What is the best surround sound system?

Question

just need to know what the best surround sound system there is, I don't care who makes it!!!

Answer 1

welcome to the first step of creating a great audio-video sanctuary for yourself.

There are two possible ways to go about it and all depends on how far you wanna go.

1. Buy a Home Theater in a box: Advantage is it's cheaper, pre balanced and tuned to optimal performance for an average user/listener. Additionally it comes with stuff like built in DVD players, possibly and ofcouse ease of use as in single remote and little wires. Disadvantage is it's for an average user

2. Compoent based HT Surround system and believe me sky is the limit. Not trying to scare you but jus the cost wires can be over around $100 per piece and personally I have 72 wired connections in mt HT which is not the best in the world, I am very sure of it. :-)
Advantages for the component based system is that you choose individual components like the brain as in the reciever per your choice, pocket and liking. Some of the things which you may wanna consider are
- 5.1 (please don't), 6.1, 7.1 9.1
- single room, dual room, three room multi channel
- wattage
- AI as in artifecial intelligence
- DTS-ES (6.1), DD-EX (6.1) and magic word is DESCRETE channel
- THX certification
- AUTO tuning of individual speakers/Channels
- Upconversion of all inputs to HDMI (VCR RCA to latest Blue Ray HDMI ) will go thru one input to one HDMI port of your TV and will be upconverted
- number of inputs and outputs including digital and analog ones
- SACD and DVD audio (case you're interested)
- iPod hookups and options (case you're interested)


Another aspect of this is the find a best balanced speaker system for your reciever. Bose is no doubt a good choice but you can do more in the same amount of money if space is not the problem for you and you want to grow mopre than 6.1. Bose's flag ship is still 6.1 and not all but some complain regarding the missing/less mids - ofcourse that's why we are unique and human - different

Further, one can really spend thousands of $$ and not get effects
due to not putting it in the right place and/or tuning it properly. Example directing your speaker towards a door which is always open hence no reflection in turn no surround.

Last but not the least is a programmable remote. Once I was done I had total 8 remotes and my family, in the beginning, used to call me at work for help operating it. Go as high as pronto ($700+) or a logitech harmony OR write a manual to avoid those calls.

Believe me this is a never ending great experience and you will love to live it rest of your life as long as you ready to invest little money and time on it.

Can I suggest also suggest the following to your compoenent system
- DVD Changer
- CD changer
- a Microsoft Media Center PC with Creative X-Fi sound card


Have fun

Answer 2

Great Surround Sound Systems

Answer 3

There are things better than Surround sound too, although for your question,
the answer is simple
Dolby Digital Surround Sound 7.1
if not, go for 5.1

Personally, I like DTS better but that is because of the space I have.

A lot of considerations make a difference on what feels best for examnple, the acoustic quality of the room, space to run wires around, the furniture, all determine whether a million dollar theater system will sound like a duck or not.

Answer 4

If you are serious about this then you must be rich because this is EXPENSIVE. Bose is not the best. In fact they are terrible. I know, I was tricked into thinking they were, by my dad, but then I started learning about audio and realized they weren't. I also talked to my cousin who does home theater, he has done football players for Houston and NASA, so he is well known. I just purchased an awesome system from him, at discount of course. But here are some links

Home page - http://www.vonschweikert.com/
The actual speaker - http://www.vonschweikert.com/zvr11.htm
Bose sucks -
http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html
And my dad is in construction and he knows a ton of people in our area and my cousin is now making his own brand of speakers and will be selling them to real high end stores and he asked the owners of those stores and they also say Bose is over rated.
So if you are about to purchase a Bose system, on that link there are alternatives that you can buy. It is a long read but it will convince you. Just think, how can those little speakers move that much air to produce that much sound. Now I'm not a Bose hater even thought I might sound like it, because I have the Ipod sound dock and the Tri-port headphones. But their surround systems are way too overpriced. They don't even post the specs on their website or any where. And I don't mean dimensions and weight, I mean frequency response and sensitivity. I do think they look good with those small speakers but they arn't good for real loud listening home theater. You can get bookshelf speakers that sound better. And if you were thinking of a Lifestyle system, especially the $4K one you can get a pretty darn nice system. Now I'm assuming you arn't going to get 7 of those $150,000 speakers and spending more on components do power them. So if you want any more information on a practical system for a few grand email me. [e-mail]

Answer 5

Follow mrknowsitall's advice. Build one piece by piece. Don't buy any 'box systems'. You will not be happy in the long run. The Bose name has long since lost all of it's shine and Sony uses the cheapest components it can find. Avoid both. Consider used and even vintage equipment. Lots of bang for your buck there. Stay away from 7.1, not worth it. With first rate mains and quality built in tv speakers you may find absolutely no need for center and subs. More is not necessarily better when it comes to home theater. It would be a shame to match that 52" with a lame sound system.

Answer 6

Welcome to the world of surround sound , there is no best system, every manufacture will tell you there is better than their competiors. If price is no object , then go for it , you could spend upwards of $100,000 or more. My suggestion is this that you find something you like and can afford. And spend the majority of your money on speakers, since this is what you will hear.
If you are interested in HD-TV then I would stick with Dolby Digital 5.1 since it is HD -TVs preferred choice for their surround sound.

Answer 7

If you don't care how much it cost, Martin Logan probably makes the best speakers to build a surround sound system. In my opinion if you don't want to spend a fortune Klipsch are the best speakers for the buck and Yamaha has the best receivers.

Answer 8

you are asking a question that has a multitude of answers-these depend on your own requirements-room size-budget-system requirements (do you require a 5.1-6.1-7.1 system etc) then there are the sound formats-dolby digital-dolby digital plus-dolby pro-logic 2-dts neo 6-dts es-dts 96/24 etc. more specs cost more money. and of course there is the power output wattage which can go on to infinity within reason. a trip down to the local hi-fi retailers is in order-they will be able to advise as to what is best for your needs. (but don't fall for the sales patter expensive gear isn't always the best). my own amp is a marantz sr4400 which while there are better amps on the market i swear by-this amp has now been dis-continued but a modern classic nonetheless.

Answer 9

Bose assumes their customers are old people , whos hearing tops off at 17,000 Hz. Thus their love of cheap paper drivers general disinterest in dome or electrostatic panels, or full range bass below 40 hHz. This allows for cheap solutions that can be retailed for far more than they cost to make. They put their money into advertizing instead, which, you will note, almost no other decent audio specialty manufacturer does, as they need that money to compete with each other in a market that buys quality product. Read. Look at quality gear, and set a budget. Consider upgrade ability, and the kinds of music and media you listen to. Are yo married? Does the quality and durability of the cabinetry enter into your needs? Consider the size of your listening room.

Understand the trade aways made for the middle lines of high end manufacturers, and what they mean to your listening environment, and media. Audition widely. take a weekend or two, to listen critically to what is available at reputable audio dealers. Using your ears costs you nothing. Take your own material to listen to with you, so you can compare apples to apples and give yourself a chance to compare what you hear with material you know well. Ill add a few sites worth reading to the comments later, to get you started.

Answer 10

they range from $200 to $100,000+ , what are you trying to accomplish w/ your system, do you have a DVD player that supports surround, is your TV high def. and you will need to spend about $150 - $300 in just the wires for your system..out of the box systems are ok,but they don't come with correct wiring..