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Well it's finally time for me to put some serious thought into upgrading. Here's my current system:
Rec: Yamaha 595
Speakers: Energy eXL 16 - fronts, eXL C - center, and point 1e for rears.
Sub: Energy eXLS8, 8" powered sub.
DVD: Toshiba 3109
TV: Mitsubishi 27", SVideo input only.
From the above, the most obvious improvement I can make is upgrading the TV set. Now here's the problem. I've had my heart set on upgrading to a FPTV setup ever since I borrowed the projector from work. So in a sense I've been saving up for that for the past few months. I didn't expect to be making any upgrades until I made that one big jump. Now I'm having second thoughts.
You see, for my criteria, I'd like to get the best value I can. And value to me is what will get used the most and what will I notice the most and how much do I have to spend to get that improvement.
For a while I've been thinking about maybe a new sub, would like to hear the lower octives. My 8" goes to about 30Hz, but really drops off after that. But the reality is, I don't really get the chance to watch a lot of dvds. I hope to get into a more regular schedule, but the fact is, it would probably be 2-3 a week. Right now I'm watching about 1-3 a month!
I was also thining of going for a new receiver. Looking to get a DTS, and Pro Logic II capable receiver, DTS ES would be nice, but not really necessary. I do want pre-outs, but most of the units I've thought about have that feature. I use my receiver everyday for TV watching as well as DVD, and I figure DPL II would be a benefit for TV shows. I'd also like to experience DTS at home.
I'm pretty happy with my current speaker setup. I believe if I mate them with a better source of power, or a different receiver, I'll be experiencing a different sound stage. For my space, I can't see moving to towers any time soon.
The DVD player is pretty decent, no real complaints. If anything a new player would have to coincide with a new display, and I'd probably be looking at a progressive unit anyways.
So that brings me back to my display. We do watch a lot of TV and for the foresable future, I can't see that changing. So an upgrade to a 32" or 36" set seems like the next logical move. Right? Well, kinda. As I look at the various sets, I'm faced with the fact that any new display must be able to support an easy way to squeeze anamorphic DVDs. So far I know all Sony Wega's will do this, but I'm not sure which other manufactures support this feature. I think Samsung, and possbily the top model Toshiba's. Next the question of 32" vs 36". I've read reports that those that upgraded to 32" sets are happy for the most part, but some wish they went for the larger 36" set. I know why, bigger is better when dealing with picture. So I'm leaning towards, if I go direct view, I might as well go for a decent 36" set. So the benchmark is the bottom end Sony 36" Wega. So now comes the nitty gritty the 36" Wega, 36FS13, lists for C$2,300 and the 32" Wega, the 32FS13, goes for C$1,500. I've also seen a deal at Costco for the 32" Wega, same price but includes the matching stand, if I get the 36" set, I need to get the stand as well, so add another $300. Now what is really the killer is the weight of these beasts. The 32" weighs in at a 165 lbs and the 36" set comes in at a heavy weight 223 lbs! That's some serious weight.
So for direct view, I'm looking at $1,500 for 32" including stand, or $2,600 for 36" including stand. The 36" price is open to negotiations, and I'm pretty poor at that, but I'm still looking at over $2K plus tax. What really kills me is the weight of these monsters.
So here's my other thought. Look at a 43" RPTV. There's two that fit my bill. The Sony 43HT20 for $3,000, or the Toshiba 43HX71, which is available online for $2,650. These are obviously more money than the 36", but when you look at it, the Toshiba is not much more than the list of the 36" Sony with stand, and the Sony 43" is about $400 more, that's before haggling. I'm also assuming I won't need a stand for either, but I have to do some measurments at home to find out. Now the beauty of these 43" sets is they weigh in at 144 lbs for the Sony and only 118 lbs for the Toshiba. Much more managable. Plus for the price, I'm into a nice 43" set that is HDTV ready and will do 3:2 pulldown, etc, etc.
So where am I right now? It's a toss up. If I go direct view, I don't think I would go bigger than a 32" set and $1,500 is pretty reasonable. Otherise I'm looking at twice to price to get into a 43" set.
Whatever set I get, I'd put the 27" into the bedroom. And I'd have to start over again for the FPTV fund.
What is my upgrade budget? I was thinking along the lines of $3,000. So the 43" set would be in range. For a while I was thinking of getting a SVS 2039PCi and getting a new receiver, like the Yamaha 1200. Now I don't know.
Paul
There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.
Rec: Yamaha 595
Speakers: Energy eXL 16 - fronts, eXL C - center, and point 1e for rears.
Sub: Energy eXLS8, 8" powered sub.
DVD: Toshiba 3109
TV: Mitsubishi 27", SVideo input only.
