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Now that I got my Media PC all squared away, (Thanks to all that helped). Its now time to move on to the Audio part. I may have an opportunity to get my hands on a harmon/kardon AVR 630 or a ONKYO TX-SR502 receiver. Which would you prefer and why?

I also need suggestions on speakers for either receiver.

Thanx
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wow thats some fancy words you got wroted ther, all i's got is yomihaw :greddy:

You probably won't go wrong with either receiver. I'm a fan of HK and have been running an AVR525 for 4 years or so now. Their wattage ratings are very conservative. There are some good deals for speakers from online only speakers. Depends on your budget. I'm happy with my Axiom Audio setup. Others like more laid back AV123 stuff. Most online companies have forums where local people can demo a set for you in a real world environment.

Frank

fmowry- Any thoughts on the Bose Acoustimass systems? More than likely either the 6 or the 10.
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Here's a decent review of the 502:
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/forum...php/t-711.html

And of the 630:
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volum...er-7-2004.html

Both are limited by their 2xComponent Inputs. In a small room with decent speakers and only a limited number of source components, I don't think you can go wrong with either of them. The Onkyo is at least a 4yr old design... don't know about the HK. I think the HK is higher in their lineup than the Onkyo is in its... Did you find a good price on either of these anywhere? Even Amazon didn't have the 630.

For speakers:
How big is the room?
What shape is the room?
How much money do you have?
What kind of speakers style is acceptable? (tower,bookshelf,satellite,wallmounted)
Do the mains have to provide bass or do you also want a sub?
What is the main thing you listen to? (rock,rap,movies,sports,gameing)?

Do some homework yourself at avsforums.com. Go to the speaker section and do some reading. Price is really important here. You can get an "adequate" setup for $500. Decent for $1000... and then higher.

I build my own subs, but if I was going to buy something, I'd be looking at HSU and SVS. Speaker selection is retarded... there are so many good deals and the market is really competitive. You can get overwhelmed quickly.

Answer the questions I asked and more help will follow. I'm sure Ben will chime in here quickly with some advice... he always does.

Well I will probably be GIVEN both of them. The harmon/kardon is from 2003 (according to the sticker on the back). As for the 2x components that easy to get around with an external 4 channel component splitter which I have. Besides all i need is my cable box and DVD player. My PC hooks up with DVI.

My living room is between 250-300 sqft. Cant remember exactly.
Its rectangular shaped.
Id like to stay under $1000.
I prefer Tower speakers, much like the Bose setups.
As for bass it dosent really matter, well maybe I prefer a seperate sub but not that big a deal.
I dont listen to much music at home, mostly movies and sports.

Thanks Sam.
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I'm no guru, but I'd also recommend looking into brands that are not sold in the big box chains. I also have Axioms and like the soundstaging and forward sound, but it's really a preference. There are a bunch of great speaker companies from Canada (thanks to their national sound testing center) that sell online as well.

For a "cheap" sub that's easy to build and sounds great for the price, I'd recommend this: http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=300-760 It often goes on sale for less with free shipping and assembly is a breeze.

well lets see...

bose uses inferior quality components and excessive equalization to provide substandard frequency response. and they're severely overpriced for what you get.

Yep Bose aren't in the same league aside from price as the various good deals you can get on lesser known speakers. Just Google Bose and you'll get:
A) their website and places selling their line
B) thousands of hits bashing them

If you wanna go the cheap route, Fry's always seems to have a deal on cheap Polks. While Polks aren't near as good as they were back when they were built in Baltimore, they're still a pretty good budget speaker.

Audio will open a big can of worms. The best bet is to buy what sounds good to you after you hear them in your environment with your music.

Frank

I have a Bose 3-2-1 system, and its my favorite one I have owned yet. Mainly because of the lack of wires, and its so easy to hook up my wife could do it for me.

In DIY turbo forum, is ease of installation really an issue? :)

For $999, Mr. Bose hot daughter better come with the purchase and install it naked for me.

Frank

hmm buying a stereo system because of lack of wires.

that's like buying a house in outer space because there's less dusting to do.

Are you running digital signal straight from the pc source to the tuner/amp?

less yardwork too

bose ftl

Im running Digital from the Cable box and the DVD plater.
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Hey Ben i know you have more input than that.
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As for receivers, do you need HDMI switching or are you running component (Red/Green/Blue)? It's nice to have otherwise you need to get an external HDMI switcher. I doubt a circa 2003 HK would have it. Not sure if the Onkyo has it. You really need to pick one of those based on the inputs and outputs you HAVE to have.

Frank

Not really. System design is all about the use, environment, and source devices. I know nothing of those 3 items from you. It also looks like you're looking at used/old stuff and frankly I don't have the time to track down specs of old models.

Im using component for my video.
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I paid $60 after rebate for a set of SoundBlaster PC speakers with a subwoofer and center channel. I threw them behind the TV and the base will shake my walls....