New Ht (1 Viewer)

[RichardJB]

I am new to this, I am having a house built with a 24x19 ft
great room,I am having structured wirng system put in and
HT pre-wire, I just purchased the Denon AVR 2805 for my room and I am currently researching an HT speaker system. I prefer small cubes and every thing I read says dont buy Bose. Why is that?? Also any recomondations on HDTV?
I am looking for a 60" HD. I will be sitting 12-14' away.
Thank you in advance for any help.

 

[Charlie Campisi]

Welcome to the forum, bro! HT is more than just an appliance purchase, it is a hobby, an addiction... There is a lot you can learn. Or, you can go the quick route and be perfectly happy as there are many no muss no fuss displays and surround systems that sound great. You are on the right track with the Denon. My main reason to not buy Bose is that it is typically incompatible with other equipment, making it harder to upgrade or repair. It's also very pricey. Last, you can get better sound elsewhere for the same or less cost. Click on the "primer/FAQ" button located just above the threads on this page and go to section 4. There is a link to "Isn't Bose the best?" that also leads to some more links. That'll give you a flavor for what the great debate is all about. You won't find many, if any, Bose supporters on this forum.

As for a display, much depends on your preferences and budget. How much are you willing to spend? Is burn-in important to you (do you play video games, leave the tv on for long periods of time on a single channel)? Have you looked at DLP, CRT and LCD rear projection sets? Can you control the light in the room?

 

[RichardJB]

Thanx for the quick reply, I definitely cannot afford plasma, I probably have $3000 in the budget for the display, I do play video and computer games,I was also looking at the Alienware Media Center PC also. I have looked at the new Hitachi's and Sony displays they both seem to have the best picture in HD. I do have the TV on for a long time but it never really stays on the same channel for more than a hour at the most(unless watching a DVD)Also I have 2 pairs of Acoustic Research tower speakers
and was wondering if I could use the for the fronts. Thanx again

 

[Charlie Campisi]

Take a look at the LCD, DLP and CRT rear projection sets. In very general terms, the CRT sets do better with shades of blacks and greys, but they don't throw off as much light as the others, so they are prone to reflections on the screen. I have a hitachi rptv, but my HT is in the basement, so reflections aren't a big deal. They are also proned to burn in from static station logos, ticker lines, gaming graphics that remain constant. I had to train the kids to shut off the tv after their dvds were done. These tvs are also much deeper than LCD and DLP so take that into consideration. Finally, CRT sets have lesser viewing angles, so if you have some off angle seating, you may not want a CRT set.

LCD and DLP sets are less accurate with greys and blacks, but they are getting much better. I have read that they also have some trouble dealing with fast motion and tend to "smear" during action films, sports, etc. You will also hear about the "rainbow effect" and "screen door effect." Some people who see DLP see rainbows on the screen. Apparently, it is condition of the eyes and I haven't heard of a cure, though the 3 chip DLPs apparently don't cause it, but are pricey. Make sure you and your family view a dlp before you bring it home. If you get real close to an LCD it will look like you are viewing it through a screen door. Some are worse than others so you want to compare before you buy.

Here is a tip for shopping - measure your viewing distance at home and then make sure you are viewing from the same distance in the store, and the same height - so you may have to crouch down. You need to try and duplicate as much as possible about your home environment when comparing sets.

 

[Charlie Campisi]

For the audio, it is fine to start with your AR towers. Eventually, you will want to go to at least a 5.1 setup, but you can do it gradually. The biggest difference maker will be a sub. Get a good one. The $400 offerings by HSU and SVS would be a good place to start. Velodyne if you want to go to a brick and mortar store before trying the internet. Aside from buying quality speakers, which we should always try to do, the key to a good surround system is "timbre matching" the speakers. All that means is to get speakers which sound the same. Sticking with a particular brand of speaker, and speakers with the same size drivers, is the easy way to do this. (The sub can always be, and is usually, a different brand.) But even so, it is possible to mix and match speakers since you already have the ARs on hand. You may notice that the sound is not seamless as it moves from the ARs to your surrounds if they are a different brand, but it is still better than not having surrounds at all. If you can get a full speaker package with your budget, go for it. If not, it is ok to build in stages.

 

[Tony Loewen]

I would say, if you have good light control, for a real home theater experience, front projectors are the only way to go. Typically, and I say typically, the picture quality is greater, the viewing angle is as wide as you want it to be (ie no dark corners on the screen, or washout, loss of brightness if you are looking at it from the side), for 60" it would be as bright or brighter than most rptv, with tons more clarity, you can go bigger that 60" if you want (mine is 98", and it could go much bigger), they are usually much cheaper than rptv of similar quality, and finally, nothing screams "theater" more than having a big screen in front of you, rather than a big box. Plus, if you are going to go with an HTPC/media center pc, they really are a perfect match, digital projectors and pc's. That's my thoughts.

Bose blows.

Edit: Just re-read your post again. If you are going to be 12-13 ft away, you will probably want something bigger than 60". Most people recommend that you sit 1.5 - 2 times the screen width back from the screen, or a 30 degree field of sight. I am sitting back about 13 ft from my screen. It's a little over 7 feet wide, and I wish I would have made it a little bigger. Oh well, I guess seven feet wide is really nothing to complain about.

 

[David Noll]

I'm also going to push you in the "front projection" direction. With your budget, room size and viewing distance, you certainly can have a true "theater".

Good luck,
David

 

[RichardJB]

Thank you everyone for your input