| Hi everyone. I am looking to upgrade my current home theater setup. I don't know much about home theater but I know I want mine to sound better. I currently have the following: TV: Sony KP 43HT20 (43 inch rear projection HD Monitor, 2 months old) Receiver: Sony DA30ES (this is about 4 years old, has dolby digital) DVD: Panasonic DVD-RP91 (dvd audio, progressive scna, etc., two months old) Center speaker: Infinity CC-1 Front speakers: Infinity RS-5 Rear/surround: none Subwoofer: none Game system: X-Box OK, so I have between $3000-$4000 dollars to spend to upgrade this system. My thoughts were on upgrading the receiver and speakers. Keep in mind that I live in manhattan and my living room is only about 10 by 10. Upon hours of research, and various arguements seen, I have decided to allocate the bulk of the purchase price to speakers. The Atlantic Technology 270 system sounds good (around $2K) and the Onkyo TX-NR900 receiver (this is a new receiver and there are no reviews for it yet, but the Onkyo's seem to get good reviews in general for price/performance, I also looked at the Marantz SR8200 and the Denon AVR-4802 but felt they were too expensive and I did not need everything they had to offer). This receiver would run around $1200. My question is, given my current system, does anyone have any suggestions on how the money should be spent (i.e. should I spend $3500 on speakers like the atlantic technology 370THX or similar and $500 on a receiver, or should I buy a top of the line receiver like the Onkyo or Denon that run around $2200 and only spend $1000-1500 on speakers). Also, does anyone have any other points such as upgrading the DVD, TV, etc. instead of buying new speakers and receiver, or just adding two rear speakers to the current infinity's. I use the system mostly to watch DVD's and Television, with very little music. Any advice is appreciated. Feel free to email me directly with any advice you have. The sooner the better as I would like to take care of this asap. The research and conflicting opinions are driving me nuts. |
| save your money, look at the kenwood 6070 receiver and the fluance speakers then get a good subwoofer and still have $2000 left over to buy something else |
Anonymous | The Atlantic Tech system you mention is great and you won't be disappointed. I think both your choices are good but given your room size the Atlantics might be too large. Paradigm cinema 70s are small but sound big and would be ideal. I have listened to them in even large rooms and was quite impressed. The Onkyo,Denon, or Harmon Kardon in the same price range would also be ideal. Spend the remainder of your budget on dvds and enjoy! |
Kevin | I loved the sound of the Mirage Omnisat Series. Not sure what the system cost is, but it sounds terrific. http://www.miragespeakers.com/products/newproduct/omnisat/index.htm |
Jeffrey | I am an infinity fan and have coupled the Interlude IL60's for front left and right, IL 36 center, and IL30's rear. I bought them off ebay from the Harman Audio store for about $1200 for the set of refurbed units that normally retails for about $2500-$3000. These speakers sound awesome and come with a five year warranty, even though they are refurbed. I am driving them thru the Kenwood 6070 and am totally happy with the $2000 investment I made. The IL 60's each have a 12" 500W sub that have impressed all my buddies with the low bass they produce, it is crisp and clear, not boomy. Best for a sub for me since I like tight bass. I recommend you take a look at these speakers as they are the best I have found for the money and have the flatest range of sound reproduction for any speakers in the price range they are offered. |