My first "real" home theater.

[Petro]

I've been puttering around with AV gear of one kind or another since I picked up my first Pro-Logic receiver in high school - but I've never really had anything that I'd consider to be a "good" home theater until recently. (I was using a Boston Acoustics Micro 90A sub/sat system with the VR Series dipole surrounds for several years, but they were too weak.)

After doing a little bit of reading, I pieced together the following system (I work for Sony, so some of the choices were heavily influenced by the ability to be purchased at a discount) -

Front Left/Right: Klipsch RF-82
Center Channel: Klipsch RC-62 mounted on tilt/swivel mount over the tv
Rear R/L Channels: Klipsch RS-52
Sub: SVS 20-39 PC-Plus w/ Bettercables interconnect
Receiver: Sony STR-DA3300ES
TV: Sony KDS-60A3000 (60" SXRD)
DVD Player: Oppo 980HD
STB: Moto DHC3416
Line conditioner: Belkin PureAV PF-40
XBox 360 w/ HDMI
Monoprice HDMI cables
Bluejeans 10White speaker cable with locking bananas.

...and in short, it's jaw-droppingly good. After just a couple of hours calibrating and tweaking, I can't believe the quality that I'm able to achieve at home, in terms of image and sound.

I'm currently using a rather inelegant solution for the rear surrounds - they're resting atop some bar stools slightly behind the sofa that comprises my main seating area. They're conveniently equipped with a keyhole for mounting, but doing so would leave the left speaker about 8 feet nearer to the listening position than the right, due to room shape. Would correcting this with the receiver's auto-calibration be enough to render this moot? (I manually re-calibrate levels by hand after it's done, because I'm a control freak like that. But I let the receiver guess distance and set delay.)

And my next step is going to be one of two things - I'm either going to spend a few dollars on some GIK traps, or get a Behringer parametric EQ and digitally try and flatten my room's response. What do you folks think would give me the best result? (I'd like to do both, eventually, but it's just a matter of money.)

And of course, I'll probably cave in and pick up a PS3 later this week. There's just too many good games out for that system now to keep passing on it - and having Blu-Ray is a bonus, too.

Anyway, thanks for the help you folks gave me without even knowing it, before my purchases. And thanks for the help you'll undoubtedly give me in the future, too.


-Pete

 

[Seth=L]

How much can you get the Sony STR-DA3300ES for?

The Onkyo TX-SR805 can be had new for less than $800 and is a much more capable (in terms of power) than an of the present Sony ES models. It doesn't have on board scalers but the Oppo and PS3 will handle that just fine, as well as the Sony TV. Scalers in receivers are overrated IMO, and typically don't render as good of results as seperate upscaling players or the TVs themselves (there are exceptions like the Onkyo TX-SR875 which uses an HQV Reon scaler engine).

And welcome to the forum Petro.

Edit: re-read and saw you already made the purchases. Is it too late to return the Sony AVR?

 

[Petro]

The 3300ES is significantly less than the Onkyo 805 when purchased with the discount.

It's too late to return it, but I'm sure I could resell it without much hassle. That being said, I don't think moving to an 805 at this point would give me enough benefit to be worth the effort. I'd rather focus energies elsewhere and make the jump once there's been an improvement in products that warrants an upgrade. (And when that happens I'll do what I normally do - hand the old receiver off to my brother. He hasn't bought stereo gear in a decade, as a result.)

 

[Seth=L]

The 3300ES is significantly less than the Onkyo 805 when purchased with the discount.

It's too late to return it, but I'm sure I could resell it without much hassle. That being said, I don't think moving to an 805 at this point would give me enough benefit to be worth the effort. I'd rather focus energies elsewhere and make the jump once there's been an improvement in products that warrants an upgrade. (And when that happens I'll do what I normally do - hand the old receiver off to my brother. He hasn't bought stereo gear in a decade, as a result.)

The reason I am recommending the Onkyo over the Sony has nothing to do with Sony quality, I feel their ES line is good quality.

The factor I am looking at is the Klipsch RF-82s, while they are efficient they dip as low as 3.2 ohms in impedance (shown in a bench test, sorry I can't refer to it) and the Sony is not as equipped to handle that low impedance. The Klipsch may sound harsh at higher levels of output or even moderate levels with the Sony. The Onkyo TX-SR805 is 4 ohm rated, a prerequisite of THX Ultra II certification. It also a nearly 20 pound advantage on the Sony, feather-weight vs. heavy-weight.

