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  • #1

    home audio question...

    I'm almost ready to buy my new TV and the only down side to all the reviews I've read on the TV is the built in speakers suck.

    so I'm looking to buy a surround sound system, but its for a fairly small living room (only 14 feet by 12 feet), but a few years from now when we renovate the house, we'll be opening the livingroom into the kitchen so I want a decent system to carry. New dimensions for the living room/kitchen will be about 135 feet long by 14 feet wide, with the TV staying in the living room but positioned so that i can be in the kitchen cooking while watching TV/movies.

    things I use the TV mostly for...video games, and movies, with occasional TV, so I want some decent qaulity speakers, preferably wireless, and budgeted about $300.

    any help?
    It is by snark alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire 'tude, the lips acquire mouthiness, the glares become a warning.
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  • #2
    Quoth Sarlon View Post
    New dimensions for the living room/kitchen will be about 135 feet long by 14 feet wide, with the TV staying in the living room but positioned so that i can be in the kitchen cooking while watching TV/movies.
    Are those new dimensions correct? They seem... off.

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    • #3
      your right....its only 35 feet long sorry >< 135 feet would be most of the house
      It is by snark alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire 'tude, the lips acquire mouthiness, the glares become a warning.

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      • #4
        Okay, that helps it make more sense.

        Next question: What do you have right now, and what do you plan on adding? Furthermore, how are you connecting what you have right now, and how can you connect it?

        For instance, we have a PS3 connected to our setup. The PS3 can be connected via HDMI (for audio/video), or via component (video) and optical digital (audio), plus at least one other option I'm forgetting. Our cable box does similar.

        Armed with what you have, how it's connected, and what you plan to get, we can make recommendations.

        For instance, you could do what we've done: PS3 connected via HDMI (audio/video) to a receiver, connected via HDMI to the TV, and outputting the sound to a 5.1 speaker setup. My computer acts as our DVR, and is connected from DVI out to HDMI into the receiver (video only), and coaxial digital to the receiver for audio. Wife's computer will be hooked up similar. etc, etc, etc.

        The complexity can grow very large, or it can be kept minimal/easy, depending on what you have/want.

        Anyway, I'll stop rambling now. Now you know the next set of questions

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        • #5
          The club stores (Sam's, Costco, BJ's) have $300 surround systems that should do pretty well for you. They won't be audiophile quality, but will still be an order of magnitude better than the TV speakers and won't cost you a grand.

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          • #6
            I curren have all 3 game systems, only the PS3 is hooked up with an HDMI Cable, the rest are...um....3 wires....red yellow and white?
            It is by snark alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire 'tude, the lips acquire mouthiness, the glares become a warning.

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            • #7
              Also forgot to ask what the actual budget is, but still, I don't think that's totally necessary.

              The PS3 goes via HDMI, the other two systems via component video.

              I'd say get a low end receiver. Onkyo and Denon make some good models. You're going to want to have at least two HDMI ports and three component video (that way you have one extra of each). If you must compromise, compromise on the component video. Better to have too many HDMI ports than component video right now.

              The receiver should be able to handle (at minimum) 5.1 channel sound. Ideally, you should aim for 7.1 channel, with the size you're planning for on the living room.

              You don't mention the way that you're getting audio out of the game systems. I don't know the XBox, but I do have the PS3 and Wii. The PS3 can use a separate optical digital cable or send audio via the HDMI cable simultaneously. The Wii uses stereo audio (RCA jacks). So, make sure your audio input has at least one optical in, one pair of stereo in, and whatever you need for the XBox. Ideally, it should also have an extra of each of these.

              From there, the speakers can be mostly interchangeable. They're designed around a couple of power standards, so you just have to make sure that the speakers you buy will work with your receiver (the manual will tell you what to look for).

              For instance, since my company is going out of business, we got a great deal on a Denon AVR2311CI and a set of 5.1 Yamaha speakers. Wife is having a blast plugging everything in and tweaking things (yes, she's as much of a freak as I am ). Eventually, we might upgrade the speakers, bu that's a long time off.

              I know, this is generic advice, but I don't know the models to look for, only the brands that I've heard good things about. I hope it helps a little bit, anyway.

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