$7,500 budget for new home theater

[Streetglowtyler]

Hello, I’m putting in a new home theater system and I’m fairly new to this so I though I would get the opinion of people who actually know what they are doing. First off, I’m debating on which type of TV to get, LCD or DLP. I’ve heard good and bad things about both. I’m not going to get a plasma due to the altitude in which I live in (Colorado). I had friend which bought a reasonably high-end plasma TV and it made a humming sound because of the high altitude. I want a TV at least 60in, maybe even 70in. If anyone has suggestions on a good TVs, I would be very appreciative. My budget for the TV is around $5000. For the audio part, I’m looking for something that actually sounds like I’m at the movies. I currently have a home theater with Energy speakers (Encore 8 ). They are great speakers but they don’t have the power I’m looking for. Right now I’m leaning towards the Klipsch Synergy Series. The front floor standing speakers are maximum 600w each (model F-3), while the center speaker is 400w (model C-2). The surround speakers are 400w each (model S-2) and the subwoofer has a 650w maximum (12in sub). I’m thinking about powering these speakers with a THX certified Yamaha HTR-5890 980w receiver. Bestbuy has this audio package for $2,439.93. I've also been informed that Athena makes excellent speakers. If I go that route, I am thinking about AS-f2 for the front speakers, AS-c1 for the center amd AS-r1 for the surround speakers. If anyone has other suggestions for an audio system, I would again be very appreciative. I would like to keep the price for the audio system at $2,500 or less.

Thanks in advanced!

[aud19]

Well IMO you've already contradicted yourself with these two comments:

I’m looking for something that actually sounds like I’m at the movies.

and:

I would like to keep the price for the audio system at $2,500 or less.

But here's what I'll recommend to you. If you like you Energy's, try listening to some of their higher lines like the Connoissuers or Veritas. There are a million other companies to check out as well. Try doing a search for keyword "speakers" on here and you'll see what others are using. I'll also recommend B&W, KEF, Paradigm, PSB, Polk, Totem and Vienna Acoustics. For powering all of them I vote for a Rotel 1056 receiver or 1068 pre/pro and 1075 amp. For your display I'd get a DLP or 3-chip LCD front projector if that's the size you're looking for. Team that up with a 30"+ direct view for casual (non-critical, non movie) watching. Ie: the news, daytime viewing etc.

[Kens1]

1056 reciever gets my vote as well and you could always add a 1080 amp later for more critical music listening. As for the TV I have a Hitachi LCD projection TV. It's a 50" and the models vs 810 - the one that looks like a plasma from the front. It also comes in 60 or 70" as well. I have been very happy with mine. Listen to the Totem dream catcher speaker system if you can - it's a 5.1 package in your price range and sounds amazing.

[Snap]

You can go with Sony TV, Denon AV, and Phase Tech Speakers and keep the 7500 budget, and sound like the movies. My 2 cents.

[stantheman2]

My $0.02. If you want a good balance between sound and movies, I'd suggest:

1/3 electronics, 1/3 speakers, 1/3 monitor

electronics: Rotel 1056 + Denon or Rotel or Marantz DVD player

speaker system: B&W 600 series, or Def Tech, or Energy

monitor: CRT rear projection still has best bang for buck - Hitachi or Sony
DLP rear projection - samsung
Front projector - Panasonic Ae700, InFocus 5700, or Sony
HS-51, if you want to budget $3500

[Streetglowtyler]

Thanks for all the help everyone! All of this information will help out a lot. If there are anyother suggestions please feel free to tell me. Thanks!!

[sikoniko]

when it comes to home theater/audio, budgets are made to be broken!

Id like to throw in the R-965 from sherwood/newcastle. It is a 7.1 receiver. I have the P-965 which is the pre (has the same internals minus the power output) and it sounds 10x better than the rotel I had. Contact Jim from Nextlevel Audio (the banner at the top) and he can help you with that.

for DVD you can start at the panasonic s97, the yamaha s2500 would be a step up with sacd audio. maybe sherwoods new dvd players are out too.

for tv, i like the JVC DiLA, but if you dont succomb to rainbow I say get a DLP because LCD will piss you off when the pixels start dieing. or go front projection.

that leaves speakers. go to the store with a few cd's and listen. id not recommend best buy as there is too much background noise to get a good demo.

