NewB needs a little help-Sony KDP-57XBR2 (1 Viewer)

[Adnan_MD]

hey people, this is my first post & i was hoping u guys could help me out! i've been looking 2 buy my mom a widscreen rptv for about 6 months & just had not been happy with the pic quality when compared to the Sony Wega flatscreen i already have. i had been looking at the sony KV-57WV600 & KV-65WV600 mostly & recently noticed the sony grand xbr KF-50XBR800 & KF-60XBR800. i walked into a circuit city near my job & by chance stumbled onto an open-box KDP-57XBR2 (a display model) for $3000! i wentback to work, logged on to cnet.com & the sony website & saw that the tv retails for ~$5000. i drove back to c.c. after work, charged the tv & expect delivery tomorrow! now, my questions: 1) what do you guys think about this tv? (most of the consumer reviews on it at cnet.com where glowing!) 2) did i get a good price? 3) my room is ~ 16' deep, the tv's not too big, is it? 4) also i'm not the biggest audiophile around, i can't tell the difference b/w the harmann kardon stereo in my car or the stock system, (although i can tell the difference b/w audiovox & harmann kardon ) that said i've heard that the built-in surround sound on the set is decent but i'm thinking about getting the following: Kenwood HTB-205 600W surround sound system, on sale at c.c. for ~$250, what do u guys think? (my emphasis being more on loudness-600W's should be enough!) 5) last, but not least, i purchased a 4-year for around $500, good move or not? thanks for listening to my rambling & for the help!

also, if you guys could answer this: how does my new tv compare to the Grand Wega XBR? (KF-50XBR800)

 

[TimTurtino]

I'd be a little worried about the phosphors on a display model. They tend to be run in torch mode. See where calibration gets you, and if you need to, take advantage of the 30 day money back guarantee.
The TV is not too big.
The HTB-205 is okay; it's better than most others at that price point. However, the 600W figure is a bit misleading, and if loudness is your main concern, you might want to expand your budget a bit, to something like the Onkyo HTS-650.
The good thing about the performance guarantee is that, at least currently, if anything does go wrong, the mentality at CC is to make customers who purchased the guarantee happy that they did so. CC makes a lot of $$ off those things, and wants people to recommend them to their friends. For instance, I've heard my manager agree to replace a two-year-old RPTV because of screen burn issues, and actually seen him replace a 3-year-old RPTV because "it just didn't look as pretty anymore." (well, certainly not, not in comparison to an HDTV monitor!!!) Like most insurance, it's not worth as much as you pay for it (and many on this forum will be happy to elaborate on that). But, if you can afford it and it makes you happy, then it's all good.
I have not actually seen the TV in question, so I'm going to abstain from the comparison questions...
Me

 

[Adnan_MD]

thanks tim, can anyone else offer some insight?

 

[Adnan_MD]

would really appreciate whatever help u guys can offer!