AV room set up help

[tikboy1010]

Dear guys,

I would like to ask for some help with the AV Room I am planning on building.

For starters, the dimension of the room will be a finished Length of 5.4 Meters and a width of 4.8 meters. This room will have no windows so ambient light will not be problem. I have been told that the squarish dimensions of the room would not be optimal for listening to audio. I hope you guys can guide me on how to configure the shape of the room for me to enjoy a future audiophile set up.

Initially, I am planning on building a set up for watching movies and playing video games on. I have been in contact with a few equipment providers. I will be listing below the choices they have given me.

1. Projector
- Mitsubishi HC 6800
- Mitsubishi HC 7000
- Panasonic AE 4000
- Panasonic AE 3000
- Epson 8500

I read yesterday about dust blobs on projector setups, is this a normal problem? Should I just go with a flat screen tv?

2. Screen
- Stewart LX092 92" motorized film screen
- DA Lite motorized film screen

3. Reciever/Amplifier
- Lexicon RV 5
- Anthem AVM 50V2
- NAD 747
- NAD 785
- NAD 775
- Denon 4810
- Onkyo TXNR 5007

4. Left and Right Front speakers
- Focal - JM LAB Chorus 836V
- Klipsch RF 63
- Klipsch RF 83
- B&W CM 9

5. Center speaker
- Focal - JM LAB Chorus CC800V
- Klipsch RC 64
- B&W CM Center 2

6. 2 or 3 pairs rear surround channel speakers
- Focal -JM Labs SR700V
- Klipsch RS 62
- B&W CM5

7. Subwoofer
- Focal - JM Lab Chorus SW800V
- Klipsch RW 12D
- B&W ASW 12CM

These are the options which is being offered to me. Please let me know what I will be needing and what equipment you would suggest based on experience or what you have heard.

In the beginning, I wanted to have the speakers in wall, I was however discouraged by people by telling me that this would not sound good. Can you guys comment on this? I was looking at getting B&W CT700 series speakers for this.

Any suggestions would be highly appreciated.

Thanks very much.

 

[jostenmeat]

1. The Epson 8500 will most likely offer you the best black levels. The AE4000 will give you the most features. The Mits 7000 will most likely be sharpest, as it is DLP. DLP is typically much more limited in placement flexibility. Dust blobs happen with LCD. They improve the sealing to help minimize. Inorganic LCD panels will last longer.

The Pana is the obvious pick with CIH, and I go with Epson otherwise, if only for their excellent black levels for the dollar, historically. Please note that I am not extremely up to date on this stuff. The Mits is the oldest of these three, but wouldn't surprise me if it was the brightest. The remaining two are superceded items, and should not at all be considered as candidates.

2. Why motorized? Tab tensioned?

Fixed: Carada. Acoustically Transparent: Seymour (after I do some research on smx, otherwise). Supersized screen : Dalite High Power (especially if using high contrast/low lumen PJ like JVC).

3. Wow. Uh. Since you don't list a single thing that you need, what are we supposed to say ? ? ? ? ? ? Bang for buck? Well, if it's bang for buck, I would get a $300-600 receiver to act as pre/pro, and add an outboard amplifier.

4. I vote for none of the above. Try some commercial type speakers, since this is not for music anyways, but HT and video games. Look at JTR and Seaton for starters.

5. Ditto

6. Ditto

7. Ditto


Going in-wall is something you do when it's absolutely necessary. Why would you want to spend so much more to get so much less?

Otherwise, it CAN sound good as in-walls (you just pay a whole lot more to get that quality). Check out Triad, perhaps James.

 

[tikboy1010]

Dear Jostenmeat

Thank you very much for your feedback.

Being a newbie that I am, I have a hard time knowing what I need and what I want. There are things that I see in the technical specs of the components I look at and they are all Greek to me. I do not understand Ohms or watts or crossover and stuff, so I really beg for your patience.

I would like a system wherein I can be happy watching movies like 300, Saving Private Ryan, Pirates of the Caribbean etc. at the same time enjoy watching concerts by Bocelli, Eagles and maybe even Streisand. I would really appreciate it if you can tell me about your systems you are very happy with, what speakers you got, what projector, screen and recievers. Or maybe what you would change if you got the chance.

1. Projector - being a room with no windows, would I need a very high contrast ratio? high Lumens?

2. Screen - with the room being what it is, do I need a white, grey, silver screen? I need to have it Motorized due to the demands of my better half. What are the disadvantage of having a motorized screen. So sorry, I have never owned a projector nor screen before. Thanks for your comments and suggestions.

