Help with Sony Bravia 5.1 System

[bns1201]

I have a 32'' Bravia TV and a PS3....now i just need to complete the circle. Lemme just say i'm 18 and going to college. and there are things i need help with. Namely, this surround sound system.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....#productdetail
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665186457

1. Is this a good system that will last me 5-7 years?
2. Would this be good enough for say a 12' x 10' room? and do the speakers have long enough cords so that i can wrap them around my room on say...the roof?
3. Does this $350 5.1 system give you the bang for the buck?
4. Would you get it for your first surround sound system?

Thanks a lot ahead of time, I hope some of you can answer my questions, and steer me in a right direction. If not, please show me a good system <$400 that doesn't have a dvd player, just a speaker system/receiver deal. Thanks again.

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by bns1201

1. Is this a good system that will last me 5-7 years?

HTIB setups are ok at best. Will it last you 5 to 7 years? It could. Depends on how into home theater you are...check out the Home Theater Pic thread, you wont see too many HTIB setups. But for a college student with smaller room, it would be a good start.

2. Would this be good enough for say a 12' x 10' room? and do the speakers have long enough cords so that i can wrap them around my room on say...the roof?

should be fine for a 12'x10' room. Not sure about the reach for the roof. They give you roughly 25ft (8 meters according to the specs) for the surround speakers...will it reach the roof? I dunno, that would be for you to measure.

3. Does this $350 5.1 system give you the bang for the buck?

its pretty impressive, but ive never actually seen or heard a review on it, so I will reserve judgement...it does say it can do 5.1PCM through HDMI, which would be a huge plus. But Ive seen plenty of SONY spec misprints in the past that I take it with a grain of salt, again Id have to see more user reviews.

4. Would you get it for your first surround sound system?

18 and going to college? YES. I would get it if I was in your shoes. Even though its not of audiophile quality, I think being your first system, you will thoroughly enjoy it. Your BRAVIA and PS3 will thank you for it.

[bns1201]

damn man thanks for the help. I think im gonna stick with this one. Is HTIB home theater in a box per chance? Im waiting till im rich to get a receiver/ and some martin logans. so i guess this would be good for now. thanks again

[JasonR]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

HTIB setups are ok at best. Will it last you 5 to 7 years? It could. Depends on how into home theater you are...check out the Home Theater Pic thread, you wont see too many HTIB setups. But for a college student with smaller room, it would be a good start.



should be fine for a 12'x10' room. Not sure about the reach for the roof. They give you roughly 25ft (8 meters according to the specs) for the surround speakers...will it reach the roof? I dunno, that would be for you to measure.



its pretty impressive, but ive never actually seen or heard a review on it, so I will reserve judgement...it does say it can do 5.1PCM through HDMI, which would be a huge plus. But Ive seen plenty of SONY spec misprints in the past that I take it with a grain of salt, again Id have to see more user reviews.



18 and going to college? YES. I would get it if I was in your shoes. Even though its not of audiophile quality, I think being your first system, you will thoroughly enjoy it. Your BRAVIA and PS3 will thank you for it.

I think for a first system it is good. I have a Sony HTiB, it isn't great but it does the job. If you can wait and save, I would. I got mine a couple years ago and I am getting ready to upgrade, so five to seven years....meh It does do PCM though, which is very nice. If you want 5-7 years at a good price point, there is a very nice Onkyo HTiB.

[bns1201]

Originally Posted by JasonR

I think for a first system it is good. I have a Sony HTiB, it isn't great but it does the job. If you can wait and save, I would. I got mine a couple years ago and I am getting ready to upgrade, so five to seven years....meh It does do PCM though, which is very nice. If you want 5-7 years at a good price point, there is a very nice Onkyo HTiB.

wanna link the onkyo please?

[Petra_Kalbrain]

The system which you specified in your original post may not last you 5-7 years, but it will be really good for a College living situation. But, you may encounter other enthusiasts while there that will make you regret your purchase and you'll just want to upgrade again.

Regardless, it won't take long after college before you will want to upgrade again.

[JasonR]

Again, this is only if you want to save. This offers all HD audio formats, the Sony only does PCM. The Sony is nice for the price.

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-SP908...2270153&sr=8-4

I think there might be one cheaper with just a 605 and speakers....

[richterbon23]

yea i have the dav-hdx500 sony htib and it is a good sounding system but unfortunately does not do hd audio formats such as pcm etc. so i am getting ready to upgrady to the onkyo 705 and some klipsch quintet II's. but i would say yes sony htib are pretty good.

[bns1201]

so it would be a safe bet for 5 years to go with this one? does this do HDMI video pass through?
like will i be able to plug a PS3 to it via HDMI input, then output HDMI to my TV? and will it still sound great?

[SDon1969]

Originally Posted by bns1201

so it would be a safe bet for 5 years to go with this one? does this do HDMI video pass through?
like will i be able to plug a PS3 to it via HDMI input, then output HDMI to my TV? and will it still sound great?

I have a Sony HTiB, the HT7100DH ( http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1167445161805 ). I actually bought the Bravia first and then had to switch my purchase to this unit when I discovered it had no optical inputs (ouch). This 7100 does have HDMI (2 in & one out), but I cannot use it for sound. The PS3 was attached to Video 2 in and then out to the TV - no sound, at all. After searching the internet I found customer reviews that stated that this is a known problem with this receiver, cannot use HDMI for sound. Lame. So I use an optical switch box for the cable box, PS3 and XB360 and the coax for DVD, so at least I can get 5.1 sounds from everything. It's not the best by any stretch but it does okay for what it is.

[bns1201]

i think im gonna go with the sony. i mean its price is great, and i was looking at an Onkyo 800 as a competitor, but the lack of hdmi true pass through is a let down. i think im just gonna pick this one up tomorrow. thanks.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....#productdetail

how bout that one?