Surround Sound System with Receiver for Flat Screen TV?

Question

Wondering if someone can suggest a reasonably priced surround system for a new flat screen.

...or would just two speakers work?

I was excited about buying a flat screen but then realized that the receiver and other speakers will cost about as much as the TV...

How do people have these d**n things -- ! ;)

Answer 1

Wal-mart sells a new Samsung Home theater in a Box.. Up converting DVD with HDMI out for fairly inexpensively.

The sound is nice and clear for what you pay and it has a built in 5 DVD changer and outputs to 1080p through HDMI so its a decent all in one solution.  Other retailers and Amazon.com probably also sell the same thing

Answer 2

Energy classic take 5 speakers ($600 for the 5.1 set) have been getting excellent reviews. Pair them with an Onkyo avr (linked from circuit city below) and you'll have the start of a nice system for under $900.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Onkyo-TX-...

Whatever you do, don't go for a home theater in a box. Wait and save your $ and start a component system. All the htibs will end up disappointing in the long run. One part breaks and you might as well toss it out. Plus, even the better brands won't sound nearly as good as a component system. They're ok for a bedroom or small apartment but otherwise don't bother.

Answer 3

The amplifier cost will be driven by the technology that you decided or afford to use...

If you will use conventional DVD and you are looking for a good sound on it.

Then go for a good Sony amplifier system 5.1 with DTS and THX reproduction, able and compatible to optical connection, make sure your current DVD and cable receiver are both compatible to optical connection (looks like RCA but orange)...

You can get one of this theater systems very affordable at Best buy and Circuit city (with real good quality and output wattage)

If you are into Blue ray technology, you will then need to make sure many different stuff, the TV must receive the HDMI and be full HD 1080p ready.

The receiver and/or amplifier will need to receive HDMI as well and those are a little more newer and as a consequence a little more expensive as well, the quality of sound and image is much higher but the cost is as well.

For both cases it is hardly recommended to get a non-passive sub woofer and a 5 speaker system, to get the real movie theater sense at home...

You can find Sony and keenwood available for both of this cases and as well at Best buy and Circuit city.

Answer 4

Hi. I am buying a whole new package in two weeks and found out that this HDMI 1.3a and blu-ray 1080p with THX surround sound is forcing people to go out and spend 6K on a whole new movie system. The stereo receiver had to offer the THX if you wanted to get the latest surround effects from your coded movies in the blu-ray format. Now, some movies don't use this THX so you can get by with just a simple 3 speaker set up on an old amplifier. Using a optic cable will still give you great sound and picture, but the new wave is getting everything hooked up via HDMI 1.3a now. This offers the best picture and sound qualities as the video and sound signals are not compressed like other avenues of hooking up your surround system.

We bought a Panasonic 50 inch PZ800, the new BD-50 blu-ray player, and a VSX 91 Pioneer amplifier along with 3 HDMI 1.3a cables to take advantage of getting the top pic and sound.

Buying a flat panel they say without the great sound is missing out on the true theatre experience. But , for people on a budget, you can still enjoy great sound and picture using component and optical cables for your hook ups, but I recommend buying THX amp and HDMI cables for superb movies experiences!

Answer 5

Regardless of your video source ( flat screen, wide screen or theater projection unit ), the surround system 5.1 through 7.1 is designed to take your audio source and split the signals in various levels of reproduced recordings into high mid and bass tone ranges.

5.1 = a 5 speaker system with a subwoofer.

6.1 = 6 speakers w/ woofer. etc.

in a typical 5.1 system, you have a center channel, two front speakers ( left & right ) and two surround speakers in the rear of your room.

A typical surround system will split the audio signals and send each signal to the appropriate speaker which provides a more realistic sound direction. No TV regardless of screen type can duplicate directionally correct sounds.

A Surround tuner price in a name brand can be purchased for about $300 w/ speakers. Most basic units are about 600 watts splitting the wattage to each speaker. More sound by volume and quality you'll most likely need for a typical room.

Good luck.

Answer 6

You really don't need anything different for a flat screen TV compare to a non-flat screen TV.

If you want surround sound, all you really need is something that can decode dolby digital, has a decent number of audio inputs, and at least supports 5.1 surround sound.  6.1 and 7.1 are available, but honestly, they're not being used by anything but blu-ray right now and even when you do get a blu-ray with real 7.1 surround support, I'm not even sure if it'll make that much of a difference when compared to 5.1 - especially if you're talking about a smaller room.  I found a good price on a 7.1 receiver, but I only have 5 speakers connected to it right now.  I don't know if I'll ever upgrade to 7.1 but at least I have the option.

I agree whole heartedly that Home Theater In a Box (HTIB) kits are NOT the way to go here.  The main problem with them is they often contain cheap speakers, and don't include a real receiver, making it impossible to connect up additional devices to your speakers.

You should definitely go with a separate receiver, and then buy your speakers.

I'm OK with buying a set of speakers and subwoofer, just be sure to try them out in the store.

How much you'll need to spend will largely depend on the size of your room and the features you'll want.  You can get a 5.1 receiver for as little as $120, and a set of speakers for another $100, or you can go high end, and spend $10-20k on just a pair of front speakers.  My advice, come up with a budget, and shop around.