Now that said, the Sony shouldn't have any problems with the Klipsch, and maybe just adding a power amp for the front channels would a simpilar and more cost effective long term investment (amplifiers don't change much). Emotiva has the RPA-1 for around $700 I think, Audioholics did a very favorable review and the benchtests for that unit are remarkable. It would be sure to handle any impedance tossed at it.

 

[mazersteven]

Congratulations Petro

Looks like a well thought out system you put together for yourself. Hope you get many years of enjoyment out of your system.

Welcome to Audioholics.

 

[3db]

How much can you get the Sony STR-DA3300ES for?

The Onkyo TX-SR805 can be had new for less than $800 and is a much more capable (in terms of power) than an of the present Sony ES models. It doesn't have on board scalers but the Oppo and PS3 will handle that just fine, as well as the Sony TV. Scalers in receivers are overrated IMO, and typically don't render as good of results as seperate upscaling players or the TVs themselves (there are exceptions like the Onkyo TX-SR875 which uses an HQV Reon scaler engine).

And welcome to the forum Petro.

Edit: re-read and saw you already made the purchases. Is it too late to return the Sony AVR?

Seth, he doesn't need the power of an Onkyo. He's got Klipch speakers which could probably fill the room full of sound using an ipod. even with the impedance drop to 3.2 ohms. I run a full sweet of PSBs that are 6 ohms and probablly dip down to 4 with my POS Technics but I don't have a problem because the PSBs are highly efficient. Not Klipsch efficient but efficient. I don't for see the Sony running into problems with such efficient speakers.

 

[Seth=L]

Seth, he doesn't need the power of an Onkyo. He's got Klipch speakers which could probably fill the room full of sound using an ipod. even with the impedance drop to 3.2 ohms. I run a full sweet of PSBs that are 6 ohms and probablly dip down to 4 with my POS Technics but I don't have a problem because the PSBs are highly efficient. Not Klipsch efficient but efficient. I don't for see the Sony running into problems with such efficient speakers.

Refer to post # 4.

 

[Davemcc]

Looks like a nice system you've got. Room treatments are probably a great place to direct you attention soon. GIK has some excellent pricing and are very helpful in the room acoustics forum, but I have heard some complaints about their appearance. I have not seen any of them myself, though. I have seen the Ready Acoustics and Auralex panels and both had a very nice finished appearance.

 

[3db]

Refer to post # 4.

Ahh, right you are!! *L* ...Now do you thing I can squeeze a 4 gauge wire into the headphone jack of my ipod?

 

[Seth=L]

Ahh, right you are!! *L* ...Now do you thing I can squeeze a 4 gauge wire into the headphone jack of my ipod?

Oh you, LOL.

 

[jcPanny]

Nice System

Petro,
Sounds like a great HT. A lot of people spend the same amount of money and end up with Bose cubes.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Nice system and the Sony AVR should serve you well without adding an ext.amp.

I ordered the GIK panels and they made a huge difference but the quality was not what we were looking for. If you have any handyman skills you could make your own and they will be nicer than the GIK panels. I would do this before trying to tame the system with an EQ.

Surrounds can be a bear in the real world. 8 ft difference is a lot but try it by moving out your bar stools and see what it sounds like. I had to use in-ceilings for my surrounds and I am more than pleased with them.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Front Left/Right: Klipsch RF-82
Center Channel: Klipsch RC-62
Rear R/L Channels: Klipsch RS-52
Sub: SVS 20-39 PC-Plus
Receiver: Sony STR-DA3300ES
TV: Sony KDS-60A3000
DVD Player: Oppo 980HD
STB: Moto DHC3416
XBox 360 w/ HDMI
Bluejeans 10White speaker cable with locking bananas.

I LIKE!

All you need soon (or later) is a blu-ray/HD DVD player w/TrueHD & DTS-MA Internal Decoding & send via HDMI to your Sony AVR.

 

[Petro]

I LIKE!

All you need soon (or later) is a blu-ray/HD DVD player w/TrueHD & DTS-MA Internal Decoding & send via HDMI to your Sony AVR.

Hah. On that note, I went ahead and pre-ordered the Samsung BD-UP5000 today from Amazon. I won't have it until 1/16/08 - but I can wait a little bit to be future-proof.

 

[gus6464]

That's an awesome setup you got there. I have been hearing great things about the klipsch RF line recently. People are saying that they are not as overly bright as klipsch is known for. Next time I go to BB I should check them out.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I went ahead and pre-ordered the Samsung BD-UP5000 today from Amazon.

