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Rate my beginner build?

19K views 92 replies 21 participants last post by  cogitech 
#1 ·
So i figured out what im gonna spend my money on, and here it is:

Reciever: Sony STR-DG720
Blu-Ray: Sony Playstation 3
Speakers: Precision Acoustics
--Center: Precision Acoustics 2-Way Center Channel Speaker (HD-C)
--Left/Right: Precision Acoustics 2-Way Tower Speakers (HD25)
--Rear Left/Right: Precision Acoustics 2-Way Tower Speakers (HD25)
*And when i want 7.1 i will add two bookshelf speakers at the very back of the room, i am not using a sub since im in an apartment and i should get more than enough bass from the towers*

Pairing with what I already have:
42" Plasma 1080P HDTV
Shaw HD-PVR
Xbox 360

this is my amatuer paint layout, lol
 
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#27 ·
I've heard the PA's you're speaking of, and nearly bought one of their centre channels years ago. But remember, at the price they sell them that nobodies gonna give them a bad review. If they were selling them at the same price of more capable speakers then those negative reviews would be flying in.

Like I said, I've auditioned them and they're just OK. Not mind blowing, but also better then 'white van' quality. Alot of people here are giving you sound advice, but you've clearly made your mind up on these.

I classify PA's as Bestbuy's low end affordable brand. Every big box store has similar brands. Like buying a Venture TV from Canadian Tire.
 
#28 ·
Thought I might add an opinion and observation. I can't speak about the receiver, sounds like you've made you mind up and if it meets your needs then more power to you.

As for the PA speakers. Spend a little time researching independant reveiws, they're virtually non existant. That says something. Floor standing speakers with dual 5.5" domes for $169 sounds to good to be true doesn't it? The few reviews out there are mostly from sights like this that advise to stay away from them. One thing I did find was someone pointed out the weight of them. They weigh just a fraction of other comparably sized speakers I compared them to and in fact they weigh less than half of what a $179 pair of Polk RTIA4's bookshelves with single 5.5" domes. That tells me that they're made for less than ideal materials and small magnets which translate into low quality compared to others in this price range.
 
#29 ·
it seems Sony has a tendency to generate extreme reactions from people. They have their die-hard fanboys and people that hate them viscerally
Kind of like Bose?

I think the best beginner build for the buck would have been, as stated already, to just do some research and find a decent av receivver for under $300, for example a Yamaha htr 6140 I think actually makes use of the HDMI for more than just video passthrough like the 6130, (many low budget gamers seem to like the 6140), along with a decent set of tower speakers for around $300 - $400 if you catch a good sale and do research and audition.

For about $600 total you can have a good start with a decent av receiver and respectable towers, if you do some research first and catch some sales.
 
#30 ·
Kind of like Bose?
I don't think your comparision is fair at all. The low end products that Sony sells are priced accordingly. While I don't think they make the most suitable HT receivers, they still carry some that are worth spending money on. Sony is much more than just receivers. As I pointed out I don't care for BluRay but as far as I am concerned and in all honesty, Sony is th expertise when it comes to such product. Sony also always had a good name when it comes to their TV. In most instance they are the front line of technology development. Therefore, I consider your comparision with Bose is totally un-justified.

The OP is asking for positive opinions not for us to bash everything he may consider. I don't think the negativity and/or sarcasism will help in at all. The goal is to help the OP to make a sound decision for himself not to get him to think he is dealing with a bunch of fanatic fanboys. ALL the good points that are brought forth are useless when mixed with negative.

Good reasonning like you have after the comment may be helpfull but definitively not after a disrecpectfull comment. Arguying does not help but sound advices with valid points to back them up will. If anyone can bring valid serious and un-biased reviews which invalidate the Sony receiver than fine. wgauci, brought some valid and logical points to the table concerning the speakers. The same logic should be brought forth when it comes to the receiver otherwise it remains a simple matter of preference and choice and will definitely not be considered by the OP.

