Htib<25k......help required...fast!!

[sunnysharma]

This is my first post please help!!!
Guys im planning to buy my first HTIB and im extremely confused!!
I own a samsung lcd tv with usb, which i will use to play my movies
I have a acer laptop which i will use for music as i dont have a DVDP.
My requirement is 50:50 music and movies and my budget is under 25k.
I have read a lot of posts recomending the Onkyo HTS 3200 and the YAMAHA 195. I took an audition for both and preferred the Onkyo.
But my main query is will the ONKYO HTS 3200 satisfy my music needs as well, and will it connect to my computer as well??? Or else what are my other options??? Like should i get an AVR and a speaker set, or bokshelves(but i want a good bass effect as well) Please help me fast as i need to buy within a couple of days!!!!

 

[spirovious]

Onkyo are best known for Mov.For serious music,you need a stereo system.
But with few tricks,HTib can sound good with music too.

 

[mgdelhi]

If you planning to buy Onkyo 3200. DON'T.

Just wait for 2-3 days as Onkyo is launching 3300 and it is much more feature rich than Onkyo 3200. The MSRP is same @Rs.25k.

 

[ArijitB]

Go for Onkyo 3300 only.....Though 3200 have some offer like free DVD-Player with HDMI out, but even 3200 is HDMI Pass-Through (In one word pure Joke)....with 3300 u get DTS-HD & DTS-MA which is future proof.

 

[igp_79]

As to the queswtion of can you connect your laptop to the av reciever, You have to specify which model of acer you have. If it has a hdmi out your problem is instantaneously solved. Avr has Hdmi in. But mind you. the sound will be pushed out to your avr only if it is the 3300. the 3200 is only pass thru. If you acer has only a RGB out, You have two choices. Connect the rgb out of acer to the RGB in of lcd TV(All lcd tvs have one.). Buy a creative external 5.1 sound card(Rs.4500).Connect it to the usb in of your laptop.The audio out from the sound card, connect it to the analog in of the 3200. Mind you the 3300 does not have analog 5.1 ch in. But my preffered choice is as follows:
Buy a mediaplayer with ethernet(7000-8000). Connect acer to a Router(1600-2000, you can get it from bsnl along with a broadband connection).
Connect router to the media player. connect hdmi out of mediaplayer to the hdmi in of your avr.
As to watching movies thro' you lcd tv's usb, what is the point ? your audio will only be 2 channel out to the avr thro tv audio out. instead connect usb to either media player or your laptop and get digital multi channel audio thro the above mentioned setup

 

[mgdelhi]

Onkyo 3300 is in stores now. At least in Delhi (C R Park).

 

[sunnysharma]

Thank u spirovious.... what are the things which can make a hts 3200 better for music??..... let me know coz im new to the ht world!!

 

[sunnysharma]

mgdelhi and arijit thanks for the reply....... but are you guys sure the 3300 will be available for 25k...... as i found out from the onkyo dealer here in sigma mall and he said it would cost about 30+(even he wasn' sure how much) and would be available only nexth month onwards!!! also my question will this htib provide for music and movies requirement??? or should i go in for a stereo system, which i have no idea which one???

 

[sunnysharma]

thank u igp_79 and my acer does have a HDMI port, so now can i connect the acer to the avr of 3300 ??, suppose i connect the HDMI out of avr to my lcd tv will i get both audio and video using my laptop as the media player???

 

[sunnysharma]

or should i connect my HDMI from laptop directly to TV and connect the laptop AUX to the AVR???

 

[sunnysharma]

i have also auditioned the pioneer HTZ270DVD at the exclusive pioneer store here in bangalore and liked the overall sound quality only the bass didnt come through for me personally, it comes with 2 floor standing speakers one centre and 2 satellites and a down firing punny sub. it comes with a dvd player/amp, and i know i won't be upgradeable later as well. The best price he gave me was 19,800. Let me know if this is beter for my usage or the ONKYO 3200/3300.

 

[sunnysharma]

also ill be mainly listening to mp3s and not cds and watching downloaded movies and not dvds, so please help me............ i know tooo may questions but for my first time i want something which i wont be dissapointed and regret later.......thank u guys

 

[mgdelhi]

mgdelhi and arijit thanks for the reply....... but are you guys sure the 3300 will be available for 25k...... as i found out from the onkyo dealer here in sigma mall and he said it would cost about 30+(even he wasn' sure how much)

I have myself seen it in stores and it was available for 24k yesterday (with some co-axial cable of MRP Rs.1200/-).

 

[igp_79]

Sunny,
The 3300 is definitely available for 23000. I've bought one from coimbatore 10 days back and would be happy to give you the contact no.

If you acer has a hdmi out connect it to the avr. The avr will output only the video to your tv thro it's hdmi out. the audio, it will process and output to it's speakers. but if you want to output sound to the tv, the avr will not process the sound and pass it thro.

If you connect laptop aux out to avr you will recieve only two cahannel sound out of avr.

