New Bedroom HT System.

[johnb554]

Hey everyone. This is my first ever post here so i thought that i would make it fancy with lots of pictures and stuff.

First things first, About me....

-I am 16 years old.
-Currently attending high school.
-I live with my parents.
-I live in Calgary, AB, Canada.
-My name is John.


Ok now we can get started on the new system.

Equipment List: (Its not the greatest but this is only my second component system)

- Pioneer 7.1 channel XM Ready surround reciever. (vsx-816)
- Pair of JBL Northridge E series E-30 speakers (Front)
- 4X JBL Surround Cinema Series speakers (Side + Rear)
- 1X JBL Surround Cinema Series center speaker
- 1X 150 watt JBL Cinema Series Sub woofer.
- Acer 32" 1080p LCD HDTV
- Customized Media Center PC (Serves as desktop pc and media center)
- XBOX 360 Premium Console
- XBOX 360 HD-DVD player

*SOON TO COME*> Sony DVPC995V 400 Disc Up-converting DVD/CD player
(Waiting for it on my birthday which is in May)

*******Pictures*********


Pic of pioneer receiver.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a315/johnb554/DSCF7688.jpg

Photo of front channel speaker (E-30)
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a315/johnb554/DSCF7651.jpg

Photo of side surround speaker mounted on the wall. both the side speakers and rear speakers are identical. 3 way design with 2 mid range drivers and a tweeter.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a315/johnb554/DSCF7666.jpg

JBL Sub
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a315/johnb554/DSCF7668.jpg
Back of JBL Sub
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a315/johnb554/DSCF7669.jpg

Media Center PC
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a315/johnb554/DSCF7675.jpg

TV hooked up to media center PC
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a315/johnb554/DSCF7658.jpg

XBOX 360 with its HD-DVD player by its side
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a315/johnb554/DSCF7659.jpg

Close up of HD-DVD player
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a315/johnb554/DSCF7662.jpg


Here is really mutated pictures taken with an extremely wide angle/distorted/fisheye lens to try to show the whole room.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a315/johnb554/DSCF7682.jpg

As you can see, my working space is quite small and I may not have the most expensive equipment but im pretty sure that most people would agree that i did a good job making everything work seamlessly in such a small space. Everything sounds loud, clear, realistic and accurate. I used JBL speakers on my last 2 channel setup and I use them every day in my car and so far, i am very happy with them so i decided to choose JBL again for my surround system. It was a good decision because they make some pretty good sounding speakers. Looks can be deceiving, these speakers can pump out a crap load of volume with very low distortion levels.


Please tell me what you think!!!

John.

[Bryce_H]

Looks great and welcome to the addiction :rolleyes:

[riceaterslc]

not bad at all!

[Seth=L]

The TV is very nice, much nicer than any TV I have ever owned.;)

[johnb554]

The TV is very nice, much nicer than any TV I have ever owned.;)

I have to agree. it is a pretty damn nice TV. The only reason I bought it was because there was a major sale price on it. The original price was about 1500-1800 dollars. i got it for 700 and i even got a free 3 year warranty plan. then i told the lady that i cant carry it home and she delivered it for free too.
I was happy.

John

[Seth=L]

I have to agree. it is a pretty damn nice TV. The only reason I bought it was because there was a major sale price on it. The original price was about 1500-1800 dollars. i got it for 700 and i even got a free 3 year warranty plan. then i told the lady that i cant carry it home and she delivered it for free too.
I was happy.

John
That is the best Deal I have ever seen on a 1080p LCD, good job man.:)

[johnb554]

Best part about it.

Brand new in box....

I am not a huge fan of used stuff.


John

[Seth=L]

Best part about it.

Brand new in box....

I am not a huge fan of used stuff.


John
I am a huge fan of used stuff. I have all kinds of used stuff. I hit up Pawn shops for deals.:D

[emorphien]

I am a huge fan of used stuff. I have all kinds of used stuff. I hit up Pawn shops for deals.:D

I'm iffy on it. Bought some things used but have had enough problems with used that it really depends on what it is and my mood about it. Most of what I have bought used I can't buy new anymore (old camera bodies and lenses).

[johnb554]

Yeah i have not had good experinces with used stuff in the past so i just go brand new.

