Should I buy the equipment myself or hire a pro?? (1 Viewer)

I just got a quote for $18K for a home theater set-up that includes

1. Runco DLP CL410,
2. Stewart Film Screen 82 inch,
3. Rotel RSX-1067 and
4. B&W LCR 600 C.C.
5. B&W DM 603
6. B&W Sub ASW675
7. B&W DM601S3B
8. B&W DS6s3
9. MX-850 System controller
Surge protector, mounts, cabinet etc. + $2000 in labor to get to $18K


Should I just purchase all this equipment elsewhere / used and hire a professional for labor and setup? It would seem to me that if I did some purchasing on my own I could save 3 - 4 grand....

If so is there an accredidation? Or should I just save the grief and cut the check?

I probably could go either way....Feedback please!

Tony

well, im sure there are plenty of people here that can help you set it up and save some cash in the process. you could easily build a nice set of towers for 2000$. plus, once you learn about how it works, you will be able to take what you know with you for future use.

Well coming from a hometheater installer, Myself. It is worth it to have a professional do it. No offense but it sounds like you havnt done this before. If you feel comfertable trying to do everything yourself go for it. But I for one know that mounting and building that screen can be a pain. Plus getting the system hooked up, mounting the projector and calibrating can be confusing if you dont know what your doing.

Now as far as buying equipment you dont need a profesional to do that part. Look online at some equipment. Go to other stores and listen to other setups. Maybe even buy used at Audiogon. But yet again as far as install work goes, I dont know how good you are. So be careful.

You may find that it will be more difficult to find an installer who will do the job if you have not purchased some of the equipment through them as well.

While the thought of saving a fair bit of money sounds like a good idea, as other posters have said unless you feel comfortable with your abilities then I would recommend going with the full package deal. With that you 'should' also have a better warranty or recourse should something go wrong.

For accreditation, you can check the cedia website at http://www.cedia.net/ - noting that not having this certification does not mean a bad installer. As with any contractor I would check around and ask for references. With Home Theater installs, most people that have good jobs done are very happy to show them off.

i say shop around. find prices on the internet for the gear you want. have him break it down by price and what kind of setup he/she will do. i would swap out the sub for a velo dd or a svs and the rotel for some anthem or lexcon and look at the (i cant beleve i am saying this i hate sony) sony ruby.

i installed and bult everything even made my own projector mount. if you know what you are doing do it your self. but ther are some benefits to a installer they can fix or try to fix room nulls with i dont have the equipment to do RTA. also if something gets broke or busted while installed they have insurance so everything will get fixed. but shop around. for the equipment and the equipment installed.

I like the gear you have been outfitted with. Price seems reasonable.

If these guys are on the ball (aka - know their $hit), you would probably be better off having them do the system for you. With a front projector especially, unless you know what you are doing, I would lean towards having them do it. If anything, they know where everything goes (speakers), how to properly setup the projector, how to calibrate it, how to tweak all the settings, show you how to use it, etc.

That's a good deal. Have them do it.