The $15,000 home theater

[Venomous]

www.avsforum.com

start reading bud.

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: Crescent13
Um HL2 @ 1080p = 1920x1080, HL2 on 2405FPW = 1920x1200. Anyway, I wouldn't do that.

Projector
Front Speakers
Center Speaker
Surround Speakers
Rear Surround Speakers
Reciever

Oh yeah, Considering that the front speakers cost about, hmmm, I think it was like $250,000 alone, then you might be a LITTLE overbudget.

The Statement E2 are only $70k, and hooking them up to a AVR 5808 should be a crime. I like your taste in speakers though.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Venomous
www.avsforum.com

start reading bud.

Been there, done that, long time forum member

 

[ND40oz]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Yeah but the SVS cylinders are sooo much cooler Plus I don't like the Atkis remote. Looks like a PDA and has horrible reviews. I'd much prefer a nice color Harmony remote from Logitech.

The harmony 880 and 890 are great remotes. I just bought the 880 and my wife can finally operate all of my living room equipment without needing to ask me questions. Plus there's a $50 mail in rebate for the 880 and 676 right now.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: ND40oz

Originally posted by: Kaido

Yeah but the SVS cylinders are sooo much cooler Plus I don't like the Atkis remote. Looks like a PDA and has horrible reviews. I'd much prefer a nice color Harmony remote from Logitech.

The harmony 880 and 890 are great remotes. I just bought the 880 and my wife can finally operate all of my living room equipment without needing to ask me questions. Plus there's a $50 mail in rebate for the 880 and 676 right now.

Yeah, I previously had the 659 and it was awesome, but I'm really looking forward to the extra functionality the color remotes offer. I donated my 659 to my brother's blooming home theater (6 remotes so far, I had pity on him lol).

 

[Crescent13]

Originally posted by: Muadib

Originally posted by: Crescent13
Um HL2 @ 1080p = 1920x1080, HL2 on 2405FPW = 1920x1200. Anyway, I wouldn't do that.

Projector
Front Speakers
Center Speaker
Surround Speakers
Rear Surround Speakers
Reciever

Oh yeah, Considering that the front speakers cost about, hmmm, I think it was like $250,000 alone, then you might be a LITTLE overbudget.

The Statement E2 are only $70k, and hooking them up to a AVR 5808 should be a crime. I like your taste in speakers though.

Oh yeah, never thought about the reciever. Haha.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Crescent13

Originally posted by: Muadib

Originally posted by: Crescent13
Um HL2 @ 1080p = 1920x1080, HL2 on 2405FPW = 1920x1200. Anyway, I wouldn't do that.

Projector
Front Speakers
Center Speaker
Surround Speakers
Rear Surround Speakers
Reciever

Oh yeah, Considering that the front speakers cost about, hmmm, I think it was like $250,000 alone, then you might be a LITTLE overbudget.

The Statement E2 are only $70k, and hooking them up to a AVR 5808 should be a crime. I like your taste in speakers though.

Oh yeah, never thought about the reciever. Haha.

You guys are killing me. I felt like $15k was a million bucks, now it seems like chump change

 

[ribbon13]

Originally posted by: Kaido
Yeah but the SVS cylinders are sooo much cooler

Why not make your own cylinder with a well kept secret and give it steroids? Sonotubes are easy enough to work with. You can decor it any way you like. Did I mention that it's also a TC Sounds driver like the TV-12, and will yield 111db from 1000w, while the PC Ultra will bottom out at >104db. All while providing lower distortion.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: ribbon13

Originally posted by: Kaido
Yeah but the SVS cylinders are sooo much cooler

Why not make your own cylinder with a well kept secret and give it steroids? Sonotubes are easy enough to work with. You can decor it any way you like. Did I mention that it's also a TC Sounds driver like the TV-12, and will yield 111db from 1000w, while the PC Ultra will bottom out at >104db. All while providing lower distortion.

Holy monkey :Q

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Crescent13

Originally posted by: Muadib

Originally posted by: Crescent13
Um HL2 @ 1080p = 1920x1080, HL2 on 2405FPW = 1920x1200. Anyway, I wouldn't do that.

