# Help with home theater equipment for our new basement renovation



## jaydee77ca (Jan 18, 2014)

We are finishing our basement and want to use our family room as a home entertainment room for watching movies, TV, and sports, playing video games, and entertaining friends. I had been doing some equipment research online then our contractor put us in touch with a local home theater designer who has put together a quote for equipment and installation. The products the designer has recommended are different from some of the ones I’ve been looking at and I can’t find reviews or much other information on them online. This home theater stuff is all new to me and I just want a layout that works and to not overpay for a bunch of stuff from a dealer that’s not worth the money. So I'm hoping the forum can give me some feedback on the equipment. Also any recommendations of other products to consider would be welcome. *I thank you all profusely in advance for the help and advice!*

In case it's relevant, here is our floorplan that shows the games area, living area, bar, and office: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/15724825/Basement Design.png

The basement is completely unfinished right now so none of the interior walls have been built. Speaker placement is marked with red shapes and the screen is green (far wall opposite the bar). I have not shown the subwoofer placement as I’m not sure yet where would be best to put it. The front left/right speakers will be floor standing (ignore cabinent notes in floorplan) and the rear surround will be in-ceiling. The speaker in the games area will also be in-ceiling and there is an option to put one over the bar too. Since we may go with electric fireplace not gas, one debate we had was whether to put the screen on the far left wall, or on the top wall in the living area (since an electric fireplace could go on any wall). The screen will be 100 inches.

Now, the details. Here are the items that I’ve been considering along side the designer's suggestions.

*5.1 Speakers*
*Me*
Pioneer SP-FS52 (R/L), SP-C22 (center), SP-BS22 (rear), SVS PB-1000 (sub)
OR
NHT Absolute 5.1T set
*Designer*
Polk TSX-330 (R/L), TSX-150 (center), Niles CM7FX (rear), Tannoy TS-500 (sub)
*Notes*
The Pioneer/SVS set would be about $1,000 but I might have to drive to the US to get them (I’m in Canada) while the NHT set would be $2,200. The Polk, Niles, Tannoy set that the designer recommended is $1,450 which is right in the middle. My concerns are basically are Polk, Niles, Tannoy speakers as good, or better, than the Pioneer/SVS set? Is the NHT set better enough than both the Pioneer and Polk to justify the extra money or is there not enough of a difference? Finally, I can’t find seem to find many, if any, reviews on the Polk, Niles, and Tannoy speakers. Will the Niles in-ceiling speakers work as well as the bookshelf ones that come in the Pioneer and NHT set or would mounting bookshelves give better sound and be more flexible for later upgrades?

*Projector*
*Me*
Epson 5030 OR BenQ W1070
*Designer*
Epson 3020
*Notes*
I realize the 5030 and W1070 are in different leagues. The 5030 is $2,700 and the W1070 is $900. The designer recommended the 3020 which is $1,850 through him or somewhere from $1,450 (sale) to $1,650 (reg) from a local retailer (FutureShop). From what I’ve read the 3020, while a bit better, is not a lot better than the BenQ. Is it $500-900 better? Could I drop to the BenQ, save some money, and use that savings elsewhere. Or, if I do want better than the BenQ would it be better to jump all the way to the 5030 where I can presumably get a lot more value for the dollar? My other main reservation is the BenQ is DLP so will the rainbows cause a problem.

*Receiver*
*Me*
Sony STR-DN840
*Designer*
Onkyo TX-NR626
*Notes*
This has been a difficult area of research. The Sony gets great reviews and has all the stuff I want like networking, bluetooth, airplay and good sound. The only drawback I’ve read is that it “doesn’t have true second-zone functionality, so you’ll need to look elsewhere if you have a two-room setup”. I have a two-room setup so I’m not sure exactly what this means and need to investigate more. The Onkyo doesn't have airplay.

*In-ceiling speakers (for games area and maybe bar)*
*Me*
Hadn’t really looked as I was assuming mounting additional bookshelf speakers from the sets identified above.
*Designer*
Niles CM7BG

*Other Items*
*Screen*
Grandview 100” fixed frame (LF-PU100)
*Rack*
Omni mount 24” pre-configured rack (RE18)


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

The designer looks like he has some good choices they are not the best. Your sub choice is spot on :T
SVS is going to walk all over the Tannoy.
As far as your receiver choice stay away from Sony unless your going to go into the ES line. The Onkyo is a better choice but the 626 is a bit low end. I would swing a little mor of your budget into the receiver and try to find an Onkyo 818.
The pioneer speakers are good for the money and are a great starting point for speakers. 
I would look at a Jamestown screen as they are very good for the money for a fixed screen.


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## NBPk402 (Feb 21, 2012)

In regards to the projector... I decided to get rid of my Epson 1080 after many years of use. I picked up the BenQ w1070, and I am very happy with it. I used to have a problem with DLP when it first came out... I would get nausea from watching just a few minutes. As far as the rainbows everyone talks about are there but they don't bother me at all.. I have found that if you don't turn your head suddenly they don't appear. The one down side to the W1070 compared to the Epson is lens shift... The w1070 has almost zero adjustment, whereas the Epson can be moved around quite a bit.


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## jaydee77ca (Jan 18, 2014)

tonyvdb said:


> The designer looks like he has some good choices they are not the best. Your sub choice is spot on :T
> SVS is going to walk all over the Tannoy.
> As far as your receiver choice stay away from Sony unless your going to go into the ES line. The Onkyo is a better choice but the 626 is a bit low end. I would swing a little mor of your budget into the receiver and try to find an Onkyo 818.
> The pioneer speakers are good for the money and are a great starting point for speakers.
> I would look at a Jamestown screen as they are very good for the money for a fixed screen.


Thanks! Great feedback. I think the Onkyo 818 is a bit out of my range though as it's over $1,200 on Amazon (compared to $595 for the 626) Would the Polk's and Niles' speakers be better than, worse than, or the same as the Pioneer set? The Niles surround speakers would be hidden in the ceiling which would give a nice look I suppose, as long as the sound is still good. The Pioneer set would be about $750 shipped while the designer is charging $1,065 for the Polk and Niles.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Personally the pioneer speakers would probably hold their own against the other speakers in the list. For the price they are tough to beat.
If your going to drive across the us boarder anyhow why not get this Onkyo 929 from here:
http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...O-TX-NR929-9.2-Ch-Network-A/V-Receiver/1.html
It's way more receiver for the money.


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## B- one (Jan 13, 2013)

Have/can you listen to any of the speakers? It's usually best to listen to some different brands to make sure you like the sound. Also others can recommend speakers that sound similar to what you like. I'm not a big fan of in wall speakers for the theater area,it's most likely easier to upgrade any future speakers that don't have to fit in a certain space. Used speakers can be a good way to get better sound/quality for less money.


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## RBTO (Jan 27, 2010)

I'm a bit partial to Panasonic projectors and think it wise to put more of an investment in the projector since a great image in your HT is one of your primary goals. If you can audition one, check out the AE8000. Its selling points are high brightness, excellent color reproduction (LCD so no rainbows), full HD 3D if you're interested, full lens shift which for me is an important feature, and reduction of "screen door" effect using a spatial filter (which has no effect on image sharpness). The price might be a bit high for your budget, but it's worth checking out.

Lens shift will allow you to position your projector with a lot more flexibility (I have one projector install that shoots "around" a light fixture using lens shift).

Another thought is you can use a pull-down (or electric roll-down) screen with your fireplace for an additional option. For that size you might need a straightener although I'm using a 90 inch diagonal which works fine.


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