Home Theater

Posted by: Tristram on 23 March 2004

Good evening.

A friend of mine wants to put together a home theater system to go with his TV. This would include surround speakers, amp and DVD player. His budget is in the $3K-4K CDN area. This should include everything. Obviously Naim is a difficult prospect on this budget. He expressed an interest in an Onkyo/B&W combination. Any insights here?

What recommendations do you guys have?

I would also be interested in what to look out for in terms of cabling and interconnects.

Thanks in advance. tw

Posted on: 24 March 2004 by woody

I'd go for Denon DVD player (2900) and AV receiver and KEF eggs or B&W VM1 with QED Qnex interconnects and silver anniversary cabling (the KEF eggs are better IMHO). Good for movies and OK for music (well, to a point obviously but it ain't naim).

-- woody

Posted on: 24 March 2004 by Arun Mehan

I would suggest putting a used system together. Onkyo is great for HT, as is Denon although the Onkyo did seem to have the better sound for me. IMHO, the Onkyo is more British-sounding whereas the Denon more American -- oh no, the flat-earth vs round-earth again! I use Onkyo and Kefs (not the eggs) for an amazing, yet affordable, HT setup. Yamaha is a slightly cheaper option as well. I don't know what your friend expects from his HT, but I've setup quite a few for friends/family and I'm not convinced it's worth saving money on buying the smaller satellite-based speaker systems. I would rather buy at least bookshelfs all around. Don't skimp on the centre -- it may be the most important speaker in the whole system. A good subwoofer is also important, especially if your fronts are bookshelfs.

With regards to cabling, no reason to get fancy. Any dealer will sell you decent cables at a decent price without having to break the bank.

You are more than welcome to email me as I could suggest a few places/dealers in Southwestern Ontario.

Arun Mehan
audio42@hotmail.com

Posted on: 24 March 2004 by Geofiz

There are some definite buys to be had at this time of year as dealers clear out old models in anticipation of the new, but I too recommend the used route.

There are some good Rotel HT separates to be had (RSP980 preamp with RB985 (5 ch amp)and outboard AC3 decoder RSA980) on eBay or used. The new Totem Rainmakers may be interesting as the speakers. There are some other good used buys out there, but you do have to look for them (especially with the surround sound receivers).
Good luck.