# New home theater



## mohsen.alshokan (Aug 31, 2011)

Hi everyone,

I need ur experience & ideas on Building my new Home Theater the following items are already with me :

Dream Box 800HD
Samsung LA46C550 TV

I'm planning to buy new PS3 and blue ray player .

So What are your suggestions for me .



Thanks.


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## mohsen.alshokan (Aug 31, 2011)

I forgot to say that my room is open with kitchen.


Thanks


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

Room dimensions and budget?


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## mohsen.alshokan (Aug 31, 2011)

the room is 5*4 and my budget is open I'm trying to make my apartment (a haven)


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## slims1179 (Aug 26, 2011)

Your room is 5feet x 4 feet? I suggest picking a different room?:dontknow:


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## mohsen.alshokan (Aug 31, 2011)

no its 5 m * 4 m plus the room is open on the kitchen which also 5m * 4m


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

How tolerant are your neighbors?


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## mohsen.alshokan (Aug 31, 2011)

he is my brother so we can do anything hehehe


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

Well then my first suggestion would be a solid surround sound setup. Is your main use going to be movies, games or music?


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## mohsen.alshokan (Aug 31, 2011)

movies Sport and games


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## slims1179 (Aug 26, 2011)

I think a nice Bose surround system will do quite well in a room that size.

Try this one:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002KY2OU8/

If its in your price range. I think it will go great with a 46" TV in a room that size.


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

Good Lord. As a former long-time owner of the best Bose has to offer, I dont recommend them at any price just based on their inaccuracy. Maybe a budget system and you find a screamin deal.... Since you have an "open" budget you can certainly go with a better system, and your room isnt too small.
Processor I recommend:
http://us.marantz.com/us/Products/P...CatId=AVSeparates&SubCatId=0&ProductId=AV7005

Amp:
http://us.marantz.com/us/Products/P...CatId=AVSeparates&SubCatId=0&ProductId=MM7055

Emotiva amps are a good choice if youd like to do more monoblocks or more powerful designs, but the 140 wpc Marantz should be enough and spending additional on power will be wasteful in a room of your size.

Heres a 200 wpc emotiva, saves you some money to go towards better speakers...
http://emotiva.com/xpa5.shtm


Speakers really need to be heard. However powered subs should be a safe purchase unheard. I recommend you research offerings from Hsu. SVS are huge and imo unsightly but are touted to be good acoustic performers as well.

Have you had a chance to audition any speakers? What did you like?


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## mohsen.alshokan (Aug 31, 2011)

Thanks to all.

For the speakers I don't have anything in my minds

Lets arrange everything again .

TV SAMSUNG 46"
PS3
AVR marantz 7005
Dream Box 800HD
and let's say any sound system (SAMSUNG)

What do you say about that.


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

mohsen.alshokan said:


> Thanks to all.
> 
> For the speakers I don't have anything in my minds
> 
> ...


Note that the 7005 is not an "AVR", it has no power, its only a processor or "preamp." It will require an amp, either option that I listed will drive most all speakers you may want.


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## slims1179 (Aug 26, 2011)

If I'd know we were talking that kind of money then maybe I would of suggested something else. But from experience as a personal owner myself and also live in an apt. I thought they sound pretty good with my Sammy 46 also. And with my PS3. But if you have $1000's to waste go ahead and get the best you can.


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## mohsen.alshokan (Aug 31, 2011)

slims let's see your suggestion.


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

slims1179 said:


> If I'd know we were talking that kind of money then maybe I would of suggested something else. But from experience as a personal owner myself and also live in an apt. I thought they sound pretty good with my Sammy 46 also. And with my PS3. But if you have $1000's to waste go ahead and get the best you can.


OP stated "open" budget and he does not have typical apartment restrictions. Just because your living conditions and/or budget dont align with his doesnt make it a "waste."


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## phreak (Aug 16, 2010)

Hi mohsen, maybe if you threw out a price range it would be helpful. To some people an open budget means from $1000 to $2000. To others it means $30,000 to $60,000. Give an idea of where you want to shoot in terms of price or quality.


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## mohsen.alshokan (Aug 31, 2011)

let's say around $2500 
keep in mind that I already have the TV and Dream Box


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## slims1179 (Aug 26, 2011)

First of all would "burn" or "spend" help you in understanding what I meant instead of waste?

2nd You know a little more info on what he could spend earlier in the thread would've been a little more helpful to begin with. Seeing as though he only has a 46" would suggest to most people he's probably on a tight budget while also living in an apt. (not to say that there is anything wrong with that because thats where I sit right now)!

But since now he has noted that he has $2500 to spend I would personally recommend this:


NAD T757 - receiver

ProCinema 800- Speakers or go with the 600's + 2- ProMonitor 800 satellites if you need to bring down the cost these speakers work great in smaller rooms and have a very fullfilling sound.


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## gdstupak (Jul 13, 2010)

Not to change this into a Bose thread, but if the OP were thinking of Bose, here are my thoughts...

Since 1992 I have accumulated several of the Bose AM5/7 systems and think they sound pleasing to the ear and were very well constructed. But I also believe they are overpriced so they would not be a good match for a person that is on a tight budget, and not a good match for someone with an open budget that may want better, more accurate sound. But if you do like their sound, and can get them cheap, go for it.

