Home Theater Receiver...

Is that sarcastic? For those that don't know, Bose are considered by audiophiles and industry professionals to be all hype, marketing (albeit with decent design), and very overpriced.

 

yes it's overpriced for a reason.

apple haters say the same thing about ipad.

 

no highs, no lows...........

 

I'm partial to JVC. I have had one in my bedroom; 5.1 w/ 600 total watts and Dolby/DTS decoder and all the extras. Haven't had 1 issue with it in 12 years.

I got another JVC for my back deck, also 5.1 w/ about 750 total watts and the same features as the other one. Have also had zero issued with it, despite the fact it is permanently mounted outside.

 

Having owned Bose, Infinity, Polk, Sony, and built my own speakers... I just have to laugh. I gave my Bose 201's away for nothing, and felt bad for not putting them in the garbage where they belong.

 

you should consider seeing an EENT.

A Sony sound syste? yuk!

 

I love my Onkyo retail $999 but purchased from ebay for $499. Brand new probably missing from a truck.

 

Bose is all hype bro.

 

lol his Polk and Infinity speakers are probably several notches above in terms of quality and value.

Speakers and headphones are one of the few electronic categories where most consumers are extremely uneducated. Bose is asking $5k for their 5.1 sound system which is outrageous. That's like asking $80,000 for a Chevy Malibu.. and 95% of people think that's fair when in fact cars like 7 series BMWs destroy them.

Look up brands like Paradigm, Mirage, Definitive, Klipsch, Jamo, Atlantic, Miller & Kreisel, Bowers and Wilkins, etc.

 

A pre-amp is not what you want. A pre-amp amplifies low level signal to line level, but it won't have enough power. What you need is a subwoofer amplifier. Unfortunately it's unlikely that you'll find a non-HTIB receiver that has powered subwoofer out, so you'll need something like this Dayton 70w subwoofer amplifier for $67 to drive it. Are there any markings on the subwoofer that says how much power it needs?

It might make more sense to buy a cheap powered subwoofer instead of the amp. I have no doubt that even a $150 subwoofer will be a upgrade versus the HTIB sub.

Also, to reiterate what someone else said, buying gently used audio equipment can get you some very very good deals. Subwoofer would be a great choice to buy off craigslist since shipping costs are so high.

 

Last summer, I traded down from separates (Outlaw pre-amp + ATI amp) to a Pioneer receiver (decent, middling $500 one), and I gotta say, the Pioneer puts out amazing sound for the price. (Their MCACC calibration technology is awesome.) Granted, audio in general took a hit when I downsized my speakers from Paradigm towers to some tiny Definitive Technology ones, but not as much of a hit as I thought it would.

 

There's hype but not all. I got ears too, and the fact that there still in business for many years, is a testament of the value of the product.

of course you can't make everybody happy especially who can't afford it.

size matters too.

 

Bose is extremely overpriced.

For a price of their system, you can get a good receiver and pair it up with fantastic speakers such as B&W, Definitive, Klipsch, Atlantic Technology etc

For the guy who mentioned Bose, I don't think he understands the topic of the thread.

he wants a receiver. Bose doesn't sell separate receivers, they only sell them in a package with their speakers.

When you buy an audio receiver, you can choose any brand of speaker or subwoofer.

Bose was not designed with versatility in mind, it's designed for people who don't want the complication of setting up an audio system.

 

Just recently upgraded my Onkyo/ Bose system to Pioneer 1020 and B&W speakers. The Pioneer has some great features. Really like the iPod/iPhone connectivity. The HDMI switching can be flakey at times. The B&Ws are amazing. I kept the Bose and moved them to surround. Pretty much all they are good for.

 

I bought a Samsung 5.1 surround sound home theatre system a month ago. It sounds fantanstic but i've had a problem i just can't fix. The audio keeps getting out of synch with the video. I have direct tv and it runs off an HDMI cable. Anytime i am watching an HD channel it starts out normal then suddenly the audio freezes for two or three seconds then remains out of synch until i shut if off and restart it. I tried using the audio delay feature that comes with it but it just makes it worse. Any ideas on how to fix it?

 

I would recommend Pioneer. Onkyo is good, but has some overheat issues.