How do I go about?

[simple_person_india]

After reviewing all the posts, I have extended my budget a bit and want to buy Onkyo Home Theater S3200.

Please advise about -
1) Where should I buy the Onkyo S3200 for the best price and reliability? I am based in Andheri West, Mumbai. How much should it roughly cost?
2) Should I pay 1500-2000 bucks to them for installation or should I install myself? How much should installation cost?
3) Should I buy the rotating speaker stands? How much do they cost?
4) Almost everyone has recommended better quality cables instead of using the speaker cables Onkyo provides. But which ones should I buy and roughly how much would they cost (my TV viewing area is roughly 15' x 11')?

Your advice will be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[sam9s]

After reviewing all the posts, I have extended my budget a bit and want to buy Onkyo Home Theater S3200.

Please advise about -

1) Where should I buy the Onkyo S3200 for the best price and reliability? I am based in Andheri West, Mumbai. How much should it roughly cost?

Somebody from Bombay should answer that

2) Should I pay 1500-2000 bucks to them for installation or should I install myself? How much should installation cost?

I think the instillation is included in the over all cost. I bought Onkyo 6200 for 47 which included instilltion and banridge oxi free cables plus two rotating stands

3) Should I buy the rotating speaker stands? How much do they cost?

If your rear and/or rear back speakers are above your ear level yes you should get rotating stand. My rear surround are quite high from the ear level so I got 2 rotating stands and the cost was included in the total 47K I paid.

4) Almost everyone has recommended better quality cables instead of using the speaker cables Onkyo provides. But which ones should I buy and roughly how much would they cost (my TV viewing area is roughly 15' x 11')?

yes default cables are just OK. I got banridge oxi free cables for the same.

 

[simple_person_india]

sam9s: Thanks for sharing all the details!

Other Gurus: Did anyone from Mumbai buy Onkyo S-3200?

 

[spirovious]

You can get those @ Sumaria(Mahim),E-zone nearby.

 

[simple_person_india]

Thanks spirovious.

How was your experience with them? I guess it would be best to ask them to install.

Does Onkyo come with any warranty?

 

[simple_person_india]

Latest update: Croma and eZone had Onkyo HT-S3100 only. They did not carry 3200 model. I found one at "The Shop" next to "The Club" on D N Nagar Road in Andheri West and they were selling it for 25,000 including delivery, installation and one year warranty from Onkyo.

My friend (who's good at getting best prices) called up and negotiated with Shreeji Enterprises and they agreed to give the same for 23,000. We went to Mulund's R-Mall where Shreeji Enterprises is located and placed the order. Delivery + installation tomorrow.

I plan to get it installed with the original wires so that the speaker positions and speaker mounting is done by their expert (I think he may not be more than an electrician). I will then ask him to give me the cable / wire length measurements and then buy the Oxygen Free Copper wires (OFC) per what you guys have advised on the form.

I have also placed an order for Samsung 40LA530B and should receive delivery tomorrow.

Now what DVD player should I buy given the Samsung 40" LCD + Onkyo Home Theater HT-S3200? I understand that the key features should be HDMI + USB + DivX + mpeg4. I understand that any DVD player should be fine but I also wanted to ensure that it can play all DVDs including from other / USA regions. Any particular brand you would suggest based on your experiences so that I don't repeat the mistakes you have already made?

Also, since I already have Tata Sky at my home for the living room TV, should I go with them for my bedroom LCD as well? I was thinking to start with them although SD pictures on LCD would be a bit of a compromise until Tata themselves come out with HD. What do you guys say?

Thanks for all the advice till now!

 

[spirovious]

Sorry for late response,Shreeji Enterprises?@ R-mall ?There is not electronic shop other than Next,Big Bazar. Shreeji is mobile shop?R they offering warrenty?

Anyway congrats,wires with Onkyo are not gr8,you can try cables from MX(andheri),Banbridge etc for good sound.

DVDp can be pioneer OR go for mediaplayer like WD,Xstreamer.

 

[simple_person_india]

spirovious:
Don't know much about Shreeji since this was my first visit to their store and to R-Mall as well. But their name came up as Onkyo dealers and they said they will stamp the bill with dealer details for the 1 year Onkyo warranty. They had two shops adjacent to their current store that were under renovation and so I guess they will come up as a bigger electronics store.

