Home theatre/audio novice needs advice

[Irish]

Hi I'm new to this great site so bear with me. I'm having a midlife crisis so it was either a woman, sportscar or home theatre/audio equip. My wife and I decided on HT/AUDIO. Have recently purchased a Mitsubishi 62725 DLP, B&W DM602 S3's, LCR600 center and DS6-3 Rears. So now that I'm about out of $ I need help completing my system from cables/connections to cd and reciever. I like rotel but am not smart enough to tell you why other than I've learned a little from reading some of the forums and a dealer nearby. Looked on ebay at a rsx1055 would that work? Is it overkill? Are used electronics unwise? CD/DVD player and cable/connections?? help!

[Danbry39]

Hey, welcome to the forum!!!

Rotels and B&W's go together very well. They are distributed by the same company and tune their equipment to each other.

Things you might want to consider:

1. Ebay: The seller of the item you're interested in doesn't have a bunch of feedback yet. He does have 100% positive feedback, but you want to make sure as possible that he will do right by you.

2. Rotels are great gear imo and have honest power ratings. The receiver you're looking at, I think it's 75 watts per channel X's 5, will equate to more actual power than many receivers rated at over 100 watts per channel.

3. That particular Rotel is one generation old. If you want the latest/greatest, you might consider newer models. On the other hand, you might get this one for a fraction of the cost.

4. That Rotel has the option of assigning certain channels should you eventually want to add a power amp and go 7.1.

5. As far as cables, you want to get good quality build and components. There are some brands selling in the stores that I feel are way over priced for what you get. You might want to talk with Lex (Doug) the owner of this site about what you need and I'm sure he'll help you out in this regard. You can scroll down to the CAT Cable section of the forum and read comments by others on his ware. Personally, my opinion is very high on his product.

6. You might want to check what version of firmware the 1055 has and whether it has the upgraded video conversion. You can go to the Club Rotel section of this forum for guidance in this regard.

You look like you have a nice positive midlife crisis phase going. There are a lot worse things to do than get involved with a great hobby like home theater/audio. It's a blast and I'm sure you'll enjoy this board.

[Irish]

Danbry39, Thanks! I'll follow your advice and keep you up to date. I'm technological impaired I hope this reply is correct but if it isn't I guess we may never know. Irish

[David Meek]

I hope this reply is correct but if it isn't I guess we may never know.

Hi Irish, welcome to The Guide. :welcome:

I'm just curious about the above statement. Can you elaborate a little?

Also, for a good selection of used equipment, try Audiogon. This site only deals with audio/video componentry and nothing else. Ebay wouldn't be my first choice.

[Irish]

Hi Irish, welcome to The Guide. :welcome:

I'm just curious about the above statement. Can you elaborate a little?

Also, for a good selection of used equipment, try Audiogon. This site only deals with audio/video componentry and nothing else. Ebay wouldn't be my first choice.

I'm technologicaly impaired so I was not sure if I was replying and sending correctly on the site. ie; should I reply by quote,new reply, thread etc??? I really don't know my way around a computer or the internet. Thanks for the info by the way I'll check it out. Scott

[George Bellefontaine]

Hey, Scott, welcome to The Guide and to the computer savvy challenged club. I am the president of the latter. :

[gd]

If you're a newbie - as you describe yourself - stay away from eBay... Audiogon is a safer bet, but you still need to be in 'alert' mode.

About the only used gear I'd recommend is power amps, or perhaps pre/pro's and receivers which are only one generation old... gear with moving parts (DVD, CD, VCR) should strictly be bought new... plan on about 10% of your expenditure to be on cables -- and forum sponsor CatCables is highly recommended.

Rotel is an excellent choice, genuine bang for the buck... you can get cheaper gear, but you'd notice the difference if you compared side-by-side... nonetheless, there are other reputable makes that you should take some time to audition.

As a newbie, you might be well-advised to make this long-term purchase through a reputable local retailer, even if it means a little extra cost... shop around for a dealer as you would for the gear itself... and always feel at liberty to look for feedback at this forum.

Do your homework... a little pre-planning will go a long way to acquiring an enjoyable HT... happy hunting.

[David Meek]

I'm technologicaly impaired so I was not sure if I was replying and sending correctly on the site. ie; should I reply by quote,new reply, thread etc???

Oh hey, not a problem. Just reply to the existing thread, and do so as much as you want. We're pretty friendly around here and get kinda chatty sometimes, so fire away.

[Irish]

Thanks for the advice I'll follow it and let you know how I venture.

[Irish]

I feel a little silly asking but when I reply do hit post reply or quote or post quick reply? I guess when and where do I reply thats not screwing up a forum etc.. Thanks!!

[David Meek]

Scott, don't worry 'bout it. We all started at the same place on the learning curve.

The "Post Reply" button takes you to the "Reply To Thread" page. This gives you the most options when you post a message to a thread. The "Quick Reply" box at the bottom of the page just saves you a step. You can post in there and hit the "Post Quick Reply" and your text is added to the thread. Hitting the "Go Advanced" button simply takes you to the "Reply To Thread" page - again, where you have more options on what you post. If you've already started typing in the "Quick Reply" box, you can hit the "Go Advanced" button and your text is moved to that "Reply To Thread" screen where you have all those options.

Clear as mud? :

[H.Donald]

Ebay and Audiogon...I have had good fortune with both.
Also,I have done well with dealer demos...check out the real high end stores...their low end is my high end

[Chris D]

George is President of HTGuide! I must have missed the elections.

Welcome to the Guide, Irish! :banana:

[BlazeMaster]

I'm surprised your wife didn't agree on the sportscar or the women options that you had....jk.
I have exactly the same speakers as you except the DS6, I have 601s. Rotels are also very good with B&Ws in my book, but there are alot of other options out there. If you mainly use the system for movies and not too much music listening, you can get by with alot of mid range offerings by companies like Denon, Sony, Pioneer Elite, etc. I have a Denon 2805 right now, and I'm bout to pick up a Rotel amp either used or brand new, because the Denon's seems like it's struggling a bit when I turn the volume up.
Definitly check out the Rotel club on this site, if you're leaning towards Rotel. But a word of caution, most members in that club are biased towards Rotel, hence, club Rotel.

[Irish]

Thanks!!

[Irish]

Thanks for the info I'll check it all out.

[Irish]

No worries thanks!