# New Home Theater Set up - Looking for Advice



## hickhead00 (Jan 11, 2011)

Hi All, 

This is my first post. I read a few threads yesterday that I found very helpful but all were at least a little bit dated so I decided to sign up and post my own questions. Hopefully some of you will take the time to respond with some advice. 

This coming weekend I am moving into a new apartment and I plan on building out a "starter" home theater system. My overall budget is probably around 5k, less about 2-3k for a 65 inch plasma, leaving me about 2-3k for an audio system. I plan to add to it over the coming year but I'll start first with what I'm looking to buy in the near term and then build out over time. Given what I want to do I think it may affect my decision with respect to what I should buy now, specifically with the AVR receiver. 

In terms of the near term I am looking to buy a new AVR along with a simple 2.1 setup and my primary focus is on the video experience. Audio is obviously important as well but I'm confident that whatever I chose to enhance the video experience will be sufficient for Audio as well. 

n terms of price range, I've sampled the B&W 685 series speakers previously and really liked the sound of them, so I'd like to stay in that price range. If anyone has any other suggestions that may do better in a video centric set up, please let me know. Next, what about a subwoofer? How important is it, what should my budget be, does it have to be B&W, etc...????

In terms of the AVR, again video is the main concern. I would say my overall budget for the AVR is $1,000-$1,200 and if forced to I would rather reach for a better AVR and buy a subwoofer later this year.

For the most part everything I watch at this point is HD but from time to time I do have to watch Standard Def. Also, given that very few things are actually 1080P a this point I think a solid upscaling feature is important for me. I've read elsewhere that Silicon Optix's Reon chipset is a must have in my AVR if high quality upscaling is important. Is that still correct?? What other features should I be looking for to improve the overall video quality, *AND most importantly*, what receivers should I be looking at?????

Also, has anyone had any experience in streaming netflix standard def. content and upconverting it to HD? How does it work? The TV I am buying will most likely have internet/netflix connectivity but then it won't be flowing through my AVR right? Is there a way to make this work? I will have the new RCN/TIVO DVR box for my cable which allows streaming from various online providers (not neteflix, but blockbuster and amazon for example). I assume that having this contect flow through my AVR to my TV will be simple, but I'm kind of stumped on the Netflix aspect. 

Where I'm also stuck in terms of trying to choose an AVR are some of the peripheral features that I may want to employ somewhere down the road. Overall, here is my "wishlist" of things I'd like to be able to do.... to be clear I don't know if these are even at all possible or cost effective. 

1. Eventually I will build out to a 5.1 system (simple enough)
2. We have a second bedroom, upstairs in our apartment that is connected to a terrace. I would like to have a small speaker set up upstairs that is wirelessly linked to my downstairs system so that when we have parties at our apartment we can have music playing seamlessly throughout the house. I have been told that a sonos bridge and sonos S5 is the way to go here. Any other suggestions?
3. I would like to have my entire home theater driven my an ipad eventually. I know there is a sonos app for Ipad, but will that be able to control my whole system (tv, home theater system, avr, etc...)?? Is there a way to do this without spending $1,000???
4. I don't think I am getting a 3D compatible TV at the moment but would like to buy an AVR now that is ready for it in the future. Recognizing that 3D technology could change significantly before it goes mainstream, is there a way to "protect" myself from innovation? I have the PS3 and the over the air software upgrades were the main selling point for me as I know it will always be up to date with respect to the newest technology. Is there a similar product on the market for AVRs?

That's about it, so taking my "wishlist" into account, is there an end all be all receiver that will fit my needs without blowing my budget???? Also, if someone can let me know what else I should be considering I'd be greatful.

Thanks in advance for any responses.

-Matt


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## Koopa (Aug 19, 2008)

Well, let me start off with this. I'm not a proponent to anything "top of the line". In MY (only my) experience top of the line is wonderful and amazing but, the extra features and tad bit of quality increase is not worth the extra 160% more you pay. 

That said let me caution you with this. Your making a point that Video is your objective. Are you sure? : ) I said the same thing until I got my first pair of beginner HT speakers. If i did it again I would of upgraded my Audio long before buying the newer bigger plasma instead of vice versa. 

I'm a fan of Elemental designs subwoofers. They have BEAUTIFUL finishes even on the standard black. Your sub doesn't need to match speaker brands by any means. They have great prices and shipping is included. 

Find your TV since that's your personal starting point. From there don't worry about "upscaling". Your TV will do it for you. In fact if you buy a receiver (or DVD Player) that "upscales" turn it off. Majority of the time, if you can even tell the difference, it's because the upscaling off of the device is worse. 

Anything over $400 usually gets you 4 HDMI, 3D Compatible, 7.1 you'll use 5 channels and the back is used for zone 2 aka party room. 3D is now standardized so from here out there shouldn't be any changes. Future formats (see 4k) will require hardware changes most likely. 

