Htib or a better option under 30k

[muzikman]

Hello guys,

I am on a lookout for a good Home Theater system under 30 thousand bucks!
it should sound great for music and movies alike. gaming not a criteria as such.
I am into music and have a sharp ear so would want a system which would play even the minutest details clearly... with perfect balance of bass, treble, mids, lows, vocals etc. without any ear fatigue. something which would make you want to play your favorite cd's again and again... I am into all types of music.. be it popular music, rock, R&B, Reggae, hip hop, country, Jazz, indian classical, Ghazals or our very own Bollywood! and also a movie buff... hiring DVD's on regular basis...

with my taste in music and sound its worth even buying a 2-3 lac system but unfortunately the budget is not much at the moment. around 30k only!

I have not auditioned any system as of now... though i recollect hearing a few different brands randomly long long ago... bose, keff, warfadale, onkyo etc etc.. out of which i thought that bose was good only till i heard the others... its just way too overpriced and overhyped..

though my ear is well trained.... but I don't have much technical knowledge about these stuffs... as in I am no Geek!

so I would like you guys to please suggest me the best possible thing I can get in my budget for my requirement!

I have researched a few htibs on net... out of which the onkyos look good. particularly the HT-S5300. I called up the onkyo distributor in mumbai and was given the quotation of 54000 for S5300 and 25000 for S3300 but I think thats way too high.. as i think if i get the same unit from grey market somewhere... I could get the s5300 for around 30k maybe... as the US price is $380-499 on different sites! and on shopyourworld.com it comes upto almost 30k for s5300!

so if you guys think this is the system for me than where do you suggest me to buy it from in mumbai? or is there any other brand with better option?

I also inquired at heera panna and was told 24k for a denon amp with some jbl 5.1... don't know about the model as had inquired only through phone..

first I thought that maybe I can get Telome 5.1 with a decent amp but the telome speakers itself are for 18-19k plus taxes when inquired at telome office directly...

and I was suggested to go for Space instead by this dealer in heera panna... and also someone i know of has replaced his old telome speakers with new space speakers sometime back... but again they itself come for somewhere around 18-20k + a decent amp would be around 20k again (as told by this dealer in heera panna) so i guess thats out of the picture now...

but if i go in for a htib like maybe onkyo s5300 or s3300... will it sound as good as a combination of telome or space speakers + a decent av unit like a denon, yamaha or harmon kardon etc.. as that combination is also pretty basic and entry level!

also I have read a few complaints for onkyo s5300... some speakers not working, calibration is very difficult etc etc...

as you can see my confusion already.... suggest me the best i can get for my money!

thanks a lot and your help will be greatly appreciated!

 

[muzikman]

no reply yet?!

 

[mathan]

Muzikman,

Currently Onkyo HTS3300 is the one that should suit your budget. Just had an audition of this system with the Onkyo dealer and it is really a great HTIB for an entry level system. It beats hands down on some of the entry level system of Yamaha,Denon etc.. Probably if you have not yet auditioned this system please try it out and then decide. You would not be dissappointed. Tried out some ghazals from Jagjit Singh and I have never heard it like that except in the audiotorium. Currently this HTIB is selling like hot cake wherein in Chennai it is readily available with the Onkyo main dealer only.

Yes, the same could be bought for around 21K in grey market imported from Malayasia (not from USA as it would cost more to buy a transformer to adjust to our voltage condition). However, you would not get the warranty/gaurantee on the system.

 

[muzikman]

Thanks mathan for your help.. But instead of getting the HT-S3300 for 25k approx, wouldn't it be better to buy HT-S5300 from US on internet as it comes to below 30k.. So even with a transformer it would be 32-33k! as the s5300 is for somewhere around 55k in india! And it comes with a ipod dock which alone you get it for around 9k here!

I will soon audition both these systems soon. And I am also a bit confused about this transformer thing! Will the system bought from US work as good with a transformer as the ones in india? And what make and model of transformer would go well with S5300 and where is it available?

Guys plaease help me with these questions.. More expert opinions are always welcomed..

 

[mathan]

Thanks mathan for your help.. But instead of getting the HT-S3300 for 25k approx, wouldn't it be better to buy HT-S5300 from US on internet as it comes to below 30k.. So even with a transformer it would be 32-33k! as the s5300 is for somewhere around 55k in india! And it comes with a ipod dock which alone you get it for around 9k here!

I will soon audition both these systems soon. And I am also a bit confused about this transformer thing! Will the system bought from US work as good with a transformer as the ones in india? And what make and model of transformer would go well with S5300 and where is it available?

Guys plaease help me with these questions.. More expert opinions are always welcomed..

Muzikman,

Yes you can go for HT-S5300 but also remember that once the product is off the shore from USA it is entirely at the mercy of our customs people. It doesn't matter wheather you buy it on ebay, amazon or anyother online shop. You need to read the fine print that all these online shops would wash their hands off citing that local rules and regulations would apply in case of any custom duties/tax arises. To make it short you need to bribe the custom guy to release your product or otherwise it would remain in their warehouse until this model becomes obsolete. I know this because I used to import Remote control planes and had couple of very bad experience with these customs guys.

As for the transformer you would need a step down transformer. A good quality one would cost around 1500 bucks. Any make and model would do but most of the cheaper varieties would discharge square waves (on the longer run this woud affect the equipment to malfunction) instead of sine waves.