Small bedroom size surround sound

[OTBFAM]

I have my vudu my bedroom in an amour and a 23" flat screen on top. Needless to say, this is not a living room setup where I would want a big receiver etc. (already have that in living room)

I know that Bose has some pretty tiny surround sound systems but they are big $$$.

Any suggestions on something similar to the bose setup without the big price tag? I had looked at some of the surround sound systems for hooking up to your computer, but don't think they would be compatible with the vudu audio out.

[HeadHodge]

Re: Small bedroom size surround sound

I have my vudu my bedroom in an amour and a 23" flat screen on top. Needless to say, this is not a living room setup where I would want a big receiver etc. (already have that in living room)

I know that Bose has some pretty tiny surround sound systems but they are big $$$.

Any suggestions on something similar to the bose setup without the big price tag? I had looked at some of the surround sound systems for hooking up to your computer, but don't think they would be compatible with the vudu audio out.

I have different sizes of Bose systems and think the sound from them are great, but agree it's pricey.

I believe RonV would recommend a Yamaha Sound Projector. I've looked at it in the past and think it may work well for you. Unfortunately I don't how much they cost.

[Rusdude]

Re: Small bedroom size surround sound

Your best bet is a very cool soundbar system made by Sony -- CT-100. Can be had for as little as $199 and unlike Yamaha's systems it comes with a subwoofer which also acts as a receiver and has a wealth of connections (3 HDMI, 3 Toslink, 1 RCA and, I think, 1 Coax).

This is what I have for my PS3, 360, Vudu, and HTPC and it's wonderful, especially for a small room. People on AVS reported that sound is not quite as good as Yamaha's YSP but most everyone takes them over YSPs because you are paying A LOT less and get a sub, HDMI switching, lossless format support, etc.

Check out this thread on AVS -- http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...026566&page=34. Best settings are in this post -- http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...&postcount=745.

[HeadHodge]

Re: Small bedroom size surround sound

Your best bet is a very cool soundbar system made by Sony -- CT-100..

This is from Sony.com reviews:

love how well it plays just music from any source, but it's volume could be better in the high end. I wish Sony made a soundbar that could handle full 5.1 or even 7.1 signal!

Sounds suspect to me.

[aaronwt]

Re: Small bedroom size surround sound

This is from Sony.com reviews:

love how well it plays just music from any source, but it's volume could be better in the high end. I wish Sony made a soundbar that could handle full 5.1 or even 7.1 signal!

Sounds suspect to me.

I have the Sony soundbar. I use it with a Samsung 40" LCD. It retails for $300 if it's the same one I have, but you can get it for less. This model sounds like the one I have. It can handle up to 7.1 pcm over HDMI. And it sounds excellent for the price. It also doesn't take up much space either. It should be perfect for a bedroom setting. I use mine on the TV I have in my computer room. If I actually watched much TV in my Bedroom I would get one for there.
And I also recommended it to my parents who just purchased a Sony 52" XBR6 set.

Here is a picture that shows the soundbar. It dosn't show the sub though. And the flash shows the speakers in the bar which normally aren't so visible.

http://www.aaronwt.org/Samsung40inch1080P_LCD.JPG

http://www.aaronwt.net/Samsung40inch1080P_LCD.JPG

[rstone]

Re: Small bedroom size surround sound

Have any of you used any of these Sony wireless speaker systems, like the HT-IS100, or WAHT-SA10, and know how well they work??

HT-IS100:
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665381965

WAHT-SA10:
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665430104

[RonV]

Re: Small bedroom size surround sound

I have different sizes of Bose systems and think the sound from them are great, but agree it's pricey.

I believe RonV would recommend a Yamaha Sound Projector. I've looked at it in the past and think it may work well for you. Unfortunately I don't how much they cost.

I like Yamaha's sound processor's but they do require a sub. For a while Yamaha was giving their sub for free with a with the purchase of the YSP-4000 and 3000.

What's cool is about it is that it has "quite" mode where you can direct all sound just to one point on the couch and also the deibels will never go over a preset level when in this mode. Keep the wife happy at night...

[Rusdude]

Re: Small bedroom size surround sound

I have the Sony soundbar. I use it with a Samsung 40" LCD. It retails for $300 if it's the same one I have, but you can get it for less. This model sounds like the one I have. It can handle up to 7.1 pcm over HDMI. And it sounds excellent for the price. It also doesn't take up much space either. It should be perfect for a bedroom setting. I use mine on the TV I have in my computer room. If I actually watched much TV in my Bedroom I would get one for there.
And I also recommended it to my parents who just purchased a Sony 52" XBR6 set.

Here is a picture that shows the soundbar. It dosn't show the sub though. And the flash shows the speakers in the bar which normally aren't so visible.

http://www.aaronwt.org/Samsung40inch1080P_LCD.JPG

http://www.aaronwt.net/Samsung40inch1080P_LCD.JPG

This is the link to SonyStyle which shows the sub which has all the hookups and a small LCD -- http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665361523

The sub is a lot bigger than you'd expect which is a good thing. VUDU version of Bourne Ultimatum in HD was the first thing I tried when I got it awhile back and I was scared my neighbors downstairs were going to kill me, hehe

[Electric Frenzy]

Re: Small bedroom size surround sound

I've done custom Home AV for years now and I would buy the Yamaha YSP systems over the bose or ANY sony product.

I know I'm biased but Sony products (cheap home AV) are typically junk. I don't mean this as a dig to those who have this type of equipment but they just don't compare to actual decent audio equipment.

"HTIB's", psuedo-sound bars, etc are all gimmicks. Only the YSP systems use ACTUAL AV Receiver power to provide it's sound.

