, but it took time and would not have been necessary if I had thought things through a little more. But, then again, you have to get your feet wet before you can swim.

Best of luck and enjoy whatever system you build!

sambani · August 2008

thanks for all the help and great info. was going to go with one set of the tsi 200's and a center. or do you think 4 TSI 100's would be better?

the PSW12 sub looks great and save a few bux to put on a better reveiver. as for the reciever which one would you recomend. ive heard nothing but good things about onkyo thats the only reason i went that direction. this will be used for mostly music.

Marty913 · August 2008

sambani wrote: »

thanks for all the help and great info. was going to go with one set of the tsi 200's and a center. or do you think 4 TSI 100's would be better?

the PSW12 sub looks great and save a few bux to put on a better reveiver. as for the reciever which one would you recomend. ive heard nothing but good things about onkyo thats the only reason i went that direction. this will be used for mostly music.

Well, the "mostly for music" comment would lead me to recommend the 200's. They would give you a wider, more musical sound stage in my opinion. I do think the 100's would make excellent surrounds when you decide to do that. As for the receiver, I can get into a lot of hot water on most forums for not liking Onkyo - they are extremely popular HT receivers. I happen to be one of those people that are bothered by the heat issues. Some don't think it's a big deal and just buy a cooling fan. Since other brands don't seem to have the problem, I think it's a design / engineering problem. I also happen to think that heat issues aside, the Onkyo line does better at HT than it does with music. I think Denon and Harmon Kardon do a much better job on music. I also like Pioneer but probably more for HT but a very good compromise.

Since you will probably up grade the receiver later, I don't think the Onkyo is a bad choice. You should probably look at the Denon AVR-688 and maybe the Pioneer line just for comparison sake. The AVS Forum (www.avsforum.com) is a good place to read about receivers.

sambani · August 2008

thanks for all the great info and help, ill go with a PSW12 sub and a pair of 200's for now and add another abit later. going to do alot of research about the receivers. i do have one more question if you dont mind. how do you like your Squeezebox Duet?

Sherardp · August 2008

If youre going to build on a system then go all out...........start with the Onkyo 805, then a nice pair of speakers, followed by nice sub and so on.

Marty913 · August 2008

sambani wrote: »

thanks for all the great info and help, ill go with a PSW12 sub and a pair of 200's for now and add another abit later. going to do alot of research about the receivers. i do have one more question if you dont mind. how do you like your Squeezebox Duet?

I think the Duet is a "mixed bag". The positives are that it does wireless streaming of music from a PC or Media Server. The sound quality is great and the controller is convenient once it starts working.

The negatives (for me anyway) are that controller is painfully slow to sync/re-sync and the network set-up can be "quirky". The multi-point connectivity design between the controller/receiver/network/PC could use a little work. My only other complaint is that the HTML-based Squeeze Center software is pretty clunky and certainly doesn't come close to being a music manager.

Compared to the competition I think it's priced fairly for a relatively new device (the Duet anyway). I won't consider it a family friendly device but once working, it does work well. If I had it to do over again I would probably wait for awhile. I think better stuff is coming and the eventual solution will be to build wireless stream reception into the HT receiver and integrate it with the GUI displayed on the monitor. Receivers are already appearing with Ethernet connectivity and several lower-end receivers from Pioneer and others already accept USB keys, music players, & hard drives.

Probably more than you wanted to know.

xandra · August 2008

If you're looking at Onks you should minimally get the 705* (or 805 if you can swing it) - the 705 is the cheapest available with pre-outs, (which will allow you to hook up to an Amp if you ever go to more power hungry speakers) The 805 would be preferable but be aware that it runs significantly hotter - so you'll need ample air space around. Nice part: both of these units are recently discontinued so they're up-to-date and going at great prices.

I AM a huge fan of Onk's (bang for buck & ease of use) but others are correct in saying that it's a good idea to look around. (brands noted above). I you possibly can, take some of your favorite CDs/DVDs down to a shop that carrys your speakers - take your time listening with a few diff receivers AND be sure to play with the interface/menus.

*I started with an Onk 505 - ended up upgrading within a couple months (tho my speakers required more power than yours...) You could get away with 505/6 or 605/6 for now, but you'll be seriously limiting an upgrade path.

Good Luck - I see a seriously reduced bank balance in your near future.

Marty913 · August 2008

Good advice from Xandra. The pre-out argument is a good one if only for future flexibility. The again, IF you are really just getting started, have a limited budget, and are primarily focused on 2-channel, I would guess you will upgrade in the next year or so. That's the real dilemma. IF you stay with the 200's and your 10 X 12 room the 1st upgrade will probably be adding surrounds. They next upgrade will probably be to the receiver so it's probably not worth worrying about it (depending on your timetable and funds). My thinking is that if you stay with the speakers and the small room, you will not be adding external amps. You probably need to give some thought to your upgrade path. Receivers are adding more and better features everyday and they are also getting less expensive. I would vote for investing in good speakers which you have done, and then good source components that will last for a while and can be enjoyed immediately. With the relatively simple 2.1 or 3.1 system system you are starting with, almost any receiver will be adequate. I wouldn't spend any more than required for your immediate needs. In a year or so, you'll have a better feel for where you intend to take your system. That would be the time to invest in a feature-packed receiver. All of this "in my opinion".

first HT help

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