Best TV for the bucks & sound system.

[OtisBlkR1]

Im going to be in the market for a new flat Tv come spring, currently have a 03-04 Hitachi 50' rear projection thats served me well. My problem is im way, way, out of the consumer electronics market now-a-days and im lost, Plasma ? LED ? LCD ? OTHER ?

My wife and i went to best buy and a 55' samsung with clear "frame trim" as i can describe it had the best picture of the 30-40 tv's i was checking out.. moving on up there was a 70' that is more in line with the size id like to have hanging on the wall, picture may have been a shade less perfect than the samsung.. but it was still leaps and bounds abouve my old rear projection im currently using.

We hace a Samsung 32' on the bedroom wall that was $900 new, that gives you a idea of its age.. but its picture is amazing.

So, help me out for those of you in the know, even though i might prefer the Samsung, what should i be looking for in terms of quality, life-span, ect ? It will be fed a steady stream of direct tv (satalite) and Blue-ray's. nothing smaller than 55' up to 70's good, wanna stay under $2,500

The sound: Im currently have around $2,000 in surround but im not 20 anymore, im used to using a pieced together system (sony amp/reciever) JBL 12' powered sub, MTX bookshelf fronts, Polk rears.. and my favorite a optimus center (back when they were of higher quality).. when i pieced this sytem together i purchased what sounded best to me ear in each department.. but again, im not 20 anymore and im looking for a more refined system. Bose has a 3 speaker system that i found intresting. Two fronts and a sub. around $800.00 at bestbuy.. but im open to suggestions. My wife says she doesnt want speakers on walls.. but i convinced her we could buy a discreat system that wouldnt be overbearing on the LR of the new house.. I agree im over speakers being everywhere.. especialy with kids. so im open to other suggestion on sound as well..

appreciate all your input on this.

 

[mongo161]

I have a Toshiba that I've been very pleased with and it gets a lot of use.

 

[BIGJ552000]

I would HIGHLY look at the panny plasmas. Great tvs and high quality company. A while ago they even purchased the pioneer plasma tech. Again put them high on your list to check out.
Want to make your head really spin? Check out this forum/site to read more about everything audio/video. If you already haven't checked it out yet.
http://www.avsforum.com/

 

[mahansm]

If you want good sound there are a number of companies out there that will give good value for $ at any given level.
BOSE tends to be very high priced for what you get in return.

There's only so much sound that you can get from a tiny package. This is much more pronounced at the lower frequencies.
I've got a pair of subwoofers the size of end tables in my living room.

Depending on your budget, Outlaw Audio has good stuff priced below most of their competition. Cambridge Audio has good speakers. There are many others.

Stay away from the one box systems found in Wal-Mart etc...

Typical such system will have a 1000 watt power rating. They get this by running a cold system at 1kHz into a 6 ohm load and increasing gain to 10% distortion. They take this value and multiply by the number of channels.

Unfair; most speakers are 8 ohms. (more power at 6) One channel driven does not stress the power supply. 10% distortion is unlistenable. 1kHz is the easiest frequency for the amplifier, and it will make the most power there. Hot components have less output than cold components.

My amp is rated 1000 watts (200/ch x 5). The rating is all channels driven, any frequency 20 Hz to 20 kHz, .03% distortion, after a 1 hour 40% power warmup. It also weighs 80 lbs and cost around $1500. The difference in sound is huge.

Front channel only systems deprive you of the sensation of being immersed in the soundfield. The rear channels add a lot.

 

[tenderloin]

I am a fan of Panasonic plasmas. Best bang for the buck IMO although other name brand plasmas can be great values as well. Remember that plasmas are not as bright as LCD TV's so they will not look as good in a huge bright showroom. In a home, that is another story.

These guys review tons of stuff including tv's speakers etc..... trending towards the higher end, but do talk about the virtues of both plasma and lcd/led tv's. Check them out.

Home Theatre

 

[JHZR2]

Was really impressed with the recent 50 or 55" LG plasma that my parents got.

 

[mopar_monkey]

i bought a westinghouse 34" led at target a year ago, it is great and only cost me $275, they also make larger versions and the picture is second to non, for the money you can't touch any other led.

 

[musicmanbass]

Are you guys referring to all flat screens as "plasmas" now? Or do you actually mean to look for plasma technology (read: about a decade old now) screens?

You do know that plasma is not the same as LCD and LED, right?

Just checking.

 

[MrHorspwer]

If you don't want speakers hanging all over the place, I'd suggest piecing together a 3.1 system, using only the LF, C, RF, and sub. You'll be missing all of the "surround" effects, but the primary audio, dialog, and LFE will be there, which is really the most important part. I'll disagree with mahansm on this. IMO, the rear channels only served to impress my friends when they came to watch movies. The most important audio comes from directly where you're looking.

I was much like you, sick of speakers invading my living room. It was great when I was younger, but with a kid around the house now and another on the way, when can I watch a movie with the sound at a "reference" volume? I'd love to have a dedicated theater room, but again, kids seem to be taking up all the spare rooms.

