matching HT components (price, features, etc.)

**Andrew Pratt** · 17 November 2003, 20:54 Monday

Samsung 61" HLN617W DLP - $6000 list / $4300 discount

Decent TV but with that much budget I'd STRONGLY sugest looking at a projector and a smaller tube TV if needed for regular DSS material. You'd also free up a could chunk of your budget that you could put towards better gear below.

Yamaha RX-1400 (110W x 7.1) - $799 list / $600 discount

Yamaha's aren't too bad but for music IMO they're a little to bright sounding. Some swear by them however so let your ears be the judge.

Yamaha DVD-C940 DVD player - $499 list / $420 discount

As music is your primary listening habit I'd suggest buying a dedicated CD player like the Rotel 1072 or NAD 541i. This would leave you with a little that i'd recomend buying a budget panasonic DVD player or a Denon 1600 from www.ecost.com as a refurb.

Samsung SIR-TS160 HDTV receiver - $699 list / $545 discount

I don't have much experience with these so i'll let someone else comment but I think the samsung's a good choice.

Technics SL-1300 LP with Stanton cartridge (existing)

Again I'll let someone else comment on this one.

Defintive Technology 5.1 system - $1648 list

Now here's where it gets interesting...basically speakers are very subjective and there are lots of good sounding speakers to be had at all price points. That said I'm not sure i'd be buying Def's given your slant towards music. what I'd recomend is to spend as much time as possible driving around your local audio shops with a bundle of your favorite CD's and listen to as many different speakers as you can..even if they're way out your budget just to get a feel for what's out there and what flavor you like.

gd · 17 November 2003, 21:32 Monday

I'm personally biased against TV, so take the following with a grain of salt... I think the audio side side of your system doesn't match up to the TV... but most people seem to spend the bucks on the big screen, and give less consideration to the audio, and I can't change that tendency.

Ohterwise, your system does seem pretty well balanced... if I could change one thing, I'd add a more substantial sub (SVS, Hsu, Adire).

And if you're sticking with Yamaha, you might take a look at their well-regarded DVD-S2300 universal player ($800?) and take the plunge into multichannel music.

**palmetto** · 18 November 2003, 12:24 Tuesday

thanks, andrew and gd and all others.

in regard to the 61" DLP from samsung, i should have mentioned that i only have about 20" depth, so i was only considering DLP and LCos. i am a sucker for size, too, and the 61" is immense from 15 feet away on the couch. there's no option for a projector given the room and the abundant light.

gd -- you thought that the TV side of my plan was overplayed against the audio. i wonder how much more budget would it take to up the audio, especially for my interest in rock music listening (not HT).

here's a whole new topic, in regard to my primiary interest in rock music, i may get the Yamaha MusicCast server and client system, and digitize a part of my 1000 music CD collection at 320mbs compression. and i would go back to the originbal CD when i want the optimum sound quality. MusicCast has a CD playback feature, too.

as for the DVD player, would the "budget panasonic DVD player or a Denon 1600" provide a noticably different (lesser) image on such a large screen? does the Yamaha DVD/CD player provide a beter image?

speakers... uh! this is difficult for me as a neophyte. it is hard to audition and choose as the local audio rooms do not have all the contenders in the same store. i had narrowed it down to the Def Tech or a Tannoy 5.1 system -- 4 Sensys 1's and 1 Sensys C. i did nto hear the Tannoys yet. of course, B&W was highly recommended. are some brands considered better for classic and new rock and pop vocalists, in my bidget for a 5.1 at under $2000?

thansk for your continued help.

Palmetto

gd · 18 November 2003, 14:57 Tuesday

Originally posted by palmetto

gd -- you thought that the TV side of my plan was overplayed against the audio. i wonder how much more budget would it take to up the audio, especially for my interest in rock music listening (not HT)... speakers... uh! this is difficult for me as a neophyte. it is hard to audition and choose as the local audio rooms do not have all the contenders in the same store.

Hey Palmetto

I don't want to spend you down the river, but to answer your specific question, I would double your audio budget to 'match' the level of your TV, as this seems to be a stated goal... my own personal choice would be to stay within budget, get a lesser TV and get the best audio I could, but again, my preferences here run against the grain.

Music server: I have no experience here, but Marantz also makes one; you might want to compare... and I can't help you with matching a DVD player to your TV, but a good place to research DVDs is the 'Secrets' site where a fairly extensive comparison has been done on a variety of players with a critical emphasis on video quality: http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi

And the best advice I can give you for speakers is to audition as extensively as possible... ask if you can take them home to audition (unlikely, but you never know)... no, they're not all there in one store, but speakers are THE most critical part of the chain... they vary the most in sound from make to make... and are most subject to personal preference.

Happy hunting.

**ThomasW** · 18 November 2003, 16:00 Tuesday

Here's a little advice from one of the more senior members of the forum ......... 8O

Speaker technology changes at a snails pace. With electronic technology there's a new product every 9-12 months, and most of the time it's an improvement not just something different.

As a result I recommend spending ALOT more to buy some good speakers. $1700 is bottom feeding for a 5.1 system. What's the use of having good electronics IF what they can do can't be reproduced by the loudspeakers?

FWIW, the old formula for creating a 'stereo' audio only system was that the speakers should represent 50% of the total budget. I can't see where this would change with a multi-channel A/V system.

Also there are some VERY good small custom speaker builders out there. Instead of buying from a huge corp that's tacking on 40+% for slick marketing, try one of the smaller custom builders. You'll get personal service and a much better speaker.

theAudioWorx
Klone-Audio

**Sonnie Parker** · 18 November 2003, 18:08 Tuesday

Welcome to the forum Palmetto...

$7500 for a budget is pretty good but using $4300 of that for a big screen when you want 70% music doesn't seem too logical.

I agree with ThomasW in that if you want 70% music then spend more on quality speakers or build your own. These guys are pro's at it so they can give you some good advice over at DIY on building speakers if you want to take the time to do so. I'm not so sure how much more quality you'll need being that you listen mostly to rock. At least do as others suggest and consider a nice sub which would be a good addition for rock music.

If you are critical to what your speakers will sound like then the best way to test them is bring them home. They are probably not going to sound the same as they do in the showroom. That's the unfortunate thing for me is I live in no man's land so I can hardly bring speakers home with me.

I think there are more RPTV's out there that will fit in the 20" depth range. I think mine might even fit that and it's a 65" Toshiba at only $2500 or so now. If not 20" it can't be much off. Anyway I'd check around on that or maybe back up to a smaller screen size especially if you are watching a lot of SD material that a big screen is only going to make worse.

SONNIE

Cedar Creek Cinema

DVD Collection

BFD Comprehensive Setup Guide

matching HT components (price, features, etc.)

matching HT components (price, features, etc.)

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