Selecting Surround Sound Equipment

[Wick]

Hello, I am new to the forums and new to setting up home theatres. I currently have a 60" screen and a moster filter/surge. I am looking to add a surround sound system. What all do I need to add surround sound? I have seen alot of the Box sets that include everything, but do I also need an amp? I see alot of the box systems in Best Buy that say the system is 1000 Watt. Does that mean I need to get an amp to power that? And do you suggest any other equipment I need for the home theatre system? Currently using a PS2 to play DVD's. I should probably get a dedicated DVD player...

Thanks for the help!

[wildfire99]

You need a processor to decode the signals from DVD and TV, and an amplifier to boost the output of the processor to a level that will make the speakers make lots of noise. Most of the time the processor and amplifier is combined into a single unit called a receiver (along with other bells and whistles like AM/FM reception and video switching), and is the cheapest way to go.

Box sets almost always come with a receiver. The wattage ratings are totally bogus. They add up all the of the theoretical maximums of the system (e.g. if you ONLY played one speaker, it could take this much power, so if you played them all you'd be sending so many watts to all of them combined), however in real life the maximums are never reached due to design limitations.

I'd definately get a standalone player. Even a $35 one is worth not dinking around with the PS2, IMO.

You'll also need interconnects. All box systems I've seen come with wire to hook up the receiver to the speakers. You'll want wires to hook up the PS2 and TV to the receiver though. That's just ordinary RCA/stereo cables ususally. You can also use one half of a regular RCA/stereo cable to connect the digital out of the DVD player to the receiver, or use an optical cable (toslink). There's no advantage to one or the other for most situations.

I would not buy a box system though, since most of them are full of compromises. The key here is budget. What are you looking at spending, and how much would you be willing to spend?

The best box set I ever had was getting a Pioneer 1014 (now 1015) receiver online ($350?), and a home theater speakers-in-a-box set from Costco (Audiosource) for $499. The latter was mediocre, but was highly enjoyable for the price and simplicity. It was returned since I know they couldn't have spent more than $50 in materials for the set and since I have the power of DIY, I demand more value.

The Pioneer receiver is still in use in various systems I have.

[Wick]

Really, I don't have a budget... but I don't know exactly everything I need to look for when getting the surround sound system. If you could provide a list of what I need to look for and what specs are important in that piece, then I can pick everything up separately.

Also, I have two old 10" Boston Acoustics floor speakers. They are probably 10+ years old. Would those be something that would work in the system or is it better just to get all new?

Thanks for the help

[dyazdani]

You already have the TV so you need the following:

• Receiver or processor/amp separates
• Minimum of 5 speakers (mains, center, surrounds)
• Subwoofer
• DVD player
• Speaker wire and interconnects

Unfortunately, it is hard to help without a budget. Systems range in price from about $1000 or so minimum to the hundreds of thousands.

You could use your old speakers, though things may not be "ideal" due to a potentially non-matching center.

Best thing to do is set up a budget. It'll be a heck of a lot easier for us to put together a system for you. Also, tell us a little about your room as that might sway a few choices one way or another.

[Wick]

The room is 14' wide, 24' deep, 6'8" tall. 60" Sony Grand Wega sitting on the Sony custom stand center of the 14' wall. Couch is approximately 8' back from the screen.

As for a budget... maybe around $1,000 US... would be willing to go a few hundred more depending on how much more it would improve my system.

Thanks for the help

[Clive]

Hi wick and welcome

Just to echo what some have already said and to add a pointer or two. A home theater comprises of some basic components
1) Display unit > TV/screen
2) Video player > DVD/laser/D-VHS
3) Sound processing > A Pre-amp/processor or Receiver
4) Sound amplifier > Power Amps or same Receiver
5) Speakers > (Usually) minimum 5 pcs (front left and right=2) (1 center speaker =3 (2 rears or surounds =5) plus 1 sub-woofer. This makes the system a 5.1 setup (5 speakers plus .1= the sub) Okay?

Now to get a sense of what you can get for your money is to audition some setups. You could start at a friends house or go to your local HT store with dedicated Home theater rooms sit, listen and observe. Don't buy the first great system you hear. Make sure to visit other stores to compare prices and performance. If possible use the same DVD/track at all visits.

Narrow down a couple of setups combos you like. Throw it back at us here for some feedback.

