Novice needs help selecting 1st home theatre components...HELP

[TABCON]

I'm sparkling new here, so forgive my blatant cry for help, but I truly need some.

I'm putting together my very first home theatre, and I've had enough advice from well meaning friends and salesman to float a small armada. Now...I need some advice from folks like you, serious folks who actually post on a forum like this, and who actually know stuff of which they speak. I mean anyone who went to the trouble to find this site, and further, anyone who posts here regulary must know their stuff. Sorry for the long winded intro, now on to my questions.

Okay...my first system. I'm not skimping, but I do have a budget of about 12 to 15K.

Here are my tentative choices:

1. AV Receiver/Amp: Parasound C-2 (with a23 & A52 amps) or Denon 4806?

2. DVD Player: Denon 3910 or Pioneer Elite D 59 AVI

3. Power Conditioner: Pretty much decided on Robert Gray's 600Spe

4. Speakers being considered, i have not listened to any of them yet.

A. B&W 703's with corresponding B&W's to complete 6.1 system
B. Energy Reference Connosieur RC-70, et al
C. Energy Veritas, et al
D. Paradigm Studio 100, et al
E. Von Schwikert VR-3 or 4, et al

5. Pioneer Elite 50" Plasma mounted on wall

The dedicated HT room is 15' x 16' x 9' ceilings, and with heavily insulated floors, ceiing and walls. I will also be installing a roll out sound dampening rubber subfloor and a wall fabric called Silence Fabric as used in recording studios, movie theatres, and at my dentists office to muffle the screams.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer my novice questions.

Thomas

 

[mtrycrafts]

I'm sparkling new here, so forgive my blatant cry for help, but I truly need some.

I'm putting together my very first home theatre, and I've had enough advice from well meaning friends and salesman to float a small armada. Now...I need some advice from folks like you, serious folks who actually post on a forum like this, and who actually know stuff of which they speak. I mean anyone who went to the trouble to find this site, and further, anyone who posts here regulary must know their stuff. Sorry for the long winded intro, now on to my questions.

Okay...my first system. I'm not skimping, but I do have a budget of about 12 to 15K.

Here are my tentative choices:

1. AV Receiver/Amp: Parasound C-2 (with a23 & A52 amps) or Denon 4806?

2. DVD Player: Denon 3910 or Pioneer Elite D 59 AVI

3. Power Conditioner: Pretty much decided on Robert Gray's 600Spe

4. Speakers being considered, i have not listened to any of them yet.

A. B&W 703's with corresponding B&W's to complete 6.1 system
B. Energy Reference Connosieur RC-70, et al
C. Energy Veritas, et al
D. Paradigm Studio 100, et al
E. Von Schwikert VR-3 or 4, et al

5. Pioneer Elite 50" Plasma mounted on wall

The dedicated HT room is 15' x 16' x 9' ceilings, and with heavily insulated floors, ceiing and walls. I will also be installing a roll out sound dampening rubber subfloor and a wall fabric called Silence Fabric as used in recording studios, movie theatres, and at my dentists office to muffle the screams.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer my novice questions.

Thomas

I like to bring this info to your attention:
http://www.audioholics.com/showcase/systemguide/12KRecommended-HTSystem.html

You may want to look through it as well.
Some components depend on the speakers impedance and sensitivity.
Others may not be needed in the first place, like that power conditioner.

 

[jcPanny]

Nice budget . . .

In that price range and for a dedicated room you should definately consider front projection. The new LCD models including the Panasonic AE900U and Sanyo Z4 are <$2,000. See projectorcentral.com for reviews.

Speakers are the most important audio component of your system so you sould select them first, and pick a receiver/amp that will drive them to your potential.
For the amp, I would check out the Emotiva MPS1 from av123.com:
http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/emotivaMPS1p1.php
Right now, you can get their new UL pre-pro for $99 if you buy the amp with 5-7 channels. This would be a great seperates solution for an HT room, but would not have as many bells and wistles as the Denon 4805.

Also, the Axiom Audio M80s compare favoribly to the energies and are worth consideration.

 

[jaxvon]

Congrats on making steps in the right direction. With that kind of a budget, you'll be able to put together one hell of a system. As far as speakers go, I'd also suggest that you look into the following brands:

Phase Technology (PC Series)
Vandersteen
PSB
Monitor Audio
M&K


As far as the amp and processor go, I would probably look for a newer receiver to use as a processor then pair it with a quality amp (the Parasounds are great stuff). With a budget of that size, if a projector and screen are feasible (and you can control the light in the room), go that route. Lastly, what's the price on the Richard Gray power conditioner? From what I've read, they seem to be somewhat into Audio Voodoo. I would personally pick up a unit from Furman or APC. I have personal experience using Furman products in a studio environment and they are very effective at eliminating noise in the A/C lines.

