Random Tech thread.

[Cotton]

Have you considered going with a sound bar?

I prefer those over the surround sound in a box, wired setups.

Yep, that's what I have. It's a Sony and it works great. Just as good as the Kenwood surround sound system I had before and it takes one wire to hook it up.

 

[Smitty]

I've considered it, but been told by a friend who has a receiver, 5.1 setup, etc, that a soundbar will never be as good as a full system, and that if I spend $200-$300 on a soundbar, I am just wasting my money when I can get a full set of speakers for the $400 range (which is what the Logitech z906 falls into).

 

[L.T. Fan]

I've considered it, but been told by a friend who has a receiver, 5.1 setup, etc, that a soundbar will never be as good as a full system, and that if I spend $200-$300 on a soundbar, I am just wasting my money when I can get a full set of speakers for the $400 range (which is what the Logitech z906 falls into).

Go with the component system if you are after quality and depth. The down side is they can be a strain on housekeeping trying to spread them around. The bar is a neater piece and space saver but you will sacrifice some on Sound quality.

 

[Cotton]

You are definitely not going to have the same quality as a full surround sound but if you get the high end sound bars they are great and like LT said, they are much easier to set up and don't take up near the space. Plus you don't have to hide wires and all that crap.

 

[mcnuttz]

I bought a Samsung system for around $800 when we got the new TV a couple years ago.

Best out of the box sound I've ever heard.

 

[Cotton]

I bought a Samsung system for around $800 when we got the new TV a couple years ago.

Best out of the box sound I've ever heard.

Well, lookit the high roller. I remember the day when you still had a black and white TV and a Nokia phone. You have come a long way, amigo.

 

[Smitty]

I bought a Samsung system for around $800 when we got the new TV a couple years ago.

Best out of the box sound I've ever heard.

Do you know what model?

 

[mcnuttz]

Do you know what model?

I think it's a 6730...bought it in 2011 so it's probably outdated by now. Very happy with the Samsung stuff though.

 

[mcnuttz]

Well, lookit the high roller. I remember the day when you still had a black and white TV and a Nokia phone. You have come a long way, amigo.

Shit fool, my wife and kids got tablets for Xmas this year.

~popping collar whilst dusting off shoulder~

 

[Cotton]

Shit fool, my wife and kids got tablets for Xmas this year.

~popping collar whilst dusting off shoulder~

Big Chief tablets?

OMGFACEBURN

 

[L.T. Fan]

I think it's a 6730...bought it in 2011 so it's probably outdated by now. Very happy with the Samsung stuff though.

Good Audio systems do not go out of date. If they deliver quality sound it doesn't't matter that they are a couple of years old. I would rather have an older quality system than a new sub standard one. If you Samsung is good then it will be good 5 years from now. Good audio is always good unlike video which degrades or improves with a new set.

 

[Smitty]

Just ordered this, factory refurbished, so I saved some coin.

http://home-audio.toptenreviews.com/home-theater-speakers/onkyo-ht-s3500-review.html
http://www.audioholics.com/surround-sound-reviews/onkyo-ht-s5500-s3500-pre

Let's hope it works out. Some people seem to have issues with the subwoofers dying in a couple months, other people say it's user error and it some feature that shuts the subwoofer for power-saving that is not set up correctly.

FWIW, it's the highest rated Home Theater System for 2014 according to this site:

http://home-audio.toptenreviews.com/home-theater-speakers/

 

[L.T. Fan]

Just ordered this, factory refurbished, so I saved some coin.

http://home-audio.toptenreviews.com/home-theater-speakers/onkyo-ht-s3500-review.html
http://www.audioholics.com/surround-sound-reviews/onkyo-ht-s5500-s3500-pre

Let's hope it works out. Some people seem to have issues with the subwoofers dying in a couple months, other people say it's user error and it some feature that shuts the subwoofer for power-saving that is not set up correctly.

FWIW, it's the highest rated Home Theater System for 2014 according to this site:

http://home-audio.toptenreviews.com/home-theater-speakers/

Some tv's have a seperate outlet designed specifically for sub woofer use. You control the volume levels with the tv settings. My prior set (a Samsung) had this feature. It works well for systems that do not have seperate controls like you choice appears to be.

 

[Smitty]

Some tv's have a seperate outlet designed specifically for sub woofer use. You control the volume levels with the tv settings. My prior set (a Samsung) had this feature. It works well for systems that do not have seperate controls like you choice appears to be.

Pretty sure each speaker can be calibrated, it has this whole "Audyssey Room Correction" feature where it will balance the speakers for you, but people talk about manually tweaking it if you don't like that. Then the master volume would be controlled via the remote (or the receiver).

Or do you mean a separate dial on each speaker?

 

[L.T. Fan]

Pretty sure each speaker can be calibrated, it has this whole "Audyssey Room Correction" feature where it will balance the speakers for you, but people talk about manually tweaking it if you don't like that. Then the master volume would be controlled via the remote (or the receiver).

Or do you mean a separate dial on each speaker?

It was Just the sub woofer and the settings for volume, etc. we're all within the tv menus. You set the volume after you opened the menus. It was just an additional feature in my prior tv. The overall volume for a surround system was handled by the system's remote.

 

[dallen]

I bought a Samsung soundbar on sale around Christmas. It is definitely better than the speakers on the TV itself, but if I could afford it I would trade it in a second for a full surround sound system. The bass is nice, but the simulated 3D sound can't compare to an actual surround sound system. Other than the cost of the unit, the wires are the big problem for me. I don't want wires running all over my living room so I'd have to install everything through the walls and I'm pretty lazy and paying someone to install it would cost even more.

 

[Newt]

I made the switch from Iphone to Android this weekend, got the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Love it. It was easy to make the switch because my wife has had the S4 for a while and we also have an android tablet. The phone itself is awesome, so fast and the large screen is greatness. The battery lasted a full day with heavy use, I'm talking from 5am to 10pm, downloading apps, watching videos, downloading music, sending emails and taking pictures. Haven't had much use for the stylus yet, I know how to use it to take notes and then convert it to text and that could come in handy at some point but I probably won't use it often.

 

[Texas Ace]

I bought a Samsung soundbar on sale around Christmas. It is definitely better than the speakers on the TV itself, but if I could afford it I would trade it in a second for a full surround sound system. The bass is nice, but the simulated 3D sound can't compare to an actual surround sound system. Other than the cost of the unit, the wires are the big problem for me. I don't want wires running all over my living room so I'd have to install everything through the walls and I'm pretty lazy and paying someone to install it would cost even more.

That looks just like the one I bought for my dad.

It's solid. No, it isn't like a true surround sound, but for the price and lack of hassle, I think it is a solid product.

 

[Jiggyfly]

In the market for a phone I'm currently leaning toward the HTC one, I thought about the Galaxy but it just seems to big for my liking.

I also like to have something different than what everybody else has, any thoughts?

 

[Carp]

I love my S4. I don't find it to be too big at all and it makes dicking around on the web much better.