Now that I have my own place I can get a home theater system and not worry about it being to loud. I would like it to be wirless. The guy who had the place before me had small shelves for speakers so i can put then on the other side of the room. I see Best Buy is going to have this one on sale on Black Friday for $279 which is like $150 off. Is that a good deal? Does anyone recommend anything else? I really do not want to spend more then the $250-$275 range. Does anyone know of a good wireless one that is any cheaper? Thanks for any advice.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+BRAVIA+...p;skuId=9238871

Which part are you wanting to be wireless? If it's the speakers I'd highly recommend not getting wireless speakers.

why is that? I really don't want to have to tape wires from the celing or anything cause I want to put speakers in the back of the room.

What you are looking for is a Home Theater in a Box (HTIB). Onkyo makes some of the best HTIB packages.

Here is one I found on slickdeals http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1651472

http://www.6ave.com/shop/Product.aspx?sku=ONKSKSHT540B
Apply Coupon Code = AFL5

It looks like it is $186 shipped. That is stupid cheap for Onkyo. I'd recommend buying this immediately before it goes out ostock or the deal goes away.

Wireless speakers will probably sound like crap. I can almost guarantee that wireless speakers in a $300 HTIB will sound like crap.

You can stuff wires under the baseboards by the carpet. From there, pull the baseboard off below where you want the speaker on the wall, punch a hole in the drywall behind the base board and on the wall where the speaker will mount. Fish the wire between the holes. It's pretty easy and you won't see the wires.

There are some thin wire races you can get at Menards to run the wires up the ceiling. There is also some very thin speaker wire that you can spackle to the wall and paint over, but I'm not sure how expensive that is.

Does this one have wires that I would have to run to the rear speakers? I did not see it being wireless.

I doubt it is wireless.

Wait, sorry, there is no receiver in that package. That probably won't work unless you increase your budget.

If you change your mind about the wireless, check Onyko's refurb site for deals. You could check www.slickdeals.net for other deals.

If you go with wireless, I'd buy local so it's easy to return if you don't like it.

Something to consider with the wireless, is do the wireless speakers need to be plugged in to wall power? They probably have a small amp in them plus the wireless receiver, and will need power, so you'll have wires running from the speakers either way.

I'm considering getting a home theatre system with a blu-ray player

Consumer Reports rates the Samsung HT-BD7200 system as a recommended buy

Anyone have experience with this product?

They also rate the Yamaha YHT-391 as a recommended buy for a home theatre system only - price approx. $350 - no DVD or Blu-ray player with this

If your going to spend $ on a home theater system.. take your time and do some research.. And I would spend the cash for a good system vs somthing you might get sick of in a few years.

Also if you have blu-ray or are planning on getting one.. think of a system that will allow for 7 speakers so you can fully take advantage of the huge upgrade in sound quality that blu-ray offers.

I was taking a closer look at I would have to buy a $50 transmitter to make the wireless work. I am thinking and leaning towards more maybe waiting another year for the prices to come down on a wireless blue-ray home theater system.

Wireless=signal drop. If all you are going to is listen to TV or the occasional non action movie then it is more convenient.

But if you are looking for a 20-20K frequency response, you need wires.

Unless the technology has improved, then I wouldn't suggest wireless. I've had some decent wireless speakers that I used for parties in the backyard, but the quality couldn't touch my kenwood receiver with an external subwoofer. I'd look for something with 7.1 surround and find what you want after researching customer reviews. Check out www.newegg.com
Then, if you do find something...check and see if you can get a better deal on Black Friday. You should be able to find a good system for under $300.

My suggestion...if you are wanting to take on the task of home theater do it right. Technology has become quite cheap...compared to 10 years or so ago. My personal suggestion. Don't get home theater in a box. But...if you do...get a quality one. Like stated before onkyo probably makes one of the better midlevel systems.

But as far as just audio. I would take your time and buy quality stuff over time. You will be happier that you did. I can almost guarantee it. While HTIB is an easy way to get everything in one simple swoop. You are going to end up limiting future add ons possibly. With buying everything seperate your system can morph over time. You can take a component out and add one in when needed. With HTIB you somewhat limit yourself in that respect. I have been into HT for quite some time. I build speakers for a hobby also. Not saying I know everything. But, I do know more than the average person about this stuff.

Here are a few snapshots of mine. These are a couple years old. But...most of system is still the same for the most part. I have been very content with it the way it is. But...some changes may be in order in the near future.

Anyway here they are.







This is an older picture...just showing with my projector screen down

I did a ton of research for my home theater and can give you advice considering your situation.

#1 Dont do the wireless speakers - signal loss - not to mention a buzzing you will most likely get from being plugged into an outlet - also affects placement. Just really not a good idea

#2 If you do HTIB then realize you are gonna have bargain basement performance both movies and audio - and you will have no components that you can use to upgrade later. Its kind of all or nothing. Depending on what you expect - personally there is a better route to go

#3 Here is what I would do if money is tight: Get a good receiver - a middle of the road Yamaha, Denon, or Onkyo. Buy 4 identical bookshelf speakers - use 2 for the front and 2 for the surround. Definitive Technology SM350 would be a good choice. Run the system in "phantom" mode and you can wait on a center channel speaker - you should get decent results - better than HTIB. When you get more cash, get the center channel speaker that matches your front speakers. Add a subwoofer when you can as well. The thing is - you have quality components from the start and you can get by until you build upon it. You will be happy for movies and moreso the audio. In the long run you will be much happier that you didnt settle on quality. I would build a piece at a time any day of the week vs a stopgap solution.

