I had to sell my old 5.1 setup. I miss surround sound to much and cant stand the sound I get out of the TV speakers. I am looking for a good HTiB. I am not huge into audio so I am kind of a newb. I am looking to spend not more than $700. I saw a Onyko 7300 system on Amazon that was on sale for $650. Not even sure if this is a good one or not. Any help or advice would be appreciated.
Help buying a Home Theather in a Box
- Thread starter DomLando
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If you must buy an HTIB system Onkyo is a great brand. The speakers will probably be mediocre, but they make great receivers. The main thing you're going to want to look at is does it have enough inputs for not only what you are connecting now, but will be connecting in the future. You want this to be as future proof as possible, within your budget, of course.
Another key is to stick with a company who only makes audio products, in other words, stay away from the 'we make everything under the sun' company. If you can afford a satellite speaker package and a standalone receiver you'll be far better off, but again it's probably a little more expensive than you may want to spend.
Here's one that I found at a nice price. The speakers are questionable, but the deal itself is probably not:
Onkyo 9100THX 7.1 HTIB I can't get a good enough look at the back of that receiver, but it only looks average at a glance.
For years when I read about how the Energy (Take 5) satellites were some of the best speakers at a great price, not sure how they are now, but they still get great customer reviews and at $400 are a bargain: Energy Take
And here's an Onkyo for $380, which would put you at just under $800 total and would probably make you an infinite amount happier. Onkyo 608 (currently out of stock)
That was just a quick search I did, hope it helps since no one else would. Edit: I worked audio at Circuit City back in the day, so I know a little about what I'm talking about, but I'm not entirely up to speed with what's new these days.
Another key is to stick with a company who only makes audio products, in other words, stay away from the 'we make everything under the sun' company. If you can afford a satellite speaker package and a standalone receiver you'll be far better off, but again it's probably a little more expensive than you may want to spend.
Here's one that I found at a nice price. The speakers are questionable, but the deal itself is probably not:
Onkyo 9100THX 7.1 HTIB I can't get a good enough look at the back of that receiver, but it only looks average at a glance.
For years when I read about how the Energy (Take 5) satellites were some of the best speakers at a great price, not sure how they are now, but they still get great customer reviews and at $400 are a bargain: Energy Take
And here's an Onkyo for $380, which would put you at just under $800 total and would probably make you an infinite amount happier. Onkyo 608 (currently out of stock)
That was just a quick search I did, hope it helps since no one else would. Edit: I worked audio at Circuit City back in the day, so I know a little about what I'm talking about, but I'm not entirely up to speed with what's new these days.
Make sure your living/whatever room can handle the actual wattage you are looking to purchase. Its pointless to go overkill for a massive wattage system when you will never have the need to even turn the speakers up that loud. For me my apartment is setup with a narrow living room, so the system you were looking at (I was as well) ended up getting passed up for a onkyo 3300 due to similar experience for hella cheaper.
[quote name='Redeema']If you must buy an HTIB system Onkyo is a great brand. The speakers will probably be mediocre, but they make great receivers. The main thing you're going to want to look at is does it have enough inputs for not only what you are connecting now, but will be connecting in the future. You want this to be as future proof as possible, within your budget, of course.
Another key is to stick with a company who only makes audio products, in other words, stay away from the 'we make everything under the sun' company. If you can afford a satellite speaker package and a standalone receiver you'll be far better off, but again it's probably a little more expensive than you may want to spend.
Here's one that I found at a nice price. The speakers are questionable, but the deal itself is probably not:
Onkyo 9100THX 7.1 HTIB I can't get a good enough look at the back of that receiver, but it only looks average at a glance.
