2. home-theater
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....expanding from car audio into home...need help

i certainly need help...tons of opinions desired...

alright...i've spent about 3 years forming great and wonderful opinions on car audio.

however, none of the brands that i use in my car make home stuff.....well, i take that back...nakamichi does. i'm sure that car audio stuff wouldn't work as well in the home as home audio would....

however....i don't want to jump into the higher end stuff for my apartment that i have in my car.

i'd like to get a *decent* reciever/tuner (i don't even know what the difference is) that i can hook up to my new bigscreen. (my roommates and i went in on a new toshiba 50" projection)

so...about what would i be looking to spend for a quality, low priced *thing* that will get me surround sound (and i assume that the new digital thingy is better than 5.1 surround?)

so...help me out guys. :) i know that it's all INCREDIBLY subjective....but, i'm pretty sure that i don't want to buy anything that they sell at best buy or circuit city, so i gotta get on the web to get help.

i appreciate it. :)
onlyshawn
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
To Sean's recommendation on Yamaha and Denon, I would add NAD (try yama.com for good prices on B stock and closeouts). And if you want a 1 box, moderate cost unit you will be looking for a receiver, which has an FM tuner, a pre-amp/surround processor, and 5.1 channels of amplification in 1 unit. You should think of spending $500-$1000 on it. You will also want 2 main speakers, 2 surrounds, a center channel (the most impt for movies/HT) and a powered subwoofer (the .1 in 5.1, which is essentially the same thing as DD or Dolby Digital) Run a search here and you will find lots of info on HT or just browse thru the HT section of the forums.
sc53
720 posts
 
Outlaw Audio makes a very good, very inexpensive home theater receiver, I think it's the model 750, email member "underwoodwally" for info on where to purchase one new. They are only about $600 I think.
glen's avatar
glen
714 posts
 
Sounds like you need the whole enchilada with Verde sauce. The first thing I would do is set a budget. Were you planning on accumulating stuff slowly or all at once?

If you want to take the slow road A Denon receiver (150 watts X 5) with a decent DVD player both DTS compatible would be a good place to start. Add your main left and right speakers and some monster gold tip cables. This will get you going.

Next try to add a matching center channel (Remember this is your most important speaker for H/T so don't go cheep) then I would add a decent sub followed by two surround speakers. That should do it.

When programming for viewing check the movie for DTS software make sure you enter the audio set-up menu and program accordingly before viewing.

Keep in mind this is a basic low cost system (Approx. $1500.00 to $2000.00) As time goes on you can buy and sell pieces to build your dream system. But for now I'd start with the basics and work my way up slowly.
bwyoung
143 posts
 
I second all of the recommendations above. I would add to what one writer suggested. Center Channel speaker for a Home Theater setup is VERY important! Many who are novices think that they should save money on two items that seem less important when they are in fact vitally important. The one is the center channel speaker and the second is the subwoofer. Don't try to save money with a cheap subwoofer. Finally, the receivers mentioned above are IMHO, all about the same. I would add the Rotel receiver to the mix. Don't have the same power ratings but sound better.
onlyshawn OP
4 posts
 
LOL...don't worry...i won't be nixing the subwoofer. i've got 2 10's in my truck (diamond) oz audio components, a nakamichi head unit, arc audio amps, and audiocontrol xover. i'm not going to be skimping. :)

i understand soundstaging....a while ago, people tried center channels in cars...but, since we're so *close* to the speakers, you can get a great soundstage from the kickpanel area, and sometimes some supplemental tweeters in the a-pillar area....just play w/ phasing a little bit, and you're good to go.

anyway...all of this advice was exactly what i needed. i'm sure that i'll end up going w/ speaker brands that also have car audio lines, like focal or dynaudio, but if i'm not going to get a nakamichi reciever (which i still might, though noone mentioned it??) i don't know where to look. if anyone happens to see a great deal anywhere now, let me know.

grace,
shawn
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