Looking for 1st sound system - What Would You Do? (floor plan image included).

[parisarm]

Originally Posted by Brent L.

How is that one working out for you?

We live in a small apartment and so far its working out great. Sounds way better than I was expecting, I have only had it like 2 weeks, but so far so good. It's actually dropped in price since I picked it up and now its only $248

[Brent L.]

Thanks. I think even something like that would be fine for me, for the time being.

Given the images I've posted, how would I lay out the various speakers for my setting? I could buy the stands and put two on either side of the TV, two on either side behind the couch, the subwoofer off to the side of the TV, but what about the other one with how my TV is sitting?

[parisarm]

If i had to guess I would say our living room is 14x12 and our tv is mounted on one wall and our couch is directly across from it on the other wall. We also have a shelf from Ikea mounted on the wall under the TV, about 5 inches below.

So the way we have it set up is a speaker on each side of the tv and the center channel speaker under the tv. The sub is off to the right side of the tv on the floor. I have the other 2 speakers on each side of the couch using some speaker stands I got from Monoprice.com for only $13 dollars plus shipping.

You could try a setup like that if it works for you.

[darkpoet25]

I don't know if you have a Fry's near you, but in their ad, they have a Pioneer 1022 AVR for $248, and a Martin Logan micro speaker package for $217(with a subwoofer). Here is a link to the ad page.
http://www.frys.com/ads/page18

[Brent L.]

Originally Posted by parisarm

If i had to guess I would say our living room is 14x12 and our tv is mounted on one wall and our couch is directly across from it on the other wall. We also have a shelf from Ikea mounted on the wall under the TV, about 5 inches below.

So the way we have it set up is a speaker on each side of the tv and the center channel speaker under the tv. The sub is off to the right side of the tv on the floor. I have the other 2 speakers on each side of the couch using some speaker stands I got from Monoprice.com for only $13 dollars plus shipping.

You could try a setup like that if it works for you.

How tall does the center speaker measure?

darkpoet25, thanks for the Fry's add. I also see the same Yamaha system we are talking about at the same price that Amazon has it for. I wonder if Amazon is just pricematching that. If so, if I decide on that one, I better make up my mind soon. Ahhhhhhh!

[parisarm]

Originally Posted by Brent L.

How tall does the center speaker measure?

darkpoet25, thanks for the Fry's add. I also see the same Yamaha system we are talking about at the same price that Amazon has it for. I wonder if Amazon is just pricematching that. If so, if I decide on that one, I better make up my mind soon. Ahhhhhhh!

The center speaker is 4” x 11-7/8” x 4”

You can see all the specs and its features here

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio...97/?mode=model

[Brent L.]

Thanks, I should have bought it while it was about $30 cheaper. Drats. I'm still leaning towards it though.

For those who know about this sort of thing, how does this one compare to that Yamaha system? My Sam's Club has this one for $268 or so...

http://www.pioneer.eu/eur/products/4...-071/page.html

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-HTP-07...neer+htp-071bt

EDIT:

I just checked on Amazon and they have dropped the price of the Yamaha system. Of these two, which is technically "best"?

[Brent L.]

Thanks for the recommendation parisarm!

If anyone cares, it was delivered yesterday and I got it setup. I was able to tuck the wires for the rear speakers along the edge of the carpet and it is totally out of sight, so that was a relief. This system is just perfect for my current circumstances. I feel as though I have never truly watched a movie/tv show or even played a video game here at home. It's such an incredible difference for me. I tested the subwoofer for just a moment and it has enough power to literally vibrate the entire apartment at full blast. I certainly wont be able to use it like that here, but even just barely turned on it adds a great deal. For the most part however, I'll have it turned totally down. The last thing I want to do is annoy any of our neighbors over something like that.

I am pretty pissed off over how the Wii U has things set up for surround sound however. This receiver can not play LPCM audio, or whatever it is called. I have been in the dark when it comes to that since all of that never really meant anything to me up until now. Ugh.

I'm very pleased with the purchase though. I would have bought it even knowing that about the Wii U though. I'm not going to base a purchase like that on a stupid decision by Nintendo.

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by Brent L.

This receiver can not play LPCM audio, or whatever it is called. I have been in the dark when it comes to that since all of that never really meant anything to me up until now. Ugh.

?? All receivers process PCM. In fact, that's all most of them can process! What exactly is the Wii U sending over what kind of cable that your new receiver can't handle?

[Brent L.]

Originally Posted by BIslander

?? All receivers process PCM. In fact, that's all most of them can process! What exactly is the Wii U sending over what kind of cable that your new receiver can't handle?

No matter what I do, it only uses the front speakers - nothing at all comes out of the two rear speakers.

From the big thread over at NeoGAF...

Wii U Surround Sound Guide.

