My first home theater - Comments please (1 Viewer)

[Jeremy Tebo]

After thinking about it, I've decided to go with a Sony DA1ES for the reciever, Sony 755 DVD/SACD player, and Onkyo HT500 speakers. When I get some more money to spend, I'll look into Paradigm or Definitive to replace the Onkyos. Thanks for everyone's help, now to decide where to buy everything.

 

[ScottRCapt]

Jeremy,

Where did you find the DA1ES? And at what price? Is there an enormous price difference between the 1ES and the 2ES? Make sure that you leave yourself room for future expandability with enough inputs and outputs. I think you might be better served with the 2ES if you can swing it. The 2 ES has Pre-outs, Neo-6 (simulated 6 channels from any 2 channel source, i.e. any TV show or old movie will sound like surround sound.), 6.1 outputs with 6 individual amps, and I think it has more sound fields. Plus it has 2-room capability. Also it has on-screen display capability which helps a great deal in setup.)I don't think the price difference is all that much if you consider all of the upgrades.

If you like the Onkyo speakers and they fit in your budget for now, at that price at CC you really cannot go wrong. I say this, because they may sound differently when you get the system home and set it up. If you buy from CC you can return/exchange, you can't do that on e-bay.

Don't get me wrong; e-bay is a great place to find audio components you thought were "out of your price range". But at this stage in your development, I am sure that a little safety is not a bad thing when it comes to warranty and return ability.

No one here can tell you which speakers sound better to you. But sometimes, speakers sound completely different in a store than they would at home.

As for the future, you are on the right track with the Definitives! My brother owns Deftech BP30B's and DefTech BP1X Bipolar surrounds and the detail is just amazing! These are the speakers to hunt on E-bay!

 

[Jeremy Tebo]

Looks like I can pick up a DA1ES for about $375 w/ shipping on ebay. "Lets Go Digital" has it for $290 + s/h, but they have a bad reputation, so I'll probably avoid them. The DA2ES goes for about $450 - $475. There is a used DA3ES and DA4ES for sale, search for them on ebay and tell me what you think. Although the on-screen display would be nice, I really don't need the 2nd room option on the DA2ES. The 1 is probably what I'll end up with, I'll see what my local guy will do on the price.
As for the speakers, I can get some refurbs for like $150 +s/h, or new ones for $270 w/ ship, or $299 + tax at CC. I'm not sure which route I'll take yet. CC does have the convenience factor, but it is a bit more $.
For the future, you didn't mention anything about Paradigm - do you not like them? I was quite impressed.

 

[Mark Hedges]

Just FYI, the DA1ES and DA2ES used to be called DB models. Meaning they are better than the DE stuff they sell at best buy, but still not quite a true ES model. You have to go for the DA4ES for that.

I am saving up for a DA4ES. I hope they are still around in a couple of months! If not I will probably get a Harman Kardon AVR 525 instead.

Mark

 

[chun howe]

i am assuming you have a silver 36" Wega.

you could check out FRY's electronics. right now the Onkyo is on sale. i forgot the model but the silver one comes with receiver, 5 dvd changer, 4 satelite speakers, 1 center, 1 subwoofer. for $500. one step lower would be the black one again i forgot the model. it's the same stuff (besides dvd i guess) you get for $100 less.

go check out at Fry's and if you don't like it return it.

remember to spare around $100 for interconnects and wires.

if you have a seperate dvd and reciever:
2x 6' RCA component wires ($25)
2x 6' RG6 coaxial cable and interconnects ($15)
12x RCA banana plugs just for your receiver connections, if your speakers accepts banana plug that's another 12 ($40 for 12)
50' 12 gauge wire ($20)

 

[Jeremy Tebo]

Well, I ordered my Sony DA1ES from Ebay for $370 w/ shipping, and my HT500 speakers from Onkyo for $170 w/ shipping. The speakers are coming today, the reciever tomorrow. I think I'll get my Sony 755 DVD player at my local a/v shop, along with all of the cables and whatnot. I'll probably get a set of Tributaries Delta series component video cables and whatever they recommend for the other stuff. I'm excited to get it all put together!

 

[ScottRCapt]

Hey Jeremy,

Well, I ordered my Sony DA1ES from Ebay for $370 w/ shipping, and my HT500 speakers from Onkyo for $170 w/ shipping. The speakers are coming today, the receiver tomorrow.

Thats great! I hope you enjoy your new home theater! Don't worry about what some people here say about the Sony's... If it say's "ES" on the label, it's an "ES"... And that means it is great quality!