Cheers!
René
 
#31 ·
When the Sony is on sale, it's a fine choice for a basic home theatre. The Yamaha HTR-6140 is very comparable to the Sony STR-DG720 in terms of features. But pair it with a decent set of speakers, not just the cheapest you can afford. Wait a bit, get a pair of L/R, then build from there.
 
#32 ·
I don't think your comparision is fair at all. The low end products that Sony sells are priced accordingly. While I don't think they make the most suitable HT receivers, they still carry some that are worth spending money on. Sony is much more than just receivers. As I pointed out I don't care for BluRay but as far as I am concerned and in all honesty, Sony is th expertise when it comes to such product. Sony also always had a good name when it comes to their TV. In most instance they are the front line of technology development. Therefore, I consider your comparision with Bose is totally un-justified.

The OP is asking for positive opinions not for us to bash everything he may consider. I don't think the negativity and/or sarcasism will help in at all. The goal is to help the OP to make a sound decision for himself not to get him to think he is dealing with a bunch of fanatic fanboys. ALL the good points that are brought forth are useless when mixed with negative.

Good reasonning like you have after the comment may be helpfull but definitively not after a disrecpectfull comment. Arguying does not help but sound advices with valid points to back them up will. If anyone can bring valid serious and un-biased reviews which invalidate the Sony receiver than fine. wgauci, brought some valid and logical points to the table concerning the speakers. The same logic should be brought forth when it comes to the receiver otherwise it remains a simple matter of preference and choice and will definitely not be considered by the OP.

Cheers!
René
Woah there!

The "kind of like Bose?" question, was just that ... a question!!! I was questioning the intended meaning or hint of one by Wgauci who posted the original comment I quoted.
I agree, it seems Sony has a tendency to generate extreme reactions from people. They have their die-hard fanboys and people that hate them viscerally.
... Which is very similar to what could be said about Bose. It was not sarcasm in any way. Actually, I am very poor at sarcasm, both at detecting it, (especially in written form), and at applying it. For those reasons, I usually try to avoid sarcasm completely. I did not "bash" anything at all that the OP considered. What are you even ranting about? Actually, speaking of disrespect, I find your entire post to be extremely disrespectful to me. I was just trying to help and to clarify things so that the comment would not be taken the wrong way by the OP, and you went completely off topic into a diatribe.

The Yamaha HTR-6140 is very comparable to the Sony STR-DG720 in terms of features. But pair it with a decent set of speakers, not just the cheapest you can afford
I agree, just last month for example, a Yamaha HTR 6140 and a pair of Energy c-500 towers could have been had together new for a $600 total. Which would be a fine start indeed. There are still many comparable deals from different brands polk, Klipsh, infinity etc. and places you can look for great deals on used gear. And if that particular Sony receiver in question is comparable to the 6140 in performance and not just features and it was purchased on sale, I am sure it will be a fine av receiver for the money. Always audition, do research and look or wait for great sales. Don't rush or you may regret it later.

From the sounds of it, the OP enjoys his purchases, so that's great. (And that is not sarcasm).
 
#74 ·
Woah there!

The "kind of like Bose?" question, was just that ... a question!!! I was questioning the intended meaning or hint of one by Wgauci who posted the original comment I quoted. ... Which is very similar to what could be said about Bose. It was not sarcasm in any way. Actually, I am very poor at sarcasm, both at detecting it, (especially in written form), and at applying it. For those reasons, I usually try to avoid sarcasm completely. I did not "bash" anything at all that the OP considered. What are you even ranting about? Actually, speaking of disrespect, I find your entire post to be extremely disrespectful to me. I was just trying to help and to clarify things so that the comment would not be taken the wrong way by the OP, and you went completely off topic into a diatribe.
Hey guys, sorry I'm a few days late on this thread but given that I was the one with the original statement, I feel compelled to clarify what I meant.

