My preliminary HT A/V system Proposal... (1 Viewer)

[MarcoBiscotti]

Sorry, I wasn't quite sure which forum this belonged in, but I really would like some feedback because I've been speaking with an HT expert who gave me this proposal and I'd like to make sure this sounds alright to you guys before proceeding...


Bear in mind that all of the prices quoted are in CANADIAN dollars.


I just want to know if the quotes seem reasonable or if you think I might be able to find better prices online or elsewhere AND if all the hardware listed seems absolutely necessary or if based on the setup, I might be able to save in areas and do without certain items. Also, whether you think this proposal would offer optimal A/V quality for my HT or if you have suggestions over some of the items listed...

I REALLY value your opinions here and hope to get feedback from a few people, you guysknow more about this hobby than anyone else and I could really use your input!!


Here's the proposal...


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HT Livingroom Setup:



Item 1.

Lexicon MC-1 digital processor, AC3, DTS, L7, THX select, 8 analogue inputs, /5 digital, optical multi room/source, S video, video

Price: $5, 190.00 - Used In Showroom (Excellent Condition)



Item 2.

Pioneer Elite DV 59 AVI DVD Player, DTS, AC3, Progressive Scan, Remote

Price: $1, 249.00



Item 3.

ATI 1807 power amplifier, 7 x 180 watts (5 for HT, 2 for multi room system) trigger, no fan noise

Price: $2, 450.00



Item 4.

Speakercraft MT8.5 in wall speakers 8", three way, 30-22 kHz, 90 dB, 6 ohm, 120 watts, paintable, lifetime warranty

Price: $3, 181.00



? Item 5. - NOT SURE ABOUT THIS ONE!

Monitor Audio FB 210 powered sub, 360 watt, 2 x 12" subwoofer, maple finnish

Price: $2, 120.00



Item 6.

Digital Projection I vision HDX DLP projector, 16:9 HD3 chip, widescreen native 1280 x 720, 4000:1 contrast, HDMI, DVI, Component x 2

Price: $1, 900.00



Item 7.

Iscan HD scaler OR Faroudja (Optional), 10 bit comb filter, HDTV pass through, optimised for use with I vision, DVI outputs, aspect ratio control, IR/RS232 control

Price: $1, 900.00



Item 8.

Draper Onyx 82" widescreen w/ velux frame, HDTV format, 40.5" H x 72" W, 1.3 gain

Price: $912.00



Item 9.

Peerless ceiling bracket for I vision

Price: $370.00



Item 10.

Home theatre master MX 3000, basic control of all I.R. components, includes docking station and charger

Price: $1, 250.00



Item 11.

Richard Grey Power Company S 600, electrical filter / enhancer

Price: $1, 800.00




Diningroom HT Setup:



Item 12.

Speakercraft MT, two in wall speakers, two-way, 5-120 watts, 8 ohm, 92 dB sens, 40-20 kHz, paintable, 12" x 8", lifetime warranty

Price: $660.00



Item 13.

Speakercraft VC-75 decora volume control

Price: $100.00



Item 14.

Speakercraft IRC 3.0 table top infrared receiver, to control equipment

Price: $150.00


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WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK??


I'm still not 100% sure I'm going to go with the Speakerwalls over the B&W Nautilus SCMS line, but it looks like that's the direction I'm taking... unless you guys can convince me otherwise!


Also, I'm not sold on the Monitor Audio sub at all... I'm gonna make a post in the Sub forum inquiring about this model and the best high end subwoofer I coudl look into for my HT. I was really considering the ASW 850. I do NOT want any big units nor cyllanders. aesthetics and size are huge issues for me!

And, what do you guys reccommend in terms of a scaler... I Scan or Faroudja??


PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS PRELIMINARY PROPOSAL... ARE THE PRICES REASONABLE ($ CAN.), DOES EVERYTHING SEEM ENTIRELY NECESSARY (would I do better w/ a receiver rather than seperate amps?), DO YOU THINK I'M BUILDING A PROFESSIONAL QUALITY SETUP??


PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE POST YOUR FEEDBACK, I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU ALL!!!

 

[Jack Briggs]

Rule of thumb: Read the red-lettered posting atop the Basics-area thread-listing page. Note the final sentence. It means, among other things, that you've posted in the wrong area. Also, please note the equipment you're asking about: It's not exactly a system that would be in a beginner's hands. Finally, when it comes to discussing complete systems, we post in the A/V Sources area for now.

 

[Jason GT]

Wow.

That's a lot of money, and this is a really tough question as it looks like you're looking for a turnkey solution rather than a DIY job with a list of equipment. If it is indeed turnkey, I'd at least try to find out if there will be any provision for acoustics (and calibration) in the main theater area... assuming that you have a dedicated theater area.

A lot of the stuff listed is custom-install oriented (the inwalls and distributed audio).

The things that jump out at me are:

The Lex Prepro. The MC-1 is a very nice unit but is an outdated model that has been sitting on your dealer's shelf for a few years. $5k is WAAAAAY too much - you can purchase one used at Audiogon for +/-$2K loonies. Also, you're not taking advantage of one of the MC-1's strengths - its logic7 processing as this mode requires 7.1 speaker setup.

