Home theatre newbie - A confused soul

[Sambasiv]

Dear All,

I recently bought a 47 inch tv and now want o upgrade my tv watching experience with a home theatre system. I will be mostly watching tv programs and occasional movies from a usb drive.

I started thinking with Sony iv300 (20K) and after reading a lot of posts, I thought to upgrade to Yamaha yht-196 (28K). When I went to reliance digital , they demonstrated me Marantz 1504 with BA x5.1 with 30% off comes to 56K. For me, I can spend 56K, only question is , is it really worth spending that much money as I am not a audiophile. I only wanted to have the good surround effect. Another issue with most of the advanced system is that it cannot play usb movies, it allows only audio, but sony iv300 allows to play movies.

Few people are telling that systems like sony iv300 won't last for long and have to throw away after few years - is it true?

Can you help this confused soul to take a decision ?

 

[rayvonnee]

Have you heard the marantz and sony side by side. What did you like? The marantz definately. You need to know that the offer by reliance digital is very good. And if you are only really wanting to get into serious movie watching or music then its a must to go for a dedicated system which almost no htib can match. The difference in cost can be only justified if you are satisfied as a user. Better would be if you go to a proper home theater dealer and audition some speakers only then will you get a fair idea of dedicated home theater. To start you can audition the basic 5.1 systems to name a few. Start with yamaha yht-2910/299. These are basic series which have 5 speakers, an avr and powered subwoofer. Then audition denon dht-x510/500 whichever is available these are around the 40k price bracket. Audition these by taking some movies and music which you like to listen to. You can browse the forum for other additional details on these dedicated systems. Once you are familiar with these then we can guide you on a proper setup by buying separate avr and speakers and subwoofer. Just this is a start. You must give more details about your room size and movies:music ratio. What is your budget? Im sure you will be assisted by many more members in getting the best value for your mkney spent.

 

[sash]

In my opinion, there is no entry level system right now that is better value for money than this one. I would just grab it
gosf : Pioneer Andrew Jones AJ-5235XT + Pioneer VSX-523 AV

 

[ValarMorghulis]

Hi There,

Well to buy any gadget there are generally two questions to be asked:
1. The moolah
2. The requirement

You are good with point 1, so that shouldn't exactly be a consideration. Now if you aren't an audiophile and are just looking for a surround sound system buy one which is most convenient to you. You can buy Yamaha YHT-299 but it comes with lots of wires, you'll need to buy a separate BD Player, it might seem bulky compared to the standard HTs and ya it costs 37k.
Now if you have the money and are ready with all the hassles that come with maintaining a HTiB, buy Yamaha. Its sound will blow you away. The crispness and clarity in tone is breathtaking and awe inspiring. :yahoo:
But if all you want is a surround sound, buy Sony.
As for lasting a few years, what's the issue? Spend 20k now... use for five years and then throw. You can buy a brand new one in another 5years for 20K more (who knows what new innovation might be incorporated)...

If you are an audiophile (which you have mentioned you aren't) get a dedicated system which help you appreciate the subtleness. However, I would suggest go for Sony or any other brand if surround is all you desire

 

[Bharathram]

What is your budget ? It makes things easy. Dont keep both requirement and budget as variable...

 

[RajithKumar]

if budget is not an issue ..then go for the marantz 1504/denon x500 with ba xs 5.1 sure it will be greatly enjoyable than sony...
if u just want a surround sound atleast consider yamaha YHT 196..

 

[Natholimean]

Have you heard the marantz and sony side by side. What did you like? The marantz definately. You need to know that the offer by reliance digital is very good. And if you are only really wanting to get into serious movie watching or music then its a must to go for a dedicated system which almost no htib can match. The difference in cost can be only justified if you are satisfied as a user. Better would be if you go to a proper home theater dealer and audition some speakers only then will you get a fair idea of dedicated home theater. To start you can audition the basic 5.1 systems to name a few. Start with yamaha yht-2910/299. These are basic series which have 5 speakers, an avr and powered subwoofer. Then audition denon dht-x510/500 whichever is available these are around the 40k price bracket. Audition these by taking some movies and music which you like to listen to. You can browse the forum for other additional details on these dedicated systems. Once you are familiar with these then we can guide you on a proper setup by buying separate avr and speakers and subwoofer. Just this is a start. You must give more details about your room size and movies:music ratio. What is your budget? Im sure you will be assisted by many more members in getting the best value for your mkney spent.

