Blu-Ray and Dolby TrueHD

Sloppydrippins · 04-03-2009, 05:03 PM

I'm trying to learn what I need to put together the right receiver and speakers to go along with my HDTV and blu -ray player. I understand that to reproduce the good sound that comes with the blu ray players I need a receiver with Dolby TrueHD encoding or is it decoding? Can anyone recommend a decent entry-level receiver, speakers perhaps and anything specific like one of those wide center-channel speakers, powered subwoofers and stuff like that?

yustr · 04-03-2009, 08:47 PM

There are a lot of factors to consider, not the least of which is budget. But assuming you've got about $1500 to spend total here's a system that would sound fantastic:

Speakers - psb Alpha series LINK

Receiver - Onkyo TX-SR607 LINK

Sloppydrippins · 04-06-2009, 08:06 AM

With stuff the way it is, I can't really spend that much money. Hoping to spend $500 or less for the receiver, not really sure about the speakers yet but I know you get what you pay for when it comes to those. And is it necessary to route your video HDMI cable from the Blu-Ray to the HDTV through the receiver? I really just have two audio sources to plug into this thing, the blu ray and the satellite TV DVR. Seems like having a wealth of extra HDMI inputs seems wasted on me.

yustr · 04-06-2009, 01:22 PM

There are plenty of options at the $500 price point - the one I linked just happens to be $494 and got very good reviews. Shop around. Go find a small audio/video store where the sales staff actually knows about their products. I'd avoid the blue shirt's and the other large retailers. Read reviews and product literature. What could be more fun than shopping for new gear!

A good rule of thumb is to spend about 2x more on speakers than on your receiver. But if you can't swing both right away, then I'd say buy the receiver you want and a set of less expensive speakers to use while you save. (Though I'd reverse that suggestion if its going to be more than a year or so before you can get the speakers - receiver technology changes much more quickly than speakers. With that in mind, you could also look for used speakers.)

Routing your HDMI sources through the receiver is not essential but is preferred. Some folks have experienced time delay issues with the audio when connected separately. Plus, some players do not send out a separate digital audio feed when it detects that a HDMI cable is attached.

d-thinkerdotcom · 04-11-2009, 12:33 AM

speakers £120
sony amp(dolby digital - HD) £400
hdmi cable (you will need 2) £20

perhaps this is $500

UPGRADES IN A COUPLE OF YEARS

1 better wires - silver?
2 better speakers - $500

I would say, it is always better to buy large speakers, as you have better acoustics, even with the cheaper ones!

d-thinkerdotcom · 04-11-2009, 12:34 AM

speakers £120
sony amp(dolby digital - HD) £400
hdmi cable (you will need 2) £20

perhaps this is $500

UPGRADES IN A COUPLE OF YEARS

1 better wires - silver?
2 better speakers - $500

I would say, it is always better to buy large speakers, as you have better acoustics, even with the cheaper ones!

04-03-2009, 05:03 PM	#1 (permalink)
Sloppydrippins Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 27 OS: Vista ultimate	Blu-Ray and Dolby TrueHD I'm trying to learn what I need to put together the right receiver and speakers to go along with my HDTV and blu -ray player. I understand that to reproduce the good sound that comes with the blu ray players I need a receiver with Dolby TrueHD encoding or is it decoding? Can anyone recommend a decent entry-level receiver, speakers perhaps and anything specific like one of those wide center-channel speakers, powered subwoofers and stuff like that?

04-03-2009, 08:47 PM	#2 (permalink)
yustr Asst. Manager, The Conversation Pit Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Connecticut shore Posts: 5,978 OS: XP Pro My System	Re: Blu-Ray and Dolby TrueHD There are a lot of factors to consider, not the least of which is budget. But assuming you've got about $1500 to spend total here's a system that would sound fantastic: Speakers - psb Alpha series LINK Receiver - Onkyo TX-SR607 LINK __________________ If there are lawyers or politicians involved, logic may be a very poor tool for reaching a conclusion.

04-06-2009, 08:06 AM	#3 (permalink)
Sloppydrippins Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 27 OS: Vista ultimate	Re: Blu-Ray and Dolby TrueHD With stuff the way it is, I can't really spend that much money. Hoping to spend $500 or less for the receiver, not really sure about the speakers yet but I know you get what you pay for when it comes to those. And is it necessary to route your video HDMI cable from the Blu-Ray to the HDTV through the receiver? I really just have two audio sources to plug into this thing, the blu ray and the satellite TV DVR. Seems like having a wealth of extra HDMI inputs seems wasted on me.

04-06-2009, 01:22 PM	#4 (permalink)
yustr Asst. Manager, The Conversation Pit Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Connecticut shore Posts: 5,978 OS: XP Pro My System	Re: Blu-Ray and Dolby TrueHD There are plenty of options at the $500 price point - the one I linked just happens to be $494 and got very good reviews. Shop around. Go find a small audio/video store where the sales staff actually knows about their products. I'd avoid the blue shirt's and the other large retailers. Read reviews and product literature. What could be more fun than shopping for new gear! A good rule of thumb is to spend about 2x more on speakers than on your receiver. But if you can't swing both right away, then I'd say buy the receiver you want and a set of less expensive speakers to use while you save. (Though I'd reverse that suggestion if its going to be more than a year or so before you can get the speakers - receiver technology changes much more quickly than speakers. With that in mind, you could also look for used speakers.) Routing your HDMI sources through the receiver is not essential but is preferred. Some folks have experienced time delay issues with the audio when connected separately. Plus, some players do not send out a separate digital audio feed when it detects that a HDMI cable is attached. __________________ If there are lawyers or politicians involved, logic may be a very poor tool for reaching a conclusion. Last edited by yustr; 04-06-2009 at 01:24 PM.

04-11-2009, 12:33 AM	#5 (permalink)
d-thinkerdotcom Registered User Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 41 OS: XP SP2 PRO	Re: Blu-Ray and Dolby TrueHD speakers £120 sony amp(dolby digital - HD) £400 hdmi cable (you will need 2) £20 perhaps this is $500 UPGRADES IN A COUPLE OF YEARS 1 better wires - silver? 2 better speakers - $500 I would say, it is always better to buy large speakers, as you have better acoustics, even with the cheaper ones!

04-11-2009, 12:34 AM	#6 (permalink)
d-thinkerdotcom Registered User Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 41 OS: XP SP2 PRO	Re: Blu-Ray and Dolby TrueHD speakers £120 sony amp(dolby digital - HD) £400 hdmi cable (you will need 2) £20 perhaps this is $500 UPGRADES IN A COUPLE OF YEARS 1 better wires - silver? 2 better speakers - $500 I would say, it is always better to buy large speakers, as you have better acoustics, even with the cheaper ones!