NO. WAIT...

For now, it is pretty much a FACT that the BD-UP5000 will Bitstream DTS-HD MA. Your receiver needs to be able to DECODE DTS-HD MA, which I don't think it can do since it just says "DTS ES, DD EX, etc".

It is still NOT CERTAIN whether the BD-UP5000 will INTERNALLY Decode DTS-HD MA!!!

Unless your receiver can accept DTS-HD MA Bitstream & Decode it, you will not be able to experience DTS-HD MA.

I am HOPING that the BD-UP5000 can INTERNALLY Decode DTS-HD MA since I don't have a receiver that can decode DTS-MA. When news first came out, it was reported that it WOULD be able to INTERNALLY decode DTS-HD MA. Now I am not so certain.

So if the BD-UP5000 can Internally Decode DTS-HD MA, I will also buy one, although I already have both a HD DVD & a BD player.

So if I were you, I would NOT order the BD-UP5000 for now until we have actual facts & not just reports.

 

[Gasman]

So if I were you, I would NOT order the BD-UP5000 for now until we have actual facts & not just reports.

You must remember, not all people think alike.
If the fellow wants HD, then the 5000 is the best and smartest choice right now.
Heck, I wish I could get my hands on one.

As well, remember the part where he says "I work for Sony".
And the part "my brother has not bought stereo equipment for a decade"

Meaning, if needed, and when available, I'm sure he can upgrade (AVR) with little worry.

And his brother would get only a mildly used piece. (wish I were the brother)

 

[Petro]

NO. WAIT...

For now, it is pretty much a FACT that the BD-UP5000 will Bitstream DTS-HD MA. Your receiver needs to be able to DECODE DTS-HD MA, which I don't think it can do since it just says "DTS ES, DD EX, etc".

It is still NOT CERTAIN whether the BD-UP5000 will INTERNALLY Decode DTS-HD MA!!!

Unless your receiver can accept DTS-HD MA Bitstream & Decode it, you will not be able to experience DTS-HD MA.

I am HOPING that the BD-UP5000 can INTERNALLY Decode DTS-HD MA since I don't have a receiver that can decode DTS-MA. When news first came out, it was reported that it WOULD be able to INTERNALLY decode DTS-HD MA. Now I am not so certain.

So if the BD-UP5000 can Internally Decode DTS-HD MA, I will also buy one, although I already have both a HD DVD & a BD player.

So if I were you, I would NOT order the BD-UP5000 for now until we have actual facts & not just reports.

Oh, trust me - that was a consideration on my part.

I see it like this: I can order now, and I won't be billed until the item ships in mid-January. I've canceled pre-orders with Amazon on the day the item was due to ship, without the slightest issue. In addition, ordering now locks me in at this price - but if it gets any lower before shipping, I get the lowest price.

And of course, I've got at least six weeks to clarify exactly what this beast will decode internally.

So, I really can't lose with the pre-order.

 

[Seth=L]

NO. WAIT...

For now, it is pretty much a FACT that the BD-UP5000 will Bitstream DTS-HD MA. Your receiver needs to be able to DECODE DTS-HD MA, which I don't think it can do since it just says "DTS ES, DD EX, etc".

It is still NOT CERTAIN whether the BD-UP5000 will INTERNALLY Decode DTS-HD MA!!!

Unless your receiver can accept DTS-HD MA Bitstream & Decode it, you will not be able to experience DTS-HD MA.

I am HOPING that the BD-UP5000 can INTERNALLY Decode DTS-HD MA since I don't have a receiver that can decode DTS-MA. When news first came out, it was reported that it WOULD be able to INTERNALLY decode DTS-HD MA. Now I am not so certain.

So if the BD-UP5000 can Internally Decode DTS-HD MA, I will also buy one, although I already have both a HD DVD & a BD player.

So if I were you, I would NOT order the BD-UP5000 for now until we have actual facts & not just reports.

Now if you got the Onkyo TX-SR805 this wouldn't be a problem.

Petro, how much can you get the STR-DA4300 for? It decodes the bitstreams.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Now if you got the Onkyo TX-SR805 this wouldn't be a problem.

Petro, how much can you get the STR-DA4300 for? It decodes the bitstreams.

No, please, really, don't get the Onkyo 805 or the Sony 4300.
I don't want ANYONE to experience DTS-MA BEFORE I do.