Home Theater Systems?

We (Tonja and I) need some advice. We're moving into a new house, and our "big" TV will be going downstairs (which will be the entertainment/game room). So, we will be needing a TV for the family room upstairs. We're looking for something like a 27" widescreen flat panel TV. I've never bought a TV before, so I don't know what in the world to look for, as far as specs go. We also need a 5.1 surround sound speaker system (just the speakers, already have the receiver, CD changer, DVD player, etc...). This system will be used with a 34" widescreen Panasonic CRT TV for movies, music, and video games.

Price range... <1000 CAD for the TV and <800 CAD for the speaker system

Thanks for any advice, suggestions, links, etc...!

As far as televisions go, I've always had good luck with Hitachi's and Toshiba's. Not the price of a Sony (generally) and the quality is usually top-notch. And I know I'll take a few hits for this but I would stay away from American brands. They just don't hold up (with the possible exceptions of Phillips. They've been coming on strong in the past ten years.)

Good luck.

I'm a little outa touch as far as big screens go, but for sound systems I can offer some advice.
I used to manage a high end stereo shop so there's several choices you can make.

Most consumers tend to go for the midrange, (although they think it's high end) sound systems. Like a Yamaha all in one system with surround and a subwoofer.

If you have the money... go for separate components.
For instance get a decent amp (I'm talking the stuff you see in high end audio magazines). Get a separate surround sound decoder.
You'll need decent left and right speakers as well as a center speaker.
Go for the high end stuff like Polk Audio or better.
Rear speakers, same deal.
For the sub, get something built for the job and use a separate power amp to run it. In fact if you can afford it, get separate power amps for all your speakers.
Use high end speaker wire (for gods sake don't use 18 guage or 12 guage or ..arghh. lamp cord) Keep the leads as short as possible and use directional wire. Use high end RCA cords from monster cable. Use proper speaker stands that isolate the base from the floor. Use monster cable T3 1/2" cables that have been properly mounted and be sure to get everything in phase.
Use a test tone CD to tweak the system so you don't get any standing waves or problems from bouncing sounds from walls cancelling things out.

Of course all this stuff costs big $$ so most people end up getting a cruddy Pioneer surround sound system, a cheap woofer and wire everything with 12 guage and then tell all their friends how great their system is.
(but guys like me who know better go into their houses and pretend that it actually sounds good)

Best bet is read up on some high end audio magazines and then go into a high end shop and deal with somebody who isn't pushing old stock or whatever he has in the back room.

To test out the stereo and bass response of the system use Slave to the Rhythm by Grace Jones. (take the speaker grill off the speaker and check the woofer on song #2. If it craps out, get a new speaker)

Basically, in the long run you can go for mass consumer oriented stuff like Technics, Pioneer etc... But you're much better off buying separate components from higher end companies. Even Luxman, Denon, Polk Audio, Monster Cable etc... will give you a high end sound that blows away the medium stuff like what you get from Future Shop.
Go to a high end shop. Even if you get the cheapest they've got, you're still gonna get a better sound than an all in one system from a mass consumer store. (and don't skimp on the rca and speaker wire)

btw: beware of the bait and switch crap and the "we don't have it in stock right now. Some stores like Liptons Electronics in Newmarket will sell you a stereo and then tell you to go get a coffee while they do the paperwork.
Meanwhile, they pack up the scratched up floor model while you aren't looking.
A telltale sign that you're buying a repacked model is to check the bottom of the carton. Audio stores open component boxes from the bottom.
Later, when you buy it, they re-seal the demo unit and seal the bottom of the box with packing tape. They drag it around on the floor to make it look dirty so it doesn't look new.
Always check the bottom of the box to be sure the packaging is original and when you open a new item, double check for price stickers or left over glue.
Or badly repacked components. It usually means its been sitting on the display floor for 6 months.

Also, don't let the store install your stereo for you.
Any scratched units like cassette decks that have scratches on top and quickly hidden inside the rest of your unit so you don't notice the scratches.
They'll also use the cheapest used cables that have been lying around the store.
Always ask for brand new, packaged components and sealed rca cables.

I probably won't be of much help, but I heard JBL speakers are pretty good.

Dunno the price range though.

Thanks for the info, but I'm sure getting that kind of quality is going to be outside of my <800 price range. I've already got a nice 5.1 receiver/amplifier, so all I'm looking for at the moment are some speakers. I would prefer to have a powered subwoofer, and have the others powered by the receiver. I won't be skimping on the cables though, so don't worry about that ;)

Hitachi is a great brand for rear projection still. Have been for about 10 years now. As far as LCD and/or Plasma, pretty much anything you get really is the same these days. All the controller cards are made in the same factory, and most stuff is the exact same just with different labels on them. Example: in my bedroom, I have a 30" Sony LCD that I paid a pretty penny for. It has a great picture and I'm real happy with it. In my guitar room I have a 42" LCD by Akai. It has just as good of a picture as the 30" Sony for a lot less money. You can pick up a 42" Samsung or Panasonic for around a grand right now if you look in the right places (I saw the Panasonic in Lowes over the weekend for $1199). For $800, believe it or not, Wal-Mart has an LCD to fit the bill. Check it out.

As for the speakers, the receiver makes all the difference. I know you have one already, but if it's not up to snuff, you could have $1000 speakers and it won't matter. Just my .02. I used to work as an Audio Manager in Circuit City many moons ago.

The receiver I have is a pretty nice one. It's back in Mississippi at the moment, so I can't tell you much about it (got it not long before I came up here), but it is a nice one (at least for my needs it is).

I've had really good luck with Samsung products (cell phone, tv, lcd-monitor, hard drives, etc).

