Set up current Onkyo 3500 HT for audio playback

[andy78]

I currently have Onkyo 3500 which I use to watch movies primarily and I'm pretty satisfied with it. However it's not that great to play audio.

Is there any minimal setup I can do with least budget and have good audio playback on this.

I tried playing songs of the MP3 port but the quality isn't that great.

Since I'm noob with regards to audio please pardon me for my ignorance.

Awaiting for some suggestion!

Thanks,
Andy

 

[RajithKumar]

Can I know which mode u played the songs ..either surround or stereo mode??? check with stereo or Multichannelstereo mode ,sometimes it will help ..
Have u played directly thro USB or thro Mobile with 3.5mm jack ??? Avoid later one(mobile) as it leads to noise /disturbances sometimes...
some of mp3 songs recordings files were not good ...check with some original CD tracks and check the differences...

 

[andy78]

Can I know which mode u played the songs ..either surround or stereo mode??? check with stereo or Multichannelstereo mode ,sometimes it will help ..
Have u played directly thro USB or thro Mobile with 3.5mm jack ??? Avoid later one(mobile) as it leads to noise /disturbances sometimes...
some of mp3 songs recordings files were not good ...check with some original CD tracks and check the differences...

I connected my Pen drive to the USB slot to play the songs.
one of my friend suggested that I can connect either my PC or a PMP which supports FLAC to be connected to my Onkyo for better quality so I was checking what kind of connection or setup I should make.

 

[andy78]

Guys any thoughts?

 

[efernand1]

Hi,

Apologies, as per specs of HT S3500, it seems to be an entry level home theatre system. There are not too many features and it is almost like the HTiB systems (Home Theatre in a Box) like compact ones of Sony / Samsung / Panasonic. Onkyo makes a few good AVRs but these are the High End bulky ones.

Least you can do right now is try using good high quality MP3 files it should be atleast minimum 160kbps. I have noticed too that there are limited DSP sound /movie modes.

I use 320kbps for better audio playback on my Marantz NR1402 + Boston Acoustics Soundware XS 5.1 system...I did a good 3 months internet research , you tube reviews before putting money into this system and ofcourse it rocks for movies, concerts and most importantly music. It adds the warm depth touch to music. Check the reviews on the system over the net....suite of movie, game and music dsp modes, bass+ treble, automatic calibration of speakers and settings thru audyssey and most important, the AVR is slim and outperforms any of it's bulky competitors. It has 9 band adjustable EQ for each channel to enhance manually the quality of sound which I have not seen in any High End AVRs.

You may want to review and take a decision to trade up to a different AVR...remember as humans, all of us have our own unique fancies and tastes and we will always go ahead with what appeals to us....decide accordingly...take care

 

[elangoas]

I connected my Pen drive to the USB slot to play the songs.
one of my friend suggested that I can connect either my PC or a PMP which supports FLAC to be connected to my Onkyo for better quality so I was checking what kind of connection or setup I should make.

Always play the Onkyo AVR in Pure Audio mode.... This mode works like the tone defeat control in stereo amplifiers.. Meaning, no Bass & Treble controls are taken in to consideration....

Music is played as close to the original source....

BTW i see that your Onkyo AVR has Speakers B.... You may add a decent BS to that & use it for stereo purpose alone without spending too much...

So speakers A will be HT speakers & Speakers B will be for stereo...

 

[andy78]

Hi,

Apologies, as per specs of HT S3500, it seems to be an entry level home theatre system. There are not too many features and it is almost like the HTiB systems (Home Theatre in a Box) like compact ones of Sony / Samsung / Panasonic. Onkyo makes a few good AVRs but these are the High End bulky ones.

Least you can do right now is try using good high quality MP3 files it should be atleast minimum 160kbps. I have noticed too that there are limited DSP sound /movie modes.

