Let me let me upgrade ya
October 2, 2010 5:09 PM Subscribe
I want to upgrade my sound system for my television from nonexistent to sorta awesome.
So, here's the deal. I've had an HDTV (47 inch LCD) for some time, but I never got around to buying any sort of speaker set up for it. I've only been using the speakers the television has built in to it, and they've always been a bit crummy. I currently have my Wii, HTPC and PS3 hooked up to it. I watch HD content a lot on it and play a fair number of video games.
What I'm after is a speaker setup which won't break the bank, but will upgrade my entertainment experiences to a new level of awesome. I've looked around at some of the "speaker bar" things, and they seem pretty cool, but I have no idea what I'm doing and I don't even know if they're worth it.
Let's set a budget at around $500. What would you get in my situation? For reference, there's one of those "optical audio out" dealies on the television, so I assume if I'm sending all my audio to the television along HDMI or component cables, it should be capable of having one thing hooked to the television that be the output for sound on all the devices.
So, here's the deal. I've had an HDTV (47 inch LCD) for some time, but I never got around to buying any sort of speaker set up for it. I've only been using the speakers the television has built in to it, and they've always been a bit crummy. I currently have my Wii, HTPC and PS3 hooked up to it. I watch HD content a lot on it and play a fair number of video games.
What I'm after is a speaker setup which won't break the bank, but will upgrade my entertainment experiences to a new level of awesome. I've looked around at some of the "speaker bar" things, and they seem pretty cool, but I have no idea what I'm doing and I don't even know if they're worth it.
Let's set a budget at around $500. What would you get in my situation? For reference, there's one of those "optical audio out" dealies on the television, so I assume if I'm sending all my audio to the television along HDMI or component cables, it should be capable of having one thing hooked to the television that be the output for sound on all the devices.
Response by poster: I'll add: surround would be cool, but I don't want wires all over the place. If the satellite speakers in the back have to be wired, that's a dealbreaker. I imagine there are wireless options, but that may go outside the budget.
Is the option you mentioned above wireless?
posted by King Bee at 5:29 PM on October 2, 2010
Is the option you mentioned above wireless?
posted by King Bee at 5:29 PM on October 2, 2010
Speaking of speaker bars, I bought the Vizio Soundbar the day after I bought my Vizio TV. I couldn't believe how tinny the speakers sounded compared to the ones in our old TV.
Anyway, it was $200 (maybe $150?) and it sounds awesome, even though I got it without the subwoofer. I imagine the subwoofer would make it sound even better.
posted by InsanePenguin at 6:14 PM on October 2, 2010
Anyway, it was $200 (maybe $150?) and it sounds awesome, even though I got it without the subwoofer. I imagine the subwoofer would make it sound even better.
posted by InsanePenguin at 6:14 PM on October 2, 2010
Just a note: Your assumption in the final paragraph is probably incorrect. That is, TVs will usually refuse to function as audio receivers, routing audio from multiple inputs to a single output. That optical output exists to get cable or antenna TV audio to an external receiver.
You should probably look for a stereo receiver or a "virtual surround" soundbar if you don't want to run wires. Wireless satellite speakers are, for the most part, pretty susceptible to interference and will never sound as good as their wired counterparts. (Please correct me if you have other experience.)
You would then plug the audio outputs from your various devices into the receiver or soundbar. If the receiver does video switching and upscaling, even better. Then you'd only have a single wire running to the TV, coming from the receiver.
posted by supercres at 7:43 PM on October 2, 2010
You should probably look for a stereo receiver or a "virtual surround" soundbar if you don't want to run wires. Wireless satellite speakers are, for the most part, pretty susceptible to interference and will never sound as good as their wired counterparts. (Please correct me if you have other experience.)
You would then plug the audio outputs from your various devices into the receiver or soundbar. If the receiver does video switching and upscaling, even better. Then you'd only have a single wire running to the TV, coming from the receiver.
posted by supercres at 7:43 PM on October 2, 2010
Addendum: you don't need to find a strictly stereo receiver. Any multichannel AV receiver can be switched into a stereo mode, only sending output to two speakers.
posted by supercres at 7:47 PM on October 2, 2010
posted by supercres at 7:47 PM on October 2, 2010
You can do pretty well with just $500. I wouldn't bother with surround, especially if the wires running to the back of the room will bother you. Personally, I've always found surround to be gimmicky, and a properly placed stereo set will have plenty of depth, especially if you put more money into two really good speakers instead of spreading it thin on 5 speakers and a sub. This Yamaha receiver will handle surround if you do decide to add speakers later, and it includes convenient video switching capability and inputs designed for an A/V setup. Going with an even cheaper 2-channel model is possible, but you'll find that they're geared more towards music-only systems. Brand-wise, Yamaha is usually a notch above the likes of Sony and Pioneer.
You'll have about $250 left for speakers. For budget speakers, I can't recommend Paradigm enough. They're well known for having a lot of bang for the buck. Try to find a local dealer and give a few pairs a listen. Compare them to other similarly priced models and I think you'll find that they're very competitive with the likes of Klipsch, Polk, and the like. Whatever you do, do NOT buy BOSE.
posted by TrialByMedia at 9:53 PM on October 2, 2010
You'll have about $250 left for speakers. For budget speakers, I can't recommend Paradigm enough. They're well known for having a lot of bang for the buck. Try to find a local dealer and give a few pairs a listen. Compare them to other similarly priced models and I think you'll find that they're very competitive with the likes of Klipsch, Polk, and the like. Whatever you do, do NOT buy BOSE.
posted by TrialByMedia at 9:53 PM on October 2, 2010
I would avoid speaker bars unless your setup is really tight or don't want speakers laying around.
Definitely get a multichannel AVR (as opposed to stereo), just that 3rd center channel will make a huge difference over stereo. Pretty much all voice tracks go to the center and it is extremely important. The rear surrounds aren't as important and you can always go with a wireless set in the future.
The Yamaha RX-V765 is an excellent receiver at a good price and will give you room to upgrade in the future. If you are interested in 3D you may want to look at a receiver that supports it.
The Polk Monitor series are fairly inexpensive and sound good and their CS line of centers is excellent. You should be able to get everything from newegg for around your budget.
posted by wongcorgi at 2:45 AM on October 3, 2010
Definitely get a multichannel AVR (as opposed to stereo), just that 3rd center channel will make a huge difference over stereo. Pretty much all voice tracks go to the center and it is extremely important. The rear surrounds aren't as important and you can always go with a wireless set in the future.
The Yamaha RX-V765 is an excellent receiver at a good price and will give you room to upgrade in the future. If you are interested in 3D you may want to look at a receiver that supports it.
The Polk Monitor series are fairly inexpensive and sound good and their CS line of centers is excellent. You should be able to get everything from newegg for around your budget.
posted by wongcorgi at 2:45 AM on October 3, 2010
« Older Garbage goes in the chute, not on the floor and... | How to procure quality Turkish sage tea or lemon... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
I am not a serious audiophile, but I was in the market with roughly your budget, and the consensus seemed to be that the Onkyo HT-S5300 was a very good buy. It retails for $599 and I am sure you can find it cheaper.
It has served me very well.
posted by eugenen at 5:18 PM on October 2, 2010