From the above, the most obvious improvement I can make is upgrading the TV set. Now here's the problem. I've had my heart set on upgrading to a FPTV setup ever since I borrowed the projector from work. So in a sense I've been saving up for that for the past few months. I didn't expect to be making any upgrades until I made that one big jump. Now I'm having second thoughts.
You see, for my criteria, I'd like to get the best value I can. And value to me is what will get used the most and what will I notice the most and how much do I have to spend to get that improvement.
For a while I've been thinking about maybe a new sub, would like to hear the lower octives. My 8" goes to about 30Hz, but really drops off after that. But the reality is, I don't really get the chance to watch a lot of dvds. I hope to get into a more regular schedule, but the fact is, it would probably be 2-3 a week. Right now I'm watching about 1-3 a month!
I was also thining of going for a new receiver. Looking to get a DTS, and Pro Logic II capable receiver, DTS ES would be nice, but not really necessary. I do want pre-outs, but most of the units I've thought about have that feature. I use my receiver everyday for TV watching as well as DVD, and I figure DPL II would be a benefit for TV shows. I'd also like to experience DTS at home.
I'm pretty happy with my current speaker setup. I believe if I mate them with a better source of power, or a different receiver, I'll be experiencing a different sound stage. For my space, I can't see moving to towers any time soon.
The DVD player is pretty decent, no real complaints. If anything a new player would have to coincide with a new display, and I'd probably be looking at a progressive unit anyways.
So that brings me back to my display. We do watch a lot of TV and for the foresable future, I can't see that changing. So an upgrade to a 32" or 36" set seems like the next logical move. Right? Well, kinda. As I look at the various sets, I'm faced with the fact that any new display must be able to support an easy way to squeeze anamorphic DVDs. So far I know all Sony Wega's will do this, but I'm not sure which other manufactures support this feature. I think Samsung, and possbily the top model Toshiba's. Next the question of 32" vs 36". I've read reports that those that upgraded to 32" sets are happy for the most part, but some wish they went for the larger 36" set. I know why, bigger is better when dealing with picture. So I'm leaning towards, if I go direct view, I might as well go for a decent 36" set. So the benchmark is the bottom end Sony 36" Wega. So now comes the nitty gritty the 36" Wega, 36FS13, lists for C$2,300 and the 32" Wega, the 32FS13, goes for C$1,500. I've also seen a deal at Costco for the 32" Wega, same price but includes the matching stand, if I get the 36" set, I need to get the stand as well, so add another $300. Now what is really the killer is the weight of these beasts. The 32" weighs in at a 165 lbs and the 36" set comes in at a heavy weight 223 lbs! That's some serious weight.
So for direct view, I'm looking at $1,500 for 32" including stand, or $2,600 for 36" including stand. The 36" price is open to negotiations, and I'm pretty poor at that, but I'm still looking at over $2K plus tax. What really kills me is the weight of these monsters.
So here's my other thought. Look at a 43" RPTV. There's two that fit my bill. The Sony 43HT20 for $3,000, or the Toshiba 43HX71, which is available online for $2,650. These are obviously more money than the 36", but when you look at it, the Toshiba is not much more than the list of the 36" Sony with stand, and the Sony 43" is about $400 more, that's before haggling. I'm also assuming I won't need a stand for either, but I have to do some measurments at home to find out. Now the beauty of these 43" sets is they weigh in at 144 lbs for the Sony and only 118 lbs for the Toshiba. Much more managable. Plus for the price, I'm into a nice 43" set that is HDTV ready and will do 3:2 pulldown, etc, etc.
So where am I right now? It's a toss up. If I go direct view, I don't think I would go bigger than a 32" set and $1,500 is pretty reasonable. Otherise I'm looking at twice to price to get into a 43" set.
Whatever set I get, I'd put the 27" into the bedroom. And I'd have to start over again for the FPTV fund.
What is my upgrade budget? I was thinking along the lines of $3,000. So the 43" set would be in range. For a while I was thinking of getting a SVS 2039PCi and getting a new receiver, like the Yamaha 1200. Now I don't know.
Paul
There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.
The 43" set has the following dimensions WxHxD 38"x43"x21" and the 53" set's are 45"x54"x23". The 43" when placed in my room should work very nicely, the 53" will just dominate and I think look totally ugly. Yeah bigger is better, but it's true, you have to see it in your surroundings. In fact the 43" set, without a stand would actually fit almost flush with my side units. But the only problem is the picture would start pretty low to the floor, ie the picture dimensions are 25.8"x34.4"x43". So with out a stand my picture will start about 17" off the floor. Currently my 27" picture starts at around 23" off the floor. This is a pretty big difference. I am tempted to try it without the stand, but I think the reality is, buy the stand to give it the extra height. I thing RPTV's are best viewed straight on? Here's a thought, if I'm watching it at an angle, will the reflective protective screen play less of a role?
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