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thanks, was just about to ask this
LOL, well my samsung DLP is very likely not 1.4 as that standard came out not too long ago (if I remember correctly) and I bought my TV 3.5 years ago. I bought the Insignia this year, but that is in my room and I am not swapping the 40 inch in my room for the 50 inch in my living room. LOLi'm pretty sure this feature is called ARC (audio return channel) for the TV to send its audio input to the receiver through the same HDMI cable that is feeding the TV video from the receiver; you need a HDMI 1.4 spec TV and cables though (my TV's are 1.3)
thanks, was just about to ask this
yeah i just turn the tv volume to 0 on mine. i don't have hdmi inputs on my receiver, so i have everything plugged into the tv and use optical out to my receiver.
I suggest you wait until you can up your budget.
Can someone please give me an opinion on this? ONKYO TX-NR509. There is a cyber-monday deal on newegg and I just may take advantage of it if this is a good one.
LOL, I think google is watching me. I have been trying to decide between these three receivers and I just got a "google offer" in my email that says I can buy a $40 coupon at newegg for $20.
Does anyone have any idea which I should purchase first. A center channel or a subwoofer (assuming I have towers wrapped up).
Onkyos run hot and need proper ventilation. Just a quick glance and it looks like a few people are having HDMI issues with that model.
Yamaha tends to do well with music, not so much for HT.
Personally, I'd choose the Denon 591/1611 over the Yamaha. Electronics Expo has it for $285 shipped with the various coupon codes out there. Denon usually is the best mix between music/HT, but it really is preference. I'm not that familiar with Pioneers.
You can run a phantom center if you won't have anyone sitting that far left or right of center. It really depends what you're going to use your system for. If its more music(2.0) than HT, then I'd suggest a sub. If it's 50/50 music/HT or more HT, then I'd suggest a center first.
Like I was saying, if you bump your budget up to $6-800, then you'd be much happier with your mini system. Anything less than that really isn't worth it and as much as I loathe them, I'd suggest a soundbar.
Personally, at that price range, I'd buy the Energy Take Classics or the Mirage Nanosats. Each includes a sub and gets great reviews. Don't know if the $399 makes it tough to swallow for you, but considering you get six speakers, it ain't that pricey.
Too bad you're not close to me. I still have my Paradigms and Velodyne sub collecting dust in the spare room.
Even better, they have a Nanosat bundle for $598. Comes with the Yamaha RX-V371.
http://www.electronics-expo.com/mirage-nanosat51bundle7
If you spend $30 more, then it's the RX-V567.
http://www.electronics-expo.com/mirage-nanosat51bundle9
Well, I ended up getting the Onkyo. With the features that it had and at 180 dollars I just couldn't pass it up. I believe that the HDMI issues that you are talking about are with the TX-SR509. Everything that I have read says that they have fixed the handshake issue with the new model (NR509). I didn't purchase anything else yet, but I found a pair of polk audio monitor 50s on craigslist for 100, but I was thinking I could talk him down to at least 75 since I saw them new for 100. I figured that could tide me over until I can really start purchasing better equipment (though I don't know anything about the monitor50s other than what I have read and haven't fully decided to buy them since I really don't know anything about them). Based on what you say, I will probably buy a sub off of craigslist too. Do y'all have any recommendations of particular speakers or brands to look out for?
You'd be much better off giving a few brands a listen. What might sound good to one, will sound muddy or thin and tinny to another.
A cheaper sub that gets good reviews is the BIC f12 - $190 on Amazon. The sub is the last thing I'd buy off of CG. I'd imagine most of those subs have been put through the ringer. And then rolled down the stairs.
And if you're not going to use the recommended center channel and are going to mix/match brands, you'll be better off getting a center with a tweeter of the same type of material as the tweeter in the 50s(fabric/polymer composite). Apparently, it helps the blend.
Most say timbre matching is important, some don't.
I've always timbre matched.
