Looking to buy surround sound system. I need help

[winds]

Thanks for the clarification on those speaker cables. Why do you say analog is the way to go? Most of my inputs will be digital. PS3, 360, Mac mini (eventually), cable box. I think the only analog input will be my Wii.

Sorry, I meant analog speakers would be the way to go in terms of quality. All the sound sources you'll be using can be digital, but it'll have to output from your speakers analog one way or another. I would suggest getting a good receiver that has a high-end converter in it so that it can convert your digital audio into analog for your speakers. If you had digital speakers, they'd each have to have a converter in them, which would most likely mean cheap converters that aren't very good, unless you're spending quite a bit of money.

[kingdomheights777]

Wow, that's pretty comprehensive. I appreciate the time you took to get the links. You must think a lot of that receiver to include it in the "best" setup. Looks nice and the price is right. On a related topic, what are "banana plugs" and are they different from regular speaker wire connections? I saw them on amazon while looking at receivers

Thanks again,
Jonathan

No problem man, i absolutely love home theater gear! and talking about it lol.
I recommend banana plugs, you won't hear a sound a difference at all, it just makes the connection more dependable. And speaking of sound difference, 100$ cables don't make a difference, i promise. So don't fall into that trap, that is an easy one to fall into being a home theater newbie. A great site for cables/connectors etc hometheater stuff, is monoprice.com. Super site and super affordable.
If you have any other questions please ask.

[fastbilly1]

kingdomheights, I might need to talk to you about a different kind of home theater in the near future. What do you know about weatherproof speakers?

[kingdomheights777]

kingdomheights, I might need to talk to you about a different kind of home theater in the near future. What do you know about weatherproof speakers?

I know quite a bit actually, I design professional audio systems for venues and homes for a living. What do you need to know?

[avrame]

Saw this on slickdeals:

http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/62990/s ... efurbished

7.1 Onkyo set, refurb for $229, not a bad deal

[fastbilly1]

I am planning on constructing an outdoor theater for 30-40 people at the house I am buying next year. I would like to leave the speakers up at all times well except the winter, unless they can take sub 10 degree weather, but have 0 knowledge of weatherproof speakers. The wires would be going through commercial grade conduit, and I was planning on using that onkyo as the receiver. I am hoping to create a 5.1 system (sub can be rolled out if necessary - the only weatherproof sub I have heard was not worth the $500 they wanted for it). Ideally it would be 5.1 for small crowds and switched to 3.1 with the back two channels doubling as a 2.0 setup, allowing more people to hear the movie (this is something I can do easily pre show by modifying the audio in the file for the movie).

So if that made any sense, I am all ears for suggestions. I do not care what they look like, just that they work. I am tired of having a several hour setup/takedown because of rolling out a sound system or setting up PA gear and causing the neighbors to complain. Granted nothing can compare to having four Mackie 18inch subs when watching Empire Strikes Back.

My budget on speakers would be about a grand. That is just speakers and subs.

Thankyou

[kingdomheights777]

I am planning on constructing an outdoor theater for 30-40 people at the house I am buying next year. I would like to leave the speakers up at all times well except the winter, unless they can take sub 10 degree weather, but have 0 knowledge of weatherproof speakers. The wires would be going through commercial grade conduit, and I was planning on using that onkyo as the receiver. I am hoping to create a 5.1 system (sub can be rolled out if necessary - the only weatherproof sub I have heard was not worth the $500 they wanted for it). Ideally it would be 5.1 for small crowds and switched to 3.1 with the back two channels doubling as a 2.0 setup, allowing more people to hear the movie (this is something I can do easily pre show by modifying the audio in the file for the movie).

So if that made any sense, I am all ears for suggestions. I do not care what they look like, just that they work. I am tired of having a several hour setup/takedown because of rolling out a sound system or setting up PA gear and causing the neighbors to complain. Granted nothing can compare to having four Mackie 18inch subs when watching Empire Strikes Back.

My budget on speakers would be about a grand. That is just speakers and subs.

Thankyou

Ordinarily, in a home theater, 5.1 channel surround sound is the desired goal, however, for the purposes of keeping easy and around your budget, a simple two-channel stereo setup will work. I would go to one your favorite electronics dealers and purchase an inexpensive two-channel stereo receiver. Or just purchase the Onkyo and Run it it Stereo Mode with powered Sub added. And honestly if your already having neighbors complain, we need to keep this as "non Earthshaking" as possible.
As for speakers....
Polk makes a great out door speaker called the Atrium Series, they make Subs as well in this line. I would go with the Polk Atrium 7 due to it having a better low end response without distorting.
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107ATR7W/P ... r+speakers
And the Atrium SUb Heck i would do two of these Atrium subs honestly since you can run two powered subs off of that onkyo receiver
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107ATSUB10 ... r+speakers

The speakers should placed either at the top corners of the screen or mid-way between the top and bottom of either side of the screen (if wall mounted or in-wall) or below the left and right corners of the screen, if the speakers are the floor standing type. In addition, if the speakers are floor standing or wall-mounted they should be angled in slightly towards the center to better direct the sound towards the listening/viewing area. I would experiment and see what speaker positioning works best.

As far as speaker wire goes, make sure you have of course weather proof wire.

I hope this Helps

[Jerkface Killah]

Wow, that's pretty comprehensive. I appreciate the time you took to get the links. You must think a lot of that receiver to include it in the "best" setup. Looks nice and the price is right. On a related topic, what are "banana plugs" and are they different from regular speaker wire connections? I saw them on amazon while looking at receivers

Thanks again,
Jonathan

No problem man, i absolutely love home theater gear! and talking about it lol.
I recommend banana plugs, you won't hear a sound a difference at all, it just makes the connection more dependable. And speaking of sound difference, 100$ cables don't make a difference, i promise. So don't fall into that trap, that is an easy one to fall into being a home theater newbie. A great site for cables/connectors etc hometheater stuff, is monoprice.com. Super site and super affordable.
If you have any other questions please ask.

I guess my only other question is about Onkyo. I have never owned any of their products. Do you have any experience with their warranty? If the receiver were to fail in a year, do they have a decent service policy, or should I buy the replacement plan from Newegg?

Thanks again again
Jonathan

[kingdomheights777]

Wow, that's pretty comprehensive. I appreciate the time you took to get the links. You must think a lot of that receiver to include it in the "best" setup. Looks nice and the price is right. On a related topic, what are "banana plugs" and are they different from regular speaker wire connections? I saw them on amazon while looking at receivers

Thanks again,
Jonathan

No problem man, i absolutely love home theater gear! and talking about it lol.
I recommend banana plugs, you won't hear a sound a difference at all, it just makes the connection more dependable. And speaking of sound difference, 100$ cables don't make a difference, i promise. So don't fall into that trap, that is an easy one to fall into being a home theater newbie. A great site for cables/connectors etc hometheater stuff, is monoprice.com. Super site and super affordable.
If you have any other questions please ask.

I guess my only other question is about Onkyo. I have never owned any of their products. Do you have any experience with their warranty? If the receiver were to fail in a year, do they have a decent service policy, or should I buy the replacement plan from Newegg?

Thanks again again
Jonathan

I have never had any issues with any of the Onkyos i have ever installed or myself owned. So i have never dealt with their warranty. I would purchase the newegg warranty for piece of mind if you like. Make sure you give it plenty of room to ventilate, cause they do put off quite a bit of heat.

[Jerkface Killah]

Well I guess that settles it. Now I'll just see if Newegg has any black Friday or cyber Monday deals and Ill pick one up. Thanks for all your help. I am repeatedly astounded at the amazingly knowledgeable and helpful community of this site

Jonathan