3. Reciever - I want a reciever which can both be used for watching action movies at the same time sound good listening to audio. Does such a reciever exist? or am I dreaming? I plan on building a dedicated audio set up in the future, as soon as I can afford it.

4. Speakers and Sub - I realize that there is no limit to the amount I can spend on these, but like everyone else, my wife imposed a budget hehehehehe. I want quatlity speakers that will serve me well for at least 5 years before the need to upgrade arises. I do not like listening to speakers which sound sharp and thin. Though I was told that this is a combination of a lot of factors, I would want my speakers to be able to sound great with music ( I prefer listening to vocals and broadway songs like songs from Les Mis, Phantom of the Opera, Wicked etc.) At the same time serve its primary purpose which is to have kickass sound when I watch movies and play video games.


Thank you very much for your patience and understanding.

 

[tikboy1010]

Dear Jostenmeat,

Are both the Epson and Panasonic projectors I mentioned LCD? Since they are newer models, are they better sealed? do they have inorganic LCD panels? With the Mitsubishi being DLP would it be safe to say that dust blobs will not happen with this projector? With the room dimensions that I have, will the limited placement flexibility be a factor?

Sorry but what is CIH? If you were buying, which would you get with the room that I have? 5.3 Meters Length/4.8 meters wide and 3.1 meters high with no windows.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Room dimensions ~ 18 ft x 16 ft x 10 ft Ceiling.

I wouldn't mind just getting an 82" Mitsubishi DLP for $3,500 (free S/H):

http://www.amazon.com/Mitsubishi-WD-82737-82-Inch-1080p-Theater/dp/B001XUR5FY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258647015&sr=8-2

Denon 4810 for $2,200 (free S/H):

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B002PHM9JQ/ref=ord_cart_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=A2PHFWTMJR7U2J&v=glance

I don't like speakers in walls either.

Have to auditioned these speakers?

When it comes to speakers, it is absolutely important that to actually listen to them or at least be able to return them if you don't like what you hear in your home.

 

[AVRat]

Many people would be envious of the allowance your spouse is giving you! What country do you live in? Even in that room, the Denon 4310/Onkyo 3007 should be plenty sufficient. For a room that size, you could also go with a larger, at least 110", screen. You'll also want to work acoustic room treatments into the budget as well.

Contrast is a ratio between light and dark. For the best picture you want a high contrast ratio for the best difference between bright whites and the deepest blacks. It is obtained by a good projector/screen combination. In a dark, smaller room like yours, the proj. doesn't need to be as bright, higher lumen output, nor do you need a higher gain screen. With any of these projectors, a white screen with a 1.0/1.1 gain is sufficient.

You'll probably want to stay away from Klipsch unless you put in some decent sound treatments.

 

[tikboy1010]

Dear guys,

Thank you very much for all your comments and suggestions.

It is very hard to get to audition systems for my room, as there are very few people in the Philippines who set up systems for video, most of the people I know are all audiophiles/2 channellers. And most of the dealers do not have audition areas.

There is however a system I got to watch and listen to last weekend and am adding it to the short list of systems that I want. I forgot the other components but the Left and Right speakers were Focal JM Labs 1027S and the center was the Focal JM Labs CC1000S. Can you guys tell me something about these speakers? I found them great listening to Bocelli but a little bit too expensive.

I have practically narrowed the list down and would appreciate further assistance from all you good people on what I should go for.

1. Projector
- Mistubishi 6800
- Panasonic AE4000


2. Screen
- Stewart - is it important to pay big bucks for the motorized projector screen that I am getting? or should I go with Da Lite or Elite which is far cheaper.

3. Left and Right Front speakers
- Focal JM Labs 1027S
- B&W CT 700 7.3 - this is my first choice as I really prefer to have my home theater speakers hidden. I just need to know if these speakers are worth the price.

4. Surround speakers
- Focal JM Labs SR800V
- B&W CT 700 7.5

5. Subwoofers
- Focal JM Labs SW 700V
- B&W CT SW12

6. Reciever
- NAD T785
- Lexicon RV 5 - I noticed that this reciever does not do DTS HD, should this be a problem?
- Anthem AVM 50v - I was told that that I would need a pre amp for this, would it be a good idea to go separates for an AV room? would this be worth the additional costs?


If we decide on hiding the speakers, would you suggest the B&W CT series? Who can I ask on the design of the cabinets? Is there a special material I should use for the cabinets? I would really appreciate any input from people who have had experience on these speakers. Do they sound well enough to be considered?

