What surround sound system should I buy? Just bought Samsung 71' series 1080P 52" LCD. I'd spend $500-800

Question

I know NOTHING about surround sound. I consistently watch movies on both Blu Ray and HD DVD and sports, and play PS3 and Xbox 360. I also do not have a stereo system to play CDs in my living room or my ipod. Can someone make a recommendation? I dont want to spend that much if I dont have to but I will spend it if the quality is worth it. I have high ceilings and bamboo flooring. Thanks!

Answer 1

Audiophiles are some STRANGE people, and most of what they tell you is based more in their own minds than fact.  In all honesty, you are almost guaranteed to not notice the difference between a $300 setup and a $1000 setup for home use.

Find out if your tv has audio out.  If it does, get a decently cheap (~$100) 5.1 receiver.  If it does not, you're going to need something that can decode HDMI and extract the audio signal.  This gets significantly more expensive, in the $500+ range.

Get a decent, but not amazing set of 5.1 speakers.  This should cost around $100.

Now the only decision you want to make is if you want to run the speaker wire yourself, or hire someone to do it for you.

Answer 2

Wait. Sony is comming out with a receiver soon called the STRDG820 for $399 and it will handle the newest surround formats (Dolbly True HD and dts-HD master audio) get that with an Energy Take Classic system for $500 or Paradigm Cinema 70 system for $550 or so. I know that it is a little above your budget but it will blow away anything in the price range.  There will be a NIGHT & DAY difference betweensomething like these and a $300-$500 system. Guarranteed.

Answer 3

With your price range, and the fact that you watch BD and HD DVD, you probably want to go for a 7.1 system.  Onkyo, Denon, and Yamaha are the brands to look for.  You can visit their websites and see what they have to offer.

You'll want 1080p HDMI passthrough, and possibly multiple HDMI ins (those are available a lot of units in your price range).  That way, you can have your HD DVD and Bluray players hooked up at the same time.  Also, like the other guy mentioned, look for a model that has Dolbly True HD and DTS-HD MA support, unless that throws the price too high for your taste.  DTSMA and DTHD, while not supported much now, will keep you from having to upgrade your system for a long time.

For HDMI cables, if you're going to run cables under 12ft, check out www.monoprice.com  You can get pretty good quality cables for cheap, so you can afford to spend a bit more on your audio system than buying 2 or 3 Monster cables.

Just a side note: good speakers bought separately from the receiver will cost you more, but the quality will be superb.  But you can opt for one of those 7.1 home theaters in a box, if it suites your budget.

Then, once you've broken in your speakers and TV, definitely splurge for ISA calibration.  It'll be a couple hundred (like 200-400), depending on who you have come out, but you'll enjoy your TV/speakers even more.