Home Theater suggestions

[Saphirea]

I have a set of 701's from early 2000 and they're amazing. I got them 2nd hand for dirt cheap is the reason I bought them.

However; I wouldn't buy Bose either. You can find a much better product for a cheaper price just by researching a tad.
Avoid the big box stores. Avoid them like the plauge! You can find much better stuff out there then whatever crap the "expert" at Best Buy is trying to sell you. Belive me, I used to work there.

[Katlan]

Oh yeah.. AVG forums are a great place to read up on home electronics/theater systems. If your looking to spend around 1000 then I'd look at Onkyo (maybe i spelled it wrong). Bestbuy, cicuit city, ect.. dont carry this brand, but its a very well made system and sounds terrific. They sell their recievers & speakers separately, which I think is a good thing because their sub design looks like trash (though it sounds good).

[Penthesilea]

I have a set of 701's from early 2000 and they're amazing. I got them 2nd hand for dirt cheap is the reason I bought them.

However; I wouldn't buy Bose either. You can find a much better product for a cheaper price just by researching a tad.
Avoid the big box stores. Avoid them like the plauge! You can find much better stuff out there then whatever crap the "expert" at Best Buy is trying to sell you. Belive me, I used to work there.

I unfortunately work there (only for the discount; 3500$ Pioneer Elite for $1900) and my recommendations are probably pretty darn good. I've got a pair of Klipsch reference towers and they're phenomenal.

Don't bother with any wireless set ups, as you're gonna lose a lot of quality in your audio. Again, don't go with an HDMI passthrough receiver if you're TV is 1080 (again, 720 and 1080 differences are kinda negligible depending on viewing distance) but rather get one that is video switching.

In any event, 2/3 of a home entertainment experience is audio, so you can't skimp out on that.

[zoobernut]

I have a set of 701's from early 2000 and they're amazing. I got them 2nd hand for dirt cheap is the reason I bought them.

However; I wouldn't buy Bose either. You can find a much better product for a cheaper price just by researching a tad.
Avoid the big box stores. Avoid them like the plauge! You can find much better stuff out there then whatever crap the "expert" at Best Buy is trying to sell you. Belive me, I used to work there.

I unfortunately work there (only for the discount; 3500$ Pioneer Elite for $1900) and my recommendations are probably pretty darn good. I've got a pair of Klipsch reference towers and they're phenomenal.

Don't bother with any wireless set ups, as you're gonna lose a lot of quality in your audio. Again, don't go with an HDMI passthrough receiver if you're TV is 1080 (again, 720 and 1080 differences are kinda negligible depending on viewing distance) but rather get one that is video switching.

In any event, 2/3 of a home entertainment experience is audio, so you can't skimp out on that.

Klipsch are ok.... they are not the best speakers in the world in my opinion they can be pretty expensive and they are extremely bright. Depending on what you are listening to I personally don't like it when the highs are harsh and bright. It hurts my ears so I tend towards softer more round sounding speakers. Just be aware of what you are getting into for any speaker you buy. Some people really love how screechy the Klipsch sound. Their speakers are well made though.

As for Best Buy last I looked they did not carry any decent speaker options but that was a while ago though they do have the Magnolia stores in there now so things have changed a little.

[Saphirea]

I have a set of 701's from early 2000 and they're amazing. I got them 2nd hand for dirt cheap is the reason I bought them.

However; I wouldn't buy Bose either. You can find a much better product for a cheaper price just by researching a tad.
Avoid the big box stores. Avoid them like the plauge! You can find much better stuff out there then whatever crap the "expert" at Best Buy is trying to sell you. Belive me, I used to work there.

I unfortunately work there (only for the discount; 3500$ Pioneer Elite for $1900) and my recommendations are probably pretty darn good. I've got a pair of Klipsch reference towers and they're phenomenal.

Don't bother with any wireless set ups, as you're gonna lose a lot of quality in your audio. Again, don't go with an HDMI passthrough receiver if you're TV is 1080 (again, 720 and 1080 differences are kinda negligible depending on viewing distance) but rather get one that is video switching.

In any event, 2/3 of a home entertainment experience is audio, so you can't skimp out on that.

It wasn't a slander on all BB employees... I too worked there for the discount. I know there are surely some there that reccomend well and know what they're doing. I'm just saying from my days of working there as well dealing with people on the whole its just people doing a job.

[Penthesilea]

My suggestion is to ultimately have your parents "test drive" the speakers wherever they're looking. Have them bring in a typical type of genre they listen to on CD and go from there.

[Isiolia]

I have a set of 701's from early 2000 and they're amazing. I got them 2nd hand for dirt cheap is the reason I bought them.

