Advice for a new Home Theater System.

[Pranav Karwa]

Hello everyone,

I'd like to begin by stating at the onset that I am absolutely new and inexperienced with anything remotely to do with a home theatre system. So please bear with my dumb questions.

We are making a new house for which we are planning to have an entertainment room with a home theatre system. This is not a dedicated room as it will have a pool table and a bar so the equipment has to take account of this.

We engaged a consultant but after probing around I am starting to have my doubts on his choices. Below is a list of suggestions he has given, please feel free to advise on anything.

Full HD Projector – Panasonic PTAR100/BenQ1070
Screen to AT6 Fabric 120” – Grandview
Ceiling Mount Kit – Grandview
HDMI Cable – Liberty

Si 28W Inwall Speaker – Extron (5 pieces)
12” Subwoofer – Velodyne
A/V Receiver – Denon

I don’t want to compromise on quality, that being said, since this system will just be used for movies and sports predominantly, I don’t wish to spend any more than necessary. I have budget of $6000-$8000 so please suggest accordingly.

Thanks for all your help in advance.
Pranav

 

[shadyJ]

Yeah, I don't know how much he is asking for that system, but in your budget, you can do waaaaay better if you are willing to put in a little elbow grease by yourself. Weak speakers, mediocre subwoofer, entry level projector.

For the sake of price/performance, skip the AT screen and have stand-alone speakers. Carada has good reasonably priced screens. I would give them a call. Before selecting a screen you will need to know your room's ambient brightness and your projector's brightness. Here is a projector substantially better than the Benq. Look into how to install the screen and projector yourself- its very easy, and you save a ton of money.

For speakers and subs, Hsu will crush Extron and Velodyne in performance for the price. If you absolutely need an in-wall speaker system, look at the HIW speakers. Good performance for a inexpensive price. For subs, get a couple of VTF3 mk5s, that bass system is so far beyond a velodyne of the same price that it is incomparable. Ascend Acoustics also has good and reasonably priced speakers. Denon does have good receivers. For the AVR, I would stick with Denon, Marantz, Yamaha, or Pioneer. I would not get the cheapest model. I would be looking at the $800 models or so. For your HDMI cable, just get the desired length from blue jeans cables. Do your homework on the right ceiling mount for whatever projector you decide on, don't get the cheapest possible projector mount from monoprice, it will end up being a terrible hassle in the long run. For good speaker mounts, get the videosecu side-clamping mounts, these can not be beat for the price.

 

[Seth=L]

Hello everyone,

I'd like to begin by stating at the onset that I am absolutely new and inexperienced with anything remotely to do with a home theatre system. So please bear with my dumb questions.

We are making a new house for which we are planning to have an entertainment room with a home theatre system. This is not a dedicated room as it will have a pool table and a bar so the equipment has to take account of this.

We engaged a consultant but after probing around I am starting to have my doubts on his choices. Below is a list of suggestions he has given, please feel free to advise on anything.

Full HD Projector – Panasonic PTAR100/BenQ1070
Screen to AT6 Fabric 120” – Grandview
Ceiling Mount Kit – Grandview
HDMI Cable – Liberty

Si 28W Inwall Speaker – Extron (5 pieces)
12” Subwoofer – Velodyne
A/V Receiver – Denon

I don’t want to compromise on quality, that being said, since this system will just be used for movies and sports predominantly, I don’t wish to spend any more than necessary. I have budget of $6000-$8000 so please suggest accordingly.

Thanks for all your help in advance.
Pranav

I've "redflagged" the things I noticed that raise some questions and concerns.

Now I'm not aware of the company that manufactures the HDMI cable, but I'm going to guess if a "consultant" recommended it that it is expensive. With HDMI cables expensive does not always equate better quality. As long as the cable is spec'd for your video requirements and can run the length required you don't need to spend a lot of money here.

The consultant recommending in wall speakers is another red flag. I don't know if that's what you initially set out to do and if you did that's fine, but if that was their recommendation based on you telling them that you want a home theater its worth noting they are motivated to do so because the profitability of labor for installation and the likely lower overall cost of in wall speakers is all the incentive they need to recommend them.

 

[Pranav Karwa]

Yeah, I don't know how much he is asking for that system, but in your budget, you can do waaaaay better if you are willing to put in a little elbow grease by yourself. Weak speakers, mediocre subwoofer, entry level projector.