A YSP-800 or YSP-900 system can be had in the $200-400 range and despite not having a (cheap) sub included is a much better buy. The clarity of the YSP speakers and the SOLID power more than make up for the lack of thumping lows. Those can be added later on for another $150+ if you so desire.

I have both a YSP-800 and YSP-900 in my home (game room and kids room) and they are CRAZY nice. Very solid power without destortion, very attractive, very minimal wiring, wall mounting, expandablility, etc etc etc,


At the end of the day you can save some money an go the cheap route or you can spend a little more and have something to last you a while that won't dissapoint.

[OTBFAM]

Re: Small bedroom size surround sound

I don't understand how the sound bar can give you the true surround sound...that of having sound behind you and to the sides and voices in the front.. Does it really match up to the remote speakers.

I actually found this on the best buy website earlier today. It seems compact and a good price...but not sure if it is quality.
Samsung - 1000W 5.1-Ch. Home Theater System with Upconvert DVD Player



$159.99 on sale

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1200702389126


Please note that I do have the Bose in my living room and am very happy with it, but I really don't need that quality and cost for the bedroom. Would just be happy having decent surround sound to go with the great HD quality from vudu hd movies.

[NA9D]

Re: Small bedroom size surround sound

It's all about the phase of the sound signal. Audio is what can be considered "vector" content. The signal not only has amplitude (volume level) but also phase (which is basically positional and time information on the sound). The phase of the signal is what determines where the sound appears to come from.

So the sound bar has a bunch of small speakers. These speakers are all at different angles to each other. So the sound coming from each speaker goes in a different direction. Some is fed directly to you, other sound is sent toward the walls to the left or right of you, and still other sound is sent to the wall behind you.

Now a signal that bounces off the back wall will appear to you to come from behind you. But since it is a physically longer distance for the sound to travel from the speaker to the back wall, bounce off and back to you than for the sound to travel directly to you, the back wall sound will reach your ears at a time later than the sound going directly to you. So the sound bar adjusts when specific audio information is released from a specific speaker. Doing this will result in a fully 3 dimensional sound experience.

Ever put on a pair of headphones and listen to music that feels like it's circling around your head? Styx had a song that did that. How does it do that with just two speakers on each ear? It's the phasing or timing of the signals that allows it to trick your brain into thinking the sound is swirling around you. The sound bars use the same principal.

Go and demo one at an audio store. You'll be impressed.

[aaronwt]

Re: Small bedroom size surround sound

I've done custom Home AV for years now and I would buy the Yamaha YSP systems over the bose or ANY sony product.

I know I'm biased but Sony products (cheap home AV) are typically junk. I don't mean this as a dig to those who have this type of equipment but they just don't compare to actual decent audio equipment.

"HTIB's", psuedo-sound bars, etc are all gimmicks. Only the YSP systems use ACTUAL AV Receiver power to provide it's sound.

A YSP-800 or YSP-900 system can be had in the $200-400 range and despite not having a (cheap) sub included is a much better buy. The clarity of the YSP speakers and the SOLID power more than make up for the lack of thumping lows. Those can be added later on for another $150+ if you so desire.

I have both a YSP-800 and YSP-900 in my home (game room and kids room) and they are CRAZY nice. Very solid power without destortion, very attractive, very minimal wiring, wall mounting, expandablility, etc etc etc,


At the end of the day you can save some money an go the cheap route or you can spend a little more and have something to last you a while that won't dissapoint.

But can it handle 7.1 pcm? Does it even have HDMI? With out those I don't see much use for it, not if the person has all digital components. My 20+ devices all use HDMI, although I'm only using three devices in the room with the Sony 3.1 speaker bar.
The Sony 3.1 system is inexpensive but it also is designed to use with a BD player that does internal decoding of the advanced codecs so it can send the 7.1 pcm signal over HDMI.
Another thing I like about it is that if the system is off, it communicates over HDMI with the TV telling it to turn the TV speakers back on so you can then just use your TV speakers. Although you would be only able to use the device that was selected when the 3.1 system was turned off.
I wouldn't use the Sony 3.1 system for critical listening but for a bedroom or space constricted room it does provide decent sound and features for a good price.
And it does a surprisingly excellent job of simulating the surround channels. When I run the test audio where it goes through all the channels, it actually sounds like there is a speaker to the side of me, when it's only coming from the speaker bar.(not sure how it works for audio in the back since the room I have it in is blocked on the sides by furniture so I can only hear it on the sides.)

[Rusdude]

Re: Small bedroom size surround sound

Another thing in CT100]s favor is a wealth of inputs: got PS3 & VUDU via HDMI (plus 1 more to spare), HTPC & 360 & TV (5.1) via Toslink and TV/TiVo via RCA.

Only thing missing is audio output which YSPs also lack and were the main reason I didn't drop a ton on 4000 when it came out.

[RonV]

Re: Small bedroom size surround sound

Another thing in CT100]s favor is a wealth of inputs: got PS3 & VUDU via HDMI (plus 1 more to spare), HTPC & 360 & TV (5.1) via Toslink and TV/TiVo via RCA.

Only thing missing is audio output which YSPs also lack and were the main reason I didn't drop a ton on 4000 when it came out.

Yes but again this thread was about a "Bedroom" system not a full Home Theater system. So the sound bars and sound processors are still one of my choices for these types of rooms if the room dynamic can support them.

[OTBFAM]

Re: Small bedroom size surround sound

Thanks for all the info. It sounds like the ct-100 is the right way to go. One thing I am considering is that the dell lcd I have in the room doesn't have HDMI so I am using the component cables from the vudu. I can probably stick with the component to the lcd and use either the digital audio or hdmi to the sound bar.

Now just have to wait for them to go on sale again. Everyplace has them for 299 right now, but fatwallet shows that they have gone on sale as low as 199 in the past year.