With HTIB you are compromising all across the board. If you are very casual and its not important to you, then maybe that is good enough. But for not much more money you can get yourself off to a better start and have quality that can never be matched with HTIB.

Don't go wireless. You'll get much better sound quality with wired speakers like others have said. Wires aren't much of an intrusion. You could just hide them along the edges of the carpet.

Just research it. Do your homework and you'll end up with a good sound system at your $300 price range.

ok now with everyone saying do not go wireless and buy the receiver seperate. I did find a few. Anyone think any of these are ok?

Edit: To me it seems the best bang for the buck is the first one the Onkyo HT-S3200 5.1 receiver with speaker package for $300. Only thing it seems is that the Sony had HDMI audio while it seems for the Onkyo I would need to use optical or coax cable for the sound. Would that make much a difference?

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-S3200-5-1-C...5693&sr=1-3

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-STR-DH800-7-1-C...7509&sr=1-2



http://www.buy.com/prod/onkyo-tx-8555-a-v-.../210194451.html

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16882120131

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16882120129

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16882120130

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...82E16882120146R


http://www.amazon.com/Sony-STR-DH800-7-1-C...7509&sr=1-2

You're kind of asking the impossible. What might sound great to me might sound like crap to you. I've got an old Marantz 2600 receiver and a pair of Bose 901's. They'll blow out your windows (literally 300 watts RMS), but I like a loud guitar and am pretty old school. Someone who likes more "pop" or hip hop probably would want something different.

My advise is to hit the road. Find something that sounds good to YOU and then price shop from there. After all, you are the one listening to it.

I've always liked optical sound over HDMI. A couple people have told me that the new v1.4 HDMI cables rival optical sound. I've yet to try it out though.

I'm not qualified enough though to judge how good any of those systems are, but I have an Onkyo I bought a few years ago and I really like it. If I ever get a new one, I'd consider Onkyo again.

I should also point out that speaker size matters.

When I bought mine, my speakers were small. And the space I had the system in was big. And when I had the setup going, I was unimpressed with surround sound. Turns out, I needed bigger speakers. Someone told me, think of the speakers as a fan in the room. If you're sitting in your chair and you have this little 4-inch fan a couple feet next to you, it provides adequate comfort. But if you move that same, little fan farther away from you, the less effective that little fan becomes. So you need a bigger fan. Sound waves from speakers work the same way as air being moved with a fan. The farther speakers are from you, the bigger the speaker should be.

Vots...the only difference between an HDMI cable and an optical cable is the bandwidth, and the way data is transmitted through the actual cable of course (optical-fiberoptic / HDMI-wire). There should be no sound difference between the two. The difference is actually quite a lot of info/data. All you are doing is sending 1's and 0's along a path with both. HDMI just allows more at one time. Digital info should not sound any different. The only way it is going to sound different is if it is processed from the source or processed in your amp/preamp differently.

Optical is actually an older less advanced way to transmit data from one source to another. That is why you must use HDMI to get Dolby True/DTS HD and the more enhanced use of blu-ray/hddvd features.

Now will you hear a difference...maybe not. Depends on your system and the frequency response of your system.

How old is old for optical? A person I know who's an audiophile always told me optical was always the way to until the v1.4 HDMI cables were released (I personally have no clue what that means though). But those came out like 2 years ago or something, so maybe that does constitute it as old technology. I'm still hooked up with optical though.

There is nothing wrong with optical at all. But it has it's limits. Like I said before...all these cables do is create a pathway for 1's and 0's to follow or "flow" along. The only problem is that optical is limited to a "narrower" bandwidth than HDMI. HDMI can "pass" alot more data at a faster rate than optical.

As for the age of optical...it's at least 13 years old...I know that. It was on a CD and mini disc player I bought in 1996. I'm sure it had to filter it's way down to less expensive technology over at least a couple years. So it may be a bit older than that.

I actually use optical too for my normal/regular CD player. So please don't think I am talking down on optical connections.

Oh don't worry, I'm not going to go on defense for optical. I was just going by what someone told me. From how you explained it, I'll probably go get me a few HDMI cables off of Amazon, those optical cables are fragile anyways.

monoprice.com has em pretty cheap I know that.

I would get the Onkyo HTIB for $300.

At the $300 price point you don't need to worry about any differences in sound between digital audio inputs. IMHO there is no difference between any of them.

If you are going to go with separates:

For an under $300 receiver, I would buy a brand name and get the one with the most digital inputs. Multiple HDMI would be ideal. The only other feature I'd look for if possible is Audyssey, but I don't think you'll find it for $300.

Then with speakers I would recommend starting with only 2 fronts. You'll get the best sound for you dollar that way. Get bookshelves and not towers. You can add additional speakers later. Plan on buying all the same speakers for the system.

Try to spend most of your money on speakers becasue those never get outdated. Receiver technology changes almost as fast as computers. I would recommend trying to find a $100 5.1/7.1 receiver on craigslist and spend the rest of your money on speakers.

My son is the #1 salesman in the Home Theatre department
of the Appleton Best Buy.
Funny, because you are discussing this and yesterday
I received an invoice in his name at MY address from Onkyo.
Don't know why it came to my address,
but I will give it to him at
the Packer game on Sunday.

To the point, GBP I will PM you his e-mail
and you can get any info you want from him.

Many opinions out there but he makes a living
in this field and knows his s**t.

Needless to say I don't know or do anything
to my own set-up.
He takes care of it all and I get really good deals.

Go Pack!!