To listen to compressed music files such as mp3, the onkyo has a music optimiser function which broadens the soundstage. in real life i couldn't make out much of a difference, probably the the files i listened to were good ones to start with.

better to buy the 3300 over the pioneer. infinite upgrade options. and one other doubt? Does the pioneer have a hdmi in? Because most home theatre units with built in dvd do not accept hi definition audio and video inputs from external sources except via usb in. But if you want to play, say, an mkv or mp4 file, thro the usb in, you pioneer htib may not decode the video and will give you an onscreen display saying video codec not supported.

whatever said and done with so many formats of video and audio coming online nowadays, it is better that you have a avr setup that accepts hidef signals from a laptop/computer. That way if a new format comes, all you have to do is install the codec for the new format onto your laptop/comp and you can output the hidef signal to your avr via the hdmi out, and from there, to your tv

 

[sunnysharma]

yipeee.... for 23k it sounds like a deal!!!.... but IGP_79 would the same dealer courier to bangalore???.... i had called up the onkyo dealer here in bangalore again today and the manager told me it will be here in about a week and the price is 26k, after bargain i guess 25k! Also please guide me if should opt for audioengine a5 plus a subwoofer as one can attach a sub to the a5 for extra bass??? or ONKYO 3300 is d best deal out there???
P.S: PLease give me the number of your dealer and thank you soo much>>:clapping:

 

[sunnysharma]

and yep i dont think the pioneer has a HDMI in , only out, therefore i guess i will cross the pioneer as an option!!!! Also i checked out the timbre computer speakers, if someone out there is looking out only for comp speakers with an out for a sub-woofer thid will be ideal but costs around 18,000( in the same price you can get audioengine a5)

 

[vikramsaun]

also ill be mainly listening to mp3s and not cds and watching downloaded movies and not dvds, so please help me............ i know tooo may questions but for my first time i want something which i wont be dissapointed and regret later.......thank u guys

Are you going to watch divx/xvid format movies? they have stereo audio, not 5.1 sound so HT with 5.1 will not be of much use.
IMHO it is better to go for good stereo setup according to your requirement because it will give you better music experience then basic level HT and you can anytime upgrade it to 5.1/7.1 system in future, if you want to.

 

[sunnysharma]

thank you vikramsaun........and even i thought that a stereo set up would be ideal for my usage!! so i auditioned the wharfedale diamond 9.1 and 9.2 bookshelves today with a norge 4242 amp...... the overall sound was good, but the bass didnt really kick( don't know how else to describe this) this combo was coming to about: 18500( wharfedale diamond 9.1 + norge 4242 amp). Dat leaves me with about 6k, in which i wont find a sub woofer( insisting on bass bcoz i listen to a lot of hip hop and house music). What about the 3300 will it do for me??? or there is any other option i got in terms of a stereo set up with quality bass......?????

 

[vikramsaun]

I have no idea about 3300. If you are buying a separate sub woofer then you can buy cambridge audio s30 bookshelves too which i feel are as good as 9.1/9.2, except bass. It will cost you 8000/- only from audio planet, Near BDA complex, koramangala; do take audition of these speaker before buying wharfedale.
I own cambridge audio s30/norge 2060 and satisfied with the combo; bass is good, but not earth shattering. At low volumes (below 8'o clock), you will not feel bass though.

 

[igp_79]

sunny,
I have PMed you the details of my purchase.
I browsed for the audioengine a5. Costs around 20 k. But the reviews say they are easily audiophile grade bookshelves and reproduce high bitrate mp3 files real well. From your posts ican make out that you are bass hungry. As far as mp3 files go, they are a little short of bass due to compression. bass boosting becomes necessary. you may have to upgrade to a powered sub at roughly 20k. Your setup now costs 40k. music would sound fabulous. But movies?
I am a movie fan myself. Like you all my music is mp3. and all my movies, downloads. ( iwatch virtually all the popular movies hollywood churns out). My files are all .avi(DIVX or XVID) with 5.1(DD or DTS) sound.Vikram, The 700 mb files are 2 channel. But the 1.6+ GB avi files do carry dts and dolby digital sound. I can tell you 2 channel sound just does not do justice to the newer hollywood big budget releases. recently after the purchase of the xtreamer i've moved over to highdef (mp4, H264, MKV) content. once you go over to highdef, there is no coming back.
My point is, how much do you love movies. if you are mainly interested in the watching of a new film the audioengine should do. If you want to immerse yourself into the effects of the movie and bring the movie theatre home. it is better to go for a HTIB.
Maybe, initially the music dosen't sound too great with the HTIB. But you can upgrade the front speakers later to bookshelves or even floorstanders with or without a active sub. your upgrade options are infinite. that i don't think is possible with a stereo setup. at the end of the day a htib will not sound as good as a dedicated stereo setup for music. So what do you enjoy most, music or movies or a balance between the two with a leaning towards movies