Cyber Monday Surround Sound Deal: Sony HTS-S370

Cyber Monday is the "black friday" of online sales, and if you're looking for cheap surround sound, then it's totally the time to buy. 

I talked to a couple sources to ask about the best Cyber Monday deals in surround sound, and this Sony system came up a winner. It's the Sony HTS-S370. It's got 1000 watts of power, support for a multi-use remote control, an iPod dock, and more. The average review on Amazon.com is 4 stars, which is especially impressive for a system of such a low price.

To check out all the specs, and buy the system (It's only $350, and you'll probably get some great deals, coupons, and free shipping on Cyber Monday), check it out on Amazon.com. Sony HTS-S370 on Amazon

Here's what one particularly happy reviewer had to say:

I've watched a few Blu-rays so far and the sound really is great, top-notch really. If you've never had a surround system before, you don't know what you're missing! I could never watch a movie again without it. Its a very powerful system as well, I'm waiting for my neighbors to say something soon lol (which is why there is night mode included) There are many modes you can use as well, such as Dolby Pro Logic with 5.1 support, sports, games, music etc... Sports gives you a reverberating sound as if you were at the stadium listening to the announcer, pretty cool minor stuff.  

He gave it five stars. I'm seriously impressed with the Sony HTS-S370 cheap surround sound system. Totally consider this for your home theater! 

Expensive Surround Sound for Blu-Ray

The Bose V10 is a tiny, but great surround sound system specifically manufactured to provide the best possible sound for your Blu-Ray watching. Like most other Bose systems, it comes with some really neat features like automatic volume adjustment and sleep timers (listen to music as you fall asleep, and it'll turn off automatically). It's got all the common capabilities as well: a forty-preset radio tuner, AM/FM radio, digital and analog sound, subwoofers and directional tweeters, etc.

What's controversial is the price. This Bose system is priced at a whopping $1.5k . Not only is that really expensive for surround sound, but out of the 3 amazon reviews on the product, 1 is only 1 star, saying that the system died on him fast. 

I would advise everybody to stick to cheap surround sound and stay away from pricey and iffy systems like this. The only gain your getting is the brand name, design, and small features. 

Sound Blaster X-If 5.1 Sound Card

This is one heck of a sound card, if you ask me. It's got a beautiful, sleek design, and some serious punch to it. You get a full 5.1 system, 3D sound (great for gaming), settings for headphone use, and special X-If technology that will really enhance the sound and add punch to your movies, games, or music. Find more great surround sound reviews at the cheap surround sound blog.

The X-Fi CMSS-3D technology of the Sound Blaster X-If, USB 5.1 surround sound cards can make anyone throw their headphones away. The same clear and booming sound keeps on roaming in the entire room as long as the switch is on. Those using Windows Vista™, can experience a great gaming fun with the creative Alchemy.

So, go and get a Sound Blaster X-If, USB 5.1 surround sound card for your PC and watch your DVDs in cinematic surround sound with PowerDVD software. Its mind blowing DTS™ and Dolby Digital® EX decoding (free download with purchase) feature makes it more worth buying.

RCA RTD316Wi Home Theater System

I

'm not sure how popular this will be with any of you guys, because it's not a very powerful system, but if for some reason you're looking for a smaller cheap surround sound system, this could do the trick for you. 

It could work well for a playroom or basement where you don't need a lot of power, but would still like surround sound. The best part? You're not paying too much for it. You're paying for what you're getting, it's only $150 (available on Amazon.com)

Here's what CyberTheater had to say:

The RCA RTD316Wi is a two hundred fifty watt, 5.1 channel home theater system that offers up an included DVD player, a subwoofer, an iPod / iPhone dock that will recharge your Apple gear in question (it’s also compatible with a whole host of models: the iPod nano in 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G versions; iPod classic 5G, 5.5G, and 6G; iPod touch 1G and 2G; iPhone 1G, 3G, and 3GS as long as it’s in airplane mode), HDMI output (which will actually work with your iPod video too, and upscale your DVDs), optical audio input, Dolby Digital Surround decoder, rear auxiliary audio connection, component and composite outputs, remote controls, and radio antennas so you can pick up regular radio broadcasts as well.

