Finally building the man cave....

[Chess]

All... I need a little bit of help... YoYo and I were going back and forth probably about a year ago about me starting a build....

Anywho this is what I am trying to decide....

What TV do I want...

I know I want LED, do I want it to be 3d ? I havent sold myself on that part yet....

Viewing distance is 12-14 feet, so I am looking at a 60-70"

Suggestions thoughts ?


Other equipment I am looking to buy are the following items:

Reciever

Onkyo TX-NR609
Denon AVR-3312CI

Bluray

Sony PS3

Speakers & Sub

Polk CS2 - Center

Polk TSi500 Fronts

Polk Tsi200 Rear

Polk DSW Pro 500

I have been thinking about going with maybe Polk RTi8 and RTi6 instead... havent decided yet..

Thoughts, suggestions, comments...

Thanks all

 

[Zargon]

why LED LCD?

that size Mitsu DLP's are a BARGAIN and have great picture quality


does this room have windows? how much light?

 

[JackBurton]

I would recommend an Elite 70" (Sharp Elite PRO-70X5). The best LCD, if not the best TV available today. It is a 3D TV, but nothing says you HAVE to use it. All high end TV WILL come with 3D. Use it if you'd like, if not enjoy the best 2D picture possible.

 

[Chess]

why LED LCD?

that size Mitsu DLP's are a BARGAIN and have great picture quality


does this room have windows? how much light?

It does have windows... i have two "french" doors that are back by the seating going outside of my house... but i have curtains that cover it during the day and it brings in basically 0 light... i have another small window up higher about 5 1'2 feet but its rather small and rarely any light gets in...

I am not a HUGE fan of the Mitsu DLP... my sister and brother in law have the 80" one... just havent been sold on it... *shrugs*

 

[Chess]

I would recommend an Elite 70" (Sharp Elite PRO-70X5). The best LCD, if not the best TV available today. It is a 3D TV, but nothing says you HAVE to use it. All high end TV WILL come with 3D. Use it if you'd like, if not enjoy the best 2D picture possible.

Jack: I will check this one out then... I was a big fan of the aquos series when I was buying years ago, but due to the "blacks" in the televisions... I know that has been changed/fixed now... I will check it out....

Also, I was afraid that most high end TV's wil come with 3d, you are right, I dont have to use it... but that would maybe sway me into getting a PS3 for my bluray media player... Thoughts hmm

I dont wanna drop 7g's on a TV

 

[gar655]

At 12-14' you could use the Sharp 80". If that's too much $$$ then get one the 70 inch sets.

Unless you're getting the Polk sub for less than $200 I would look elsewhere. Even at $200 it's not that good of a deal, acceptable but not not great.

 

[Chess]

At 12-14' you could use the Sharp 80". If that's too much $$$ then get one the 70 inch sets.

Unless you're getting the Polk sub for less than $200 I would look elsewhere. Even at $200 it's not that good of a deal, acceptable but not not great.

gar: thanks for the input man...

Anyone have any experience with the Sharp LC70LE735U ?

What sub would you suggest... I am not a sub expert by any means... So suggestions would be awesome !!!

 

[Howard]

Any way you can reduce the viewing distance?

 

[Chess]

Howard,

I can.....

 

[SithSolo1]

For all intent and purposes the Tsi500 (Cheapest price Amazon: $304 Link ) is the same as Monitor 70 II (Cheapest price Newegg: $149* Link) outside of driver color.

Same thing for the Tsi200 ($224 Amazon Link ) and the Monitor 40 II ($119* Newegg Link ).

I'd take the money saved and invest it in the larger TV and/or a good internet direct subwoofer.

*Prices at Newegg good until 1/25 with coupon codes.

For good internet direct subs look at SVS , Outlaw , HSU , Rythmik , and Epik. Outlaw has their LFM-1 EX on sale for $549 right now and Rythmik has the FV12 for $499, both are good for the money. The EX for $50 more is the better deal as it digs a bit deeper.

 

[Aikouka]

DLP is certainly a viable option since he mentioned that he has almost no light coming in, and 60-70" DLPs can be found at fairly low prices.