You should be pretty happy with your purchases, but don't be surprised if you get the HT bug like most everyone else has that posts in here. In 6 months you will be looking at "upgrading" or going to "separates"... Ha Ha, it happens to the best of us... At least this addiction can only hurt your wallet and not your driving record, or whatnot...

Enjoy, And do so in peace, you made solid decisions. You should be happy, and it sounds like you didn't break the bank too badly.

One tip,look for the Sony DVP-CX850D DVD jukebox on E-bay, they hold 200 DVD's and CD's and have an on screen library so you can catalog your DVD/CD collection. I snagged one on E-bay for $180.00 with the original box, manuals, remote and connection cords. The original price was up around $750.00 I think. Sony has a newer, smaller model out now that is in the "ES" line, but it is fairly high priced. ( I also bought a newer 400 disk jukebox Sony CD player for my CD collection, and now use the 850D for just DVDs. It's great if you have kid's, Just turn it on and go to the menu to find the kid's DVDs and hit play! They never touch the media, no fingerprints and no scratched disks!

Once again,
Enjoy!
ScottR

 

[Mark Hedges]

Sony has a new DVD/SACD 5 disk changer coming out. You may want to check it out instead if the '755.

Mark

 

[Jeremy Tebo]

Thanks Scott, I can't wait to hook it all up. I got the speakers delivered at lunch today, the reciever is coming tomorrow. I'm not a big fan of the huge jukebox style players, but on-screen controls would make it much more useable I'd think. Mark, are you talking about the DVP-NC685V? I looked on sonystyle.com and you're right, they have a 5-disk player now for the same price, about $250. I might look into getting that instead of the 755 now.

 

[Jeremy Tebo]

Well, I got everything in yesterday, and got it all hooked up and running. It is really awesome. I can't say enough for SACD, Pink Floyd's DSOTM sounds incredible, even with my "entry level" speakers. For $170, I think I got by far the best speakers I could for the money. Thank you to everyone who helped me make my decisions, I'm very glad I joined HTF for some guidance. I'm sure I'll visit often, I don't think there is a better forum on the web.
-JT

 

[ScottRCapt]

Glad we could help Jeremy,

Whats the update?

All broken in and working well?

 

[Geoff L]

If not already:

Now that the HT goodies are in room and up and running, time for the SPL-Meter and Calibration disc.

No question, it's the best/only way to get all you can out of your system as far as HT-Sound and TV-Picture quailty....

An absolute must, beg, borrow, or buy these 2 items ASAP....

You will be very glad you did.

 

[Jeremy Tebo]

Hey guys, I was pleasantly surprised to see my thread come back up. Yes, everything is all set up and running great. I rented "The Transporter" to show it off, quite impressive. (Nice short, mindless action flick) My neighbor was amazed at how my HT sounds. He has a Polk satellite speaker set that he paid around $500 for, and he wonders why my $170 Onkyos sound so much better! I told him it probably has to do with my ES reciever, he has a mid-entry level Kenwood. I also got some nice stands for the front speakers from a friend, quite a deal at the cost of a 12-pack of Coronas.
As for the calibration, that is probably my next step. I'm not crazy about spending more money right now, but maybe I can find one to borrow. I've been reading up on the calibration of my HT, it's a little intimidating. There seems to be a lot to learn, especially in calibrating my TV. In addition, now I've got the itch to get an over-the-air HDTV tuner since we now have one station broadcasting CBS in HDTV here in Colorado Springs, and two more to follow this summer.
Maybe if I can get my biscuit hooks on a digital camera, I'll take some pictures to show my finished project. (Finished for now, that is)

 

[Jason Walstrom]

The first sub I ever bought was the sony sa-w305 it was a little 35 watt powered sub, but it was perfect for an apartment. Maybe you could go this route and find an inexpensive sub with little power it'll still sound good in a small space trust me, especially if you have towers or speakers with good bass and set the sub to a lower hz setting to handle the lower tones. If your neighbors are likable invite them over to watch a movie, it works and it'll open up a dialogue with them. My neighbors said they didn't mind loudness before 10pm, and I new to turn the sub off past that time.

 

[Jeremy Tebo]

Actually, the Onkyo set came with an 8" sub, and it works pretty well for what I need. I think when I upgrade I'll go for the gusto and get a really nice one. Thats a good idea about inviting my neighbors over, I might have to try that. I'm curious as to how much they can hear from my stereo, and the sub in particular.