 

[TABCON]

Man, you guys must be psychic! I went back to my retailer yesterday and purchased a brand new Epson Powerlite Pro Cinema 800 Projector. This thing is incredible! Retail is 4,500, but he said I can buy it for around 3,900. The only thing I need now is a fixed screen. I'm looking at Stewarts. We viewed it on a Stewart with the gray screen, but the black level was not that great, so he is recommending a brighter more white type screen.

Speakers continue to be a bugaboo. There are so many damn speakers out there it blows my mind. Yesterday, I listened to an Energy Veritas 2.3i system with a couple of movies and it blew me away. I'm not crazy about the 2 channel hi-fi sound, so I'm still looking. The main problem for me, is that since Hurricane Katrina (i live in the new orleans area) there are not too many high end stores still open. Today I'm going to listen to B&W and Paradigm. My retailer carries PSB, so I'll give them a listen also.

What about a sub? I listened to a 12" Velodyne sub yesterday but at 2 grand, it's too much for me.

Thanks!

Thomas

 

[TABCON]

I had a demo of the RGPowercompany 1200 yesterday and the difference was astounding. The vodoo stuff is probably his reference to some type of "energy flywheel" of somthing. The price on the 600 is about $1,000 I think, maybe a little less.

T.

 

[jaxvon]

I'd still be wary about the super big dollar power conditioners, but that's me. I know that there is solid engineering behind Furman and APC units. They're trusted in big times studios and data centers.

As far as screens go, you might want to check out the Carada Criterion Brilliant White screens.

http://carada.com/criterion-series-screens.aspx

 

[jcPanny]

Sub options.

For around $1k, check out the SVS Plus and Ultra subs and the Axiom Audio EP500 or EP600. These sould provide plenty of base for a room your size. HSU also has some good subs in that price range.

 

[TABCON]

I love the Carada setup, but they don't seem to make an electric screen.
Do they?

I was also thinking of a Revel s-12 speaker set up. Has anyone given these a listen? How would they compare to a B&W 704 or 703 setup? At half the price of the B&W's, I'd love to give them a listen, but it looks like Katrina blew every dealership out of Louisiana.
Man it sucks here sometimes.

Thomas

 

[Vancouver]

If I can give my two cents I would do this in your situation. I would lean to the B&W 700 series. Actually I would probable look at the B&W XT4s, but thats just becuase I want my system to look good and most would probably just stick to the 700 series.

I would definately not go with Denon and would sway towards Rotel. I would either get the RSP 1068/1075 combo for seperates or an all in one RSX 1067 reciever if space is an issue for you.

Rotel is better then Denon.

 

[AudioArcher]

yO!

Definitely the B&Ws all the way !!

 

[Nick250]

I had a demo of the RGPowercompany 1200 yesterday and the difference was astounding. The vodoo stuff is probably his reference to some type of "energy flywheel" of somthing. The price on the 600 is about $1,000 I think, maybe a little less.
T.

With all due respect if you heard an astounding difference with a power conditioner then I suggest you may want to take another listen. Power conditioners are in the same league as expensive speaker wire and power cords, they do not impact the sound coming out of your speakers. Nadda, ziltch, zip. You have come to this board looking for good, solid information. This is some of it. Here is some more:

As long as your speakers do not clip at the listening levels you use, 99% of what you hear in your listening room is room acoustics and speaker choice. This is where one needs to pay 99% of one's attention regarding sound.

Good luck with your purchase.

Nick

IMO of course.

 

[jaxvon]

Power conditioners are in the same league as expensive speaker wire and power cords, they do not impact the sound coming out of your speakers. Nadda, ziltch, zip.

This statement is false. While a power conditioner will not give you a larger soundstage or make your music sound "sweeter" or "better", a quality unit will definitely remove noise from the AC lines, resulting in a lower noise floor and consequently a larger dynamic range. I have personally heard a power conditioner remove a very audible hum from a setup caused by a variable resistor switch in the same circuit. Add in the ability to supress spikes and you can justify the cost of a quality unit.