What I meant is that there are people who will buy Sony unconditionally, and others that will bash Sony unconditionally, often with little correlation (on either side) to the actual quality of the products. My own experience (and it's not extensive by any means) showed me that Sony products are typically above the average price of their competitors, but are also often (though not always) above average in quality. Sure you can find better products in most categories, but they will often cost a lot more.

Their TVs are a little pricier than most, but they're also better than most. When I was shopping for mine, I narrowed it down to Sharp and Sony. To me they were very comparable, outperforming most others except units that sold for a lot more. The Sharp was a significantly less expensive then, so I went with that.

Then you have gaming consoles. In terms of hardware and built-in features, they beat the competition hands down in my eyes. The PS3 is more expensive than the 360, but you get a lot more for your money. Last time I checked just adding Wifi networking to a 360 already made it more expensive than a PS3, yet it still had a lot of features missing.

Their computers are very pricey, but they're also among the most stylish ones and often provide built-in features that competing products don't even support as options. If I needed these extra features like I do the PS3 extras, I'd probably buy a Vaio, but so far I don't so I skipped.

And finally, the original topic was their AVR units. Like I said I got the 720 because it had all the features I needed at a price that couldn't be beat, and although they get a lot of criticism here I haven't run into any issues, quite the opposite, and am still very satisfied with my purchase. Just thought I'd mention it given that the OP was considering the exact same unit. Now sounds like he was convinced to pay twice as much for a competing product, and I just wish him the best of times with his new baby. :)

All that being said, I also interpreted your question as sarcasm on first read, given the short paragraph and the especially negative connotations Bose has around here. To help you with your "written people skills" (never easy, granted -- I find myself in trouble too often myself), I think if you had said "Would you go so far as comparing it to Bose?" for example, that would have left no doubt about your well-intentioned question. I'm sure René read your reply the same way I did and didn't mean to be disrespectful in any way, so don't overreact like we did. ;)

Final word, the consensus seems to be that Bose is extremely well marketed and as such ends up being at best an average product sold at premium prices (I have no experience with them myself, just relaying what I read here), and in that sense I don't think the comparison is fair. Sony also has good marketing but overall you seem to mostly get what you pay for in their case. Sometimes they're overpriced, sometimes they're underpriced for what you get. I try to be discerning and buy the latter. :D
 
#33 ·
Hey guys, i realize my comments maybe sound like i am not gonna change my mind but i went into BB today and checked out those PA speakers. I flat out asked the sales rep if he thought they were anything to phone home about and he said not really(which is what i expected honestly). I listened to them in comparison with some other speakers priced within the $200-$300 range and noticed a difference(the PA's sounded airy?) I would describe the sound as not being as deep, but all the other speakers there seemed out of my price range except for Infinity(I Believe) and they were the same price for one speaker as the PA's were for a set. I was also talking about the Sony reciever to the guy who i had to convince could playback truehd/dts-ma without being able to decode it(he didn't know about lpcm). I also mentioned i was considering an Onkyo 606 and he said i should go for a better reciever first and if I wanted to get the PA speakers for now and upgrade them later. He said(what many others have here) that "Sony has a high end, and a low end...the low end stuff sounds tinny".

Long story short I still think im going with the Sony reciever but I am going to check out the Energy C-500 speakers which are at FS. Can anyone here confirm that the Onkyo will actually have better, noticeable, AUDIO quality? The Sony meets all my needs spec-wise but if its not outputting the same sound then i might as well get the high end reciever too. This is turning out to be one of the toughest purchase decisions I've ever made but like many have said a good reciever will last me many years and is one of the most worthwhile purchases in electronics. It's really hard to tell whats good and bad when im standing there in the store and everything im sure will sound different once its actually in my living room. Unfortunately NCIX doesn't have the 606 reciever on for $489 or lower this week so I'll either get the Sony on friday or just hold off.

Thanks for all the replies thus far guys and ill start being a bit more open minded.

**Also i would go with the Sony over the Yamaha HTR-6140 as the Sony is 7.1, has one more hdmi input and doesnt look like the Yamaha can process lpcm over hdmi?
 