For example, here's a 73" for $1300 (at time of posting):
http://www.amazon.com/Mitsubishi-WD-73738-73-Inch-DLP-HDTV/dp/B003HJ5CKE/

Want bigger still? No problem! Here's an 82" for $1750 (yet again, at time of posting):
http://www.amazon.com/Mitsubishi-WD-82738-82-Inch-DLP-HDTV/dp/B003HPB97I/

EDIT:

Note that some of these sets or slightly older models have been featured on Slickdeals for even lower pricing. I've seen the 73" for as low as $800, but I believe the model was a year older. Being a year older means almost nothing unless you want 3D, which means you would need to buy the Mitsubishi 3DA-1 adapter. Another note about 3D and the DLPs... I don't know about the newer models, but the older ones do not let you disable the DLP Link feature. This is a DLP-only aspect of 3D that provides an emitter-less 3D experience, but it does it by using flashes of light to signal the glasses. I use it, and it works pretty well, but the problem is... if you can't disable it, your picture tends to look brighter than it should. Note that this is only with 3D mode being on and will not affect normal TV use.

These are the glasses that I use:
http://www.amazon.com/Optoma-BG-ZD101-Glasses-Interchangeable-Pieces/dp/B003Q96CCC/

 

[JackBurton]

gar: thanks for the input man...

Anyone have any experience with the Sharp LC70LE735U ?

What sub would you suggest... I am not a sub expert by any means... So suggestions would be awesome !!!

The Sharp LC70LE735U is a very nice LCD. You can also check out the Panasonic's 65" VT30 if you don't mind going down to a 65" set (it's a plasma though).

IMO, I would not get a DLP. You get a larger screen at a cheaper price, but you sacrifice picture quality.

 

[vshah]

The Sharp LC70LE735U is a very nice LCD. You can also check out the Panasonic's 65" VT30 if you don't mind going down to a 65" set (it's a plasma though).

IMO, I would not get a DLP. You get a larger screen at a cheaper price, but you sacrifice picture quality.

hmm...in my viewing experience the laser DLPs have among the best PQ i've ever seen. then again those are just as pricy as the larger LED LCDs

 

[Zivic]

check out the Panasonic's 65" VT30 if you don't mind going down to a 65" set (it's a plasma though).

^ this

The VT30 is the display to get. the elite 70" LCD is the only LCD I would consider... and only because it is larger than the plasma. the non-elite sharps aren't up to par in my viewing experience. My money is spent on the panny

 

[gorb]

Look at other speakers. If you enjoy the Polks that's fine too of course...but I would definitely skip a Polk sub.

 

[Spicedaddy]

If you can control the light, I'd get a reasonably priced TV like a 55" LCD and a DLP projector.

Optoma HD20 and a 120" pulldown screen will be under 1000$ and make any TV look tiny.

 

[Aikouka]

IMO, I would not get a DLP. You get a larger screen at a cheaper price, but you sacrifice picture quality.

The picture quality isn't too bad, and there are even better DLP models than the ones that I linked that will provide an overall better picture quality. The biggest issue is natural lighting causing the screen to look washed out, but we already covered that.

If you have a HH Gregg near you, I know the one local to me has a few of the Mitsubishi DLPs on display (including their monster 92" one). I don't know if they've performed any calibration on the unit (doubtful ), but they were at least in a dark area with all of the other nice flat panel sets.

 

[Chess]

For all intent and purposes the Tsi500 (Cheapest price Amazon: $304 Link ) is the same as Monitor 70 II (Cheapest price Newegg: $149* Link) outside of driver color.

Same thing for the Tsi200 ($224 Amazon Link ) and the Monitor 40 II ($119* Newegg Link ).

I'd take the money saved and invest it in the larger TV and/or a good internet direct subwoofer.

*Prices at Newegg good until 1/25 with coupon codes.

For good internet direct subs look at SVS , Outlaw , HSU , Rythmik , and Epik. Outlaw has their LFM-1 EX on sale for $549 right now and Rythmik has the FV12 for $499, both are good for the money. The EX for $50 more is the better deal as it digs a bit deeper.

