Is it better to have a cheap home theater or no home theater?

[ViktorL]

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[SlaughterX]

Some type of surround sound and a subwoofer are better than none, I always say.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by SlaughterX

Some type of surround sound and a subwoofer are better than none, I always say.

I will agree. Having something is better then nothing no matter what it cost to have something

[My_Two_Cents]

Everyone needs to start somewhere.

That being said, there is "cheap" and there is inexpensive. You're much better off saving just a little more to get a decent inexpensive HT than buying a cheap POS that will sound like crap.

[spaceape]

Originally Posted by ViktorL

Read above

Depends on if you are asking what is best on your wallet or movie enjoyment hehe.

You can start up getting just a good budget reciever and a couple of speakers for a stereo setup. Anything is better than the tv's build in.

[callas01]

Originally Posted by ViktorL

Read above

First lets start with, What is your budget?

Something is always better then TV speakers, as it has been said over and over.... the speakers on TVs are typically behind the TVs now, and they are so small that they are terrrible.

[daemonfly]

Depends on a few factors.

How cheap is "cheap"? This will vary widely.

The Onkyo HTiaB setups are pretty cheap, comparatively, and are well regarded.

Is it a case of "buy cheap now" vs "save up for better later"? That would depend on the person, and their patience (and willpower ).

One could also just start with a decent TV, receiver, and just two front speakers, then work their way up to 5.1+.



Or... find a friend who had a Bose setup, and has "seen the light". Get said Bose system off him for cheap or even free, then resell for a discount off the new price to fund your real system.

[ZIPPO]

[Big Daddy]

Technology has improved so much that even inexpensive receivers and speakers can sound reasonably good and satisfying.

[HAMP]

The answer is defiantly ‘YES’. Don’t be discouraged by a friend so called expensive setup. We all have to start somewhere; I believe it’s just hard going backwards.

Or maybe my backwards made me see that the answer is ‘Yes’.

I started with a HTiB, and then another, and I learned something’s, and ended up buying a decent setup. Well when my decent setup was stolen, my first thought was to leave the hobby alone. After awhile I was missing it, and I couldn’t stand the normal TV speakers. I ended up digging in my closet and bringing out the old HTiB I had bought at first.

Believe me, what some call cheap was niiice!!!!
I had a little comfort for awhile again.

It was far better then not having it.

[steve c.]

perhaps around 15-20years ago,i had a laserdisc player,when they were first out. a small fortune at the time for a young guy at $900. It was in the basement,hooked up to a regular TV,with my stereo amp/speakers. I guess it was "home theatre" at the time,but i didnt quite know it as that.

All i do know,is when my parents were out,i would be down in the dark,stereo cranked,watching computer animation on laserdisc in stereo. it was friggin' awesome. I love movies,it's my hobby,really. Thing to ask yourself is,what budget do i have? what can i get now that would be cool? Should i buy now for later?

Bottom line,get what you can afford,if you have to,wait an extra few months to get something thats a lot better,enjoy what you have now,and keep in mind,it will only be as good as it's weakest link,so you could be changing things out often...dont sweat it, do what you can with what you have,it worked for me all those years ago,and it will always get better,smaller,brighter,and less expensive as you go on.

[Blown 4.3]

2 stereo speakers and a reciever. 1000X better than tv speakers.
about $50 on craigslist.

money well spent.

[DIY_HD]

It all depends on how long you will have to save to get a decent quality system. If, for example, you can wait another 6 months and save enough for a good quality system, it would be a better investment than buying a low-end system that you may want to upgrade a year from now.

On the other hand, you may not want to go a year or more with nothing. You don't have to have a Mercedes to get to work. A basic Chevy will get you there too, although the ride won't quite be the same.

[octagon]

If you decide to go with an interim system for the time being be very careful about bracket creep.

You'll start out with a reasonable budget that won't delay your ultimate plans by too terribly much but once you start pricing things you'll see that an extra twenty here will get you this additional feature, an extra fifty there will get you more power and really only a lunatic would pass up ABC for only XXX dollars more and before you know it you still won't have the system you really want but you'll have gutted your plans to save for it.

And the real hell of it is every single step won't just seem reasonable, it will seem indispensible

[oppopioneer]

Start off cheap and build up from there, every Birthday and Christmas ask for a new piece to add to it.

[Moefiz]

I would say start with what you can afford and has time go by you can always step up one piece at a time...

[BDS23420]

Originally Posted by callas01

First lets start with, What is your budget?

Something is always better then TV speakers, as it has been said over and over.... the speakers on TVs are typically behind the TVs now, and they are so small that they are terrible.

that is true, but on my new tv the speakers are actually quite good the only thing that they are lacking is deep bass....

but I would still say get a system, I am!!!

[HAMP]

Originally Posted by BDS23420

that is true, but on my new tv the speakers are actually quite good the only thing that they are lacking is deep bass....

but I would still say get a system, I am!!!

looking at your pics, you do have a system.

[BDS23420]

Originally Posted by HAMP

looking at your pics, you do have a system.

thats just a dvd surround sound, that is not a system, and it does not hook up to the new tv, there was no audio out, only digital audio out, but I knew I didnt want that anymore so I am getting a whole new surround sound.

[HAMP]

Originally Posted by BDS23420

thats just a dvd surround sound, that is not a system, and it does not hook up to the new tv, there was no audio out, only digital audio out, but I knew I didnt want that anymore so I am getting a whole new surround sound.

I understand you don't want it anymore, but It sounds like your not using it to it's fullest until you upgrade.

What kind of inputs does surround have?

Or if you like, what is the model number?