Home theater/surround sound help

[07ROUSHSTG3]

I am in the very early stages of planning the setup for my soon to be built living room. haven't paid any attention to the audio video game for a while so I have no idea where to start. i have a cheap little system in my existing living room which will be staying there because that is being made into a bar. It is the dvd/tuner/amplifier/ all in one. It worked ok the couple times that I used it, but I want something very nice for the new room. I do not want spend a fortune, but again I want something nice. what brands are out there? i was always a kenwood guy, but it doesn't look like they make anything anymore for the home?!??!

[PureSound15]

What's your budget?

[Crawlin]

My setup...

Mitsu HC1500 - $700
Custom Made Screen - $200
Home Theater PC - $600
Logitech Z5500 - $100 (new they were like $300 i think)

So for under $2000, I have a 96" screen that has awesome picture/color, and a surround sound that's awesome that is as loud as I could ever need :)

You could upgrade bits and pieces, like a blueray player in the PC for better pic, but that projector is only 720p anyways. So you could upgrade that too for one that is 1080p.

[07ROUSHSTG3]

What's your budget?

not sure, alot depends on the tv i go with. would like to stick around $3000. could i get a decent setup for that? $5,000 with the tv would be perfect. i want to go no smaller than 60" on that.

[British_Ben]

My setup...

Mitsu HC1500 - $700
Custom Made Screen - $200
Home Theater PC - $600
Logitech Z5500 - $100 (new they were like $300 i think)

So for under $2000, I have a 96" screen that has awesome picture/color, and a surround sound that's awesome that is as loud as I could ever need :)

You could upgrade bits and pieces, like a blueray player in the PC for better pic, but that projector is only 720p anyways. So you could upgrade that too for one that is 1080p.

You can't beat your setup for the money. I have the same speakers and they really are amazing but not all that home theater friendly due to lack of inputs. I'm thinking about getting an optical switch.

[British_Ben]

not sure, alot depends on the tv i go with. would like to stick around $3000. could i get a decent setup for that? $5,000 with the tv would be perfect. i want to go no smaller than 60" on that.

This should be pretty easy to do. I would do an Onkyo receiver with a well matched speaker system, or an all Onkyo system. Denon receivers are really nice, but pricey. Onkyo is good quality for the money in my opinion.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&Manufactory=8404&N=50008404&SpeTabStoreType=0

For the TV, I would do a newer Samsung Plasma at what ever inches you are looking for.

This is a nice TV, but over the budget you stated. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889102185 It's a good deal though, marked down from $4799 to $3099.

Just my $.02.

[07ROUSHSTG3]

any features that one should not go without? reading the spec sheets looks like jargin to me. what would you guys consider to be an important option?

[Got Boost]

Alot of people use the Onkyo 806 reciever ... It will process all the audio codecs 640@ amazon ,,, Since you like to play video games , maybe a PS3 since it can play DVDs and Blu-Ray ..Speakers you should really listen to before you buy ..You should be able to do the sound and Blu-Ray for well under 3k with this reciever ... I know other people will chime in also , these are just suggestions ..I have way too much in a Home Theater but it provides great enterainment .. MY .02

[British_Ben]

any features that one should not go without? reading the spec sheets looks like jargin to me. what would you guys consider to be an important option?

I'm not really sure on that, for basic HD movie viewing and video games, the 806 should have it all covered. It can decode almost everything. HDMI inputs are important since you will probably use the receiver to switch everything and use the tv as a monitor. The 806 has 5 HDMI 1.3a inputs.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882120109

If I recall correctly Williamz knows a lot about this stuff. Maybe shoot him a pm?

[07ROUSHSTG3]

what do you guys think of definitive technology speakers? the guy at work swears by them. cannot really find any reviews online for any of them.

[PureSound15]

No-name speakers either sound absolutely amazing (because the company hasn't "taken off" yet and is still dumping money into the product and isn't worried about having a killer margin) or they sound like complete shit.

I have had so many home theater setups and I think the one I have currently is not only the best sounding but also happens to be the cheapest. My front towers and rear are made by a company called Fluance - which are cheap! When I bought them I put them right next to my Boston VR3 (NICE towers) and to be completely honest... for 1/8 of the cost they sound absolutely amazing.

Put the most money into your center channel - but depending on how picky your ear is, it might bother you to have different charectorisitics from a center than you do from your towers (some say that your center should ALWAYS be made by the same manufacturer as your other speakers, I disagree). 90% of your sound comes from the center for movies and TV - vs 0% if you're listing to music in the natural mode; stereo.