#34 ·
Ya, I see FS has some c-500s in stock again for about $300 for the pair. That really is a great deal. You are unlikely to find any towers that compare to those overall for $300 new.

The only problem I should point out, is c-series speakers are getting harder to get as they have been discontinued, so you may have trouble building an entire setup in c-series from FS, although you can still find most of the speakers available in the c series line, online.

The 6140 does do lpcm over HMDI but the 6130 does not. Which is why I reccomended the 6140 and not the 6130. The 6140 just doesn't have the newer audio decoding, but you stated before you didn't care for that on your receiver. This is from the Yamaha site regarding the HTR 6140:

"HD Audio LPCM 5.1-channel reception (up to 96kHz)"

Here is the link:

http://www.yamaha.ca/av/Receivers/HTR6140B.jsp

I didn't know you cared about 7.1, I must have missed that. Sorry. Really though 7.1 receivers are not neccessary unless you really have the room to do a 7.1 setup proplery. Also check the back of some DVDs or blue rays and you will see how many of them are in discrete 6.1, let alone 7.1. 5.1 is the standard. Saving money on the rears and putting it into a better subwoofer for a good 5.1 setup seems to be more pleasing for most people. The HTR 6140 combined with a pair of Energy c-500s for a great price really would be a good start to a great beginner setup. The Sony will probably work fine too.

If you like the Sony receiver, I'm sure it'll do just fine. Those Energy c-500s are a GREAT deal if you get them for $300 though. A matter of months ago those same speakers were $900 for the pair, which is not necessarily an indication of their quality though. I don't know how long they will be available either.
 
#35 ·
OK! I am just going to jump in and go for the Onkyo 606...I will wait till its under $500 again at NCIX and then i will buy it, might as well start off with the absolute best bang for my buck and build my system around that. Then I may go for the Energy speakers but it will be a little bit before i can afford any since im getting the better reciever
 
#37 ·
You say the C-500's are disco? What i might do is buy a few of them this paycheck since i wont be getting the Onkyo yet(not on sale), just to be safe. I still have the Sony in the back of my mind but if im compromising any audio-out quality i should go for the best reciever for the price.

**MAN WHY ARE THEY SO CHEAP? The Reviews im reading(one from this month) has they guy who reviewed them paying $400 for a pair and an MSRP of $700!
 
#42 ·
The 6140 only has 2 HDMI inputs and 5.1, im looking for 3 hdmi(at least) and 7.1 support. It does do HDMI audio which is nice but at $20 more the Sony seems like a better choice(unless were talking audio quality, im assuming the Pioneer will be better? Or do they have a "budget" quality line as well)

Unless you have a better Suggestion than an Onkyo 606 at $499 ill likely go for that
 
#47 ·
Im in Edmonton so we have Visions, BB, London Drugs and FS...NONE of the FS stores here have the Energy speakers!:confused:

The web page says "quanity: 1" in stock and ready to ship...>_>

*Im gonna check out London Drugs they sometimes have great sales*
 
#48 · (Edited)
Historically speaking, one of the best times out of the whole year to get a good deal on HT electronics is usually the week leading up to the Super Bowl. Most retailers like FS and BB have their flyers starting on Fridays. I'd check tomorrow's flyers to see what kind of a deal you can get.

As, for your choice of receiver, the Sony 720 is a good starting receiver (and it seems to have most if not all of what you're looking for in a receiver). There are definite advantges in spending more $$ on a receiver (internal decoding of HD codecs, a bit more WPC in some cases) but if you're not after those things then spend the money in what matters most to you.
When it comes to the speakers, I did try out the PA's and I wasn't impressed. They are very tempting for the price but they aren't for me. I've learned the hard way to spend $$ not just in quality but also what would be best for my application. I was in the market for speakers this past year and had the opportunity to get the C500's but they were too big for my application so I ended up with Paradigms because they suited my application best.
 
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