For years when I read about how the Energy (Take 5) satellites were some of the best speakers at a great price, not sure how they are now, but they still get great customer reviews and at $400 are a bargain: Energy Take
And here's an Onkyo for $380, which would put you at just under $800 total and would probably make you an infinite amount happier. Onkyo 608 (currently out of stock)
That was just a quick search I did, hope it helps since no one else would. Edit: I worked audio at Circuit City back in the day, so I know a little about what I'm talking about, but I'm not entirely up to speed with what's new these days.[/QUOTE]
I am not an auidophile just looking for some decent surround sound for games and movies. I have read some things about HTiB being great and other people saying you can do better with stand alone. The thing for me is if a buy a decent enough HTiB will it be at least pretty good quality? I was looking at mainly Onkyo and you said their speakers are mediocre, how bad are they? I was looking at the 9300 since the receiver seems to be able to use all the new types of surround sound, so I am trying to be as future proof as possible without spending to much money. Any idea of how good of a system it is?
Another key is to stick with a company who only makes audio products, in other words, stay away from the 'we make everything under the sun' company. If you can afford a satellite speaker package and a standalone receiver you'll be far better off, but again it's probably a little more expensive than you may want to spend.
Here's one that I found at a nice price. The speakers are questionable, but the deal itself is probably not:
Onkyo 9100THX 7.1 HTIB I can't get a good enough look at the back of that receiver, but it only looks average at a glance.
For years when I read about how the Energy (Take 5) satellites were some of the best speakers at a great price, not sure how they are now, but they still get great customer reviews and at $400 are a bargain: Energy Take
And here's an Onkyo for $380, which would put you at just under $800 total and would probably make you an infinite amount happier. Onkyo 608 (currently out of stock)
That was just a quick search I did, hope it helps since no one else would. Edit: I worked audio at Circuit City back in the day, so I know a little about what I'm talking about, but I'm not entirely up to speed with what's new these days.[/QUOTE]
I am not an auidophile just looking for some decent surround sound for games and movies. I have read some things about HTiB being great and other people saying you can do better with stand alone. The thing for me is if a buy a decent enough HTiB will it be at least pretty good quality? I was looking at mainly Onkyo and you said their speakers are mediocre, how bad are they? I was looking at the 9300 since the receiver seems to be able to use all the new types of surround sound, so I am trying to be as future proof as possible without spending to much money. Any idea of how good of a system it is?
[quote name='Steggy']Make sure your living/whatever room can handle the actual wattage you are looking to purchase. Its pointless to go overkill for a massive wattage system when you will never have the need to even turn the speakers up that loud. For me my apartment is setup with a narrow living room, so the system you were looking at (I was as well) ended up getting passed up for a onkyo 3300 due to similar experience for hella cheaper.[/QUOTE]
Whats your opinion on the 3300? Are you happy with the sound you are getting? Any info would be appreciated.
Whats your opinion on the 3300? Are you happy with the sound you are getting? Any info would be appreciated.
The speakers will be fine, but this stuff is all subjective and relative. If you heard an audiophile grade system and then went home to your home theater in a box you'd be greatly disappointed, but if you (essentially) don't know what makes one better than the other you'll be plenty happy. I've not seen the Onkyo speakers, my guess is that they're probably paper cones and ugly black boxy speakers (again, relative), but will be good enough for what you're looking for.
Here's a semi-decent comparison, remember when you first saw HD in action at the store and went home to a crappy analog signal? Hd is the Onkyo/Energy combo above. By the way there's a Polk Audio Sub/sat package at a cheaper price that would still be better than the Onkyo stuff. I'm trying to steer you clear of HTIB, but not trying to sell you up if you don't want to.
As for the wattage thing, that's not necessarily true. You can always turn it down. Wattage is not the same from manufacturer to manufacturer, it's sometimes rated as continuous (like the Onkyo, Denon, Yamaha, HK stuff) and other times it's rated as peak (Sony and most other jack of all trades, master of none brands) and is therefore misleading.
In any case, I was trying to help, the bottom line is compared to the TV speakers you'll be happy with anything. Clearly the more you spend, in general, the better the stuff will be (unless we're talking Bose) and the better the sound. The receiver in the Onkyo 9100 HTIB and the 608 may be the same, but with the most marginal difference (sometimes its something as little as the remote). I didn't do all the research, I just thought I'd chime in.