OFC cables - will try MX, Banbridge ... thanks!

Will go to Alfa tomorrow to inquire about Pioneer DVD Player (with HDMI, USB, etc.). What should be the price? I heard that the HDMI cable further costs Rs.1,000.

I already have a regular Pioneer DVD (without HDMI) but will that not work with Samsung LCD + Onkyo? Or will the picture quality go down too much? Don't jump on me ... I know I shouldn't act miserly after all the other big expenses. But I sincerely wanted to know.

"OR go for mediaplayer like WD,Xstreamer" <-- looks like there are next gen machines and not features on DVD players? I will Google and find more.

 

[spirovious]

MX HDMI(1.3) cable come for Rs.450
Price of DVDp will be around 4.5k(budget DVDp starts from 3.5k,LG others)
Old pio DVDp can be connected with component & audio with dig out(coax)

 

[simple_person_india]

Old pio DVDp can be connected with component & audio with dig out(coax)

How much of a Picture & Sound Quality loss would it be if I connected a old / regular DVD player to Onkyo HT-S3200 and Samsung LCD 40LAB530?

This will help me decide whether to buy the HDMI DVD player in a hurry before the TV and Home Theatre installations guys come over today or if I can wait and buy next week / next month.

Please advise!

Thank you.

 

[spirovious]

You can certainly wait for DVDp as its easy to install.You can check your current DVDp PQ,if you dont like ,go for new pioneer-
http://www.hifivision.com/dvd-players-dvd-hard-disk-recorders/7472-pioneer-dv-220-dvd-player.html

 

[simple_person_india]

Thanks for all your help.

Shreeji fellow first went to Onkyo's Mumbai office in Kalina, Santacruz (East) and from there he picked up my Silver Onkyo HT-S3200 and delivered it at my place. The fellow from Shreeji was very enthusiastic young electrician but while he may be well intentioned he was not trained / experienced. He did request an Onkyo Technician to come assist but that Onkyo Technician explained the basics and rushed off in a hurry.

While the Onkyo guy was explaining something to me, the Shreeji guy started peeling the ends of the demo cables (old school style) that already had soldered tips. I was shocked but he had already damaged a couple of wires. I told them that Onkyo has videos explaining that never peel. The demo cables are anyways very thin and inevitably some fibres are further lost during peeling. The demo cables had been pre-prepared and were simply ready for plug-in. Didn't matter much, because I will anyways be buying the OFC cables per advice from you guys.

They said they don't bring drills and I took their advice about placement of speakers as per my room's dimensions and then they left. I will get the speakers installed by my electrician who will also do the wiring and "patti" around the corners of the room.

As far as the price goes, I would definitely recommend Shreeji Electronics, R-Mall, Mulund (Mr. Deepak Thakkar). Installation, better read it and be informed on your own.

 

[simple_person_india]

Speaker Cables for Onkyo HT-S3200

First of all, thank you for all your help. I finally bought an Onkyo home theatre system (HT-S3200). Most of you advised to go for better speaker cables and since I have to get the HT speakers mounted by my Electrician, I thought of buying new cables upfront so that it can all be done in one go.

After looking at various threads, I figured that Bandridge and DAC are value-form-money brands and if I buy their 16 AWG (1.5 mm2) Oxygen Free Copper (OFC) cables, then that will lead to a big sound improvement as compared to the Onkyo demo speaker cables.

Questions:
1) Do you absolutely recommend that I spend the money on buying new speaker cables for best performance?

2) Is 16 AWG okay or should I buy 14 AWG?

3) I inquired with a DAC dealer in Andheri West (found out from this link given in another thread on this forum) and he is willing to sell DAC 16 AWG OFC cable for Rs. 53 per metre. Based on what I had read in other threads, similar Bandridge cable was costing Rs.69-to-71 per metre. Would you recommend if I should go ahead and buy the DAC cable? Or should I buy some other brand's cables?

4) I inquired with a Lamington Road Dealer (friend's friend) who has Taiwan's Stackfine Cables only. 16 gauge (1.5 mm2) for Rs.40 per metre and 1.4 AWG (2.5 mm2) for Rs.60 per metre. Should I buy this Taiwan cable (may be 14 gauge) or should I buy DAC 16 AWG or some other brand?

Thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions.

