What's people have for surround sound?

[chadglitch]

How do you like it and what are it's features. If you like just post a link to your item. I'm looking at picking up not only the 50+ TV but a HTIB as well. I'm thinking of going with an onkyo. Or the new samsung line just introduced this year at CES 2010.

[tehboris]

Logitech Z-5500 (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/speakers_audio/home_pc_speakers/devices/224). What's good about them? They work and are generally awesome.

If you consider these down sides:
Only connections are toslink (optical, coax and are seperate inputs) and 3 x 3.5 jack.
Can't play back the lossless audio formats.

Actual down side:
The sub is quite large and is not magnetically shielded.

[quagga]

I have a Sony HTIB that I bought back in the days of yore (like 2005 or so). As such, it predates HDMI which is a big of a drag however it does have optical and coax digital audio. So what I did was buy a Monoprice HDMI switch with Toslink and Coax out. HDMI goes in, HDMI video goes onto the TV and audio is transferred over the receiver over Coax. It's bought me a few more years out of the receiver. It's monoprice item 5557 if anyone is looking for it.

The downside to this that I can't do Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD. Coax doesn't have the bandwidth for LPCM if the bluray player does the decoding so I let it send DD 5.1 or DTS bitstream. Still works great; just not the new audio formats.

So I suppose my point is that if you're looking for a HTIB these days, I'd consider getting one which decode audio from the HDMI if you want the TrueHD/DTS-HD. Some of the Onkyo's on their page just do passthrough and need a separate audio cable (the lower end models).

I'd like an Onkyo reciever and real speakers (although even with the tiny sony speakers and woofer the Sony HTIB is enough to shake the apartment at half volume). However I just replaced the tv, added a bluray and a mac mini. My next upgrade has been slated for december 2423 according to my checkbook ..

[amcarne]

I have a pretty good setup, at least I thinknk so.

I have a 50pz800u Panasonic, Receiver RX-V1900 Yamaha. 2 Klipsch F3, C2, S2, and SUB-12. I use a 80gig PS3, X-box 360, Wii, Tivo Series 3, Customer computer. I want to buy a good blu-ray player, bc I am mad that my PS3 wont do True Dolby Digital HD or DTS HD. Anyone else have these problems with there old PS3?

http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/productdetail.html?CNTID=5016804
http://www.klipsch.com/na-en/products/f-3-overview/
http://www.klipsch.com/na-en/products/c-2-overview/
http://www.klipsch.com/na-en/products/s-2-overview/
http://www.klipsch.com/na-en/products/synergy-sub-12-overview/
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/panasonic-viera-th-50pz800u/4505-6482_7-32886472.html

[shamoun]

I am not going to recommend anything in particular, but I would suggest if you're looking for audio equipment, craigslist is a great place to start. you can usually pick up stuff a couple of years old at a reduction of hundreds of dollars that will beat the pants off of a new HTiB sort of system at a comparable price.

[shamoun]

I have a pretty good setup, at least I thinknk so.

I have a 50pz800u Panasonic, Receiver RX-V1900 Yamaha. 2 Klipsch F3, C2, S2, and SUB-12. I use a 80gig PS3, X-box 360, Wii, Tivo Series 3, Customer computer. I want to buy a good blu-ray player, bc I am mad that my PS3 wont do True Dolby Digital HD or DTS HD. Anyone else have these problems with there old PS3?


why not consider a new PS3 then? i'm not entirely certain but i believe the skinny ones do True HD and DTS HD. I am not a gamer but i am definitely considering one as a set top box now that the price has dropped because the longevity seems like a sure thing. it will continue to get firmware updates, does a great job of dvd scaling, and it can pull some content off your network devices. If i built an HTPC i would still consider the PS3 as a standalone player because i know it does a nice job with blu rays and a better job of scaling DVDs than any PC based solution i know of.

[tokenuser]

I am not a fan of HTIB packages.

It might not seem like as good value, but a separate Amp/Receiver, and better quality speakers will make a difference. I have upgraded my Amp twice - but kept the speakers (and reused the Amp elsewhere).

As I said in another thread on the same subject ...

Its all about the upgrade path.

Do you have any outlet malls in your area?

I was fairly lucky, and bought my speakers at a Harman Kardon outlet mall in California, and bought Infinity bookshelf speakers (2x front, 2x rear), a bass speaker, and a center speaker. I was looking at the Bose cubes at the time (12 years ago) - but the bookshelf speakers have been superb.

So, at the time I had an OK AMP - a medium quality Sony STR something or other that I had used primarily with a 5 disc CD changer and a pair of old (30 year old) floor speakers. Those speakers got dumped (actually I still use them in my office for music) for the Infinity surround sound set (purchased individually, and not as a HTIB deal).

I have since upgraded the Sony AMP twice - most recently to one that did HDMI switching, but those Infinity speakers are still in service.

I think the key to a good setup is looking at what you have now that can be reused, and building on it. For now, if you dont have an AMP/receiver that is the obvious choice. Get something that handles HDMI switching (I run a cable box and a PS3 through mine), and optical inputs (reassignable). Use the TV speakers for now.

Add in a set of OK front speakers ... and set the TV speakers as the center channel.

And in a bass speaker (feeeeeeeeel your movies )

Move the existing front speakers to the rear, and add in a higher powered set of front speakers.

Put in a dedicated center speaker (and finally mute the crappy TV speakers).

You are now at 5.1 surround sound ... but got there in stages.

Try to keep the same brand for the speakers.

With recent updates to 7.1 and TruHD, add in the next set of speakers when you can afford them.

Do it in stages, and you will have a much better setup that will last you much, much longer (mine have been in use since 1997 ... and used components I purchased in the late 80's).