Here's a semi-decent comparison, remember when you first saw HD in action at the store and went home to a crappy analog signal? Hd is the Onkyo/Energy combo above. By the way there's a Polk Audio Sub/sat package at a cheaper price that would still be better than the Onkyo stuff. I'm trying to steer you clear of HTIB, but not trying to sell you up if you don't want to.
As for the wattage thing, that's not necessarily true. You can always turn it down. Wattage is not the same from manufacturer to manufacturer, it's sometimes rated as continuous (like the Onkyo, Denon, Yamaha, HK stuff) and other times it's rated as peak (Sony and most other jack of all trades, master of none brands) and is therefore misleading.
In any case, I was trying to help, the bottom line is compared to the TV speakers you'll be happy with anything. Clearly the more you spend, in general, the better the stuff will be (unless we're talking Bose) and the better the sound. The receiver in the Onkyo 9100 HTIB and the 608 may be the same, but with the most marginal difference (sometimes its something as little as the remote). I didn't do all the research, I just thought I'd chime in.
I was about to go down this same route... until I peaked into the AVS forums... those guys really know their stuff. pretty much any HTIB setup is crap. (usually you get a low end receiver, some crappy speakers and an undersized, underpowered subwoofer)
for around the same price (maybe slightly more) your best bet is buying a refurbished receiver (I really like Denon.. simply because receivers are all they do)
and get something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Classic-Theater-System-Black/dp/B001202C44
energy speakers are pretty good for the price. and at 400 bucks, you still have money left over for a good receiver (like this one
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_033AV1611/Denon-AVR-1611.html?search=denon+receiver
hope this helps!
for around the same price (maybe slightly more) your best bet is buying a refurbished receiver (I really like Denon.. simply because receivers are all they do)
and get something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Classic-Theater-System-Black/dp/B001202C44
energy speakers are pretty good for the price. and at 400 bucks, you still have money left over for a good receiver (like this one
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_033AV1611/Denon-AVR-1611.html?search=denon+receiver
hope this helps!
I bought an Onkyo set maybe four or five years ago and have been mostly happy with it. For some reason it clips and shuts itself off quite a bit while watching BR movies but it's perfectly fine with everything else. It's certainly not anything above average quality, but it does the trick and leaves me with more money to spend on high end guitar gear which is more useful anyways.
BadAssSamurai
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I have an Onkyo HT-S6200 7.1 channel HTiB and I'm very pleased with it. Great quality for the price. I only paid around $400 for it. It's currently unavailable on Amazon, but you might be able to find it somewhere else. Here's the link so you can check it out: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002C73WS6/ref=oss_product
brutushayesosu
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This is the setup Ive pieced together over the last few months. Started off getting:
Bestbuy prices. Amazon is probably cheaper.....
Pioneer 550w receiver VSX-820-K $299.99
Insignia- 5.1-Channel Home Theater Speaker System 159.99
total $459.98 (not including tax)
Later added
Pioneer floorstanding speakers SP-FS51-LR $199.99 (for the pair)
Pioneer center speaker SP-C21 79.99
-------------------------------------grand total $739.96 (not including tax)
So I have the 2 floor spearkers for my fronts, 2 Insignia speakers above them on a bookshelf, the center below tv, and 2 Insignia as Back Left and Right.
7 speakers in all with all but not in a 7.1 setup. The two front Insignia's provide same audio as floorstanding. I think I need an amplifier or something for that.
I'll eventually get bookshelf speakers to replace the Insignia's but for now I am really happy with them all. I just never owned a HTIB that didnt crap out on me after a few years.
Bestbuy prices. Amazon is probably cheaper.....
Pioneer 550w receiver VSX-820-K $299.99
Insignia- 5.1-Channel Home Theater Speaker System 159.99
total $459.98 (not including tax)
Later added
Pioneer floorstanding speakers SP-FS51-LR $199.99 (for the pair)
Pioneer center speaker SP-C21 79.99
-------------------------------------grand total $739.96 (not including tax)
So I have the 2 floor spearkers for my fronts, 2 Insignia speakers above them on a bookshelf, the center below tv, and 2 Insignia as Back Left and Right.
7 speakers in all with all but not in a 7.1 setup. The two front Insignia's provide same audio as floorstanding. I think I need an amplifier or something for that.