Note: It is advised that your three front speakers be timbre matched. If you can't find a match you MAY want to consider using them somwhere else (i.e. rears or listening room) or you may choose to use them as mains until you're ready to take the next plunge. However, in that latter case make sure to buy a center that will be matched with you're desired speakers later on.

Hope this helps :T

[aud19]

A thousand dollar budget will get you next to nothing for HT audio. You'll get a crappy, tinny sounding HTIB that is likely not upgrade friendly.

My advice, as with any newbie with a small budget is to start with small but quality components that you can upgrade with. This would be a ~$200 DVD player, a ~$500 budget receiver and a pair of ~$500 bookshelf speakers. Getting them on sale/clearance will give you more bang for your buck or allow you to save a little.

Brands of receivers to look at:
Denon, Marantz, Pioneer and Yamaha

Brands of speakers:
Athena, B&W, Energy, PSB, Paradigm. These brands all carry good quality budget lines.

Then from there when you have the budget, you can add a centre, sub and surrounds. Another option when you're upgrading is to buy larger floor standers and move the bookshelves you buy now to surround duty. For your sub go with SVS or DIY if you have the skill and equipment.

[gd]

60" Sony Grand Wega

If you can afford that, I strongly recommend a bare minimum of $2K for your audio budget... as noted above, $1K won't get you much, nor be a proper complement to your substantial big screen.

And don't skimp on the sub.

[dyazdani]

If you can afford that, I strongly recommend a bare minimum of $2K for your audio budget...

I agree with the $2k mark - you CAN do it for $1k but as the other post mentioned as well, there are likely to be some serious drawbacks.

I also agree that you should start with just a couple of components (DVDp, receiver, main speakers) and add/upgrade as funds allow.

[Wick]

I can do the $2000 easily, even $3000. I just wasn't sure where a good starting point was and if the money actually makes a big difference. I didn't want to go the 'hundreds of thousands' route like someone stated above. I will probably pick up a good dvd player before xmas and start looking at some sound systems.

Thanks

[dyazdani]

Money makes a BIG difference at the lower end, say $1000 to $10k. Differences become less dramatic the higher you go.

Take a look around and listen to a few things. Let us know what you see and we can help you from there.

[aud19]

Well ok then, now we're talking!

With a little more budget room you can up your DVD budget from between $200-$700. At two hundred bucks you can get a universal player (DVD-A/SACD) and/or upsamlping player with HDMI/DVI output. More money will get you better sound and PQ and usually more features.

For a receiver, I highly recommend the $800-$1200 receivers from the manufacturers I listed above. BIG step up in quality and features from the under $500 crowd. If you want even better sound quality/amplification at the cost of a few features look at the entry level receivers from the likes of Rotel, Sherwood Newcastle, Nad, Outlaw etc

For your sub, go SVS. The PB12 Plus is quite nice and is available in lot's of finishes to match your decor or other speakers at around $900. They do have some less expensive (and more expensive! :P ) options as well

Speakers, have a look at the brands I mentioned above plus I'll add in Totem and Vienna Acoustics. For your mains I'd budget +/- $800, +/-$400 for the centre and +/-$400 for your surrounds (5.1)

[Wick]

Looking at some DVD players online. Best Buy and Circuit City didn't seem to have any players that met your specs. Here is something I found that looks like it should do the job. http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTE...DVD_DVDPlayers
Let me know if you think its missing something I might want in the future.

Thanks for the help

[aud19]

Doesn't play DVD-A but I don't know if that's important to you...? Otherwise it looks like decent specs for the price Otherwise, like I said more money will mostly just get you better PQ and SQ and possibly better bass/delay management for DVD-A/SACD etc. Personally I like Denon players myself.

http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/7.asp

I'd recommend the 1920 or 2910 (though the 2920 should be out soon )

[Wick]

I saw something on TV that said there will be HD DVD's and the Sony Blue Disks coming out late next year. Should I wait til then to get a DVD player that can handle those formats?

[aud19]

A few hundred bucks for a DVD player now or not watching any DVD's for 6+ months....? Not to mention those two formats aren't compatible so there's going to be a format war and initially likely a relatively small selection of titles at least for the first while.

[Wick]

Well I ended up grabbing a Denon 2910 for $600. About $100 off and a HT magazine I read said it compared to alot of the $3000 dvd players.

Next up: Receiver and Speakers