/r/hometheater

Photograph via snooOG

For audio visual enthusiasts who want to bring an immersive experience into their homes.


Soundbars

99.9% of the time Soundbars or HTiB (Home Theater in a Box) systems are not a good investment of your time and money.

It is the general consensus of r/hometheater not to recommend these things and instead simply steer a user toward a 2.0 or 2.1 system made of quality, Audio-Centric name brand components which are easy to assemble and cheap enough for low budget or space conscious buyers.

Most can be expanded to 5.1 if you buy the correct items in the correct order.

For further explanation please read Why You Shouldn't Buy a Soundbar

Please be aware /r/Soundbars exists as well as you will be met with opposition to posting about soundbars here.


Rules

I. Be Excellent to each other - Comments containing insults or unconstructive criticism may be removed at moderator discretion. Report comments that cross the line rather than retaliating. We are here to share information & ideas about a shared hobby. A disagreement or difference of opinion does not warrant personal attacks of any kind. Keep in mind that everyone is in a different part of their home theater journey & may have differing priorities

II. Discussions of illegal activity prohibited - Read, understand, and follow the reddit Content Policy: https://www.redditinc.com/policies/content-policy No aiding piracy, even if it is legal in your country. Reddit is US based, so for the continued existence of the sub we follow their rules

III. Moderators reserve the right to remove your post at our discretion - Moderators have final say over any and all posts or comments. They can be removed at our discretion for any reason, including but not limited to off-topic posting & misinformation. Posts containing soundbars are considered off-topic for this subreddit and may be removed. “Discussion” or “Purchasing” advice posts comparing soundbars to modular sound systems are allowed. YouTube links at moderator discretion.

IV. No self-promotion - This subreddit is not to be leveraged for the financial benefit of any user. You may not promote a service, product, or publication with which you are associated. Failure to disclose a financial association will result in a ban. Products provided or discounted in exchange for a post/comment/review constitute a financial relationship with the providing company. Directing traffic to your own monetized YouTube channel or video is prohibited.

V. No deal posts - Posts including deals, sales, used finds, or requests for pricing on a specific item will be removed. Please keep discussion of these topics within the “Weekly Deals Thread” to avoid cluttering the subreddit. Comments discussing current pricing of components within “Purchasing” advice posts are still permissible

VI. No referral links or link shortening - Referral links (including Amazon Smile) allow others to potentially make money. Third party link shortening leads to redirects & potentially harmful websites. Amazon links need to be in the format www.amazon.com/dp/B00VRRVHMA/ - all the extra stuff after those 10 characters is unnecessary. First party link shorteners from mobile apps like Amazon and YouTube will be allowed.

VII. No meta [suggestions] posts or comments - Please send suggestions to the moderators through Modmail instead by clicking here.

VIII. Do not message mods via their private inbox - Messaging mods via their private inbox rather than mod mail will result in a ban and your messages ignored. Please send suggestions to the moderators through Modmail instead by clicking here.

IX. No pictures of boxes - Pictures of your gear set up are encouraged! Pictures of products still in boxes are low effort & low quality content that will be removed.

General Posting Guidelines

  • Please Flair your post
  • Many questions have already been answered, USE SEARCH & See FAQ.
  • When requesting help for issues POST DETAILS, MODELS, & PICS. They always help.

Friends of /r/HomeTheater:

Other Useful Subs:

/r/hometheater

1,040,474 Subscribers

1

Is mixing silver RX8 and RS8 a stupid idea?

I am considering 7.1 for our living room. I have silver RX8 to use as front speakers, RX center. Now, I can also get my hands on a pair of RS8 and a pair of RS Rs. The room is 12 meters long, so saving large rear speakers makes sense. Is it mad to use RX8 as front and RS8 as rear speakers? Separate question is what amp does well with RX or RS?

