Rate my Home Theater System

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totalcommand

Platinum Member
Apr 21, 2004
2,487
0
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1) Samsung 42" DLP 720P HDTV ($1850.00)

2) Denon AVR1705 Dolby Receiver (248.00)

3) Sony DVD Upcoverting Player (150.00)

4) HDMI, Optical Audio, Component, Digital coaxial audio cable (~$100 total)

5) 2 Artisan SketchSL Tower speakers (w/ built in center speaker) ($700)

6) Monster Power Conditioner ($110)

7) 4 year warranty on DLP TV ($600)

8) TV Stand ($230)

Total: ~$4000

What do you guys think?

Is an upconverting dvd really necessary to watch DVDs (how much better does it look)?

I don't really like Sony brand products, is there any similar DVD player out there for a similar price (or less) that's just as good or better?

How necessary is a power conditioner?

Any other thoughts?

Thanks so much guys, merry christmas.
 
S

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
The sammy DVD player is a nice match for your TV if you can feed your digital display with the digital output of the DVD player (looks like you already have a cable)

The only think I can see uping would be a better receiver with more power and a good subwoofer.

I don't see any surrounds or center channel listed? While a center channel isn't necessary it does help with speakers that can't lock a solid image to the center. But surrounds are absolutely necessary.
 
A

AlienCraft

Lifer
Nov 23, 2002
10,539
0
0
Please describe the room they will be in and the furnishings. Placement , materials, and windows, are all important.

Also, are you movie buffs, combined media users? Will gaming be involved?

Upconverting is very important and noticeable, at least to me.
Remember to include the NON HD sources to the appropriate input on the display lest the conversion be annoying on the large screen.
 
T

totalcommand

Platinum Member
Apr 21, 2004
2,487
0
0
Originally posted by: spidey07
The sammy DVD player is a nice match for your TV if you can feed your digital display with the digital output of the DVD player (looks like you already have a cable)

The only think I can see uping would be a better receiver with more power and a good subwoofer.

I don't see any surrounds or center channel listed? While a center channel isn't necessary it does help with speakers that can't lock a solid image to the center. But surrounds are absolutely necessary.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.

The 2 speakers actually create a center channel by constructing half of it each (constructive interference). We're still trying to see if we have the moneys to get the rear and subwoofer.

Is it even worth it to buy that kind of receiver if you don't have rears? We currently have a dolby prologic receiver thats kind of old.
 
D

DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
40,730
670
126
My brother has the Samsung 850 upconverting DVD player (which comes with a HDMI cable) for his Samsung 1080p DLP and is happy with it. Cost was less than $150.

Apperntly the Samsungs also "talk" to each other -- something like you push play on the DVD and the TV automatically switches to the right input and movie mode?

Are you sure you only want a 2.0 speaker system instead of 5.1?

Do you have an existing stand you can use? The TV weighs much less than even a 32" tube TV. You can get a tech drawing PDF at samsung.com to measure the side of the bottom part of the DLP.
 
T

totalcommand

Platinum Member
Apr 21, 2004
2,487
0
0
Originally posted by: AlienCraft
Please describe the room they will be in and the furnishings. Placement , materials, and windows, are all important.

Also, are you movie buffs, combined media users? Will gaming be involved?

Upconverting is very important and noticeable, at least to me.
Remember to include the NON HD sources to the appropriate input on the display lest the conversion be annoying on the large screen.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the response. The room is about 15 by 12, with a couch about 7 feet from the screen. There is not much room in the back to mount speakers or to even run cables because the back of the room is actually a large opening to another room, and the walls are obstructed by large French doors.

My parents are the ones buying the TV, and they actually don't watch much (movies/tv/etc) at all. But they do listen to lots of music. Gaming will NOT be an issue.

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying about the nonHD sources and how to connect those. Please clarify if you get a chance.

Thanks!
 
S

SLCentral

Diamond Member
Feb 13, 2003
3,542
0
71
Originally posted by: totalcommand
Originally posted by: AlienCraft
Please describe the room they will be in and the furnishings. Placement , materials, and windows, are all important.

Also, are you movie buffs, combined media users? Will gaming be involved?

Upconverting is very important and noticeable, at least to me.
Remember to include the NON HD sources to the appropriate input on the display lest the conversion be annoying on the large screen.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the response. The room is about 15 by 12, with a couch about 7 feet from the screen. There is not much room in the back to mount speakers or to even run cables because the back of the room is actually a large opening to another room, and the walls are obstructed by large French doors.

My parents are the ones buying the TV, and they actually don't watch much (movies/tv/etc) at all. But they do listen to lots of music. Gaming will NOT be an issue.

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying about the nonHD sources and how to connect those. Please clarify if you get a chance.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

If they will mostly be listening to music, a 2.0/2.1 setup is great...considering 99% of music is 2.1, and only SACD/DVD-A has 5.1, and thats rare, and the quality is questionable. My dad is a classical-music buff, and our HT has a 2.0 setup as well.
 
