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Posted: 8/20/2001 5:27:04 AM EDT
[#1]
Depend on how much you are willing to spend. The latest craze is the plasma screen which can cost you around 7-10K USD. A top of the line 7:1 Surround is around 3-5K USD. A good DVD player can run around 700 USD. We're talkin along the lines of, Sony flat screen, B&O, Adcom, NAD, Nakamichi etc.
However you can get by with a nice Yamaha Dig Surround recvr for about 1K, and a nice Denon DVD for about $400. Polk Audio Speakers for about $800. And a Sony Vega Trinitron 36" for about $1200 to round out your home theater experience. Make sure you get the optical hook ups for recvr to DVD. The sound and pic is a 1000x better than your normal RCA jacks. |
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Posted: 8/20/2001 5:33:40 AM EDT
[#2]
You ARE going to spend several thousand dollars getting everthing you need-so warm up your credit cards!
As with all electronics-get the most you can afford. A reasonable main unit would be Sony ES stuff- high quality-with 5 year warranty included. 700-1200 bucks Speakers-best you can afford-Avoid those 'satellite speakers' they just dont have the sound of floor speakers. Get a good, powerfull subwoofer- 12" is a good size to start. Make sure you get a matched set all teh way around mains, center and rears. $1000+ DVD player -get a new 'progressive scan' type you will need it for HDTV applications-and they are not that much more expensive Make sure it has digital 5.1 or 6.1 and DTS decoding $300 TV's -too late-you are out of money. I have a sony 36" wega-that tv is 100x the other tv we have-falt screen and picture are unbeliveable-they have a couple models out-would suggest you splurge and get the 36"HDTV version -2300 bucks Have it delivered though because it weights 218 pounds! Or a couple more thou get a 55-65 " projection tv-just make sure you view the projection tvs from all angles to make sure there are no bright or dark spots. Not to promote sony again-but they have a new HD projection tv out that was really sweet-good from almost any angle and very clear. |
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Posted: 8/20/2001 5:37:26 AM EDT
[#3]
BTW here's my humble system. Its not much cause I only live in a 700sq ft 1bdrm apt., but it does its job
32" Sony Vega trinitron Sony Dolby Digital DA555ES recvr w/ satellite speakers and the sub sitting next to the system Sony DVD DPV-S530D A Sharp VCR (I rarely watch VHS tapes) Dish Network with TIVO. My remote is a touch screen PDA type, its the one sitting at the bottom of the stand there. This is by far the coolest thing I own. Works for my lil bachelor pad [img]http://wsphotofews.excite.com/032/ba/ic/Nr/Mr30570.jpg[/img] |
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Posted: 8/20/2001 5:54:48 AM EDT
[#4]
I didn't spend too much on mine, maybe $5 or $6k .. Not too bad for the quality of the audio components and a nice 36" TV. Everything is top of the line Sony (not ES.) I'd recommend it to anyone for the price!
[img]http://www.interworkssolutions.com/temp/living%20room.jpg[/img] Beind me there are two more speakers identical to the ones up front.. |
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Posted: 8/20/2001 5:56:45 AM EDT
[#5]
a subwoofer is a REQUIRED part of the system-get a good one!!!
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Posted: 8/20/2001 6:25:12 AM EDT
[#6]
Avoid Bose, you can do better.
Get a Ratshack sound meter to setup the relative speaker levels. Get the DVD calibration disk to correct the color and brightness levels on you TV. They all come screwed up from the factory - blue sells better but isn't correct. Better yet is to spend $350 to get the set professionally calibrated, but I decided not to invest that yet. Check out bipolar speakers - they fill the room better. See Definitive Technologies or Mirage. Stick to a matched set so the soundstage doesn't change pitch or timber as it pans around the room. Denon equipment has been very good to me. Mitsubishi invented the big screen, so they were a natural choice to me. I think I've got about $12,000 into the system, another $2500 in DVD's and cabinets. Worth EVERY penny. It's disappointing to go to theaters now. [url]http://members.home.net/sbritton/home%20theater.htm[/url] [img]http://members.home.net/sbritton/home theater_files/image019.jpg[/img] |
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Posted: 8/20/2001 7:02:48 AM EDT
[#7]
I'll try to get a pic of my shit tonight... ]=)
The cornerstone of your setup (and MOST important piece) will be your main speakers. Left, Right, and Center. This means you should shell out at least $600 a speaker for something very solid to kick ass. A LOT of very nice stuff out there to choose from, I would stay away from Bose... You'll then want a nice Receiver, the Sony ES line was mentioned, and a very solid setup for a GREAT cost. We're talking affordable and solid performance. Personally I shelled out some big bucks for a system which never plays music, so it was a bit of a waste. Plan on spending $600+ here on the receiver and more if you go with separates. (Amps and tuner, etc) Again, for the price and features, the Sony stuff is great! (DTS and DolbyDigital in one shot and you'll want them both!) Next you'll want a sub and a pair of rear speakers. The