|   Looking for good online retailer...... | Squareyes1
Jul 30, 2002 12:47 AM | | Hi everyone.
I am new to all this DVD and Widescreen stuff; I would appreciate it if some of you could point me in the right direction.
Firstly, I am looking for a good online retailer to purchase my new home entertainment equipment.
Secondly, where do I start?
I thought putting my devoted betamax in the garbage pail would be a great start but cannot bring myself to do such a thing.
Looking forward to hearing some of your personal preferences for online retailers.
Regards |
| re: Looking for good online retailer...... | BK
Jul 30, 2002 5:48 AM | | Hello. Well you're off to a good start as this is a good place to get recommendations and it seems you want to do your homework first which is good.
There are tons of excellent shops, on line retailers and lots of excellent, very affordable equipment out there. It can get overwhelming, but first things first and you need to set a budget for yourself.
You will need:
An av receiver, some brands to look at are : Denon, Onkyo, Marantz, Yamaha and Oultaw.
Next a dvd player, any model will do really, you don't need anything top shelf especially if you are just starting off.
Speakers: lots of great manufacturers out there like Paradigm, PSB, B&W, Definitive Technology to name a few. You will need 2 mains, a center channel, 2 rears and a subwoofer. Companies that have an all in one ht in a box are abundant, but generally you will get better performance by going the separate route here.
Here are a couple of good online retailer sites:
http://www.onecall.com/
http://www.audioadvisor.com/
Check out these speaker manufacturers sites to get an idea of their philosiphies and recommendations:
http://www.psbspeakers.com/
http://www.definitivetech.com/loudspeakers/loudspeakers.html
Here is a good place to start. Just remember you can get lots of opinions, but ultimately it comes down to budget and personal preference.
Best of luck, and most of all, have fun!
BK |
| re: Looking for good online retailer...... | midfiman
Jul 30, 2002 5:50 AM | | There are several options out there. You first should weigh the pros and cons of buying online vs. in-store.
Online Buying Pros
Cheaper
No hassle or bargaining
Shipped right to your door
Online Buying Cons
Quality of product unknown
No bargaining
Servicing can be an issue when you have a problem (no store to go to)
In Store Buying Pros
Knowledgable staff
Return, exchange, etc quicker than doing with online retailer
Can listen to and see actual products
Can go back to store if you have a problem
Price matching, bargaining, etc
In Store Buying Cons
Probably more expensive than online
Can get "talked" into buying more expensive stuff for "just a little bit more" money
Need to have products delived at extra cost or must find way to take home
Either way, I would never suggest buying a widescreen or any TV for that matter online. You just never know about Tvs and you don't want any problems with them.
Either way, if you do buy from a store, in store or online, MAKE SURE they have a factory authorized store in your area, otherwise, the warranty will no be honored. You can go to the manufacturer's website to see who are authorized dealers in your area.
Good luck! |
| re: Looking for good online retailer...... | AVMASTER
Jul 30, 2002 8:06 AM | | the only good online retailers are those authorized by the manufacturer; if there are any installation/electronic shops in your area i'd start there and definitely skip the big chains (bb, cc, and so on). |
| re: Looking for good online retailer...... | Bryan
Jul 30, 2002 8:13 AM | | 1. Ask around. Here, hometheaterforum.com, audioutiopia.com, etc. are all good places to look for information.
2. What is your budget?
3. What do you prefer? By this I mean, tower speakers, bookshelf ones, on line or from the local audio store? What percentage when the system is used will be for music versus hometheater/games/tv?
Most of my system is from direct dealers. nOrh ceramic 4.0 package, SVS 20-39CSi, and the Outlaw 1050. However, the tv, cd player, and dvd player were purchased locally. What you may want to do is get a quote from an authorized online dealer including how much shipping will be and take that down to your local store and see if they will price match. I have done that several times and have saved well over $200. Some have saved over that on a single purchase. |
| re: Looking for good online retailer...... | wanderingbob
Jul 30, 2002 10:31 AM | | You mentioned DVD and widescreen. If you can afford it, I would purchase a progressive scan DVD player and a widescreen (16 X 9) HD-compatible TV with component inputs. If you're not constrained to fit your new equipment into an entertainment center, projection TV's can cost less than CRT types with the same features.
I bought probably $10,000 worth of HT equipment from All Home Theater (http://www.allhometheater.net/). I usually received about a 25% discount as compared to MSRP or retail price and the staff there was knowledgeable (ask for Andrew). There are some brands that AHT doesn't stock...I had to turn to a local brick-and-mortar store for my Velodyne HGS-15 subwoofer. TV's, especially projection TV's, are usually so large that freight is expensive, so it's more cost-effective to buy those locally. Besides, RPTV's can be misaligned in shipping, resulting in problems.
Bob Gardner
wanderingbob@yahoo.com |
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