Home Theatre Dilemma

[Skud]

Wanted one HT to connect my HTPC and TV with the option to connect other stuffs like Game Consoles etc. in future. Locally nothing's available expect Sony, Samsung or LG is available. Onkyo S3400 is 35k and the S3300 is 33k in ebay, too costly I think. One Yamaha YHT-393BL is available for 30k at Indiatimes shopping. Not much idea about this set.

So what to do? Will a Sony HT with HDMI In do the job or I am better off picking a Edifier S550 or Logitech Z906 speaker set for my HTPC?

Please help.

[MegaMind]

Before getting a HTIB, Audition it..
Onkyo S3400 is avail. for ~25k locally.

Other options,
Denon DHT-1312xp
No idea on the Yamaha YHT-393BL, but has good feedback.

Mention the budget, u need TV too?

[Skud]

TV Not Needed. Budget 20-25k, can stretch in exceptional case, but no way going to spend 10k extra on S3400 like in ebay.

[MegaMind]

Onkyo S3400 fits your budget.
Denon DHT-1312xp should be around 30K
Both has its own pros & cons. like passive vs active sub., etc.

Audition them also the yamaha one if avail.

[Skud]

Problem is locally nothing is available except Sony, Samsung, LG.

[Skud]

Contacted Onkyo and they confirmed there's no dealer/reseller here in Patna. What's next?

[vaibhav23]

^Get it from Kolkata

[Skud]

Transportation will be a problem, otherwise I would have get it. Couldn't find ezone having it at their online store.

[MegaMind]

This might not be the one ur looking for, but worth considering for the price...

Z906-Logitech

[Skud]

Checked it already. But I am more inclined to Edifier S550 which can be wall mounted easily without the need for additional hardware. Which one would be better?

[addy]

i am planning to buy a home theater system as soon as possible..
My budget is around 45k-55k... will prefer at-least a 5.1 surround sound system..
the size of the room i'll be using it in is 11x19 foot....
i checked this one out and it looked kinda good Sony HT-DDW5500 Speaker System Reviews | Features - Sony HT-DDW5500 Speaker System Expert Reviews n Features India
so would like to your know views on that one too...
if possible kindly rate the shortlisted systems on the basis of--
1. performance
2. looks
3.easy of installation
4. availability
5.value for money

systems which are a bit off my budget but should really be considered once are also welcomed...

[addy]

i am planning to buy a home theater system as soon as possible..
My budget is around 45k-55k... will prefer at-least a 5.1 surround sound system..
the size of the room i'll be using it in is 11x19 foot....
i checked this one out and it looked kinda good Sony HT-DDW5500 Speaker System Reviews | Features - Sony HT-DDW5500 Speaker System Expert Reviews n Features India
so would like to your know views on that one too...
if possible kindly rate the shortlisted systems on the basis of--
1. performance
2. looks
3.easy of installation
4. availability
5.value for money

systems which are a bit off my budget but should really be considered once are also welcomed...

[MegaMind]

I'd say S550 over Z906...

But Z906@13K is absolute VFM compared to S550@19K(my local dealer quoted 15~16K a month back, now out of stock)

P.S: ONKYO S-3400 ~25K in chennai (out of stock)

[Skud]

That's the S3400's actual price, can't spend 10k more on ebay. I think its better to get any one of the 2 speakers and later going for a receiver.

[reniarahim1]

Onkyo 3400 maximum price should be 25k.

[sam9s]

Just my two paisa .....Logitech is crap when it comes to PC HTs , as they call them....
Z5500 was a huge success for them and very frankly it was a worthless piece of @#$%.
(No offense to the owners) .......

Not sure what ways can you have to get Onkyo shipped via another city. but trust me, for 25K or even 30K, 3400 will give you far better sound that any other spk set can give at the same or lesser price. ..... Get Onkyo, you will me much happier.

[Skud]

Even 30k, yeah, but its going well over it.

May be down the line, sigh...

Will this be OK, say for 5 years?

