Home Theatre for Condo (1 Viewer)

[Alon Goldberg]

'll be moving into a new condo late this year, so I'm hoping for some recommendations on building a new home theatre. Any advice greatly appreciated!

First off, the condo is 634 sq foot. I was planning on wallmounting a 37" LCD over the electric fireplace. As the space is reasonably small, I was thinking of building a very capable 2.1 system, which I can build up to 5.1 in several years time when I eventually move up to a townhouse.

The system I'm currently thinking of is:

TV: Sharp Aquos 37" LC-37D90U LCD (1080p)
HD DVD: Toshiba HD-A1
DVR: Motorola DCT6416
Receiver: Denon AVR-2807
Power Conditionner: APC H10
Remote Control: Logitech Harmony 880
Front Speakers: Paradigm Studio 20
Subwoofer: Paradigm Seismic 10 or UltraCube 10

This system will primarily be used for TV/Movies (70%) and CD listening (30%). My music tastes range from rock (Metallica) to electronica (Moby) to industrial (Nine Inch Nails) to pop (Madonna) to hip hop (Kanye West). I''m not interested in a heavy bass system that will bother my neighbours.

I'm considering the Studio 20 speakers as my fronts, until eventually moving them to my surrounds when I move to a bigger space. Are the Studio 20's a good fit for this environment? Can I get by without a centre channel (CC-470) for the interim? What should I be looking for in terms of bookshelf speaker stands, on hardwood floor?

Can anyone offer suggestions on receivers? Should I consider seperates? Also, I'm sure there must be stronger contenders than the two matching Paradigm subs I chose above, what would you recommend for a condo? Finally, what do you recommend for speaker placement in this environment (floorplan below)?

 

[Seth=L]

Well what is your budget after the Aquos, the HD-A1, power conditioner, and the remote?

The Paradigm studio 20s are very good speakers. There are stands that you can get from Paradigm but they are expensive, almost 200 bucks. Dayton Audio has some descent options that could save you some money, or a lot of money.

Location for the Studio 20's, I would place one were the chair is next to the balcony and the other one to the left of the fire place. This is only if you have set your mind to mounting the Aquos above the fireplace. Asuming that the top of the picture is north this is what I would do. Mount the TV on the Northermost wall, given that's not a window, and set up the system there. I have a similar setup in my apartment.

If we can get your budget then we can decide if seperates are the way to go, maybe go used on Ebay or something.

 

[Alon Goldberg]

My unit is a West facing apartment, and is opposite of the picture I posted. Therefore, the fireplace is on the South wall.

Any advice with subwoofers for a condo, with my budget?

 

[Seth=L]

HSU subs may be another to consider, being they deal in Canada now I hear.

So the east wall is where I would set my system up, if that isn't a window.

Dayton has good stands for under $100 in the U.S.

Maybe you could get the Outlaw Model 1070, it would be great in your condo. It has preouts for all channels, so you can upgrade the amp when you get more cash. It has firmware upgrades for the software as well. The Outlaw is a tank with a very sturdy structure and power supply. The Denon weighs only 30 pounds next to the Outlaw's 40 pounds. Considering price, the Denon in the U.S. retails for $1100 where the Outlaw is $900. And don't let the power ratings fool you the Denon has an input amperage of 6 amps and the Outlaw has 7.125 amp input. Just take a look at the Outlaw. Now if you need HDMI switching maybe stick with the Denon, but the best bang for buck here is probably the Outlaw.

If you save enough on the receiver and the sub, maybe you can get studio 40's or 60's. If you buy the 60's you don't have to pay for stands. There are just so many options here.

 

[dany]

This is me but i would get a sub for an apt or condo,i'd just go with better mains that will play done to 30 or so but thats me.

 

[Seth=L]

The Studio 60 has an extension down to 30 hz, the price is $1500 per pair USD.
The Studio 100 has an extension down to 28 hz, the price is $2200 per pair USD.
Then there is the Signature S2 or $1900-$2200 USD per pair dependant on the finish, extension 38 hz

 

[dany]

100's sounds good

 

[Alon Goldberg]

I'd love to get Studio 100's, but they are likely to look enourmous in my small living room. I'd prefer to get the best bookshelf speakers I can afford, and then move them to my surrounds in a few years, with new Studio 60's as my fronts.


* similar design to my unit

 

[Seth=L]

Well then getting the S2's is right out because a future upgrade would require you get S4's or S8's which are very expensive. Buying S2's and then replacing them with anything from the Studio series would be a step backwards. So I would stay with the 20's or get the 60's now and wait to get a sub, surrounds and center. I would personally get the get the 60's now and then you could get Studio ADP's for surrounds.

What do you think on the Outlaw?

 

[Alon Goldberg]

The Outlaw 1070 gets excellent reviews, though I'll have to do more research before considering as they are not available to audition in stores. Do you have an Outlaw receiver?

 

[Seth=L]

God, I wish I did. Everything I hear from other people and what I see that's written is impressive. I have never heard anyone say anything bad about Outaw.

 

[Seth=L]

What do you have currently for audio?