New house, need some help picking audio/video setup. (1 Viewer)

[Brendan_D]

So my family is in the last few weeks of building a new home, and my dad asked me to get some info on what we should do for audio and video. The layout of the downstairs is one long room that starts with the living room then dining room then kitchen, we want to wire the whole downstairs for music and the back porch. but we want to be able to turn the volume up and down for different areas. the walls have all been wired with audio cables. As for TV we have one section of wall that sticks out a bit, about 4 or 5 feet wide, it can either be built out a few inches to set a tv into it flush, or we can mount a flat screen on it. So if anyone has some recommendations on what kind of equipment we should be looking at that would be great. thanks,
Brendan

 

[Charlie Campisi]

Welcome to the forum, Bro!

A word of advice - do some searches in the various forums and start reading. HT is a broad subject covering a lot of different technologies and applications. Audio, video, plasma, lcd, speakers, subwoofers, 5.1, 6.1, in wall, satellite, etc. To analogize, you just asked a world class chef what kind of food you should buy if you are hungry. You've got to be a little more specific!

First thing people will need to help you is your budget. A basic HT in a box will be about $500 and HDTV $1000. So you could start there, or spend tens of thousands of dollars. Figure out what you and your dad had in mind. Before you do that start reading some of the threads in the individual forums and do some searches as well. You should also click on the "Primer/FAQ" button at the top of this board, just below the banner ads. There's a whole lot of info here.

 

[Jack Briggs]

In addition, when asking for specific-model purchasing advice on an entire system, you must post in A/V Sources. And if asking for purchasing advice on individual components, post in the other appropriate hardware area. The Basics area strictly is for general discussion at the beginner level.

And, oh yes: Welcome to Home Theater Forum.

 

[Brendan_D]

Alright so heres a bit more, the room breakdown: 30 feet wide, 90 feet long. first section is 50 feet long, this is the living room where the TV would go, second section is 20 feet long and is the dining room, last 20 feet is the kitchen. we have anywhere between $4,000 and $6,000 to spend on audio and video. now, heres a kind of catch, we might be getting a 72 inch flatscreen sony TV, HD ready. for free. If so the whole budget can go to the audio, if we cant get it, we can probably stretch the budget a bit. Heres the goal of the whole project, be able to have music in the dining room, living room, and on the back porch AND have it concealed without any hanging speakers. The speakers can be set in the walls at angles behind some kind of grate or cover. the living room should have its own set of 5 or 6 speakers for movies in surround sound, the other areas need to just have nice coverage for music. the living room should play independently of the porch, so you can listen to music on the porch and watch TV or a movie inside, if your watching TV inside though, the dining room doesnt need any sound. its either that or you have the same music playing in all three areas. really we are looking for good sound that is well hidden, and blends naturally into the room without taking from the ceiling and the beams. I am going to draw up a little diagram of the room and where i think speakers should be located. then get opinions on where i should look for what i need. As soon as im home tommarro ill try and get that done. Hopefully this isnt that confusing, but a diagram should clear everything up. thanks for the help.
Brendan

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

This will require a receiver with separate signal routing for a second zone. If you want separate sources for three or more locations, that typically gets into specialized multi-zone equipment.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Brendan_D]

(add http) it wont let me post URL's till i have 14 posts images9.fotki.com/v167/photos/7/79384/306307/Untitled1-vi.jpg

ok so theres a little diagram, so beyond the general idea of what i need, any recommendations on stores, im in upstate NY, near albany. What brands should i be looking at, can anyone give me some good sites to look at online. Basicly now that i have a general idea of what i will need, what next, where should i start? thanks
Brendan

 

[Brendan_D]

alright, after doing alittle research, how does this sound. 2 standing speakers on either side of the TV, center channel mounted above it, 2 in-ceiling speakers for the 2 rear channels. 2 in ceiling speakers in the dining room. and 2 outdoor speakers mounted on the porch. theres a start i guess, lol.

 

[Brendan_D]

comon peeps! help me out! lol

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Yes, that’s a good start.

Your best bet as this point is to start new threads on the appropriate Forums we have here (“Speakers,” “Receivers,” “Displays” etc.) to get specific more info and input. You’ll find that people are more willing to respond to specific questions than complicated, all encompassing inquiries like you have on this thread.

For example:

• “Need good speakers for a patio”
• “What receiver for three-zone capability?”
• ”Looking for a good surround sound speaker system for $xx”

Etc.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt