New HT advice needed!

[seam4444]

Hello and thanks in advance for your responses. I’ve learned a lot on this forum and look forward to learning more!

I’m setting up a new HT room in my basement. The room dimensions are 15’W x 15’L x 8’H. This room is open on one side to the rest of the basement (pool table, bar, etc). This new system will be used 70% for HT and 30% music. I have an existing HT system in my FR. A list of my current HT system includes:

TV – Mitsubishi WT46809 – 46” Rear Projection
Receiver – Denon 3802
Mains – BA VR975 (Move to new basement)
Center – BA VR920 (Move to new basement)
Sub – BA PV800
Surrounds – BA VRSW Dipole
DVD – Toshiba SD3755 - 5 Disk

I purchased a Mitsubishi 65831 for my new HT room. I plan to move my mains and center speaker from my FR to the basement and replace them with smaller bookshelf speakers (I need advice on speaker replacement as well). Any advice on the following equipment would be greatly appreciated.

Receiver – Comes down to the Denon 3806 or the Yamaha RX-V1700. I can’t go wrong with either but would like to hear worlds of wisdom from the forum.

Sub – I don’t think my BA PV800 will have enough punch for the basement. Maybe I don’t have it setup correctly but is lacks the deep base and output levels I’m looking for in basement. Choices are the HSU VTF-3 MK3 (maybe with Turbocharger) or the Velodyne DLS-5000R. I’m not sure if this is overkill for my basement and my BA 675’d have sub’s built in. With the HSU placement is an issue (it’s big!) but bass output will no longer be an issue. The Velodyne is not as deep or loud but might be slightly better for music.

Surrounds – First question is 5.1 or 7.1. From what I have read, for my sized room the 5.1 will be fine and 7.1 does not buy me anything. The basement has a suspended ceiling and I would like to use in-ceiling speakers. I think this will help sound quality when seating is largely located on the perimeter of the room (standard U shaped seating along the walls). My preference is 7.1 and four in-ceiling speakers located above the seating. I have only heard the in-ceiling Polks (not sure what model). I don’t know what the competition is for compatible speakers. I can surly use the forum advice here.

DVD – I’m not sure and have not investigated this subject yet. I know I like my 5 disc changer, but I don’t have to have it. Maybe it’s a good time to get a ‘decent’ player until the format war settles?

Remote – The Harmony seem to be popular. Now, which model?

One final question, can someone recommend HT reading material such as internet sites, publications etc. The more I read and learn the better the HT decisions. Thanks again!

 

[avaserfi]

Either receiver will work well for your situation so just take the one you can find for less or has the connectivity that suits you. While I have not heard the Velodyne or HSU sub you are talking about another brand that is great is SVS, just heard my first this weekend very impressive. Also, no matter the woofer placement is extremely important, I just finished finding the "perfect" place for my woofer after about 24 hours of work.

Surrounds - here is a guide that should help you out. From what I understand the description of how you want to place your surrounds is far from optimal.

DVD Player - If you want a good upscaling player look into Oppo they make a quality product.

Remote - I am not a fan of the Harmony remote, it is very simple to use but a common complaint is they will get you 95% of the way there but that last 5% of functionality is lost. Check out Universal Remote Control - I like the look and feel of their units more, but they are far more intensive to use it is a fair trade off.

 

[Johnd]

One final question, can someone recommend HT reading material such as internet sites, publications etc. The more I read and learn the better the HT decisions. Thanks again!

This site offers a wealth of information. Keep asking and you'll receive plenty of good responses. AVS is great if you want to get real in depth (there's some real hardcores over there), and Remote Central is great for remotes.

Even though my room is 25' x 14'6", my listening area is similar to yours. I love 6.1/7.1 when available. It makes a real difference.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[seam4444]

Avaserfi,

Thanks for the link and the info. I know the surround placement is sketchy but I'm not sure what else to do. Also, thanks for the remote advice. I'll check out Universal Remote Control.

Johnd,

Thanks for the info. I'll look at AVS.

 

[jcPanny]

DVD Player

Check out the upscalling DVD players from Oppo Digital ($150-220). I am having good results with their entry level DV970HD player and they just came out with a new version that includes 1080p output. Keep the current 5-disc player as a CD changer.

If you want to dive into the format was and experiement with HD content. You can get the Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD player for about $250. I will also do a good job of upscalling regular DVDs.

 

[AVRat]

You might want to consider multi-pole in-ceilings to help diffuse the sound. Niles has some that should work well.

I also think the VTF-3 MK3 will work well in your space.

 

[seam4444]

jcPanny - Thanks for the info. I might take a shot at the Toshiba.

