A bit of advise for TV home entertainment systems

[Joeaksa]

Ladies and gents,

I have a surround sound system hooked up to the TV but unfortunately got it in the over PX years ago... like 15+ years ago. Its a Mitsubishi or Sony system, forget which and was really good years ago but now its very much out of date. Its all hooked up to a 73" Mitsubishi rear projection HD set. Yes its old and bulky but still works great and cannot justify replacing it until it dies...

Thinking of upgrading for my Christmas present and could use some advise. Should I get a complete system or just replace the main amp/player unit? Am happy with the speakers, which are wired units instead of the more modern wireless models. My current setup has a big powered woofer on the floor, two fronts, two rear speakers and one center. The house is wired for all of them so thats not an issue.

Am planning on using hotel points (have over a mil with one chain) for a new setup. They have several Bose setups but jeez are they proud of them. Further down the line are the Sony and Samsung units and I know nothing about them.

Also almost everything out there these days seems to be Blue-Ray players. Am I correct in assuming that a Blue-Ray player will also play a DVD? Also some have WiFi and seem to say that you can connect to your house internet system and download videos, movies and such, assuming from the computer?

Anyone have any expertise or suggestions?

Thx,

Joe

[stomachmonkey]

As far as piecing out or complete set it really depends on your budget.

I have a friend who owns an audio business. When I was doing my media room asked him for speaker advice, I wanted good but budget was a consideration. His idea of a bargain had me in at $4k just for the speakers. Yeah no thx.

I started with a Sony amp then shopped the speakers. Added a Sony Blu-ray so the beni is the amp remote also runs the BR player out of the box. One less remote to deal with.

Biggest deal is really to make sure the ohms between receiver and speakers match or that the receiver can handle variable ohms.

I've heard the Bose are overpriced/overhyped.

Most peripherals these days are coming with internet capability so yes you can get netflix/hulu yada/yada on the device. It's all set up, just add your account info and good to go.

FWIW I'd use a cable to your router if you can, just more reliable and the player is cheaper without the wifi.

Don't go crazy, the average person can be very happy going all in for $1,500.

[imcarthur]

Originally Posted by Joeaksa

Am I correct in assuming that a Blue-Ray player will also play a DVD? Also some have WiFi and seem to say that you can connect to your house internet system and download videos, movies and such, assuming from the computer?

Yes. A BluRay will play all DVDs & CDs (except CD-Rs & CD-RWs which it will 'probably play'). There are two broad variants.

The cheapies under $200. OK but slow & known for just OK performance. They also fail far too early in their life: see the LG DVD thread.

The Mediatek units: Oppo, Cambridge Audio etc. Faster load/unload & far better video & audio performance but priced $800 - $1200. They are also multi-region for everything but BluRay.

Receivers are receivers are receivers until you get north of $1200. Then some are demonstrably better. NAD, Cambridge, Anthem etc.

Ian

[kach22i]

There is this thing called "Smart TV's" which allow you to view content over the Internet (like shows you missed or could not record). However, much of that can be viewed though your BluRay player (with WIFI) or just hook up your computer though one of the HDMI connections to the flat TV.

Bose is overpriced for what you get, which is why their in-store display contracts stipulate nothing else can be in the same room with them, as they do not fair well when compared to others. Brilliant marketing hype, which you pay dearly for.

You need to watch some TV displays for an extended period of time to determine if "motion blur" of LED's is an issue for you. It is for me, which is why I'll be getting a Plasma TV when my old CRT tube TV stops working. No motion blur with the old fashion TV's, it's like you need new glasses or something.

[imcarthur]

Just to clarify, an LED TV is not an LED TV. It is an LCD with LED edge or backlighting. In other words it is an LCD with a brightness/contrast boost. The switching frequency of the LEDs can can artifacts & irritate some viewers. The latest plasmas are still consider 'superior' for motion by most users.

Ian

[72doug2,2S]

Plasma seems cheaper, but everyone I know who has one, also has small kids who have destroyed the glass screen making them useless. The last one was destroyed when the kid threw a battery and broke the glass.

LCD seems more durable and performs almost as good with a longer life.

Don't bother buying a TV with internet access, spend the money on a PS3 which is also a blue ray player with better internet access. (I have two LGs one with internet and one without, I prefer using the PS3 on the one without)

Buy separate components, AMP, and keep your speakers, if you like them. Bose is a very good product but some say, "No highs, no lows, you just bought bose." I still like them.

I updated my amp with a $300 Harmon Kardon, all the new components have options not available on older components, but they're basically crap compared to the quality made 20 years ago. My Harmon Kardon is made in China. There is still good stuff out there, but it is expensive.

Speakers are the critical piece. If you're going to cut corners somewhere don't do it on speakers (L,R,Center). I still use my 5JR polk audio book shelf speakers from 1987. Polk doesn't make them like that anymore.

I have a powered Yamaha sub-woofer that is clean and 15 years old.

[wdfifteen]

I don't mean to hijack but ...
How well do those wireless speakers work? I hate messing with running wires under my carpet.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by 72doug2,2S

Don't bother buying a TV with internet access, spend the money on a PS3 which is also a blue ray player with better internet access. (I have two LGs one with internet and one without, I prefer using the PS3 on the one without)


I have a powered Yamaha sub-woofer that is clean and 15 years old.

The Sony Blu Rays run the same operating system as the PS3 and provide all the same functionality except for playing games and you can buy non wifi/ethernet only versions for $80 at Costco all day every day.

