Want to buy amplifier system for home theater .?

Question

I am confused . I want to buy Amplifier . My question is there are lots of brands now in market . which one is best . what makes it best ( output / channel/qualityof sound/anything ).

What should i prefer 5.1 / 6.2 etc . Say if i buy amplifier for Yamaha , can i use speakers & buffer for any other brand . Does speaker & buffer matters and how much it costs . will low cost speaker give same quality .

Sorry for many question together .

Answer 1

Mike from Best Buy, you really need to stop saying your a HT expert, because so far your answers have been dead wrong 100% of the time.

How anybody can say that Panasonic makes a great reciever shows me you lack any knowledge in what the audio world has to offer.

Yes Yamaha makes a nice reciever, but so does Denon, Onkyo, Harmon/Kardon and some Pioneers.  I would rank Panasonic as a brand found in the trash or a pawn shop because somebody sold it to buy a better reciever.

Also your advice on 6.1 sound is so off the mark right now.  Ever since Bluray came on the scene (two years ago BTW) there have been discs encoded with 7.1 discrete channels of sound  (right now there are about 50 Bluray movies with 7.1 discrete sound and not matrixed.  Also on regular DVD there is something called DTS-ES on some movies which is a discrete six channel audio not matrixed.

I sure hope your not telling your customers this wealth of misinformation because you are doing your customers a severe disservice.  You said in another thread that people with tower speakers also don't need subwoofers either, my mouth dropped on that tidbit of info you gave out as an "HT Expert"

It appears to me that any advice you give customers is going to lead to sub standard audio performance and that you seriously need to brush up on proper information if you are selling gear.

I have installed over 150 HT system (some costing a few hundred thousand) and I am appalled at the "expert" advice you are giving.

Panasonic shees, I bet you also recommend Bose and Monster brand cables as being best also.

To the OP, please don't listen to Mike.  If cost is a factor please look at Onkyo brand of recievers not only can they decode the new audio formats from Bluray, but they are HDMI ver 1.3 compliant and they start at 350.00 and are also truthful in their power amp specs, unlike many other companies.  As far as truth in power specs I would rate Onkyo and Harmon/Kardon as the best, all others vary greatly in what they claim.  But Onkyo makes a powerhouse reciever for a good price.  The new 606 is a great reciever for the money and has 4 HDMI and plenty of power on it's onboard amp.

Speakers are sujective on the listener, what I may like you may hate, so go out and listen to as many speakers as you can.  i would suggest going to specialty audio stores because at bestBuy and Circuit city, those stores are way too loud to judge a speaker properly and hear every nuance that a speaker has because the high traffic noise is just too much.  Avoid Bose at all costs (it's high price c**p). Also bring CD's and a few DVD's that you know well, so you can hear what you like and dislike about a certain speaker and if the store employee refuses to demo the CD you want, walk away.

For subs you want clean deep bass and you can only get that from internet sites like SVS and Hsu but expect to spend 450.00 and up but it is worth every penny and you won't deal with distortion with 95% of store bought subs.

Stores like BB and CC sell cables at extreme mark-up,  don't buy the marketing B.S.  a HDMI will cost you 50.00-150.00 at Best Buy, wal-Mart sells the same quality HDMI cable for 20.00 and internet companies sell em for 4.00 for a six foot cable that matches Monster brand.  Sites like Monoprice, Partsexpress and Bluejeancables sell high end cables for less than 4.00.

Answer 2

Hi, I'm a Home Theater Specialist at Best Buy in Austin. Yamaha specializes in audio equipment and musical instruments, and theyve been around for a very long time. But if you want truly high fidelity speakers, you need to get Klipsch speakers, which are the most phenomenal speakers I've ever heard. Klipsch speakers use a totally different design than any others out there, and they're always used in the Olympics and major sports arenas.

As for a receiver, Yamaha and panasonic make the best receivers. I recommend buying one with speaker calibration, and zones - zones let you choose which speakers are playing which input, so you can be watching a blu-ray with 5.1 surround sound, and somebody else could be listening to music on a 2.1 system in a completely different room, at the same time (only if you have a 7.1 reciever.)

The differences between 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1 are obviously how speakers the receiver can handle. 5.1 means it can take 5 speakers plus a subwoofer and so on. However, if you want to get a 7.1 surround, keep in mind that a 7.1 is actually a 6.1 system, where the back center channel of the 6.1 is split into two rear back channels, creating a 7.1 "effect." While most movies are captured with true 6.1, technology has not let us film movies or record music in true 7.1.

If you want the best sound you can possibly get, I'd buy all your speakers seperate (not altogether in a box). This gives you the best sound possible on the market, however doing this can set you back anywhere from $700 to $2000.

If you want a cheaper solution, buy a Home Theater in a Box, which run about $350 to $600. Dont get anything less than 400 watts though, they don't give that great of a sound.

I recommend getting a Samsung HT-TZ512 for about $450, which is an incredible system considering its altogether in a box, although it's only a 5.1 system.

One more thing, please, please, please, use the right audio connections. You need either a fiber optic or a digital coax for your audio, or else everything will sound terrible.

I hope this all helped!

Answer 3

ok your decision with yamaya is great. i have a yamaha and im very satisfied with its performance. yes you can use any speakers from any brand on any amp. which type of surround sound you use really depends on the size of your room and your budget. if you have either a small room OR a small budget a 5.1 system will be just fine. if you want to go all out or have a larger room i think a 6.1 or even a 7.1 system would be your best bet. they both have the most convincing surround sound effect. i have a 5.2 system (the 2 refering to the subs) and im very pleased with it. i also have a 7.1 system and i love that too but honestly there isnt too much difference. buy the best speakers you can as those have the biggest inpact on the sound. they are the starring roles. and you dont want to put the "supporting actor" in the lead role now do you?

Answer 4

Never compromise on speakers as they are the sound producers high quality speakers will give you high quality sound although price is also high...........they matter very much.

Yamaha is the best in sound technology so go for it.