I need a starting point on a Home Theatre setup. See details.?

Question

Have: LG 42” 1080p

Will have: Linux based MythTV system w/ optical drive & required audio & video h/w (but suggestions on the h/w setup would not be unwelcome but not the point of this Q)

Need: AV stuff, including speakers

What I'm looking for are some suggestions on the speakers & other AV stuff. Some starting point. Quite willing, and expect to have, to do the “leg work” but what are some of the pitfalls? What are the Do's and Don'ts? Eg, (1) packages vs individual components? (2) Is there a minimum spend below which all is s**t? (3) Maximum spent above which all is a ****? (4) Known lemons? (5) Other traps for the unwary / beginner? (6) Last weekend saw some Bose stuff. Good but, OMG, the $'s. What about B&O? Others?

Thx in advance.

Answer 1

Avoid Bose -- you can do better for less $. B&O is high on style but not the best performance (Better than Bose).  Consider Klipsch, KEF, Infinity, Polk, etc.

Plan to spend about 40-50% of budget on speakers, 25-30% on receiver and the rest on cables, DVD player, surge protector.

Used amp/receiver/speakers can all be a good deal -- you can get good name brand speakers particularly for a fraction of the price of new.

Avoid all-in-one units if you can. While price point is good, you give up flexibility (e.g. what do you do when the DVD dies? What inputs to connect other equipement do you get?) and usually get mediocre quality and performance.

Don't expect to get reasonable surround speakers and a receiver for much under $750. But you won't need to go over about $3000. for a good setup.

Read reviews ... lots of reviews. Focus on good performance for the $. Then go and listen. Spekares are what YOU like, but you need to hear them. Receivers are relatively easy and can be bought on the basis of name barnd, features and review opinion.

Above all consider the process fun ... and don't be afraid to mix and match components ... connectivity is pretty standard.

I hope that helps a bit.

Answer 2

1- Packages are great if you dont care about the quality of the sound and video and you want an easy solution. Its also cheaper. If you want something better or get the most for your money then individual components is the way to go.

2- Ofcourse, but that minimum will be different for everyone. Just like everything that you buy. In my opinion anything less than $1,000 on a reciever and $1,500 pair of speakers is S**t. Even then its c**p compared to whats good. Like a $15,000 car is a good entry level car but its c**p compared to a 7 series BMW.

3- Sorry but there is no maximum. $50,000 Linn speakers sound amazing, speacilly with the $11,000 Cd player (yes, CD player). The more you can spend the better.

4- No, just make sure you dont buy something that is fake. Just because a brand has a site doesnt make it real either. Check with your local AV shops.

5- Yes, use your common sense. Wires are really important in a home theater setup but it doesnt matter how good your wires is if your equipment sucks the wire wont make it better. You need to get accesories and equipment that is all the same in quality/price. +$300 wires is not going to make your home theater in a box sound or look better. Also, Bose is not as good as their reputation. Bose uses people lack of knowledge and experience against them. They are very well marketed but they are not very good. Spend your money on something else.

6- Like I said, Bose is not good. If by B&O you are talking about bang-olufsen then yes, they are ok much better than Bose but I am pretty sure they are more expensive than Bose. In order for me to recommend a brand you need to tell me what is your price range. I know your now a high end guy so I can recommend you some products that are excellent, not pricey and better than whats at your local best buy and circuit city. For reciever I recommend Integra and for speakers Paradigm. Paradigm has a full range of speakers from very inexpensive to very expensive. Their quality is great. Integra is Onkyo's higher end brand. I have never seen an Integra lemon or break down. They are compirable to the elito, denon and all those "higher end" oriental brands. Out of all of them I think integra is the best.