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Guys

Those looking for a HTiB solution in the 20k-25k range will be advised to give the Philips 4750 a listen. It blew me, and a lot of more expensive models, away!


Please seek out the nearest PHILIPS ARENA and get yourself a demo in their dedicated HT Room. Please do not audition the system in any open noisy environment.

The sound quality that you got in the demo room, can that be replicated under normal living room conditions, especially if its an L-shaped room ?

NO - you cannot. But this is true for any HT set up in any demo room. What it will give you is an idea of how it can sound minus all that extraneous sound and interference that would exist in an open shop floor. What you will find is that you will have to play around with your speaker/sub positioning till you get the sound you like.

The Hifi and HT component manufacturers have started giving home-demos. However we are talking HTiB's here - unfortunately I have not heard any manufacturer giving you a home demo in that segment!

Lastly I have extensively auditioned various HT combinations. I felt that the Philips could faithfully do 95% of what the more expensive equipment did, at a fraction of the cost! Tehre are a lot of owners on this forum who are extremely happy with them.

Give them a listen - and go with your ears!

yes i already did that. Onkyo 606 gives me a bang for the buck i guess - will audition the same tomorrow. And there is the Yamaha 863 (which is very expensive here).

Why did not the HT bug bite me 4-5 months back. I could have easily carried some luggage back from the US. I feel like a @#@$.

Anyway lets see what the Philips 4750 system can do. Only problem is - i wanted a future proof system. One that could be connected to my PC via spdif, my ps2, my p3s (coming soon), my tata sky and to the plasma.

With a philips 4750 what are my chances of a future upgrade?

From what I have read, Oknyo and Yamaha are better for movies than for music. Keep that in mind.

I have the Onkyo3105, but its still in the box. Will set it up soon and put up my thoughts.

i was quoted 50 k for a onkyo sr 606 paired along with SKS-HT230. I plan to use these speakers as a 5.1 setup for sometime and later upgrade to a pair of towers with bass reflex later on for a 7.1 experience.

do the prices seem reasonable?

anyone using the Harman Kardon AVR 133 ? At 18k and pumping 130W *5, it has all the bells and whistles like Logic 7, USB for audio media. Does it make more sense to buy a up-scaling DVD player and connect it directly to the HDTV and use the HK AVR only for audio processing. HK is known to be slightly conservative in its power rating. So 130W * 5 should be able to drive the best floor standers in the market with ease. Dosent this receiver make more sense than the entry level Denon and Yamaha 363/463 in the sub 20k bracket. Need opinions and comments on the above logic.

i found the yamaha 363 decent (5/10) for audio and video (6/10) - somehow i felt (it was coupled with yamaha towers into a 5.1) it was too high on the notes. While it was good fun with fast n Furios during the movies while hearign music it was a complete letdown. Its got power but you really need decent speakers to drive it.

i really do not know about the 463 - could not audition it.

comign to the HK 133 - i auditioned the 133 (18k) and the 155 (30k) - the 155 blew away the 133. It was foudn wanting in music as well as audio and you had to tune up the volume high to get the 'effects'. And don't belive the 130w output - that's peak and actual should be in the region of 40-50 in real life conditions. I had used jbl speakers as well as infinity with the HK and it was really not worth the money.

the yamaha 363 is a better deal if you pair it with warm speakers - that will set you back by a good amount.

rule of thumb - get the best av receiver in your budget and speakers then (5.1). You can always upgrade the front speakers with a couple of towers.

Pint no 2. - upscaling in budget (low budget here) amps is useles. Even in budget of 40k the upscaling in denon 1909 and onkyo 606 is just about acceptable. Anyway most HDTV are clever enough to upscale most stuff to native resolution - no point spending 5k on a upscaling dvd player.

let me know if you need more suggestion. I can help you coz i just went through the same dilemma as yours. Just bought the Onkyo 606 coupled with onkyo ht230. I plan to upgrade soon to a 7.1 system with missions ors polks upfront (towers).clap:

Suprateep, Thanks for your inputs and comments.

Thats was I was wondering, how does HK offer a 130w per channel at 18k. Its unfair of them not to specify the RMS/channel as they do with their other receivers. Based on your inputs, the HK is out for me.

I think the 363 is the only option for a budget AV receiver.

Is there any amp which does a good job for 5.1 audio music. I dont want seperate components for both audio and video. I am in for any 5.1 receiver which drives high quality warm satellite speakers in 5.1 stero mode. I am planning for a sub similar to the Audioengine S8 (only 8"). For video processing I would leave that to a good player or my HDTV itself.
Any more details about the Craftel DGL-5000 apart from the details mentioned at : Craftel DGL-5000 HT Amp. from Audiocraft - Chennai. If this amp does a good job for 5.1 stereo and has a USB input for pen-drives, portable music players, it would be great.

dude go with the 363 - around 17-18 k its a steal and will process everything (i.e.) in the audio department thrown to it (well almost what we get in india normally).

I have no clue about the craftel dgl amp you have mentioned. DO give it a try yourself if you can. Audioengine s8 would cost around 30k in india - why not try out bass reflex towers from jamo or polk.

I will also suggest sonodyne - its a calcutta based brand and what i have heard its quite decent and sturdy. My cousins amp is going strong for the last 15 years or so.

so how does the onkyo 3105 sound. i set up my onkyo 606 last night. The movies blew me away man. Music is allright.

BTW how much did you spend on the 3105. Looks to be a decent solution minus the hdmi.

I got it as my wedding gift from my office colleagues :D

Will set it up this weekend.

How much difference will the use of an optical cable make to the setup ?

what exactly are you planning to hook up to the receiver?

I use an optical out from the ps2 and feed it into the receiver - true 5.1 surround sound unlike porlogic or dolbi surround that i get when usually connecting a composite (yellow/red/white) to the av receiver directly. Games sound better but the icing is the dvds sound a whole lot better. This is because the optical cable carries digital signals unlike the analog (red/white) connectors.

In order of progression of increasing sound clarity:

composite analog (red/white) - average
Optical and digital coaxial - better to best
HDMI - best

Have fun setting the HT up.

And lastly how is married life treating you? Has the realization sunk in yet ? :Cheering:

How much does the coaxial cable cost ? And which one is recommended ? I do not play games and the HT would be used for movies mainly from a DVD player.

Married Life ??? As Bryan Adams famously sang ---- So far So Good !!!

^^If you don't have something seriously high end, an mx coaxial cable will do the job.