Advice on 50K budget AV system

[d.aanand]

Hello All,
I'm planning to buy a home theatre system. By online reviews I have zeroed on a couple of options and I need members of this group to help me make a decision. I'm open to more suggestions as well and would be happy to if a best choice is made with less budget

Budget: upto 50K INR
Audio/Video Source: Sony KD43X8000G TV, Airtel DTH(Planning to upgrade to Airtell xStream in future), Amazon Prime, Hotstar(Super Plan for Dolby 5.1 support), YouTube, Spotify and Downloaded content
Formats that the system should support for present: Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby 5.1, DTS HD, Dolby TrueHD. Most of my current content from above sources are found in these formats.
Formats that the system should support for future: Dolby Amos, DTS:X, Dolby Vision(Not sure if my Tv will support this)
Note: Not planning to replace my TV for now. Bought it in 2020 only.

Requirement: Need a AV system with speaker combo or a AV system home theatre set that comes with speakers under my budget. Can shell out 5k extra for any additional options/improvements.

Zeroed in AV systems:
1st Option - Pioneer HTP-076
2nd Option - Yamaha YHT 3072-INR
3rd Option - Onkyo S7800

Also please suggest good shops in and around adyar or Chennai for original AV systems. There are lot of shop have gone to and found fake systems or used systems.

 

[gourav]

I have been looking for a home theater in similar budget. Generally HTiBs are not highly recommended. However, they're not bad in themselves. They can be decent entry points, especially something like Pioneer HTP-076 or Yamaha YHT 3072.

That said, here are a few points you should keep in mind:

• Always try to audition speakers before you buy them. Since sound preference is fairly personal, others' recommendation may not always hold true for you
• Avoid Onkyo, service is pretty poor
• Check for availability, don't just go by website listings. Availability of HTiBs is pretty bad right now. Some smaller websites do not update their stocks on the website
• You don't necessarily have to buy and entire Home theater system at one go, you can build it part by part, starting with AVR and 2 front speakers

Used options, especially in speakers, are not all that bad. Good speakers last for years. There are people on this forum using the same speakers for 30 years. And if you can look at the speakers and ascertain that they are well maintained, there's no harm in buying them. Be a bit more careful with used AVRs though.

Chennai is actually a good place to be living it for HT lovers, there are a lot of stores and lot of OLX listings as well.

Your budget is not sufficient for buying an AVR and speaker set separately. So you have 3 options:

1. Get an HTiB, if available
2. Stretch your budget
3. Buy used
4. Build over time, part by part

Buying/building an HT is a journey and is a lot more arduous than buying a TV or any other appliance for home. Let us know what are your thoughts after reading the above.

In the mean time, you can check Sabarimusicals in Tambaram, they seem to have a lot of brands. Also check Torvin Audio, which is a manufacturer and makes speakers. You'll need an AVR.

Oh, and one last piece of advice, before you visit any store, call them to check for availability, prices, and possibility of a demo. Do not hesitate to ask for a demo. If they don't want to give a demo, you can get it somewhere else. If you visit stores without calling them, you'll get tired pretty soon. Talking from very recent experience.

 

[SRI 420]

I have been looking for a home theater in similar budget. Generally HTiBs are not highly recommended. However, they're not bad in themselves. They can be decent entry points, especially something like Pioneer HTP-076 or Yamaha YHT 3072.

That said, here are a few points you should keep in mind:

• Always try to audition speakers before you buy them. Since sound preference is fairly personal, others' recommendation may not always hold true for you
• Avoid Onkyo, service is pretty poor
• Check for availability, don't just go by website listings. Availability of HTiBs is pretty bad right now. Some smaller websites do not update their stocks on the website
• You don't necessarily have to buy and entire Home theater system at one go, you can build it part by part, starting with AVR and 2 front speakers

Used options, especially in speakers, are not all that bad. Good speakers last for years. There are people on this forum using the same speakers for 30 years. And if you can look at the speakers and ascertain that they are well maintained, there's no harm in buying them. Be a bit more careful with used AVRs though.

