Cntl-Alt-Del Starting from scratch

[pplkook]

All

First let me state that I love the forum, my productivity over the last few days has seriously tanked here at work. Anyway, I find myself in a position where I literally get to start from scratch.

By a bit of luck, we are getting a new Pannasonic DLP 1080p TV for free. Only problem is being the rest of my home theater system is pretty much crap and old. So I am looking at doing all over. I am not "hardcore" in this world, and look for the best value and function.

We watch movies a bunch, but don't do the regular TV thing other than football over the air during football season. So I have to buy a whole new system to connect new AV receiver, DVD, PS3 (hope), CD player, TV, and maybe a SONOS (long term). The primary function of this system is Movies and Music is secondary.

The room is a 14x17 "play room" where the TV literally is in the corner (not at a 45) with an L couch facing it. So think of the TV as being at the end of a room against a wall facing the opposite wall. So on one side open room and the other a wall. The room is vaulted with beams, so I can sneak speakers up there if required.

So....reading the reviews, the Yamaha-YSP 3k/4k seems appealing since it will eliminate a need to buy a separate AV receiver, and I can literally plunk it down in front of the TV. My concern is the room shape and location of the "sweet spot" being so close to a wall.

Reading the site there were other loudspeaker setups that were recommended that seemed to fit what I am doing those being - ORB or Mirage Nanosat. Where the system is setup, it isn't too difficult to run wires.

Your thoughts if you were in my position?

pplkook

 

[Midcow2]

How much is your budget?

For $6000 get Marantz 8002 and Defintive Technology BP7000SC speakers, CLR3000 center and SVS PB13- Ultra subwoofer.

 

[Exit]

I thing the Yamaha YSP soundbars bounce sound off the sidewalls and with one sidewall missing I think it will be unballanced sound fields. I would look to more conventional 5.1 or 7.1 speaker setups. With no sidewall, I would look at putting the side surround and rear surrounds in the ceilings or hanging up there somewhere from a practical matter. I would use conventional fronts (left, center, right). I would recommend getting a good subwoofer, at least $500 i.e. SVS PB10-NSD). The rest depends on your budget.

 

[pplkook]

Thanks....for the info.

Unfortunately 6k for the speakers would be challenging to pass by the war department. I have tentative approval for 5k for the speakers, sub, receiver and dvd player. After all there is a recession going on...

I was worried about the one wall missing piece and the yamaha setup. I guess I will look at other "regular" 5.1 setups and AV receivers.

 

[fredk]

Since you are not hardcore, and this is mainly for movies, I think you have lots of good alternatives open to you.

I don't know much about sound bars, but I don't think that they are all that good compared to a normal 5.1 setup.

Take a look at the recommended systems section here to get some idea of what you might be looking at in your budget and catagory.

You mention PS2 maybe. That means you will be bluray capable. You probably want a receiver that will handle the new HD audio formats so you can get the best experience posseble. I suspect that something like the Yamaha RX-V663 would be a good choice for you. It certainly fits into the 'Value for Function' category.

How big is the TV area? It sounds like this is the only part of the room you want to fill with sound. A bookshelf system might be just the ticket for this sort of setup.

Once you get some idea of what you want, go out and listen to some setups in the size/range you are looking at to make sure you are going to get the sound you want.

If you stick with your current setup, you will probably have some challenges getting a good sound stage. Hopefully others with experience in this sort of setup will post suggestions and ideas.

Good luck.

Fred

 

[Davemcc]

First of all, definitely get the PS3 and take a pass on the DVD and CD players as they will be redundant once you have the PS3. With the right setup, the PS3's streaming ability can also eliminate the need for a Sonos.

To the Orb and Mirage, also look into Gallo cubes. http://www.roundsound.com/home-theater-system.htm

 

[pzaur]

Are you able to run wires through the walls and up and over the ceiling? This would definitely make doing a 5.1 setup easier.

I second the thought that missing a wall will make the soundbar unbalanced.

-pat

 

[Midcow2]

Okay fair enough for 5k

Unfortunately 6k for the speakers would be challenging to pass by the war department. I have tentative approval for 5k for the speakers, sub, receiver and dvd player. After all there is a recession going on...

I was worried about the one wall missing piece and the yamaha setup. I guess I will look at other "regular" 5.1 setups and AV receivers.

Marantz 8002 =~ $1349
Def Tech BP7002 towers = ~ $1950
Def Tech CLR3000 center = ~ $950
PS3 model 80Gig DVD or panasonic DMP-BK30 = ~$499
SVS PB10-NSD subwoofer= $429

Total = $5,177

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Shoot, just get B&W & Rotel and you will never hear any bashing whatsoever.


Get Five of the B&W DM303 2-Way Bookshelf Speakers for $150 each = $750

http://www.hometheaterstore.com/B_W_DM303_2_Way_Vented_Bookshelf_Speaker_p/dm303.htm

Get one B&W ASW700 10" Active 500 WATT Subwoofer for $1,400:

http://www.hometheaterstore.com/B_W_ASW700_10_Active_Subwoofer_500_WATT_p/asw700.htm

Wait for Rotel to come out with a new TrueHD/DTS-MA/HDMI-1.3 recevier that is similar to this receiver for $800:

http://www.hometheaterstore.com/Rotel_RX_1052_Stereo_Receiver_p/rx1052.htm

PS3 for Blu-ray, DVD, and CD for $400.

Total is only $3,350.

I mean how can you possibly go wrong with B&W, Rotel, and PS3?

In fact, I'm thinking about selling all my Definitive speakers and getting 2 of these:
http://www.hometheaterstore.com/B_W_ASW855_15_Active_Subwoofer_1000_WATT_p/asw855.htm

and seven of these:
http://www.hometheaterstore.com/B_W_CT8LR_3_Way_Vented_Box_System_p/ct8lr.htm

 

[ChunkyDark]

I'm going to second the idea of ps3 and skipping the cd and dvd player. Now possibly your family won't like the idea of only one player and swapping disks, but that's politics so we'll steer clear of that
One of the other cool things you can do with the ps3 is rip all your music to it. If the hard drive isn’t big enough to hold your xyz collection you can either replace the hard drive (tricky) or buy an external drive and hook that up to your ps3.
The best solution for speakers is get out to av speciality stores in your area and listen to some and see what you like. Once you’ve found some speakers you like then you can figure out how much receiver you need. I mention the av speciality stores mostly because the big box stores tend to be spottier about having decent setups to listen to.
Don’t forget you’ll also need to budget for some decent wiring, cables and surge protection. By decent I don’t mean mon$ter but something from monoprice.com or bluejeanscable.com
Remember to have fun!

 

[pplkook]

All

Thanks for the input! I even got a couple PMs.

I also need to look into the PS3 more, I didn't know about the new capability other than being Blue Ray (Sony). I have Buffalo Technology NAS on my home network so that is a nifty addition to avoid buying another box or two!

I can run wires in the wall, just need to chase them through, so at this point I am going to go with a 5/6/7.1 system and a receiver. I will check out the Yamaha and Denon.

Unfortunately changing the room around is out of the question at the moment, once the little terrorist grows up a bit, then maybe, but for now it is going to stay like it is...

Thanks for all the suggestions, it is much appreciated!

-pplkook