Which Home Theatre System

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niresh008

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Howzit guyz. I want want to purchase a Home Theatre System to compliment my plasma wich i purchased last year. All the stores i've been too and every sales guy is trying to sell me there product. all i ended up gettin is confused. i'm willin to spend between 8K & 10K. Do any of you guys have any advice on wich is the best sytem for that price or what specs i should be lookin for.
 
What exactly do you need ?

AV amplifier?
DVD player?
5 speakers? 7 speakers?
subwoofer?
 
I presume you want a receiver and speakers. It all depends what you want out of your system and what components you want to hook up.

An important question would be do you want to be able to play blu-ray movies or just DVD?

If you going blu-ray, then you probably will need a receiver which supports HDMI 1.3, 7.1 sound channels and if you got the cash, is Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD compliant. Also depends if your TV is true HD

If you just want it for DVD's, the receiver should support 5.1 audio channels and be Dolby digital or DTS compliant at the minimum.
 
Or rather stay away from Bose ;)

They're pricey but they're not even looked in real audio :/
 
catweasel said:
I presume you want a receiver and speakers. It all depends what you want out of your system and what components you want to hook up.

An important question would be do you want to be able to play blu-ray movies or just DVD?

If you going blu-ray, then you probably will need a receiver which supports HDMI 1.3, 7.1 sound channels and if you got the cash, is Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD compliant. Also depends if your TV is true HD

If you just want it for DVD's, the receiver should support 5.1 audio channels and be Dolby digital or DTS compliant at the minimum.
Click to expand...


I have a ps3 that but havent really used it to watch movies only 4 gaming. The plasma is not full hd but is 108i compatible. any suggestions on what brands to look 4.
 
Brands are a matter of taste and about how much you willing to spend.

Look for all the brands that support the functionality you want , then you have to weigh up the cost against how much you want to spend and decide for you yourself, if one brand is more worth it then the other - take into account warranties, etc.

To simply get HD video out of your PS3 you dont need to buy anything except an HDMI cable (anything from R300 to R1500 for the cable!!!) and plug it into your plasma (you will need to change the settings on the PS3 to output HD - games should look different too if you don't have blu-ray movies).

If you want a the whole surround sound experience, then you can go two routes:
1) As above for the video from the PS3, but you get one of those home theatre combo's with receiver that supports 5.1 and Dolby Digital/DTS and with 6 speakers.
2) Spend more and get a 7.1 receiver with HDMI 1.3 that supports Dolby True HD/DTS HD. You probably gonna have to get the speakers separately.

There are not many titles on blu-ray that provide 7.1 channels of sound. So your investment in an expensive receiver and 8 speakers is not gonna bear full fruit immediately. However if you buy the 5.1 system, in the future you might have to spend again and upgrade to a 7.1 receiver. All depends on how much of an audiophile/home theater junkie you are.

My advice to start, get the HDMI cable, hook up the PS3 to the TV if you really like what you see, decide how to proceed from there and if an investment in HD equipment is worth it.
 
Last edited:
hwzit guys. i finally have 2 systems that i think should meet my needs. i'm not really sure which to go for. You guys have helped me lot so maybe your'll can help finalise my decision. here are the specs of the systems. the 1st one :
Merantz or Yamaha (i have to chose) 90*7 hdmi amplifier
sony hdmi upscaling dvd player
Jamo 5.1 speaker package
(2*150w tall boys+ 120w Centre+ 80w Surround + 200w Sub)
Total Price R 10 999

2nd system
Sony 130w*7 Hdmi Amp
sony hdmi upscaling dvd player
5.1 sony package
2*200w tallboys + 150w Centre + 100w surrounds + 15inch 300w Sub
Total Cost R10 750

Both systems sound excellent but not sure wich to get
 
Personally I'd go with the Sony.

I've got a Sony 6.2 system that totally blows me away, and it didn't break the bank either.
 
Dolby said:
Or rather stay away from Bose ;)

They're pricey but they're not even looked in real audio :/
Click to expand...

+1 - Bose is merely overpriced crap! They just make their products look aesthetically pleasing to justify the markup.
 
Yip ... Yamaha or Marantz. Another one you should look at is Onkyo.

I chose the Marantz because it was cheaper than the Onkyo, but it's still extremely good. Plus you'll probably get better customer service than with a Sony.

On the amplifier side I've had two Yamahas, an Onkyo and a Marantz. I've had three Marantz CD players and a Marantz DVD player. I've even had two Marantz universal remotes controls ;) Love the brand!
 
I have recently learned about LinuxMCE

When I get myself organized I think I will install it in my house. It looks very very good (and free!).
 
Only one way to decide.

Listen to both set-ups. Take your fav discs around and spin them up. The system that sounds best deserves your cash. The sound is what you are buying.
 
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