I use 320kbps for better audio playback on my Marantz NR1402 + Boston Acoustics Soundware XS 5.1 system...I did a good 3 months internet research , you tube reviews before putting money into this system and ofcourse it rocks for movies, concerts and most importantly music. It adds the warm depth touch to music. Check the reviews on the system over the net....suite of movie, game and music dsp modes, bass+ treble, automatic calibration of speakers and settings thru audyssey and most important, the AVR is slim and outperforms any of it's bulky competitors. It has 9 band adjustable EQ for each channel to enhance manually the quality of sound which I have not seen in any High End AVRs.

You may want to review and take a decision to trade up to a different AVR...remember as humans, all of us have our own unique fancies and tastes and we will always go ahead with what appeals to us....decide accordingly...take care

Thanks for the info. How much would this setup cost.

Always play the Onkyo AVR in Pure Audio mode.... This mode works like the tone defeat control in stereo amplifiers.. Meaning, no Bass & Treble controls are taken in to consideration....

Music is played as close to the original source....

BTW i see that your Onkyo AVR has Speakers B.... You may add a decent BS to that & use it for stereo purpose alone without spending too much...

So speakers A will be HT speakers & Speakers B will be for stereo...

Thanks @ elangoas. I was looking for some suggestion similar to yours.
How much would I have to invest minimum for a decent BS?

 

[elangoas]

Thanks @ elangoas. I was looking for some suggestion similar to yours. How much would I have to invest minimum for a decent BS?

Keep a max of 15K for BS....Hope that should be within your budget....

You may consider Sonodyne Sonus 1501, Polk TSx 100, PSB Alpha, Cambridge S30 speakers which fall with in 15K budget....

 

[andy78]

What about the source? I need to connect the AVR to my PC to play FLAC files?

 

[elangoas]

What about the source? I need to connect the AVR to my PC to play FLAC files?

Yes... If you have a sound-card which has Digital Co-axial/Optical Output, you can connect connect them to AVR....

 

[andy78]

Hi,

Apologies, as per specs of HT S3500, it seems to be an entry level home theatre system. There are not too many features and it is almost like the HTiB systems (Home Theatre in a Box) like compact ones of Sony / Samsung / Panasonic. Onkyo makes a few good AVRs but these are the High End bulky ones.

Least you can do right now is try using good high quality MP3 files it should be atleast minimum 160kbps. I have noticed too that there are limited DSP sound /movie modes.

I use 320kbps for better audio playback on my Marantz NR1402 + Boston Acoustics Soundware XS 5.1 system...I did a good 3 months internet research , you tube reviews before putting money into this system and ofcourse it rocks for movies, concerts and most importantly music. It adds the warm depth touch to music. Check the reviews on the system over the net....suite of movie, game and music dsp modes, bass+ treble, automatic calibration of speakers and settings thru audyssey and most important, the AVR is slim and outperforms any of it's bulky competitors. It has 9 band adjustable EQ for each channel to enhance manually the quality of sound which I have not seen in any High End AVRs.

You may want to review and take a decision to trade up to a different AVR...remember as humans, all of us have our own unique fancies and tastes and we will always go ahead with what appeals to us....decide accordingly...take care

How much would this cost?

 

[andy78]

Keep a max of 15K for BS....Hope that should be within your budget....

You may consider Sonodyne Sonus 1501, Polk TSx 100, PSB Alpha, Cambridge S30 speakers which fall with in 15K budget....

Any idea where can I get these? I live in Hyderabad.

 

[elangoas]

Any idea where can I get these? I live in Hyderabad.

For Sonodyne you have hifimart.com.. You will get 10% discount with all over india delivery...

For Polk, PSB & Cambridge FM from Hyderabad should help you out..

 

[efernand1]

Hi Andy78,

If you are looking to trade up to a system like the one I have then it would cost almost 51k on HiFi Mart (NR 1504 + Bostons) The wires, etc would be separate.

If you are looking to buy decent bookshelf speakers, there are Bostons available on HiFiMart....see the specs and make the purchase...Cambridge Audio S30s or S50s are good too,

You may want to look at the threads 'Sale by Owner' for any good deals....also there is a standalone classifieds started by HiFiVision....

India's Audio & Video Pre-Owned Classified Ads Website

Hope this helps.....