I really like the Fluance stuff - great stuff and I'd buy it again. They only make the speakers and a subwoofer. I haven't heard their sub, though. I have a Boston Acoustics center and an ADS sub and wouldn't trade either of them for anything else (other than a JL sub).

The reciever is hit and miss. HDMI switching receivers SUCKED until this past year - Onkyo seemed to have it down first but I'm a fan of Denon products.

How big is the room that you're using?

[Russ Jerome]

I've got a Samsung suround/tuner/DVD/ect that matchs the
Samsung plasma, I can bow my windows out of the house
with crystal clear sound, pretty low budget I thought.

I can put Coyote howling videos in and our cat hides...thats
pretty clear!

[07ROUSHSTG3]

How big is the room that you're using?

i don't have the plans in front of me, but i will check when i get home. it is not going to be huge.

[Crawlin]

that will depends on how much sound/size of speakers as well as TV size.

right now, my 12'x14' room(if that big) and that 96" screen, it's a bit big, hahaha. but it's awesome :)

[SlowMotion]

I have all definitive technology speakers in my home setup. If you are interested in hearing them in true form, please pm me and stop by to check out how they perform.

Definitive Solo L/C/R
Definitive Gem L/R surrounds
Definitive 12" Powered subwoofer
Marantz SR7002 AVR
Sony Blu Ray S-550
Pioneer Elite Plasma 50"

Let me know....

[Reverend Cooper]

i have onkyo downstairs and denon upstairs,the onkyo sound great but does not get as loud as the denon,the denon threw the jbl's upstairs is retarded at high volumes

[07ROUSHSTG3]

thanks guys, especially Got Boost, for all the tips so far! slowmotion thanks for the offer, and I may take you up on that.

the room is going to be almost 20' x 20'. again, i don't have the exacts in front of me but it will be almost around 400 square feet.

what is a comparable Denon reciever to the Onkyo 806??

[TraceDaddy]

I have a complete Denon setup downstaris and it's awesome. I'll have to check the model number. I don't remember anymore.

I just bought a Sony system for upstairs that has a wireless connection to the rear speakers. That was especially nice for the way my room is set up. That system was a silly low price at American and sounds pretty damn good as well.

[WilliamZ]

This is the least expensive Denon piece that handles all your HD sound. It is a great unit and I can get you one if you like. http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/4560.asp I have installed quite a few of these and I use one myself.

[badass88gt]

You can also check ShopOnkyo.com, thats where I bought my home theater Onkyo setup. I really like it, but I would like a better sub.

[07ROUSHSTG3]

well just a little update. the addition is coming along nicely. the inspector was there today, the insulators are supposed to be there tomorrow, the hvac guys are finishing up this afternoon, and the electrical just needs to be hooked up in the basement. I spent my friday night and saturday morning running my speaker wires and placing electrical boxes where the speakers will mount. I also placed an outlet and an HDMI plug up the wall a little ways, incase i ever mount the tv on the wall. we picked up a nice stand for everything and as of right now, I am planning on using that. should look pretty nice and professional when all is done. behind the stand will be my speaker jacks, one for left, and one for right. under my left one will be the cable jack, under my right one will be the HDMI jack, and the the outlet will be next to those on the other side of the stud.

My home theater budget did take a large hit last month when we ended up needing to buy a new washer/dryer combo. ended up spending $2000 on that =(. here is what i ended up with getting, and while it is not as much as I originally wanted, I think it will suffice. For the tv, I went with this: http://reviews.pricegrabber.com/plasma-lcd-televisions/m/51846538/

i ended up paying $1599 for the tv, and that includes 2 years parts and service. was very pleased with the black level on it when comparing it to other tv's. when it came to the reciever and the surround sound I also ended up going a bit cheaper than i had wanted too. i had a real hard time convincing the wife to spend big bucks, when we never used the setup that we have currently. I went with this: http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?m=HT-S6100&class=Systems&p=i
http://www.productwiki.com/onkyo-ht-s6100/

kind of the best of both worlds. a pretty decent reviever with upscaling, 4 hdmi's, and a lot of power, and some decent sounding speakers, and the easy setup and one stop shopping of a HTIB. I told myself that i was not going to go with a HTIB, but I guess after looking into it, it seems that it is more or less an sr606 with some decent onkyo speakers and an IPOD dock. I paid $649 for the setup. that also includes 2 years parts and service. I picked the theater system up on saturday to measure the speakers before putting up my electrical boxes and am getting pretty antsy now. planning on picking up a PS3 for a blu ray player as soon as the room is complete.

[07ROUSHSTG3]

thought that i would add that all this stuff including the wife's washer and dryer and the 37" Toshiba that we are currently using in our soon to be bar, was purchased from "Rays TV and Appliance" in Fond du lac.