Buying this weekend (15 June) and need to get somethings clarified

[keg75]

Hi,

I am new to the forum and the reason I joined was to get some independent advice on the home theatre that I am look at purchasing in the next 2 to 3 weeks.

Firstly the room I am putting the gear into is my main lounge room/ living area. The dining room (used as a study) is attached in an L shape without dividing walls. The lounge area is 4.2x4m (the wall where the tv will go is 2.8m wide so the room has an effective area of 4x2.8m-) and the dining room is 2.5x2.5m. I have an outdoor area that I might use as a second zone in future. This is adjacent to the lounge.

The Setup I am looking at the moment is;

Toshiba 47WL66 (HD) 47” LCD TV
Denon AVR-4306 Av receiver
B&W 603 S3 floor standing speaker (front)
B&W 602.5 S3 Floor standing speaker (rear)
B&W LCR600 S3 (Centre)
B&W ASW675 (Sub)
Toshiba HD-J35 Set Top Box or Sony SVRHD700 or 900

Questions I have are as follows as I have been confused by salesman and some info is difficult to ascertain.

1) The TV is 1980x1080 pixels and it states it is interlaced. However I have been told that the TV decodes it into a progressive picture. Can someone please outline briefly the process of input signals etc for 1080 HD TV?

2) The gear I have looked at is I think fairly decent gear. I don’t mind spending a little bit more if I am getting something a little better. I am looking to keep this equipment for around 10 years and it will be used in a home theatre if I build or move house whereas at the moment I am going to use it as the main home entertainment area/ TV.

3) The 602.5 s3 speakers (rear speakers) as I understand it are the same as the bookshelf 602 speakers. I was told today that I should look at getting the 602’s over the 602.5’s. I am not a fan of the stands for the bookshelves. You thoughts on the sounds of both please.

4) What cables would I use for the setup. I would like to take advantage of the HDMI between TV and Receiver. I have seen the 45” aquos and the sales guy said that the larger the panel and the higher the definition the more critical the TV is of signal. I would like to try and get the bet picture possible however I don’t want to spend an absolute fortune. Keep in Mind I am in Australia and some products may not be available. I would like to get the neatest setup I can aswell. I’d rather not have a bird’s nest of cables for my home theatre as I have one for my PC already.

5) Is it worth buying a Universal Power Supply to protect the equipment from spike and brown outs in Power?

6) Is there anywhere I can go or check out which gives you a fairly accurate idea of hat components are suitable for what types of room. As the room is quite small I am concerned that the setup I am looking at (mainly the receiver and speakers may be lost on the room.

7) At present I have only got a Sony dvp-ns930v DVD/ sacd player. I would look at upgrading to bluray or hddvd in future, when the market decides which product is better or more mainstream. I’d rather not run out now and buy something to find out in 18 months that I have bought the BETA equivalent of the Video cassette. The receiver I understand will play 1080i but wont decode HD sound does this matter?

8) I was told that I 2 smaller subs were probably better than the 675 (although the guy hadn’t heard it), he said two subs gives a more balanced sound. A guy I spoke to today said that the twin sub setup would create a Muddy sound whereas the 675 is a nice all round sub.

I know there are a few questions here that are fairly complex. I am a Noob when it comes to home theatre – I’d like to get a large TV and would like to get a good av receiver and speaker system to complement it and I’d like to avoid upgrading for around 5-10 years.

Please lend me your thoughts as I am keen to get the TV (instore on the 15/16 June) if I thinks it’s looks good and am seriously considering the remaining gear pretty soon too (depending on how much I have for skiing)

Thanks Keg75

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Keg,

That's a loaded question. I think members are skipping over this one because of the depth of it. I'll answer a few to get this started.

Blue-ray and the Play Station 3 will be capable of 1080p reproduction. Most HD sets right now are not. Some that state 1080p aren't true 1080p, but upscale the image. Make sure you know the difference. I'm not familair with that set (strange size).

There is another major issue you will run into with the Denon (and all receivers right now). Those that offer HDMI connections are outdated 1.1 versions. You want the HDMI 1.3 version, as well as a receiver that can pass Dolby True HD/DTS HD. Those should be coming out within the next year.

In the meantime, you can pick up a reasonably priced non HDMI AVR and run your HDMI cables directly from the cable box to the flat screen (assuming your cable company has HDMI up and running-most don't). You'll still run your audio outs to the receiver. When HDMI 1.3 equipped with DTS HD/True HD is available, sell your current AVR on ebay.

Two subwoofers are extremely hard to locate in a room without room cancelling effects. Two subs usually sound best stacked on one another - which most people don't care to do. My suggestion is to get one good sub from a company who specializes in subs, and spend as much as you can afford on one. SVS/HSU/Velodyne make excellent subs.

If you have a lot of brown outs or spikes, it wouldn't hurt to spend a $100 on a decent surge protector. Just keep in mind, it wont make your system sound better, or protect from a direct lightening strike.

Buy your cables/speaker wire online. Wire is wire, and the biggest rip off is buying high end cable from high end shops. www.cablewholesale.com is one example of many sites that sell connections for a fraction of the cost at brick/mortar shops.

 

[HAA Acoustics]

Samurai,

Think twice about your subwoofer advice. Dualing subs in opposing positions works well. Much has recently been written about the phenomena. Todd Welti's work has been definitive on the subject: http://www.harman.com/wp/pdf/multsubs.pdf

Gerry

 

[keg75]

with things like hdmi 1.1 to 1.3 and the dolby upgrades don't the manufacturers make provision for an upgrade wither by firware or hard modifying your gear.

When you are spending top $$ on gear you are not likely to change out for a new amp or receiver just because the standard changed slighty. Or at least I wouldn't have thought so.

do manufacturers have a history of providing firmware updates for standard changes like these?

Also - if you wait for the next best thing you will always be waiting. I am looking at the 4306 and the 47" lcd & BW speakers as my primary components. I expect the receiver will be around as long if not longer than my crappy old stereo I got 10 years ago. The Tv on the other hand as technology increases SED and better LCDs/ plasmas and my networth increases I expect I'll buy a bigger house and want the latest and greatest. DLP projectors etc dedicated theatre room etc... But this like I said is a few years off yet.

Sometimes you have to accept that you are buying the best you can now (thats affordable) and there will always be something better just around the bend. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet.

anyway i ramble.

keg75