Help me get a HTiB or equivalent for under 30K in Mumbai.

nivlacbot

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Not much of an audiophile - except that I can make out when I like something. Stay in Thane-Mumbai, would like to buy legit stuff and hopefully nearby (just in case something goes awry)

Here's what I've dug up
Yamaha YHT-195 (Vijay Sales) ~23K
+Cheap, sounds okay, everything in one bundle
- However shopdude says if anything goes wrong, carry it to Bandra to Yam's auth centre
- Reading forums and a "helpful" friend made me realize the speakers need to be replaced
Found Wharfedale at DesignerAudio - Andheri over the phone. Considering replacing the front speakers with Wharfedale 9.0s for 13K.

Pair Jamo S 406 HCS for 16K at e-Zone with a receiver
Couldn't listen to it coz they didnt have it screwed on correctly or something. Still waiting for an audition in a couple of days. Reviews look good - can someone assert if the price is ok.
+ Seems like a good deal.
- No SubWoofer
- Couldn't find any sub 15K AVR. Suggestions and where I can buy one welcome.

Pair a Wharfedale Moviestar 65+ for around 22K with a receiver.
+Another option - haven't heard the wharfedales in person but keep hearing great reviews about them.

Next stop Croma Mulund. Complete waste of time. Couldn't get anything except the prices. They have a nice big demo room with around 4-5 setups. However not one of them work. Also they don't have an idea of when it will work. Felt like they didnt need the money. Diwali should logically be a time when they should be extra-salesy. Just to post the numbers
Denon DHT 390 for ~30K
Yamaha YHT-365 for 28K
Onkyo HTS 3100 for 22K

I'm leaning on the Jamos with a receiver (hoping you guys suggest a nice one to beat the Yamaha HTiB) in the same price bracket.

Thanks for reading...
 
Stay away from the Jamo 406. Total crap if you ask me. Never expected a company like Jamo to come out with such bad speakers. Start with the S 606 or even better, the C series, though it might not fit in your budget.

Also, CROMA are known not to bother the prospectives in the store. Whenever I have been to the Mulund store, the demo room is always silent even though it looks loaded with lots of stuff :lol: I guess, they need a consultant to tell them what to do with that amount of fantastic space which most dealers lack.

If your major usage will be movies, then try out the Onkyo S3200. I don't think it will be good for pure Stereo Music though, since Onkyo is not really known for musicality.

I remember seeing a Denon setup at Vijay Sales, Prabhadevi. You can ask them for a demo. Remember to take your own CD's and DVD's.

Happy Hunting !!!
 
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More hunting news...
Jamo S 416 HCS for ~15K. Heard them too - sounded pretty decent to me for the price (no Subwoofer.. with that its around 10K more)
Current plan is to get a Xtreamer, the Jamos and a AVR-amp. (10+15+ x K)

Couldn't agree on a nice Yamaha amp for anything lower than 22K.. at that price I'd rather get the whole YHT-195 HTiB and move 2 Yam spks into the bedroom.

Experienced the Wharfedale's - however out of my budget.
The Wharfedale moviestar 65+ for 19K sounded good.
Paled in comparison with the 70+ and a tiny Jamo set (forgot the model no) - both for ~30K. Both awesome - felt like i was sitting in a tiny theatre.

Anyways tiring job this.. still have my money and decisions to make. :)
 
If you liked the wharfedale moviestar package, why do you not build your system slowly.

Start with an AVR (20k) + Pair of wharfedale diamond 9.1 (10k).
Then you can later on add the centre, surrounds and sub in installments.

If you want to do in one shot consider just a pair of bookshelves (Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 or PSB Alpha B1 - 13k) with a stereo receiver (Yamaha RX-497 for 15k)

Raghav

More hunting news...
Experienced the Wharfedale's - however out of my budget.
The Wharfedale moviestar 65+ for 19K sounded good.
Paled in comparison with the 70+ and a tiny Jamo set (forgot the model no) - both for ~30K. Both awesome - felt like i was sitting in a tiny theatre.

Anyways tiring job this.. still have my money and decisions to make. :)
 
Agree with Raghav,

Buy a good receiver and then keep adding speakers..

