Home Theater In a Box ?

Chanur · Dec 13, 2012

Does anyone own those HSU speakers? Are they worth the money?

Pemulis · Dec 13, 2012

2 years ago I bought an onkyo receiver and a set of 5.1 definitive technology speakers for under $1000. Anyone who listens to music or watches a movie at my house leaves impressed. Best prices I found were at vanns.com

People can try to justify spending 3-4x that, but I am thrilled with what I have and what I paid for it

Lenardo · Dec 13, 2012

ya don't sweat the number of hdmi ports

http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2

25 bucks ...

lanludar · Dec 13, 2012

If you are looking for some quality stuff you may want to check out Bose products as well.
http://www.bose.com/

Zombie Thorne_sl · Dec 13, 2012

HSU has been making some of the best subs in the industry for a while now. I have an SVS currently, but will be getting a HSU VTF3 after the first of the year. A good sub is what makes movies and games really come to life. You can actually feel it in your chest even at moderate volumes. Their speaker line is fairly new but is getting glowing reviews from ppl that really know their stuff.

http://hometheaterreview.com/hsu-res...viewed/?page=1

http://www.hsuresearch.com/reviews/vtf3mk4WSR.pdf

You will be hard pressed to find a setup that sounds better than this for under 5k. It is where my money is going.

Zodiac · Dec 13, 2012

lanludar_sl said:
If you are looking for some quality stuff you may want to check out Bose products as well.
http://www.bose.com/

lol trollings.

Wolfen_sl · Dec 13, 2012

I love the fact that my receiver has a ton of hdmi ports. All I have to do is press a button on the remote and it switches. No need for an extra box taking up space.

Synj · Dec 14, 2012

No matter what you do, always call for pricing and be willing to ask for discounts. You can typically get 20-40% off the internet price as long as you call and ask for it.

If you are interested in a Denon receiver, this is a must read thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1334369/th...-owners-thread

My suggestions:

Denon AVR-1912 $300-350
Audyssey MultEQ XT - 7 channels x90 watts
6 HDMI inputs
Ethernet, Airplay, Pandora, USB iPod dock

Energy CB-5 x4 Fronts/Rears $200 (call for this price)
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it..._c=site_search

Energy CC-5 $100 Center $100
http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it..._c=site_search

BIC America F12 12" Sub $200
http://www.amazon.com/BIC-America-F1.../dp/B0015A8Y5M

This will blow the doors off any HTIB and comes in at approx. $800
Go to Monoprice for speaker wire and HDMI cables and you have a very respectable home theater system.
http://www.monoprice.com

As someone here mentioned, Polks from newegg.com are a popular option, just make sure to wait for their sales because they are always discounting them.

PS. You can demo the Energy speakers at any Best Buy/Magnolia. I've never heard the sub but it often gets endorsed by avs for those looking for a sub on a budget and again it will be far better than anything you get in an HTIB.

Sean_sl · Dec 14, 2012

Sound Bars are complete garbage. I absolutely love my Onkyo 7.1 HTiB, but I'm not a huge speaker audiophile and not hugely into music. It's great for movies and gaming and seems adequate for music to me. I have my X360, PS3, and PC hooked up to it with my HDTV as a second monitor and could not be happier with it.

I had a "good" Sound Bar before my Onkyo system and anyone who tells you that a Sound Bar is comparable to a 5.1 or 7.1 HTiB system is a complete moron. There's a night and day difference for surround sound movies and games.

I bought the HT-S5300 model a few years ago for $400 and it was well worth it. You can get the newer models for less than that on Amazon now.

If you really give a shit about music buy a good pair of headphones for it, it'll cost you way less than any comparable quality speaker set would. HTiBs are fantastic for gaming and movies and you don't need to spend a ton on speakers for them.

meStevo · Dec 16, 2012

I got a Denon a couple years ago, AVR3310CI, the entire line has a network card problem which means I'd have to ship it to a service facility (if it was still in warranty) for a few weeks/months for repair or buy a $175 network card and repair it myself. Due to the problem whenever we switch inputs you have to power cycle it, or it usually can't handshake w/ the HDMI or something.

Probably won't be buying another Denon.

fris · Dec 16, 2012

Anyone have a receiver that supports Android/ios app control? The idea of my phone replacing the remote is tempting me to replace my old denon. It also is older than hdmi, so its really due.