Holy Crap! This Is A Great Way to Get Cheap Surround Sound!

Over at the Cheap Surround Sound blog, I just published an article called "How to Buy Surround Speaker Systems Used", and I must say, it's totally awesome! While I was researching the article, I found some really incredible things that I wanted to share with you.

Go ahead and click on the link below:

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=surround+sound&_sacat=0&_odkw=surround+sound&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

This is just a simple eBay search for the term "surround sound". Now, if your results look anything like mine, you'll see close to an entire page of cheap surround sound systems, all priced under $100! If you browse around, you can find all sorts of cheap surround sound to buy. 

eBay is a great place to start your search for cheap surround sound, especially if you're interested in buying used! 

In the article that I posted over at the blog, I also talk about using Craiglist, Google, Home Theater stores, and Friends/Family, so you can go check that out if you want more tips on buying used surround sound. 

Until next time!

When is it Worth the Extra Money?

Hey readers,

I had a cheap surround sound question for you guys. When is it worth it to invest that extra money to get a really killing surround sound system, or get some upgrades, or have it professionally installed? I'm probably the biggest advocate out there of how easy it is to get great cheap surround sound that sounds just as good as the expensive stuff, but sometimes it's really worth it to put in the extra mile and spend some money.

So what I want to know is this: Would you ever spend a lot of money on surround sound? What if you had just bought a house that you intended to live in for a long time? Or is cheap the only way to go for you?

Just something to think about. Don't get freaked out though- this blog is and always will be about cheap surround sound first and foremost! 

Talk to you soon with some more great tips/reviews.

When is it Worth the Extra Money?

Hey readers,

I had a cheap surround sound question for you guys. When is it worth it to invest that extra money to get a really killing surround sound system, or get some upgrades, or have it professionally installed? I'm probably the biggest advocate out there of how easy it is to get great cheap surround sound that sounds just as good as the expensive stuff, but sometimes it's really worth it to put in the extra mile and spend some money.

So what I want to know is this: Would you ever spend a lot of money on surround sound? What if you had just bought a house that you intended to live in for a long time? Or is cheap the only way to go for you?

Just something to think about. Don't get freaked out though- this blog is and always will be about cheap surround sound first and foremost! 

Talk to you soon with some more great tips/reviews.

Another product to check out: Philips HTS3151D/37

The Philips HTS3151D/37 looks GREAT for a cheap surround sound solution! It's very sleak, has high quality speakers, sounds nice, and it's easy on the wallet. What more could you want?

The cost? Only $230. It's a full 5.1 surround sound speaker system, complete with Dolby decoders and everything. It's also built with tons of playback options, compatibility options, and little goodies. Check out what CyberTheater had to say:

thePhilips HTS3151D/37 home theater system is a three hundred watt, 5.1 channel home theater system that offers an iPod dock so you can patch in and listen to the music on your iPod without having to plug in your earphones, Dolby decoders, Pro Logic II decoders, USB direct to play the contents of your USB drive (including photos and music), MP3 line in port for your other MP3 players, and playback compatibility for a variety of other media types, including DVD-RW and even DivX. It also offers Divx Ultra certification for better playback of Divx titles.

Awesome, yeah? Could be the best cheap surround sound system of the season- I'm psyched personally. I may have to buy it and test it out myself. 

New Sennheiser Surround Sound Gaming Headphones

Even though they aren't exactly cheap surround sound, Sennheiser recently released some great new gaming headphones if you're into surround sound for gaming, the PC163Ds and the PC 333Ds. 

Here's what Gizmodo had to say about these:

The $209 PC 163Ds have virtualized 7.1 surround sound so no one will sneak up on you in the game and an open ear design so no one will sneak up on you in real life. The $239 PC 333D also has pseudo 7.1 surround with a closed cup design, as well as a noise canceling mic, and rounding out the set is the PC 330 G4ME for $169.95. 

So gamers, totally check these out if you want surround sound speakers in your headphones for gaming. These are TOP OF THE LINE, and while they aren't super cheap, they aren't totally expensive either.