Migrating from Soundbar to HT

[Deeps]

Hello good people.

I am thinking of getting my very first Home Theater system. Last year I bought a Philips Soundbar thinking it will take care of all my worries of movie watching having watched some movies on Dolby Atmos technology. The stuff the Noobs are made off

I am not an audio enthusiast though I listen to music but not frequently but I am movie buff thanks to my addiction of Computers. Over the last few years I found myself enjoying movies and some of the music that I found through movies like A Walk in the Woods.

Hence my primary need is to get a Home Theater system that I will be putting in my bed room of 10 x 10 foot.

After reading an esteemed member Sam9s and few other people's post I thought of checking Onkyo AV Receiver especially HTS 8300 5.1 system at their showroom in CR Park, quite close to my house. After that I heard the 5825 model which is 5.1.2 with Dolby Atmos but it is wayyyyyyy about my budget of 30-40K.

Henceforth my questions are :
1 . I use to have an old Philips 2.1 Powerhouse, can I use its speakers if I buy an Onkyo or any other company AV receiver, and add subwoofer and stuff later ? The speakers of the Philips powerhouse can be seen on this Ad (Though it is not my Ad). It is a 1996 Philips AW557 Powerhouse model :
https://img01.olx.in/images_olxin/3...-aw557-with-100-cd-for-deck-upload-photos.jpg

2. If I have to buy a HTS 3800 from Onkyo what do you think about that.

As I said my preference is movies first. I believe I am a movie buff and of late I have started downloading 3-8 GB files which does contain DTS or DD 5.1 audio streams encoded.

The Onkyo dealer in C R Park in Delhi quoted me 35K as the best price for HTS 3800. I checked with few others in different states. Even if they give me a discount with courier and all it would come out perhaps equal or above the said price.

Please excuse my noob element in terms of audio knowledge
I am already selling my soundbar but I can wait a lil longer before buying something I can enjoy for atleast 5-7 yrs. Thanks. Appreciate your replies in advance.

 

[MaSh]

Hello good people.

Hence my primary need is to get a Home Theater system that I will be putting in my bed room of 10 x 10 foot.

Henceforth my questions are :
1 . I use to have an old Philips 2.1 Powerhouse, can I use its speakers if I buy an Onkyo or any other company AV receiver, and add subwoofer and stuff later ? The speakers of the Philips powerhouse can be seen on this Ad (Though it is not my Ad). It is a 1996 Philips AW557 Powerhouse model :

2. If I have to buy a HTS 3800 from Onkyo what do you think about that.

As I said my preference is movies first. I believe I am a movie buff and of late I have started downloading 3-8 GB files which does contain DTS or DD 5.1 audio streams encoded.

The Onkyo dealer in C R Park in Delhi quoted me 35K as the best price for HTS 3800. I checked with few others in different states. Even if they give me a discount with courier and all it would come out perhaps equal or above the said price.

Let me try and add my bits.

First what is your source? If you had a Sound Bar, I am assuming you have a digital source and optical/coaxial/hdmi out and a display unit. You need something to take care of the Audio dept. Am I correct?

The Onkyo unit should be a good choice, however, for 5-7 years, I doubt. The upgrade bug could hit sooner. Similar choices are a couple of models from Yamaha. You can audition the Yamaha in Reliance Digital outlets.

Another option could be Logitech Z906. I have heard this in a room size similar to yours and was impressed. See if you can listen to this one somewhere.

MaSh

 

[drkrack]

Have you auditioned the Onkyo 3800? Audition is the key in selecting the audio device. Assuming your budget of 35k, HTIB(Home theater in a box) is a good choice, and Onkyo and Yamaha are your options. The Philips powerhouse won't be a good idea IMHO. I had z906 before buying my HTIB, I would suggest a HTIB almost always. 10x10 is a small room & HTIB should suffice your needs.

If you have to go for separate components of home theater with Atmos etc, your budget should be at least near to 95k. Please specify how much you can increase the budget so it'd be easy for anyone to suggest.

Sent from my Redmi Note 3 using Tapatalk

 

[elangoas]

Hence my primary need is to get a Home Theater system that I will be putting in my bed room of 10 x 10 foot.

Henceforth my questions are :
1 . I use to have an old Philips 2.1 Powerhouse, can I use its speakers if I buy an Onkyo or any other company AV receiver, and add subwoofer and stuff later ?

Absolutely.. Yes.. Use this as your Front Left & Right (or) surround's..

