New Mini Home Theatre - 2 Quotes with Different Components (1 Viewer)

[crux]

Hello,
I am in the process of pulling together a small home entertainment setup. I currently have a DVD player and a 21" CRT and feel it's about

time to buy some grown up toys.

To start off, I don't need the clearest sound, sharpest picture or largest TV. All would be nice, but I'm looking to do this on some sort of

budget. I've discussed my setup with two different home theatre companies. The first is a small company that did all of the wiring in my

new townhome (All Frequencies, Inc). The second is on a recommendation from a coworker (ListenUp). Both have been very helpful, but have

given different advice on components so I thought I would come here to seek some advice.

The room where all of this is being setup is fairly small. It's about 15' x 25' with 10' high ceilings. The shorter of the two distances

has the couch on one end and the TV on the other. The current viewing distance is about 11'. Both plans call for two flush celing mounts

above the couch for the surround sound and two wall mounts (possibly inset) on the TV wall. We're also moving all components into the closet

behind the TV wall to keep everything nice and clean.

I'm looking to buy a receiver, two front channel speakers, two surround speakers and an LCD TV. Both companies have recommended a center

channel speaker and a sub woofer. I just went in for a listen and the center channel didn't make that much difference, but will surely go

with the sub woofer. My main uses are for music (Ipod and Computer) and movies (DVD player and computer).

In addition, I plan to have them install a speaker on the upstairs deck (already wired) which is 2 floors from the main entertainment center.

Along with this, there will be a volume control just inside the patio door for the outoor speaker.

I bring all of this up so 1. I can make sure they're not selling me a Mercedes when I want a Yugo and 2. To make sure I get the best

components for the price I'm willing to pay.

LCD TV
The TV has not been discussed much with either of the companies. I've done some research and think that a 32"-37" would be fine. I don't

want it to overwhelm the room but everyone I know says they wish they would have picked up a larger TV. I just want to be able to clearly

read subtitles if necessary. That's a TV big enough for me. My current 21" isn't cutting it. I'm looking for a good deal but also want

something that won't be outdated in five years. I don't plan to get an HD cable box or buy any new HD DVDs anytime soon. I also don't do

any gaming. Mostly just watch regular cable TV, movies from DVD and movies from my new laptop. That said, also looking for the best way to

connect the laptop to the receiver to the TV. I currently use an S-video cable directly to the TV.

All Frequencies suggestion:
Receiver - Yamaha RX-V661 - $459
Speakers - CRS6 One SpeakerCraft in Ceiling Speakers $747. This is for two surround sound ceiling mount and two front channel ceiling mount

plus a center channel speaker.

Patio Speaker - SpeakerCraft O.E. DT5.1 Outdoor 2ch Stereo Speaker 5.25" - $258
Volume Control - SpeakerCraft VST60 - $60

ListenUp suggestions:
Recevier - Denon AV-1907 - $550
Speakers - 2 ceiling mount surround speakers (B&W CCM636) - $175 each
No quote yet on the two front speakers but most likely B&W

Patio speaker - SpeakerCraft WS950 - $275 (normally $425 but this is a floor demo)

Just got off the phone with ListenUp. The guy seems nice enough, but every time I ask if there is a cheaper model, he always seems to find one. I'm not looking for the cheapest of cheep, but they know I'm looking for lower end stuff. I don't have the formal quote from them yet, but wanted to get your thoughts on components and price.

Apologies for the lengthy post, but wanted to be as complete as possible to get the best feedback.

Thanks for any suggestions around TV, receiver, speakers, etc.

 

[Jim Mcc]

That is not a "fairly small" room. That room is large. Is there any reason you're not thinking about a front projector?

 

[crux]

Thanks for the reply. My main goals are to keep a low profile in this room. It's a living room/dining room and is on the way to the kitchen. Right now, the 2-3 feet the current entertainment center sticks out impeeds the direct path to the kitchen. Not a huge deal, but would be nice to walk through that area with less clutter. That's why I'm trying to have a wall mounted LCD and move all of the components into the closet.

Thanks for any other advice...

 

[Robert_J]

Get a center channel no matter what. I don't know why it didn't make a difference with their setup, but I'd say that 99% of the forum members would say it makes a huge difference.

That's a pretty big room like Jim said. Mine is almost the exact same size and I'm using a projector and 103" screen. If you don't want a projector, then go with as big a TV as you can afford.

Speakers - Do your best to skip the in-ceiling models for the fronts and center (all if you can). The B&W models will probably sound great. If they are too large, then Def Tech has some wall mounted ones that match the look of flat panel TV's.

Subs - You didn't mention what brand. The popular choice here is SVS. They provide a very good sub for a resonable price. Since you have a large room that is open, then you will need quite a large sub to fill that area will bass. I use a custom built sub with a pair of 15" drivers and a 2,200 watt amp. I'm almost there but I think my next upgrade will be four 18's.

-Robert

 

[greggor]

I think you need to just settle on a specific budget and go from there. You're mentioning that you want to spend as little as possible and get the most for your money. I think the best way to do this would be to decide on a bottom line budget and have both company's configure multiple systems within this budget. Listen/view everything and purchase what looks/sounds best to you. The recommendations offered by both companies are of good quality components but that's not to say that there isn't anything better out there at or below the same price point. You have a fairly large room and it's important that you take the time to adequately outfit it with good equipment.

There are far too many good components out there for me to recommend any one over another. A few products I would stay away from though would be Bose and lower end sony products. I think for the price there are better products available since it's value/quality you're looking for.

Have you listened to any paradigm speakers? The cinema series are small and provide good sound for the money. I'll second the in wall/in ceiling point Robert made. You'll want the flexibility of either bookshelfs or small towers for your front sound stage. For surrounds and side speakers I think in ceiling/in wall speakers are great. Good luck.

Greg