You have this beautiful source component with the Pio 59AVI. You won't be able to enjoy MC hi-res music with the MC1 as the MC1 lacks multi-ch analogue inputs.

the MA sub (never heard it - it's just rather expensive).

Find out what the scaler is being used for. The PJ likely has an internal scaler and the Pioneer scales up as well. It is possible that the Pio is feeding the scaler over SDI (this involves some heavy duty custom work), though. This is a pretty high-end way of doing things.

Do you have any other sources? You'll not have the best of times when someone is watching a DVD in the theatre and there are people in the kitchen wanting to listen to CDs.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Thanks so much Jason!

This is exactly the sort of input I was hoping for...


I was thinking that 5k for the Lexicon seemed a bit high myself. Do you have any alternate suggestions for a multi channel processer?


As for the 7 speaker setup, I actually will be able to benefit from this as I am moving into an open loft so the kitchen is a floating bar off the livingroom/diningroom and w/ the 5 channel HT setup in the livingroom and 2 speaker channels in the diningroom-kitchen area, I would still be getting full 7.1 surround when listening to music.

I'm not worried about the movie watching-music listening issue either as I live alone, my girlfriend will sleepover on occassion but I cant see that being an issue at all. I'll have a flat pannel LCD in the master bedroom with my JVC XV-SA602SL dvd player connected so it won't be a problem.

As for the scaler, I didnt see anything listed in the spec sheet for the DPI projector so I assumed it didn't have an internal one. I found that very strange myself and made a note to myself to inquire about this as well...


Thank you so much for your feedback Jason, I hope you click this thread again because I'd like to hear your suggestions for a good high-quality multi-channel processor instead of the MC-1...

Thanks again!!!

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Btw, as far as seperates... rather than the Lexi and ATI... what do you think of the Arcam FMJ AV8 & P7 and how much would I be looking at price wise do you think?


Would this seem like a better route?


Also, does the P7 turn out heavy fan noise?


I'm also looking into the Integra DTC-9.4 Processor & DTA-9.4 Amplifier...

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Okay... so the projector and Pioneer player have standard DCDI processing for progressive scan but I'm told that for proper scaling, it's entirely reccomended that i got with the Iscan or Faroudja as there's no way I'll get the effectiveness from the internal DCDI of the projector and DVD player at a few hundred tops in comparison with a more expensive quality scaler...

 

[Jason GT]

well Marco - my opinions (btw I'll accept a permanent personal invitation to your place to watch movies as payment )

Audio:

Other prepros ... this is a tough question because there are a lot of high-end choices out there. Once again if you're going turnkey you'll be limited to what your dealer stocks. Unless you genuinely like tweaking a/v systems you might find setting up a prepro and remote a challenge.

I've never listened to the Arcam prepro but everything that I've read about them has been positive. I seem to recall reading somewhere that Arcam was coming out with another prepro? I don't know... anyways, here is the Arcam CDN pricelist.

You may want to check out the new Lexicon stuff (pricey; check this out though... used lex gear.

Like I said there are so many prepro choices. I own an Anthem AVM-30 and I like it.

Video:

I know very little about FP. Accordingly I would check out the display device area here or on avsforum; they'll be able to give you better answers about FP, scaling, what PJ to get etc.

What little I know: The pio doesn't have DCDi (Faroudja) - it uses a Pioneer scaling solution - and can send a 1280*720 (ie, native) signal to the projector.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

Thanks again Jason, consider yourself invited!


Btw, I am going turnkey but I have a great dealer who I've known for years and he'll be doing all the custom installations and knob tweaking necessary to get optimal quality out of all the hardware...


Thanks for that Arcam pricing link, I didnt realize I was already in the 12k ballpark! lol

I'll post on the AVS forums to see whether they reccommend the Arcam over the Integras.


This is all both extremely nerve-racking ($$$) and extremely exciting!!!

 

[Drew_W]

How about an Anthem AVM-30? Or even a 20 if you want to save some bucks for almost the same machine. $2500 or so for that, and if your processor/amp budget is $7500 combined (going from the proposal above) you can blow the remaining $5000 on a Bryston 4BSST and 9BSST for 7 channels, or if you get the AVM-30, go with the matching Anthem amps, which are close to Bryston performance at a lesser price (but not available so often on the used market).

By the way, I'm talking used market prices here and in Canadian dollars. You'll get alot more system for your money if you buy on the used market versus padding a new equipment dealer's pockets with profits.

 

[Drew_W]

You have so many different threads going with good information and insights from you about what you want your system to be...stuff like this:



My question to you now is what your budget for the whole thing is. Ideally, you should go with a dedicated CD player. The 59avi is a good video machine, and the audio in it is not so bad for theatre, but if what you're going for is CRITICAL LISTENING, then you should design a 2-channel system for yourself that uses a multi-channel preamp, and then build the rest of the system around that. The question also is how picky of a listener are you and how "perfect" a CD quality playback you're going to need. Within a multi-channel system, this can get quite pricey.

You need to think about your budget, and how you're going to allocate the use of your system. Do you *NEED* to buy new or can you tap the used market to make a dollar go farther?