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Author Topic: Wanted: Advice for New Home Sound System Ian Price Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1714 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-19-2003 02:46 PM                     So I have this new house and I want a new home sound system. It will undoubtedly be a home theatre set up, but it will be budget conscious and live in the living room. The good news is that my living room is 19’ X 19’. The living room comes with a 50” wide niche for a projection television. The only problem is that the fireplace is central to the living room and the niche is off-center. For a television I was thinking of one of four different methods. First, I want a 60” plasma screen. That’s not going to happen due to the high cost. Then I was thinking of one of that new Samsung DLP projection TVs. This would get me HD, the same screen real estate as the plasma, fit in the niche and cost ½ what the plasma costs. But that is still too much money for a TV. Then I was thinking that I could get an LCD projector, ceiling mount it and use the opposite wall for the screen. This would have the advantage of size and cost effectiveness but the disadvantage of having to darken the room to watch TV. The sidewall is all windows. My final thought is to just get a 36” CRT TV for less than a grand and be done with it. The video I would run off of a Dish Network system with a PVR built in. For a DVD source I would want to find a reasonably priced, progressive scan, DVD player. For Sound I was thinking the following: Outlaw Audio http://www.outlawaudio.com/home.html has a nice receiver for $499 or a very good processor and amp. For Speakers I was thinking of B&W floor standing speakers http://www.bwspeakers.com I have always been impressed with B&W speakers. Another speaker system I was considering is Magneplanar speakers. http://www.magnepan.com My mother’s husband has had these speakers for years and they are crisp and clear. They have an Internet special where you can get a pair of their smallest speakers the MMG for $500. I would get 5 of these and a nice subwoofer. Planar speakers are noted for their lack of bass. So I just put this out there for comment. Let the opinions fly.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-19-2003 06:53 PM                     Ian, Go Pass Labs all the way for electronics. Check out Dynaudio speakers. They are both among the finest home audio stuff available. If you want to hear whats in the music this stuff is unequaled. www.passlabs.com www.dynaudio.com Mark  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 08-19-2003 06:54 PM                     If you want real HD, you're not going to get it from DLP, LCD or any flat screen stuff --at least for now in the current, overpriced offerings. Some flat screen monitors can hit or slightly surpass the 720p rez spec (1280 X 720 pixels). But I won't be satisfied until they match the 1080 spec (1920 X 1080 pixels). The only flat screen monitors on the market that do that are flat panel computer monitors (that also don't cost anywhere near as much either!). Now if I were going to go out today and spend some serious "Jack" on a television monitor, I would get a really good rear projection HD system. Sure, you'll have to get a semi-truck to deliver it to your house. But those beasts can show 1080HD. And you'll save perhaps a couple extra grand and be able to spend better on things like speakers. There's lots of great A/V receivers out there. Denon, Pioneer, Yamaha, Onkyo --if you're willing to spend more than $800 for a receiver you'll get a pretty damned good "mid-fi" unit. If you can afford over $2,000 for the receiver or controller, then I'm jealous of you. I think the most money on a home theater system should go into the speakers, particularly the sub. With a 19' X 19' room, the even square shape will lend to the slam effect when you put a good sub in the corner. If you put something as big as a 15" or 18" unit in there, you'll need to do a lot to take care of vibrating windows and other objects certain to make rattling noise.  |  IP: Logged Ron Lacheur Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 650 From: British Columbia, Canada Registered: Feb 2002 posted 08-19-2003 07:14 PM                     Yamaha or Denon for the receiver. Toshiba for the display. Paradigm Reference for the speaker system.  |  IP: Logged Josh Jones Redhat Posts: 1207 From: Plano, TX Registered: Apr 2000 posted 08-19-2003 11:31 PM                        WHAT!!! you mean your not installing a complete film chain like I did Josh  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-20-2003 07:58 AM                        Denon? Yamaha? Why not just get a CP500 and be done with it? You can set up custom formats for matrixed Dolby (with or without NR) and use format 10 for 5.1 sound for DVD. In addition to a full-size DLP projector, Ian will definitely want a Sony HDW-M2000, which is the greatest video deck ever (it plays back Beta SP, Beta SX, MPEG IMX, Digi-Beta, and HDCAM, and records HDCAM). He will also need 16mm and 35mm capability (a pair of Kinoton FP-38Es with ISCO lenses would probably be a good choice), complete with SRD, DTS (including 16mm), and SDDS. He can hire Brad or Steve to run the film for him. We will be holding the next F-T gathering in Ian's living room.  |  IP: Logged Ian Price Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1714 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 99 posted 08-20-2003 01:05 PM                     quote: Cost effective!  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 08-21-2003 02:31 AM                        Ian, just get you a bunch of JBL 8340 surround speakers! They sound great and you'd have perfect timbre matching between all speakers. You could get away with as few as 7 of these speakers (left, center, right, left surround, right surround, left EX, right EX). You'll also want a subwoofer. My Velodyne is powered and sounds kick ass. I am quite amazed at how good it sounds. Just go to the store and ask for the same sub I have and they'll know what to bring out. I'll leave the receiver, amps, TV, A/V switcher (I hate using the reciever for this function) and videogame system all up to you.  |  IP: Logged Ian Price Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1714 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-19-2003 07:34 PM                     Ok Mark and Steve, what do you think of the idea of a system that uses JBL 8340 speakers in all locations for a home theatre? At $360 each, they are more affordable that most home theatre speakers. I have looked at Klipsch and found them wanting and too expensive. Actually, I can't believe how bad the entire Klipsch line sounds in the store. I have looked at Energy/Veritas and found them nice sounding but too damn expensive. Magnepan has the MMG for sale for $550 per pair, but I'm sure they will sound good but not play too loud; they max out at about 92db. And they suck down the power too. I'm also just a bit sick of what's out there for HDTV. The Samsung DLP looks great in HD but sucks in SD. The Mitsubishi rear projection look good but will be tweak hogs. And every thing still costs many thousands of dollars. Also I have been to most stereo stores in Santa Rosa and quite a few in San Francisco, why do they all suck so much? I have been to a few stores that shouldn’t even be open they present their products so poorly. One store I was in had damaged goods on the floor. I still don't have a TV.  |  IP: Logged Ron Lacheur Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 650 From: British Columbia, Canada Registered: Feb 2002 posted 11-19-2003 08:39 PM                     Ian did you listen to the Klipsch RF7? Those are really nice speakers.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 11-19-2003 08:56 PM                     Klipsch (any model) = !!! Ian, the 8340 idea was an idea of mine that a few of my friends have set up with great results. You will be pretty happy with it. Add an EV T-880 subwoofer and you'll be damned happy.  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 11-19-2003 09:07 PM                        Personally I like Energy's speakers. I've heard they are less expensive in Canada though. I think you'd be happy with the 8340's though.  |  IP: Logged Aaron Sisemore Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day! Posts: 3061 From: Rockwall TX USA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 11-19-2003 09:42 PM                     Hey Brad, have you ever listened to a pair of Klipschhorns or LaScalas? They may change your mind about 'all' Klipsch products... -Aaron  |  IP: Logged Greg Mueller Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1687 From: Port Gamble, WA Registered: Jun 99 posted 11-19-2003 09:43 PM                        For the plasma screen do a google search for 'Plasma screens" and see what model all the other ones are compared to. That's what I did when I bought my 42" Panasonic. I figure the one they are all compared to is the best. Things might have changed since then but I really am happy with my unit. Prices are coming down too. I sit about 16' from the screen and I find that size to be fine DVD player...this is a shocker but I like the el cheapo $70 Cyber Home 500 because it's really easy to make it "regionless" and honestly it looks as good as the progressive scan Q50 that cost 5X as much that I have. Amp... I like tubes. Dyanco Stero 70 was the one before my pride and joy the McIntosh MC275 that I use now. Any tube amp with BIG transformers will work. I have some Klipsch tower type speakers that handle the Mac just fine and they weren't too expensive. Add a self powered subwoofer (any brand) and you're there Oh....preamp I use an older NAD, cause it is a preamp/tuner combo that can be hard to find  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 11-19-2003 10:16 PM                     Klipschhorns = sound good with certain music and acoustics...certainly not a good choice for movies. LaScalas = major (I have these in one complex and hate them dearly. NO real low end at all and they are overloaded with those "honky" upper bass frequencies. That's not to mention the assinine 7Khz peak they have. But then again, all Klipsch speakers produce about as flat of a frequency response as Ian's ass.)  |  IP: Logged

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