sub is what I would call an essential for movies. This is where you not only get that kick ass bass, but if used right, you will FEEL certain movies. (War movies feel like a punch in the gut with explosions!!!) Ok, ok, so at times it's a bit much on the sub, but seriously, you'll notice it!!! SO GET IT! ($400+) As for the rears, get a decent set of speakers, can be matched with yer fronts or not, doesn't really matter. I would settle for a mid range set so you can save some money, something small in size (2' or smaller in height) on stands or wall mounts (properly pointed) in the area of $150+ per speaker... again this is where you can cut back a bit. Now the center of your entire world... =========================================== DVD Players... Here I shop ONLY quality. I got a first generation Sony DVP9000 the first DAY they came out. I now have 3 dvd players and it is by far the best still. (Looking to upgrade to the newest 9000 when I upgrade my theatre.) I would stick with SONY or TOSHIBA as they are the originators of the DVD. Don't worry about any bullshit people will tell ya about a DVD player with decoders for DTS or Dolby5.1, your receiver will deal with that, all you need is a simple kick ass DVD player!!! (I blew $1k on the 9000, not sure what they're up to now. This will run ya roughly $500+ last time I checked for the upper end models. The DVP300 (Sony) I think runs around $250-$300 and is the LOWEST I would ever go!) [cont] |
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Posted: 8/20/2001 7:03:01 AM EDT
[#8]
Finally the center-piece of your setup... the crown jewel... the Television!!!!! The new plasma screens are very nice, especially the HDTV ones. But at about $10k a pop, kiss that goodbye for now, they'll drop after a few years and come with more features and get thinner each year. The ultimate setup is stacking monitors and buying tuners as ya can afford them, this is the classic 6+ tvs stacked on top of each other to form one big picture or break out into as many as you have tuners for in a wide variety of configurations. I've looked at stacks of 12-18 and MAN the tuners are expensive as hell and the monitors aren't cheap either! (Not too expensive though!) The smart shopper will get a nice Widescreen TV or normal TV with a min size of 32" and I prefer larger. Look at Toshiba's and Sony's again as they have very nice colors, options, connections, and so forth. I stick with the XBR lineup as it just amazes me. Keep in mind to ask if they come with built in line-doublers at the larger sizes. VERY important in a TV. You want as many lines of resolution as possible. The SONY XBR series usually includes this in their more expensive models... plan on spending a solid $3k for a higher end TV and in the $1500-$2k for a decent 32-36" box! I myself settles on an XBR 53" a few years ago and I love it. Clear picture from every angle, huge picture, crisp colors... only regret was not getting it in the widescreen format, but such is life... still rocks my socks!
Finally throw in a cd changer, tape deck, dat, mini disk, etc if you want into your stereo setup to complete the deal. My DVD library is roughly 450 flicks now so if you have any questions about movies, I can hopefully help ya out! Keep in mind on every one of these you can easily push $10k+ per item!!! But that's when yer playing with the big boys and a bit much for both movies and typical enjoyment. You can also look at the newest line of projectors which offer a kick ass picture up to 70" wide and are in the $3k-$6k range... ]=) -- GB |
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Posted: 8/20/2001 7:08:27 AM EDT
[#9]
Quoted: [img]http://members.home.net/sbritton/home theater_files/image019.jpg[/img] Yo!!! That is SWEEETTT!!!! When I get my own pad I'm gonna get me one them HDTV big screen by Toshiba. Those have a nice pic quality. Not the plasma screen quality but good enough for the price. |
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Posted: 8/20/2001 7:10:52 AM EDT
[#10]
Oh shit, forgot to mention a VERY important part of your system!!!
CABLES!!! Make sure to get QUALITY cables for all this. We're talking sick optical for your DVD to your TV, high quality RCA jacks for stereo sound, some sick monster cables for your speakers, etc. Just as a rough idea on how crazy people get, my Digital equipment cables were in the area of $600-$800 a pop... crazy, but stuff I wont ever replace! Good quality RCA cables should run ya like $60 I think... I got em so long ago I cant even remember... And get an optical cable when possible!!! (Maybe $100, again not up on prices!) -- GB |
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Posted: 8/20/2001 7:17:19 AM EDT
[#11]
Yep, cables can get nuts. There are cables that runs THOUSANDS of dollars each!
I started out with Audiquest, but switched to high grade Monster brand cables after reading some testing in Home Theater magazine. Typically $60 to $100 per cable. And LIGHT MANAGEMENT - VIP. I should really paint my wall a light grey next to help control reflected light. |
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Posted: 8/20/2001 7:20:46 AM EDT
[#12]
Monster Cables are my preferences. A good quality(ILink) optical can run you $35 on up depending on the length. Monster will run you around $50 on up, again depending on length.
