Home Entertainment System for under $5,000? suggestions?

[ChrisIsBored]

I plan on buying a new TV soon, more than likely a widescreen projection HDTV. I might wait til the fall due to that whole DVI issue and current HDTV sets not being compatible.

But i'm not a big electronic buff in the TV / Home stereo area so say you had 5 grand to spend, what would you buy!?!

 

[Muadib]

IS this 5k for everything, or just the TV?

 

[bigshooter]

You can save some money and get a wide screen tube HD tv, they sell for anywhere between 1 and 2 grand. I like Toshiba for tubes, but although they claim 1080i resolution you'll probalby only get 800x600 (or at least the equivalent). My friend has one and it still looks good though. For an HD projection, I'd go with the 53" Pioneer. It's rated really high. The Pioneer Elite's are even better, but you'll be shelling out about 5 grand if not more, just for the tv. I don't know about all the media box options or whether you need to buy a seperate HD box for these TV's, I just know that they have the best pictures I've seen without spending 6-7 grand.

 

[ChrisIsBored]

I'm talking $5k for everything, the TV, components, speakers....

 

[arod]

What kind of room are we looking at.... big small, bright dar etc....

 

[lowtech1]

Try a Sony Wega 36" or 40", and save the rest for a good sound system.

 

[amnesiac]

<< Sony Wega 36" or 40", >>



WAAAAAAAAAY overpriced for what you get, IMO. A good entry-level HDTV set is the RCA 32"/36" at most stores or the rebadged one from Costco.

 

[ChrisIsBored]

The room is a bit small, but big enough to have a sectional couch in it right now, and plenty of room for a nice large TV, i'm not concerned about the size, i'm more concerned about what type of speakers/setup I can find for that amount.

 

[arod]

TV's Toshiba 50-55 inches (I would spend around 2500-2700 here whatever you can get for that)

Sound Get a good receiver with DTS and DD 5.1 (I personally like the pioneer brand but you should look into the Maratz and Okyno brands too) (spend about 500 here)

Speakers Get at least a 12 in subwoofer from a good audio manufacturer (Here I have klipsch) about 300-500

Center is also important look to spend about 2-300 for that (it is by far the most important speaker you will own)

you cna really cheap out on the surround if you dont have the cash for the others...

 

[fatbaby]

Maybe $2500 for the tv

$600 for one of them pioneer/yamaha recievers

And Energy's encore6 for $1500

$200 for dvd

And another $200 for them 12 gauge cables

 

[Muadib]

A/V Componets
HDTV ready set: Pioneer SD-533HD5 $2300 - $2500
A/V Receiver: Outlaw 1050 $535
DVD Player: Panosonic DVD-RV32K $150 - $200

Speakers::
Mains: Klipsch Reference Series RF-5 $1000 - $1500 pair
Center: Klipsch Reference Series RC-7 $600 - $900
Surrounds: Klipsch Reference Series RS-7 $600 - $900 pair
Sub: HSU VTF-2 $449

I'm about $700 over, but it should give you an idea. I didn't include cables either to avoid a flame war, but you can get cheap ones to get you going for about $50.

 

[yakko]

I would buy one amp and start saving for the rest of the system.

 

[ChrisIsBored]

sweet! That's the stuff i'm looking for Muadib!

 

[d1abolic]

You should seriously consider buying a used DLP XGA projector. Used because you will never be able to fit a good new one into your budget. If you get a projector instead of an RPTV, you will get a far larger picture that looks a lot better than any RPTV ever will. The catch is: you need a dark room. If you don't have one, by all means go with an HD RPTV from Toshiba, Mitsubishi or others.

Make sure you get a receiver that supports DD EX and DTS-ES in addition to DD and DTS. This will allow you to use rear center speakers. Good brands are Denon, Onkyo, Marantz, Outlaw and others.

Paradigm, PSB and Klipsch make some of the best speakers out there. However, the speakers Muadib mentioned don't fit into your budget. Remember that you'll also need two more speakers, for the rear centers. Take a look at Paradigm Monitor and PSB Image series.

I wouldn't dare recommend anything other than an SVS subwoofer to complete your system. the VTF-2 is a great piece of equipment, but from what i've heard, it doesn't compare to SVS.

Before you spend a penny, i strongly suggest that you verify that you are making the right decision with the pros over at AVSForum.

 

[Muadib]

I wouldn't dare recommend anything other than an SVS subwoofer to complete your system. the VTF-2 is a great piece of equipment, but from what i've heard, it doesn't compare to SVS.

Maybe so, but not at the $450 that you can get the VTF-2 for. You forget that he wants everything for 5 grand. IMO You don't need a second set of rear surrounds in a small room. I would rather have the better mains. What I chose fit the bill, comes close to his budget, and sounds damn good. Lets see what you come up with for the 5K.

