Looking for a wireless sound system

[mpstjohn]

Whenever I google "wireless sound system" I seem to either get an old Home Theater System (complete with DVD player) from the 90s or a combination blu-ray player/sound system (Panasonic SC-BT100). I already have a blu-ray player though and have no need for a new one at the time being.

I was initially looking for something with DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD but at this point I'm willing to settle for anything wireless with an HDMI input and output for my blu-ray player (Sony BDP-S300). I'm also planning on plugging it into my HD Cable Box.

Any suggestions? I'm looking for something under $700 if possible.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

[BStecke]

DTS/TrueHD from something wireless is probably going to be impossible to find right now. I think even HDMI may be stretching it. None of the wireless systems I've heard are very good.

[Beta Man]

You're not going to find a true "wireless" setup..... you should probably buy a "sound-bar"

[mpstjohn]

So wireless is out. That being the case, which is better, a complete system (receiver with speakers) or a receiver with speakers bought separately? If you have any recommendations for receivers or systems I'd love to hear them.
Thanks.

[BStecke]

You'll always get better quality by building your own system. A good "starter" receiver would be something like the Onkyo 606, and there are a lot of 5.1 speaker sets out there, Polk and Klipsch coming to mind immediately. What size speakers are you looking for?

[Driver_King]

Don't go with HTIB systems. Take a look at my sig and see what appeals to you.

[BStecke]

Originally Posted by Driver_King

Don't go with HTIB systems. Take a look at my sig and see what appeals to you.

I was waiting for you to chime in Where are you at in Tampa, BTW?

[Driver_King]

I live in St. Pete. Close though.

[mpstjohn]

The size of the speakers isn't as important as even dispersement of sound in the room. I'm in an apartment and the washer/dryer combination is just a few feet from the HDTV so I'm trying to compensate for that. It's not a very large room but hearing the TV is a major problem when doing laundry.

I suppose I could get small speakers and just purchase for each one a speaker stand.

Much to my dismay, I looked up the Sony BDP-S300 (probably should've done this earlier) and it cannot decode either DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD. That being the case I'm just looking for a receiver with HDMI input/output.

Onkyo sounds good. Though, come to think of it, I think that's the only receiver I've heard mentioned in these forums. I know little to nothing about the quality of individual brands of speakers. If Onkyo has the best receivers who makes some of the best (of inexpensive) speakers?

[Driver_King]

I wouldn't say they have the best receivers, just the best cheap ones. Have you checked out my sig yet?

[mpstjohn]

The price on the Onkyo TX-SR605 sounds great. The Polk 50' Monitor (the link only leads to the home page) is a bit pricey for just one speaker though.
I know that whole addage about getting what you paid fork, unfortunately paying that much for one speaker (when I intend on expanding to seven speakers) makes the goal seem all the more unattainable.

The Athena LS Series Home Theaters sounds great though.

By comparison, how are the Onkyo speaker sets? I only ask because the Athena is $500+ for 5 speakers while Onkyo is only $200-$300 for 7 speakers.

[obiwopkenobi62]

Originally Posted by mpstjohn

So wireless is out. That being the case, which is better, a complete system (receiver with speakers) or a receiver with speakers bought separately? If you have any recommendations for receivers or systems I'd love to hear them.
Thanks.

I have my front speakers wired and use a Rocketfish for my rears. Works great for about 100.00. I got mine at Best Buy.

[Driver_King]

Compared to the Athena speaker set, the Onkyo set is a waste of your money.

P.S. I fixed the link. $110 per speaker isn't bad, although I've seen $60 per speaker.

[johnjayb]

hmmm I want to upgrade too. What's a speaker bar

[mpstjohn]

I can't find a place where they still sell the Onkyo SR605. It seems they are no longer manufacturing it.

So it looks like the Onkyo TX-SR605s (is that as good as the 605?) with the Athena LS Series and RocketFish Universal Wireless Rear Speaker Kit and two speaker stands for the rear speakers.

TX-SR605s $249
Athena LS Series $594
RocketFish $89

Thanks again.

[Driver_King]

That'll work. Get your cables at Monoprice. The 605s is the silver version of the 605, nothing else. You do need a sub though. Look at the eD sub in my sig.

[Driver_King]

Originally Posted by johnjayb

hmmm I want to upgrade too. What's a speaker bar

An expensive, lower quality alternative to a real surround sound system.

[mpstjohn]

Originally Posted by johnjayb

hmmm I want to upgrade too. What's a speaker bar

Something like this....

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1186004972247

[BRu-LAy]

You should also consider the Rocketfish wireless system, which uses two transmitters to connect (One for your main receiver, and one for your rear speakers).

You can get it around $100 or less

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by Driver_King

Compared to the Athena speaker set, the Onkyo set is a waste of your money.

P.S. I fixed the link. $110 per speaker isn't bad, although I've seen $60 per speaker.

Ok, I've kind of hedged around the subject, but what's the deal on the Athenas? Comparatively, they're cheap. They look nice and seem to be well-built. How do they sound? I've not seen them available locally to audition. Are there reviews out there?

Whenever you post about them I keep peeking at the site and I'm curious.