Anyone know of a good affordable surround theatre that sounds as good as bose?

Question

i know bose is great but who can afford it?i have been using an old 300w optimus about 15yrs old and it just doesnt do it anymore.im not up to date on this stuff.and just dont want to spend much on it.sony has a 1000w surround i saw at walmart for about $189.00 that sounds to good to be true.im just wanting to feel the movie when i watch it.what i will be connecting to it HD directTV satellite and 65inch TV. thanks for any expert advice.

Answer 1

Ummmm idk what to tell you. the yamaha systems are great. BUT im puzzled to think that you actually believe that a cheap system like boze wold even stand up to a Yamaha or leading brand.

Answer 2

Bose is not as good as people think, they are mid-level ! at best! TRY B&W, Definitive technology, Infinity high end, and many others! Here is a bargain high-end company from canada PARADIGM, They all sell in US, and just add .com for sites the 1000w at walmart is frequency limited BIG TIME! save and check out some real sound BTW difinitive has sat sub combos cheap and they crank realistic sound! at entry prices that bose top of line coudn't touch!!!

Answer 3

Look at some of the Onkyo, or Yamaha systems. You can get a decent system from either brand from $350-$500. Don't buy a Sony system because Sony isn't very good with home theater systems. I have a Yamaha HTiB and I've had it for probably 5-6 years and it's still pretty good. I think it cost around $350.

Answer 4

Well I think if you want good sound and can afford to spend a bit you should go with something like the rest are recommending.  I Have a set of Bose am5 speakers and I to thought that Bose was one of the best out there.  This was 1994 and I was 17.  I spent the money and bought Bose and was happy for many years.  Now I know more and Bose really arent that good.  It's all advertising hype to get you buy into the idea that bose are high end.  I'm in the process of buying a new set up and I'm going high end this time.  

After listening to many setups in the last week I'm going with Marantz 7002 Receiver, Paradigm studio 60 towers, Paradigm cc590 centre channel, Titan Rears, Paradigm PW2100 powered sub( the best buy far ), Panasonic 50" plasma 1080P.  this set up is roughly $7200-$7500.  I didnt want to spend that much since I wanted to get something good yet cheaper.  But I thought I would see what a high end system sounded like and I can't go with anything less now.  

My point is that you need to make up your mind on what you can afford and get the best for your money.  If you can afford to spend what I'm spending then you can get into a system that will sound 50 times better than bose or anything at best buy, visions, or future shop.  It is night and day.  One good example is I have a guy at visions that use to work with me.  I wanted to see what sort of deal he would give me on a system.  He played some Polk's for me and they sounded good.  He priced the system out at around the 4500 mark with a tv.  Then I told him I'm looking at Paradigms right after that.  He told me he used to work another place and sold Paradigm speakers.  His next comment floored me. He tells me that he will not let me buy from visions and to buy Paradigm since they will destroy almost anything else.  He gave up a big sale to direct me to high end at another store.  After giving the paradigms a listen he was more than right.  \

I will be spending the $7000+ with a huge smile on my face.  I cant wait.

Answer 5

Be careful of the wattage rating........what you need is the wattage rating in true RMS watts per channel. 1000watts pmpo is probably only 12 watts per channel. Bose is rubbish for surround sound and is only good for professional installations (my opinion). Look for a reasonable make with single channel ratings of around 80 watts rms, you should find these in most outlets for about $300. As for speakers, buy the best you can afford.

Answer 6

Don't worry about not being able to afford Bose ... it's mediocre quality at best and high price. Many, many systems give better sound for a lot less money.

You probably can consider a Home Theatrer in a Box (HTIB) system. See the listings at the 1st link.

Alternatively, for a bit more money you could look at a A/V receiver for $300-$400 and a surround sound speaker system. There are some good ones for $500 or more. See the 2nd link.

Answer 7

Bose sounds good?  OK, maybe but for 3000?  I doubt it.  For 2000 you can get something that would blow Bose away and your neighbors for that matter.  Yamaha RX-VXXX reciever, Blu-ray dvd player and some Klipsch speakers...that will do the trick and then some!

Answer 8

Forget BOSE buy Klipsch speakers and a good receiver.  Onkyo, Yamaha, Pioneer.  Klipsch blows Bose away.  Bose is all marketing and 0 quality build and sound.