Is it possible to get a surround sound home theatre amplifier with a built in AM/FM radio tuner anywhere?

Question

Hello ppl. I know many people don't bother reading this, but for sound enthusiasts looking to help a novice with a big pocketbook and a desparate need to upgrade his system, I represent a client looking to upgrade his 25 year old system.

He says he wants it to come with a remote control like his TV, Will work with his old speakers he says he loves too much to part with, and wants to listen to the stereo through the sound system.

Low wattage is OK, It will be used to amplify sound from high definition DVD viewing, HD TV, and projecting the video image. All of these components have already been ordered.

He's only after a 7.1 channel amp/receiver, a sub woofer, a tweeter, and 4 simple, medium quality, small speakers to create the surround sound effect. It is my job to find this.

His hope is that it will cost under AU$400 for all this sound equipment, but I told him that the amp on it's own would be more than $400 AUD.

Who is right?

Answer 1

for a really low end you could get a HTIB. Your budget amounts to $350 US, not much to work with. If he really likes his old system and it still works fine just keep it somewhere else and continue to use it.

Trying to re eq a speaker set up with old speakers is asking for a muddied sound stage, most good systems use the exact same speaker for each channel.

You want to use timbre' ( pronounced tam-ber) matched sets of speakers from the same manufacture.

I recommend getting separate components so you can individually pick the right system. Depending on his room size and configuration if you are set on 7.1 make sure to use the correct types of rear speakers bi or di pole depending on the application.

He will want to work with a Home theater Designer to audition equipment. A $350 dollar budget is laughable at best for a good 7.1 system.

I also recommend some reading material for you to consider. Set a budget and see what is out there, ideally you would have waited to get the video portion until after you had seen what audio was out there.

Answer 2

Like the other pros in their answers, stay a way from Bose, Yes i do this for a living too. I am not going to specify a brad cuz i don't know your budget. So with out a budget my recommendation is to spend the same amount on speakers that you spent on your DVD, CD, and Receiver combined. So if you have a $200 DVD + $100 CD + $700 receiver then spend $1000 on the speakers or more if you have the cash. Speakers make the biggest difference! Also for music and movies, if your budget allows, get something with larger front speakers that can represent bass. Subs are fine if that's the system you can afford, although bass is mostly non-directional, even i can tell where a 30Hz tone is coming from so frontal bass is more satisfying. And by all means if you can afford larger front and a sub then do both. Listening tip, people tend to buy overly bright or bass sounding speakers (Bose) because side by side to a "smooth" pair they seem to sound better. That is until you get fatigued from listening to them. So think when you are listening "wow that treble is crisp and loud, sounds good"...... think about it, is it over the top, is that going to bug me when I'm watching a movie? hope this helps

Answer 3

That is a really hard question to answer. You can get cheap whole surround systems for $400.00, but you pay for what you get. For a decent budget system, I would say that is a too low of an amount for a good system.

Answer 4

i paid £600 for my amp-in a sale!!-its not a cheap hobby-the best thing your client can do is give the old system a full and complete service with his money-replace all parts looking a bit ropey etc-he will see the benefit.

Answer 5

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