Confused between 2.1 speakers and 5.1 HTS

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bhautikjoshi

Broken In
I currently have a Philips HTS 3366/98 which has got problem with speaker connectors, got it repaired once via Philips but the connectors have developed problem again with rear speakers and the guy who came for servicing said it cannot be repaired again so I am looking at the option of Bose Companion™ 5 Multimedia Speaker System.

Little skeptical in downgrading from 5.1 to 2.1 audio experience, however I do not mind if delivers good quality audio. I am into listening rock, trance and popular hindi music, prefer good bass with clear low and mid range sound output. I would be using these speakers with TV and my Xbox 360. I would not miss the DVD player much as it was hardly used and the optical drive also got damaged because of dust.

I am not sure if Bose speakers can be connected to Tata Sky audio output/Xbox 360 via RCA or not,

Please suggest if Bose speakers are worth going for in 2.1 speaker range, or suggest any better alternative in this category or a good 5.1 HTS(would prefer wireless rear speakers) up to 25K
 
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whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
not an audiophile but this much i know.for good music experience 2.0 speakers are required & good(aka audiophile) 2.0 speakers can easily cost 20k & more.5.1 is recommended if main usage is movies/games so first decide whether you want good 5.1 or good 2.0 speakers.if usage is evenly divided then a decent compromise is 2.1 speaker systems from the likes of SWAN which should cost ~10000 if you can find(check HiFiNage is Under Maintenance but it is currently down) & forget about bose/sony/lg etc as they don't come close to specialists like onkyo,denon etc in case of AVR/home theater systems or speaker manufacturers like swan or audioengine A2.
 
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bhautikjoshi

Broken In
Thanks for your suggestions whitestar_999, audiophilic I would be using these speakers with my Tata Sky STB occasionally, primary usage would be listening to music via my phone, connecting it to xbox 360 for gaming. The only reason I am still considering HTS is because I am looking for a decent movie watching experience as well.

Based on whitestar_999's suggestion I am also looking at some Onkyo HTS models, their website does not highlight much difference in some closely resembling products.
 
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bhautikjoshi

Broken In
I have zeroed in on Sony BDV-E490 HTIB, going for an demo check today to figure out sound quality. Had to scrap Onkyo HTS3500 as it was stretching my budget with additional purchase required for BD/DVD player.

Any suggestions for other HTIB models in 25K range, please share
 
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whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
whatever you choose just make sure to take the demo with your audio/video clips(preferably at least HD 720p quality).there are free sources on net to download free legal HD clips.

found some reviews here:
Amazon.co.uk: Customer Reviews: Sony 1000W 3D BDVE490 Blu-ray Home Cinema System with Tall Speakers
according to these this system has no HDMI IN port only HDMI out.in my opinion this is a negative because this means you can not connect TV hdmi port to A/V receiver hdmi in port & can not get untouched/unmodified surround audio output from TV to be played by your HTS speakers.though almost all 32" or above TV's have s/pdif port what most users don't know is that almost all such TV's will not output "real"/unmodified surround audio output(like those dolby truHD/DTS-HD MA found in bluray videos on net) through s/pdif port.only way to get these outputs is by using hdmi port with ARC(see your TV specifications,this feature is only available for hdmi v1.4 so only check it if your tv has hdmi v.1.4.if your tv has lower version like 1.3 then your tv does not support this feature).with this limitation you can still use this system fine but not for situation where you want "real" surround output from TV(like playing through usb port of tv or HD channel through set top box).there is no solution for tv usb port situation but for HD channel you have to connect s/pdif out port of dth set top box to s/pdif in port of your A/V receiver.
 
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bhautikjoshi

Broken In
Thanks for your input whitestar_999, I would not be using HTS to connect it to my TV very rarely and that to via Tata sky STB for the audio, in fact my LCD is an older model from Philips which is HD ready and does not have any HDMI cable slots. so no plans to connect TV with DVD player for watching HD content. Major use is for gaming on Xbox 360 and watching movies from USB.
 
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