Best Setup For under $1000

[house1000sleeved]

I am trying to get a decent TRUEHD setup for under $1000 (receiver/speakers)...
What does everyone recommend?

[callas01]

Reciever
Sony 920 $375 at ugotadeal.com
Onkyo 606 $350 at amazon.com
you can also look into the Pioneer 1018 and the yamaha 663

Polk Monitor 50 $400 amazon
Polk CS2 $164
Polk monitor 30 $145
Polk PSW10 sub

or

Sony SS-F7000 $154 ugotadeal.com
SS-CN5000 $65
SS-B3000 $99
SA-W3000 $140
Most people that are here will tell you not to buy sony speakers, but listen for yourself they are actually better then most people will say. Anyone who owns them will tell you that they are better than people give them credit for. Although, I would say go for the Polks first if you can afford them.

[Driver_King]

Polk Monitor 60's

Onkyo 606 (see my sig)

eD A2-300 (see my sig)

Insignia surrounds

You should save for the Polk CS2 center channel.

You should see that as more than decent.

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by callas01

Polk Monitor 50 $400 amazon

not sure what is up with amazon, the monitor 50's were $130 each the other day, now they're back to around $200, while the Monitor 60's are $200 now.

The Polk's would be excellent speakers, if buying right now Id get the 60's...or wait until the 50's come back down in price because they are usually found around the $150 range.


also, another option for receiver would be Pioneer VSX-1018.

[house1000sleeved]

If the polks are a lot better, i'll put the few extra bucks into it.

[Driver_King]

Yes, they are. Not to take take the Sony's down or anything, but the Polks would be a better choice.

[house1000sleeved]

Originally Posted by Driver_King

Yes, they are. Not to take take the Sony's down or anything, but the Polks would be a better choice.

Alright, I was going to ask that in a different way, because i was looking at CNET/AMAZON review on every speaker/sub/receiver posted, and what i found was a mix between sony and polk(listed below for the highest reviews) but i really dont want to mix companies....

Front Speakers
Polk Monitor 60


Surround Speakers
Sony SS-B3000

Sub Speakers
Sony SA-W3000

Center Speaker(these 2 pretty much tied)
Polk CS2
SS-CN5000



also, out of the 5 receivers posted they all kinda balanced out in their own way i saw....


Receiver
Sony 920 high rating but only 5.1
Onkyo 606 lower rating than sony 920 but 7.1
Pioneer 1018 4/5
yamaha RX-V663BL has treally high reviews
Pioneer VSX-1018AH-K 7 Channel has the highest reveiws, every sit ei see says 5 out of 5

Which out of these 5 do you guys recomend? I know its a personal preference, but if I sat at best buy trying to mess with all these combinations, no one would be able to check them out there bc i would be there for hours.... I am trying to get this all set up for The Dark Knight

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by house1000sleeved

Sony 920 high rating but only 5.1

the sony 920 is 7.1 capable.

[Driver_King]

All I say is look at my post with all of my recommendations for speakers, sub, and receiver above.

[plenipote]

I would recommend the Yamaha receiver, because I own one myself, and I love it. I would also recommend the Polk speakers over the Sonys. To me, they just sound better.

[Ectoplasm]

The Sony receivers just don't produce real power under load compared to the Onkyo, for example. Sony makes low-priced feature-filled receivers, but they are not known for their power, or actually putting out the wattages they claim.

Sony has a very high THD, which is often an indication that wattage is fudged. See this article for a good overview about what specs really mean:

http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/10309/

Comparing Specifications - An Example

Here are some real world power specifications to compare. While reading them, try to figure out which one is probably the better amplifier. For this example, assume that both amps in question contain five channels.

Amp #1 - 75W per channel, 5Hz - 80kHz, @ 8 Ohms, 5 channels driven with no more than .08% THD.

Amp #2 - 100W per channel, 80Hz - 20kHz @ 6 Ohms, 5 channels driven with no more than 1.0% THD.

So the question on everyone's mind is, "Which one is the better amplifier?" At first glance it may appear that #2 is the better amp, considering it boasts 25 more watts than amp #1. However, the surprising answer is that amp #1 is probably the better amplifier. Here's why:

* As you can see, the stated frequency response on amp #1 is considerably wider than amp #2. This means that amp #1 was producing a much wider range of extreme frequencies than the second. In fact, amp #2 cut out low bass frequencies entirely, indicating that it may not be able to hold up under extreme bass passages.

* It also shows that amp #1 was tested using a higher impedance than #2, and as you learned above, higher impedances produce lower wattages. Amp #2 used a 6 ohm load, which would give it a higher claimed wattage than if it had used an 8 ohm load.

* Amp #1 has less distortion than amp #2. While distortion is not always a clear indicator of an amps sound quality, it does show that #1 is altering the input signal much less than amp #2. Considering that amp #1 was tested harder than #2, it's impressive that it maintained low distortion under a rigorous test.

[house1000sleeved]

my bad for all the questions i am just trying to blow people away without spending $2000-$3000 on the audio. Have a lot of people coming over to watch The Dark Knight in Dec.

I was also thinking of having The Best Buy HDTV Calibration... but dont know if its worth it on the HP LC4276N?

Also, I have been looking for a while online for a modern BluRay Holder, maybe one that hangs on the wall if anyone knows of one...

[house1000sleeved]

So heres what I have so far.....

Receiver
Yamaha RX-V663BL

Front Speakers
(2) Polk Monitor 60's

Surround Speakers
(4) Polk Monitor 30's

Sub Speakers
(1) Polk PSW10 Sub

Center Speaker
(1) Polk CS2


With Monster Audio Cable

[Ectoplasm]

The Yamaha is also a nice choice.

Stay away from Monster cable! Overpriced!

Look for bluejeans cables.

[Ectoplasm]

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/...bles/index.htm

[house1000sleeved]

Originally Posted by Ectoplasm

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/...bles/index.htm

I am def. checking out the bluejeanscables right now... I just always noticed a huge difference with the Monster HDMI cable i bought.

[callas01]

that would be a GREAT set up. but as everyone would agree, you should listen the speakers yourself to see what you like with your ears before you just buy what WE like.

time to go window shopping.

[callas01]

Also, check out yougotadeal.com, they have some great prices, but go window shopping first

[house1000sleeved]

I have a problem window shopping though bc if i go to a store, and not order it online I will end up dropping $3000+ and i dont want to do that lol

[house1000sleeved]

the other problem i am running into is my family room design for setting up 7.1...

the tv is in a corner on a stand now the front speakers, center, rear speakers and sub wont be a problem, then problem would be the die speakers as to one side is a sliding glass door, and the other side is a couch which is an open area/living room. And don't really want to hang from he ceiling.... any other ideas?