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Old 11-16-2008, 03:01 AM   #1
Driver_King Driver_King is offline
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Default Home Theater Virgins- The official thread

My coined "Home Theater Virgins" phrase has been in my signature for many months now. I figured why not start a full thread. I will be discussing the basics here and what it all means for you.

Surround Sound:

Why do you need it? Many people will agree with the statement that audio is half the experience. Some people would say it is more; many less would say it is less of that. To not like surround sound here are some possible poor excuses:

1) I don't like experiences
2) I don't like surprises
3) I don't like the theaters ()
4) I don't like big speakers and wires all around me (many ways around both)
5) I can't enjoy music or movies because I don't want to

Well, if you don't fall in between any of those categories, you should be able to enjoy surround sound.

What really is surround sound though?
Surround sound provides the depth, soundstage, ambiance, offers better panning effects (from speaker to speaker), and more. If you feel that you are just watching a movie, you aren't doing something right. It is all in the experience.

What is the big deal about HD Audio and True HD and DTS HDMA and PCM and all that jazz?!? The difference is in what you hear or in lossy codec terms (DTS, DTS HR, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus), what you don't hear. With lossless codecs, you are able to interpret everything better. Vocals and voices are better, instruments sound more alive, explosions feel like explosions, breaking glass sounds like breaking glass, rain sounds like rain, the soundstage is more open, ect. With lossy codecs you miss things during lossy compression where data is squeezed for more room (very practical by DVD standards) and data is lost. With Blu-ray, you have more space and therefore are enabled to have 100% of the data, identical to the directors intended master audio, playing in your home cinema.

Do you have to have special speakers that make HD sound work? No.

What if I don't want large speakers? There are many choices and brands that offer small speakers. If bookshelves are too big and compact bookshelves just aren't convenient enough, this package offers the world's smallest omnipolar speakers for an affordable price, without sacrificing good sound quality.

What if I want small speakers or large speakers but don't want to see wiring? I will say that Monoprice has many in-wall cables and wall plates suitable for in wall/ceiling applications for clean installations. I can also say that by going with "wireless" surround sound, you do sacrifice sound quality. Nonetheless, Rocketfish are great solutions to your wireless surround sound needs.

What do I need to get HD sound? You need an up-to-date Blu-ray player, two HDMI cables (from your Blu-ray player to your HD-audio capable receiver (a receiver with HDMI 1.1 repeating that accepts PCM over HDMI or any receiver that has multichannel analog inputs) and from your receiver to your TV or monitor), the disc, the settings, and the rest of your theater.

What if I'm on a tight budget? You can do a few things:

1) Save if it is less than $500 or so.
2) PM me.
3) Start a new thread.

Budget systems:

Most importantly, one of our most trusted and liked websites, Monoprice, has practically every single cable you would want or need. Plus, they sell it for cheap! They have basically all home theater cables, wires, internet cables, switches, adapters, and more. All of their cables have a lifetime warantee and are always built with quality.

~$500

Polk RM6750 + Onkyo 607

$1695 Shipped

Polk Monitor 60's + Polk CS2 + Polk Monitor 30's + Elemental Designs A2-300 + Onkyo 875


Polk Audio's Official eBay Direct Store is here. All products sold their come with full warantees.


Important and useful links:

Guide to Spelling:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/general-ch...ish-101-a.html

Cables and Connections:
Home Theater Connections
Guide to Optical, Coaxial, & Speaker Cables
HDMI Cables
Banana Plugs

Home Theater Audio:
Home Theater Audio Codecs- In detail
Understanding Dialog Normalization
More Lossless Audio Help
Understanding & Using Test Tones
HD Audio on your Playstation 3
The Difference Between Bitstreaming and Linear PCM
Receiver Decoding or Player Decoding- What Is Best

Multichannel Music:
SACD Guide
DVD-Audio and Dualdisc Guide

Receivers:
Connecting Older (Non-HDMI) Receivers to Get Lossless Audio
Calibrating Your Audio Manually with an SPL Meter
A Guide to Bass Management
A Guide to Amplifiers

Speakers:
Speakers 101
Impendances and Sensitivities of Speakers
Bipolar, Dipolar, & Direct-Radiating Surround Speakers
Setting Your Speaker Size
Proper Speaker Placement
Horizontal Center Channel Speakers Problems
Bi-amping and Bi-wiring Speakers
Complete List of Speaker Manufacturers
Master List of Speaker Review Thread
Bookshelf Speaker Options
Why You Should Stay Away from Bose
Exotic Speakers Anyone?
DIY Speaker Stands

Subwoofers:
Understanding Subwoofers
Subwoofer Positioning & Standing Waves
A Guide to Bass Management
How Crossover Networks Work
How to Build Subwoofers and Upgrade Speakers
DIY Subwoofer Risers
List of Subwoofer Manufacturers
Master List of Subwoofer "Owners Thread"
Elemental Designs A2-300 Review

Miscellaneous:
Home Theater Gallery- Start Your Own Journey and Get Recommendations
Movies with 7.1 Surround Sound
What the Professionals Have to Say
Surround Sound for Your Headphones





...