[DrJRapp]

The Klipsch Synergy series are a absolute bargain for HT and you won't be sorry. I would look at something other than the Yammi receiver, however. I have heard the new Synergies, with an SVS PB ISD sub with a Rotel 1056 and was impressed with the overall punch in a medium sized room. Cost was just a smidgen above your $2500.00

[jimmyp58]

Thanks Dan for the plug....

BTW, the new Sherwood-Newcastle SD-860 has just arrived in my showroom. Very impressive unit for the price point and for multi-channel audio, it is really stunning.

Jim

[Nick M]

I'd also agree that you won't get Theater Quality sound for $2500. I'm not sure how often you will use the display for regular TV watching, but a front projector would be an excellent option if the room has good light control. ~$2500 would get you a nice 720p "Hi-Def" projector, cables, and a 92" Screen.

Then you could get a decent audio setup with the leftover $5k. Find speakers you like by visiting both hifi shops and bigbox stores (check out some of the online retailers too such as Axiom, AV123, Ascend Acoustics, etc). Depending on how much you spend on your display, you could get Outlaw Audio's new Model 990 pre/pro which is damn near unbeatable for price/performance at $1100. A good 120Wx5 AMP from Rotel or Outlaw is about $900.

For a sub(s), you could build your own for the best performance/value. For something that's plug n' play, check out http://www.hsuresearch.com and http://www.svsubwoofers.com .

I'd budget like this...

1/3 Video
1/3 Electronics/Wiring
1/3 Speakers/Sub(s)

[Andrew Pratt]

If its a theater you want then IMO you need to rethink things a little. First and foremost to get that theater feel you really need a projector of some sort to get an image large enough to meet the minimum viewing angle to pull you into the movie. Getting speakers and a receiver to do the surround is actually fairly easy if the video and subwoofers are done right. Now that's not to say I don't think high end pre amps and speakers don't have a place in theaters as that's clearly not true just that for most people that want to reproduce movies in their home a huge screen, a powerful subwoofer and decent surround is what they're looking for. I should be spending some time with the Sherwood products in the near future and from all accounts they're very nice at affordable prices (esp. through Next Level). You might consider keeping the Encore speakers and using them as the surrounds and moving up the Energy line for your fronts and center speaker to help get the most out of your budget.

[AndrewM]

I'd look at getting a 65"-ish Mits CRT RPTV for around $2k (could be anybodies CRT RPTV) and a top notch calibration for it, say around $1k. The video quality of that setup will meet and most likely exceed any of the digital display's out there.

That leaves $4500 for the audio side. I'd like to see seperates at this level, but it may be a bit rough to get into. Because I'm more of the opinion that you should drop more of that money on a good speaker setup, speakers are fairly future-proof, a really nice set of speakers today will essentially last for as long as you want to keep them (as opposed to hardware which may only last a couple/few years before being "obsolete"). I'd probably break it down to;
$3k - speakers
$1k - reciever
$300 - DVD player
$200 - for all the other stuff.

I'd try and keep the speaker price steady, the reciever as well. You could pick up a $150 DVD player and get a lot of performance these days if you needed some more cash somewhere. I'd pick up some quality but cheap cables for now, no reason to experiment with that right now, get the foundation built before slapping different paint on the walls.

Andrew

[BobD207s]

I have the Aperion Audio 6.1 speaker system with the 12" 250 watt sub and couldn't be happier. The great thing about these speakers is they sound so natural and the bass is awesome. The speakers are very easy to listen to and for the $ I couldn't find anything that compared. Aperion has a 30 day return policy but after hearing these in my home they did not go back. The people at Aperion were great to deal with too - I did tons of research and they answered all my questions and couldn't have been nicer. Oh yeah they even send you an owners kit with an spl meter plus my wife really liked the bags the speakers are wrapped in - very classy. Check them out at www.aperionaudio.com.


Bob

[Snap]

I did not have the time in the first set of post. But here goes.