1 Comment
2024/12/01
11:17 UTC

1

5.1 sorround sound system doesnt work

Hello,

So I have an old home theather system Yamaha HTR-5630RDS, connected over optical cable to hisense tv. When I play Dolby Digital 5.1 test on youtube the centre channel works normally, but when I play a movie on netflix (Peaky Blinders for example which have 5.1 icon next to the title) the centre channel doesn't work. I have tried changing the setting to dolby digital plus it doesn't change anything (I don't think the reciever supports it anyway). The movie is on the High settings so yeah. I don't know what else to do. Please help

0 Comments
2024/12/01
11:16 UTC

1

Surrounds to pair with 685s

Hi,

I’ve got some B&W 685s I’m pretty happy with for fronts.

What would make sense to pair with for surrounds ?

Visually I want something as small as possible, but without ending up with too my compromise.

Or should I be thinking about moving the 685s to the rear and getting new fronts ?

Thanks

0 Comments
2024/12/01
11:13 UTC

0

My receiver no longer connects to EARC.

Model Sony. TA-1000

I have tried everything in the manual , switched multiple cables.

I am sorry for the incoherent post , my father came home punched bear me and trashed my electronics.and everything in between I'm still processing everything . He said only pushed the av receiver 500 cm and be didn't do anything wrong ( it worked until my father pushed it)

If if its not. I'm out. This is not a threat it's a guarantee.

I connect HDMI 3 EARC to my av amplifier.

Thank you for reading.

4 Comments
2024/12/01
11:12 UTC

1

Dolby atmos on 2.1

Will it sound bad on 2.1 setup if avr is decoding as dolby atmos

1 Comment
2024/12/01
11:12 UTC

0

HiSense 5.1.2 $499 or Kogan 7.1.2 $299?

Not sure if it would be a mistake to take the bargain, or if the difference would be imperceptible to me.

Tell me why I shouldn't pick one over the other?

3 Comments
2024/12/01
10:30 UTC

0

HiSense 5.1.2 $499 or Kogan 7.1.2 $299?

Not sure if it would be a mistake to take the bargain, or if the difference would be imperceptible to me to?

Tell me why I shouldn't go one way or another?

0 Comments
2024/12/01
10:27 UTC

1

Can I do better than LG OLED55B4E 55" for around £800-900? (UK Buyer)

I'm looking for a TV and have already extended my £700 budget to get a better value set. I used to always aim for Sony flagship and only buy a set very occasionally (once every 10 years or even longer). I could potentially opt for something slightly smaller (46-50") if it would be worth the trade off for the increase in quality.

Although it seems in most cases OLED is a better technology than standard LED, I'm not overly sure what is the best option in terms of QLED, mini LED etc and real world performance in terms of the user experience matters more to me than the spec sheet!

Hoping to buy today while Black Friday is still on.

I would normally research something like this to death but have been having such good recommendations from Reddit that I thought I would post here.

1 Comment
2024/12/01
10:13 UTC

1

DTS X on Series X with Denon x2800h

Hi, sorry if this is obvious but I'm a noob and haven't found an answer yet. I'm not getting any sound coming from my heigh speakers (5.1.2) when playing on my Series X with DTS X enabled. Everything works fine in the tests and when I'm watching movies or shows with Atmos. What I'm doing wrong?

0 Comments
2024/12/01
09:54 UTC

1

Home Theatre Setup 5.1.2

I am planning my home theatre setup and I was looking to buy the
T301 and T301c as my front 3 speakers with Kef KUBE10 MIE sub
Kef Q50A as the rears
KEF Ci160ER In-Ceiling Speaker as the atmos

I was wondering if these are any good. Personally I have heard the T301 series with that sub and really liked the sound especially how clear it was but still wanted to come here double check the choices here.

0 Comments
2024/12/01
09:39 UTC

1

ACER VERO VL-710 4K Reviews

I am getting this acer vero VL-710 on a good very good deal atm i believe it’s led/laser hybrid however I just simply cannot find any reviews of it what so ever online. Has anyone used this before or knows about this?

0 Comments
2024/12/01
08:36 UTC

10

HBO Max is very quiet and less punchy?

Just got Max and my god this is the worst streaming service ever, my system shows it’s outputting 5.1 Dolby digital plus and yet it’s so quiet. Anybody else notice this?

7 Comments
2024/12/01
08:28 UTC

1

12'x16.5' room 5.1.2 setup Q150s vs R3 - Looking for advice

I'm thinking 5 Q150 (LCR - laying side ways right below the tv) and 2 Polk Audio OWM3, and a speedwoofer 10s mkii with AVR-X1700H.

