Pimp My HT! (1 Viewer)

[Clutch]

Okay, so long story short, I'm gonna list my HT system set-up and I would like recommendations (with prices, if possible) on places where I can "tweak" my system. This is a representation of what my completed system will be. I have none of the components yet. I am very set on the brand of tv I am getting, regardless of price, but will welcome suggestions on the tv as well. I'm going with an LCD tv for the benefits (gaming/still frame).

Here it is:

Samsung 52" 1080P LCD HDTV
Onkyo 605
AV123's x-ls 5.1 System
I haven't picked out cables yet, as I haven't taken too much time to read up on them.

Nothing spectacular, but more than enough for someone like myself. I'm sure checking my e-mail in 5.1 would be the most awesome thing ever! >.< LOL!!!

We'll have a Wii, 360 with add-on HD player, PS3, and my PC connected to it. Chances are, this will not be the initial set-up. The TV is a must, even if the others fall through. It will be a buildable system so-to-speak. I'll pick up some shoddy speakers until my budget re-fills and I have enough for the better speakers. The speakers (as common sense will tell you) are worthless without the receiver so they will not come until I have the receiver taken care of.

The focus point of this thread is to have you, who have HT experiance, to evaluate my thoughts on a set-up. If you think I should go with another receiver or speakers that are a better bang for the buck or if you have suggestions on which cables I should get, please give me your advice.

Thanks,

Anthony

 

[Improvolone]

DLP is better for gaming from what I know, but a good LCD should be just fine, and it has the advantahe of the size.
Why wouldn't you go 7.1?
Do everything with the highest level of cable you can, meaning component, optical, VGA, HDMI, what have you. While some people disagree, the price of the cable doesn't really mean anything. Check out RiteAV Monoprice or bluejeanscables for great prices.
If you are running wires through the wall, you need in wall rated speaker wire. The best price for this I found at PartsExpress.
If you want to buy ceiling or wall mounts for your speakers, I got the best price on eBay, actually. 7 mounts for 10 + shipping.

Harmony 880 is such a cool universal remote, and there are some great deals online. Every now and then Amazon will have a refurbished seleciton for 99 shipped, but they are out of those are the moment.

 

[Clutch]

Could you PM me a link for the mounts? Heading to Amazon to check out the remote now.

Thanks for you help!

 

[Bob McElfresh]

To give a bit more detail:

Buy a spool of 12 ga wire and use it for all your speakers. You can go with the thinner, slightly cheaper 16 or 14 ga for the short runs, but it's usually not worth the effort.

Radio Shack SPL meter: Budget $45 for the analog meter and get a copy of "Avia" or "Video Essentials" to calibrate your speakers. A small laser pointer is a handy tool to see where the speakers are pointing.

Cables: BlueJeans is a favorite site of ours. Great product and budget prices. The owner is a member here and takes good care of us.

Ideally - you would run DIGITAL connections like HDMI from everything to the receiver, then 1 cable to the TV. But now you must look at the inputs/outputs on the receiver and decide if it has enough.

Some receivers will take a HD video feed on component cables and convert it to HDMI for the trip to the TV. Check out the connections/features on the Onkyo before you buy. Dont forget to leave an input for a CATV or SAT cable box. You did not list normal TV watching with your equipment, but it would be so sad to not use that TV for the occasional broadcast.

Note: Best Buy had a Dennon HTIB for about $700 and I bought one for my daughter's apartment for Christmas. Use this as a price for a budget-but-decent receiver & speakers setup.

Hope this helps.

 

[Clutch]

Yeah, It would be used for normal TV as well. It would be the main tv in the apartment. Mainly Cartoon Network, Jerry Springer and Maury.

Thanks for all the tips.

 

[Improvolone]

Just do a search for speaker mounts. Bid on whatever fits your need.

 

[Clutch]

Cool. That remote is AWESOME! I'll pay the 140 for the new one!

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

An SPL meter won't be a neccesity considering the Onkyo SR605 has Audyssee 2 auto-calibration with microphone. That said, a copy of DVE or Avia is probably a good idea for calibrating your TV. The HD-DVD version of DVE has an HD version on one side and a regular DVD version on the other, that's what I would reccomend.

Tha Harmony 880 is a great remote... but I prefer the candy-bar shape and rubber (instead of hard-plastic) buttons of the Harmony 720 which is functionally nearly identical (same screen w/ 6 positions instead of 8).

In terms of speaker wire any 12awg or even 14awg will do the job with no loss in sound quality. Home Depot 12awg by Carol Cable has been the standard around here for years. If I remember correctly it runs aroun $0.30 per foot in custom cut lengths. The CL rated in-wall cable from Home Depot or Parts Express might be a good option even if it won't be in the wall as the individual cables (+ and -) are within a grey outer jacket that looks better (to me atleast) than standard clear pvc speaker cable.

 

[Clutch]

Okay. I found DVE on Amazon. Good deal. Looked into the 720. Very nice, contemporary design. Overall, the 880 is a bit cheaper over the 720, so I'll have to see them side by side in a store and physically touch them. Both look like great tools.

I like the idea of having the wires coated grey instead of see thru. It's definitally a cleaner look. Thanks for the heads up.

I was thinking about something the other day. What is there in means of a "wireless" system. Is there a way to get the speakers hooked up wirelessly and if so, how much more is the price tag?

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

There are a few options for making your surrounds wireless, though I'm not convinced any work that well or are truly wireless. Most use RF or PowerLine to transfer a low-level signal to a smaller amplifier somewhere on the back side of your room that your back speakers in-turn are connected to. Since this smaller amplifier must be plugged into the wall and the speakers connected to it you can see it's not truly wireless, it just keeps you from running wires from the front of the room to the back. Also, these "wireless" amplifiers are usually underpowered compared to the amplification you would be using in a standard configuration. They're usually enough for the surrounds, especially if used at low levels, but they won't drive them to reference levels without some audible distortion or clipping.

 

[Clutch]

Cool. That answers that question. So if I want a high quality sound, I should invest in a few extra throw rugs.


Noted.

 

[Improvolone]

Maybe not, my surrounds are wired through my ceiling.
Took a bit of work and alot of sweat (FL in the summertime), but it's nice.
If you have a basement below you, consider running the wires in the downward direction.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

Molding/trim/wire guides are one option, as is simply tucking the wire under/in-between the baseboard and the carpet (probably won't work on 12awg, might on 14awg, probably will on 16awg).

 

[Clutch]

Keep in mind, I'll be moving into an apartment so running wires thru anything is out of the question. If I were to do that much work to an apartment, I'd throw in wall to wall and a double sink inthe bathroom. LOL!!!

I need to start using my head a little more. We did the same thing for my GF's TV cable and my friends TV cable and computer wires. We ran my friends stuff along the wall, around the corner, under the door on the hinge side and around the entire door frame to get it to the computer router. Of course, it was the only Polsky in the room (yours truely) that figured out how to conceal the wire that way.