Hello. I have made a few posts so far, but not yet found tons of help. I am pretty inexperienced with stereo systems, and I currently only own an old sony 5.1 channel setup. I want to get a 7.1 hd receiver with hdmi inputs, and also replace my speakers.
I was wondering what I should replace first, and assuming a smaller sized room, what kind of receiver/ speakers should I look for. Finally, should I go HTIB, or build piece by piece?
I suppose we haven't been "tons of help" because the answers to your questions are determined by you. There should be no one capable of telling you what YOU will enjoy most.
So obviously that is not what you want to hear so how about something I can say for sure like this? Do not buy a HTiB under any circumstances.
As for the rest, if it were me I would start auditioning speakers at any audio shop I could find. I would be looking for a brand where the fronts just blow me away and ideally the brand then would have additional rears that you could purchase later (to create a future 7.1 system). The sub doesn't have to be the same brand but if it sounds great to you then so be it. I would take my new 5.1 speaker system home and connect it to my old Sony and enjoy the heck out of it for several months until the itch to replace the Sony and add two more speakers gets unbearable.
thank you...Something else i was looking at was what to replace first...the speakers, get a sub (the old one is shot) or get a new amp?
At the moment I would like to keep the costs under $1000 and I am willing to go with only a partial upgrade for now.
My initial thought was to replace the fronts and center, and maybe wait on the receiver. Also, I am considering getting the sub as well, since i currently dont have one at all.
I have been having trouble putting together a decent setup for under $1000 though. These are my preferences so far: Speakers: Paradigm mini or atom monitor Subwoofer: HSU STF2/ HSU VTF1 Receiver: Onkyo 606 or 607
Thanks again for your help, and let me know if you have any ideas of how I could start this upgrade.
update: I went to 6th avenue electronics, and could not have been more pleased. They got me a pair of monitor mini, a cc-190, and a cable for my future sub for around $650. I got to check out the paradigm, klipsch, and definitive, and the paradigm sounded the best to me. I will buy the sub tomorrow, and my theater should be pretty banging. Now, I just have to figure out where to put everything