Projector
Front Speakers
Center Speaker
Surround Speakers
Rear Surround Speakers
Reciever

Oh yeah, Considering that the front speakers cost about, hmmm, I think it was like $250,000 alone, then you might be a LITTLE overbudget.

The Statement E2 are only $70k, and hooking them up to a AVR 5808 should be a crime. I like your taste in speakers though.

Oh yeah, never thought about the reciever. Haha.

You guys are killing me. I felt like $15k was a million bucks, now it seems like chump change

Don't listen to us! You can build a system you can be damn proud of for 15k. However, you can't look at what's out now for a purchase 2 years in the future. The Hifi market changes almost as fast as the pc market.

You should take the 2 years that you given yourself, and get to know the brands in your price range. Pay your local audio dealers a visit, and see how they respond to you. Will they treat you like dirt, or like a long lost friend?

Good luck, and enjoy whatever you do get.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Muadib

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: Crescent13

Originally posted by: Muadib

Originally posted by: Crescent13
Um HL2 @ 1080p = 1920x1080, HL2 on 2405FPW = 1920x1200. Anyway, I wouldn't do that.

Projector
Front Speakers
Center Speaker
Surround Speakers
Rear Surround Speakers
Reciever

Oh yeah, Considering that the front speakers cost about, hmmm, I think it was like $250,000 alone, then you might be a LITTLE overbudget.

The Statement E2 are only $70k, and hooking them up to a AVR 5808 should be a crime. I like your taste in speakers though.

Oh yeah, never thought about the reciever. Haha.

You guys are killing me. I felt like $15k was a million bucks, now it seems like chump change

Don't listen to us! You can build a system you can be damn proud of for 15k. However, you can't look at what's out now for a purchase 2 years in the future. The Hifi market changes almost as fast as the pc market.

You should take the 2 years that you given yourself, and get to know the brands in your price range. Pay your local audio dealers a visit, and see how they respond to you. Will they treat you like dirt, or like a long lost friend?

Good luck, and enjoy whatever you do get.

Thanks! The only thing I'm really set on is the Rocket speakers; those are definately my dream speakers. Everything else is variable. It looks like AV123 even has a good "Emotive" set of pre-amps/processors & amps.

 

[Kaido]

Do you think BluRay & HD-DVD will introduce new audio formats? I could start out by saving up for the audio system, but I don't want to buy a super-cool pre-amp/processor like the Outlaw 990 and have it get outdated quickly. I don't foresee anything going beyond 7.1 for the time being, but who knows?

 

[letsgetsilly]

Don't just save your money...let it grow. Invest in short term, low risk securities

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: letsgetsilly
Don't just save your money...let it grow. Invest in short term, low risk securities

Well, at $29/day I won't be doing much investing for awhile...

 

[Googer]

15K is a lot if you plan on Shopping at Sears or Best Buy and get Consumer Grade off the shelf parts. But going medium end like Denon, 15k is a poor mans budget in that areana. I have seen h amplifiers sell for that price, and you need 6-10 or so to make a theater work. 10 x 15,000 = $150,000 , and there are no speakers, DVD player, Display, no tuner, etc.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Googer
15K is a lot if you plan on Shopping at Sears or Best Buy and get Consumer Grade off the shelf parts. But going medium end like Denon, 15k is a poor mans budget in that areana. I have seen h amplifiers sell for that price, and you need 6-10 or so to make a theater work. 10 x 15,000 = $150,000 , and there are no speakers, DVD player, Display, no tuner, etc.

Yeah, that's definately true; 15k could buy you the store at Best Buy lol. The audio system will take up the biggest chunk, probably around $8,000 for the Rockets, Outlaw equipment, Clark Synthesis transducers, and wiring. Still deciding on subs; either dual Rocket 10s or 12s or a single SVS cylinder (maybe dual SVS subs if it works out).

As far as video, I may even downgrade there. I'm planning on running 720p for (1) unconverted DVD movies, (2) HDTV, and (3) PC gaming. I may scrap the HTPC plans and just do a Shuttle soley as a gaming machine, since HD recording is looking kind of iffy right now. As I've discovered with playing around with my SD tuner, I really only like to watch shows once or twice and then discard them, since reruns are kind of boring. There are a few worth saving, but it's mostly about recording stuff when I'm not home. An HD TiVo unit should suffice I can also upgrade to 1080p with BluRay/HD-DVD down the road and sell off the 720p projector when the time comes.

