Looking to buy surround sound system. I need help

[fastbilly1]

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.

Onkyo's customer service is top notch. But if you are worried about it, go through Newegg. I have used Newegg's multiple times and they have never given me any crap. One of their phone customer service reps told me "sometimes electronics break in the mail, its cool."

kingdomheights777,
Both of the houses I am thinking about buying are about 3/4's a mile from the closest neighbor, with two separate tree buffers for one and one large buffer for the other. So earthshaking is fine, to a degree. I will be looking into the Atrium 7 series. Thank you so much. Most the people on the Backyard Theatre forums roll out their sound system every time they want to do it - or broadcast it on FM. I would like to have it more permanent since I am lazy...I will contact you more about it once I have the house. Thank you again

[gtmtnbiker]

One thing I would like to see clarification is what kind of media gives you 5.1 output? Take these commonly used media forms:

cable tv
ps3
xbox 360
wii
dvd
blu-ray

I know that for the xbox, ps3, blu-ray, it's pretty much yes because most games have 5.1 sound.

I think the answer is no for the wii.

What about DVD?
Cable TV programs?

[samsonlonghair]

One thing I would like to see clarification is what kind of media gives you 5.1 output? Take these commonly used media forms:

cable tv
ps3
xbox 360
wii
dvd
blu-ray

I know that for the xbox, ps3, blu-ray, it's pretty much yes because most games have 5.1 sound.

I think the answer is no for the wii.

What about DVD?
Cable TV programs?

Cable TV - Not typically; though it is possible. Some of the premium channels like HBO broadcast in 5.1, but most cable providers do not carry surround. Talk to your cable provider. If they do carry 5.1, you may need to upgrade your cable box.

PS3, XBOX 360, Blu-ray - Yes, assuming you have everything connected correctly, these devices will deliver 5.1 sound or better.

DVD - Yes, if you have an expensive DVD player that's designed to deliver 5.1. Cheap DVD players only push out stereo sound. Also, the DVD disc itself has to be encoded in 5.1 sound. Look for a THX logo on your DVD boxes for exceptional 5.1 sound
By the way, I recommend The Last of the Mohicans as a DVD with great 5.1 sound.

Wii - I think the best you can get out of this is Dolby Pro Logic II which (in theory) simulates surround Sound. I've heard talk of Dolby DTS, but I'm skeptical on that point.

[kingdomheights777]

One thing I would like to see clarification is what kind of media gives you 5.1 output? Take these commonly used media forms:

cable tv
ps3
xbox 360
wii
dvd
blu-ray

I know that for the xbox, ps3, blu-ray, it's pretty much yes because most games have 5.1 sound.

I think the answer is no for the wii.

What about DVD?
Cable TV programs?

Well.... the Wii can and can't output 5.1
Long story short lol
Most Wii games have "Dolby Pro Logic" encoded on the disc, which means if you have a receiver that can decode dolby pro logic then then it sends out a semi authentic 5.1 mix to your speakers.
DVD's have 5.1 , 2.0 mixes just like blu-ray, they even have DTS and Digital Dolby. But the difference here lies in that blu rays storage capabilities allow a High Def Master audio mix. (DTS-HD, TRUEHD, PCM) Which is supposed to give you the clarity and robustness that the sound engineer that mixed the original audio hears in the studio.
Which i can attest sounds absolutely incredible with the right speakers and calibrated system.
As for Cable tv programs, yes they do send 5.1 mix to an av receiver. They way you can tell is most cable programs when you hit "info" on your remote it should bring up the show info and tell you either 5.1 or not.

[winds]

Since it was vaguely mentioned, I just want to point out that when deciding on what gear to buy, don't buy into the whole "THX certified" crap. It is absolutely meaningless and just a way to get you to spend more money. To get THX certified, "everything" essentially has to conform to a certain set of specifications, including the room, how it was built, it's size, the materials used, the speaker setup, where they are, how they're positioned, which way they're facing, etc. When a piece of equipment says "THX certified" it means nothing if you're setting them up in your living room that obviously doesn't conform to the THX specifications. Just thought i'd point that out.

[shallowgamer]

kingdomheights is spot on with the Onkyo TX-SR609. It is the one I am planning on buying, just waiting on a price break or a flush of cash.

I was actually looking at this cheaper onkyo, the HT-RC360:


What am I missing out on by saving 50 bucks? Thanks.

[kingdomheights777]

kingdomheights is spot on with the Onkyo TX-SR609. It is the one I am planning on buying, just waiting on a price break or a flush of cash.

I was actually looking at this cheaper onkyo, the HT-RC360:


What am I missing out on by saving 50 bucks? Thanks.

The 609 has more built in decoders meaning it can decode almost any audio mix from any dvd and blu ray , and the 609 comes with the Audyssey Calibration Program.
The more decoders and the Audyssey Calibration program is well worth the price of 50 bucks difference. Cause unless you have the correct calibration equipment, you won't every have the system calibration correctly for your room.

[shallowgamer]

kingdomheights is spot on with the Onkyo TX-SR609. It is the one I am planning on buying, just waiting on a price break or a flush of cash.

I was actually looking at this cheaper onkyo, the HT-RC360:


What am I missing out on by saving 50 bucks? Thanks.

The 609 has more built in decoders meaning it can decode almost any audio mix from any dvd and blu ray , and the 609 comes with the Audyssey Calibration Program.
The more decoders and the Audyssey Calibration program is well worth the price of 50 bucks difference. Cause unless you have the correct calibration equipment, you won't every have the system calibration correctly for your room.

Good deal. Any other comparable models (price-wise) from other brands, or is this way ahead of the pack?

[kingdomheights777]

its one of the top rated ones on CNET, you can't go wrong with it

[Dakinggamer87]

I currently use an Onkyo 7.1 A/V receiver and it's amazing!! They are top quality, can't go wrong.