Sony BDP-BX18 Blu Ray Player

$120 for the wifi versions

Sony BDP-BX59 Full HD1080p 3D Blu-ray Disc Player w/ Built-in Wi-Fi®

If you don't play games they are a better choice than the PS3.

And yes, definitely a powered Sub.

[72doug2,2S]

I'm off on the cheap Blue Ray players. I had a Sony blue ray with internet and a Sony PS3 at the same time. The PS3 is used 24/7 and the Sony Blue Ray was used occasionally.

The tray stopped working on the Sony blue ray and now I can't even manually load it. It happened gradually. If the player was left on after a movie it became unstable and wouldn't respond. I could unplug it and that would correct it for a while. I've just given up on it.

The PS3 just keeps going, it is well built. Nothing has phased it.

[kaisen]

Joe, you didn't mention what you're looking to accomplish!

If you're happy with your sound, why change? Speakers and subs are still speakers and subs. Amps are still amps. Some 40 year old stuff sounds just as good as today's stuff.

Your amp is also tied into your receiver/pre-amp, so some of the inputs may not be as plug and play (HDMI) but that doesn't mean the signal you get over another connection can't produce amazing sound. I'm betting that your current receiver has an optical digital input. Today's Blu-Rays have a fiber optic digital output. Amazing digital sound, and everything is there for decoding DTS or DolbyDigital (5.1 in your case). So.....why change anything in your sound set up? The only reason I can think of would be a smaller form, like wall-hung slim speakers to aesthetically compliment a wall-hung flatscreen. But they're not "better" and usually they're worse, esp. if you're also using the system for musical listening.

Same story with your rear-projection TV. Other than being **HUGE** those high-end Mitsus (and the 73s were all high-end, at least "Gold-Plus" trim) still rival modern LCD/Plasma monitors for overall picture quality depending on the lighting in the room. If you're in a bright room, you may want to upgrade. Otherwise, you're not gaining much except footprint. And a new 73" flatscreen is still a big chunk of money. Your Mitsu should have at least component video inputs. Again, a new Blu-Ray will have them.

So **if it were me**, I'd first invest in a good Blu-Ray player. Use optic output to your current receiver and component output to your current TV. Many BluRay players have the internet capabilities kachi mentioned, like YouTube, Netflix, etc streaming over your TV. They can be WiFi or ethernet depending on what you have available. You can spend $75 or $475 and I'm not sure you'd see any difference in picture quality.

After the Blu-Ray, address the next weakest link. Is it power? Is it your center channel (the most important speaker in 5.1)? Is it the TV? Is it your sub(s)? Or is it a pretty well balanced system that changing a single component wouldn't really help. Adding $5000 speakers to an old $250 50Wx5 A/V receiver doesn't make sense.

BOSE is overhyped, overrated, and has been for what, 15 years?

So, what are you looking to accomplish?

[Rot 911]

Let me muddy the waters here. Some of the newer "sound bars" are getting decent reviews. What says the group about a high end sound bar and sub woofer?

[gr8fl4porsche]

I use a Mirage non-powered sound bar in my living room. It contains 9 small speakers for the lf/c/rf. Combined with matching speakers on the rear wall and a hidden powered sub, the setup works great for TV watching. Not a very good music setup but it does the job it is intended for.

[imcarthur]

Sound bars sell because they are cheap & they fit a lifestyle application. They work using phasing tricks or the fancy DSP chips which fool your ears. Think of them like a cheap body kit to make your Accord look like a Ferrari . . .

On the subject of wireless speakers . . . the floodgates will open in the next 2 - 3 years. Wait.

fwiw . . . here is one of DTS's lab rooms. DTS (and Dolby) encode the sound on DVDs & BluRays. This is only a 7.1 installation as shown but note the rails on the ceiling. They can position any number of speakers in any position.



Ian

[Joeaksa]

Kaisen,

My issue is that the current old system works fine part of the time but part of the time I am losing a speaker or channel, so its time to upgrade to something that is not 15 years old and that works the way it should. Also systems and quality have advanced quite a bit in this amount of time and its time for me to move up a bit. Cannot afford $1000 or more right now but something $500 or so is not out of reach.

One thing I need to mention is that I am not in the market for a new TV right now, so the discussion about LED versus others, while fine, is not something that I can afford right now.

About the wireless speakers, have looked into them and am almost leaning towards the wired versions as there has been some issues with them. As well my house is wired already for the system so its really a moot point here.

Something that I might add to the mix is that I picked up a very nice "sound-bar" for an excellent price recently. Got a Bang & Olufsen (BeoLab 3500 - Bang & Olufsen) and will prolly add it to whatever new system I get for the television.

I do not play games so having something that interfaces with the unit for an X-box or the like is not a factor for me.

Thanks for the discussion guys, appreciate the ideas!

[Hugh R]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

I don't mean to hijack but ...
How well do those wireless speakers work? I hate messing with running wires under my carpet.

I have two Sony ones, and I'm glad I bought them at cost from a friend who works at Sony. They work, but to make them play you have to use Microsoft media player 9 or something like that. Not itunes, and it won't see most of your never MP4 or whatever format it is music. Also couldn't get it to play on my home theater. I'll make you a really good price on two of them if your interested. They play Wi-Fi of your router, and yes they sound good when they work.

[stealthn]

I can't be of much help for an amp with a $500 budget but there are some reasonable ones out there. Check online reviews for many sources and go listen, take the same CD and DVD with you to listen then you can compare apples to apples. I recommend Romantic Warrior - Medieval Overture

I personally like Rotel