I checked Sonodyne Sonus 2065 v2 yesterday here in Bangalore and they were offering me at 23K..Thought its a good deal..

loads of good brands of speakers and receivers are now available in India. Explore before you make a decision...


cheers...
vadiraj
 
If you liked the wharfedale moviestar package, why do you not build your system slowly.

Start with an AVR (20k) + Pair of wharfedale diamond 9.1 (10k).
Then you can later on add the centre, surrounds and sub in installments.

If you want to do in one shot consider just a pair of bookshelves (Wharfedale Diamond 10.1 or PSB Alpha B1 - 13k) with a stereo receiver (Yamaha RX-497 for 15k)

Raghav

Can you throw me some model numbers of 5.1 AVRs in the 20K region and where I can get it (in mumbai with the dealer willing to give me atleast a 1 yr on-site warranty of sorts)

Stereo is mostly out of the question.. coz movies >>> Music time. Which implies that I should be looking at the Moviestar like packages..
I have the following as probables on my list
  • Yamaha YHT-195 HTiB(24K) and speakers replaced with Wharf. MovieStar 65+ (19K non negotiated)
  • Yamaha YHT-195 and speakers replaced with Jamos 406 or 416 HCS (liked the Jamos sound for reasons I cant explain) (15K w/o subwoofer)
  • Yamaha YHT-195 with front speakers replaced with Wharf. Diamond 9.0 bookshelves (13K - non negotiated)
 
Agree with Raghav,
Buy a good receiver and then keep adding speakers..

I checked Sonodyne Sonus 2065 v2 ....
vadiraj

The good receiver in my price range is what is proving elusive. Guess I want a 50K system for 30K... but I'm gonna get some VFM BfmB or give up trying :lol:

Sonodyne - heard about it from a friend (more about a Roar subwoofer which is supposed to be super).. however these amps are not on display anywhere except Worli in Mumbai. Its a bit far from my place and haven't had the time...
 
Moviestar 65+ would be a 5.1 speaker set for around 20k.

Why would you need a HTiB with this set. All you need is an AVR.

Raghav

Can you throw me some model numbers of 5.1 AVRs in the 20K region and where I can get it (in mumbai with the dealer willing to give me atleast a 1 yr on-site warranty of sorts)

Stereo is mostly out of the question.. coz movies >>> Music time. Which implies that I should be looking at the Moviestar like packages..
I have the following as probables on my list
  • Yamaha YHT-195 HTiB(24K) and speakers replaced with Wharf. MovieStar 65+ (19K non negotiated)
  • Yamaha YHT-195 and speakers replaced with Jamos 406 or 416 HCS (liked the Jamos sound for reasons I cant explain) (15K w/o subwoofer)
  • Yamaha YHT-195 with front speakers replaced with Wharf. Diamond 9.0 bookshelves (13K - non negotiated)
 
Stay away from the Jamo 406. Total crap if you ask me. Never expected a company like Jamo to come out with such bad speakers. Start with the S 606 or even better, the C series, though it might not fit in your budget.
those models are way out of my pocket. Any particular reason you feel that way about the Jamo 406 ?? (except that they aren't the 606 :D - I too dont like the Wharfie 65+ coz I heard the 70+ before them). I think they're pretty good by the Bang for the Buck yardstick and arent too bad on my ears atleast.

I remember seeing a Denon setup at Vijay Sales, Prabhadevi. You can ask them for a demo. Remember to take your own CD's and DVD's.
Happy Hunting !!!

All the Denons I saw were either not working or not connected. I've heard of a Denon 1610 - Any idea of how does it compare to the Yam HTR 6130 - price wise and functionality wise?
 
Moviestar 65+ would be a 5.1 speaker set for around 20k.
Why would you need a HTiB with this set. All you need is an AVR.
Raghav

Coz the VJ sales dude wont lower the price for just the AVR. Its ~22K for any decent avr includin the one in the HTiB (w/o inst.). I get the whole Yam AVR with 5.1 deal for 24K. I tried hard to reason with the sales dude that it doesnt make any sense - but there are places where logic doesnt prevail.

