Team-BHP - The Home Theater thread

Quote:

Originally Posted by S350L-E240 (Post 2669932)

Main point is I don't want to ever ruin someones sleep, nor would I ever want anyone complaining about it

I don't like using subs much. My main rig never had (and never will have) a sub, pure and simple stereo there. The bass is deep enough for me, and apparently for some of my neighbors as well.

I just replaced my old subwoofer-assisted JBL/Pioneer HTiB with a set of 5.0 speakers from Wharfedale, and a Marantz SR5005. Enough bass for me from the side-firing woofers. It isn't very tight or well-defined, but after using Audyssey it is definitely something I can live with for background music and gaming.

Quote:

Originally Posted by reignofchaos (Post 2670677)

I had the same issue - when I got my new Ayon CD-1s CD player, the bass was so deep and defined, the folks in the lower floor started complaining. I've been researching about this since a while and I believe the biggest improvement would be achieved by getting a 1 inch layer of cork on the floor with a thick carpet on top of it. This effectively damps out most of the low frequencies from reaching the lower floor.

Regards.

That's interesting, Chaos. Gotta file that for future reference. Thought cork only works 100Hz up? Concrete itself will leak all the way up to about 80-100 so maybe all you're achieving with the cork is constrained layer?

Quote:

Originally Posted by cranky (Post 2670766)

Honestly, I'm not sure! This is what a friend of mine with an ATC setup did and he said it worked. I did see some second hand references on the internet too.

I agree concrete will leak but if cork constrains even a bit, it'll help.

Of course the easy way out is to move to a house with no neighbours downstairs. lol:

Guys i have almost finalized on purchasing a A/V receiver.
My budget permits only going for non-video upscaling receivers.

I have shortlisted two options :
1) Yamaha RX-V471 for around 29k
2) Onkyo-NR509 for around 36k

I havent included the Denon-1311 as it doesnt have component input. I have Wii hooked on t o my Panasonic Plasma using the component cable.

Onkyo-NR509 offers DLNA etc, which i really don't need because i connect my laptop directly to my tv via HDMI.
Also i dont need upscaling as my laptop does that for me(though i mite need it for Wii ,but i doubt upscaling would make a huge difference to the quality).

So back to my basic questions:
1) Which receiver out of the two should i go for? Decent audio output is my top priority
2) Any other alternatives ?
3) Does anybody know if i can get better prices than the one i mentioned above ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by djkher (Post 2688173)

Well did some more research and found that Denon-1612 is a strong contender in the sub 30k amps.

-From what i have read on the internet, denon has "Discrete" amplifier circuitry for each channel whereas Yamaha uses IC amps which are supposedly cheap and offer inferior quality.
Could anybody throw any light on this ?

-I have a question w.r.t ARC.
Say i connect my Wii (or for that matter any analog source) directly to my Panasonic Plasma(P42V20D, which does support ARC). I also have a connection from AVR to TV using the ARC HDMI port.
From my understanding of ARC, following should happen.
I have switched to analog component source on my TV and playing Wii. As my ARC is active, the audio from the Wii is routed (some analog to digital conversion happening in background) via HDMI ARC to the AVR and AVR playbacks the Wii audio.
Is my understanding correct?

-If not then i may have to use the lineouts on the TV (Read : Monitor Out) to pass just the Audio(Read: No Video) to one of the audio inputs on my AVR for plackback

well if i was you i would also look at Pioneer and sony ie the sony STR-DG820 and the Pioneer VSX921 should both be better than the receivers you are looking at and if the pricing is close i would chose either of those above any of the denon or onkyo offerings

my logic is simple i would rather have higher models of a mainstream brand with more features than absolute entry level of a specialist brand - you will generally get more functionality that way

despite differences in design and form factor most of those will sound pretty similar and when the autosetup is done you will be hard pressed to hear much difference between them all IMHO

sorry i cannot help about the ARC issue cos i havent had much use for it at all so far so i have no experience with it

Quote:

Originally Posted by djkher (Post 2688173)

I have shortlisted two options :
1) Yamaha RX-V471 for around 29k
2) Onkyo-NR509 for around 36k

I have a Yamaha and absolutely love it. Like another poster recommended you may want to go for more features and a mainstream brand if you are on a tight budget.
I absolutely love the network capabilities of my AVR and ability to play internet radio, stream music to it over wifi etc. The smart phone app for controlling it is another big plus. I think this is something you should consider as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by naughty001 (Post 2691076)

Quote:

Originally Posted by cranky (Post 2691665)

If you stretch to 35k, the Marantz 5005 is on a distress sale at most retailers.

At that price, there's not much else to touch it from an audio quality perspective.

Quote:

Originally Posted by diyguy (Post 2692004)

Well after all the research, i bought a Yamaha RX-V371 for 20K with bill and warranty.

The reason i took the cheapest one?
I didn't need the fancy DLNA or Upscaling, as my main use-case was :
Laptop-Dell XPS 15 (via HDMI) -> AVR (for audio - via HDMI)-> Plasma (for video)
All audio streams are handled flawlessly :).

The sound is awesome(atleast for me). Right now i am using Sony Hi-fi speakers from my old music system and they do sound good.
Planning to get a set of tower speakers in the near future.

Will check the ARC function tomorrow. I guess it should work fine too

Quote:

Originally Posted by djkher (Post 2693797)

Well after all the research, i bought a Yamaha RX-V371 for 20K with bill and warranty.
......

Right now i am using Sony Hi-fi speakers from my old music system and they do sound good.
Planning to get a set of tower speakers in the near future.

I took pretty much the same path.

Had Sony HiFi system, purchased Yamaha 665 AVR and used that with Sony speakers for a while. Later purchased a 5.1 speaker set.

Now, looking for decent bookshelves to replace Front left and eight speakers.

I am looking forward to buy a home theater system. The basic pupose is for an occasional evening where we watch a movie on the plasma at home. I have got Airtel's IPTV on it which enables me to view the programmes from the last 1 week.

I have no idea when it comes to music systems and so really confused what should I buy. I am looking for something that doesn't look too bulky. It would be very rarely used to play some DVD if at all.

Budget is lesser the better. So what all options do I have? I was thinking Sony or Samsung but Dad was keen on Bose ( just for the experience sake, otherwise he is as clueless as me when it comes to music). Infact to think of it even a good set of speakers will suit my requirement.

Quote:

Originally Posted by drmohitg (Post 2695213)

Budget is lesser the better. So what all options do I have?

Just add another zero to the figure you have in mind.

Quote:

I was thinking Sony or Samsung but Dad was keen on Bose ( just for the experience sake, otherwise he is as clueless as me when it comes to music).

Ah. Then, you can inquire about Bose HT systems, find the price - one which you think you will buy, divide the figure by two, and come to us. We will give you a configuration which is 4 times better at that price (bose divided by two, that is).

For a start, I suggest you go through Samurai's thread on designing HT systems.

And go through 20 pages or so of this thread - to find what people have purchased so far and at what price.

I am not a huge fan of BOSE .... the reasons are very simple. Bose simply does not present value for money at the price range it is sold at

Bose is not altogether bad - and in some circumstances it can be okay but IMHO only if they actually drop the price down to around 30% to 40% of what they actually charge then it will be good for what it is but at current pricing even computer speakers like Logitech and cambridge soundworks can perform similarly for far less money .... so imagine what a proper home theater system is going to compare like against the performance of a Bose system especially in a like for like price range

Quote:

Originally Posted by reignofchaos (Post 2670852)

Is this with spikes for the speakers stands or without ?