So a slightly revised recipe includes a 720p projector with an Oppo 971 DVD player, the Rocket/Outlaw audio system, an HD TiVo or two, a gaming PC, and a Logitech Harmony 890 remote. I'm also working on designing a variable screen that defaults to 16:9, but also adjusts to 1.85 and 2.35:1 for those oddball widescreen movies, as well as fullscreen 4:3 via remote control. This X10 stuff is tons of fun! I've definately got plenty to keep me busy until I finish saving up.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Astrallite
$3,300 for a 7.1 setup is pretty hefty considering it's internet direct. You could save alot of money on speakers if you valued sound quality (as the Onyx use very non-traditional design) over asthetics. I think you could pull off a *similar * (tradeoff asthetics for sound quality ) setup for around $1.5-2k, much, much less if you go with all bookshelves (such as the av123 X-series).

But if the cherry finish is really important to you and the build quality, then the price is about right.

What do you mean about non-traditional design, as far as sound quality goes?

 

[ribbon13]

What class of transducers are you getting? Silver, Gold, or Platinum. The platinum are the exact same ones used in the M1A1 Abrams simulator.

Oh, and if you can't manage to get a DTS Link card daytons got a new nice selection of 3.5mm to RCA patches

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: ribbon13
What class of transducers are you getting? Silver, Gold, or Platinum. The platinum are the exact same ones used in the M1A1 Abrams simulator.

Oh, and if you can't manage to get a DTS Link card daytons got a new nice selection of 3.5mm to RCA patches

Platinum, duh Depending on the size of the basement, I may do a loooong couch (Bob's Discount Furniture has some awesome configurations available). The plan is to use four transducers - two for LFE in the middle of the couch and two for the sides of the couch, for the front right and front left channel. Should give a pretty good motion sensation

 

[ribbon13]

Ack.... Using those for full range is generally limited to patio/pool/gazebo... you may find Schwarznegger's voice rumpling your bottom annoying really fast. At least that's what one review said. I'd imagine most deep voice males give the same result. Feeling the dialogue... literally.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: ribbon13
Ack.... Using those for full range is generally limited to patio/pool/gazebo... you may find Schwarznegger's voice rumpling your bottom annoying really fast. At least that's what one review said. I'd imagine most deep voice males give the same result. Feeling the dialogue... literally.

Ew, gross. Maybe I'll stick with just the LFE channel. Are 4 overkill for a long couch?

 

[ribbon13]

Nah... I have four TST429s in a car powered with an Audiobahn A1504DP and with it I can make people nauseated and vomit.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: ribbon13
Nah... I have four TST429s in a car powered with an Audiobahn A1504DP and with it I can make people nauseated and vomit.

Hrm, maybe I should rethink the plats and stick with my bass shakers...are they really that bad? :Q

 

[ribbon13]

Well a car has a crapload on interior gain. Getting a Car to 150db is as easy as it is to get a home theatre to 120db. And the A1504DP isn't exactly a 'vegetarian diet.'
but for your couch, four TST429s would probably rattle the couch apart using 100% gain on line level with 150wpc. Four TST329 with 100w each would be perfect unless your couch is ginormous.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: ribbon13

Originally posted by: Kaido
Yeah but the SVS cylinders are sooo much cooler

Why not make your own cylinder with a well kept secret and give it steroids? Sonotubes are easy enough to work with. You can decor it any way you like. Did I mention that it's also a TC Sounds driver like the TV-12, and will yield 111db from 1000w, while the PC Ultra will bottom out at >104db. All while providing lower distortion.

I just don't see why anybody would use that driver. Yes, it has excellent power handling and high excursion, but the problem with it is that it REQUIRES massive amounts of power to put out respectable sound levels (see sensitivity). Distortion (for any given motor design) will always increase with extra power - even if the motor is designed for high excursion with minimal increase in distortion.

EDIT: If I'm not mistaken, those drivers use the TC Sounds LMT technology. What a sad waste of power...

If I had $600 to spend on a single driver I'd probably go for one of the 18" Tumults.