The $15,000 home theater

[Kaido]

I'm interested in getting a really nice home theater in a few years, complete with projector, HTPC, gaming systems, etc. After adding up all the stuff I want, it totals approximately $15,000. Ouch. However, I did some planning: if I decide to get my dream home theater in 2 years, that means that I need to save $7,500 a year, $625 a month, or roughly $145 a week. Assuming I work 5 days a week, that means I need to save $29 a day. The next two years will slide by just like the last two years, so why not?

Here's the basic hardware list:
SharpVision XV-Z10000U projector
AV123 Rocket speakers (RS760s, RSC200, RS250's, RSS300's in a 7.1 config)
SVS PC-Ultra cylinder subwoofer
Clark Synthesis tranducers (two for the sub line, one front left, one front right)
Outlaw Audio 990 pre-amp/processor
Outlaw Audio model 7700 amp (200 watts/channel)
Some kind of awesomely comfortable couch with drink holders that reclines
Logitech Harmony color remote
HTPC (dual 7800gtx in SLI, Athlon X2 proc, 2gb ram, HD tuner, Raptor 150, 500gb storage drives etc.)
Normal goodies (DVD player, VHS player, digital cable with high def, etc.)

Where do you think computers and television will be in two years? 1080p is just starting to come out and HD-DVD and Blueray stuff seem to be on the horizon. Playing HL2 @ 1080p = mmm A 7.1 system with a high-def projector seems like a good way to go now, but do you think those will be fairly future-proof? I haven't heard of anything better than 1080p yet, but I'm sure they'll think of something next. Discuss!

 

[jlbenedict]

but the problem with this idea is; in two years time.. alot of things can change..
two years is a long time.. by the time 2 years comes around, there is going to be something different.. better, cheaper.. etc..
You may be able then to do it off of $10,000 or it might cost you $20,000.. you can never tell

 

[GamerExpress]

Why the hell do you need an HTPC with all that??? dual 7800GTX in SLI....just plain silly.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: GamerExpress
Why the hell do you need an HTPC with all that??? dual 7800GTX in SLI....just plain silly.

For high-definition gaming, of course The big hard drives are for recording HD content with the tuner.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: jlbenedict
but the problem with this idea is; in two years time.. alot of things can change..
two years is a long time.. by the time 2 years comes around, there is going to be something different.. better, cheaper.. etc..
You may be able then to do it off of $10,000 or it might cost you $20,000.. you can never tell

I agree, two years is a long time and a lot of things can - and will - change. Unfortunately, I have more like $15 to drop on a system than $15k right now, lol, so I figure this is a better plan than no plan at all

 

[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.

 

[Penth]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: jlbenedict
but the problem with this idea is; in two years time.. alot of things can change..
two years is a long time.. by the time 2 years comes around, there is going to be something different.. better, cheaper.. etc..
You may be able then to do it off of $10,000 or it might cost you $20,000.. you can never tell

I agree, two years is a long time and a lot of things can - and will - change. Unfortunately, I have more like $15 to drop on a system than $15k right now, lol, so I figure this is a better plan than no plan at all

I'd actually have to say that no plan at all is better than planning this out. 2 years is way too far away to consider parts now. If you're going to plan anything about a computer that far down the line, just plan on putting money away every month for it and see what is available at the time you have the money ready for purchase.

 

[JonnyBlaze]

Originally posted by: Penth

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: jlbenedict
but the problem with this idea is; in two years time.. alot of things can change..
two years is a long time.. by the time 2 years comes around, there is going to be something different.. better, cheaper.. etc..
You may be able then to do it off of $10,000 or it might cost you $20,000.. you can never tell

I agree, two years is a long time and a lot of things can - and will - change. Unfortunately, I have more like $15 to drop on a system than $15k right now, lol, so I figure this is a better plan than no plan at all

I'd actually have to say that no plan at all is better than planning this out. 2 years is way too far away to consider parts now. If you're going to plan anything about a computer that far down the line, just plan on putting money away every month for it and see what is available at the time you have the money ready for purchase.

exactly. what costs 15grand now will cost 1/3 of that and be outdated in 2 years.

 

[zephyrprime]

2 years is too far to wait. The whole point of having that stuff is to enjoy yourself so what's the point of depriving yourself for 2 years in order to enjoy yourself? I'd just buy some cheaper stuff right now.

 

[theMan]

just start off with a 15,000 dollar turntable, and 10,000 dollars worth of high quality cable...

but anyway, im assuming your not that crazy...

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: theman
just start off with a 15,000 dollar turntable, and 10,000 dollars worth of high quality cable...

but anyway, im assuming your not that crazy...

Nope! I think the quality of equipment that costs that much is better than the quality of my ears because after awhile it all starts sounding the same to me. Then again, I even like Logitech speakers...