Chennai is actually a good place to be living it for HT lovers, there are a lot of stores and lot of OLX listings as well.

Your budget is not sufficient for buying an AVR and speaker set separately. So you have 3 options:

1. Get an HTiB, if available
2. Stretch your budget
3. Buy used
4. Build over time, part by part

Buying/building an HT is a journey and is a lot more arduous than buying a TV or any other appliance for home. Let us know what are your thoughts after reading the above.

In the mean time, you can check Sabarimusicals in Tambaram, they seem to have a lot of brands. Also check Torvin Audio, which is a manufacturer and makes speakers. You'll need an AVR.

Oh, and one last piece of advice, before you visit any store, call them to check for availability, prices, and possibility of a demo. Do not hesitate to ask for a demo. If they don't want to give a demo, you can get it somewhere else. If you visit stores without calling them, you'll get tired pretty soon. Talking from very recent experience.

Very sane advice Gourav, your recent search/research will help fellow members.
Best wishes to both of you in your quest.
Srinivas.

 

[hdmaniac]

Off the 3 HTiBs in your zeroed-in list, I would suggest 1st Option - Pioneer HTP-076 as it supports Atmos/DTSX processing and the Yamaha does not. Another advantage with the Pioneer model is that it supports speaker impedance from 4ohms-16ohms which would give you wider choices when changing speakers in the future.

 

[efernand1]

Hello All,
I'm planning to buy a home theatre system. By online reviews I have zeroed on a couple of options and I need members of this group to help me make a decision. I'm open to more suggestions as well and would be happy to if a best choice is made with less budget

Budget: upto 50K INR
Audio/Video Source: Sony KD43X8000G TV, Airtel DTH(Planning to upgrade to Airtell xStream in future), Amazon Prime, Hotstar(Super Plan for Dolby 5.1 support), YouTube, Spotify and Downloaded content
Formats that the system should support for present: Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby 5.1, DTS HD, Dolby TrueHD. Most of my current content from above sources are found in these formats.
Formats that the system should support for future: Dolby Amos, DTS:X, Dolby Vision(Not sure if my Tv will support this)
Note: Not planning to replace my TV for now. Bought it in 2020 only.

Requirement: Need a AV system with speaker combo or a AV system home theatre set that comes with speakers under my budget. Can shell out 5k extra for any additional options/improvements.

Zeroed in AV systems:
1st Option - Pioneer HTP-076
2nd Option - Yamaha YHT 3072-INR
3rd Option - Onkyo S7800

Also please suggest good shops in and around adyar or Chennai for original AV systems. There are lot of shop have gone to and found fake systems or used systems.

Well as you have already received advise and pointers, sharing my views:

It would make sense to read reviews and posts available under What should I buy section etc. and also Google posts to understand aspects of a good home theatre and what devices or systems delivers what performances and their drawbacks.

Besides speakers which would remain unchanged for a longer time in a typical system, usually the AVR is changed or updated frequently as no system is 100% future proof. Over the years have seen many brands update / launch many models within a year or two in order to compete in the AV market. Some of the manufacturers put a lot of features/functions which one may end never using at all. Some of these are even gimmicks just to ensure quick sales etc.

Everyone has a different taste and budget. Sky is the limit for some. See what meets your expectation and budget. Audition as much as you can. Current situation may restrict audition in some places, you can always rely on reviews and Youtube to get some understanding of the performances.

If the budget is tight, look at pre owned stuff being sold online or through known sources. Most of us have learnt through experience and changing systems over the years, these experiences were either good or bad ones...that's what makes you more cautious, knowledgeable and accordingly take the plunge to enhance or upgrade with time.

Given you are based in Chennai there are many dealers and even individuals who keep selling good systems. A little patience is required to ensure you do all your research and then take the plunge in buying the system of your choice.

All the best!