Skimping on audio? - Blu-ray Forum

Headphone Czar · 06-08-2008, 06:16 PM

It seems like many splurge on a HDTV.. But when it comes to audio, they have a very small budget..Usually 2-4 hundred. I'm basing this on various TH sites I post at? Isn't audio half the experience, especially with HD audio with BR movies.. Why the neglect? Audio is more involving & immersive then video will ever be. I spent around 4,000 on audio & 2,200 on video, so I'm backwards.. Actually, I'm really backwards since most of my cash went into stereo, & not digital..

MPDIEHL · 06-08-2008, 06:33 PM

I too have noticed this trend...
It seems many people fall for the "It's the same thing only cheaper" sales pitch. While I sell the yamaha 663 to a lot of my clients, we always end spending much more on speakers and a sub. While I will happily admit that the store I work at generally sells higher end products, Im still surprised by what people are looking for.
I tell my clients we have two variable's, Preformance, and Price...
they get to pick 1 or the other and then Ill show them what they need.

Scooby Blu · 06-08-2008, 07:18 PM

I agree 100% ! It is quite sad ! The sound to me is very important. And the more you spend the better it sounds. This is a fact ! It makes no sense at all ! If someone cannot afford a good sound system after making an HD purchase I can understand. However, they should have a solid goal of getting a sound system. In six months, a year, even a five year plan. The lack of having such a plan will leave the ones that choose cheap to miss out on a ton of fun !!!

quarters · 06-08-2008, 07:42 PM

I must say that I am one of these people. The problem for me is that as this was my first experience wth HDTV and a home theater experience per se, I was/am very unimformed and inexperienced with the sound aspect and what is needed. I was only really focused on getting a great picture. When it came time to get a sound system, piecing it all together and understanding it all seemed so confusing that I decided to go with a HTIB. I figured I needed something with HDMI connectivity and found that it was all pass through and the optical was the way to get the sound through. So I found a Yamaha HTIB at BB and was told by the salesman that optical will do the job. I now know that it won't and I think the receiver is not capable of achieving the highest of quality sound anyway. I get DD and DTS but I don't think true HD or DTS master audio. In a nutshell I'm sure I have still no idea of what I'm talking about and the audio takes a lot more "studying" to figure out.

U4K61 · 06-08-2008, 07:43 PM

I agree. Audio goes right beside good PQ. But it is a real bummer dealing with running speaker wire all over the place. This is probably a bigger impedament then cost - as it has kept me from doing the right thing audiowise. We can take a hint from the PS3 wireless control. If speakers worked the same way, power included, I would have had something better then TV speakers long ago.

My 5-way BSR speakers are collecting dust in the attic.

Headphone Czar · 06-08-2008, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quarters

I must say that I am one of these people. The problem for me is that as this was my first experience wth HDTV and a home theater experience per se, I was/am very unimformed and inexperienced with the sound aspect and what is needed. I was only really focused on getting a great picture. When it came time to get a sound system, piecing it all together and understanding it all seemed so confusing that I decided to go with a HTIB. I figured I needed something with HDMI connectivity and found that it was all pass through and the optical was the way to get the sound through. So I found a Yamaha HTIB at BB and was told by the salesman that optical will do the job. I now know that it won't and I think the receiver is not capable of achieving the highest of quality sound anyway. I get DD and DTS but I don't think true HD or DTS master audio. In a nutshell I'm sure I have still no idea of what I'm talking about and the audio takes a lot more "studying" to figure out.

I think you are a bit different. It doesn't seem like money is the main issue, more of inexperience with audio gear.. It can be quite imitating to the complete novice. It's one reason I went with a Hi end headphone set up.. Dummy proof, & better bang for the buck for High Fidelity..But These new HD codecs got my juices flowing... Just bought a reciever with HDMI pass through.. Will probably sell it & buy a receiver that allow for audio over HDMI. At this point 2 channel LPCM over headphones will do.. On a side note.. I don't know of any HTIB that accepts audio over HDMI..

