Can you pls help me with HT system advice?

[jh8636]

Hi!
I plan to put together a home theater system, and it would be most helpful for me to hear your advice and opinions.
I presently have Fujitsu 50" plasma TV (P50XHA40US). I am looking at subscribing to the VOOM service. The other components I am considering are as follows:
1) Denon AVR-3805 receiver - I've read a lot of good about this receiver but also some concerns about its remote control. What is your opinion about this products compared to other similarly priced receivers from different manufacturers? I've been also advised to check the Denon AVR-2805 instead. What do you think?
2) Speaker system 4200 Atlantic Technology - I could not find much in reviews about this system, but a friend recommended it to me. Do you have any experience with it? There is also a lower-priced 2200 system from the same manufacturer.
3) Denon DVD-2910 or 3910 - I plan to use the DVD player for DVDs only. Any opinions?
4) Sony DVP-CX985V - I plan to use it for storage and playback of CD/SACD (basically only music). Do 3) & 4) make sense to do?
5) Do I need a special remote control? A salesperson was trying to sell me a remote control in the $700-range + $500 for programming...
I would very much appreciate any advice or feedback you can give me on the above components or other recommendations you may have...
THANK YOU SO MUCH!

 

[Leprkon]

where to start....

the 3805 is great for multi-room applications and matches well should you decide to go with the 3910 DVD player.. the 2805 is an outstanding system for one or two rooms and is, in my personal opinion, a better value for most people. the Yamaha RX-V2500 or HTR-5790 is worth looking into if you play alot of movies.

am not familiar with the speakers... can't help there, although I will say you should go with the better line if that's the one your friend saw. If you get the cheaper one, every time you turn it on, all you will remember is that for X dollars more, you could have got the better one. speakers last fifteen or twenty years, so spend your money here if you want the best results. electronics, on the other hand, may last six or seven, but are often way behind the technology long before then.

given the improved quality of today's universal players, I'd say getting a CD player AND a DVD is overkill, especially since either Blue Ray or HD-DVD will be taking their place before too long. A good universal player can be had for the $ 250 to $ 350 range from people like Yamaha and Samsung (the HD-941 is awesome if you have an HDMI input on the plasma). the Denon 3910 is still running upwards of $ 900 and (again in my personal opinion) is not a good investment for the near future.

http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/YamahaDVD-C750DVDChanger1.php

http://product.samsung.com/cgi-bin/nabc/product/b2c_product_detail.jsp?prod_id=DVD-HD941%2fXAA

all of the products you list have programmable remotes. I don't think it would be worth a ton of money to get a single unless you have a wife or kids who are only capable of pressing a button or two. with a little time and patience, the remote from the Samsung or Yamaha can be coaxed into running all your toys.

 

[jh8636]

Hi Leprkon,

Thank you very much for your valuable input and advice. I truly appreciate it! I agree with you that having a CD player AND a DVD is overkill, in light of upcoming Blue Ray or HD-DVD technology. I checked the Samsung HD-941, and it seems to be a good choice for the time being, since I have the HDMI input on my plasma.

I plan to use the system for both, movies and music alone. Therefore, I was looking at the Sony 400 disc players. I've not seen similar high disc capacity players from other manufacturers. What's your opinion about this product concept for the music playback and as a CD storage/organizer?

I plan to use the receiver for only two rooms, so your recommendation of the AVR-2805 makes sense. I am not sure how the Yamaha receivers compare with the Denon AVR-2805 in my application (playback of movies as well as music alone). Any feedback you or other members can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again!

 

[Leprkon]

the speakers have some solid specs, but if Clint is setting up to review some, I'd wait for him. get the other pieces if you have any kind of speakers at all, so you have time to get used to how they work.

I personally went with the Yamaha RX-V2500 and based on that experience picked up a Yamaha HTR-5740 for the bedroom, but the Denon 2805 will be very competitive. If you're familiar with Denons, that might be the way to go.

Since Yamaha has just come out with their XM radio receivers, you may be able to get XM-less at a better price in a week or two.

 

[Duffinator]

VOOM - if it's not officially dead yet it soon will be. Go with DirecTV or Dish.

The remote on the 3805 is terrible. But that didn't stop me from buying the receiver. I've been using a universal remote to run my HT for almost a decade. As Woody would say "If you don't have one GET one", you'll be glad you did. Check this out: http://www.surfremotecontrol.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=MX500&Category_Code=HTM

The Yamaha 2500 is a terrific receiver as are all Yamaha's. But the 1500 and older 1400 and 2400 only have two component inputs. If you plan on switching HD inputs through the receiver I'd get one with three not two. You never know when you will need it.

 

[jh8636]

Hello Leprkon and Duffinator,

Thank you so much for your responses. I appreciate the info on Yamaha receivers. I really don't have a preference; I just have read more on the Denon products. But perhaps I need to do more reading... Anyway, thank you again for your recommendations. I'll take a close look at the Yamaha RX-V2500 for the main system.

Duffinator, can you please help me to understand better your comment about VOOM? I'm sure you have good reasons to think that they would not be around for much longer. All what I know is that VOOM has the best selection of HDTV programming at the present, its Rainbow 1 satellite & FCC licenses were sold to EchoStar (Dish Network) in January, and VOOM is currently aggressively marketing its services (great promotions to new subscribers). Of course, I don't want to subscribe to a service that soon will be dead. Can you please help me with more info?

Thanks!!!

 

[Duffinator]

jh8636 I sent you a PM.

 

[jh8636]

Sorry to bother you with my questions again, but I'm trying to understand an HDMI connection issue. Per the previous advice, I've looked at Yamaha RX-V2500 and Samsung DVD HD-941. My plasma has the HDMI input, Samsung DVD HD-941 has the HDMI output, but the receiver does not. Can you please give me some recommendations as to how I can connect TV, DVD, & receiver to take a full advantage of the HDMI connection?
Thanks!!!

 

[flyv65]

I have the 3805 and I've had no problems with the remote whatsoever...but I seem to be in the minority, here. Still, if you go with the 3805 you might want to wait abit and *then* decide if you will be ordering a universal remote.

If you're only concerned with using the DVD player for DVDs, then I'd recommend you look at the Denon 1910 player-it lacks the universal disc appplications of the 2910 and the 3910, but is a bang up DVD/CD player for about $250 with DVI-D and HDMI hookups...and it'll tie in nicely with either the 3805 or the 2805 AVRs.

Bryan...poke around and see what's out there...

 

[Duffinator]

Sorry to bother you with my questions again, but I'm trying to understand an HDMI connection issue. Per the previous advice, I've looked at Yamaha RX-V2500 and Samsung DVD HD-941. My plasma has the HDMI input, Samsung DVD HD-941 has the HDMI output, but the receiver does not. Can you please give me some recommendations as to how I can connect TV, DVD, & receiver to take a full advantage of the HDMI connection?
Thanks!!!

You could use your HDMI, DVI, or component cables directly to the TV. You will then need to run the digital audio out of the DVD player to the receiver. Maybe the next round of upgrades on the Yamaha 2500 and Denon 3805 will be able to do HDMI switching.