 

[virtuamike]

I agree with d1abolic, stay away from Klipsch. I never liked the way their speakers sounded, I prefer the Canadians (Paradigm, Energy). Check out the new C series from Energy, if they're anything like their old C series they'll sound fabulous for music and HT (esp since they have a center channel for the C series now). Paradigm Monitor series gives good bang for the buck, but like Energy they're not as easy to find local hence demo. I wouldn't recommend any receiver other than the Outlaw 1050 considering what your budget is. Never liked how Onkyo and Denon sounded. Marantz is nice but expensive, the 5200 beats the Outlaw in terms of features but the Outlaw has better sound / power. As for DVD player, if you're going HDTV you may as well get a progressive scan to take advantage of your set. Panasonic DVD-RP56 sells for about $200 and uses the Sage chipset. Won't play SVCD but I assume that if you're spending $5K on your system you could care less about SVCD. Don't know much about projection TVs, if you want a tube instead Panasonic Tau and Toshiba FST Pure are good HDTVs to look at.

 

[yakko]

<< I agree with d1abolic, stay away from Klipsch. I never liked the way their speakers sounded >>

He is saying stay away based on price not sound quality. On that note I love my Klipsch KG3s.

 

[virtuamike]

<<

<< I agree with d1abolic, stay away from Klipsch. I never liked the way their speakers sounded >>

He is saying stay away based on price not sound quality. On that note I love my Klipsch KG3s. >>



I just don't like the way Klipsch sounds, too mechanical and not smooth.

** edit **

Oh, and if you want to save money and don't mind used try ebay and trade forums. So far I've scored a pair of Energy C-8's for $400, an AC-300 for $220, a pair of 3.1e's for $180, a pair of RVS (the ones that look like the AC-300) for $240, and a Paradigm PS-1200 for $300. Got an EXL-S12 for $275 off the audioreview.com classifieds too, that's also a great place to find stuff.

 

[ChrisIsBored]

Guess i'll have to hear the difference myself...

Anyone else care to build and lista setup for $5 grand?

 

[Muadib]

<< Guess i'll have to hear the difference myself... >>


Bingo!! I'm with yakko, I like the Klipsch sound, but you may not. I was also trying to stick with stuff that I've seen and heard. I never heard the Outlaw 1050, but I've read plenty about it. I'm sure you would enjoy it.

 

[d1abolic]

chrisis, if you're going to spend five thousand bucks based on what one person told you in an online forum, you're out of your mind.

If you want to get a system that you will be happy with, you better prepare yourself for at the very least several weeks of researching and auditioning. And like i said already, AVSForum is the best place to get started. Do this part by part. Go make a post and ask people what DVD player they would recommend. In a few days, you will have a good idea of what features you need, as well as a small list of select models to choose from. Head down to your local HT store and audition each of the players. Then when you know which one you liked best, buy it. Then move on to the next part on your list.

And once again, if you have access to a dark room, consider buying a digital projector. Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. These photos were taken with a digital camera, 9 feet away from a 6-foot-wide image projected onto a screen by the Panasonic AE100 LCD projector: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (source). This is what a used digital projector that costs even less than a new HD RPTV can get you.

 

[RossMAN]

Why not go to your local A/V dealer and ask them or visit forum which specializes in HT.

 

[d1abolic]

Never ask the store for advice - salesmen are driven by commission. Not to mention that a great number of them are completely clueless.

 

[Prong]

I built mine for about $3500 using the following:
Yamaha RX-V2200 6.1 Receiver - $950
Yamaha 5 Disc CD Changer - $150
Yamaha Dual Cassette Deck - $170
Cheap Apex DVD Player - $75
32" Sony Wega - $850
4 JBL ND310 - $900 (used for mains and side surrounds)
JBL N-Center - $125
Acoustic Research Cables and Speaker Wire - ~$200

To me, it sounds awesome, even without a sub. At some point in the future, I will probably pick up an SVS Sub, but for right now I want to choke down the money I've already spent. I would highly suggest going to a decent store and demo many different kinds of speakers and receivers. Once you know what you want, you can shop around for the lowball price. I would hold off on the TV for right now, until a definite HD standard is ironed out, otherwise you may end up with an expensive paperweight. A good HT forum is
here.
It's always fun spending someone else's money. Let us know what you wind up getting.

 

[Turkey]

Maybe the better way of going about this is by researching what you want by

1. determining what you think is important in a TV
2. determining what kind of sound you like from movies (loud, detailed, bassy, etc)
3. determining what components give you those prefs
4. determining if those components fit in your budget