I'll eventually get bookshelf speakers to replace the Insignia's but for now I am really happy with them all. I just never owned a HTIB that didnt crap out on me after a few years.
thenockmlb
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[quote name='BadAssSamurai']I have an Onkyo HT-S6200 7.1 channel HTiB and I'm very pleased with it. Great quality for the price. I only paid around $400 for it. It's currently unavailable on Amazon, but you might be able to find it somewhere else. Here's the link so you can check it out: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002C73WS6/ref=oss_product[/QUOTE]
I've had this for a year and it has not disappointed. Amazon has the S6300 (which upconverts all signals to 1080P) for $499.99.
I've had this for a year and it has not disappointed. Amazon has the S6300 (which upconverts all signals to 1080P) for $499.99.
shrike4242
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Onkyo HTIBs are one of the few HTIBs that aren't complete crap, because they're a real receiver and some decent starting point speakers, though I'd always have to argue about getting a better receiver than what comes in the HTIB. For an in-the-box package, they do well at the price, though you can always do better with putting things in one piece at a time.
A good starting point would be the TX-SR608 Onkyo receiver, which is a good solid mid-range receiver with plenty of HDMI inputs. The Energy Take Classic 5.1 set is a good starting point set for an entry 5.1 set of speakers. I have a 7.1 setup with 6 C-50 Energy speakers, a C-C50 center channel Energy Speaker and a ESW-V8 subwoofer and it works well in a 26 x 20 room.
A good starting point would be the TX-SR608 Onkyo receiver, which is a good solid mid-range receiver with plenty of HDMI inputs. The Energy Take Classic 5.1 set is a good starting point set for an entry 5.1 set of speakers. I have a 7.1 setup with 6 C-50 Energy speakers, a C-C50 center channel Energy Speaker and a ESW-V8 subwoofer and it works well in a 26 x 20 room.
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Denon AVR-1610 -
http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR1610-5-1-Channel-Receiver-Connectivity/dp/B002AKKF3U
Definitive Technology Pro Cinema 60.6 -
http://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Te...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1292131439&sr=1-1
Meets yours $700 budget and much better than most of the other options given. Shrike seems to know his shit too.
http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR1610-5-1-Channel-Receiver-Connectivity/dp/B002AKKF3U
Definitive Technology Pro Cinema 60.6 -
http://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Te...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1292131439&sr=1-1
Meets yours $700 budget and much better than most of the other options given. Shrike seems to know his shit too.
JokerCard
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http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-YSP-2200-Digital-Sound-Projector/dp/B004E10JZW
Planning on getting this new Yamaha soundbar in the the near future!
Planning on getting this new Yamaha soundbar in the the near future!
shrike4242
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[quote name='ferant316']Denon AVR-1610 -
http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR1610-5-1-Channel-Receiver-Connectivity/dp/B002AKKF3U
Definitive Technology Pro Cinema 60.6 -
http://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Te...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1292131439&sr=1-1
Meets yours $700 budget and much better than most of the other options given. Shrike seems to know his shit too.[/QUOTE]Another good option to start with for a decent receiver and some apparently decent speakers. I can't say I'm familiar with the Definitive Technology brand, though the price is right for a 5.1 setup that's an out-of-the-box option.
I'd check on a forum like AVSforum.com and see how those speakers rate. I know that the Denon receiver is a good starting point and seems to be pretty good from what I've read of it.
http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR1610-5-1-Channel-Receiver-Connectivity/dp/B002AKKF3U
Definitive Technology Pro Cinema 60.6 -
http://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Te...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1292131439&sr=1-1
Meets yours $700 budget and much better than most of the other options given. Shrike seems to know his shit too.[/QUOTE]Another good option to start with for a decent receiver and some apparently decent speakers. I can't say I'm familiar with the Definitive Technology brand, though the price is right for a 5.1 setup that's an out-of-the-box option.
I'd check on a forum like AVSforum.com and see how those speakers rate. I know that the Denon receiver is a good starting point and seems to be pretty good from what I've read of it.
bread's done