Home Theater for budget ~25k

[abhifusion]

Hellos , I am looking for my first HT system , I have 40" Sammy LED TV @ home . My budget is around 25k . I will be using HT speakers for main playback , whether be it TV viewing or Movies , because TV speakers are crap to say the least ! (What I want to say is , speakers will be ON as long as the TV is ON , i.e ~12 hours a day ! , i guess any HT should not have problem with this !!)

One problem is , I play HD(MKV) movies through TV (USB Movie) and I wont be spending on media player any soon. So how will I get 5.1 surround sound through TV Audio Out ?? TV has Aud Optical Out .

I have shortlisted Onkyo 3300 , but from the reviews I'hv read , its speakers are not the good .
I am open to different amp n speakers combination as far its better than onkyo 3300 and well within my budget .

please help , will be buying it within a week ...

 

[swami]

Hi,

Looking at the subject of your post, the first system that came to my mind was indeed Onkyo 3300. I auditioned onkyo 3300 a few days back. Saw the Fighter planes (WTC) scene in the climax of the King Kong movie (blu ray). I checked the same in onkyo 5300 too. I have to admit that despite the "extra" goodness in 5300, the 3300 still satisfied me as a HT (movie) package within a starting budget. Note that 5300 is almost for double the price than that of 3300.

Music - That's a NO. 3300 "did not" qualify for me strictly for its music capability. 5300 were better here and good enough. However, at that price (50K+) one gets a whole lot of options available.

I advise you to audition the onkyo 3300 and judge yourself. Nothing else will help you make your decision faster and better!

PS: I finally settled for nether of the above products but then my taste is different that yours, as I understand. I would be listening to music 70% of the times.

 

[Kittu]

Given your budget Onkyo 3300 fits the best bet. If you are more into music buy an amp and bookshelf speakers ... But since you use speakers with 12hrs TV I would say go for Onkyo 3300..

 

[elangoas]

Hellos , I am looking for my first HT system , I have 40" Sammy LED TV @ home . My budget is around 25k . I will be using HT speakers for main playback , whether be it TV viewing or Movies , because TV speakers are crap to say the least ! (What I want to say is , speakers will be ON as long as the TV is ON , i.e ~12 hours a day ! , i guess any HT should not have problem with this !!)

One problem is , I play HD(MKV) movies through TV (USB Movie) and I wont be spending on media player any soon. So how will I get 5.1 surround sound through TV Audio Out ?? TV has Aud Optical Out .

I have shortlisted Onkyo 3300 , but from the reviews I'hv read , its speakers are not the good .
I am open to different amp n speakers combination as far its better than onkyo 3300 and well within my budget .

please help , will be buying it within a week ...

Do u have a DTH connection or a cable connection. In a cable TV, you would get only MONO signal. In ordinary DTH, u would get Stereo mode. You also said that you would watch TV for close to 12 hrs a day. So with all these, a HT will def not justify your need. Instead go for a Stereo setup. You will love every Hour of watching TV.

Also you said that you play HD (MKV) files on your TV's USB. I think in an MKV format, the video quality is good. But audio you will get is either stereo (or) 2 channel dolby. I don't think you will get 5.1 sound on it. So stereo set up will be a better choice.....

 

[abhifusion]

Hi,

Looking at the subject of your post, the first system that came to my mind was indeed Onkyo 3300. I auditioned onkyo 3300 a few days back. Saw the Fighter planes (WTC) scene in the climax of the King Kong movie (blu ray). I checked the same in onkyo 5300 too. I have to admit that despite the "extra" goodness in 5300, the 3300 still satisfied me as a HT (movie) package within a starting budget. Note that 5300 is almost for double the price than that of 3300.

Music - That's a NO. 3300 "did not" qualify for me strictly for its music capability. 5300 were better here and good enough. However, at that price (50K+) one gets a whole lot of options available.

I advise you to audition the onkyo 3300 and judge yourself. Nothing else will help you make your decision faster and better!