For the sake of price/performance, skip the AT screen and have stand-alone speakers. Carada has good reasonably priced screens. I would give them a call. Before selecting a screen you will need to know your room's ambient brightness and your projector's brightness. Here is a projector substantially better than the Benq. Look into how to install the screen and projector yourself- its very easy, and you save a ton of money.

For speakers and subs, Hsu will crush Extron and Velodyne in performance for the price. If you absolutely need an in-wall speaker system, look at the HIW speakers. Good performance for a inexpensive price. For subs, get a couple of VTF3 mk5s, that bass system is so far beyond a velodyne of the same price that it is incomparable. Ascend Acoustics also has good and reasonably priced speakers. Denon does have good receivers. For the AVR, I would stick with Denon, Marantz, Yamaha, or Pioneer. I would not get the cheapest model. I would be looking at the $800 models or so. For your HDMI cable, just get the desired length from blue jeans cables. Do your homework on the right ceiling mount for whatever projector you decide on, don't get the cheapest possible projector mount from monoprice, it will end up being a terrible hassle in the long run. For good speaker mounts, get the videosecu side-clamping mounts, these can not be beat for the price.

Thanks for the help!

I think I forgot to mention one crucial detail. I am from India, which means most niche brands are not available here. I am more than happy to dig in but most of the better reviewed/suggested products are not in the market. This is the reason I am stuck with relatively known/commercial brands.

Can you help explain on what is wrong with the AT screen? Is it just the loss in colour or some other reason as well. Also, given that this is not a dedicated home theater room, I would prefer in-wall speakers which would go well with AT screens. But do you absolutely recommend stand alone speakers and some other screen?

Thanks again for taking time out to help!!

 

[Pranav Karwa]

I've "redflagged" the things I noticed that raise some questions and concerns.

Now I'm not aware of the company that manufactures the HDMI cable, but I'm going to guess if a "consultant" recommended it that it is expensive. With HDMI cables expensive does not always equate better quality. As long as the cable is spec'd for your video requirements and can run the length required you don't need to spend a lot of money here.

The consultant recommending in wall speakers is another red flag. I don't know if that's what you initially set out to do and if you did that's fine, but if that was their recommendation based on you telling them that you want a home theater its worth noting they are motivated to do so because the profitability of labor for installation and the likely lower overall cost of in wall speakers is all the incentive they need to recommend them.

Thanks for the advice Seth!

Like i mentioned, this is not a dedicated home theater room so for the sake of aesthetics I did not mind in-wall speakers, though this was told to me to be much better (clearly not given your statement). Is there truly such a huge difference between in-wall vs stand-speakers? In-wall is a slight compromise given my lack of space in the room.

 

[Seth=L]

Thanks for the advice Seth!

Like i mentioned, this is not a dedicated home theater room so for the sake of aesthetics I did not mind in-wall speakers, though this was told to me to be much better (clearly not given your statement). Is there truly such a huge difference between in-wall vs stand-speakers? In-wall is a slight compromise given my lack of space in the room.

The difference is massive. Another drawback of in-wall speakers is you have zero flexibility. Once they're in the wall that's where they stay, so if it turns out they sound terrible you're just stuck with it.

Freestanding speakers can be moved and position tweaked to get the best sound. I would argue even modestly priced speakers would be an improvement over very expensive in-walls just for that reason alone. Thats not to say there are not good in-wall speakers available, but generally they're not as practical as most would like.

 

[shadyJ]

+1 on the above. You can get better performance for a lower price by using stand alone speakers over in-walls.

 

[Pranav Karwa]

Free standing speakers it is!

Also, given the dearth of companies dealing in audio equipment available in India, any suggestions on more commercial brands that you guys recommend?

Screens and Projectors are relatively easier to narrow (in my limited opinion). I'll just look at reviews and stats. But speakers are another story as there are too many options out there. Any idea on what/how to look for speakers?

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[shadyJ]

For speakers and subs, you might look at Klipsch Reference or Klipsch THX stuff. KEF and Monitor Audio are also decent brands that have wide availability. You might think about using some live audio speakers, like some Behringer 215XLs if they are available there. Those are cheap and very effective for use behind an AT screen.

 

[Pranav Karwa]

For speakers and subs, you might look at Klipsch Reference or Klipsch THX stuff. KEF and Monitor Audio are also decent brands that have wide availability. You might think about using some live audio speakers, like some Behringer 215XLs if they are available there. Those are cheap and very effective for use behind an AT screen.

Thanks shadyJ!
Will get back in a couple of weeks when I have narrowed down upon a more. Travelling so won't be able to give proper time for a few days.