TV Sony RPLCD 60 inch $3100
Denon 2805 AV Rec $899
Denon 2910 DVD Universal Player $699
Phase Tech V-12 System $2200

Sub Total:$6898
Leaves $612 bucks for wires and stands and what not. Heck can even upgrade to a 3805 receiver if you wanted to. :T

These are prices from "authorized" on line etailers so if you go in to a store you can get them better. :T

Phase Tech you will have to find a dealer for them. www.phasetech.com

The Totems are nice speakers as well. As for the sound... I have a very simular system in my house, and I have sold this system and installed it in peoples homes. Very nice set up. I have the 3805 and TV is 55 in not 60.

I know I am going to take a face shot for this one.....:2guns:

So all the heavy hitters I know I know....bad Snappy :nono:

I would not get a standard RPTV. Just me, but I will give you that they have better blacks, and they have better contrast..fine.......

But as far as every thing else goes, I like every thing about a DLP, RPLCD or SED, or pretty much the new tech stuff. REASON.....Space, viewing angle, weight, and looks. But that is just me. I know some of you guys are going to jump on that but jump easy....it is just MHO!

So NOOOOO :2guns:
:nono:

That is my thoughts on a good system for 7500!

[Al Garay]

You can have your 70" DLP. I would order from Costco because of their excellent return policy.

JVC HD-70G886 70" 16:9 HD-ILA $4,999.99
http://www.costco.com/Common/Categor...th=79*&Browse=

Oppodigital DVD player $199

http://www.oppodigital.com/

Sony STR-DA5000ES 7.1 digital receiver, order from Magnolia Hi-Fi who are liquidating them for $799 and has 5-year warranty. I chose this one over Pioneer Elite 56TXi, ARCAM AVR-300, NAD, Integra and bunch of others

Athena Technologies speakers from www.audioadvisor.com can easily cover the remaining $1500

If you had a bigger budget, I would encourage you to check out Adire Kit61, LCR speakers.

[Andrew Pratt]

I still believe that a projector and smaller TV are your best options to maximize HT viewing. We really don't need a 60+ inch TV to watch the news on and as big as 60 inches sounds its very small for a movie screen in most peoples rooms compared to what you can get from a projected image. Cost wise you can easily do both and if you use the projector for movies, sports and special events etc it'll last a long time.

[AndrewM]

True on the projector, and with the budget you should be able to get into something pretty nice without breaking the bank. The only concern is if the room will allow it in terms of placement and light control, if it does then I'd second the projector idea.

[Streetglowtyler]

I have a fairly large room in which this home theater will be in, but I only want to use part of this room for the home theater. The total size of the room is 45ft x 25ft. The actual home theater part is 18ft x 25ft. The other part is for billiards, ping pong, darts, and so on. There are a few windows in this room but I will be getting blackout curtains. I've heard the quality on a front projector is not as good as a rear projector such as a LCD, DLP, LCoS. Is that ture?

[aud19]

I agree Andrew :yesnod: (that's why I recommended it! :lol: )

I also like you're advice of moving his current Energy's to surround duty and getting some say... Veritas V2.2i mains, a V2.0Ci centre and perhaps a nice SVS sub.

Rotel 1056 or Sherwood Newcastle receiver from Jimmy, Denon DVD, a 720p DLP or LCD projector and a direct view set as mentioned

[eddiem67]

Denon 3805 1K
Denon 1910 225.00
KEF Q5,Q10C,Q2D's 1500 or
Energy Veritas 3500
Samsung 61" DLP 3K
Sunfire Signature Sub w/EQ 1600.00

[sikoniko]

3 issues with front projection in my book.

1. need to be able to get the room dark at anytime you want to watch a movie.
2. a better screen, such as a stewart, yields a better picture.
3. if they are anywhere near your head, you will hear the internal fans.

[Nick M]

You're going to need something pretty serious for a sub to fill that big of an area! So long as you close the curtains, I don't think you're going to beat a front projector for impact. It's going to have a 720p resolution just like a RPTV, but you will have a bigger screen, and it will take up less room.

One of the $1800 720p LCD units would do the trick. Figure in $600 for a screen, and $100 or so for the long cables. ($2500)

For a sub I would seriously consider the SVS PB12-Plus/2 for $1200. Other than a homebuilt sub setup, this will get you the best bang for your buck, and the most realistic chance of creating "Theater Quality" sound in your room. Smooth out the response of the sub with a Behringer pEQ for another $100.

http://www.svsubwoofers.com/subs_pb12_plus_2.htm

As Andrew said, those two things are the biggest pieces for creating that realism. Another very important thing to get will be the tools to set it up right. You can order an SPL meter and the AVIA DVD from SVS as a package from SVS for $80.

I'd go with a cheaper DVD player as mentioned above (that you can upgrade next year to an HD-DVD player). I'd recommend the Denon DVD-1710 which will be great for movies and is only $120.

Interconnects/Wiring at this price level should be the cheaper units, and you can get everything you need for $100 ($200 if you go with seperates).

This leaves $3400 for 5 speakers, mounts/stands and a pre/pro & amp (or receiver).

You can get the Outlaw 990 (a state of the art pre/pro) and a good 5ch amp in the $2000 range. If you can find a setup of five speakers for around $1300 that you enjoy I would highly recommend going with seperates (especially in a room your size where you might notice the harshness of a receiver being pushed). I'd just hate to see you spend $1500 on a receiver when for $2000 you can have seperates.

Forgot if I mentioned this before, but here are some great online retailers for speakers...

http://www.axiomaudio.com (bright/crisp)
http://www.ascendacoustics.com (neutral)
http://www.av123.com (lush/warm)

You could easily get a 5 speaker setup from one of these guys for about $1000.

The dedicated amp will be better in a large room like yours. It will also be a piece you will not have to upgrade. When the latest and greatest formats come out, all you have to swap out is your Pre/Pro.

So here is my recommended list...

720p LCD Front Projector $1800
Projection Screen ~$600
Outlaw Audio Model 990 Pre/Pro $1100
5 channel Power Amplifier (Rotel/Outlaw) $900
SVS PB12-Plus/2 Subwoofer $1200
Behringer pEQ $100
SPL Meter and AVIA Calibration DVD $80
Denon 1710 DVD Player $120
5 speakers from one of the above online retailers ~$1000
Cables/Speaker Wires/Interconnects (incl. long video cables) $300

Total Wallet Hit ~$7200

This will give you a 92"+ Hi-Def display, dual 12" subs w/serious power (tamed and blended with your speakers with the EQ), seperate high quality (and up to date) electronics, an excellent set of five speakers that are timbre matched, and everything will be properly calibrated and tuned with the SPL meter and AVIA disc.

Just my $0.02 from my own HT findings (and purchases) over the past 8 months.

Good Luck!

EDIT: Just realized how much I typed. This hobby is addicting, even when phantom spending other's cash! :B

[Shane Martin]

I did not have the time in the first set of post. But here goes.

TV Sony RPLCD 60 inch $3100
Denon 2805 AV Rec $899
Denon 2910 DVD Universal Player $699
Phase Tech V-12 System $2200

Sub Total:$6898
Leaves $612 bucks for wires and stands and what not. Heck can even upgrade to a 3805 receiver if you wanted to

I'll expand on his opinion. I would go with a 65" CRT Mits 9" Guns - $2500. Easy to get this price. Will squash any LCD/DLP/DILA type set.
New Pioneer Elite HDMI switcher AV reciever. $1200. MSRP. Can get it way cheaper online from an authorized dealer. COmes out in August.
Denon 2900 - Used but an extremley capable dvd player. 480P output. Upscaling is overrated anyway. $400.
Phase Tech V12 7.1 system. Can easily get 15% off and get a 7.1 for $1800 with tax. I've done it This includes no sub. I would NOT get the Phase Tech sub.
SVS sub. Pick your choice.
Cables
SPL Meter
Avia.

Couple of comments:

You can get the Outlaw 990 (a state of the art pre/pro)

Hardly DVI is not state of the art.

Behringer pEQ $100

Would not recommend one to a beginner.

You can have your 70" DLP. I would order from Costco because of their excellent return policy.

JVC HD-70G886 70" 16:9 HD-ILA $4,999.99

DLP and DILA are 2 different technologies. One is a variant of LCD and one uses a color wheel which has issues.

A good 120Wx5 AMP from Rotel or Outlaw is about $900.

Marantz has a nice 150x5 amp to be found for $400 used on Audiogon. Plenty of these to be found.

If you wish to shop online for speakers, then I could easily recommend Aperion.

If you want to buy locally on the sub then the Energy 12.3 is amazing. It puts out nearly the same levels of output as the vaunted Adire Audio Timult driver. Max output of 115db at 25 is pretty stout for an $800 or less sub.

[Andrew Pratt]

Projectors give you a very big image that will get all the resolution out of DVD's which are actually pretty low resolution all things considered. The smaller sets (and 65" is small in comparison) will display a nice smooth image but in a room that size its going to get lost esp if you ever wanted to have it on in the background while playing pool or entertaining etc. The fan noise from today's projectors when run in econo mode is very minor. Mine's only a few feet above my head and its not an issue for me...and I'm ANAL about fan noise.

[Nick M]

Yeah, a used Denon 2900 would be good, it's actually what I use. But for a new player with your budget, the equivalent unit is $1500 (the 3910). If all you want is a unit that will play DVDs and Audio CDs, I can't see spending more than $150 on a DVD player with Hi-Def units coming out within a year. If you want to get into SACD/DVD-A and don't mind used with a short-term/no warranty, the 2900 would be an excellent choice though as Shane mentioned.

If you plan to watch alot of on/off TV, I'd also get a RPTV given your budget (such as the one Shane recommended). Having said that, I'm also getting ready to purchase my display this month, and I'd have to agree with Andrew (from some auditions I've had) that with a dark/shaded room, a 92" display will make a 65" display seem like the size of a 20" after watching a 36" (hope that came out clear enough...lol). If you plan on using your display mainly for movies and sports events, Front Projection will be pretty tough to beat for impact. For a "Cinema Quality" experience, you will have to sit about 7' from the 65" to get the recommended impact too and achieve the haloed 30*.

I'd have to disagree with Shane about not getting a BFD though. By the time you finish wiring, and running AVIA with an SPL meter, setting up a BFD will seem like just another Saturday afternoon project that requires a 6-pack and a notepad. It's also essential for nice and clean response unless you have the perfect room that produces a response with no peaks or nulls. It's one of the best $100 you can spend along with the SPL meter and AVIA. Unless of course you failed out of the 7th grade and are confused by some basic math :rofl:

Hardly DVI is not state of the art.

What video connection is better than DVI? HDMI has the same quality as far as I knew? I don't think there is another pre/pro on the market now that has newer features than the 990. I've definetly been wrong before though. Just curious...

I'd definetly take Shane's recommendation to look at used pieces too if having a limited (or non-existant) warranty doesn't bother you. It would be an excellent way to get better performance for less!

[jimmyp58]

Though it would strain his budget, the new ARCAM AVP-700 is loaded with features (HDMI switching too).

[IntegrateMe]

OK, I feel compelled to toss in my opinion.

First, as far as the display, I would tend to suggest that you avoid the projector route since you probably don't want to have to worry about light control all the time. I'm sure you are going to want to have the option of playing pool and having the TV on, etc... without having to close the drapes all the time. Save the projector for a dedicated theater room.

When I was at the Mitsubishi show in April, I had the opportunity to see the 2005-2006 DLP's with 1920x1080 DMD's. As good as they look, the 65" CRT looks as good or better. In total brutal honesty, if you don't mind a large, somewhat deep box (they actually look much better aesthetically than they used to) the CRT will yield the superior picture. However, it is much uglier than the new Mitsu DLP's. If you go CRT just always stretch your 4:3 material and don't juice the contrast (The AVIA/DVE Disc will help you accomplish this). If you go digital, go Mitsu DLP, and I'm not just saying that because I am a dealer.

As for the equipment, you basically have 2 options; Internet vs. Brick and Mortar.

If you don't care about dealer support, get the Outlaw preamp and an ATI amp that an authorized dealer is always selling on ebay. Or just get a used amp on ebay or audiogon. Grab an SVS sub, Rocket/Axiom Speakers and a Panamax 5100 or the like. As for DVD, I would choose the upcoming DVD-1920 for $350. It will feature HDMI, SACD, DVD-A and all the bells and whistles you will require

If you opt for brick and mortar, check out the Denon 3806, Rotel 1056 as well as options from NAD and Sherwood/Newcastle. Look at B&W, Paradigm, Totem, Revel Concerto and others that have been previously mentioned. Check out M&K and Velodyne for subs. Keep the Panamax (unless you find some more money and get a Richard Gray power conditioner) and the Denon.

If you have Sat grab the HR10, and if you have cable, hopefully you'll have access to the Motorola 6214. Don't forget to save a bit for a remote. Universal Remote Control MX-3000 with RF Base station $1100, others for less.

Good Luck!

[Shane Martin]

What video connection is better than DVI? HDMI has the same quality as far as I knew?

No it's better and can go longer distances with it w/o issues. IIRC it is 12 bit while DVI is 8 bit video.

For a "Cinema Quality" experience, you will have to sit about 7' from the 65" to get the recommended impact too and achieve the haloed 30*.

7 feet from a 65" Screen? NO WAY. That is WAY too close. I understand why you made the statement but from 12 feet back a 65" is huge. Turn out the lights and with 9" CRT's you will be getting the best possible viewing image period(provided you calibrated).

Though it would strain his budget, the new ARCAM AVP-700 is loaded with features (HDMI switching too).

Given his budget it would put too much strain on it to purchase a $2,000 pre pro.

Don't forget to save a bit for a remote. Universal Remote Control MX-3000 with RF Base station $1100, others for less.

Buy a Harmony for $125-$200 and be done with it. Best purchase you will make for your new theater. Frickin easy to program.

[jimmyp58]

Agreed on the budget strain for the ARCAM unit Shane. I was feebly trying to point out there are newer pre/pros available that have newer feature(s) than the Outlaw.

[Leef DaLucky]

Hmm front projection?
Has anyone heard anything about high altitude effects on the cooling fans of front projectors?
I vaguely recall a poster on another forum saying his fan was doing overtime work to try to compensate and it was driving the guy nuts.
be careful with that one.

Cheers, good luck,
Mikey

[aud19]

I'll second the vote for the 9" CRT Mits RPTV IF he doesn't go with a PJ, which I still recommend first

I'll have to disagree with Nick's "cheapo" route on the speakers though. Speakers will stay in your system longer than just about anything else. If you're going to overspend anywhere, that's where it should go IMO. A receiver with quality amplification (Rotel, Sherwood etc) will have no problem running 99% of the decent bookshelves out there. He can always upgrade with outboard amps and secondary subs later on. This leads me back to Andrew's awesome suggestion of moving his existing Energy's to surrounds and putting all of his speaker budget in the mains/centre (the Veritas IMO).

[Andrew Pratt]

Depending on which screen you go with running a projector with the lights on isn't out of the question and unless its full daylight with huge windows it will be fine...certinaly no worse then trying to watch a big screen TV in the same conditions..esp if there's protective screen on the TV.

As for the seating distance to meet the recomended viewing angles Nicks comment is correct. I've watched many a movie on friends big screen TV's and they're nice...but you always "know" you're watching TV where as on the projectors you get sucked in. Maybe its just a perception thing as we're traditionally used to watching movies in the cinema on huge screens but what ever the reason if you're trying to reproduce a cinema in your home projectors are pretty much the only way to go. Now that doesn't mean that you can't also have a big screen (50" etc.) to watch TV or the occasional movie on as well if light is an issue or it just doesnt' warrent turning on the PJ for. I use my 32" wega a lot for casual viewing and I would'nt recomend someone only have a projector but IMO its best to get a display best suited to the medium, ie a projector for movies and a smaller set for TV etc.

[BobD207s]

I thought i might add my $.02 in here - I have 2 video devices in my home theater / family room . i have a CRT FP using a 8' wide motorized screen and I just picked up a 57" Toshiba 57H84 RPTV . We use the FP for movies and special sporting events ( world series , super bowl ) and what Andrew says is true. Watching a movie on the 57" is not the same experience as the FP.

If you can only afford one and you can control the light in your room I would definitely give the FP idea some serious consideration

Good luck,
Bob

[Nick M]

This is a great thread! It's interesting to see how people would spend $7500 to build a Home Theater setup.

I didn't realize HDMI was 12bit and DVI was 8bit. Did some googling, and read some more about it. Are there DVD players that have 12bit output or is this a future-proof feature? Just curious what kind of image quality increase you get going from DVI to HDMI. Compared to the other Pro/Pros in his price range (Rotel, Sherbourn) the Outlaw seemed to be the best value as a far as features and price is concerned. I've yet to hear a receiver with the type of lushness that a dedicated amplifier brings too, and this will probably be even more apparent in a room his size. Having said that, the new Pioneer Elite you mentioned does look like a great option for a receiver. I haven't had much luck with Pioneer products though (2 car CD players and a DVD player have crapped out on me). I imagine therir upper Elite line would probably have better QC though.

Having a minimum viewing angle of 30* is the cinema standard, provides an immersive "Cinema Quality" experience, and reduces eyestrain compared to staring at a smaller screen in the dark. As Andrew said, along with good bass (extension, proper SPL, and smooth response) having a large image like this is what produces a "Cinema Quality" experience in the home. To get this same effect from a 65" unit, you need to sit about 7' away. He's not going to feel like he's at the movies by watching a 65" screen from 12' away, unless he has a pretty crappy local theater... :rofl:

Jason - I'd agree with you on the speakers part. If the offerings in the $1000-$1200 range aren't up to par with his ears, I would most definetly sacrifice in other areas to get speakers he enjoys. Online retailers seem to please pretty well though such as Aperion, which Shane mentioned. Getting five monitors (or 4 and a CC) would be no problem, and should easily beat out equally priced offerings from B&M stores.

Anyway you slice it, my core recommendation would be to divert some of those funds you have planned out into your audio setup. This seems to be a common thing for people to do though after reading/posting to many of these threads. They spend 2/3-3/4 of their cash on a display, use the change for the audio setup, and wonder why it doesn't seem like the local theater. Make sure you audition lots of options before laying down your cash is the other reecommendation I have.

[Snap]

Integrateme had a good point....DON"T forget the remote. I could not live with out my MX-700! :T Roll with the 850 if you need RF. MX-700 you can get for well under 300.

Energy Speakers would also be nice, if you wanted to step things up go with the PC9.1 Ref line from Phase Tech. Nice rig there. I have heard them but as of yet I do not have them in the show room.

FP is not a bad way to go. I would go FP before I went with a CRT. But that is me, I value sound and looks more than I value the "blacker than black" the WEGA, or DLP, or plasmas are fine for me as far as PQ goes.

A "VAST" majority of my market is for families, and they are willing to spend the extra money on looks as well as quality so that I guess is what biases me toward the new tech displays.

Shane The Phase Tech sub is no SVS, or Velodyne, or Earthquake, but it is not bad for the price. It compliments the system well enough.

[Snap]

Nick- You are right we are all nuts this is a great thread! Funny, I can get a WHOLE bunch of speakers through my company.....yet I find that I am always leaning toward only a few.... Aud19 loves his energy...I can get them, but never pushem I love my phase.

What a great thread.....

Hey we better hear what you get when all this is done for the 7500! :T

[aud19]

Jason - I'd agree with you on the speakers part. If the offerings in the $1000-$1200 range aren't up to par with his ears, I would most definetly sacrifice in other areas to get speakers he enjoys. Online retailers seem to please pretty well though such as Aperion, which Shane mentioned. Getting five monitors (or 4 and a CC) would be no problem, and should easily beat out equally priced offerings from B&M stores.

After the discount you should be able to get at 99% of the BM stores out there online speaker e-tailers lose their price advantage IMO.

[aud19]

Nick- You are right we are all nuts this is a great thread! Funny, I can get a WHOLE bunch of speakers through my company.....yet I find that I am always leaning toward only a few.... Aud19 loves his energy...I can get them, but never pushem I love my phase.

What a great thread.....

Hey we better hear what you get when all this is done for the 7500! :T

While I do love and recommend Energy speakers, I'm especially pushing them in this case, considering he already owns some that could easily be moved to rears and allow more funds for the mains centre

I quite like lot's of other brands as well that I listed way back yonder

[Streetglowtyler]

Hey we better hear what you get when all this is done for the 7500! :T

Snap- I will definitely tell everyone what I get at the end of this. I won’t be making any final decisions for at least a couple more weeks. I want to gather all the research that I can. All this help that everyone is giving me is awesome!! Thanks everyone!!! :T

[gd]

Depending on which screen you go with running a projector with the lights on isn't out of the question and unless its full daylight with huge windows it will be fine...certinaly no worse then trying to watch a big screen TV in the same conditions..esp if there's protective screen on the TV.

Streetglowtyler... I wouldn't argue the above, but that perception will vary among users, and I'd strongly recommend that you view a few PJ setups firsthand, and make sure for yourself.

Done right, PJs rank among the best picture available, and are a relative bargain, to boot... and their owners are justifiably enthused about them... but for me, with every setup I've viewed, it takes relatively little light leakage to diminish the viewing experience... with no dedicated light-tight theatre room in my plans, I'd personally lean toward an alternate monitor.

Just my 2¢... as with speakers, it's wise to do some auditioning.

[Streetglowtyler]

Hey guys, I went and listened to speakers today. First I listened to the Klipsch speakers and I loved them. Then the guy who was helping me out suggested that I listen to the Definitive Technology speakers. So I agreed and we compared the Definitive speakers to Klipsch. He first played a song using Klipsch speakers. I was of course pleased with the results. Then he switched over and played the same exact song using the same amp at the same volume. I was just plainly astounded by the sound that came out the Definitive Technology Speakers!!! The Klipsch can’t even come close the sound quality that the Definitive reproduced. It was amazing! The Klipsch speakers were about $500 each. The Definitive speakers were about $1,100 each. That price difference made a HUGE difference in sound quality. I compared the Definitive speakers to some other speakers but nothing even came remotely close to how they sound. What does everyone else think about Definitive??? I am definitely considering getting theses speakers for my new home theater. By the way the model number is BP7002. They claim to have an outstanding frequency range (15Hz – 30 kHz). I don’t doubt those statistics at all because of the number speakers they have inside of each tower. If you’re wondering, each tower contains four 5-1/4” midrange drives. Two 1” aluminum tweeters with silk surrounds. And one 12” long-throw subwoofer coupled to two 12” radiators. These speakers are huge weighing in at 84lbs each! Thanks for any feedback.

[aud19]

I don't personally like Def-Tech's for music, they're great for movies though.

You'll likely find that the $1000-$3000 per pair price range is a "sweet spot" for speakers, being an almost optimal compromise between sound quality and affordability. Now you know why we almost all said you should apply a larger percentage of your funds to the audio portion of your budget

[Nick M]

Def Techs have rear-firing drivers that create a dispersed room filling sound. It makes ambient effects sound spectacular, but directional effects or voices less than special. Many people love them though. Get what sounds good to you! Make sure you listen to some more brands too before you lay down the cash. Try out some of the other big names like Paradigm and B&W.

[aud19]

Def Techs have rear-firing drivers that create a dispersed room filling sound. It makes ambient effects sound spectacular, but directional effects or voices less than special. Many people love them though. Get what sounds good to you! Make sure you listen to some more brands too before you lay down the cash. Try out some of the other big names like Paradigm and B&W.

Well put Nick :T And not to sound like a broken record... record... record.. :B But listen to some Energy Veritas. Utilizing your existing equipment is going to allow you to apply more funds to those all important mains/centre. And believe me, if you think those $1100 DefTech's sounded good, wait till you hear the Veritas :T

[jimmyp58]

For starters, speakers are a funny bunch. Everyone's ears like different sounds and with so many options available, you could go stir crazy figuring out which to go with.

Your ears will never fail you though. That being said, a little homework is still on the agenda. Having owned a number of Def Tech speakers, they sound incredible in an HT environment. I thought at one time they performed incredibly well too in a 2-channel music environment. After listening to some very critical speakers (and after a good burn-in period), direct sound speakers, to me, sound the best for 2-channel and clearly best the Def Techs I last owned (BP7000SCs). Nick said it best, the Def Techs are bipolar so some of the sound you hear is reflected sound --- off the walls. So you have to ask yourself, what am I going to use my speakers for?!

While you have found Def Tech to sound superior to the Klipsch's you listened to (it seems the comparison may not be a fair one though pitting a $500 speaker against an $1,100 speaker --- how about asking the salesperson to pit a more formidable Klipsch against the Def Tech?), others here on the various forums swear by Klipsch. Personally, I don't like them, never have, but that doesn't mean squat other than I don't like them. It is very important you listen to a wide variety after deciding your budget and what the application is. Throw in the mix the Paradigms, B&W, Dynaudios, if you can find some Acoustic Energy, a lot of guys love Axiom, the Energy Veritas AUD mentioned, just to name a few. Then I'd ask a salesperson for a comparable A/B.

Just my 2 cents.