To me, buying used sound equipment is like buying used shoes.
Not always the case but from my experiences, it has been.

Anyways, back to comments on my setup...Anyone have any suggestions that i could use to improve things???


John

[avliner]

Hi John,

welcome to the forum & congrats on your system. very nice!!

Wish I could have 50% of what you've now when I was 16 though...

Cheers & enjoy it!

[johnb554]

Thanks, I see that you also use JBL speakers. They are pretty sweet.


Long Live JBL

[westcott]

Welcome to Audioholics.

I have always been a fan of JBL so your system is quite alright with me!!

Hope you stick around.

[johnb554]

I got a good deal on my speakers too. It seems like im getting good deals on a lot of stuff but i need to find some more money before I go crazy with buying things again.

I don't even have a job....

[hyghwayman]

Hi John,
Just got a chance to look at your set up and must say it looks very nice.

You asked for input so here it comes. You may want to try putting your L/F speaker on the top of your computer stand. It may sound better there or it might not, just a thought.

Enjoy that awsome system you have,
hyghwayman

[nasd90]

John,

Great setup, very nice.

One question though...

Why do you need this: DVPC995V 400 Disc Up-converting DVD/CD player ??

Let me elaborate. You already have a WMC PC running (as do I) so you could rip all your CD's to mp3, if in fact the reason you are getting the 400 disc changer (didn't know they made these things anymore)... OR if it's because it 'up-converts', or really up-samples your XBOX HD-DVD player will do a better job up-sampling. Hence, my question above.


Nick

[johnb554]

John,

Great setup, very nice.

One question though...

Why do you need this: DVPC995V 400 Disc Up-converting DVD/CD player ??

Let me elaborate. You already have a WMC PC running (as do I) so you could rip all your CD's to mp3, if in fact the reason you are getting the 400 disc changer (didn't know they made these things anymore)... OR if it's because it 'up-converts', or really up-samples your XBOX HD-DVD player will do a better job up-sampling. Hence, my question above.


Nick

Well i already have my collection of 30 000 + songs on the media center but i am getting the changer for a few reasons.

1. I want somthing to put my collection of cds/dvds in that arent on the computer.

2. Because of all of the hardware upgrades in the media center pc, it is very noisy and if i wanted to listen to cds as background music in a quiet room, it just doesnt work. it bothers me a lot at night time.

3. Because i am always using my computer for somthing, its hard to have a good interface to control my songs with. its difficult to have explorer, microsoft office, uTorrent, messenger AND have media center running on the tv.

4. This may sound stupid but.... Because i can...and im not paying for it.

5. Its cool


John

[WorldLeader]

Greetings from another fellow 16 year old! :)

I think you have your system planned out well, and you have made good use of your space. I know what you mean about noisy computers, my old PC was very loud before I made the switch and got an iMac.

I think my room and music setup has yours beat, but your TV, media center, and everything else owns my setup. Maybe someday I'll upgrade my 13" RCA CRT :rolleyes:

Best of luck!

[johnb554]

Greetings from another fellow 16 year old! :)

I think you have your system planned out well, and you have made good use of your space. I know what you mean about noisy computers, my old PC was very loud before I made the switch and got an iMac.

I think my room and music setup has yours beat, but your TV, media center, and everything else owns my setup. Maybe someday I'll upgrade my 13" RCA CRT :rolleyes:

Best of luck!

Yeah. This computer is hella loud. It was quiet when i bought it but then i decided to add stuff

first it was some more ram

then a hard drive or 2

oh look its overheating, lets add more fans

then an nvidia 8800 GT wich has a fan too

a sweet sound card

o look, we have another overheating problem, maybe i should uipgrade to water cooling

and thats pretty much where it is now and the sound is not pretty. i gotta do somthing about it.


John

[rdb4133]

Wow! All of that at 16! That's crazy. When I was 16 I had a 19" Standard TV, Playstation 1, a 15" CRT Monitor & fairly basic PC and pretty crappy Mini-Shelf system! Can't imagine what you'll have in 10 years! LOL ;)

[westcott]

Very nice. When I was your age, all I had was a Mc Donald clock stereo that I hooked up to some Fisher speakers, via a cracked case and disconnected internal speakers.