I know that there are more speakers in the market, too much in fact that I get dizzy researching everything. However, my main problem is the availability of dealers for these speakers. I do not think Speakercraft has a dealer here, I have written Triad to inquire on who their dealers are but no response as of yet. There are people who do Paradigm, Polk audio and Klipsch here but they cannot answer my questions on inwall speakers as they claim they do not have enough experience with these kind of speakers. So any of you guys who have used these, please chime in.

Thank you again for all your emails and suggestions.

 

[tikboy1010]

Dear AV Rat,

I've been very good, hehehehehe, ergo wife happy.

What sound treatment should I get? Since this room will also be my audio room in the future, is there such a thing as room treatment for video clashing with audio?

Hear you on the Klipsch.

Best regards

 

[AVRat]

The Da-Lite High Contrast Cinema Vision screen should work very nicely.

For your room, you could use the Focal 1007Ss and still have excellent audio output.

The CT 700 series isn’t exactly an in-wall speaker unless you have deep walls (270mm). I’m sure it would sound great but its use is more for very custom installs.

Don’t care for those sub options as they don’t seem to extend very well down to the 20 Hz area.

mike_c is a member/moderator who lives in the Manila area and may be willing to provide some help as he has built a nice HT and has an extensive sub collection.

 

[tikboy1010]

Dear AV Rat,

What subwoofers do you recommend? Are your DA Lite screens motorized? I will try to contact Mike. Thank you.

 

[tikboy1010]

Dear guys,

Just came from an audition. Here is the system:

1. Projector - Mitsubishi 5500/ the 6800 was not availalble for viewing.
2. Screen Stewart
3. Left and Right speakers - Focal JM Labs 1027S
4. Center - Focal JM Labs CC1000s
5. Surrounds - Focal JM Labs SR800V
6. Subs - Focal JM Labs SW 800v
7. Reciever - Rotel RSX - 1550

I really enjoyed watching Spiderman 3 with the system. I am sold with the system for watching movies like Saving Private Ryan and such. My only problem is that when I started listening to Bocelli in Tuscany, I felt like the voices plateaus/or thins when they started singing high notes. When I asked the guys why this was, they said that it may be due to a lot of reasons, namely the speaker wire, or the power of the reciever, which was around 100watts. They suggested I go separates?

Questions:

1. Would it help if we used a stronger reciever? ex. Denon 4810CI/NAD T785
2. Should I go separates? What do you brands/models do you suggest?

Lexicon RV 5 is out of the equation because of two things:
1. it is not DTS HD compatible.
2. only has an output of 85 watts

should number 1 and 2 matter? Am I right to remove the RV 5 from the list?

I am 85 percent sure that I will be getting the speakers, I just need an adequate/suitable reciever or amp/processor combo. Would appreciate your help and suggestions.

Thanks

 

[BMXTRIX]

I won't touch on the audio side of things as there are thousdands of possibilities and it as much about budget and preference as actual quality.

For projection: The DaLite HCCV screen with a tab-tensioned motorized version of at LEAST 110" diagonal is appropriate for viewing at 12' to primary seating.

With that, I would pair up the Epson 8500UB projector if the budget allows for it. Mits is good, but has a ways to go when it comes to video processing and reliability in their projectors. For whatever reason, while they are great for rear projection, their front projection stuff tends to not be as good, especially with noise and black levels.

The Epson 8500 and the Panasonic AE4000 both use the newer inorganic LCD panels which should last significantly longer than the organic panels did. Either way, if you clean the filter regularly, you shouldn't run into any major issues with a properly ventilated projector.

You MUST get a tab-tensioned electric screen for optima results.

A shame that your theater is a multi-purpose room which can't be dedicated as a theater and have a permanently mounted, fixed screen for half the price of the DaLite motorized tab-tensioned screen - which is half the price of the Stewart. You can have all the quality (if not moreso) for about $1,000 or less with a fixed frame projection screen.

You should also paint/furnish the room accordingly for home theater - which means the walls, ceiling, carpet, and furniture should be as dark as possible. A white ceiling is one of the worst things possible for front projection.

You could downgrade the receiver to a Denon 2310 then go with an external amplifier as well if you want to really ensure you have enough power for the speakers. The external amps are purpose built to deliver power, while receivers are often double duty and give up a lot of power in favor of their primary duty of A/V processing.

 

[AVRat]

Actually, the Denon 3310 is where you start to get the pre-outs on the receiver. Pair that up with the Rotel RMB-1575 for some awesome power.

Or if it's possible, look for an Integra DHC-9.9/80.1 pre-pro.

 

[jerry_clink]

Hi tikboy can i know who did your acoustic in your room?