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Posted: 8/20/2001 7:22:40 AM EDT
[#13]
Forget the TV, get one of the new digital projectors. Those things are bad ass. I work for Texas Instruments and we have those things all over the place. We use them to watch satallite broadcasts, training films and they are also wired to a few PC's.
They are clear as hell and cover an entire wall! Imagine reading ar15.com in supersize and LordTrader could view his porn and the girls could be lifesize on his wall. The possibilities are endless. At about $3000 for the midrange projectors I think they are a steal in the home theater market. Also, these things are really bright, not like a regular projector and viewing with the lights on is perfectly fine. Its that bright. The only reason I don't have one yet is because I don't really have a suitable place for the screen. As soon as I start building my house though, you can bet your ass I will have an entire room designed around a digital projector. Michael |
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Posted: 8/20/2001 7:26:33 AM EDT
[#14]
Shop at a quality store. Even if Best Buys seems to have the same model TV as a higher end shop, it's not. The Best Buy model will have cheaper convertors and electronics.
Buy you TV for the picture quality and guts. I told the store that I didn't want to pay a dime for audio, since I would be turning off the TV's speakers anyway. Component inputs are the best. S-Video comes next, and standard NTSC hookup comes in last. When I shopped most of my components about 5 years ago, projectors were too expensive to consider. Good quality was $12,000 and you really needed to syncronize 2 of them for adequate brightness. Sounds like they've come down enough to consider now. Get a good screen, they are a whole science unto themselves. Pick up Home Theater magazine. I found them to be the most relevant. |
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Posted: 8/20/2001 7:54:07 AM EDT
[#15]
Nice setups people. The main speakers I have covered, I built two highend Pied Piper open pipe loudspeakers. They will function as my main fronts, good advice on abandoning satelite speakers and choosing good quality floorspeakers. Cables, already covered too(except for the coming surround speakers) Interlinks using 10mm silver Coax cable between video/amp, Cd-player and amp.
As far as the receiver/DVD goes, I am currently looking at sony. Will recent Sony's/Pioneers/JVC's play CDR/VCD? Kuiper |
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Posted: 8/20/2001 8:11:53 AM EDT
[#16]
Lots of info at [url]www.hometheaterhifi.com/main.html[/url]
I know people don't like satellites, but I think my Cambridge Soundworks speakers are some of the best for the money. |
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Posted: 8/20/2001 8:21:08 AM EDT
[#17]
Your choice of speakers should really depend on the size and composition of the room.
If you have a consideraby large open room and made of concrete then you should really get floor speakers. However, if you are in an enclosed space with good wall material to bounce sound from, satellite spkrs are fine. Pair that with a nice sub that has a variable freq and you would be good to go. But always get good quality recvr and speakers. You can't have one without the other. |
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Posted: 8/20/2001 8:56:41 AM EDT
[#18]
For those of us that can't afford to drop the cost of a new Kia on stereo equipment, the Yamaha YHT-23 HT package does a _very nice_ job for a small to medium sized room for a little less than $700. Comes with Yamaha's HTR-5240 receiver, 4 matched satellite speakers, center channel, and a 75W powered subwoofer.
Believe it or not the little subwoofer shakes the whole house on 1/3 volume. I would not, however, recommend similar setups by other manufacturers, most lower end receivers do not have discrete circuitry. (Except some Sony's and Kenwoods, the Kenwoods are lacking in the bass department and I just don't think the low end Sony's are worth the $$$, JMHO) |
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Posted: 8/20/2001 9:19:20 AM EDT
[#19]
Good question -- the manual of my Sony DVD player (DVP 850CXP or something like that -- now obsolete, they upgraded the capacity from 200 to 300+1 discs!) says it will not play CDRs or CDRWs. A lot of the higher-end DVD players for some reason are not CDR/CDRW compatible, but the newer players solve this problem.
CDR/CDRW capability allows you to play your own audio mixes and your home-made VCD (Video CDs). If you get one that says you cannot play CDR/CDRWs, don't fret -- look up the compatibility list on vcdhelp.com and it will tell you which brand/recording speed will work with your machine. I found that my DVD player works fine using Memorex CDRWs at 8x burn speed. While many people on this thread like Sony receivers, it has been my experience that Sony receivers produce excessive amp hum. I prefer Yamaha amplification instead but keep in mind that perhaps Sony's ES (premium brand) solves the hum problem. My modest HT setup is limited by budget and space constraints, but I find it serves me well. You don't need to spend a ton to get a quality system. [IMG]http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1024860&a=10318614&p=42798369&Sequence=0&res=high[/IMG] Yamaha HTR 5450 receiver: $300 Sony DVP 850CXP 200 disc DVD: $300 Toshiba 32A50 television: $600 Yamaha center speaker: $150 Yamaha bookshelf speakers: $100 JVC stereo VCR: $100 Monster cable throughout. [not pictured] Yamaha SW90 subwoofer: $200 Sony rear surround speakers: $50 [no longer available] Mr. T/BA Barracus action figure :D Justin |
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