Need advice on equipment I should get for a new HTS .. (1 Viewer)

[ahmadka]

Hi guys ... I need help on deciding equipment I need to get for a new Home Theater System for our new house ... We have a basement there which has been specifically designed for watching movies in a cinema-like environment ... There is a large wall which will have both a HDTV, and a slide-down screen on which a projector can throw its image ... I need help with the audio setup for this HTS, as I'm very new to this
Specifically, I need to finalize on which A/V Receiver to use, along with which speakers to use, etc ... So I'm looking for suggestions on this 'open' question. I know there's other kind of equipment as well such a separators and amplifiers, but I'm not sure if I'll be needing those or not ... I intend to use a PS3 for playing back DVDs and Blu-rays .. Additionally, I'll also have other equipment in the room, such as a Xbox 360, Apple TV, a projector, and maybe a few other TV related devices I can't think of right now ... All these things would need to use the audio setup that I put in this room ..
Currently, my budget for an A/V Receiver is maybe about $1000 ... For speakers, no budget has been currently set, but it will probably be a max of $1000 as well ..
I have currently looked at the Denon AVR-3313CI and the Onkyo TX-NR818, and find them both interesting ..
So any suggestions of any kind will be really helpful !

 

[schan1269]

I'd drop the budget for the AVR to $600-$700, so you can have a budget for a decent sub...
Ideally....
Speakers=AVR+PS3+Apple TV+Xbox+Ipod(???)+NAS(???)
Basically, your speakers are for the HT...as the tires are for your car. It would be like buying a BMW M5 and slapping some Federals on it...
Speaking of the 818...is there anything it does that you need it over the 717, at half the cost???
The 3313, do you need 3rd zone it has? The 3312, 2313 and 2113....do they lose enough OTHER features you need for 60-80% of the cost?
Do you plan on mounting your speakers on a wall? Would you like 4/6 tower speakers? Front towers and rear mounted on the wall?

 

[schan1269]

By the way, here is the "why" you spend that much on speakers...
The speakers you buy today...if you do it right, you'll have for the next 25-75 years.
Your AVR will "need" replaced in 5-7 years...
PS3 in probably 2-3 years
Xbox in 2-3 years
Apple TV/Roku every 2 years(there is always some "new app/service" that you "can't get" with your current one)

 

[ahmadka]

Thanks for that advice man ...
Some questions based on your response:
1) By 'sub', do you mean subwoofer ? :p (Sorry, I know I'm a complete n00b right now :p)
2) Yeah I guess I can consider the 717, or the Denon speakers below 3313 in terms of price .. I just chose them now because I thought they were the best right now ... However, if some other ones can be gotten without significantly comprising on the core audio features themselves, I can settle for less ..
3) Not quite sure about the speakers at this stage .. So I'm open to all suggestions and all brands ... Not sure if I'll want them mounted or standing .. All I know at this stage is that I would prefer a 7.1 system .... So brand/model suggestions are really needed
I'm also sharing the plan of my home theater room in the basement, in case it helps out in the suggestions ... The main home theater room is 15'x18', but there is an additional space added to the back for additional seating .. This space is 8'x15' ... So altogther, you can imagine the room to be maybe 23'x18', with a 3'x8' section cut out from the back right side ..
Here is a detailed drawing showing my schematics, and where I imagine everything to be: http://i.imgur.com/V9x6L.jpg

 

[schan1269]

1. Yes subwoofer...
2. As for the 818 and 717...
Do you need RS232? (look up the uses)
Do you need ISF calibration? (look it up)
If you don't need those two...you don't need the 818. You won't notice 135 vs 125. The 818(last I checked) only pulls an extra .5 amp off the wall. That isn't enough extra power to make a dent in 7.1. So, unless you need RS232 or ISF...no reason to buy the 818.
For the 3313...
Do you need Zone 2 HDMI?
Unless you buy a Denon BD player, you don't need/can't use the Denon HD Link.
For the 2313...
Do you need 2 HDMI outputs?
Do you need pre-outs to record to a cassette deck?
If those 4 features you can live without...I'd get the 2113.
And, you won't notice a difference between 95 and 125wpc. (well you "might", but I doubt it)
3. Speakers...where do you start...
With a $1000-$1400(depending which AVR you do get)...the options are limitless. Especially if you live in an area with a good used market.

 

[schan1269]

If you really want to spend $1000 for an AVR...
If you don't "need" all the bells and whistles...(by the way a $99 Roku, Sony media center, Apple TV etc will cover any "networking" you might need)
http://www.anthemav.com/products/anthem/a-v-receiver/mrx-300

 

[ahmadka]

Alright guys, thanks for all the advice ...
Since I'm a little busy with work these days, I can't find time to actually go out and listen to live speaker demos, so I want to use this time to look into A/V receivers a little more, as this only involves internet based research mainly ... I want to ideally come up with 2 or 3 A/V receivers which I'll later choose from, given my available budget after buying speakers, projector, etc ..
So can you guys tell me which features should I look for when searching for A/V receivers ? For example, some people have pointed out that having 'Audyssey DSX' is a big plus .. (Can someone also tell me what is Audyssey DSX ?)
What other features do I need to have as far as A/V receivers are concerned ? One feature I would like to have for example is the ability to remote control the A/V receiver via the internet or a smartphone based remote app ? Another feature I would like is if it can directly play MKVs, AVIs, etc ..
Also, my target price range for A/V receivers is now about $500 ~ $700 MAX ...

 

[schan1269]

Height/Width. These are additional pairs of speakers in a 5.1 to create(in another way to say it...) 3/2/2. Yamaha started it years ago with Presence. Then Dolby and Aud. came along with theirs. Presence and DPL IIz are height only. Aud. DSX is your choice of height or width. I was using a height scenario and have since switched to width. The effect is varied, based in the source. Nascar on FOX rocks in width. The NFL and baseball are great with height. It also seems to be that FOX has jumped on the sound ability. FOX is more pronounced on baseball and football than any other network.
Some receivers allow the connection of both height and width, but you can only use one at a time...so yeah, connecting 9 speakers, to use 7(or connecting 11 to use 9)...and...not in your price range, there are receivers that combine the two...and there are even receivers that can do 7.1 + height/width...that is why you see 9.2 receivers now.
Movies/TV that take advantage of height/width...
Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Already a great sweeping soundtrack...Aud. DSX width takes it to a whole new level.
Star Trek(new one). Height(in any of the three varieties) is an added WOW to the "drill jump" scene.
U571. The height has a constant water creak/groan going on to mimic being under water.
The Aviator. The scenes involving planes...you'll be looking out your window for a close fly over.
Star Trek TNG. There is a constant ship drone emanating from height/width.
Bones. Whenever they are in the lab, there are echoes like you are in a huge building.