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Newbie needs help :) (A bit long) (1 Viewer)

Zach O

Auditioning
Joined
Jul 14, 2005
Messages
2
Hello all, and thanks for the wonderful forum!

I am in the beginnings of my home theater build. I have the space set out (about 300 sq. ft.), and I have the contractor in line to work on the build. I have been to two different places in terms of "shopping" the home theater project, Tweeter and Genesis Audio and Video (both in Southern California). They are clearly two different outfits in terms of what they can do.

I feel that I am not getting the information that I need. My budget can range widely, I just want to make sure I spend my money wisely and on things that I need and that I will notice in terms of performance.

Tweeter seems to be good in terms of equipment (selling boxes), but Genesis is in class of its own in terms of the complete project build. I am providing my own seating and decor, so I basically need a full equipment spread (projector, audio, controls, etc.) and install from a retailer.

My main question is, with no basis for comparison, will I notice a significant difference by using the ultra-high end stuff from Genesis? Acoustic wall treatments? Runco projectors? I looked at the top end that Tweeter offered (Martin Logan, etc.), so I am trying to find out what I will "loose" going the Tweeter route.

Thank you, and I can offer clarification if I am at all unclear.

Zach
 

John S

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2003
Messages
5,460
Beyond mid-fi of course just like everything else in life you pay big bucks for small improvements.

Hard to say if your the type to make that worth it or not really.

Accouistic treatments can go farther than equipment level increases in most cases.

For some it is worth it for the highest end, others it is not.

We all have decide where the price / performance mark is for ourselves.
 

Zach O

Auditioning
Joined
Jul 14, 2005
Messages
2
Thanks John! I am trying to decide where my money is best spent at this point.

So, if I read correctly, I should shave a bit on equipment to include acoustic wall treatments? Is there a synthetic way to re-create the effect?
 

Tony Loewen

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Nov 21, 2003
Messages
134
Acoustic treatments are a must, really. Digital room correction can be done with very high end equipment or a properly set up HTPC, but it is usually only effective for a very small part of the room, ie the money seat. All other seating in the room tends to have decreased sound quality.

If you are handy and want to build your own, check out this link: http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html If you do not want to make your own, check out Ethan's company which makes traps, www.realtraps.com

From what I've heard, there are very few differences between Runco and BenQ, except price. If you take a look at some of their models side by side, even the casings are identical.

I would not skimp too much on the audio, but you don't really need to go too overboard either, especially if you get some acoustical treatment in your room. If you know your way around computers, HTPCs can give you the best possible picture quality and sound quality, as well as many other capabilities, for the least amount of money. Any questions you would ever have to ask about HTPCs, ask them here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=26 There are some companies that are starting to sell pre-fabbed HTPCs, if you don't want to go to the trouble of making one yourself.

Hope that helps.
 

Bob McElfresh

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 22, 1999
Messages
5,182
I agree with Tony/John. It is fairly easy to replace the electronics and speakers. But doing a complete install - the design and building of a dedicated room will swamp the budget.


IMHO: With the exception of the video projector - you would not notice much quality difference between the exotic stuff from Genesis and the "better-fi" stuff from Tweeter.

BUT - read on.

The Genesis people DO have equipment they are familar with and will want to sell it to you as a package. There is some truth that their work will be better using equipment they have experience with - and you have 1 number to call for problems later on.

They will also take the equipment at their shop, hook it up and run it for several days to make sure nothing shook loose and that things are stable before they bring it to your home. (Strange thing - higher end video equipment seems more sensitive to shipping damage than more budget televisions.)

Genesis will also have picked out equipment that works for a dedicated HT room. Example: You mentioned "Martin Logan" from Tweeters. While these are fantastic speakers - they are dipole in nature. To sound good - they must be pulled 3-4 feet into the room. Most dedicated HT rooms try to wall-mount speakers or at least hide their installation. ML speakers would not be a good choice a "hidden speaker" install.

My advice is this: go to Tweeters and get a quote for electronics that is similar to what Genesis is offering. Then go to Genesis and grumble about the "higher-end" electronics they are offering. My guess is 2 things will happen:

- Genesis will come down on the over-all price
- Genesis will admit that some of the components they offer have lower-priced versions. (They just assumed you wanted the best and quoted the most expensive model of each piece).

Does this help?
 

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