Suggest 650W-1000W Home Theater w/Optic Fibre Input

[Mickey79]

Ave,

I have both an XBOX & XBOX360 and as I learnt, to get true 5.1 Surround Sound output, i need a Home Theater System that has an Optic Fiber Input. So i'll be investing in a new Home Theater System soon. I want to keep the cost down, something around $200.

What I'm basically looking for is:

650W - 1000W
5.1 (or higher)
Preferably 5-Disc Changer (not necessary)
Component Video Output
Fiber Optic Input

I've seen a Samsung one for about $200 that has all of this, but i'm not a big fan of the brand. Can anyone give me suggestions on this?

Thanks.

[TooLFooL]

basic rule of thumb: "you get what you pay for..."

you are asking a lot for $200. cheap systems do exist, but they are just that - 'cheap'

[Mickey79]

Not sure if I agree with you a 100%. Head over to CircuitCity.Com or BestBuy.Com ... a ton of Home Theater systems between $150 - $250 which fit my criteria. Some of them are missing the Optic Fiber input, but not all of them.

So why did I post here? Because i'm no expert in Home Theater Systems, nor their brands. But you always find people who are in these forums. So maybe someone can not only suggest a good brand/model... but also knows about cost-effectiveness. Happens all the time.

[JohnnyMalaria]

basic rule of thumb: "you get what you pay for..."

you are asking a lot for $200. cheap systems do exist, but they are just that - 'cheap'

Agreed.

It's amazing how "loud" and "lots of bass" can hide crap fidelity.

[TooLFooL]

well sure, many systems exist for only a couple hundred dollars, but also realize that other systems exist costing thousands of dollars. there IS a reason for the cost difference...

i guess what matters is what's important to you. if you are hoping for a system with excellent sound & quality, you won't find it for $200... (you could easily spend $200 on 1 of the 5 satellite speakers) honestly, i spent about $800 for my system, and i'm not happy with it, i think it sounds like crap. you might disagree though? on the other hand, if excellent sound & quality isn't important, and you just want to step up to surround, you may be delighted with it.

one word of warning!... that claim of '1000 watts' will be more like 100 watts (max), and i'm not gonna begin to explain why, just trust me on this one!

[JohnnyMalaria]

one word of warning!... that claim of '1000 watts' will be more like 100 watts (max), and i'm not gonna begin to explain why, just trust me on this one!

I was curious about that, too.

A not-so-extensive delve revealed that the 1000W is often the TOTAL for ALL the speakers. For a 5.1 system, that's typically 250W for the sub-woofer and 125W x 4 for the others.

e.g: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7686435&type=product&id=1134704163528

Gotta laugh - Philips are running a TV commercial about their low consumption light bulbs and how they will save the arctic. And they hope people watch their commercials on their energy-gobbling home theater systems!

I've got a 30W guitar amp. If I crank it to 11, I can't be in the same room - it's t-o-o loud.

[Mickey79]

Ave,

i guess what matters is what's important to you.

Unfortunately, in the real world, what matters most is what you can afford. Unless you're a celebrity.

I can't say that I don't agree with you guys. Of course everything you've stated is correct. Of course what you pay for is what you get. Of course I'm not going to get sounds that Bose delivers on a $200 5-Disc Home Theater System. And I truly wish I could spend $2,000 on a home theater system. But unfortunately i'm not in that income group, and I have to pay what I can afford.

What I meant with "I want to keep the cost down" was "This is all I can afford". And all that i'm looking for is, the best I can possibly get out of the "mere" $200 that I can afford to spend.

A not-so-extensive delve revealed that the 1000W is often the TOTAL for ALL the speakers. For a 5.1 system, that's typically 250W for the sub-woofer and 125W x 4 for the others.

Actually that's a somewhat common knowledge from what I understand. In fact, if you go to even Circuit City or Best Buy, their website, or even pick up any Home Theater box in any store, it very specifically states that. 1000W would more then likely be 125W X 4 and 250W for Sub-Woofer.

I have a panasonic SC-HT670 which I got for about $250 couple of years ago. It's 650W (Watts divided amongst it's 6 speakers). It serves me fine. I haven't had any problems with it whatsoever. It's just the Optic Fiber input that I need now which is making me make this investment in the first place.

There is a Samsung & a Philips one that I have spotted, 850W and 1000W respectively... both 5-Disc Changers, both have a Digital Input. More then likely I'll go with one of those. I'll keep looking though when till i'm ready to buy.

Thanks.

[cowgoo]

Here's a place that sells toslink to coaxial. Don't know if it helps or not
http://www.lashen.com/vendors/calrad/Toslink_Cables.asp

I have an JVC thm 303 that has what you are looking for. They were out a few years ago so you might find them for cheaper today

[Mickey79]

Ave,

That one actually looks pretty good. Unfortunately i'm having a hard time finding it in retail. Most places are claiming it's no longer available. It appears to be $200.
I'll look for the updated JVC models and see what I can find.

I do have links to toslink converters and other cable accessories just like the link you sent, and i'll be ready to get some of those once I get a Home Theater System. But thanks for that as well.

The one you have, does it have Fiber Optic input or Coaxial?

Thanks.

[cowgoo]

mine only has optical in

[redwudz]

If you want to buy a surround sound system from a store, take your favorite CD disc with you and have them play it. Not the same as surround, but at least it's something you are familiar with and can do some comparisons. If you have a similar familiar DVD disc with good audio, probably better.

The 'wattage' that many manufactures quote is purely BS. They used to have a term for power rating called, 'Peak Music Power', which was about the same as shorting out the amplifier and that was the power before the fuse blew out. No foundation in audio reality.

There are some decent surround sound systems for a reasonable price. But about the only way to tell is to try them yourself. Don't believe salesman, or ads or what some bogus 'review' sites list for 'facts'. Use your ears and your wallet to make your choice. Then, at least, you will only have yourself to blame it turns out not to be what you want.

Optical or Coaxial audio inputs should work about the same in low end systems. Either should work fine.

Just my opinion.

[TooLFooL]

The 'wattage' that many manufactures quote is purely BS. They used to have a term for power rating called, 'Peak Music Power', which was about the same as shorting out the amplifier and that was the power before the fuse blew out. No foundation in audio reality.

exactly. what you need to know is "RMS" power, which is 'Root Mean Square'.. basically the average power you will get from the amplifier...
BUT!.. you also must look at "THD" - 'Total Harmonic Distortion' at this RMS level.. this will be a percent, maybe .01% (good) or 1% (bad).
if an amplifier is rated at 100 Watts RMS 1% THD, it will sound like crap next to the one rated at 10 Watts .01% THD.
also when thinking about wattage, realize that 100 watts is only TWICE as loud as 10 watts... to double volume you must increase wattage by the power of 10. this is why you can spend a LOT of money for an amp rated for, say, only 50 Watts RMS, or find a cheapie 1000 Watt amp.
and always remember, DISTORTION is what kills speakers, not wattage (usually). if you have a speaker capable of handling 1000 Watts, you can easily fry it with a 'dirty' 50 Watt amp. When you turn it up too loud, the signal is clipped at the amp's limit, producing a D.C. voltage that will melt the voice coils.
i don't know if loud volume is something you are after, but if it is, turning the volume up is not the answer... this is where the money thing comes into play!