Help Brutus get his Home Theater together (finally!)...

In My Humble Opinion
1

I have 2 components of my HTS. A Sony KP-51WS500 51" TV is hooked up to a Sony DVP-NS715P DVD player. (This system will be exclusively for movie watching, since I rarely if ever listen to music at home.)

I am looking for some sound now, but the catch is, I am in a rented townhouse, with lousy layout. (For sound; great for parties playing ‘Crossbows and Catapults’) So my thinking is: Get a good reciever, and a pair of good 3-way floor standers. When I get a house (hopefully this summer), flesh out the system with sides, rears, etc.

My price limit is ~500 per speaker for the speakers, and ~1000 on the reciever. Unfortunately, that opens a huge frigging range of products. If I can go less, I will gladly do so. Quality doesn’t have to cost, I realize. (Usually does though, huh?)

Reveiver-wise, I am thinking Yamaha, but people tell me that Sony has superior sound processing. Doubtfull, but hey. You tell me! I have checked out some Denon products, but a friend has told me that Denon has some quality problems. True dat?

Speakers ahoy! B&W? HK? I have listened to a pair of Wharfedales, and damn was I impressed, especially given the price. Also, I listened to pair of Bose 601’s. Excellent, but Bose? I don’t care for the sound on my uncle’s accoustimass system, so I am prejiduced againt Bose…
Any pointers? I don’t trust too many of the online reviews, since it is difficult to judge which are honest reviews, and which are review-ertistements.

2

ok, go to
www.audiogon.com for used stuff (by far the best way to stretch the budget)
www.hometheaterforum.com for advice.

For $1000 you ought to consider the idea of going with seperate processor and amp(s). I would recomend you buy a two channel amp now, and then get a three channel amp for center and surrounds when you get the house. For $1000/pair speakers you can’t go wrong with B&W, but if you are only using this for movies you can probably get more bang for the buck. I am a two channel stereo guy, so others can probably tell you more about good home theater speakers. Please don’t buy bose, and don’t shop @ Best Buy/ Circuit city. Go to a real audio store.

3

For a receiver, I’d look at Onkyo, Denon, or Harman-Karden before Sony and Yamaha.

Don’t buy some speakers in that price range before you go and listen to some Paradigm Reference/20’s or one of their other speakers. No one makes better speakers for the money. I have never, ever read a bad review of a Paradigm speaker, and I’ve read a lot that gushed to the point of fawning.

I once owned a pair of Bose 901’s, and I won’t own another Bose speaker. They represent poor value, IMO.