Home Theater 'kit' Recommendations, About $1,000

[Clocker]

I'm looking to setup a decent HT at home. I don't watch a ton of TV or movies but I'd like to have a decent setup. I'll spend up to about $1,000.

These are two kits I'm currently considering.

Samsung HT-SK6
http://reviews.cnet.com/Samsung_HT_SK6/4505-6449_7-20136699-2.html?tag=top

Samsung HT-DM550
http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/Samsung_HT_DM550/4505-6449_16-20693513-4.html?tag=top

The 'kits' include a DVD player which is fine with me. But, I already have a Pioneer DV-440 DVD player. If I could keep using that and get a better system with buying components (and maybe even save some money, that would be great. It has a lot of nice connectivity options (including optical out which I have no idea if it is any good).

Next I'll have to get a decent (& bigger) TV to replace my Sony Trinitron

THoughts...recommendations?

Thanks,
C

 

[Pradeep]

I dunno if your Pioneer has progressive output. But in any case it should work fine. Perhaps upgrade it when you upgrade the TV. Or your new TV can upconvert it to progressive. Optical (Toslink) or digital (RCA connector) output is used to hookup the DVD player to the receiver for decoding audio streams.

Personally I'm using a Pioneer VSX-811 receiver, has DTS-ES and DD-EX etc, cost around $300. I believe the VSX-812K is the current model equivalent. They have two optical and two coax inputs. Both support dual (mono) rear channel amplification. Or alternatively you can use the rear amp channel to power a subwoofer.

For speakers I'm using a 5 pack of JBLs, that was around $300 as well. I don't have a sub at the moment, but I will eventually get something from SVS. For DVD I'm awaiting delivery of a Philips DVP642, it can playback divX, but most importantly can be made to play all regions, and PAL on NTSC. My Cyberhome 500 has died, and the shitbox Apex 1200 only plays back pressed discs, no multi region capability anyway. Hopefully the Philips lasts a while.

If I was in your shoes I would get say a $300 receiver, $300 for 5-6 matched speakers, and then see how it sounds. You can always add rear speaker/sub later. Do you have to worry about WAF? (wife acceptance factor)

 

[Mercutio]

You'll only thank yourself for buying a real receiver and real speakers. $1000 is plenty of money for that.

1. DON'T SKIMP ON YOUR CENTER CHANNEL. Spend extra to get a nice center.

2. Buy timbre-matched speakers (all from the same manufacturer, at least) - I like Yamaha for cheapies, and I prefer bookshelf/tower speakers over sub/sat systems, even for entry level stuff.
Speakers are what you should spend most of your money on.

3. Sub/Sats often have a higher Wife Acceptance Factor, unfortunately.

4. Receiver-wise, Harmon Kardon, Yamaha and Onkyo have solid entry-level products.

5. Friends don't let friends buy Bose.

6. You CAN live without a sub, if you buy good front speakers.

Honest, C, it's worth the money to not do the all-in-one thing. If you have to, yeah, that Samsung SK6 looks pretty OK, but that's without hearing it, and with the warning that you can do better with your $1000.

 

[Clocker]

Thanks for your replies, guys. WAF is somewhat important but I will be making the final decision for this system. I've already made the decision to go with a sub-sat type system. With the layout of my room, I need to use that type of system and, as Merc mentioned, it does help raise the WAF which I like to do when possible. Plus, my great room is already prepped for rear sats with the necessary wall outlets in the back.

I see a nice Onyko package that is around $1k which I'll investigate more. I kind of like the 'kits' for ease of installation and matching of components. That SK6 system has Klipsch speakers which I hear are pretty good, too but I don't like the fact that it (according to the review) has a noisy cooling fan that is on all the time. The local Great Indoors clearance center has it for $800 but it will be marked down soon, probably another 20%. They're closing shop in a few weeks.

Decisions, decisions. I think I'll end up getting a kit for convenience but I'll make sure I focus on one with higher quality speakers.

So, I'm focusing on a sub-sat system at this point with good quality speakers. Any additional input would be greatly appreciated. Specifically, are there any brands or models that you know of that really suck? Or, what about good places to look for reviews and good prices (if I want to shop online to make the final purchase).

Thanks,
C

 

[timwhit]

Please don't buy Klipsch speakers. There are countless reasons, the most important being that they use horns. Which are fine for use in a stadium, but don't really sound very good in a home setting.

I would go for an Onkyo receiver, but I don't know about buying a package. I really don't like sub/sat systems. They never sound very good, and they really suck for music.

Whatever you end up buying, make sure that you go and listen to it before making a decision. Bring your own CDs and DVDs so that you can give the speakers a real test. Lots of audio stores will let you take the speakers home to test them out before you buy. I would definitely do this, so that you can get an idea of how they will sound in your house before you spend any money.

 

[Mercutio]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=32861&item=5704549235&rd=1


Mmmm... Kef

 

[ddrueding]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=32861&item=5704549235&rd=1


Mmmm... Kef

Are those any good? They look as cheezy as some of the newer creative / altec lansing stuff....

 

[Mercutio]

Honestly, I don't know. But they're Kef speakers, which means they're better than anything sold at Best Buy.