As far as your TV goes the biggest suggestion I have is to make sure it has at least 2 (or more :D ) HDMI-in ports. I bought the tv below last year after my other tv died. The only complaint I have about my tv is that it only has one HDMI connection and my cable box goes into it. With everything migrating to High Definition (blue ray, xbox, ps3, etc), you're definitely gonna want to have more. They do make HDMI switch boxes in case you find a tv you love with only one port, but they are kinda pricey.



Also make sure your new tv can handle 1080p resolutions. No reason to sell yourself short, I'm pretty sure it's standard now with HD tvs. If you have any questions, just let me know. But widescreen, high def is definitely the way to go.

Nice shot - showing the experts picked the Steelers to beat the Hawks..ah yes, glory days, glory days.... :D

Originally Posted by: hunter60Nice shot - showing the experts picked the Steelers to beat the Hawks..ah yes, glory days, glory days.... :D

Not too much to celebrate since then. I hear y'all are losing the penguins. :confused:

Yeah, that's what the papers are saying. Hate to see them go but the City's been jacking them around for a long time now. The Mellon Arena is the worst and they refuse to build them a new arena. Stupid. Well, we always have the Pira...oh crud...I was going to say that we still have the Pirates but they STTTTINNNNNKKKK! GO STEELERS.

I totally agree with schmange! What he said is dead on correct. If buget allows I would get a 7.1 receiver. Is you current 5.1 dolby digital? I know you are on a budget and all, but after buying a TV. I would put as much money as I could in the front main speakers. As suggested....JBL, Klipsh even "some" Bose are pretty decent speakers. But it all boils down to how much you can spend, what sounds best to you and how much does quality mean to you. You should go to a high end audio store. Take some of your favorite CD's and DVD's to test the speakers with. For sonic testing I personally would suggest the Master And Commander DVD. Has awesome surround and bass, for the sub. For audio I would suggest a jazz band called Flim and the BB's, Tricycle. You probably dont have this disc, they might. I would NEVER buy any speakers that I could not listen too, preferably in a room close to the size of my den. Or a room that is not as big as the showroom floor at Best Buys! The speakers will sound very different I can assure you of that. Although having a quality receiver or power amp is needed. You will get the biggest bang for your buck with good quality speakers by far! If you can find a retailer close to you, look for Definitive Technologies loud speakers. I currently have a set of the BP3000's and they are truly amazing! They have smaller lower end speakers that are awesome as well. They have powered sub's built into each cabinet. I have 2 separate power amps that run the high and mids. And the subs have built in ( i think 300 watt) amps in each cabinet. They also have "spikes" on the bottom that firmly plant the speaker cabinet to the sub floor, so they are not floating on the carpet.

As you may can tell I am really big into high end audio. I would not buy any audio equipment from stores like Best Buys etc. But there again it depends on what you can afford and what you like. But remember....you get what you pay for! But I think you will be happier with your purchase after you listen and test out some different brands. Personally I think that the Klipsch are to bright with those big honking horn tweeters. Adding a quality powered sub to them makes a big difference. I've heard some JBL's that I liked, I would recommend you trying them out. Some of the Bose systems sound good but they look like toys. But there again, for their price they are hard to beat!

I've already listed my price range, so I would prefer to have some suggestions based on that. I know I'm gonna get what I pay for, and I don't know of any "high end" audio stores where I'm at, but it's a fairly nice sized city, so I'm sure there's something around.

Some links to some suggestions would be great as well :o

My whole setup is RCA. Everything has held up for over 2 years with a little boy running around. Not very expensive either. The DVD surround sound system was $220 USD and the TV like $350 USD. I have no idea on the exchange rate or export differences but I think that should fall well within your range. If it's gonna be a bit secondary I don't think there's any reason to spend too much.

http://www.rca.com/product/viewmodellist/browseproduct/0,2589,CI104,00.html?

http://www.rcaaudiovideo.com/en-US/modellist.html?CategoryID=Home+Theater

My wife bought me an RCA dolby surround sound home theater system from Walmart 2 Xmas' ago for like $300 and I have to say it's pretty good. It's nothing like what some are suggesting but it blows my fathers bose 5.1 surround system away and his cost $2000. Since you already have the receiver I suggest just go to an Audio store and check out some speakers and a sub. JBL, Bose, and Polk all make good speakers. It would be good to hook your receiver to the speakers to test it in store but I don't know if that's possible. I mean you will probably stuff this system in a 14 foot by 14 foot room so how crazy does it need to be. My rig is loud enough to be heard on the street in front of my house in the winter without any distortion or unwanted noises and it's only 300watts and the speakers are like 3inch's by 6inch's and a subwoofer. Point is don't get crazy about it. Get a good sub and some name brand speakers and you're good to go.

The room the speakers will be going in is something like 12' x 28', and I think my receiver is ~500+ watts. I'm thinking of finding some good front main speakers, and then some decent satellites for the rear and center, and a powered sub. Any specific suggestions? (keeping in mind the <800 CAD [~675 USD] price range)

Here's what I've come up with just from searching online. >Speakers< >TV<

I'm no cork sniffer when it comes to home audio/theater stuff. Just looking for something that will sound decent and won't kill my wallet. I'm not worried about impressing anybody... just looking for something that's better than what I've got (which isn't much).

ps... remember that this TV will not be going along with the speakers. The TV will be for the main level family room for general TV, kids movies, and occasionally for the kids gamecube. See my first post for more details.

PRS...Harmon/Kardon has been known more over the years for their components, not their speakers. If it were me I would try to go listen to them first. But I think maybe your not the audiophile that I am. For what you want to do that set-up will probably work fine.

And PonyOne, can you please provide a link to that 1000 watt subwoofer you have? I would sure like to see that! ;)