• The Wii U only supports LPCM 1.0, 2.0 and 5.1
• The Wii U does not support any licensed surround formats: DPII, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD etc.
• The Wii U does not have an optical out port.
• Optical out from your TV/Monitor into your receiver/HTiB will not produce 5.1
• For Wii U use, only one AV port on the back is active. If you output HDMI to your TV, the AV Multi Out analogue output will be disabled.
• For Wii Mode use, it does output through both in Wii mode though, so you can have HMDI video and analogue audio. This functionality was removed by a firmware update.
• It is LPCM 5.1 via HDMI to a supporting receiver or nothing.

There is only one method available to get 5.1 surround from a WiiU:

Connect your WiiU via HDMI to an AV Receiver or HTiB that supports LPCM 5.1. Then connect AVR/HTiB to TV/Monitor with HDMI.

Check it out...

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=500865

[jwilson56]

Best deal on a great receiver right now is

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882117412

I bought one to replace my Onkyo SR-707 receiver when the sound died. I have to say the Pioneer blows the Onkyo out of the water for sound quality. You just can't beat the Class D3 amps it has. Runs cool to the touch as well.

I also have Polk Monitor speakers and sub

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by Brent L.

No matter what I do, it only uses the front speakers - nothing at all comes out of the two rear speakers.

It's not clear to me which AVR you bought. But, pretty much any current receiver can handle 5.1 PCM. So, assuming you are using HDMI to your receiver, you have either not set up the Wii output correctly or you've set your receiver to just play stereo on the input from the Wii. Your AVR will show you the format of the audio it is getting from the WIi. What does it say?

Also, if your AVR is passing through audio to the TV, that may be to blame. TVs are 2 channel devices and the HDMI handshake with the TV may be telling your Wii to output stereo instead of 5.1. Look for an AVR setting that disables the audio output to the TV. Or, as a test, simply disconnect the HDMI cable between the AVR and the TV.

[Brent L.]

Check that thread, only certain receivers car offer 5.1 on most things for the Wii U. I can go to the setup page and hear the sample 5.1 sounds and it plays correctly, but nothing else. I assume that is because the sample on the Wii U is in the format that it handles. I could very well be doing something wrong, but it seems to be something stupid that Nintendo changed for the Wii U.

[BIslander]

I did read that link before posting. It says the Wii can output 5.1 PCM, which your receiver can handle. We know your AVR is fine because when you play the sample page you get 5.1. Besides, the note about AVRs that only do stereo PCM or just do HDMI switching refers to older AVRs, not a newer model just purchased.

The fact that the Wii no longer sends DD 5.1, DTS, or other multichannel codecs in no way prevents you from getting discrete surround sound. So, let me ask again what your receiver tells you about the format of the audio it is getting from the Wii when you only hear sound from the front speakers.

UPDATE: These posts on message boards suggest three things.
> First, with 5.1 games, make sure the system settings in the Wii are set to surround, not stereo, which seems like you have already done since you get 5.1 from the sample page.
> Second, most games are only stereo! So, check the games themselves to see whether they actually have 5.1 audio.
> Finally, I believe that if a game is stereo and the Wii is set to output surround, the other four channels will be sent, but will be silent. That prevents you from using a surround mode such as PLII on your receiver to expand stereo to 5.1 because the output is already 5.1. With stereo games, you need to set the Wii to output stereo. Then, it will only send two channels and you can use a receiver surround mode to create 5.1.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/631516-wii-u/64664452
http://www.reddit.com/r/wiiu/comment...und_sound_tip/
http://techforums.nintendo.com/message/79198

[parisarm]

Originally Posted by Brent L.

Thanks for the recommendation parisarm!

No problem, glad you liked the system. I have had the system for a few weeks now and I am more than happy with it.

Wish I could help you with the WiiU problem, but I only have an xbox 360 and so far everything seems to be working with the 5.1 on the xbox.

[Mahatma]

Why not go the 2 channel way?Get a decent amplifier and start with affordable speakers.When you get money saved up,you splash out for good speakers.win-win if you ask me

But guess someone here has suggested that,or you've thought about it.

[Chris60119]

Originally Posted by GeneD5

I agree....Don't get a home theatre in a box; they're crap. Save up money, start with the amp, center speaker, and floor standing speakers with at least two 5-/14" drivers each. Work in the surrounds ASAP with them!

Buying the home theatre in a box is just pissing your money away because you will ultimately upgrade no matter what.

Agreed. Buy 1 piece at a time if you have too. Start with a reciever, 2 fronts, center, 3 rears, sub..

[Formula271]

For $500 home theater setup, I'd definitely consider the following:

Denon AVR-1513 (~$200 on Amazon)

Energy 5.1 Take Classic System ($299 on Amazon on 3/18, now back up to $399 but has been $299 many time in the last several months)

I think this is a pretty awesome starter setup.