I'm getting the TX-RZ50 with the Q150s to see if there's any difference

Budget setup:

Q150 - $350 x2 = $700

1 Q150 = $150

Polk Audio OWM3 = $150

Speedwoofer 10s mkii = $450

AVR-x1700H = $300

Total: $1,750

===================

End game setup (within reason):

R3 metas = $2,100

R2 meta center: $1,400

R8 = $1,600

Surround Q150 = $350

TX-RZ50 = $750

Speedwoofer 10s mkii = $450

Total $6,650 (more than 3x the amount!) would be nice to get R3s on sale at $700 as I've seen

========================

i know the tv is not the most ideal height but we like the frame tv as a framed art and we also use the tv for standing exercises so the height works for us

Any thoughts/advice for this set up? Thanks!

https://preview.redd.it/e7y0fo8s674e1.png?width=1740&format=png&auto=webp&s=c9bc23e24f02103d6458e86de3d862f8ac4e509b

https://preview.redd.it/o5m6weft674e1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=f5d4f3364e0cb1f83133a74afbdfb7160e8ba7e7

0 Comments
2024/12/01
08:28 UTC

1

Upgrading from Denon 3805

Hello! Never posted in this community before, but have read quite a few posts. So I've been using a Denon AVR-3805 for quite a few years now and have been thoroughly enjoying the sound quality. I listen to music on a variety of formats including vinyl, CD, tape as well as digital through Spotify. For movies I have been essentially connecting my computer with a discrete Sound Blaster Audigy FX v2 into the Ext. In inputs and viewing \ listening in whatever manner VLC puts out for either downloaded content or from my optical drive.

I have been rocking a 5.1 setup for the longest time and have been wanting to upgrade \ future proof and realized that the Ext In. would not be suitable to up-mix 5.1 content to 7.1 given the lack of surround processing on those particular inputs and inventively I want to build an ATMOS setup sooner or later with height channels.

So today I succumbed to the Black Friday sales and ordered an AVR-X3800H for roughly $600 CAD off retail after doing a decent amount of research which is going to be delivered soon.

I guess I'm just wondering from a community perspective from someone who is used to older gear and listens to a decent amount of music, if I've made a good decision. I know from a home theater standpoint that it'll be fine, but for music I wasn't really sure given that the 3805 was built in Japan with very nice components and was fairly well revered.

My main L\R are Paradigm Studio 100 V2 speakers that I'm running off a Crown XLS 1500 AMP with pretty decent results. I guess what I'm asking is if someone is primarily likely to use all external amps in the long run, was this a good idea, or should I have maybe budgeted for something a bit higher up the model chain mostly speaking from a music sound point with HT being secondary. I know there are preamps like the Parasound P6 and what not that have the HT bypass if I want to combine the best of both worlds for music \ HT, but just curious from an all-in-one perspective for the time being,

Also, I am fairly well versed in the audio engineering world and wondering if Dirac is good enough vs going the REW \ external DSP route? I have access to all the gear I need to take measurements and mess around, but at the end of the day, if I can set and forget, I won't complain either haha.

Appreciate any insight as I'll have a bit of time to decide on returning or not. Cheers!

0 Comments
2024/12/01
08:28 UTC

6

Samsung 4K TV Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals?

Hey, which retailer would you suggest for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on Samsung 4K TVs? I'm tempted to get one from Samsung's website, but I haven't had any experience buying from them yet. Are they good or will they potentially become a headache? Walmart was my first choice since there's one near me, but the offers aren't as good. I'm looking for an 85 inch OLED and I'm in the US btw

1 Comment
2024/12/01
08:20 UTC

2

Need help with Reciver and Subwoofer connection to tv

I don't know anything about speakers I have this denon receiver and harman kardon speakers which I want to work with my new hisense tv. But I can't figure out how to work these together with my tv Both the receiver and speakers are old models which don't have hdmi or bluethoot Pls do help

6 Comments
2024/12/01
07:55 UTC

1

Are 2013 Klipsch tower subwoofer and Center channel worth upgrading?