Apple has the new "Airplay" technology that is awesome. It will let you stream wirelessly to airplay compatible devices. Not alot out there just yet but, they are there. Personally I keep a mac mini as an HTPC and can use ipad, iphone or harmony remote to control it.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Hello and Welcome to the Shack!

For a receiver i would highly recommend this Onkyo 3007 Its got everything you could ever want and the price is unbeatable.
For speakers and a sub I would look no farther than SVS, The SVS pb12nsd is a perfect size for your apartment and for speakers the SVS MTS02 tower speakers will blow you away.


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## hickhead00 (Jan 11, 2011)

Hi Guys, thanks for the responses. One points to clarify when I meant that my focus was on video, what I was referring to was the use of the audio equipment. It will mainly be for used my home theater rather than as a stereo system for music. That's not to say of course that I won't listen to music on the system, just that it will be primarily in improve the audio quality of tv and movies. 

The reason I pointed that out was in case anyone had specific recs or warnings for speakers or AVRs that are particularly good or bad for video purposes. One of the reasons I am loosely leaning towards the B&W 685 is because the mid and high range felt very clean when I listened to them that I thought they would be good for tv/movies.

One concern I have is the common problem where audio is low and music/action/explosions/etc... are extremely loud. I read the thread with some ways to work around this issue so i'm less concerned with that now, but still appreciate recs and warnings.

Thanks for the equipment recs. I will research them and listen. For anyone that cares the sales tech I am currently working with is rec'ing Totem Dreamcatcher speakers, and an Integra DTR-40.2 AVR. Does either of you have any experience with Totem or Integra vs. what you rec'ed? 

I will look more into airplay. Will that accomplish what I'm looking to do with the Sonos equipment? It would certainly be nice to save $200-$300 to get sychronized sound upstairs in our second bedroom/terrace.


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## hickhead00 (Jan 11, 2011)

tonyvdb said:


> Hello and Welcome to Home Theater Shack!
> 
> For a receiver i would highly recommend this Onkyo TX-NR3007 Its got everything you could ever want and the price is unbeatable.


Do you have any opinion on Onkyo vs. their Integra line? I've read some comparisons and want to make sure I'm getting something for my money if I decide to go with Integra instead of an Onkyo.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Other than giving you balanced pre outs there is not any sonic difference between the two. Integra is just Onkyos "high end" lineup but in my opinion not any better.


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## hickhead00 (Jan 11, 2011)

Thanks.... as far as I understand it, having balanced pre-outs will only be important if i'm running cables over a long distance... right?


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## viccmw (Dec 15, 2010)

Matt,

On the audio being low and music/action/explosion loud - I've found that Audyssey Dynamic Volume has helped me a lot. I prefer Audyssey's volume adjustment to THX Loudness Plus. Experiment with the two (depending on your AVR of course -Onkyo/Integra have them both).


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

I like the Pioneer AVRs.
If I was buying now it would probably be the VSX-32, you can usually find them for quite a bit less than MSRP.
My room has lots of windows so screen reflections are a primary concern for me, consider if this is a concern for you. An anti-glare screen is more important to me than getting the highest rated TV.
I recommend listening to as many speakers as possible, for home theater use speakers with high efficiency will have a lot better dynamics. If you start getting down to 90dB sensitivity you can eat watts pretty quickly.
Mono Price speaker wire and HDMI cables work just as good as wire and cable that costs lots of money.
Take your time, and enjoy the auditioning experience.


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## caliberconst. (Dec 10, 2009)

If you have about $1,200 for a receiver why not consider Emotiva.
http://emotiva.com/umc1.shtm
http://emotiva.com/xpa5.shtm
That would be like $1600, but would be worth it IMO. I have never heard anyone say anything bad about Emotiva, and they sound like a great company to work with. As far as speakers go, don't let any one push you towards anything, do lot's of listening and more than likely you will fall in love with something, and it will just feel right when you buy them. As far as the B&W 685's go I don't blame you for swaying that direction as there are truly beautiful sounding/looking speaker.


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

With a total budget of $5k for video and audio the money starts to go very quickly.
If $2k goes to the display that leaves $3k for audio.
I think sinking $1600 into the audio electronics is out of whack.
The rule of thumb I am used to seeing is to split up the audio budget 1/4 to 1/3 for electronics and 2/3 to 3/4 for speakers.
Efficient speakers can be driven by a modest AVR and sound great.


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## gdstupak (Jul 13, 2010)

Personally I would spend $1000 on the avr and then step up one notch on the speakers.
Or if you have your heart set on that model of speaker, I would still spend only $1000 on avr and then spend more towards something else.
If you have the money to burn, there's nothing wrong with a $1200-1600 avr.


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