IronWing

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
72,915
34,052
136
You spent $4000 on a TV set? Get off ATOT and plant your butt in front of that sucker! After spending that much on TV you'll have to pretty much cancel your life and spend every waking hour watching it to justify the expense. In fact, get yourself some NoDoze, you can't afford to sleep.
 
S

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Originally posted by: totalcommand
Originally posted by: spidey07
The sammy DVD player is a nice match for your TV if you can feed your digital display with the digital output of the DVD player (looks like you already have a cable)

The only think I can see uping would be a better receiver with more power and a good subwoofer.

I don't see any surrounds or center channel listed? While a center channel isn't necessary it does help with speakers that can't lock a solid image to the center. But surrounds are absolutely necessary.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.

The 2 speakers actually create a center channel by constructing half of it each (constructive interference). We're still trying to see if we have the moneys to get the rear and subwoofer.

Is it even worth it to buy that kind of receiver if you don't have rears? We currently have a dolby prologic receiver thats kind of old.
Click to expand...

Well for home theater experience a sub and surrounds are required. I would focus on a sub and surrounds before more power for the receiver. Your room is kinda smallish and probably doesn't need too much power (depending on your speakers, I don't know that model)

IMHO, you won't find a better DVD player for your particular display for the money.
 
A

AlienCraft

Lifer
Nov 23, 2002
10,539
0
0
Originally posted by: totalcommand
Originally posted by: spidey07
The sammy DVD player is a nice match for your TV if you can feed your digital display with the digital output of the DVD player (looks like you already have a cable)

The only think I can see uping would be a better receiver with more power and a good subwoofer.

I don't see any surrounds or center channel listed? While a center channel isn't necessary it does help with speakers that can't lock a solid image to the center. But surrounds are absolutely necessary.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.

The 2 speakers actually create a center channel by constructing half of it each (constructive interference). We're still trying to see if we have the moneys to get the rear and subwoofer.

Is it even worth it to buy that kind of receiver if you don't have rears? We currently have a dolby prologic receiver thats kind of old.
Click to expand...
If you're going to call it a Home Theatre , and you're going to be playing ANY movies using the DOLBY decoding, it is imperative to get that center speaker. Dialog is directed to the center and unless you want to be constantly futzing with Dolby Modes, eventually, a movie will be played without the proepr setting on the receiver and dialog will not be present.
There is a product by Radio Shack which will allow you to use surrounds via the house AC wiring as the speaker lead. It requires both Transmitter and receiver components, but is more than adequate for all but the most tweaky consumers. The feature of this unit is NO WIRING from the head unit to rears through the floor , ceiling, walls, etc, save the connections as per the unit.

 
S

SLCentral

Diamond Member
Feb 13, 2003
3,542
0
71
Originally posted by: AlienCraft
Originally posted by: totalcommand
Originally posted by: spidey07
The sammy DVD player is a nice match for your TV if you can feed your digital display with the digital output of the DVD player (looks like you already have a cable)

The only think I can see uping would be a better receiver with more power and a good subwoofer.

I don't see any surrounds or center channel listed? While a center channel isn't necessary it does help with speakers that can't lock a solid image to the center. But surrounds are absolutely necessary.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.

The 2 speakers actually create a center channel by constructing half of it each (constructive interference). We're still trying to see if we have the moneys to get the rear and subwoofer.

Is it even worth it to buy that kind of receiver if you don't have rears? We currently have a dolby prologic receiver thats kind of old.
Click to expand...
If you're going to call it a Home Theatre , and you're going to be playing ANY movies using the DOLBY decoding, it is imperative to get that center speaker. Dialog is directed to the center and unless you want to be constantly futzing with Dolby Modes, eventually, a movie will be played without the proepr setting on the receiver and dialog will not be present.
There is a product by Radio Shack which will allow you to use surrounds via the house AC wiring as the speaker lead. It requires both Transmitter and receiver components, but is more than adequate for all but the most tweaky consumers. The feature of this unit is NO WIRING from the head unit to rears through the floor , ceiling, walls, etc, save the connections as per the unit.
Click to expand...

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index...4&cp=&kw=surround+ac&parentPage=search
Is that it?
 
SithSolo1

SithSolo1

Diamond Member
Mar 19, 2001
7,740
11
81
*Slightly OT*

How important is it that the rears match the rest of the speakers?
Right now I've got a 3.1 setup but I have 2 speakers I could use for rears at my parents house. Both sets sound fine own their own but I've never tried them together. My current 3 are horn loaded but the other 2 are not. Thats really the only issue I see, think it'll work?
 
A

AlienCraft

Lifer
Nov 23, 2002
10,539
0
0
Originally posted by: totalcommand
Originally posted by: AlienCraft
Please describe the room they will be in and the furnishings. Placement , materials, and windows, are all important.

Also, are you movie buffs, combined media users? Will gaming be involved?

Upconverting is very important and noticeable, at least to me.
Remember to include the NON HD sources to the appropriate input on the display lest the conversion be annoying on the large screen.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the response. The room is about 15 by 12, with a couch about 7 feet from the screen. There is not much room in the back to mount speakers or to even run cables because the back of the room is actually a large opening to another room, and the walls are obstructed by large French doors.