Synj · Dec 16, 2012

Denon Remote App for iPhone:

2012 Models:
Network AV Receiver : AVR-1613, AVR-1713, AVR-1913, AVR-2113CI, AVR-2313CI, AVR-3313CI, AVR-4520CI

Pre-2012 Models:
Network AV Receiver : AVR-A100, AVR-4311CI, AVR-3312CI/3311CI, AVR-2312CI, AVR-2112CI, AVR-1912, AVR-991

BrutulTM · Dec 16, 2012

Smartphones make shitty remotes IMO. You don't want a remote that constantly turns itself off and then takes several steps to turn back on and can't be used without being looked at. Also, my phone tends to die around 8 or 9 PM which is prime TV time. It's nice for programming your DVR but it's not an upgrade for a real remote.

Leadsalad · Dec 16, 2012

I'd stick with a universal remote with physical buttons as well. Finding a button on a glass screen can be a pain in the ass, especially if it's volume or channel, which you hit often enough.

And really, how often are you actually changing settings on the receiver vs the cable box/dvd/media device? Receiver pretty much gets set to an input and then you fiddle with volume.

Synj · Dec 16, 2012

Leadsalad_sl said:
I'd stick with a universal remote with physical buttons as well. Finding a button on a glass screen can be a pain in the ass, especially if it's volume or channel, which you hit often enough.

And really, how often are you actually changing settings on the receiver vs the cable box/dvd/media device? Receiver pretty much gets set to an input and then you fiddle with volume.

I agree that I like a more tactile feel when watching TV and I have a universal remote for that reason. That being said, having the option to switch between my home share iTunes library, Pandora or Spotify using my iPhone while in my backyard or in my bedroom is pretty nice too.

fris · Dec 17, 2012

my 3 year old can use our media center remotes (basically small wireless keyboards w/ a track ball or pad) to navigate netflix, Dora, Curious George, etc. if he gets a hold of the receiver remote, he has the uncanny ability to reprogram is entirely in seconds.

Dexz · Dec 18, 2012

I have to agree with those that are telling you to piece together components rather than going the HTiB route. I have the newer Onkyo 616 receiver and two of the Polk Audio monitor 60's up front with the CS10 center. It will smoke any HTiB option you will find, I will warn you, the receiver had plenty of bad reviews when it first came out mid summer, after the firmware updates it runs like a champ. The only thing I dislike about the 616 is the lack of Apple Air Play, minor complaint but something to consider if you're an avid Itunes/Apple user.

The monitor 60's have great sound and surprisingly good mid level response for the 5.25 speakers and fill my 16' x 24' living room. Currently waiting for the PSW505 12in sub to go back on sale and add a set of surrounds.

As a foot note, when getting into any level of home theater you can always do better, spend more, research whats good for months.. Best thing to do is get your feet wet and move on from there. Any route you choose will be a huge improvement over nothing.

Chanur · Dec 18, 2012

I ended up ordering a Denon 1912 and trying the Mirage Nanosat. I figure if I don't like them I can return them, or being they were the best price build a better system as I go along.

biteablegravy_sl · Dec 19, 2012

Wish I would have seen this thread sooner. Picked this up the other nighthttp://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-YHT-597...dp/B007PU2X6C/and I'm pretty meh about it. Hopefully the sound softens a bit as the speakers break in, but overall I'm not 100% happy with it.

So now that I have it, can I keep the rears/center and upgrade the front components for a sound upgrade? Should I even mess with it, or buy a more researched system next year?

Void · Dec 19, 2012

If you just bought it, can you still return it without a hefty restock fee? Depending upon the size of speaker you are looking for, you could probably easily buy a separate receiver and a couple of fronts and a center for around that price, but it should all be significantly better quality. You'll need to spend more at some point to get the rears and sub, but overall if your goal is to get something that is going to last you a long time, I wouldn't stick with that. If you're just looking for something to stick in your garage and pump tunes out while you work, then it will be great.

So up to you and what you intend to use it for. Home theater, I might try to return it and start over. Peripheral sound out back or in the garage, around the pool, etc. that will work just fine.

Home Theater In a Box ?

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