Help with New Audio-Visual Needs

We are going to upgrade our home audio-visual equipment and I'm hoping to get some suggestions on brands, what to look for, what to avoid and even suggestions of specific components or models. We currently have a mix of components that are of various ages, some dating back to the 1990s, and they only play so well together.

We have an LCD TV (Visio) that we plan to keep and a computer in the mix, that must be supported. The rest is up for replacement. Here, briefly is what we are looking for:

1. Amplifier/Tuner
2. DVD player (probably Blue Ray? One that can record DVDs would be a nice to have)
3. VCR. Yes, we still use a VCR for some things. We do not use DVR, by choice.
4. Speakers. Not absolutely required, but we're open to new ones.

The Amp must support A and B speaker set options, and it must allow A and/or B to be active at the same time. Surround sound or whatever they call it these days on one branch of speakers would be nice, not absolutely required. Wireless surround speakers would be good. Amp must be able to accept input from multiple devices, sometimes simultaneously.

The TV supports HDMI, but our satellite does not, and we do not plan to ever get that. So the system as a whole must accommodate a co-ax cable type input from the satellite.

The system must support recording something from the satellite onto VCR while at the same time playing content from another device (DVD).

Some sort of integrated system would be fine, but not required and maybe not even desired? Thoughts?

We are not audiophiles (we are in fact pretty ignorant at this stage); we do not require all the bells and whistles; we just want good quality components that will last a while, like another 10~15 years minimum. We would prefer US made, failing that, Japanese or European. Our experience with Chinese components has not been positive, the quality does not seem to be there for the Chinese stuff so we would prefer to avoid that. If possible.

We can spend what we need to to get a good quality system, but again we are not audiophiles so don’t want to spend tens of thousands or anything. For an initial price range, maybe ~$2K?

So, does anyone have any input or ideas? Thanks so much!

Tiger Direct. If you can't find it there ??

www.tigerdirect.com...

I just picked these up on black Friday. They sound WONDERFUL.

Sony SS-CS3

Went back out and bought the center channel the next day. They're that good.

Go with Denon, Onkyo or Yamaha for a cheap AVR that retains enough build quality and offers decent options (don't be scared). Spend enough to get one that self calibrates with an external microphone. Grab a Pioneer Elite if you can afford it and make sure any VCR or DVD player you buy has the right outputs that are compatible with newer receivers.

Here is a good list...

Best and Top Rated Multi-room Receivers

Old devices can be tricky with newer tech.

Here are DVD/VCR combos which actually cost more now do to the manufacturers unwillingness to make them.

Here's a BluRay/VCR combo. What a beast! Obviously you can buy the both separately.

Good luck. Ask any question you'd like.

(I can recommend much higher-end components for under $2,000 as well)

Front floor standing speakers..www.bestbuy.com...

Read any list of budget speakers under $500 and they are at the top and will cost you $260 for both.

Here is the matching sub with corresponding review www.bestbuy.com... s&ks=960&keys=keys

hometheaterreview.com...

At a price of $160 your are now at $420 total.

I picked up this receiver and love it..Pioneer Elite VSX-45..highly regarded for under $500..

www.bestbuy.com... =3549015

Ayt $920 total now . great sound, network receiver , HDMI 4K switching..

The XBOX ONE can be had for $300 right now which could serve as your BlueRay and DVD p!ayer along with media server which would bring you to $1220. Leaving you money to finish off surround sound speakers or some other piece.

I can't imagine why you would use a VCR over a DVR but to each his or her own..

If you can, plug everything into your TV, then have the digital audio go from your TV to the amp/home theater. Much less messy that way.

BH and I are working together on this... thank you all for the information so far; a lot there to digest, working on that.

originally posted by: opethPA
I can't imagine why you would use a VCR over a DVR but to each his or her own..

Maybe I have a misconception of a DVR... when I've looked it up so far, I find this kind of explanation:

The digitally based system is usually part of a cable service plan...
Users can tell the device to save or record certain shows, which are then stored to a hard drive or a cloud server owned by the network....
recordings aren’t usually permanent

Source

And I just got some blurb from the sat company we use about their DVR system, which lets me watch something a whole three days after it ran.

I don't like that, and don't want to give those folks money for that kind of attitude. With a VCR, I can record something and if I don't get around to watching it for two weeks, that's my business, not theirs.

If I can find a DVR that works like a VCR - plug in the cable, record stuff, data stored locally, watch it at my leisure, then yeah, I'd definitely go that way. So far everything I've found goes by the model described above.