Beta Man · 06-09-2008, 12:46 PM

I put quite a bit of money into my audio, and my 37" 720p LCD was given to us, and I have no intention of upgrading (until I get my projector

)

prerich · 06-09-2008, 01:19 PM

Audio is very important to me. In fact I usually spend more on the audio side than the video. Sure, I'm using a yamaha rx-v663 (definately not a top-end receiver) but I only use as a prepro (a lot of value for a 350.00 receiver - preouts, dual subwoofers, multi-channel inputs). The rest of my audio is a bit more powerful. Video is always my last upgrade, both are important to the HT experience, but audio is more imersive IMHO.

MacDaddyOJack · 06-09-2008, 01:24 PM

If I could only use one of my senses (I hope that I don't lose either one!) I would use my ability to hear. Sound is way more important to me. I would still watch movies even if I went blind because I love listening to them so much.

Marine Mike · 06-09-2008, 01:32 PM

To me audio can definately be considered half the experience. There have been several movies that I may not have liked story wise persay but the audio just blew me away.

Movies:
-Cloverfield
-I, Robot
-The Eye

If you didn't like any of those movies story wise, watch them in BD and see how much the audio in them make the difference.

Woody · 06-09-2008, 01:33 PM

AQ>PQ for me. I have more money in AQ by a long shot than PQ. It will get closer when I get my new proj, but audio will always have the edge for me.

It is a large mix of things when it comes to people buying or being interested in surround sound, 5.1, 7.1, receiver, speakers, subwoofers, cables, speaker wire, aesthetics, price, remotes, install, etc.

It is no surprise to me at all that people largely don't bother with AQ.

TV and player and 1 cable between the 2?
Or add all of the other variables I mentioned for hundreds, maybe thousands of $?

Many people are perfectly happy with the sound from their TV speakers. You can tell and show until you are blue in the face, but when they find out the price and how the equipment looks, they often just say, "no thanks".

SS316SRV · 06-09-2008, 01:38 PM

I would rather go balls to the wall on audio and skimp a little on the TV. There needs to be a healthy balance. One does not need to spend $3000-$4000 in order to get good audio. Most households can spend $1500 and under and be blown away by their surround sound.

prerich · 06-09-2008, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacDaddyOJack

If I could only use one of my senses (I hope that I don't lose either one!) I would use my ability to hear. Sound is way more important to me. I would still watch movies even if I went blind because I love listening to them so much.

+1

Beta Man · 06-09-2008, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woody

AQ>PQ for me. I have more money in AQ by a long shot than PQ. It will get closer when I get my new proj, but audio will always have the edge for me.

It is a large mix of things when it comes to people buying or being interested in surround sound, 5.1, 7.1, receiver, speakers, subwoofers, cables, speaker wire, aesthetics, price, remotes, install, etc.

It is no surprise to me at all that people largely don't bother with AQ.

TV and player and 1 cable between the 2?
Or add all of the other variables I mentioned for hundreds, maybe thousands of $?

Many people are perfectly happy with the sound from their TV speakers. You can tell and show until you are blue in the face, but when they find out the price and how the equipment looks, they often just say, "no thanks".

Woody....

Does your store carry "reasonable" Projectors, or just the $10k and up variety?

I'm allocating $1,500 for a projector... that's all I can justify spending.... and that's the cost of my two REAR Surround speakers (without stands...that'd be another $325 or so) My speakers will be around A LOT longer than any T.V. or projector I could buy.

Beta Man · 06-09-2008, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacDaddyOJack

If I could only use one of my senses (I hope that I don't lose either one!)

You only have two senses!!!

MacDaddyOJack · 06-09-2008, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beta Man

You only have two senses!!!

I meant the two you use for a movie

I excluded the others for simplicity sake!

Woody · 06-09-2008, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Woody....

Does your store carry "reasonable" Projectors, or just the $10k and up variety?

I'm allocating $1,500 for a projector... that's all I can justify spending.... and that's the cost of my two REAR Surround speakers (without stands...that'd be another $325 or so) My speakers will be around A LOT longer than any T.V. or projector I could buy.

