hey everyone. i bought a tv a little while ago and at the time decided to invest more in the tv and then save up more for the audio package. now im thinking it might be time to get my audio package im kind of wondering what to look for in a good reciver/amp and speaker package. my budget is around 800 tops and i was wondering about this deal http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=BDL10003762&logon=&langid=EN my main question is does a 7.1 reciever with 675 watts better than a 5.1 with 1000 watts? and is it better to go into the home theater in a box route or buy everything seperate?
definitely separates. HTIB IMHO stink. As for power the more the merrier, stay with 5.1 as 7.1 gets costly quickly and the need for 7 speakers (not all movies are 7.1 yet)
Separates are definitely better, but not all HTIBs stink. Just most of them. ) Here is one that does not stink: http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-HT-S620...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1260278138&sr=1-1 Onkyo is a lot of bang for the buck. They give you a real receiver with their HTIBs, which are upgradable when the funds allow and the desire is there. This one decodes the HD audio from blu ray movies, it has four HDMI inputs, and it has Audyssey auto speaker calibration. This is a very good system, to be an HTIB. Good luck with whatever you decide on. I use a 7.1 system and love it. More blu ray movies are coming out all the time that have 7.1 soundtracks. You can setup a 7.1 system, to use it for 5.1, and use the extra two speakers in another room, if that's what you'd rather do. Just because it's a 7.1 system, doesn't mean you have to use it that way. They are all going to 7.1 anyway. If you look around, there's very few new systems that are strictly 5.1 now days.