I ended up with a couple sound bar setups. I went with a Polk Audio bar in the living room and I just picked up a Sony setup for the basement yesterday. Music has always been one of my primary tests. Given the limitations of a boxed system, if it doesn't completely fall apart when listening to music, then it can hold it's own with a movie.

The Polk bar disappoints. It doesn't satisfy my music listening and it's connectivity sucks. The Sony, at a couple Bennies less, surprised me. It sounded passable with music and it has great connectivity (except for analog audio, which my wireless gaming headset uses. Still working on that...). Granted, it doesn't integrate the amp with the speaker, so it's a bit more cumbersome to place. The only downfall of the Sony is the subwoofer. It only allows adjustment of the sub levels, not the crossover point. In most of the listening modes, the crossover is way too high. Hearing mid-bass from the sub is irritating. It took a while, but I've got it to a point where I'm happy.

That said, neither one is as good as the Onkyo/Polk system I had prior. This wasn't high end by any means, but it wasn't a boxed system either.

As for televisions, I support the Koreans: 40" LG LCD upstairs and a 46" Samsung LED LCD downstairs. The LED is irritating, since I can pick out the edge backlighting at times... but I like the minimum power the television uses. I avoided plasma because I was always afraid of screen burn-in when gaming. If you don't game and can control the lighting and glare reasonable well, I would look into plasma as well.

Make sure to pick up a setup DVD too. Digital Video Essentials or Avia are the two biggies. Well worth the price you pay for them. Be careful or you'll find yourself setting up your parents, siblings, and friends TVs too.

 

[dparm]

For sound, buy what sounds best. Everyone's ears are different.

 

[renegade_987]

Originally Posted By: mongo161
I have a Toshiba that I've been very pleased with and it gets a lot of use.


+1 same here. 40" LCD HDTV. Great sound and HD picture.

 

[Malo83]

Best time to buy is when the Super Bowl deals come out on the internet, picked up my 60" Sony LED HDTV from onecall.com, with free shipping, no sales tax and 1K off the price went for it and couldn't be happier

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[RTexasF]

Plasma still offers the best overall picture and I absolutely agree with the Panasonic brand being the leader. For speakers you might want to consider one of the many single cabinets with multiple drivers inside. They look like an oversize center channel speaker and are called a sound bar.Yamaha, Polk, and many makers have them with simulated surround.

 

[97tbird]

Get a decent stereo system and connect the TV to it.
Looking for GOOD sound in a flat panel TV is futile - it's almost impossible due to the design and just plain physics. Get a good TV with great pic quality and spend a bit on a separate sound system. If anyone has a TV with 'great' sound then those are very low expectations as to what GOOD sound quality is.

i am really happy with our Samsung LCD 40".
Panasonic and toshiba are also good TVs.

Sony is overpriced and usually nothing special.

 

[MrHorspwer]

I take back my previous comments about my Sony sound bar. It is already packaged up to go back to the store tomorrow. I couldn't get a distant, muddled crowd noise to go away while watching football. All coming through the sub. I wonder if it has a crossover in it at all.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: RTexasF
Plasma still offers the best overall picture and I absolutely agree with the Panasonic brand being the leader. For speakers you might want to consider one of the many single cabinets with multiple drivers inside. They look like an oversize center channel speaker and are called a sound bar.Yamaha, Polk, and many makers have them with simulated surround.


Yeah, my parents have a very recent 50ish inch LED LCD and plasma set.

While Id want an LED LCD for energy efficiency, the plasma was notably better. Guess Ill wait more. My 32" panasonic CRT is still running well...

 

[JasonC]

I have a Samsung Plasma & a Panasonic Plasma and feel that they are both very equal in price and performance. I would not hesitate to buy from either company.

 

[Schmoe]

The main thing with these flat panels is that you are no way going to get bass response. My megolithic Sony 36 inch Trinitron had a sub-woofer built into it and it rocked!!!! Pay particular addition to the lower frequency. You'll want a sub, the mid's and high's can just about be covered by the TV itself. You'll see 5.1, 7.1, etc. etc. the first number represents the number of speakers and the second number is your sub. A 3.1 system may just suit your needs. True surround systems start at 5.1, a 3.1 will give you stereo seperation.

 

[OtisBlkR1]

Yes, right now i have my MTX (sound bar's) up front with my Optimus center channel.. wife wont let me run the Polks out back or hook up my Sub, I cant blame her.. new house little boy running around. I may retain my Sony reciever and just look into smaller wall-mount speakers for the front stage and enjoy stereo sound.. My dad has the Bose 5.1 system and im unimpressed with it, but frankly the accustics for the room are pretty bad he has them in.. my pieced together system (when it was all running at our old house) was hands down superior to my dads bose system, but as i mentioned im looking for small, discreat, refined sound.. Im not pi$$ing off neighbors anymore

the two main objectives to handle are discreat and clean.. a small sub hidden well may be a option, but my current 12 powered is overkill..