However; I wouldn't buy Bose either. You can find a much better product for a cheaper price just by researching a tad.
Avoid the big box stores. Avoid them like the plauge! You can find much better stuff out there then whatever crap the "expert" at Best Buy is trying to sell you. Belive me, I used to work there.

I have a pair of 701s I bought in '96 or so. At the time I was working for AAFES on Yokota AB in Japan. Mail order was somewhat expensive, whereas stuff in the Powerzone where I worked had no tax/shipping, and some companies (Bose included) shaved their prices down for the exchanges as well. So I got them at substantially less than U.S. retail ($650 instead of $850 or so at the time).
They sound good for music, I've had a number of friends (though not audiophiles) compliment 'em. I'm planning to replace them for home theater use though.

Lotta times the people at Best Buy or whatever simply don't know what else is around. I certainly didn't when I started working at AAFES. When it comes down to it though, and the main reason I don't like working retail, is that your job is to sell what your store has. BB isn't going to like paying someone who just directs people to a home theater store or internet direct speaker manufacturer.

Definitely audition stuff if you can, and keep in mind application. Not all speakers

[mootsfox]

A good rule of thumb for home audio is, Bose.


If you wanna go really high end it's a different story, but judging by the tv it's going to be awfully hard to beat what you'll get out of a Bose system with the price range you'll be looking at.

NO. You should not be helping people with sound questions if you are just going to tell them to buy overpriced shit.

Bose is the worst possible thing you could buy. Well, if it's free, or at/around $1.00, it might be worth it.

A quote from another forum I visit, "No highs, No lows, must be Bose".

[zoobernut]

A good rule of thumb for home audio is, Bose.


If you wanna go really high end it's a different story, but judging by the tv it's going to be awfully hard to beat what you'll get out of a Bose system with the price range you'll be looking at.

NO. You should not be helping people with sound questions if you are just going to tell them to buy overpriced shit.

Bose is the worst possible thing you could buy. Well, if it's free, or at/around $1.00, it might be worth it.

A quote from another forum I visit, "No highs, No lows, must be Bose".

This is the most accurate description of Bose I have ever heard! If you look at a frequency response graph of their speakers they are completely flat and then at one particular midrange frequency there is a huge spike.

There are some great online forums out there for audio. I do not visit any particular one frequently but don't use consumer reports or cnet or anything that is for general electronics, speakers really are a whole unique area in themselves that take a lot more consideration than a lot of other electronics do. There is more finesse to it than if the speaker makes sound and is reliable.

[Xanthe]

I've been looking into a new setup myself since I'm making the jump to HD. I'm pretty much decided on a Sony 46" BRAVIA® XBR® or 46" BRAVIA® W series depending what the prices look like come Memorial Day weekend. After reading through this thread I've decided that an Onkyo TX-SR705 receiver is a great choice with its 1080p upconversion and 3 HDMI inputs, and the THX certification doesn't hurt. Speakers are the last thing I need to decide on, though it seems Paradigm comes highly recommended. Lucky for me there is an authorized dealer 4 miles from home, so I can go check them out. I'm not sure which series to go with, but since I don't want to overspend I'm guessing the Cinema series is probably my best bet. I'm also unsure which specific model in the series to go with, but I guess I can figure that out at the dealer. Any comments on what I've picked out as well as additional suggestions are absolutely welcomed.

[Auspice]

You'll love the 705, I was going to go for it instead of the 605 but since I got such a killer deal on it I'm content.

[Remyo]

I love my bravia crisp picture sometimes certain colors are pretty bright, but overall awesome. Just wish there was more programming presented in HD, because I find myself watching shitty shows or repeats just because they are in HD. Still need to get a surround sound for movies and shit.

[Xanthe]

Yeah, I first looked at the 605 after it was suggested here, but was disappointed when I read in the reviews that it didn't support 1080p upconversion. I'd already decided going into this venture that I want something I can live with for quite a while and won't regret 6 months later. Luckily those reviews pointed to the 705 which addressed the issue. Apparently it also doesn't consume as much power as the 605 or 805 and does better with heat dissipation using an internal cooling fan.

[Matricide]

I have a pair of Klipsch F3 synergy floor standing, using a C1 center and S1 surround. had a BA sub that died and i dunno what to replace it with.

have an HK 630 (i forget the whole model name) receiver. system sounds phenomenal. spent close to $2000 on it, speakers came to like $1300 total.

[Xanthe]

Just to follow up, I ended up buying a Klipsch Quintet SL set for speakers. I managed to snag an awesome deal at Woot.com yesterday and got them for $454 including shipping - almost half off the MSRP. Now I'm just watching for a good deal on the matching Klipsch Synergy Sub-12 Subwoofer and my speakers will be taken care of.