PS: I finally settled for nether of the above products but then my taste is different that yours, as I understand. I would be listening to music 70% of the times.

Well may I know which combination you opt for ?? I am having hard time finding 3300 in Pune !! Most of them have 3100 selling for 25k !!

Given your budget Onkyo 3300 fits the best bet. If you are more into music buy an amp and bookshelf speakers ... But since you use speakers with 12hrs TV I would say go for Onkyo 3300..

Yeah , thats what m thinking ...

Do u have a DTH connection or a cable connection. In a cable TV, you would get only MONO signal. In ordinary DTH, u would get Stereo mode. You also said that you would watch TV for close to 12 hrs a day. So with all these, a HT will def not justify your need. Instead go for a Stereo setup. You will love every Hour of watching TV.

Also you said that you play HD (MKV) files on your TV's USB. I think in an MKV format, the video quality is good. But audio you will get is either stereo (or) 2 channel dolby. I don't think you will get 5.1 sound on it. So stereo set up will be a better choice.....

Hmm , your advise sounds most practical right now . But what about future-proofing ? I have TataSky , and new DTH boxes are coming with 5.1 sound , plus I already have Samsung 2.1 mini HT hooked up to comp , thought of using same for TV but again Proper HT with Receiver sounds better idea considering any future upgrades ...

 

[ankur_gangne]

try to go for Harman Kardon A/V reciever & JBL speakers they r awesome, i ve heard them

 

[elangoas]

Hmm , your advise sounds most practical right now . But what about future-proofing ? I have TataSky , and new DTH boxes are coming with 5.1 sound , plus I already have Samsung 2.1 mini HT hooked up to comp , thought of using same for TV but again Proper HT with Receiver sounds better idea considering any future upgrades ...

Start with bookshelf speakers & Amplifier / receiver for now. Any entry level receiver will cost you 20K atleast. It is difficult to find good speakers in 5K range.

Even if there are HD DTH, you will get good Video Quality but not many channels would be broad casted in 5.1. You will get only 2 channel Dolby. So fro now stereo setup will do.

I would like to suggest you to get an Amplifier and a S speaker for now. That will suffice you for most of ur needs now. Whenever you can afford, upgrade one by one.

 

[abhifusion]

try to go for Harman Kardon A/V reciever & JBL speakers they r awesome, i ve heard them

Please tell its Model No bro !

Start with bookshelf speakers & Amplifier / receiver for now. Any entry level receiver will cost you 20K atleast. It is difficult to find good speakers in 5K range.

Even if there are HD DTH, you will get good Video Quality but not many channels would be broad casted in 5.1. You will get only 2 channel Dolby. So fro now stereo setup will do.

I would like to suggest you to get an Amplifier and a S speaker for now. That will suffice you for most of ur needs now. Whenever you can afford, upgrade one by one.

So any specific Model You suggest , so that I can check it out when I go to showroom ??

 

[swami]

Well may I know which combination you opt for ?? I am having hard time finding 3300 in Pune !! Most of them have 3100 selling for 25k !!

I settled for an AVR and a pair of bookshelves, as advised by another friend in this thread. Eventually, I would upgrade to a 5.1 speaker package (to satisfy my movie taste) and right now I am good on stereo music listening.

Denon - AVR 1611
Wharfedale - Diamond 9.1
DAC - 14 gauge speaker cables
Philips - My old DVD player (thinking of going for a pioneer 420/220 - unable to decide which one to go for - help!!! anyone? :sos: )

PS: Got my setup done yesterday itself and enjoying it from the very first moment! :yahoo:

 

[icclearlee]

Denon - AVR 1611
Wharfedale - Diamond 9.1
DAC - 14 gauge speaker cables

What was the cost of the above setup?

 

[swami]

What was the cost of the above setup?

a bit over 40K

 

[icclearlee]

a bit over 40K

Ah. Any suggestion for a Stereo option around the 25k mark?