I think its better to get any one of the 2 speakers and later going for a receiver.

[MegaMind]

@sam9s, logitech's 5.1s cannot be compared to HTIB.. But getting S-3400 for 35K is not a wise decision..

[gurujee]

can someone highlight the difference in output from logitech5.1 from HTIB ?


channel separation, quality, features ...exactly what ?

[sam9s]

Originally Posted by Skud

Will this be OK, say for 5 years?

Thats is usually what people do, when they are tight budgeted but still do not want to compromise on the quality. Yes you can start with a stereo pair and and AVR and add the rest later, but even then you gonna shoot your budget.

A decent pair of floor stands will set you back 20K (Polk Audio or JAMO), or if you go for say bookshelves then I'd say around 13-15K.(Q-Accoustics)

The cheapest decent AVR I suggest is DENON 1311 for around 24K. DENON also released 1312 for a thousand less. If you can manage the least you can go is 22K.

So in all if we add the lowest value its gonna be 13+22=35K for a stereo setup, but thats gonna be worth every penny, Later you can add center, sub and surrounds ......

Originally Posted by gurujee

can someone highlight the difference in output from logitech5.1 from HTIB ?


channel separation, quality, features ...exactly what ?

Quality, simple pure unadulterated quality ... , and yes you do get better features as well. Checkout my HT at the below link...

My Micro HT Setup Review “Onkyo 6200 HTiB, LG LH70 47 LCD, Panasonic BD60 BRp”

[Skud]

I think I will get a S550 and connect it to my HTPC (yet to be built) and the video to my TV. Will think HTIB after 5 years.

I guess this is my only option left.

Now the question is: Edifier S550 or Logitech Z906?

[MegaMind]

^^If S550 is within ur reach, why second thoughts?

Note : S550 sounds best with a good sound card due to analog connections.
Z906 with optical connection doesn't necessarily require a SC to get the best out of it

[Skud]

How about this set, spec wise?

Brand New Yamaha YHT-395BL | eBay

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-YHT-395.../dp/B004SL4ADA

[MegaMind]

^^Feedback looks decent for the price..

[Skud]

Seller also looks OK, I guess?

Here's the connectors:-



So, is all I need to do is connect my HTPC to a HDMI in and TV to HDMI out? How to connect the sound card to the receiver?

[MegaMind]

^through optical TOSLINK...

[Skud]

And Video system is stated as NTSC, I think we are on PAL. So will it work?

[MegaMind]

^^Yes it will..

[sam9s]

Here another option for you ..... since you completely neglected the first one .....

Get Wharfedale 9.2 or 9.1 with Norge 1000 amp .... warf 9.1 should be around 9-10 K and Norge 1000 amp again should not be more than 10K. ..... and you still would get a stereo pair that would be far better than anything that has been discussed here. For reviews just google Norge 1000 with Wharfedale 9.1 ....

Originally Posted by Skud

Seller also looks OK, I guess?

Here's the connectors:-

So, is all I need to do is connect my HTPC to a HDMI in and TV to HDMI out? How to connect the sound card to the receiver?

You need to connect the HDMI out from you HTPC's GPU card (like GT430, 440 or HD 65XX) to HDMI 1 in of the AVR. And then HDMI out from you AVR to your TV for display. For audio just connect your 2 set of surround spks and center to AVR under "speaker" section. Sub would be connected via coaxial cable to subwoofer.

For speakers as I said get Wharfedale 9.1 pair for around 8-10K, thats the best thing available for sub 15K spk category.

[MegaMind]

Originally Posted by sam9s

Get Wharfedale 9.2 or 9.1 with Norge 1000 amp .... warf 9.1 should be around 9-10 K and Norge 1000 amp again should not be more than 10K. ..... and you still would get a stereo pair that would be far better than anything that has been discussed here. For reviews just google Norge 1000 with Wharfedale 9.1 ....

That is a good suggestion for an audio setup. But doesn't suit OP's requirements for home theater..