Last edited by Big Daddy; 04-15-2011 at 01:40 AM.
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Old 12-06-2008, 10:03 PM   #2
Driver_King Driver_King is offline
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Updated links and prices.
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Old 12-06-2008, 10:08 PM   #3
Midnightsailor Midnightsailor is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Driver_King View Post
Updated links and prices.
Great work man!
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Old 12-07-2008, 05:04 AM   #4
b15nut b15nut is offline
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Thanks for this thread!! I am thinking about ugrading my receiver and speakers but just can't seem to do it! They are all working great still DAMN IT!! I am using HK AVR45 receiver (9years old now) and my Technics 10" floor speakers and center channel (both 12 years old) and a 100w 10" powered JBL sub (8 years old). It still has great sound and just wont die

I will definitely be using this thread as my manual for the future.

Any thoughts on the difference between the Polk R50 and Polk Monitor 50?
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Old 12-07-2008, 05:16 AM   #5
Driver_King Driver_King is offline
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I'd personally go for the Monitor 50's there but even with the prices they are now, you may want to look here for even more options.
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Old 12-07-2008, 05:21 AM   #6
b15nut b15nut is offline
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Thanks. Now if I can just get my daughter to pour some more juice on the receiver we would have an excuse
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Old 12-07-2008, 07:57 PM   #7
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Hi Everyone,

I signed up on this forum about 8 months back to find out all about blu ray and stuff but then quickly stopped visiting since i did not have the budget at that time. I believe now I will be able to build a decent current technology package that will enhance my over all experience. Before i aks all of my questions the main reason i posted against this thread was all of my questions is regarding the home theater.

What I have currently:

1. Samsun 720p plasma
2. A 7 year old Sony HTIB

I want to upgrade but then again I cannot do it all at once . With what I have now I want to upgrade my home theater first and then get my tv and blu ray. So I want to build my HT such then I am blu ray ready and this post has been very valuable. I like the suggestion of the Onkyo 606 and the RM 6750 for the price of about $500.

Question 1:

I see in the spec that the Onkyo 606 upconverts up to 1080i. Does this mean for the picture I will have to directly take it from a blu ray player to the tv and cannot go through the receiver? Is my understanding right? (This is using an HDMI of course)

Question 2:

I know there is a lot of threads that discuss about what blu ray players to get but does any one have any suggestion on Apple tv? I know currently Apple tv is up to 720p only but if it does become 1080p support will it be the same as a blu ray?

I highly appreciate your time in reading this and also in advance thank for your answers. I am hoping by participating in this forum I am able to increase my knowledge in this field and make good decisions in what i buy (of course all well with in my budget).

FYI, my 1080p tv purchase will atleast take me another 4 months.

Thanks again!
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Old 12-07-2008, 08:05 PM   #8
aramis109 aramis109 is offline
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1. It won't touch 1080p sources. What you're talking about is only analog sources, like composite/component/s-video.

2. I don't know much about the Apple TV, but I'm going to say no. They're going to be more heavily compressed than blu-ray, and they're not going to have lossless audio. Even the lossy audio won't be able to compete with BD's higher-bitrate Dolby Digital and DTS.
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Old 12-07-2008, 08:05 PM   #9
Driver_King Driver_King is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sweety123 View Post
Question 1:

I see in the spec that the Onkyo 606 upconverts up to 1080i. Does this mean for the picture I will have to directly take it from a blu ray player to the tv and cannot go through the receiver? Is my understanding right? (This is using an HDMI of course)

Question 2:

I know there is a lot of threads that discuss about what blu ray players to get but does any one have any suggestion on Apple tv? I know currently Apple tv is up to 720p only but if it does become 1080p support will it be the same as a blu ray?
Answer 1:

You need to use two HDMI cables from your player to receiver and receiver to TV. The upscaling only applies to content that isn't already in HD or 1080i.

Answer 2:

No digital downloads can currently match Blu-ray's quality in any shape or form.
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Old 12-07-2008, 08:07 PM   #10
Driver_King Driver_King is offline
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Hey, you're a Guru too now!?!
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Old 12-07-2008, 08:10 PM   #11
sweety123 sweety123 is offline
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Thanks for the quick replies. I think I am ready ot make my HT purchase. I am really excited. If I have more questions I sure know that any one of you will have the answers. I once again appreciate all your time.