Thanks for all the other info, we will dig into that.

a reply to: Autorico

Thanks, we'll keep this in mind!

originally posted by: Autorico
If you can, plug everything into your TV, then have the digital audio go from your TV to the amp/home theater. Much less messy that way.

You've got it backwards.That is what the AVR is for. Everything plugs into that and then most now have one single "Monitor Out" HDMI. This allows for up-conversion when available and better overall processing. Running everything through your TV can degrade performance than if you ran directly into the AVR. The only need for a digital audio or optics cable running OUT and into the receiver is if you were watching cable shows, using a television app for music, or mirroring another device's audio and video through a wired or wireless connection onto you TV. (which I would still recommend you go through the receiver if possible)

a reply to: Open_Minded Skeptic

If I can find a DVR that works like a VCR - plug in the cable, record stuff, data stored locally, watch it at my leisure, then yeah, I'd definitely go that way. So far everything I've found goes by the model described above.

Network DVR

NDVR is a consumer service where real-time broadcast television is captured in the network on a server allowing the end user to access the recorded programs at will, rather than being tied to the broadcast schedule. The NDVR system provides time-shifted viewing of broadcast programs, allowing subscribers to record and watch programs at their convenience, without the requirement of a local PVR device. It can be considered as a "PVR that is built into the network".

Do some research or you can ask questions.

a reply to: Open_Minded Skeptic

DVR is just a cable box with a hard drive in it. If you rent your equipment it's usually $3or$4 more a month. I personally love it just for the ability to pause live tv. Plus you can fast forward through commercials on shows you record.

originally posted by: eisegesis

originally posted by: Autorico
If you can, plug everything into your TV, then have the digital audio go from your TV to the amp/home theater. Much less messy that way.

You've got it backwards.That is what the AVR is for. Everything plugs into that and then most now have one single "Monitor Out" HDMI. This allows for up-conversion when available and better overall processing. Running everything through your TV can degrade performance than if you ran directly into the AVR. The only need for a digital audio or optics cable running OUT and into the receiver is if you were watching cable shows, using a television app for music, or mirroring another device's audio and video through a wired or wireless connection onto you TV. (which I would still recommend you go through the receiver if possible)

Agreed..with the right receiver things couldn't be much easier to connect..everything to receiver via HDMI short of something like a turntable, OP didn't ask for help with items like that but I'm sure we could give it, then 1 HDMI cable from receiver to TV.

Addituonal info for the OP..

Many modern receivers offer multiple types of network connectivity. For example the Pioneer Elite I went with and listed has Bluetooth, Ethernet (wired) and 802.11 (wireless) so its easy to stream from a phone to it.

Thanks to everyone for all the good info. We'll both be checking out your links and doing more research into what we need, but this gives us a great starting point.

We really appreciate the help and if you think of anything else, we'd love to hear it. We may have more questions as we go along and will post them here.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

Try this: Toshiba DVR620 DVD/VHS Recorder

It records to tape (tape?! what-is-tape? lol), DVD-R and RWs. It up-converts signals to 1080p when possible and uses "HDMI OUT". Not bad for keeping it old-school.

Get the Pioneer Elite.

Go with a Sony or Samsung Blu-ray player with streaming options, they're pretty cheap nowadays. I'd pick Sony.

The pioneer towers that were recommended and sub-woofer, in my opinion, are the only good pieces out of that set. Go with the Sonys I mentioned. They've been compared to $3000 Revels and they are less than $160 each. The bookshelf (satellite) speakers and the towers, (sadly not the center channel), contain a super tweeter that is only found on their $12,000 high-end speaker line. It expands their range immensely and sounds AMAZING.

I highly recommend these and found them at a GREAT price. Get the matching center channel especially if you get the bookshelf speakers.

www.bhphotovideo.com...

For a sub-woofer? There is only one...

www.amazon.com...

The one that matches the Sony speakers I recommended is great too.

originally posted by: Autorico
If you can, plug everything into your TV, then have the digital audio go from your TV to the amp/home theater. Much less messy that way.

Do yourself a favour and disregard anything 'Autorico' says.
I mean what planet must someone come from in 2015 (or ever) where they think you should, or could, be plugging everything into your tv rather than your receiver...
Good lord.

a reply to: Iamnotadoctor

Didn't realize doing things the old way made me from another planet. Thank you for the correction.