This, however, does not necessitate that you purchase a very expensive or esoteric unit (like the RG unit). Rather, you would be much better off getting a 12 or 15 amp unit from the likes of Tripp-Lite, APC, Furman Sound, or Panamax. These companies are all field proven (especially APC and Furman) to do what they say and offer their products at a reasonable price.

 

[mtrycrafts]

...a quality unit will definitely remove noise from the AC lines, resulting in a lower noise floor and consequently a larger dynamic range. .

That would depend on your rooms noise floor, right?
I seriously doubt you will have 15dB-20dB noise floor in the room. Dynamic range in the best classical recordings are around 70dB. We will not even mention the recordings that have 15 dB at best

 

[AudioArcher]

Spike

You are absolutely right Jaxvon. I'm sold on my conditioner/voltage regulator/surge protector. Hearing is believing. And the surge protection protected my equipment while operating during two direct lightning strikes.(separate storms). It has definitely been worth the investment. Nonetheless I try not to use my system if there is a severe thunderstorm warning. No sense tempting fate. After all they say third time is a charm. But conditioning the power supply definitely lowered my noise floor. It's an older house and the electrical system needs to be upgraded. It's on my list.

 

[Nick250]

This statement is false. While a power conditioner will not give you a larger soundstage or make your music sound "sweeter" or "better", a quality unit will definitely remove noise from the AC lines, resulting in a lower noise floor and consequently a larger dynamic range. I have personally heard a power conditioner remove a very audible hum from a setup caused by a variable resistor switch in the same circuit. Add in the ability to supress spikes and you can justify the cost of a quality unit.

This, however, does not necessitate that you purchase a very expensive or esoteric unit (like the RG unit). Rather, you would be much better off getting a 12 or 15 amp unit from the likes of Tripp-Lite, APC, Furman Sound, or Panamax. These companies are all field proven (especially APC and Furman) to do what they say and offer their products at a reasonable price.

I agree with much of what you say (not the dynamic range bit I am afraid). Someone has a hum removed caused by from another device ok. They also can act as a surge protector, ok there too. But as you know I was responding to the "I had a demo of the RGPowercompany 1200 yesterday and the difference was astounding" posted by TABCON which is total nonsense IMO.

Nick

 

[mtrycrafts]

You are absolutely right Jaxvon.

Is anything in life absolute, especially being right?

Hearing is believing.

And, Dr. Toole has demonstrated that believing is hearing as well. Maybe you believe more that really hearing?


And the surge protection protected my equipment while operating during two direct lightning strikes.(separate storms).

That is great. That is what it is supposed to do.

But conditioning the power supply definitely lowered my noise floor. It's an older house and the electrical system needs to be upgraded. It's on my list.


If it is an older house, how can the system noise floor be lower than the house noise floor? It doesn't really matter but it just doesn't. By the way, was this lower noise floor from measurements before and after? Or, just perceived? Believing can be hearing, after all.

 

[TABCON]

If I can give my two cents I would do this in your situation. I would lean to the B&W 700 series. Actually I would probable look at the B&W XT4s, but thats just becuase I want my system to look good and most would probably just stick to the 700 series.

I would definately not go with Denon and would sway towards Rotel. I would either get the RSP 1068/1075 combo for seperates or an all in one RSX 1067 reciever if space is an issue for you.

Rotel is better then Denon.

My first inclination was to go with Rotel. I bought a Rotel receiver and CD player last year along with a Musical Fidelity X-10 to warm things up a bit and the system is awesome, but...exactly why is Rotel better. I've heard from a lot of audio nerds that Denon is the go to standard for home theatre, especially my installer.

Thomas

 

[TABCON]

I agree with much of what you say (not the dynamic range bit I am afraid). Someone has a hum removed caused by from another device ok. They also can act as a surge protector, ok there too. But as you know I was responding to the "I had a demo of the RGPowercompany 1200 yesterday and the difference was astounding" posted by TABCON which is total nonsense IMO.

Nick

Nick-

I respect your opinion greatly, and I don't doubt your knowledge of AV systems, but to make vague references that I'm a liar on these boards, is a bit rude...IMO.

I most definitely heard a difference in the clarity of the sound. Sure, maybe it had something to do with a buzz or other noise being supressed that I didn't notice in the first listen, but I DID here a big difference.

I did come here to get advice, and I certainly appreciate it, but just because I have an opinion is no reason for you to get indifferent about it. Like I said I respect your opinion, but it doesn't mean my opinion is moot just because I'm new to this.

Thomas