what is the best surround sound system at Best Buy?

[pip_75]

What is the best surround sound system that I could get at best buy, I was thinking of getting a sony or panosonic system

any help would be great

 

[strangestranger]

it would help if you could give us a budget and what it is going to be used for. perhaps a shortlist of ones you are interested in.

 

[schwinn]

Neither - Pioneer or Onkyo is where I would start.

As the previous poster said, a budget would be a good place to start.

One thing to note - Audio "power" is often touted, but rarely understood. For a good "theater experience" it's important to have a good low-end response. In that light, current is what delivers the "punch" people expect, and Sony, for example, is notably poor in this department.

Remember that Power = Current X Voltage, so basically, what Sony seems to do is ramp the voltage to make the numbers look good, all while delivering low current levels. This is where the old adage of weight comes in - heavier receivers tend to deliver more punch (like Onkyo's) due to much larger transformers and capacitors (ie, weight)...

Again, these are rules of thumb, and not outright laws. In the end, audio is VERY subjective, and you should use your ears to judge, not someone elses. I have had excellent reviews from people who bought Pioneer and Onkyo, which is why I suggested them. I have also had poor reviews from friends with Sonys - one of whom changed to the Onkyo and loves it over the Sony.

And, of course, after all this comes the talk about speakers. Again, listen and test. My favs at BB are the Klipsch speakers...

 

[Guest]

ok i read this post and i am also looking for a 5.1 surround system due to i like lots of noise and music and the fact i just go a new panasonic HD TV. i was considering the Z-5500
http/www.logitech.com/index.cfm/speakers_audio/home_pc_speakers/devices/224&cl=US,EN

which is nice and load but i just found out that my new tv has got Fiber Optic Sound Output.
ok, this i dont no much about, and knead some assistance on: is it worth using?
What Dose it Do, what are its benefits.

so i thourt the the z-5500 was cool and a can get that for £ 150 (i im lucky) i was looking for no much more than £ 200 if the product is woths it then i will pay more. but really i need some assistance on the howl 5.1 thing really. can i get some help

 

[rexter]

The first poster may have long bought the equipments but for those people who is still in the same boat.

Denon or Harman/Kardon is where I start and polk audio, Definitive, Klipsch, Martin Logan, JBL, infinity for speakers.

 

[ddawson24]

If you have a good Magnolia in your Best Buy you will have a selection of Definitive Technologies speakers. Those are by far the best they carry. They also have Denon and Yamaha receivers and both of those are very nice as well. Polk has good stuff for something that is slightly cheaper than Deftech, but in all honesty I would get a lesser model Deftech than a Polk since they often times out perform the upper end Polk speakers. Whatever you do stay away from Bose. We all know what that stands for right??? Buy Other Stereo Equipment Sony and Panasonic definitely are not high end. The Pioneer Premier stuff is ok. Klipsch makes pretty good stuff but it's still not up to par with Definitive.