Hi. I am in the market to buy a hi-fi system for movies and music (50-50). My budget is about Singapore $ 1200 (~USD 700). I already have a DVD player and a large screen TV - just need a good 6.1 receiver and speakers. I was looking for separate solutions, but the sales person at Best Denki here really sold the idea of buying a Yamaha combo called the YHT-470. Not sure if this one qualifies as a HTIB, since the receiver is the standard RX-V450 also available as a separate and there is no DVD player. I know that the Yamaha RX-V450 is a very capable separate, but not so sure about the Yamaha speakers. The speakers offered are NS-7390CH main, NS-P70 surround, and a center (not sure about model). There is no subwoofer in the package, since the mains have an inbuilt sub. I am a bit suspicious about the speakers. I am not an audiophile, so could not tell much from the test they did in the store - given all the other noise, and the fact that the speakers were all laid out in a row ! Any advice ? Would it be better to buy this package, or get a better set of speakers to go with the RX-V450. I also heard that a new version of the 6.1 receiver is expected from Yamaha in the next few months - the RX-V457. Any news on that one ?
Generally speaking, HTIB setups make a lot of compromises in the speakers so you are very right to be suspicious.
What speaker-only manufacturers are available in your area? That would be a better place to start. With your budget I'd look at Polk, Infinity, or Athena speaker packages if you insist on having surround sound now.
Even better would be to just buy the best 3.1 (front 3 speakers and a subwoofer) setup right now, and get the surrounds later when you have the money...the surrounds only do 10-15% of the work for movies anyways so you can go super cheap there.
Since you do 50% music you might even consider getting the best L/R speakers you can afford, then worry about the other speakers later when you have the money. Better to have excellent 2-channel than crappy 5-7 channel.
Are you be able to accept Internet orders from US-based dealers?
For the receiver, I'd look at a Panasonic (sa-xr55 or sa-xr70), JVC (rx-f10, 302, 402), or Kenwood (vr7100) pure-digital receiver, these will offer the best sound quality on a low budget ($200-350) and should be available in Asia.
Edster, thanks for your very insightful response. This is exactly the kind of advice I was looking for. Your suggestion of going for a high quality 3.1 or L/R speaker solution sounds right to me. I could even salvage my old Sony ProLogic system for the surround channel speakers for now.
On your suggestion to consider Panasonic/JVC/Kenwood receivers, I am a bit taken aback. Probably because I have been out of touch with the audio equipment industry for a while... I used to think that the likes of Yamaha, HK, Marantz, Denon, etc make the better mid-range receivers, and that Panasonic/JVC/Kenwood etc were not good. Something has changed in the past few years. I have noticed these brands in recommendations and discussions on other posts, but dont understand the big picture. Whats the story ?
Edster is referring to the new lines of "All Digital" receivers from Panasonic/JVC/Kenwood, which include (less expensive) digital amplifiers that have had many positive reviews. If you look at the big picture, Yamaha, HK, Marantz, and Denon do typically make better mid-range receivers. But in recent years, Denon and Yamaha have (IMHO) gone more 'mass-market' on their mid-range gear, and neither build quality nor sound quality on those units is on par with their older mid-range units or current top-line models.
In the price range you're considering, those new all-digital receivers are supposed to be very strong performers, and will still leave you with enough money to buy some decent speakers.