 

[venkatcr]

Re: Speaker Cables for Onkyo HT-S3200

1) Do you absolutely recommend that I spend the money on buying new speaker cables for best performance?

HTIBs generally come with very low quality speaker cables unless the manufacturer specifically mentions the specs of the cable that he has used. So it does make sense to replace them with good cables.

2) Is 16 AWG okay or should I buy 14 AWG?

This depends upon the distance between your amp and speakers. Look at the following max distances in feet.

Max Distance for a 8 ohm load.

18 AWG 10
16 AWG 20
14 AWG 35
12 AWG 60
10 AWG 100

Max Distance for a 4 ohm load.

18 AWG 5
16 AWG 10
14 AWG 18
12 AWG 30
10 AWG 50

Measure your distances, add a few feet for routing, and then choose the gauge.

3) I inquired with a DAC dealer in Andheri West (found out from this link given in another thread on this forum) and he is willing to sell DAC 16 AWG OFC cable for Rs. 53 per metre. Based on what I had read in other threads, similar Bandridge cable was costing Rs.69-to-71 per metre. Would you recommend if I should go ahead and buy the DAC cable? Or should I buy some other brand's cables?

Both are good brands at their price range. You can from either one.

Cheers

 

[venkatcr]

Simple, I have merged your two threads as they discuss the same topic.

cheers

 

[simple_person_india]

Thanks venkarcr for letting me know about the merged threads.

Are the distances from the AVR to the Speakers to be measured in a direct line or through the round about cable line? I ask because my Electrician and I discussed about how he will route the cables along the border and accordingly he measured and confirmed how much length of cables I will require.

Here's what I measured for the cable going along the wall corners, bends, some loose wire, etc.:
Front Left: 17 ft
Front Right: 24 feet
Rear Left: 27 feet
Rear Right: 38 feet
Centre: 3 feet

Total cable required will be roughly 100 ft / 34 metres.

If I were to measure the direct distance in feet without considering the routing, then here are the measurements:
Front Left: 7 ft
Front Right: 10 feet
Rear Left: 13 feet
Rear Right: 17 feet
Centre: 2 feet

Questions:
1) Should I go for 14 AWG or 16 AWG through out for all the speakers, then?

2) If 14 AWG, then I am inclined towards that Taiwan's Stackfine Cables 1.4 AWG (2.5 mm2) for Rs.60 per metre (considering that Bandridge or even DAC will be even pricier for 14 AWG). Has anyone used this Taiwan brand? What's your advice about the Taiwan cables?


p.s. The reason for the speakers not being equidistant from the AVR is that my room is 11' x 24' long where half of my room down the length is split for my entry door, washroom door, computer desk + treadmill. So the room is kind of divided beyond the treadmill section onwards for my LCD unit and then the bed (11' x 14.5'). The LCD is on a stand that has shelves below for the STB, DVD player and AVR. But I can't center the stand for viewing and it has to be a bit on the left side (can't put it at 11/2 = 5.5' as that would require moving the trolley all the time as it would be in the way). Hence the distances vary between left and right speakers.

 

[venkatcr]

You have to measure the distance the cable will actually travel with whatever routing the electrician makes. So your max distance is 38 feet and you should go for 14 AWG. I would suggest that, at least for the front speakers, keep the cable lengths the same. You can keep the extra cable looped at the speaker end.

Cheers

 

[simple_person_india]

Thanks, so that's settled... 14 AWG.

I plan to for Taiwan's Stackfine Cables 1.4 AWG (2.5 mm2) ... 34 metres x @ Rs.60 per metre = Rs.2,040. Does anyone have any feedback about the Taiwan cables before I go buy them?

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Well... You make sure the boat is sailing nicely, then bring her up into the wind, pushing the tiller to leeward, crying out "Lee Oh". At the right moment, your crew cast off the jib sheet and take it in on the new lee side....

Very roughly, that's how you go about!



(sorry for this bit of nonsense; I hope we have a sailor or two that can appreciate!)

 

[sqvare]

Well... You make sure the boat is sailing nicely, then bring her up into the wind, pushing the tiller to leeward, crying out "Lee Oh". At the right moment, your crew cast off the jib sheet and take it in on the new lee side....

Very roughly, that's how you go about!



(sorry for this bit of nonsense; I hope we have a sailor or two that can appreciate!)

Would that be the same as coming about? What's the cry for that?