Help me upgrade my home theater system (1 Viewer)

[Jswerve]

Hi guys. I'm in desperate need of a full upgrade. My current setup involves an Onkyo Receiver, cd player (6 disc carousel), and EQ. It features 2 American Acoustic speakers with 12" subs and 2 mids and a dome tweet. All of this was purchased in 1993 (except the cd changer I replaced that in 2000) which means the receiver is outdated (dolby prologic).

My TV was purchased in 1998 and is a 32" Toshiba standard 4:3 ratio obviously.

I want to upgrade both the stereo and TV. I will mainly use it for watching movies and playing XBOX 360. Also some television programs and FOOTBALL.

I'm leaning toward a 42" plasma right now unless you can talk me into something else. The Panasonic TH-42PX60U has REALLY caught my eye in both value and quality.

I want a home theater system to go with the TV and would like an entertainment center to match it all up.

I have about 2000-2500 to spend.

Please post any comments/suggestions with supporting information.

Thanks!

 

[Alon Goldberg]

Hi Jesse, if I understand correctly, you are looking for a new receiver, speakers and subwoofer, within a budget of $2,000-$2,500? What are the dimensions of your room (W x D x H)? Are you looking to build 5.1 or 7.1? Do you have a preference towards loudspeakers, bookshelf, satellite or in-wall speakers?

 

[Jswerve]

Hi. Thanks for the reply!

Yes a TV, and a new home theater setup. Im not sold on which route to go here as far as which type of setup to go. I want something fair in price with quality sound and relatively easy setup. Obviously I'm looking to upgrade from Dolby Prologic to a newer platform (digital?).

As far as 5.1 or 7.1 guess I hadn't thought much about that. The difference is more speakers in 7.1 correct?

My Living room is approx 13 x 15 x 8. We generally sit around 10-13 feet away from the TV.

 

[Alon Goldberg]

For 10ft viewing distance @ 720p you may find a 42" set to be a touch small. My first choice would be a Panasonic 50" TH-50PX60U.

However, that won't leave much budget for receiver, speaker and subwoofer. You may want to build your system slowly, for instance purchase new front speakers and receiver, and over the next year add center channel, subwoofer, and eventually surrounds?

 

[Jswerve]

Thats a viable option. Any suggestions?

BTW who watches TV much closer then 10 feet? (besides my 8 year old twins)

 

[Robert_J]

I sit 12' from my 103" projection screen.

You may want to look at slightly used equipment. There's a Pioneer VSX1014 (7.1 receiver) for a great price in the for sale section. I'm currently using one in my theater room and love it.

Also, I see you are in IA. If you are close to Newton, Elemental Designs Audio has just started selling home theater systems. Normally they are an internet only operation but there is a showroom at their factory/warehouse. Links to non-forum sponsers aren't allowed but a quick Google of the name will get you the link.

-Robert

 

[Jswerve]

Wow 103" screen lol. Who needs a movie theater when you have one of those! Thanks for the info, I'll google em up.

 

[gamepsyched]

lol can i just say i watch a 27" tv from 6 feet away. unless your used to watching a 50" tv a 42 inch tv from 10 feet away would be fine in my opinion

 

[Jswerve]

Kinda what I thought too lol. I'm watching a 32" TV now from 10 feet so how does it get worse when I go to a 42"?

 

[Robert_J]

That's my whole point for building the room.

-Robert

 

[Jswerve]

Aye, I'm nowhere near having that kind of money to throw around. The money I am spending is my wife's profit sharing check ahah!

 

[Robert_J]

I'm using a Panasonic 900U projector which is available for under $1000 now. My screen cost me $75 and a weekend to build. You know what you can get a receiver like mine for. When I get finished building my speakers, they will run about $75 each for the 6 of them. My sub was $300 for the four 15" custom built drivers and $300 for the 2,400 watt amp. I'm using our old sofa and couch for seating. In the spring, I'll build a riser from the second row. I really want the stadium seating.

I didn't buy this all at once and I do all of the work myself. There is no better feeling than watching a movie in room you built yourself.

-Robert

 

[Jswerve]

Nice job. I don't have a theater room though. All I'm trying to do is get some solid equipment for my living room.

Still need some ideas on receivers, speakers, dvd player, and TV to get.

 

[lilm4ck]

Hey Jswerve I'm new to this site, but I believe I can be of some help to ya. My job requires me to install and setup 1-2 home theaters per week in houses ranging from $400k to about $5 million. Hopefully I can help shed some light.

TV - It's important to find a tv that has discrete video modes. In other words, you have the ability to press a single button on the remote to get to any input that the tv has. NEC does a great job of this, but their 42" plasma is about $1800 online. This may be a bit to pricey in your case, maybe not. Use pricegrabber.com when you are looking for the tv you want. They have good prices.

Amp - I would suggest the Denon AVR-1907 or AVR-1707, the 19 is about $550, and the 17 is about $400. Both of these amps have three component inputs, and a dedicated monitor out. This helps immensely in the setup of your system. It also has 4 digital audio inputs that can be assigned to any of the sources in the system. The 4 inputs are 2 digital coax and 2 toslink/optical. Either of this inputs are great for surround sound these days.

Speakers - If you want a nice finished look you could get some in-wall or in-ceiling speakers. My company uses Elan MC series and Russound SP series frequently. Another budget in-ceiling solution would be the Proficient C650 speaker pack. It includes all 5 surround sound speakers for about $400, but unfortunately no sub. However, they do have a nice range for lows and highs anyway. You can always choose to go with a box set of floor stand speakers like a Yamaha or JBL.

Maybe this will wet your whistle, if you decide to use any of these products or have any questions feel free to PM me. I'll check my box about once a day usually.

Good luck.
lilm4ck

 

[Robert_J]

I'd pick a receiver with an auto sound setup. Like Pioneer's MCACC system. Put the included mic where your head would be when watching a movie and let it run its setup program. It's not perfect but it is better than nothing. And nothing is how beginners usually set their receivers up.

-Robert