Sith: Hell of good information... When I was looking at the Monitor 40 II I thought they looked the same... Tha tmakes perfect sense.. I will go that route then...

I looked at the SVS a few times and I have liked what it has offered... I havent checked out the Outlaw or Rythmik.. I will though...

 

[Chess]

^ this

The VT30 is the display to get. the elite 70" LCD is the only LCD I would consider... and only because it is larger than the plasma. the non-elite sharps aren't up to par in my viewing experience. My money is spent on the panny

Interesting take.... I dont want to spend the ~6900 for the Elite... .I am willing to spend 3k easily but not double that

I will have to look at the VT30, I havent been a big fan of plasmas really thats my only negative

 

[Chess]

The picture quality isn't too bad, and there are even better DLP models than the ones that I linked that will provide an overall better picture quality. The biggest issue is natural lighting causing the screen to look washed out, but we already covered that.

If you have a HH Gregg near you, I know the one local to me has a few of the Mitsubishi DLPs on display (including their monster 92" one). I don't know if they've performed any calibration on the unit (doubtful ), but they were at least in a dark area with all of the other nice flat panel sets.

There is an HH Gregg near me, sure is...

It sucks going to BBuy and HHG because we know they dont calibrate anything LOL its all good though...

 

[brotj7]

Get a receiver with preouts, you will want an amp(or two) eventually. I can confirm the Tsi 500 in a 3.1 are ok with the 120w peak the 609 gives, but it gets anemic in 5.1 or more.

Once you get used to the surround sound in your new setup and break in has normailized, you start to notice certain sounds are either missing or that the sounds are there but really flat and hard to hear. Then you pick up the manuals and realize your not even pushing half of what your speakers can handle. The benefit is not the peak loudness, it's the continuous fuller sound across the whole spectrum that more power from a dedicated amp provides.

If you want to save cash, still get a receiver with preouts, but get the Monitor 70 Series II for $150 each when they go on sale. I have to admit, I am actually a little pissed at myself for getting the Tsi line last year. I got some monitor 70's this holiday season for the kids side of the basement, and they sound exactly the same for 1/2 the price.

Having said that, once hooked up I realized our 20x22ft room w/7'6" ceiling needs more powerful speakers, so we will either be doing some Berhinger or Emotiva amps and upgrading to the Rti A line as I catch sales.

 

[Chess]

brotj: good input... I will make sure it has preouts... I believe the Denon does...

 

[SithSolo1]

Forgot to mention:

As far as receivers go you may want to check out Accessories4less.com.
They mainly deal in refurbished Home Audio goods, including Onkyo and Denon receivers. Sometimes you can save a nice chunk of change or get a higher end model for the money.

May also wanna look at MacMall.com, they carry refurb Denon. I got a refurb Denon AVR-591 for $140 and it looked brand new outside of the printed/stapled PDF manual.

 

[Chess]

Which reciever would you go with ? the Onkyo or Denon.... the 500 dollar difference is quite the price... but

 

[Aikouka]

Which reciever would you go with ? the Onkyo or Denon.... the 500 dollar difference is quite the price... but

I was actually a bit shocked at your receiver choices when I first read this thread. Your speakers are fairly entry-level (note: this doesn't include those awful, worthless HTIB speakers), but your receiver is Denon's xx12 top model.

Have you read the thread on AVS Forum about the xx12 series?
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1334369

If I were you, I would get the 2112CI if you don't care about 3D and the 2312CI if you do care about 3D. The reason is that the 2312 will display the GUI overlay on 3D video feeds, but the 2112 does not. I own a 2112, and that's the one thing that I don't like about it. Although, I rarely play 3D content so it's not that big of a deal.

It's an odd concept to me, but make sure you call up authorized Denon dealers if you want to go with them. The MSRP on my 2112CI is $650, but I got it for $430 + shipping! That was through Electronics Expo.

EDIT:

If you want to save cash, still get a receiver with preouts, but get the Monitor 70 Series II for $150 each when they go on sale.

Unfortunately for him, they were on sale last week (pretty sure it was last week) at Newegg.