When did stereos (radio/tape/cd/phono) become Home Theater Systems????

[devilgrrl]

Yesterday I went to Best Buy to get new headphones and looked into a new receiver while I was at it. So I ask the sales guy where the stereos are and he directs me toward the car stereos. :eyes: Then I ask another and he directed me toward the boom boxes. :mad: Then I asked another and he was finally able to direct me toward the ones I had in mind. I guess they're now referred to as "Home Theater Systems" :spray:... At what point in time did the simple stereo become obsolete? Do they make any that you can connect a cassette deck or turntable any more? Wow, I've been out of touch!

Anyway, I need a new stereo receiver - what should I get?

[qb]

1. I got a great CD changer at a yard sale.

You might also check 2nd hand stores or ebay... I'm sure there are lots of good used receivers out there from people who have upgraded to home theaters.

[no name no slogan]

2. I bought a bookshelf stereo at Best Buy in 2005

So it must've been within the past couple years.

[LanternWaste]

3. About the same time that they became...

About the same time that they became complex enough to justify to ourselves calling someone and paying them 75/hour to put it together and set it up. :shrug:



As for your current quest for a new receiver, may I suggest this...?

[ContraBass Black]

5. $75 per hour?

Why did I bother with college?

[LanternWaste]

7. $75.00 per hour, plus an initial fee...

A friend of mine runs a business out of his dining room doing this very thing.

$75.00 per hour, plus an initial fee (determining where everything should go and incorporating that into where the homeowner wants everything to go) of $350.00

It's a scam. He admits it when we play poker. He's just amazed at how much money he's making from the North Dallas yuppies he installs for.


We bothered with college because we valued education over money...? Well, it sounds good. I choked on it while writing it, but it still sounds good. :evilgrin:

[KitchenWitch]

10. That is it, I am going to hook up home theatre systems.

How much is his initial fee?

Jesus, I can do that....

[Deja Q]

19. Ease-of-use. Kills the service support folks with a smile.

:D

[Deep13]

4. October 3, 1997 at 9:00 a.m. EST. nt

[SteppingRazor]

6. What's a turntable?

And isn't a cassette deck one of those things that's in cars from the 1980s?

:P

[NashVegas]

8. Around 1986 Or So?

When component systems went from having mere amplifiers to including Dolby Surround sound decoders.

[Broken_Hero]

9. I recommend a Pioneer -edit

reciever...I bought mine in 97, and I still got it, runs good....510 total watts, four channels at 110 watts(front/back), and surround sound set up for the other wattage use(I don't use surround sound, don't like it).

A few options, like bass/treble control....

If I was in the market for another receiver, I'd go with Pioneer.

ETA: I know what you mean about home theater systems/Best Buy...I cannot find any decent speakers anymore, because all the ones I find/see are tiny 8's slim towers, or something akin to that...dammit, I want my 15's back! :D

[devilgrrl]

15. My current receiver is a Pioneer...

but it's either dying or dusty. When I turn it on, I have to turn the volume really loud because it's not getting to the speakers - it's very crackly and doesn't work properly unless it's been on for awhile.

Have you ever run into a problem like that?

[Broken_Hero]

16. I'm no expert,

but my first guess would be that your speakers are shot, are the speaker wire you are using is shot....

I have experienced the problem you are talking about, but it was my speakers, not the receiver.

I had a 5 disc changer dvd player/receiver by Pioneer also, and I experienced the issue you talk about the most, with that piece of hardware, but again, it was my speakers(12' KLH) that were the culprit(they were blown). When I replaced the speakers(with 12' Jensens) the issue went away...

I later sold that 5 disc changer/dvd player reciever combo, because I rebought my old Pioneer receiver from an old friend of mine...thing still works great....

In my experience, I've had horrible times with Sony, and Fisher receivers...I loathe Fisher....

[devilgrrl]

20. It may be the speaker wire...

the wires on my headphones were shot. You could tell because when you jiggled them, they'd work better. But I have the same crackly problem when I'm just using the headphones as I am without them. :-( I wonder what the deal is.

[unpossibles]

11. since stereo is technically two channels

and most receivers now do the 5.1 (or whatever) channels, I guess they don't call them that anymore. I had not realized; just offering a possible explanation

[Oeditpus Rex]

12. Go here:

www.crutchfield.com

I haven't purchased audio gear from anywhere but Crutchfield for like 20 years. Their sales reps actually explain stuff and don't try to "upgrade" you. Online, they've got a great "What do I need?" section and you can compare stuff head-to-head.

Shopping at Best Buy is like (insert self-torture metaphor here).

[redqueen]

13. Did you buy anything? Did they demand to see your receipt?

[devilgrrl]

14. No I didn't buy anything...

didn't get tased either :P

[NMDemDist2]

17. hubby just researched this

we got a Denon tuner (and yes it's for our "Home Theater System") but they make excellent tuners for a decent price

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=10450&i=033PMA2KIV&tp=180

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Item/Main.aspx?g=10470&i=033TU1500R&tp=182

[Deja Q]

18. Best Buy - land of ITIL philosophy: Have everyone (try to) know what everything is...

Don't ask where it is, however...

[dysfunctional press]

21. yamaha or onkyo are usually pretty good bets.

you can usually find some great deals on ebay when it comes to receivers.