Great hardware.

My only suggestion is that you visit this site I have linked before spending your birthday money on the Sony DVD player. There are some much better performing units out there for the same price or less.

DVD Player Shootout (http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all)

This site also has some great information on video and audio performance.

[johnb554]

THanks for the comment and the link. i appreciate it..

the only reason i stuck to this player was because of the huge capacity. i wanted to be able to keep all my cd's in one place.

For dvd/bluray/hd dvd, i now have an LG multi drive that works great!

John

[johnb554]

test test test

[Seth=L]

THanks for the comment and the link. i appreciate it..

the only reason i stuck to this player was because of the huge capacity. i wanted to be able to keep all my cd's in one place.

For dvd/bluray/hd dvd, i now have an LG multi drive that works great!

John
Combo drive for the computer?

[johnb554]

Combo drive for the computer?

nope... its a standalone unit

this guy right here
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10085191&catid=25325&logon=&langid=EN&MSCSProfile=3C79F0C7EA3162B2F92BD3A1477EAC01006D3C B8C6A4CFEEB541BB26F5C203F94BB700C41B73AAA779962F53 7DAF6E26CA63C1D25A424D528C3F13C1EC52FA6183F53A7D78 7BAEA176DC2750B6D2078A8072D9D2B6C38509CEAA6C488A1A 99D0418550FB2F698B42CAE4DFBCC6666C133A11E977A5A333 2D

[Seth=L]

nope... its a standalone unit

this guy right here
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10085191&catid=25325&logon=&langid=EN&MSCSProfile=3C79F0C7EA3162B2F92BD3A1477EAC01006D3C B8C6A4CFEEB541BB26F5C203F94BB700C41B73AAA779962F53 7DAF6E26CA63C1D25A424D528C3F13C1EC52FA6183F53A7D78 7BAEA176DC2750B6D2078A8072D9D2B6C38509CEAA6C488A1A 99D0418550FB2F698B42CAE4DFBCC6666C133A11E977A5A333 2D
LOL, it doesn't play CDs.:D Sorry, had to do it.;)

[johnb554]

LOL, it doesn't play CDs.:D Sorry, had to do it.;)

lol, yup. thats the sad part... but thats where the sony 400 disc changer comes in.. lol

i kinda like havin bluray and hd dvd in one machine. i cant complain

[Alex2507]

Nice set up. If you're looking for ways to improve anythig regarding A/V I think you're at the right place. After doing some reading here I'm trying to figure out ways to incorparate sound panels into my living room without my girlfriend flipping out. At 16 I would assume that you're not shacking up just yet. You can do whatever you want in there. From what I understand room acoustics are suppose to be huge.

Calgary rocks! I graduated from Bishop Grandin in '83. I loved it in Cow Town. To this day I tell people about the "Canadian Rockys".

Why do all the trees in Calgary point north?
Cause Edmonton sucks! LOL!:D

[Sheep]

Are your computer speakers the X230s or X530s? I have the 230s and couldn't be happier with them.

You should move your left front up on the top shelf so it matches your right. How big is the room anyway? lookin good!

SheepStar

[johnb554]

Are your computer speakers the X230s or X530s? I have the 230s and couldn't be happier with them.

You should move your left front up on the top shelf so it matches your right. How big is the room anyway? lookin good!

SheepStar

Heh, that PC is now long gone... they WERE x230's but i gave the whole system to my mother, including speakers... Just built a new gaming PC and i've got it hooked up through toslink to the reciever. no need for speakers!!!

The room itself is pretty small but we finally got the plans back for our new house wich we will hopefully be getting built and moving into mid next year.
My future room will be 2 rooms kinda attached if you can imagine. one side will be just the bedroom and the other will have a sofa and my HT setup. should be really nice, lookin forward to it ;)

As for the new PC goes, heres some eye candy:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a315/johnb554/IMG_3960.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a315/johnb554/IMG_3956.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a315/johnb554/IMG_3954.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a315/johnb554/IMG_3950.jpg

as for the monitor.. its a 24" LG flatron, but ive got no pics of it for now. Also hooked up to the LCD TV of course :)

[acidzerocool]

Very nice setup wish I had a setup like that when I was 16?!?!?!?!