Thanks!
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Old 12-07-2008, 08:16 PM   #12
Driver_King Driver_King is offline
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Have fun.
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Old 12-16-2008, 08:23 PM   #13
aramis109 aramis109 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Driver_King View Post
Hey, you're a Guru too now!?!
MUAHAHAHA... yeah, hit it a couple days ago.
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Old 12-17-2008, 06:12 PM   #14
jfree jfree is offline
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DK,

Thanks for the thread...I'm setting up a new system using your suggestions.

46" Samsung 46A550
Sony S550 player
Onkyo 606 receiver
Polk RM 6750 speakers

I'm getting it in this week, but it will probably have to wait until just after Christmas to set it up.

If you were going to upgrade the speakers, maybe piece by piece, what would be the first piece you'd upgrade? I'm just looking ahead. This question is open to all, not just DK.

Thanks,

Joe
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Old 01-02-2009, 01:27 AM   #15
bud332 bud332 is offline
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Default Need Help with Home Theater Hookup.

Hello, I am new to this site and have enjoyed reading all the help out there. I have a Samsung 42" 1080 that I purchased 4 months ago. I also have a 5 disc Sony DVD home theater system which works great. However, I would like to switch to blu ray. Since my home theater is a dvd/home theater in one unit can I hook up a blue ray to play through the Sony DVD/Home Theater unit so I do not have to buy a new home theater system? I know I could hook up a blue ray directly to the TV but then would I loose the home theater sound and just hear it through the TV speakers?

Confused and not sure what to do? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

Bud332
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Old 01-02-2009, 03:31 PM   #16
aramis109 aramis109 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bud332 View Post
Hello, I am new to this site and have enjoyed reading all the help out there. I have a Samsung 42" 1080 that I purchased 4 months ago. I also have a 5 disc Sony DVD home theater system which works great. However, I would like to switch to blu ray. Since my home theater is a dvd/home theater in one unit can I hook up a blue ray to play through the Sony DVD/Home Theater unit so I do not have to buy a new home theater system? I know I could hook up a blue ray directly to the TV but then would I loose the home theater sound and just hear it through the TV speakers?

Confused and not sure what to do? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

Bud332
Got a model # or even better a link to the all-in-one?

If it has an optical input, you can just run optical from the player to the receiver and get lossy 5.1 sound.
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Old 01-03-2009, 03:14 AM   #17
b15nut b15nut is offline
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If there are inputs on the back of your current set up then you can do it. Just run HDMI from the BD player to the DVD but turn off the HDMI audio in the player. Then run either optical or rca's (depending on what inputs you have) from the BD player to the home theater.
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Old 02-07-2009, 03:19 AM   #18
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Default Updates!

I fixed some of the links that have been dead for quite awhile now under the budget system section. I added Polk Audio Direct's website on there too. For anyone interested in saving a few more bucks and not waiting, you can get the Monitor 50's here instead of the 60's. Just pick your color.
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Old 02-08-2009, 03:40 AM   #19
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Your knowledge on hometheater systems seems to be other worldy, so as a lost virgin, I beseech your guidance oh great one. I live in Canada where items are difficult to find and overpriced for no reason. There's a possibility I might be able to clinch the recommended setup of Polk Audio RM6750 5.1 Home Theater Speaker System + ONKYO TX-SR606. The grand total would probably amount to just over 800. I've also stumbled upon a package from the brick. It is the HTS5100B 7.1-Channel Home Theater Package going for 700 dollars or so - this is as foreign as another language to me. Please guide me so I can practise smart and safe purchasing tendencies without contracting an awful STD - Sucky theater deal (I tried to be as creative as possible)
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Old 02-08-2009, 05:11 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KiaKia View Post
Your knowledge on hometheater systems seems to be other worldy, so as a lost virgin, I beseech your guidance oh great one. I live in Canada where items are difficult to find and overpriced for no reason. There's a possibility I might be able to clinch the recommended setup of Polk Audio RM6750 5.1 Home Theater Speaker System + ONKYO TX-SR606. The grand total would probably amount to just over 800. I've also stumbled upon a package from the brick. It is the HTS5100B 7.1-Channel Home Theater Package going for 700 dollars or so - this is as foreign as another language to me. Please guide me so I can practise smart and safe purchasing tendencies without contracting an awful STD - Sucky theater deal (I tried to be as creative as possible)
i'm in the same boat. my budget is around 600-800. let me know what you decide, i'm definitely going to keep a close eye on this thread.

found the HTS5100B setup here 70 bucks cheaper than the brick. i wonder if the brick would price match...hmmm...
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