So I figure pay 3-4K extra + get the free installation and demo (m a sucker for near-freebies). Use the better speaker set in the Hall. Then move 2 of the speakers into the bedroom in Region/Zone B. AVR Output can be toggled between the 2 regions. That way my ears dont have to be assaulted with 'White white face dekhein' or other aural weapons of mass destruction in my wife's Cowon D2, while I peacefully do something in the hall. (sheds a silent tear for that D2)
 
Go for the HTiB with a powered sub for now, even if it means you need to blow your full budget on it. You can't go wrong with either the Onkyo or Yamahas... If you can afford now or whenever you could later, go for 9.1 or 9.2 for the fronts. The difference of 2..3k between 9.0 and 9.1/9.2definitely worth paying, take it one step at a time.
 
There are many decent AVRs available for 15k. Only thing is that you will get no official warranty. Just what the dealer is willing to service.You can get 15k AVR from shops in Heera Panna. Models would be Yam463 Pioneer917 denon1509. Good models from 1-2yrs old line. I really liked the 917 for 13k he had.

You get in touch with the owner direct in the shop and I feel they are better to deal with than stores like Vijay Sales, E-zone, Croma etc. These stores services are useless from my experience with ACs and Fridges bought from them. I also bought yamaha YHT from Vijay Sales 4yrs back. I did most of the setup reading the manual rather than their setup guy.

Raghav

Coz the VJ sales dude wont lower the price for just the AVR. Its ~22K for any decent avr includin the one in the HTiB (w/o inst.). I get the whole Yam AVR with 5.1 deal for 24K. I tried hard to reason with the sales dude that it doesnt make any sense - but there are places where logic doesnt prevail.

So I figure pay 3-4K extra + get the free installation and demo (m a sucker for near-freebies). Use the better speaker set in the Hall. Then move 2 of the speakers into the bedroom in Region/Zone B. AVR Output can be toggled between the 2 regions. That way my ears dont have to be assaulted with 'White white face dekhein' or other aural weapons of mass destruction in my wife's Cowon D2, while I peacefully do something in the hall. (sheds a silent tear for that D2)
 
those models are way out of my pocket. Any particular reason you feel that way about the Jamo 406 ?? (except that they aren't the 606. I think they're pretty good by the Bang for the Buck yardstick and arent too bad on my ears atleast.

Just my two cents. And you should listen to the C-series to realize the difference. I heard the 406 just once and immediately decided against them.
For the price, maybe that is what you will get from Jamo, and finally if they sounded good to your ears, then forget everything else, because you are the one who will be listening to them.:)


All the Denons I saw were either not working or not connected. I've heard of a Denon 1610 - Any idea of how does it compare to the Yam HTR 6130 - price wise and functionality wise?

Denon 1610 is a standalone AVR unlike the Yam 6130 which comes with the HTIB. Denons are known to be more musical than Onkyo, but since you want more of movies, Yam would be a better choice. What I had meant was I saw a Denon HTiB at Vijay Sales, it wasn't "ON", you can try for a demo on some weekday when there is not much of rush and the salesmen are free.
 
All the Denons I saw were either not working or not connected. I've heard of a Denon 1610 - Any idea of how does it compare to the Yam HTR 6130 - price wise and functionality wise?
AFAIK, Yamaha HTR 6130 is not a HTiB but just a rebadged Yamaha 363. You can't go wrong with the 1610 or the 363/6130 at your budget. Listen to both of them and then take a call.
 
One more thing.. one of the more effervescent sales people said that cabling would cost me a bit. He posted a 1.5-2K cut for his installation, which he would drop if I did it myself.

Is that a significant cost ? What are the cable specs n approx prices ? I think I'd prefer HDMI conn wherever possible (just to avoid clutter) - Online reading suggests using Co-ax cables if HDMI is not an option. Is it economically feasible here?

Also there is some marketing veil over the HDMI output? Does audio also go over the HDMI cable in all AVRs or just the higher end models? If not, do I need to buy an extra cable to carry sound over?

Context: 16x10 room, tatasky for normal tv, a PS2 for recreation, Yam RX-v363/5 amp, 5.1 80W speakers, Panasonic PVD8 (HD Ready) and an Xtreamer+HDMI cable on the way.
 
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Just as an update. Thanks to everyone who replied to my noob queries! :lol:

Got
Yamaha HTR 6230 - amp with 5.1 speakers ~ 25K
Jamo S 416 5 spk set ~ 15K
Xtreamer ~10K
DLink wireless-N router ~4K

Now am just lost in a maze of wires.. although everything is working. Touch wood. It can only get better once the Jamos arrive.
 
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