22 replies to this topic

[Constantine]

So right when I'm ready to pony up and get a sound system for my television, I see these advertisements for the "blue" laser type DVD's. I'll be damned if I spend some cash and 1 year later my new DVD system is obsolete and "not cool" anymore. Was looking at the Bose Lifestyle series entertainment systems, but, if you guys know of another type of system out there, let me know. Does the reciever make that much of a difference if there is enough juice to run the speakers? If it really does not matter, then I'll probably get the Bose speaker set and a different reciever.

The only reason I wanted the Bose system was because the reciever will run several different rooms with wireless modules.

So, watcha think?

C

[DarkShadow]

I was actually looking into the same kinda sh*t, but mainly for the 360 i got, dunno Hopefully somebody with extensive sound knowledge can help us foolz out.

[Sniprwulf]

Hmm well I did a bunch of research a while back when I was looking for a home stereo to buy. I've come to the conclusion as with many other things that you really get what you pay for. Bose is obviously one of the more expensive brands but the quality is extremely good. Not saying that other brands arent good just Bose really owns. If you're willing to pay the premium then go for it.

The receiver does make a difference in the quality just as much as the speakers do. I have a JVC 5.1 dolby digital w/ a 500watt receiver and seperate dvd player that came with it. Paid under 200 bucks for it black friday 2 years ago and I love the quality of it. I read reviews on it b4 I got it so I knew I was getting a decent set up. I suggest doing the same thing for any of the compenents you plan on getting. I hope this helps a little.

[medel]

In short, there is much more to a receiver/amp than wattage. That said, most good amps also are high wattage, but a lot of incredibly crappy amps boost wattage to attract people. The average consumer these days just wants insane bass and nothing else. My advice is that if you want to buy a whole system as 1 unit, go to stores and listen to them. Bring your own audio if you feel better that way (it's hard to compare systems with things you haven't heard before). I'm running old (96) Sony reciever through some jensen speakers and <3 them much. It's always fun when people bring music over and hear parts they couldn't on their own sets.

[Lost]

Don't worry about the blue laser discs right now. Just get an up-converting dvd player and worry about it later. DVD players are cheap nowadays. If you have an HD television, then you will most likely want a HD-DVD player, but the upconverting ones are good for older DVD's.

Other than that, if you're on a budget one of those home theatre in a box dealies are kind of nice. They don't generally have very many hookups for external things. Maybe one or two.. I don't know since I don't have one. I went for the amp with full range speakers because I find the satellite/subwoofer setups are lacking in the mid-range (personal opinion). Thats not to say there isn't some nice satellite/subwoofer setups out there. Go to a higher end stereo store and check out some stuff. Pretty much any decent amp you buy these days will have more hookups than you will need, but its nice to know they are there.

As Snipr said, you get what you pay for. Beware of the cheapie speakers that boast a jigawatt of power. Its all about current, not wattage. Current moves the speaker cones. Really though, any $300+ amp is probably going to suit your needs just fine if you go that route.

[ShLoNkY]

If you just want to set it up and forget about it, go with a bose. They are made to be very forgiving as far as room size and whatnot goes.

Theres a lot of better sh*t out there, but you really have to know what you are doing in order to not pay too much and to make it sound good.

[Cleric]

This is what I have at home: JBL speakers and a Yamaha reciever. The reciever isn't the best but I didn't pay for any of it so I won't complain especially since the speakers are super nice.

JBL and Bose make good speakers but I would definetly stick with a Yamaha reciever. Yamaha isn't bad either with speakers.

[*CHILIDOG*]

You get what you pay for is right. Yamaha usually makes good receivers. Be prepared to pay at least 300 for one though. And dont go for a cheapie all in one deal either. They are never as good as buying the components.

[J.Pizzack]

Just my 2 cents. In regards to Audio, which used to be my expertise Make sure if you are going the route of seperate components, be sure to you a receiver with a high current amplifier. Such as Onkyo, or previously recommended, Yamaha. They give a consistent power to each channel(speaker) instead of the power adjusting with raising the volume. Similar to RMS power if your familiar with the term. To explain: A Sony reciever will list 100 watts per channel, but at an average listening level you may only actually be getting 40-50 watts to each speaker. With an Onkyo or Yamaha, will list 100x5 and you will consistently get 100 watts to each speaker. This basically makes your speakers perform to their max potential, and produces much better sound depending on the quality of your speakers.

The Bose lifestyle system you mentioned sounds great for what it is, but it'll cost you a pretty penny. Goind the route of seperate components with some sort of speaker package is still the best way to go imo. Just be prepared for a sea of wiring that you will need.

The preceding were Opinions of mine, and therefore should be regarded as the absolute truth

[Lost Hatter]

screw all that bose sh*t go here


http://www.kenwoodus...o...=91&pr=2059


Kenwood home products are the best sh*t..

if you dont want to buy separate components get this

http://www.kenwoodus...o...=69&pr=2125

you'll love it

[DarkShadow]

lol thats such bullsh*t Lost.

[Lost Hatter]

whatever... if you dont like you dont have to buy it. just beacuse it dosent cost $2000 it dosent mean its sh*t

i got a Kenwood reciever that whould blow the doors off alot of car systems.

Edited by Lost Hatter, 06 December 2006 - 05:09 PM.

[DarkShadow]

Lol your f*ckin full of it, kenwood is f*ckin garbage.



every1 is entitled to an opinion

Edited by Lost Hatter, 06 December 2006 - 05:10 PM.

[*CHILIDOG*]

Kenwood still makes decent stuff sometimes, but ive noticed a significant decrease in quality the last coupla years.

[DarkShadow]

well knowing Constantine specifically, he does not want some cheap sh*t....

[J.Pizzack]

nah its true. Kenwood is pretty much crap now. 7-8 years ago it was pretty kickass tho.

[ShLoNkY]

I have something similar to THIS



Run you about $2000 for the speakers plus about $700+ for a good reciever and then about $300 for miscelaneous cables, wiring and whatnot.

If you dont want to get into it, get the Bose and call it a day. The sh*t above will OWN the Bose though.

Oh yeah I have this too:



You can get em on ebay for about $500 (was over $1300 when new)

Has 7 seperate amps and will run a multi room system. Most of the good recievers have on scree programming which is really nice.

[Constantine]

Yeah, I had/have an old pioneer reciever and great JBL towers and the lot. Problem is, once you are married you will know this, they do not fit with the decor of the house. I agree about the components. Since my wife likes the look of the Bose speakers, I will probably stick with them. I'm not looking to blow the roof.

That being said, I hate spending 20 minutes fixing the theater system cause my wife messes with all the buttons and still cannot figure out how to use a cable box/remote. I guess I'll have to beat the pavement and look around at a stereo shop. Thanks for the ideas and I will definately look into the Yamaha receivers. If you know of a specific model, let me know.

Thanks

C

[ShLoNkY]

Get the Bose that has the amplifier built in. I know its kinda cheasy, but the Bose speakers are designed to work with their own amps. Using something else and you kinda defeat the whole beauty of the Bose system.

No matter what kinda sh*t you put inside those little cubes, it CANONT compare to a speaker with larger driver(s) and a good amp.

Bose sounds good because the speakers and signal processing are engineered to work together.

Honestly if I was worried about being discreet and not f*cking up my decor id go with the:



I demo'd one and was VERY impressed. That little system makes BIG sound and wont f*ck up your decor. Only thing I dont like about them is that It has a built in DVD player. Optical drives wear out eventually.

[*CHILIDOG*]

If you want to spend a sh*t ton of money on something like what shlonky has, I'd look into Klipsh (sp?)