Need some advice on buying a new TV and reciever

[Arkitech]

I'm looking to build a new home theater setup within the next 3-4 weeks. I plan on going with speakers from Fluance, they've been getting great reviews and the price is very affordable. So basically my speakers will be:

Fluance SX-HTB (2 fronts, 2 rear, 1 center channel)
Fluance AV-SC (center channel, I plan on using this as the front center and the other center for the rear)
Dayton 10" subwoofer (or maybe something different if I find a better sub)


Now I just need to find a TV and a reciever. I'm definitely considering a projection TV, the room I'm setting up the HT in is a large one so I'm leaning towards a 60 - 65" screen. I plan on watching about 40% movies/40% satellite feed/20% video games. The receiver will be very important to me because I'm a music junkie but also it needs enough power to handle a 6.1 setup. My budget might be around 4-5k, depending on how well I can convince my wife that we need a good system.

 

[Arkitech]

Here's a link to Fluance

Here is the SX-HTB

This is the AV-SC

And here is a link to the Dayton subwoofer

 

[Arkitech]

up

 

[DaveSimmons]

Denon AVR-3805, see pics at Crutchfield. 120 watts x 7, a ton of S-Video inputs plus 3 high-bandwidth component inputs, high build quality ...

On a lower budget:
- Denon AVR-2805, closeout -3803
- Onkyo TS-RX601 just $329 at eCost <--- oops, OneCall for $329 brand-new, eCost has refurbs for less

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Denon AVR-3805, see pics at Crutchfield. 120 watts x 7, a ton of S-Video inputs plus 3 high-bandwidth component inputs, high build quality ...

On a lower budget:
- Denon AVR-2805, closeout -3803
- Onkyo TS-RX601 just $329 at eCost

I bought an Onkyo 601 refurb on ecost for $250 a few weeks ago. It's been fantastic. It was listed as a cosmetic refurb and I haven't seen anything wrong with it. I have an older Onkyo which cost around $1300 when I bought it and the 601 blows it away.

I would spring for a really nice center channel speaker if I were you. If you use HT or any of the new surround sound technologies, they are heavily weighted towards the center channel.

On the TV side, there are alot of RPTVs you can buy in the $2000-$3000 range. If you want a CRT, I would recommend the Hitachis.

 

[nsafreak]

Harman Kardon AVR-7200. 115 watts x 7 (Harman Kardon frequently UNDER rates their receivers, so possibly more) bunch of inputs all around and a very high build quality. I'll have to check on the TV sets as I've kept more of an eye on the DLP &amp; LCD front.

 

[Arkitech]

hmm I've heard other people say good things about the Onkyo 601, I'll have to look up a few reviews on it tonight. I've also heard that Denon and Harmon Kardon make great equipment as well.

 

[rudeguy]

Onkyo for the receiver...no question. The new model of the 601 is the 602, its out now. For the TV, I like Mitsubishi for projection. Great picture, they last forever, and most importantly you will have a place for your center channel. If I were buying a TV right now, I would wait a couple months for the new DLP sets to come out. I have seen the lineup, and it will be worth the wait.

 

[kaizersose]

1. remember that power isnt everything, make sure that you listen to the reciever in person before you buy it. my roomate had a marantz reciever that was rated at 100W/ch but it paled in comparison to the volume and clarity of my rotel rsx-965 which was rated at 75W/ch.

2. before you buyu anything, check it out on audioreview.com first

 

[Apex]

For a $4-5k budget, and those speakers, I'd suggest:

Panasonic SA-XR50 receiver ($250)
SVS PB2-ISD sub ($900)

If you have good ambient light control:
Sanyo PLV-Z2 or Panasonic PT-AE500u projector
Dalite high contrast matte white or high contrast cinema vision screen

If you have poor ambient light control:
JVC HD61Z575 61" D-ILA/LCOS TV
or one of the Samsung HLP series DLP's

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: Apex
For a $4-5k budget, and those speakers, I'd suggest:

Panasonic SA-XR50 receiver ($250)
SVS PB2-ISD sub ($900)

If you have good ambient light control:
Sanyo PLV-Z2 or Panasonic PT-AE500u projector
Dalite high contrast matte white or high contrast cinema vision screen

If you have poor ambient light control:
JVC HD61Z575 61" D-ILA/LCOS TV
or one of the Samsung HLP series DLP's

The new Hitachi PJ-TX100 beats out those 2 PJs in recent reviews with the Z2 falling far behind.

 

[Apex]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

Originally posted by: Apex
For a $4-5k budget, and those speakers, I'd suggest:

Panasonic SA-XR50 receiver ($250)
SVS PB2-ISD sub ($900)

If you have good ambient light control:
Sanyo PLV-Z2 or Panasonic PT-AE500u projector
Dalite high contrast matte white or high contrast cinema vision screen

If you have poor ambient light control:
JVC HD61Z575 61" D-ILA/LCOS TV
or one of the Samsung HLP series DLP's

The new Hitachi PJ-TX100 beats out those 2 PJs in recent reviews with the Z2 falling far behind.

Ah, pretty cool. Got a link?

 

[T2T III]

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Harman Kardon AVR-7200. 115 watts x 7 (Harman Kardon frequently UNDER rates their receivers, so possibly more) bunch of inputs all around and a very high build quality. I'll have to check on the TV sets as I've kept more of an eye on the DLP &amp; LCD front.

While the H/K AVR-7200 is a nice receiver, it suffers from that "pause" issue when switching digital sources. For me, this became tiresome. I sold my AVR-7200 and haven't looked back.

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: Apex

Originally posted by: Doggiedog

Originally posted by: Apex
For a $4-5k budget, and those speakers, I'd suggest:

Panasonic SA-XR50 receiver ($250)
SVS PB2-ISD sub ($900)

If you have good ambient light control:
Sanyo PLV-Z2 or Panasonic PT-AE500u projector
Dalite high contrast matte white or high contrast cinema vision screen

If you have poor ambient light control:
JVC HD61Z575 61" D-ILA/LCOS TV
or one of the Samsung HLP series DLP's

The new Hitachi PJ-TX100 beats out those 2 PJs in recent reviews with the Z2 falling far behind.

Ah, pretty cool. Got a link?

There is a large thread on the TX100 in AVS Forum I have been following for sometime.

This German site did a comprehensive review of it and the TX100 beat out the Sony HS20.

I was going to buy the TX100 but the pricing confusion (and my wife) forced me to go with the Infocus 4805.