Looking for comments on system design and components. (1 Viewer)

[MikeBL]

All comments are welcome, negative and positive.

My theater will feature a Pioneer Elite 730HD RPTV.

The other components are as follows:
Denon AVR-3803 Receiver
Denon DVD-2900 DVD Player
JVC HM-DH30000 D-VHS Player
Tivo 2 80 Hour
KD-SW4x1 - Input Switch
Canton Ergo 900 DC Front Left and Right
Canton AS 25 SC Subwoofer
Canton Ergo CM 400 Center
2 Prs - SpeakerCraft 8.1 CRS in ceiling (rear surround and mid surround)
Home Theater Master MX-800
Panamax 5300 Line conditioner

The wiring I will be using is:

Liberty Wire & Cable 12-2C-EX – 12 AWG 2 Conductor Extra Flex Non-Plenum Speaker Cable

Commscope 5765 (Different Colors) — 18 AWG, Solid BC, Series 6, Non-Plenum, 75 Ohm Coaxial HDTV Cable

 

[Dave Milne]

If you're soliciting advice/comments, you need to be more specific, i.e. what pieces are you looking to upgrade, what compatibility problems are you experiencing, etc. Otherwise forum members will be tempted to offer unwelcome and not particularly useful comments, like:

Dump the Pioneer... it's not a real theater without front projection...

Line conditioners are snake oil; run multiple dedicated 20A circuits with 12ga or better wire for your equipment and forget the conditioner...

What is the input switch for? Doesn't the RPTV have enough inputs? Perhaps you should consider an outboard scaler. Is the Pioneer 720p compatible?

Are you making your own interconnect cables with the "Commscope"? The more traditional cables are Belden 1694 and Canare L5CFB. Of course you'll also need Canare crimp tools and WBT connectors...

What's the room layout? Have you modeled and/or measured the room (tools like TEF and MLSSA are useful here) to determine the appropriate combination of room treatments and active bass EQ (the Behringer Feedback Destroyer is popular)...

Seriously, though, you have selected some nice equipment that should result in an enjoyable movie experience. Post some pictures when you can.

Dave

 

[MikeBL]

That is the kind of input I was looking for.

The pieces I mentioned are what I am looking at purchasing, none of it is bought yet, except for the TV. Which I see is 480p and 1080i but I see no mention of 720p.

What is an outboard scaler?

I wish I had the space to make the theaters I have seen in some pictures, but I do not. Front projection is not an option in my space. The room is approximately 17 x 15. We have done the whole layout in Autocad and it looks pretty impressive. This is my first real jaunt into a "Real" theater, presently I have a Mitsubishi 46" RPTV an Onkyo Receiver (old one 5.1 but nothing else) and a hodgepodge array of speakers and equipment.

I am getting new circuits in the space where my in wall rack is going. Do you really think I do not need the conditioner?

I am using the input switch since the Pioneer only has 2 component inputs. The switch will give me 4 component inputs and still leave one more available on the TV itself.

All of the cables will be terminated by a friend with all of the crimpers, custom lengths and panelcrafters jacks.

I will definitely post some pictures when I am done.

 

[Frank Zimkas]

FP, RPTV, or a 13" Black & White, it doesn't matter. A Home Theater is what ever you want it to be with whatever equipment best suits you needs and your budget. Your choice of equipment looks great, looking forward to seeing some pics.

 

[Scott Tucker]

Mike, Looks like a great setup. Absolutely get the line conditioner! Even my wife saw a difference in pic quality with a Monster 5100 on my Pioneer 60". If "snake oil" gives me more performance/protection, i'll take it. You don't need a video switcher. The Denon 3803 upconverts all video to one component out to the tv.

Good luck,

Scott

 

[Scott Tucker]

Almost forgot, buy the Pioneer before the $1000 rebate ends!

Scott

 

[Terry Montlick]

Hi Mike,

Equipment list looks good! Are you considering any kind of acoustical treatment for your HT room? It can give you some of the biggest bang for the buck in audio quality.

Regards,
Terry

 

[Dave Milne]

Frank,
My comments were somewhat tounge-in-cheek... perhaps I should have used smilies. :wink:

Of course you can build a great theater with FP, RP, DLP, LCD, CRT, D-ILA, direct view, or whatever.

And of course the debates over the virtues of cables, line conditioners, etc. are eternal.

My point was that without specific questions, these are the common types of comments that will spring up.

The room actually does make a big difference, but few theater builders have the resources to do accurate modeling and measurement. Hanging out in this forum and heeding the advice of experts like Dennis Erskine can get you most of the way there.

Mike,
It's great that you're doing the layout in AutoCad. Adequate planning is one step that is often overlooked.

Do you really think I do not need the conditioner?

As they say, "actual results may vary". I've never had any electrical interference issues, but the theater happens to be right next to the 600A service entrance. Others claim conditioners are an absolute necessity. Pehaps you can borrow one and see if it makes any difference.

Dave

 

[Scott Tucker]

Pehaps you can borrow one and see if it makes any difference.

Good advice. If you can't borrow one then buy one from a store that will allow it to be returned if you can't see a difference. I personaly used to think they were a bunch of crap until i won one in a sales contest and hooked it up. Trust me a line conditioner can only benefit you.

Scott

 

[Terry Montlick]

The room actually does make a big difference, but few theater builders have the resources to do accurate modeling and measurement.

Correct, Dave. Until now.

 

[MikeBL]

Terry,

What kind of acoustical treatments are you talking about?

 

[Terry Montlick]

Hi Mike,

The main issue for home theaters is the room being too "live". Too much reverberation reduces the accuracy of multichannel sound. The room intrudes into the sound mix, making it less crisp and often making the dialog harder to understand. Commercial movie theaters are always treated with absorption, and so should home theaters.

Acoustical absorption comes in various flavors. Many HT owners make their own absorbers out of rigid fiberglass or batting. There are lots of folks on this forum who can tell you how.

Professional acoustical treatment often integrates better with the room aesthetics. Stretch-fabric solutions cost more than DIY, but are virtually invisible, solving the WAF.

It's always best to do professional analysis first to diagnose the room and create a specific treatment plan. My company has pioneered doing this affordably. But even without acoustical analysis, some amount of mid-high frequency absorption will almost always dramatically improve the sound in a HT compared to bare sheetrock.

Regards,
Terry

 

[Dave Milne]

Mike,
Terry makes good points... but you can go overboard with absorptive materials. My dual use room (theater and listening room) is actually borderline "too dry" for music listening --with carpeted floor, acoustic ceiling, treated columns, cloth-covered overstuffed seating for five, and about 80sq ft of absorbers on the front and side walls. I got away with it because my front speakers are a touch on the bright side and their WMTMW configuration tends to throw a bigger, more enveloping soundstage than TM monitors. Sonics for multichannel movie viewing are superb, but if I planned to use the room strictly for stereo listening I would replace several of the front wall absorbers with QRD diffusers.

 

[Terry Montlick]

Mike,

Dave also makes a very good point about dual use rooms. My suggestions are meant for either dedicated home theater rooms, or rooms whose primary use is HT.

A movie sound mix is designed for a standardized, relatively dead acoustical environment. But not so for music-only surround sound (DVD-Audio).

Regards,
Terry