AVRat - Thanks for the speaker info. The Niles look interesting. Do you know how the match up to the Polks LC's,TC's?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Receivers--why not get one of the new models from Denon (2808, 3808, 4308) or Onkyo (605, 805)?

Subs--I think your current sub will do just fine. Otherwise, HSU, Velodyne, or Def Tech SuperCube will definitely work.

Surrounds--7.1 is nice, but I think your room is relatively small for it. 5.1 is more than enough for a 15' x 15' x 8' room.

DVD--what about HDDVD or Blu-Ray? They are backward compatible and can also play regular DVDs.

 

[seam4444]

Receivers--why not get one of the new models from Denon (2808, 3808, 4308) or Onkyo (605, 805)?.

Price - the 4306 and the 3806 are priced to clear out

Subs--I think your current sub will do just fine. Otherwise, HSU, Velodyne, or Def Tech SuperCube will definitely work..

I'm leaning HSU, my BA PV800 has been disappointing

Surrounds--7.1 is nice, but I think your room is relatively small for it. 5.1 is more than enough for a 15' x 15' x 8' room..

This one is still up in the air. Thanks for your advice. The more I read about it seems you are correct -5.1 is all I need. But, I want 7.1

DVD--what about HDDVD or Blu-Ray? They are backward compatible and can also play regular DVDs.

Save cost and get a oppo or lower cost unit until the format war has settled.

Thanks for your comments.

 

[AVRat]

The Niles are pretty comparable to the Polks. The one I linked would fit with the TC line.

 

[TRT]

I would be nowhere near being able to give you advise. For one: Is your basement subject to potential flooding? What are the walls composed of? Any windows? Support beams? Drywall or just poured concrete? Carpet, wood or tile flooring? WAF? Too many unknowns to answer your question correctly.

Hello and thanks in advance for your responses. I’ve learned a lot on this forum and look forward to learning more!

I’m setting up a new HT room in my basement. The room dimensions are 15’W x 15’L x 8’H. This room is open on one side to the rest of the basement (pool table, bar, etc). This new system will be used 70% for HT and 30% music. I have an existing HT system in my FR. A list of my current HT system includes:

TV – Mitsubishi WT46809 – 46” Rear Projection
Receiver – Denon 3802
Mains – BA VR975 (Move to new basement)
Center – BA VR920 (Move to new basement)
Sub – BA PV800
Surrounds – BA VRSW Dipole
DVD – Toshiba SD3755 - 5 Disk

I purchased a Mitsubishi 65831 for my new HT room. I plan to move my mains and center speaker from my FR to the basement and replace them with smaller bookshelf speakers (I need advice on speaker replacement as well). Any advice on the following equipment would be greatly appreciated.

Receiver – Comes down to the Denon 3806 or the Yamaha RX-V1700. I can’t go wrong with either but would like to hear worlds of wisdom from the forum.

Sub – I don’t think my BA PV800 will have enough punch for the basement. Maybe I don’t have it setup correctly but is lacks the deep base and output levels I’m looking for in basement. Choices are the HSU VTF-3 MK3 (maybe with Turbocharger) or the Velodyne DLS-5000R. I’m not sure if this is overkill for my basement and my BA 675’d have sub’s built in. With the HSU placement is an issue (it’s big!) but bass output will no longer be an issue. The Velodyne is not as deep or loud but might be slightly better for music.

Surrounds – First question is 5.1 or 7.1. From what I have read, for my sized room the 5.1 will be fine and 7.1 does not buy me anything. The basement has a suspended ceiling and I would like to use in-ceiling speakers. I think this will help sound quality when seating is largely located on the perimeter of the room (standard U shaped seating along the walls). My preference is 7.1 and four in-ceiling speakers located above the seating. I have only heard the in-ceiling Polks (not sure what model). I don’t know what the competition is for compatible speakers. I can surly use the forum advice here.

DVD – I’m not sure and have not investigated this subject yet. I know I like my 5 disc changer, but I don’t have to have it. Maybe it’s a good time to get a ‘decent’ player until the format war settles?

Remote – The Harmony seem to be popular. Now, which model?

One final question, can someone recommend HT reading material such as internet sites, publications etc. The more I read and learn the better the HT decisions. Thanks again!

 

[seam4444]

TRT,

Sorry for being so vague. No, the basement has not flooded in 15 years (now that I say that, you know what will happen). Walls are drywall, floor will be carpet. A support beam (capped in wood) runs along the left side of the room, which is open to another 15-foot area that contains pool table etc. (Tile floor). No windows. I hope this helps. Not sure what WAF means (Wavelet Analysis Filter?) . Thanks.

AVRat,

I'll check out the Niles. Thanks.