This makes sense. I almost threw the PSW 10 subwoofer for $90 on my order, but I didn't because I thought that I might just get one off of CL but you are right, that probably gets abused.
I wasn't planning on mixing brands, but do you have to buy a certain model of center channel to go with specific models of tower speakers? what is timbre matching? making sure the box is the same color?
The matching center for those is the CS1 or the CS2.
I haven't seen those Monitor 50s as a pair for $100 new.
I see $99.
Each.
You'll like whatever you get. I've got an old Yamaha system and it blows the windows out of the house, and it's crystal clear.
Oops, you are right, I will still try to walk him down a bit
You are probably correct since I haven't had a stereo in 8-10 years.
Most people laugh at my system when I tell them I don't have a subwoofer.
Then they actually hear it, and realize how much a sub isn't necessary for my setup.
Definitely take a listen before you invest in a sub. Most tower speakers don't go way down, but if they do, sometimes it's better to wait until you can buy one that's a lot more expensive. I have yet to bottom my floor speakers out, as they're rated down to 18hz and they can do most of that competently.
I will probably buy those monitor50s and just go from there. Unless something better comes along tomorrow.
He's not going to get that in that price range.
But you you should definitely invest most of your money in the speakers.
Get a solid pair up front and piecemeal the rest as you go. I had LCR with no sub or rears for the longest time.
All depends on what you want to do.
Well, I WANT it to be primarily for music, but it will likely be used far more for movies and tv. I will probably do the LCR thing, especially since the C that you told me goes with those speakers is only 60 bucks brand new.
You're trying to avoid buyer's remorse and that's caused by a few things, mostly the feeling of paying too much for too little. Whether you did or not is beside the point since your satisfaction rests as much on bargain as it does on quality of system. In your case, too much can be anything over 300.00, and too little can be something that sounds no better than a 300.00 system.
You're probably no audiophile, so just avoid the remorse purchase and go find your a system and get it going. You won't have buyer's remorse and you will likely never sit around watching a movie or listening to music thinking you need to buy new components.
It doesn't matter what you get, someone is going to tell you about a better system you should have bought or a cheaper system you should have bought.
Well, I already bought the Onkyo receiver on a nice cybermonday deal. I don't plan on purchasing all of the components at once so I am going to be able to go over $300 overall. The last several posts of mine were more along the lines of trying to develop a roadmap going forward. Obviously I am going to need the towers first, but where do I go from there. I assume that you should buy within the same brand, but I dont have any idea if you can still it up while buying within a brand. For example, lionsfan told me that the center that goes with the towers that I was considering is the CS1 or CS2 leading me to believe that manufacturers create loosely associated sets and that I have to make sure that I pay attention to that no matter what towers I select. Finally, I just wanted to make sure that I got the components in the correct order. The right thing to do is probably to buy a center channel after the towers, as the system will (sadly) be used more for movies and TV than music due to my family not wanting to listen to music at an appropriate level. I will probably, however, end up getting the SW as I enjoy bass too much. After that I guess I will get the backs and figure out how to wire those. Then some sort of outdoor solution. I understand the idea that I probably should have waited until my budget was higher, but I have been doing that for a while so the piecemeal approach seems far more advantageous to me.
You are right, I am no audiophile which is why I chose the receiver with the features that I wanted even though it only pushes 80 watts per channel compared to the higher wattage of the other two, but I still don't want it to sound crappy enough that I can notice it
You should definitely get out and listen to a few different speaker brands. Believe me, they don't all sound the same and there are even some mid-high priced speakers that sound like coffee cans.
You can only learn so much by reading.
I wouldn't worry about wattage. I highly doubt it'll ever be an issue.
And you don't need to look strictly at towers. Bookshelves can also give you the thump you need. Polk makes the Monitor 40 which has the same internals as the 50s, just in a smaller cabinet.
No idea if you have any size or space constraints.
Last edited by DisgruntledLionFan#54,927; 11-29-2011 at 01:27 AM.
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