So my brother bought these klipsch speakers in 2013. He bought them all separate but at the same time. It cost him around 5000$ I think. He also has a discount because his friend worked at the store.i still use his receiver with hdmi ARC. Is it worth upgrading? Or has speaker technology relatively stayed the same since then? I know the receiver would be worth an upgrade but honestly I only use it with hdmi arc. So if anything I’d be more inclined to sell the set and check out Bluetooth wireless home theatre setups.

1 Comment
2024/12/01
07:37 UTC

0

Running full range through book shelf speakers.

Hey Gurus,

I know the title of this post is like, home theater anti thesis, and the recommendation is always to run smaller speakers "small" vs "large" in your AVR. If your speakers only handle down to say, 60hz or 65hz, and you are running them full range - just out of curiosity - what's the negative impact of doing this?

The reason I ask, is that I find sometimes with some content that an LFE+main type scenario sounds better to me than running the traditional recommended "small" mains. There's probably some solutions to this like getting a second subwoofer, but it's not in the books for the near future. I've tried all kinds of settings with turning up the sub, adjusting phase, etc. but I always seem to come back to this LFE+main sound. For anyone not familiar with what this is...it's basically running full range through your speakers, while also running the crossover to the sub. Full range to the speakers, as well as the sub from 90hz or 80hz and down. It creates an overlap in the upper base frequencies with your speakers and the sub (whatever your speakers can handle), so it increases bass volume in this range.

I think maybe because I tend to listen to music and movies at "lower" volumes, this might be why I enjoy it like this. By lower, I mean I run volumes literally nowhere near reference (probably -30db on the AVR, -25 if feeling wild).

What's the potential drawback on this? Is there any at low volumes? Something just sounds good about the warmer sound this creates. Maybe I'm crazy. Appreciate anyone's opinion. 🙂

0 Comments
2024/12/01
07:10 UTC

1

MARANTZ RC9500 x NR1601?

Does anyone know if thee NR1601 can be controlled by an RC9500? And can I pair them if I do not have the original remote?

0 Comments
2024/12/01
06:29 UTC

0

Hulu Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals

Hey everyone, I'm wondering if Hulu has any black friday and cyber monday deals this year. Does it offer discounts during black friday, or would it be better to wait for cyber monday? I’m thinking of subscribing for the first time and want to catch the best deal before the last minute of black friday. I’m on a budget, so any tips on where to find these deals would be super helpful.

4 Comments
2024/12/01
06:28 UTC

1

Budget 5.1 question

This is my first home theater system. Most of it was bought used, I haven’t set it up yet and wanted to know if this sounds like a good budget system for my space. I have $900 invested.

My room is 15x20x8. I have the following components.

Receiver: Denon AVR-S670H

Center Channel: SVS Prime

Front Satellites: JBL Stage A180

Rear Satellites: JBL Stage A170

Subwoofer: Klipsch R-12SW

1 Comment
2024/12/01
06:14 UTC

1

Is this a good Home Theater Setup?

Hey everyone, I am completely new to home theater systems but have done a little research and created a setup, I am setting up these speakers in a mid-sized basement and want a loud, crisp, and balanced sound. I should also mention that these KEF speakers will be on a Denon AVR-X1700H. Please add any suggestions you may have to improve my config:

Front L/R: KEF Q350

Surround L/R: KEF Q150

Center Channel: Q250c Centre Channel Speaker

Sub: Kube 8 MIE

1 Comment
2024/12/01
06:00 UTC

0

<$100 pair surround speakers suggestion

Setting 12x10ft bedroom for 7.1.4 setup, and am looking for surrounds suggestions. In my room, SSCS5 looks too big, and Samsung Swa9100s looks too small. I'm looking for something midway.

I plan on buying 6 surround speakers, making 4 of them height channels, and 2 sides. Budget and space both are very tight, so any suggestions for <$100 pair which is smaller than SSCS5?

1 Comment
2024/12/01
05:53 UTC

1

My first home theatre setup

My bedroom at home while I’m away for winter from from college and I turned it into my little record/media sanctuary

1 Comment
2024/12/01
02:32 UTC

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