alex@skyweb.net

What is the best value I can get for around $1200

I want a system to provide sound for a television as well as general
music enjoyment.

Any ideas, thanks

Alex
New Jersey

mr645@aol.com (mr

$1200 is not much but I would suggest a low end receiver with 5.1 capabilities.
Look at entry level from Denon, Harmon Kardon, Yamaha and then spend as much
as you can on speakers. Perhaps Polk Audio or Paradigm. The Canadians seem to
provide an exceptional value in speakers. JBL also makes a nice line of
reasonbly priced speakers. Mission is another brand to look for.

Jon
http://www.jonlayephotography.com

normanstrong

Yes, of course. The best approach for you is to get a copy of the
Nov. 2003 issue of Consumer Reports and follow the advice they give
you.

If you intended to end up with $5000 worth of equipment some day,
there might be a better approach. But, for what you want, CR is the
best way to go.

Norm Strong

uptown audio

The best bang for the buck may very well be stereo as you can get some
rather nice speakers and amp for that in stereo. For six channel, the
power and speaker size are reduced due to the number of channels
needed. A very popular system here has been an NAD 5.1 receiver (T742,
$649.00) and a set of Tannoy (FX5.1, $699.00) speakers, which includes
five matching speakers and a sub. That's $1348.00 total and provides a
very high quality sound in a small package. One of the fellows here
bought this set-up for himself as his A/V rig and loves it. I use a
bit larger stereo system for all inputs myself. Combine that sound
with the $1500 video screen of your choice and you have a very nice
theater system for under $3k.
- Bill
www.uptownaudio.com
Roanoke VA
(540) 343-1250

nabob33@hotmail.com (bob

While I'm a fan of CR generally, I can't agree here. That issue in
particular has some truly horrible advice. (E.g., you can put a
subwoofer anywhere in a room EXCEPT a corner, because it'll be too
boomy.) And I wouldn't put too much stock in its speaker rankings,
which are based on a very dodgy set of measurements.

I'd second the recommendation for Paradigm. You can go to their site,
www.paradigm.ca, and download their "Recommended Systems" brochure.
Frankly, the cheapest one I'd recommend is the $1000 system with Atoms
up front. That doesn't leave much room in your budget for a receiver,
but for that I'd trust CR. And if you buy a whole system in one place
you can probably wangle a discount. (If you also need a DVD player, be
sure to spend at least $75!)

bob

joseph oberlander

This is a good syetem, actually. Though, a $500 Denon receiver would
work as well. Outlaw Audio also makes a decent 5.1 receiver for $500.

Other speakers to look at would be the Ascend Acoustics. For about
$1000-$1100, you can get a superb full-sized HT speaker system. Add
a budget 5.1 reciever and enjoy. This would raise the budget to
$1400 or so, but, IMO, would be well worth it.

steven sullivan

There's a lot of buzz on some AV forums about the 'Rocket' line
of HT speakers made by Onix (av123.com) . On a side note, looking at the
site it appears their flagship towers (at $1400 /pr) benefitted from the
crossover engineering expertise of one Dick Pierce....

--

-S.

"They've got God on their side. All we've got is science and reason."
-- Dawn Hulsey, Talent Director

joseph oberlander

Interesting. The Sub isn't as good as the HSU, and the speakers aren't
+/-2db like the Ascends, but it's a good deal as well - better than
the little 3-4 inch systems.

Me? I'd get a set of Tannoy MXm speakers. For $1200 or so, it's
very VERY good sounding. Even the tiny surrounds are worth the
money. I'd go for MXm2 in front, MXm surrounds in the rear, and
the center channel:

www.dynamichometheater.com
http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.p...ull&1077471203

$200 for the rears.
$370 for the MXm2 fronts(excellent for 2-channel stereo)
$270 for the center channel.
-----
$672 after 20% "set" discount. $45(3 boxes) or so for shipping.
$717 out the door for a 5.0 set.

This is by far the best deal that I know of. Add a basic
sub(Energy makes a nice one that's inexpensive) for $300 or
so and then a receiver.

OR
www.upscaleaudio.com
From their site:

Tannoy - any model in stock on sale! M1 cherry or birdseye
regular $250/pr sell $175 pr

4 M1s for $350 plus a center for about $250 - the whole enchilada
for $600. Add a sub and receiver. Done.

rusty boudreaux

Actually, I believe Dick basically designed the whole Rocket line
from all the crossovers to all the custom drivers (all drivers
except the Vifa tweets), and obviously the system design as a
whole.

I've personally never heard the Rockets but I've read comments
from well respected individuals. Seems like the consensus is
they perform better than anything available at lower price and
even a couple of times higher. They are very easy to drive even
with poorly designed integrated amps. One of the most benign
impedance curves I've seen. The finish is supposed to better
than furniture grade and vastly superior to anything remotely in
their price range. As in you get Rockets and have to buy new
furniture because the Rockets look that good.

AVS has a Rocket thread that exceeded 100,000 posts before it was
closed. Now I think most of the posting goes on at the av123
site.