All we carry under 10k is Epson. The Epson 1080ub is an excellent projector "bang-for-your-buck" wise. But it is still around 3k+. Epson also makes a solid 720p model that is around $1500. To get 1080p for cheaper nowadays, BenQ, Panasonic, and Sanyo all carry less expensive models, but we don't.

Beta Man · 06-09-2008, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woody

All we carry under 10k is Epson. The Epson 1080ub is an excellent projector "bang-for-your-buck" wise. But it is still around 3k+. Epson also makes a solid 720p model that is around $1500. To get 1080p for cheaper nowadays, BenQ, Panasonic, and Sanyo all carry less expensive models, but we don't.

Yeah.... I'm starting to come to the realization that I'll get a decent 720p projector "now" rather than waiting for any cheap 1080p to hit the $1,500 mark.... I know it'd make a huge difference at that size, but 37" television (my current one) is the largest screen I have ever had, and since I get so immersed in the audio, I think a 720p projector will be "good enough" for me... I really need to see a 720p side-by-side with a 1080p to make the determination.... I'm probably going to limit the screen to around 90" or so... if I got a 1080p I'd probably do the 120" (I have the room to pretty much go HUGE if I really wanted to.... but I'm not trying to impress anyone except myself, so I want the PQ to be "good" )

HDJK · 06-09-2008, 02:16 PM

We have an online retailer that offers the Sanyo PLV Z2000 for 1999$ now. If Switzerland is offering PJs for 2 grand now I'm sure you can get a 1080 PJ for 1500$ this Christmas.

Beta Man · 06-09-2008, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HDJK

We have an online retailer that offers the Sanyo PLV Z2000 for 1999$ now. If Switzerland is offering PJs for 2 grand now I'm sure you can get a 1080 PJ for 1500$ this Christmas.

Might have to wait then!!!!

06-08-2008, 06:16 PM	#1
Headphone Czar Active Member Member since:May 2008 Location:San Jose, CA Blu-ray reviews:2	Skimping on audio? It seems like many splurge on a HDTV.. But when it comes to audio, they have a very small budget..Usually 2-4 hundred. I'm basing this on various TH sites I post at? Isn't audio half the experience, especially with HD audio with BR movies.. Why the neglect? Audio is more involving & immersive then video will ever be. I spent around 4,000 on audio & 2,200 on video, so I'm backwards.. Actually, I'm really backwards since most of my cash went into stereo, & not digital..

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06-08-2008, 06:33 PM	#2
MPDIEHL Active Member Member since:Jan 2008 Location:Sarasota, FL USA	I too have noticed this trend... It seems many people fall for the "It's the same thing only cheaper" sales pitch. While I sell the yamaha 663 to a lot of my clients, we always end spending much more on speakers and a sub. While I will happily admit that the store I work at generally sells higher end products, Im still surprised by what people are looking for. I tell my clients we have two variable's, Preformance, and Price... they get to pick 1 or the other and then Ill show them what they need.

06-08-2008, 07:18 PM	#3
Scooby Blu Power Member Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Apr 2008 Home Theater Gallery:7	I agree 100% ! It is quite sad ! The sound to me is very important. And the more you spend the better it sounds. This is a fact ! It makes no sense at all ! If someone cannot afford a good sound system after making an HD purchase I can understand. However, they should have a solid goal of getting a sound system. In six months, a year, even a five year plan. The lack of having such a plan will leave the ones that choose cheap to miss out on a ton of fun !!!

06-08-2008, 07:42 PM	#4
quarters Member Member since:Mar 2008	I must say that I am one of these people. The problem for me is that as this was my first experience wth HDTV and a home theater experience per se, I was/am very unimformed and inexperienced with the sound aspect and what is needed. I was only really focused on getting a great picture. When it came time to get a sound system, piecing it all together and understanding it all seemed so confusing that I decided to go with a HTIB. I figured I needed something with HDMI connectivity and found that it was all pass through and the optical was the way to get the sound through. So I found a Yamaha HTIB at BB and was told by the salesman that optical will do the job. I now know that it won't and I think the receiver is not capable of achieving the highest of quality sound anyway. I get DD and DTS but I don't think true HD or DTS master audio. In a nutshell I'm sure I have still no idea of what I'm talking about and the audio takes a lot more "studying" to figure out.