My parents are the ones buying the TV, and they actually don't watch much (movies/tv/etc) at all. But they do listen to lots of music. Gaming will NOT be an issue.

I'm not sure I understand what you're saying about the nonHD sources and how to connect those. Please clarify if you get a chance.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

By using the setup feature , you would be able to adjust the rears for optimum performance, even if the geometry isn't congruent.
Rear speakers, even while listening to music can be advantageous. The matrixing constructed by the DSP can expand the sound field and keep levels at a reasonable level.
Subwoofers can be had very inexpensively, and are necessary if movies will be watched, Same for center channel.
I would rather have 3.1 than plain old stereo if given the option. Dialog is directed to the center for clarity and any summing / difference effects are PSYCHOACOUSTIC in nature. This is the same arguement some use against BOSE speaker processing. If it's BAD JUJU for BOSE, why does it become GOOD MEDICINE for another manufacturer?

HD programming is all digital. Lets call it a round pipe. Analog and Non HD Digital is the square peg. The HD input is the ROUND Hole, The other (svideo, component, Composite) are the Square Holes. If you watch Non HD sources through the HD inputs, you will see artifacts that are not there when the NON HD signal is brought in through the other inputs. Think of that square Peg and round hole. It is possible to insert said square peg into the round hole, but only portions of the square peg will contact the sides of round hole. Up conversion of these Non HD sources will improve, but the current state of the art isn't there, YET.
Route the HD sources into the HD inputs and the other sources into the component inputs if UPCONVERSION is available through the receiver.

If those French Doors are between the two rooms, you can expect a dramatic difference in the room 's response depending on if they are open or closed. This may actually push one to work a little harder to include the surrounds as they will bring the sound closer to that room and allow levels to be kept at less than ear bleeding, depending on your parents type of "listening" i.e. Background, Foreground, Exterior Noise masking, etc.


< Been in Professional Sound System design, installation, operation, and optimization for since 1971. Business Audio Video design Installation and maintenance since 1983. Home theatre installation since the days of Beta and Quad Sound.
Student and associate of Chips Davis.
 
AgaBoogaBoo

AgaBoogaBoo

Lifer
Feb 16, 2003
26,108
5
81
Get pictures some time, easier to "rate" then ;)

Also, telling us about your 4 year warranty doesn't add any value to someone just rating your system because they'll rate it on the components and not the warranty
 
A

AlienCraft

Lifer
Nov 23, 2002
10,539
0
0
Originally posted by: SithSolo1
*Slightly OT*

How important is it that the rears match the rest of the speakers?
Right now I've got a 3.1 setup but I have 2 speakers I could use for rears at my parents house. Both sets sound fine own their own but I've never tried them together. My current 3 are horn loaded but the other 2 are not. Thats really the only issue I see, think it'll work?
Click to expand...
As long as they are approximately the same size in terms of transducer diameter (bass response) they will be fine. Just be sure to use a set up disc and SPL meter to set levels for the rear at the same as the levels of the fronts / center. So - Called "Golden Ear" engineers can only get about 1.5 db accuracy between sources. "Normal" people may only get 3 db accuracy. That's not good enough as you may have an overpowering movie experience as opposed to a sensational one.
Go to Rat Shack get an SPL meter. Place the meter at the main listening position and by using the reference tones on the set up disc, adjust the levels so that they are as close as you can manage. You should be able to get to within + or - .5 db. Then , sit back and enjoy !


That'll be $40.00 for consultation....... :D

 
S

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
AlienCraft,

Glad to see another audio guy on this board.
:thumbsup:

We can talk equipment all day long, but the room is what matters most...followed closely by the speakers and their placement IMHO.

So to the OP, there is so much you can do...but to have home theater experience one needs 4.1 or 5.1. The surrounds make it happen in addition to the "umph" of a decent sub.

A well done 2-channel system will trounce a poorly done 5.1 system. It all depends on so many factors that it is difficult to convey on a BBS.
 
A

AlienCraft

Lifer
Nov 23, 2002
10,539
0
0
Originally posted by: spidey07
AlienCraft,

Glad to see another audio guy on this board.
:thumbsup:

We can talk equipment all day long, but the room is what matters most...followed closely by the speakers and their placement IMHO.

So to the OP, there is so much you can do...but to have home theater experience one needs 4.1 or 5.1. The surrounds make it happen in addition to the "umph" of a decent sub.

A well done 2-channel system will trounce a poorly done 5.1 system. It all depends on so many factors that it is difficult to convey on a BBS.
Click to expand...

I hope you noticed my first questions were about the room.
I've been studying acoustics since high School. Built a few rooms, a few remotes and as I went through the gamut of studio myths, than a couple really nice spaces. As Chips has taught me, unless you're doing all of this listening in a field, there will be walls, a ceiling and floor, whose construction and materials will either affect the sound, positively or negatively.

 
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