uu

I have been debating as what to get for my home sound system. I have been thinking about the Bose Lifestyle 38 system. But Bose does not make receivers, and the 38 system comes with a DVD player that doubles as a minimal receiver.

So I also have been thinking about getting Bose speakers with some advanced receivers? Anyone has similar setup? Any tips?

My thoughts:

1. Since nowadays the DVD player playes everything, do I really need a receiver?
2. I live a small studio apartment, so I need the receiver and speakers to be small and preferrably wireless. (I know Bose has the some of the best tiny size speakers with powerful and awesome sounds)
3. In addition to Dolby Digital, I also want to have the DTS decoding capability (a lot of Bose products do not have that).
4. My budget is around $2K.

Thanks.

jlukja

Bose gives you a very simple setup and very low visual impact but you can do much much better than Bose for sound quality. I would recommend you get a decent receiver (Yamaha, Denon, Harmon Kardon) and a quality DVD/CD (upconverting to 720p) player and then spend the most you can afford on a 5.1 speaker system. My $$ breakdown would be something like:
Receiver - $400-$600
DVD Player - approx $200
Speakers - the rest of your budget (minus cables and connectors)

cazzy

Almost anything you could peice together will > Bose for far less $$$.

jupitersolo

Agree with others, you can get better than Bose<Yamaha, Denon amp. Take a look a Polk Audio Speakers. I've owned 2 pairs over the last 25 years. Now on my 3rd.

uu

Thanks guys. I will probably get a set of small speakers (anyone has some good reccomdation?) and a separate receiver.

I have been spending time researching receivers:

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it...ures/538999796

and

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/it...ails/538720730

The Denon one even has HDMI outputs. But both seems to be quite big.

CLSter

I got a great deal on Polk RM6800s at Fry's - plus they sound great - the 6900s are well regarded too.

Oppo makes some highly talked about DVD players - wish I had bought one.

Denon makes some nice receivers. Marantz if you are are a millionaire.

2001AudiS4

Marantz isn't that expensive unless you go for the higher end stuff. For his purposes, I would say a SR4001 would do just fine. I have one myself. I believe the retail on it is about $550, but you could maybe find it for less. It sounds great and you would most definitely not be dissapointed with it.

jlukja

For Oppo I would go with the Oppo DV-981HD. It has great specs and some really good reviews. (Note that it doesn't have Component Video Output, so you need an HDMI switching receiver or go directly to a display with an HDMI input.

I have an older Denon DVD player, the DVD-1920 which I am very happy with. The newer version is the Denon DVD-1930 which has the 1080p output.

jlukja

At around $1400: Aperion System with a 10-inch sub. It got the Editors Choice from C/net. If you look at Aperion's website you can build a custom system to your liking.

For another $100 ($1500) you can take a look at the KEF KHT-3005 . It also got the Editors Choice and has smaller speakers that are easier to place (less intrusive) in a small room.

A less expensive system is the Klipsch Cinema 6, currently on sale at Ken Crane's for $598.

CLSter

Hmmm it may be worth it for me to sell the DVD-37 I have for that Oppo - gawd forums drive me batty.

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

My uncle just got this....
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1138083309444
set it up for him recently.
It's actually a very nice setup. It's small, & the receiver is a real receiver. Has all the inputs you would need, & enough power for a small studio.

From my experience living in a small studio I wouldn't spend anywhere near $2k. You'll never be able to enjoy it that much.

jlukja

Check out the HDTV and Home Theater Podcast. The Oppo 981HD is reviewed (starting just before the 16:00 mark on the mp3).

don't hate me.

baboya96

wow must be nice having $2000 budget on sound system. Best I could do for my TV setup was $450 Samsung HT-85 sound system. Living at APT complex, you can't really have your sound system to full capacity anyway but good luck w/ purchase. I'm sure there're PLENTY of options for that kind of budget.

uu

what about these two?

Philip HTS9800: http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4090626

Sony DAV-LF1: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-DAV-LF1-P...&s=electronics

The two are similar, but the Philip is 6.1 wihle Sony is 5.1, but the Sony costs more than twice of Philip!!

Damn, I love the styles of both, and most of all, both have wireless rear speakers. What do you think? I read a lot of reviews on both, seems like people love the Sony one a lot. If the Sony is really worth the money, I will probably get it.

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

Sony's WAY over rated IMHO. I'd go with the Phillips.

WillrunifChased

Try CNET.com for reviews but I have always been a fan of full sized systems so I would be of no help to you when my sats are around 10lbs

gsrblack

If you haven't bought a system yet, try looking at orbaudio.com for their speakers. Much better than Bose and is small. I have 14 orbs for my 7.1 surround and running a Harman Kardon receiver. Sounds really nice and works good. Hope over to avsforums if you have the time to filter through the countless threads on a/v.

jmathew34

the only sony line i'd go with is their ES series receivers...

einsatz

Sounds like you're at the stage I was in back in 2001. I went with a H/K AV receiver, and I wanted Polk speakers, but got an open-box return of the H/K HKTS 5.1 speaker set for an absurdly low price at CC. The whole thing was under $700, and I'm sure you can do the same with the newer models.
Add <$100 for all cables (speakers (16-18ga), video+audio interconnects). Don't bother spending extra $$$ on Monster Cable. Don't bother spending extra $$$ for name-brand digital interconnects. Do bother with a good surge protector.
I'd think twice about HTIB sets that don't use standard outs for speakers (I think bose is included in this) because it limits your upgradeability.

I hope the $2k budget doesn't include a TV.