06-08-2008, 07:43 PM	#5
U4K61 Special Member Member since:Mar 2007 Location:Connecticut Blu-ray collection:40 Blu-ray reviews:4	I agree. Audio goes right beside good PQ. But it is a real bummer dealing with running speaker wire all over the place. This is probably a bigger impedament then cost - as it has kept me from doing the right thing audiowise. We can take a hint from the PS3 wireless control. If speakers worked the same way, power included, I would have had something better then TV speakers long ago. My 5-way BSR speakers are collecting dust in the attic.

06-09-2008, 12:46 PM	#7
Beta Man Moderator Top contributor Member since:Jan 2008 Location:Juuuuuuuust A Bit Outside.... Home Theater Gallery:4 Blu-ray collection:268 Blu-ray reviews: 18 Trading Score:25	I put quite a bit of money into my audio, and my 37" 720p LCD was given to us, and I have no intention of upgrading (until I get my projector )

06-09-2008, 01:19 PM	#8
prerich Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Dec 2007 Home Theater Gallery:50 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:2	Audio is very important to me. In fact I usually spend more on the audio side than the video. Sure, I'm using a yamaha rx-v663 (definately not a top-end receiver) but I only use as a prepro (a lot of value for a 350.00 receiver - preouts, dual subwoofers, multi-channel inputs). The rest of my audio is a bit more powerful. Video is always my last upgrade, both are important to the HT experience, but audio is more imersive IMHO.

06-09-2008, 01:24 PM	#9
MacDaddyOJack Blu-ray Guru Member since:Sep 2007 Location:Richmond, VA PSNetwork: MacDaddyOJack Trophy Level: 12(4%) Home Theater Gallery:12 Blu-ray collection:71 Blu-ray reviews:23 Trading Score:4	If I could only use one of my senses (I hope that I don't lose either one!) I would use my ability to hear. Sound is way more important to me. I would still watch movies even if I went blind because I love listening to them so much.

06-09-2008, 01:32 PM	#10
Marine Mike The Busey Member since:Apr 2008 Location:Ohio Home Theater Gallery:10 Blu-ray collection:120 Blu-ray reviews:4 Trading Score:4	To me audio can definately be considered half the experience. There have been several movies that I may not have liked story wise persay but the audio just blew me away. Movies: -Cloverfield -I, Robot -The Eye If you didn't like any of those movies story wise, watch them in BD and see how much the audio in them make the difference.

06-09-2008, 01:33 PM	#11
Woody Power Member Member since:Jun 2007 Home Theater Gallery:60 4K collection:175 Blu-ray collection:415 DVD collection:165	AQ>PQ for me. I have more money in AQ by a long shot than PQ. It will get closer when I get my new proj, but audio will always have the edge for me. It is a large mix of things when it comes to people buying or being interested in surround sound, 5.1, 7.1, receiver, speakers, subwoofers, cables, speaker wire, aesthetics, price, remotes, install, etc. It is no surprise to me at all that people largely don't bother with AQ. TV and player and 1 cable between the 2? Or add all of the other variables I mentioned for hundreds, maybe thousands of $? Many people are perfectly happy with the sound from their TV speakers. You can tell and show until you are blue in the face, but when they find out the price and how the equipment looks, they often just say, "no thanks".

06-09-2008, 01:38 PM	#12
SS316SRV Blu-ray Guru Member since:Sep 2007 Location:Appleton, WI Blu-ray collection:74	I would rather go balls to the wall on audio and skimp a little on the TV. There needs to be a healthy balance. One does not need to spend $3000-$4000 in order to get good audio. Most households can spend $1500 and under and be blown away by their surround sound.

06-09-2008, 02:16 PM	#19
HDJK Blu-ray Guru Member since:Oct 2006 Location:Switzerland Trading Score:2	We have an online retailer that offers the Sanyo PLV Z2000 for 1999$ now. If Switzerland is offering PJs for 2 grand now I'm sure you can get a 1080 PJ for 1500$ this Christmas.

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