Am i missing out?

[supabilly8]

Ok guys, i recently got a ps3 for blu rays and have about 4 blu rays

i got a samsung 42' plasma 720p

i know a lot about tvs and stuff, but i dont know crap about audio

i am using some really old speakers that my dad brought, probably about 10 years ago, i dont know the brand but there's 2 of them and they're pretty big

i was wondering if i dont have surround sound, am i really missing out?

do i need to upgrade or does it not make that big of a difference..

im just wondering because i was planning to upgrade to surround sound, but i dont know if its worth it

[Zaphod]

Originally Posted by supabilly8

Ok guys, i recently got a ps3 for blu rays and have about 4 blu rays

i got a samsung 42' plasma 720p

i know a lot about tvs and stuff, but i dont know crap about audio

i am using some really old speakers that my dad brought, probably about 10 years ago, i dont know the brand but there's 2 of them and they're pretty big

i was wondering if i dont have surround sound, am i really missing out?

do i need to upgrade or does it not make that big of a difference.

im just wondering because i was planning to upgrade to surround sound, but i dont know if its worth it

I love the audio! I cannot even fathom watching a movie without surround sound, especially with LPCM!

I feel the difference is night and day and is HIGHLY worth spending the extra for it. Now you don't need to spend big $$$ for a decent surround sound setup. So even an entry level system will yield a huge difference.

[supabilly8]

Originally Posted by Zaphod

I love the audio! I cannot even fathom watching a movie without surround sound, especially with LPCM!

I feel the difference is night and day and is HIGHLY worth spending the extra for it. Now you don't need to spend big $$$ for a decent surround sound setup. So even an entry level system will yield a huge difference.

how much would it be for a "entry level" system

[scragham]

that's a question that's kind of hard to answer without more details from you.

what's YOUR price range? so long as you don't ask for something absurd, like $50-$100, you should be able to find something.

what features are YOU looking for? is HDMI audio a must for you? if so, then you're not really looking at entry-level home theater systems anymore.

etc etc etc.

should give you a better idea of what you're dealing with.

to answer your original question - even if you're 1/4 deaf from playing loud music as a kid (like me), you should still appreciate the difference a half-decent surround system makes. i'm not as much of an audiophile, so it's harder for me to tell the gradations in HOW much better something may or may not sound though.

[scragham]

oh yeah. the easiest way to find out how much of a diff surround makes to you is to either check it out at a friend's who has a surround setup or go to some electronics store and ask them to demo their setup for you.

[ground chuck]

don't do things half @ss'd, would be what my parents woulda told me. the same can be applied here.

[Objectivity]

Originally Posted by supabilly8

i got a samsung 42' plasma 720p

Wow! That's the largest TV ever.

Seriously, though. What I'm about to say is sacrilege here, but if you're not an audiophile, chances are you won't notice a difference between most of the audio formats. If you've heard surround sound for the past 10 years and couldn't tell a difference between DTS and Dolby you're not going to notice the difference on some of these newer audio options.

Look for the best surround in a box system you can find. No matter what, it's better than what you have. Or, go to a place where they have sound systems set up. Pick out the best one and ask the (knowledgeable) salesperson to rotate through all the sound options on the disk of your choice. Listen to the same output for each of the formats. If you notice a difference, take it into consideration. If you don't, then you're not at home as well.

[supabilly8]

Originally Posted by Objectivity

Wow! That's the largest TV ever.

Seriously, though. What I'm about to say is sacrilege here, but if you're not an audiophile, chances are you won't notice a difference between most of the audio formats. If you've heard surround sound for the past 10 years and couldn't tell a difference between DTS and Dolby you're not going to notice the difference on some of these newer audio options.

Look for the best surround in a box system you can find. No matter what, it's better than what you have. Or, go to a place where they have sound systems set up. Pick out the best one and ask the (knowledgeable) salesperson to rotate through all the sound options on the disk of your choice. Listen to the same output for each of the formats. If you notice a difference, take it into consideration. If you don't, then you're not at home as well.

lol i wasnt bragging...my t.v. aint nothing to brag about, my parents brought it

[Amon37]

Take it from someone who upgraded to HDMI audio this weekend, you are missing out if you don't have a basic 5.1-7.1 system and are really missing out if you don't have HDMI for lossless audio.

At least start with a nice HTIB from Onkyo or Denon, that's what I did, I only spent 500 at the time for my Onkyo HTIB and I just spent more than that just on my new HDMI Denon reciever.

[DrinkMore]

Originally Posted by Amon37

Take it from someone who upgraded to HDMI audio this weekend, you are missing out if you don't have a basic 5.1-7.1 system and are really missing out if you don't have HDMI for lossless audio.

At least start with a nice HTIB from Onkyo or Denon, that's what I did, I only spent 500 at the time for my Onkyo HTIB and I just spent more than that just on my new HDMI Denon reciever.

Concur with the Onkyo HTIB. I did my research and knew what I wanted was ONKYO! Nothing but rave reviews. So I picked it up at Circuit City - only place that had it and I wanted it now and at the time, did not have Amazon/Prime. I think it cost me 450 roughly - if that.

7.1 Surround sound. Gotta love it. The next move will be audio over HDMI. They are still a little pricey for me so I will wait a bit.

[Zarathustra]

Originally Posted by Amon37

Take it from someone who upgraded to HDMI audio this weekend, you are missing out if you don't have a basic 5.1-7.1 system and are really missing out if you don't have HDMI for lossless audio.

At least start with a nice HTIB from Onkyo or Denon, that's what I did, I only spent 500 at the time for my Onkyo HTIB and I just spent more than that just on my new HDMI Denon reciever.

Good idea, I got my starter kit a month ago
Onkyo 605
Fluance ES-1's
Fluance center and surrounds
All cost under 1000 bucks
...descent starter kit

[Footloose301]

Originally Posted by supabilly8

lol i wasnt bragging...my t.v. aint nothing to brag about, my parents brought it

NO, he was joking because you wrote 42' instead of 42"....... a 42ft tv is rather large in my opinion



Anyways, yes! The home theater makes a huge difference. I cannot watch anything without it, even tv shows. I went cheap and bought probably the best home theater in a box that you could get, $479.99 from Circuit City. Its a 7.1ch Onkyo with HDMI pass thru and 7.1 analog inputs and tons of other stuff, great for the price. Go with that and you won't regret it.