Q: Alrite, it's time for me to complete my theater-like bedroom. I have the light dimmer, i have a big flat screen (720p LCD HDTV) with 3 HDMI inputs. now I need some help. My room is fairly big. (in a sense bigger than most bedrooms), pretty spacious. I'm thinking of getting a 5.1 system, and I'm thinking of getting WIRED speakers because I dont want to keep changing batteries, however for those who have wireless, how often do the batteries last? And how often do you use the system? I dont need crazy power because I usually watch movies around 9pm and I dont live alone. I love the long/thin speakers too. Those are the ones I like. So yah, any ideas which are good? Preferably wired, unless you have a good argument for wireless (in terms of battery life), because I have no problems wiring my room across the walls. Price budget: Below $700. The ones I found which fit my needs are 5.1 Sony Bravia DAV-HDX500/i which includes a dvd player (which I need) and has great reviews on amazon.com. The only thing wrong with it is 1 hdmi connection (doesnt matter to me since I dont play video games) and dvd goes to 1080i, which again, it doesnt matter since my TV is 720p. Please advise!! p.s. My other question is will I be able to get surround sound from a movie i play on my PC which i will stream the audio into the bravia?
A: Well, with that much of a budget, you can do much better than an all in one set like the Sony you mention. Plus, Sony is not a great brand for HT receivers, and is a fairly common to bad brand for speakers. Your bets bet is to go look on the Audio, TV & Home Theater section of amazon.com, and scout around for some good gear and deals there. Equipment that amazon sells themselves usually comes with free US shipping, and the user reviews can really help you get a better idea of which items will best suit your needs. In receivers, I would go with Denon, Harmon Kardon, Yamaha, Pioneer, and Onkyo before I'd touch a Sony (I do like Sony TVs, though). In speakers, JBL, Polk, and Infinity are all far better speaker makers than Sony (Or, than most other companies that make everything). Polk makes a very nice 5.1 speaker set, the 6750, that goes for around $260 (Normal list price of $600), through about $250-$300 into a good HT receiver (You might want to go with a 7.1 unit, and add two more speakers at a later time), and that would leave you about $150 for a DVD player and any wires you might need. I'd stick with wired speakers, and if you choose a receiver that can accept the feed from your computer, that should be fine.