2. If I have to buy a HTS 3800 from Onkyo what do you think about that.

Skip the HTS3800, as it has passive subwoofer, which you can't upgrade later..

As I said my preference is movies first. I believe I am a movie buff and of late I have started downloading 3-8 GB files which does contain DTS or DD 5.1 audio streams encoded.

Assuming 35K is what you have right now, here are few suggestions..

- Try to get an used AVR, which have Digital Optical / co-axial connection for 10K.. If you can also find used HDMI AVR for 15K, then consider yourself lucky..
- Use your philips speakers as Font Left & Right speakers (or) surround left & Right for the time being..
- In your remaining budget, you can buy least expensive bookshelf & center and complete 5.0.. This should satisfy your needs..
- When you have a sizable budget, add a subwoofer..
- When you are done with 5.1, then upgrade to Atmos AVR..
- Don't chase the latest 5.1 AVR, they also do the same function of old AVR w.r.t Dolby/Dts..

 

[Deeps]

Thank you MaSh, drkrack and elangoas for the replies. I appreciate.

I decided to not sell my Soundbar at the last day since I have to buy a new FHD LED TV first. So I will be resisting the temptation for few months and save money for buying a custom gear. I read one fellow's post in the same section which mentioned about buying a custom gear with TAGA speaker set and entry level AVR from Pioneer and adding subwoofer later.

I realised why not built it slowly so hopefully in next 6 months I will aim for getting a 30-40K receiver (bypassing the urge to go for ATMOS or DTS:X supportive AVR) and trying my two Philips speakers then saving some and then going for the affordable speakers with woofer.

This way I will not be tied with the budget if I take a year to upgrade slowly, thus buying meself a good system to enhance movie watching experience.

@drkrack : I auditioned Onkyo HTS3800 but then again there is a 15% downsize to their auditioning process as they make you hear it in a soundproof room, atleast the CR Park showroom guy did that. Moreover, I fail to experience the thump of woofer maybe my experience got diluted by the Atmos version that he played from later on. hehe.
Though he showed me Mad Max Fury Road for auditioning I would next my own stuff next time whenever I am prepared to buy.

I have another question. When the driver update comes about for a particular AVR does it increases their capacity to support things like ATMOS or does it normally do bug fixes etc..

 

[elangoas]

I have another question. When the driver update comes about for a particular AVR does it increases their capacity to support things like ATMOS or does it normally do bug fixes etc..

The 1st generation of Atmos /Dts X capable AVR received the software update..

I think now you get all AVR with these processor's.. Software update mostly is bug fixes..

Note : Very recently acquired Denon x3300, it came with Atmos / Dts X up to date.. Software updates were in the form of bug fixes..

 

[MaSh]

Thank you MaSh, drkrack and elangoas for the replies. I appreciate.

I realised why not built it slowly so hopefully in next 6 months I will aim for getting a 30-40K receiver (bypassing the urge to go for ATMOS or DTS:X supportive AVR) and trying my two Philips speakers then saving some and then going for the affordable speakers with woofer.

I have another question. When the driver update comes about for a particular AVR does it increases their capacity to support things like ATMOS or does it normally do bug fixes etc..

Building slowly is the perfect way to build a system. You will appreciate every stage of upgrade. You can start with pre used to stuff too, to really understand the nuances of a hometheater setup, your own tastes, preferences and mainly your requirements.

Updates are mainly bug fixes in the receiver. In case of DTS X and Atmos, unless the said receiver model is stated to get that update, it wont get an additional feature.

MaSh

 

[drkrack]

@drkrack : I auditioned Onkyo HTS3800 but then again there is a 15% downsize to their auditioning process as they make you hear it in a soundproof room, atleast the CR Park showroom guy did that. Moreover, I fail to experience the thump of woofer maybe my experience got diluted by the Atmos version that he played from later on. hehe.
Though he showed me Mad Max Fury Road for auditioning I would next my own stuff next time whenever I am prepared to buy.

Just Forget S3800 in that Case, Stepwise upgrading is the best You can do, Keep checking the classified section ; you'll get good deals. Check your local Olx as well, pay a visit to sellers and listen to their setup at homes, which will be more identical to the one at your home especially, if you're worrying about the effect of soundproof room (Technically acoustically treated room).

Always front Speakers and Center Matter for Movies and Music, While Auditioning make sure you listen to them in isolation (that is keep other speakers off).