Stereo systems

[loman4ec]

That is a good idea. What do you think of Marantz? I was looking at some of their new stuff last night. It is about midrange in price. I could get a high end Marantz receiver and 5 speakers and sub for $1K. Nice stuff and sounds great. My dads tube amp is a Spark. It is made in China and is supposably the best on the market. It is the best sounding system I have ever heard. I don't think I can afford that good though. He has about $3K in his system. That is just two speakers and an amp. Too much for me. The only problem with bringing equipment here is the power difference. We are getting ready to go to a stereo mall right now. It is an entire mall with just stereo stores. All high end stuff. I will post what I find when I get back.

[loman4ec]

Ok I really need some advice now. I completely changed gears again. I decided on Surround sound again. I am stuck between two systems and I want to go buy them tomorrow so I need advice.
First is a setup with JBL surround sound towers in the front, Jbl center, and rears. These are about mid grade JBL speakers. They sound great. Powering these speakers is a Harmon-Kardon 7.1 surround sound amp. This is the bottom of the line Harmon Kardon amp.

The second is all Marantz system. It is a nice Marantz 7.1 surround receiver, and Marantz surrond speakers. and Marantz sub. The receiver is the bottom of the line and the speakers are the only ones they have so I don't know if they are high grade or not.

The Marantz system first looks better but I know I shouldn't buy a system because of its looks. Second the Marantz comes with an 8 inch bottom firing powered sub and the JBL combo does not. However I would buy one seperate. And third the Marantz is about $200 cheeper and comes with the sub. I really don't care about the cost if one is better. Both Systems sound freakin great. What should I do?'>?'>

[audiobeer]

JBL is a good Home theater system. Harman Kardon with thier High Current amps are great performers but pricey. Thier entry level recievers can be a bargain. I don't want to confuse you with all the options out there. I like JBL Home Theater stuff when the speakers all match. Harmon Kardon actualy owns JBL as well and owns some nice High end audio companys like Lexicon. Mark Levinson, Revel, studer, crown, infinity, ect.. In the US you can get a real nice entry level system for about $1200 with JBL and Harmon Kardon. Yo can get the same setup by introducing an Onkyo or Yamaha instead of harmon Kardon as a reciever. Either way you won't go wrong. The main thing to understand you won't go wrong for the $1200 if you are using an analog source. If your going into an HDTV or High Definition Broadcast then you have to step up to get the digital Sync adjustments on your reciever to get the audio to match your video.......I know it can get confusing. But let me just say this......If you just have a typical cable coax box and basic DVD or VCR then you can't go wrong with the options you have mentioned. When it comes to entry level systems I would put more emphasis on the speakers and less on the reciever to start.

[loman4ec]

thanks for the info. You didn't say anything about the marantz system. I know they used to be great but are they still? I am really leaning toward the Marantz system.

[loman4ec]

Well it just arrived. I bought the Marantz system. It sounds fantastic. I can't believe that I had to buy $400 worth of wire and cables to hook the darn thing up. Is that normal? Either way I am happy. It is still a mess because the receiver wont fit in my Tv stand so I am going to have to buy something different. It was a cheep one anyway. I am going to have the TV hung on the wall next week. Now I need to go buy stands or brackets for the rear speakers. everything all together cost 50,000 thai baht which is $1,400 USD. Not too bad. i am really happy. Now I need to find somewhere that sells DVD's in english.

Thank you Audiobeer and bubba for all of your advice!

[bubba]

Looks like a nice setup Josh... I love the finish on the Marantz receivers.. I've never heard their speakers, but they look really nice. Good luck with it...

[audiobeer]

You did good grasshopper!