 

[bigpow]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: theman
just start off with a 15,000 dollar turntable, and 10,000 dollars worth of high quality cable...

but anyway, im assuming your not that crazy...

Nope! I think the quality of equipment that costs that much is better than the quality of my ears because after awhile it all starts sounding the same to me. Then again, I even like Logitech speakers...

I like your spirit Kaido, if you want something, you work hard for it!

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: bigpow

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: theman
just start off with a 15,000 dollar turntable, and 10,000 dollars worth of high quality cable...

but anyway, im assuming your not that crazy...

Nope! I think the quality of equipment that costs that much is better than the quality of my ears because after awhile it all starts sounding the same to me. Then again, I even like Logitech speakers...

I like your spirit Kaido, if you want something, you work hard for it!

Thanks! I agree that 2 years is a long time to wait, but I think too many people give up the good stuff because of "I want it now" thinking. I already have a decent system; it's not fantastically great, but it does a pretty good job. If I invest in a good system, even if it takes a long time, I'll have it forever. I've got a friend who's dad got a pair of high-end Polk speakers when he got married, the kind that are about 5 feet tall and two feet wide. He's had them for over 30 years and they still look and sound superb. I get the feeling my Walmart-esque center and satellite speakers won't last nearly that long. So yeah, I'm willing to wait awhile and work to achieve my dream system

 

[Kaido]

You know, after reading my original post, I still can't fathom spending $15,000 on something as unproductive as a home theater.

But that doesn't mean I won't try!

 

[Oiler]

Your projector choice is already an older model. It is also only 720p
though this is the current standard resolution for midlevel systems.
Within a year there will likely be quite a few choices for 1080p projectors
at very reasonable prices. The Sony Ruby that Crescent13 suggested has
set a new low price bar for high res projectors. If you can't wait you might start building
your system with the projector next year. There will always be better down the road
but if you have never had a front projector you will very likely be wowed by
next years $5k projector.

 

[essasin]

you should save 15k first and then decide what to get. Just as an example a pair for 7800gtx now will be well over 1k. In two years itll cost less than half that.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: essasin
you should save 15k first and then decide what to get. Just as an example a pair for 7800gtx now will be well over 1k. In two years itll cost less than half that.

Point taken

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Oiler
Your projector choice is already an older model. It is also only 720p
though this is the current standard resolution for midlevel systems.
Within a year there will likely be quite a few choices for 1080p projectors
at very reasonable prices. The Sony Ruby that Crescent13 suggested has
set a new low price bar for high res projectors. If you can't wait you might start building
your system with the projector next year. There will always be better down the road
but if you have never had a front projector you will very likely be wowed by
next years $5k projector.

I currently have an Optoma EzPro 745 (aka 739). I like it, but it just doesn't compare to the 10000. I know the 12000 is out, but that blows my $15k budget. Of course, we'll be using 2080p by the time I save up lol.

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Rob a few banks and you can buy all that stuff right away!

 

[alcoholbob]

$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.

 

[ribbon13]

For $1100 you should be building a custom sub with four TC Sounds TC2+ in series parallel from oaudio.com and a power it with a Crown CE1000 in bridged mono.

I'd also take a Denon 4806 over the outlaw combo. Then you'd also have an Atkis remote

I'd also wait for dell to release the 2407FPW and turn it into a projector.

 

[Tiamat]

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.

Too bad those ML's have a sweet spot the size of a penny. :/

 

[CyberChild]

I have to agree with others that two years is a long time to wait while prices and new products fluctuate. But if you are waiting for prices to drop on some of the equipment you should just drop the ball on the SVS now. Take it from a current SVS owner, you want that sub. SVS doesn't do sales and doesn't release annual refreshes of their cylinder subs. They're great products that don't need yearly lines. Spend the money once you've got it because otherwise you're just delaying a great home theater experience.

 

[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.

I really like the aesthetics of the Rocket speakers; I think that South American Rosewood finish looks fantastic! I do like good sound, but I'm not much of an audio snob. I can tell the difference between my Logitechs and my Daytons, but that's about it. Last night I visited a local high-end audio shop and listened to a pair of $18,500
Alto Utopia Be loudspeakers with beryllium tweeters from Focal-JMlab. I really wasn't that impressed; they sounded like every other "nice" speakers out there. The only real credit I give them for sound is that they sound better than my Dayton kit speakers because they're bigger and let more sound out. So, as long as I'm saving, I'd rather get something that I both enjoy listening to and like looking at

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: ribbon13
For $1100 you should be building a custom sub with four TC Sounds TC2+ in series parallel from oaudio.com and a power it with a Crown CE1000 in bridged mono.

I'd also take a Denon 4806 over the outlaw combo. Then you'd also have an Atkis remote

I'd also wait for dell to release the 2407FPW and turn it into a projector.

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. Could a DIY PJ built from a Dell LCD really compete with a Sharp 10k series or other high-end projectors like that?