 

[abhifusion]

Checked out 1611 on ebay , its outta my bugdet for 31k ... Is there any receiver for around 20k ?

~Spica Tapatalk~

 

[elangoas]

Checked out 1611 on ebay , its outta my bugdet for 31k ... Is there any receiver for around 20k ?

~Spica Tapatalk~

Try to get an used one and basic one (Without HDMI). You can get that for Max 5 - 10K. Use it for the time being. First build the speakers, once u have updated the speaker package, then update the receiver finally. Until then the used one can do the duty. Juz my suggestion.

If you are not comfortable going for used receiver, consider a Norge stereo amplifier 1000 (11K) and then get the subwoofer and then add then buy the receiver, sell off or retain ur stereo amplifier and then get the center & surround speakers.

 

[swami]

Ah. Any suggestion for a Stereo option around the 25k mark?

1611 is not a stereo amp/receiver, as you already know! You can a get decent stereo amp/receiver within 15-20K on various brands. Adding a pair of speakers will mean crossing the 25K mark, though. And we haven't even talked about the CD player yet (Do you already have it)!

By the way, getting a used amp for the time being and spending only on good speakers (in phases) does sound a sensible option, apparently!

So, have you gone out in the market and found any options so far? Better check the products available and shortlist on a few, and let us know

 

[abhifusion]

This is getting creepy ...

Been to AV Excellence (Pune) , they Quoted 25k for Onkyo 3300 and THEY DONT GIVE ITS DEMO (according to them it comes packed in box and they dispatch it like that only, and their demo room is too big , setup like this dont give good sound effects ) ... And Denon 1611 was for 32k .
I said my budget is 25k only ! and he was like you cant get anything in that budget , you should atleast have 45-50k for descent setup . After this I forgot to ask them about Yam 465 and marantz NR 1501

Now the problem is I am having tough time convincing my Dad about this whole thing . He's saying even after spending 25k on Onkyo 3300 you get average setup then whats wrong with Sony or Philips Home Theaters ??

 

[swami]

This is getting creepy ...

Been to AV Excellence (Pune) , they Quoted 25k for Onkyo 3300 and THEY DONT GIVE ITS DEMO (according to them it comes packed in box and they dispatch it like that only, and their demo room is too big , setup like this dont give good sound effects ) ... And Denon 1611 was for 32k .
I said my budget is 25k only ! and he was like you cant get anything in that budget , you should atleast have 45-50k for descent setup . After this I forgot to ask them about Yam 465 and marantz NR 1501

Now the problem is I am having tough time convincing my Dad about this whole thing . He's saying even after spending 25k on Onkyo 3300 you get average setup then whats wrong with Sony or Philips Home Theaters ??

Is it possible that you take along your dad for demo of some nice HT? You'll save yourself of some convincing! hyeah:

 

[abhifusion]

Is it possible that you take along your dad for demo of some nice HT? You'll save yourself of some convincing! hyeah:

I can try it , but not in AV Excellence anymore !! :indifferent14:

BTW just read about Denon 1311 receiver , and AV guy said it'll be under my budget ... Hows it ?

 

[swami]

Haven't seen the model or got a demo of 1311 yet. I purchased 1611 after I heard it with wharfedale 9.1. Please audition both receivers with same speakers and music that you like and then decide. If the price difference is not in audio/video quality but difference lies in some additional features which you may not use (you decide) then go for 1311! Read this thread for some information.

 

[ontherocks]

Been to AV Excellence (Pune) , they Quoted 25k for Onkyo 3300

This AV Excellence guy is funny.

He has only one piece of HT-S3300 (which is a packed piece), that's what he said three months back. And because of "his" high price, its gathering dust in his "showroom".

Three months back when I asked about it, he said 33K.
A month later when I asked again, he said 30K.
A month later when I asked again, he said 27K.
Now he says 25K hyeah:

Going by the record, he will offer it for free one day or may be give you money back :lol: