HT, what should I get??

[Arnoud]

After having used a Sony 4.0 system for way to long it is now time to really get a good HT system. Looking into all the great stuff available it's not that easy to really chose and I want to be prepared before I go to my retailer! Currently I am f.e. looking at:

Rotel 1098 / Denon AV1 SR?????
B&W 7 series speakers
DVD player??????

Okay it's best to write: HELP!!!

Thanks,

[Sonnie Parker]

Hello Arnoud and welcome to htguide forums.

Sounds like you are after some sho-nuff stuff and I'm sure some of the elite will jump in and make some recommendations for you.

I just ordered a Denon DVD-2900 from e-cost for $507 but had I been able to afford it, I'd opted for the newer Denon DVD-5900. You can check it out on Denons home site. Pretty impressive specs for $2K retail.

You can find out lots of info on the 1098 in Club Rotel. It appears to be a darling of a processor.

Happy shopping!






SONNIE

Cedar Creek Cinema

DVD Collection

BFD Comprehensive Setup Guide

[Lex]

As a member of the Guide, Rotel certainly is a smart choice. Why? Because you have so much good support here. We've got probably the most Rotel users on the net right here, contacts with the manufacturer...

You could do much much worse.

I would do this. I'd focus heavily on the audio/speakers side. DVD player? you can get 90+% of the video performance, if not higher from many budget DVD players as compared to 2000+ components. Now granted, a decision like Sonnie's certainly isn't bad. But when trying to build an entire system, you can make a few decisions to save now, and come back to them later as funds permit and do them "right".

Just like displays, you can get into a budget front projector for 1000 bucks. Then later, after you build all your system, come back and upscale that.

Anyway, take your time, and think through each decision and you will be fine.

Lex

[Danbry39]

Yeah, welcome to the forum.

I agree with Lex. Speakers and room accoustics will make the most impact on sound. After that, the other components are fine tuning and should be chosen to bring out the best of the speakers you've chosen. And, then there's the final step in chosing the cables and Lex can help you out there.

As for the speakers, what price are you looking to spend? For how many speakers? Will you be getting a sub too?

Given a price, you'll get some good options, some of which, mine, shall we say, might be off the beaten path, but will provide great value, build quality, and sound.

Also, it would be helpful if we knew how much you plan to use it for DVD's, etc. and how much you'd like to use it for music. Music is always my personal number 1 priority.

I'd also audition as many speakers as possible to narrow down your preferences, which, as you know, vary from listener to listener.

As far as DVD players. the Denon 2900 is getting rave reviews and I'm jealous of Sonny for having one. Denon is coming out with quite a few models shortly though, some of which will have both DVD-A and SACD capability. I own a Denon too and feel their DVD players are very good picture quality wise and top drawer in the audio department.

Rotel 1098's have been getting generally great reviews for their sonic quality. Anthems list for a bit more, but also are very high quality pre-pros. At your price point, those are the two I hear the most positive statements about. Lex is right again that the Rotel board here is highly regarded for knowledgable, friendly folks and that Rotel listens directly to what this board has to say in making decisions for firmware upgrades, etc.

You're putting together a seriously good system with the type choices you've indicated.




Keith

[Arnoud]

This is great! For your information, I'm in Europe and that makes life a litle bit more difficult to compare prices and availability some of the speakers. The total for spekers (5 + subwoofer) will be around Euro (almost the same as the US $) 6000.

[Danbry39]

Yeah, sorry, didn't notice you lived in Europe, My off the beaten path speaker possibilities won't help then.

There was a thread in the last couple of weeks for someone with a budget of $7000 and he received some excellent suggestions. Think he ended up getting the Monitor Gold series.

Here's the link.




Keith