Receiver & Speaker Recommendations

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Cadriel

134 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 5

#28320 26-Nov-2008 14:21

Hi all,

We're moving in the new year to a house of our own, and I'm going to be looking at a few things before we actually move in;

1/
Wiring the house properly. This is inclusive of Cat 5e, and any home theatre requirements. There seems to be plenty of recommendations for this here already, so I won't ask that :) Although - if anyone want's to drop there number or recommend someone to do this - i'd be more than happy to note it down for when we're ready.

2/
Installing a *real* home theatre setup. Unfortunately, I'm no expert here - hence the need for some advice. :)

I'm going overseas shortly, and have the opportunity to pick up some recievers at way below what I'd pay for here. So, with that in mind - I've been looking at the Sony STR-DG920. I don't want to spend mega bucks, but I do have enough in the kitty to not skimp, if you know what I mean. :)

So - is that sony okay? Should I be looking at something else? I'm certainly not adverse to other brands either.

I'd also be keen on some speaker recommendations. I'm a hater of cables, but presuming the wiring step goes okay, I'm guessing that won't be an issue?

My current kit is;

Sony 46" X series tele.
Custom Home Theatre computer, HDMI & Optical out, for freeview.
Sky SD
Xbox 360 - original, so connecting via component.
Playstation 3 via HDMI
Sony DVD Player (likely to be decommissioned)

All sound is through the television currently.

Thanks all!

--
Craig.

CASE: Zalman HD160; MOTHERBOARD: Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3; VIDEO: Geforce Asus GT240 HDMI;
SOUND: HDMI Passthrough; CPU: Intel E8200; RAM: Corsair XMS2 2GB;
HDD: 160MB 2.5" Hitachi; TUNER: Hauppage HDR 2200; DISPLAY: Sony 46" 1080p X Series;
SOFTWARE: Windows 7, XBMC;

--
In a mad world, only the mad are sane.

Jaxson

8172 posts

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#180440 26-Nov-2008 14:56

Where are you based?

Some ideas of mine:

Be careful buying electronics overseas that you get one with universal voltage/selector switch on back etc. Remember you will have no warranty should it go wrong, and you possibly wont be able to test properly until you're back, ...and then you have no warranty.

Make sure any receiver you buy can handle the new bluray true HD audio formats.

What sort of house have you bought? Hiding wiring can be fairly easy if you have a wooden floor for example, but it can be involved if if you're not comfotable cutting into walls etc yourself. Older character houses have no horizontal braces/dwangs in the walls so you can easily drop cables from ceiling height right to the floor. In some ways it can be as involved as you want it to be.

These days you can get a good sound with smaller speakers and a good sub. This way you don't have such a cluttered feel in the room as you used to with big speakers all the way around. Go and listen to different setups yourself though, don't buy speakers before you've heard them if possible.

Cadriel

134 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 5

#180476 26-Nov-2008 17:29

I'm based in Auckland - sorry, should have mentioned this. :)

I have family in the country i'm going to, so if something goes wrong - I can ship back to fulfill any warranty requirements. A long process for sure, but better than no option. That's why I'm also only looking at the reciever overseas - I don't want to haul too much back with me.

Yup - definately aware of the True HD audio formats. I think the Sony supports these.

The house isn't purchased yet, we're wating for the new year. But i'm taking into consideration my requirements for purchase. :)

Regarding the wiring, I want it done professionally - which is why i'm not going to do it. :)

Also - yeah, I'll definately be listening to any recommended speakers that people suggest. I'm really in planning mode at the moment, so once I've got some recommendations and nutted my selection down to a few options, i'll be testing more before purchase.

--
Craig.

marmel

1924 posts

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#180509 26-Nov-2008 19:30

The STR-DG920 will do all of you want it to with current sound formats etc.

I would also consider the Onkyo TX-SR606 or even the next model up the TX-SR706.

Keep in mind that these amps will weigh more than 10kg easily so that is half your baggage allowance if you are going to carry it back yourself.

Then as mentioned you have the warranty/voltage issues also.

There have been a few threads regarding importing amps if you do a search. At one stage you could import a amp for about a third of the price here even taking into account the freight, not so great now the dollar has dropped.

The other issue is video upconverting. If you source an amp from a NTSC territory it will be designed to upconvert standard video (standard sky/freeview) using the ntsc standards of 480 lines. In NZ standard definition is broadcast in 576 lines. Could confuse the amp? I have tried asking Sony, Onkyo, Yamaha online etc regarding this issue and no one replied.