I have auditioned this combo sometimes back and have a question. Marantz 1504 is underpowered in specification (50W) compared with any other AVR in market. However when I heard it was great and I was not aware about the specification. Will it be enough to drive 100W speakers ? Denon X500 is another option, but I like to have a usb with avr. Also when comparing the discounted price in reliance digital Marantz is not very costly compared with denon. My only hesitation was 50W power power channel.

 

[senwrite]

Dear All,

I recently bought a 47 inch tv and now want o upgrade my tv watching experience with a home theatre system. I will be mostly watching tv programs and occasional movies from a usb drive.

I started thinking with Sony iv300 (20K) and after reading a lot of posts, I thought to upgrade to Yamaha yht-196 (28K). When I went to reliance digital , they demonstrated me Marantz 1504 with BA x5.1 with 30% off comes to 56K. For me, I can spend 56K, only question is , is it really worth spending that much money as I am not a audiophile. I only wanted to have the good surround effect. Another issue with most of the advanced system is that it cannot play usb movies, it allows only audio, but sony iv300 allows to play movies.

Few people are telling that systems like sony iv300 won't last for long and have to throw away after few years - is it true?

Can you help this confused soul to take a decision ?

if you decided Marantz 1504 with BA x5.1 combo then ask Relaince lower the price, i got for 54k in Chennai with free bluray player.

 

[rayvonnee]

i recently got one marantz nr1504 from a dealer in mumbai for 32.5k which i think is not bad at all. So no compulsion to go in for this combo though this combo from reliance digital is quite good. Marantz 50W is decent enough and can drive decent speakers as well

 

[Sambasiv]

Dear All,

Thanks a lot, you have provided a lot of information, a lot of support. I am almost convinced about buying Marantz + BA XS5.1 combo. No need to find out the best deal. My living room is 12x20 feet, which included a dining area also. I hope this combo can give enough power to fill my hall...

One more question - I am currently in the phase of doing false ceiling of my hall. I want to the wiring in this phase so that all cables can be hidden inside the ceiling. Is Oxigen free cables of Guage 16 is enough for this? Any recommendation on brands or guage or anything else I need to take care for this at this stage?

 

[elangoas]

Dear All,

I recently bought a 47 inch tv and now want o upgrade my tv watching experience with a home theatre system. I will be mostly watching tv programs and occasional movies from a usb drive.

I started thinking with Sony iv300 (20K) and after reading a lot of posts, I thought to upgrade to Yamaha yht-196 (28K). When I went to reliance digital , they demonstrated me Marantz 1504 with BA x5.1 with 30% off comes to 56K. For me, I can spend 56K, only question is , is it really worth spending that much money as I am not a audiophile. I only wanted to have the good surround effect. Another issue with most of the advanced system is that it cannot play usb movies, it allows only audio, but sony iv300 allows to play movies.

Few people are telling that systems like sony iv300 won't last for long and have to throw away after few years - is it true?

Can you help this confused soul to take a decision ?

If you can spend 60K upwards & think whether a 5.1 system is good, then you must demo before your freeze on any models....

If you are looking to pair BA X5.1 system with Marantz NR 1504, then it may be sufficient as they are satellite speakers.... Marantz might deliver around 30 - 40W/channel when all channels are driven simultaneously which is enough for a satellite based speakers....

On the other hand, if you are looking to add bookshelf speaker package, then Marantz NR 1504 may not be enough to do justice....

You can also consider Pioneer AVR's aval in hifimart.com (VSX 523).. This entry level AVR will be capable enough of handling BS speakers easily...

 

[rayvonnee]

In that case a bookshelf combo would be the best bet as you dont have issue with budget. Finally the Ba xs will be easily powered by marantz nr1504 but if you plan on upgrading to bookshelf speakers later on you will find it slightly underpowered. In that case if you need a warm avr which will be almost like a marantz and which will pair well with ba xs too i would suggest denon AVR-X510BT which is bluetooth enabled for playing back music right from your phone and available for anything betweek 29k to 32k. The denon is also of same parent company d&m holdings

 

[rajivaryan1984]

BA X5.1 system with Marantz NR 1504 is definetly a good choice