Home Theatre vs Sound system?

Question

I'm looking for a good system mainly to play music and was wondering if I should try to piece together a sound system or just get a home theatre system since they are cheaper. My budget is $300. Would a home theatre system work as a good enough sound system to play loud music? If so, which home theatre system should I get? I've looked at a bunch of brands online, but I'm not sure what brands are a good, safe buy. Any advice would be great

Answer 1

just call mr....bose.....

Answer 2

Wow...that's NOT a lot of money to work with....

You can buy a pretty decent DENON for the $300 and maybe wait to get the speakers this Christmas.....

That's what I would do....

But you're not me, so I suspect you should just buy any Brand name Home Theatre in a box unit....Sony, Panasonic make good ones that sound nice.....

They have impressed me...

Answer 3

If what you mean by "sound system" is a system capable of playing "loud music" for an audience in a large room (like a DJ) please do not even think about using a home surround sound or any type of receiver and speakers.  Go to a musical instrument store that sells professional sound equipment and put together a basic DJ type system.  You will be disappointed with the results if you try to use home stereo equipment for a large audience (over 30 people).

Answer 4

You say you want mainly a music system. Will it be used only for music? If so I'd recommend an old fashioned stereo system. A stereo receiver, 2 speakers, and a small sub woofer. This is called 2.1 sound. Note that all receivers can do 2.1 also known as stereo. If you plan on using it for more than just music (i.e. gaming or home theater) you need a 5.1 system at a minimum. 5 speakers and a small sub woofer. $300 is a very low budget and you will not get something that sounds really good or really loud no matter what you get. A HTIB (home theater in a box) system would give you 5 cheap speakers, a small sub woofer, and usually an all in one unit that contains a DVD player and a power amp with some minimal switching capabilities.

A separate component 5.1 system would have an AV receiver, 5 speakers, and a sub woofer. There are also 7.1 systems but both of those are out of your price range.

I have an entry level system that I pieced together over a period of time. I had two cheap speakers (stereo) so I got an AV (audio-visual) receiver that cost me about $250. Some time later I got fantastically lucky and found a 5 speaker set on clearance that retailed for $600 on sale for $200. I got a sub woofer at the same time which cost me $350 with my tax refund. Along the way I got a cheap ($40) DVD player. A bit later I got a small hi-def TV set for $400. Then just a few months ago I got an HD-DVD player mainly for upscaling DVDs for $80. All told I spent about $820 for a decent entry level system. However my system is worth about $2100. I got lucky and shopped very well. You can see. why it took me awhile to build it up.

If you shop carefully you might be able to get a low end 5.1 AV receiver, 2 speakers, and a small sub for $300-$500. That would give you a start. Your other choice is a HTIB system which would cost $200-$1000. HTIBs are not nearly as versatile as separates but are cheaper. Separate components can cost anywhere from several hundred dollars on up.

Listen to everything you can both in your price range and a bit above it (for comparison) and let your ears be your guide.