N00b help, apartment cable assistance, what system to buy etc.

J

JFresh

Audiophyte
Hi all =),

So I've been lurking around the site for a while and am to a point where I'd like to get a home theater setup! (My first! I'm so excited! :D). Ultimately I'd like this to be a decent starter setup that I can upgrade down the line.

My budget for this is approx. $750.

After doing a bit of research I was thinking about getting the Yamaha YHT-591 per the $750 recommended system (I'd also replace the Samsung Blu-Ray player with the PS3 as I'm into video games as well :p).

That said, I've never laid out speaker cable before and I'm a bit concerned about doing so in an apartment. How difficult is it if I don't want to run the speaker wire on top of the carpet? Any thoughts or experiences on this would be much appreciated! Oh and if you want to see the layout you can go here and click on the link for 1 bedroom floor plan.*(Sorry about the funky way of doing this but my post count is fewer than 5 so I had to be creative) www (dot) northvilleforestapts (dot) com/#

Another product I'm now considering is the soundbar: Samsung HT-BD8200. Obviously this would eliminate the worry about running cables. But then I'd be worried about future upgradability.

So long story short: What would you recommend with a budget of around $750? How would you run cables in an apartment living room?

I realize I'm asking a lot here so thanks for all your help and advice!

JFresh
 
sholling

sholling

Audioholic Ninja
There are a couple of schools of thought on this subject.

Option 1: Because it's an apartment and deep booming bass will drive neighbors nuts I like a 3.0 system using two good quality tower speakers handling as close to 20-20khz as budget allows. Plus an acoustically matched center. As someone will be along in a minute to point out two good quality towers would probably eat up your entire budget.

Option 2: Assuming that $750 is just for speakers and a 10% fudge factor I'd look into the special that SVSounds (SVS) has going on a 5.1 system. SVS makes some of the best subwoofers going.

Option 3: 2 pair (sold only in pairs) of Behringer B2030P studio monitors for $130/pr at Amazon to make up the L&R front and center speakers and store the 4th as a spare. Add a small front firing subwoofer for say $200 and you have a very good 3.1 speaker system for $460ish. A down firing sub can make downstairs neighbors crazy so stay with a front firing sealed or front ported sub. Set the crossover in the receiver to 80hz and you're friends will be jealous. Add a refurbished Onkyo TX-SR606 receiver and you're still just about in budget. You can always add another pair of 2030Ps as surrounds later.

As far as cables go well I'm not an installer so I just run cables on top of the carpet. But save money by shopping cables at monoprice.com.
 
JerryLove

JerryLove

Audioholic Ninja
I think the trick on subs (other than not playing too loud) is to use an acoustic decoupler to prevent vibrations of the sub enclosure frmo conducting to the apartment frame.

But I'm taking an educated guess.
 
C

Chitown2477

Audioholic
Personally, I think the Yamaha YHT-591 and PS3 will be a great choice. As you said, you are looking for a decent starting setup. I had a similar starter setup about five years ago. I have a completely different system now but that starter set really helped me get a good understanding of and initial enjoyment from HT. Even with this entry level system, the sound field will amaze you - especially in an apartment where it may be in a fairly tight space. Then the upgrade bug will start but will then know more about what you really want. So the initial $750 is like a learning investment.

Stay away form HTIB setup with proprietary plugs (like some Sony or Panasonic HTIBs) as they are hard to upgrade around.

You can always save money and buy a much better system for about $2,000 in a few years - exactly what I did. I started by adding better speakers, a sub, and eventually the receiver. Later, you can then sell your current setup or move it to your bedroom/spare bedroom.

Plus you are in an apartment so this is a subtle system that should not piss off your neighbors too much. As running speaker wires, it is easy. Use monoprice.com as their wires, cabling, speaker wall mounts, and even TV wall hangers are very good and at great prices. You can go to Home Depot or IKEA to get very cheap but good plastic wire/cable runners to adhere to the wall and even paint. They will blend in well to your room. When you move you can remove them, paint the wall, and move out with the owner not even noticing they were there.

To minimize bass annoyance to you neighbors, use a de-coupler (sub-dude) for the sub or you can turn down the sub’s gain a bit. You can build a custom de-coupler for about $15 instead of buying one for $50 online. I just did this myself for sub that has a 15" x 19" footprint. The nice thing is you can build it to the size of your sub.

Materials
1/2" MDF (Home Depot - $8 or less)
Board Dudes 6''x6'' Cork Tiles (Joann Fabrics $4) [You can use rigid foam as well]
1 Yard of Black Felt (Joann Fabrics $3)

Home Depot can cut the MDF to your dimensions. I like 1/2“ because it is rigid and solid to let the sub perform well (it gives the sub a solid surface). Wrap the MDF in the felt and staple or glue to the underneath of the MDF. Only wrap the felt underneath for about 1” so you have a level flat surface for the feet. I used two layers on the top for extra cushion. Cut the corkboard into 2"x2" squares stacked about 3/4" tall, glue them together, and then adhere to the bottom of the MDF. You done and I does minimize vibration and to a small degree (for me at least) it made the bass a tighter.
 
J

JFresh

Audiophyte
Thanks for all the help!!!

Thanks for all of the recommendations! I really appreciate it =).

Monoprice sounds awesome (looking at it now :D) and I never even knew that they made things like de-couplers for subs though it certainly makes sense =).

After much consideration I think I will go with the YHT-591's. All I have is a TV right now so I do need the whole kit.

The cable runners are a great idea! Again, I didn't even know they existed but heck they have cable organizers for computers so they must've come up with something for HT equipment as well :p.

Anyway, thanks again for all of the help and advice!

JFresh
 

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