And I believe "waste" was a poor choice of words.


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

phreak said:


> Hi mohsen, maybe if you threw out a price range it would be helpful. To some people an open budget means from $1000 to $2000. To others it means $30,000 to $60,000. Give an idea of where you want to shoot in terms of price or quality.




This is just an audio budget, and obviously rough numbers, but I think the philosophy is sound...

$1000 - $3000 A budget system. Not the most accurate or powerful, hopefully your room is small and ones expectations are low. Better than a HTIB but full range with meaningful output is unlikely and overall the system will require some compromises to stay within budget. It can be made to sound good but ignorance is bliss, if its your first exposure to home theater sound youll likely never know the difference between good sound and mediocre. 5.1 speaker package powered by a modest AVR.

$5000 - $7000 Accurate and future-proof, this budget will put you there and is so revealing that it will point out any flaws in poorly-mastered media. Compromises for budget are there, but theyre minimal. Building takes planning and research, asking questions and understanding the differences between full range and artificially exaggerating frequencies to make a system "sound" good (see system above). This is a system that begs to be played and creates and pays homage to _more_ than 50% of your viewing experience, it reaches all the way down to 18Hz. Its the system that gives you a wry smile when you think of the people that invest money in "butt kickers" for their seating. Your subs and amp in _this_ system are all you _ever_ need for that extra tactile response that takes your sound beyond that "50%" of the movie watching experience. Velcro the wife's trinkets to the shelves in the living room, cause that treasured hummel is in for a bumpy ride. 5.2 or better powered by a flagship receiver and outboard amplification. 

$10000+ Highly accurate and cutting-edge, hope you have a big room and a understanding wife cause youll never get your friends out of your private theater. All top-end gear built with some of the finest names in audio power and processing. You wont find any budgetary compromises in this system, this system reaches even lower on those epic low frequencies. Unless youre an enthusiast youre likely to have someone else research and build this system for you. Flagship gear from the finest names and speakers to die for driven with mono block amplifiers, a sub in every corner, the list goes on and on and on...

This is just what I have learned, it may not be completely accurate as technology is always evolving and improving. However, when most say they have an "open" budget I assume a 5-7k system is in order. Having personally lived with Bose for so many years Id rather work my way _down_ in a newbies budget, rather than up.


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## Ares (Nov 23, 2009)

Based on your budget here is what I suggest

Option 1Receiver: Onkyo SR707 $349.99 or Onkyo SR808 $529.99​
Speakers:



 Fronts: T45 New $529/pr
 Center: C40 New $249/ea
 Rears: B15 New $259/pr
 Sub: HSU VTF MK3 $509
(Front, Center and Rears from DMC Electronics)

Total price without shipping $1895.99 or $2075.99​Option 2

Front, Center and Rears: SVS SBS-02 5.0 surround set $779
Sub: SVS PC12-NSD $749

Total price with out shipping $1877.99 or $2057.99

This is just to give you an ideal, if you were to change option 1's sub to option 2's and went with the 808 you would still stay under $2500.


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## phreak (Aug 16, 2010)

TypeA said:


> This is just an audio budget, and obviously rough numbers, but I think the philosophy is sound...


I agree fully, excellent analysis of budgeting for an enthusiast who knows what quality level can be had at a particular cost, and has an idea of how much they were willing to spend on our noble hobby. My question above was to draw out whether or not the OP defined "open budget" in the same way.


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## Dale Rasco (Apr 11, 2009)

Here is what I would go with.

*Receiver:*
Marantz SR6005 $499
http://www.accessories4less.com/mak...7ch-3-D-Home-Theater-Surround-Receiver/1.html

*Speakers:*
5.0 Multi-channel SCS-02(M) speaker system with SSS-02 surrounds $1149
http://www.svsound.com/products-spks-scs01.cfm

*Sub:*
Dual Epik Legends $899
http://www.epiksubwoofers.com/legend.html


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## mohsen.alshokan (Aug 31, 2011)

sorry I've been out for days but thank to all of you after reading ur replies I have decide to increase my budget to $5000 how is that goes.


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

mohsen.alshokan said:


> sorry I've been out for days but thank to all of you after reading ur replies I have decide to *increase my budget* to $5000 how is that goes.




I like the way you think, and I apologize in advance for the way I think:

Like Dale suggested, I would do any sub-$500 marantz avr from accessories4less - the SR6005 or SR6004

+

3x JTR Triple 8HT-LP ($3300) - Left, Center, Right or go with just the Left/Right for now and add the center later
2x or 3x Rythmik FV15HP ($2400 or $3600) - Subwoofers

Then in the future you could add some quality surround speakers
IE
2x or 4x Ascend Acoustics CBM-170 ($350 or 700)


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

GranteedEV said:


> 2x or 3x Rythmik FV15HP ($2400 or $3000) - Subwoofers


Frequency response of 14 - 90 Hz (-2 dB @ 14 Hz)

Wow, just wow. :unbelievable:


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

GranteedEV said:


> I like the way you think, and I apologize in advance for the way I think:
> 
> Like Dale suggested, I would do any sub-$500 marantz avr from accessories4less - the SR6005 or SR6004
> 
> ...


You really dont recommend going with like twin subs for about a $1000-$1200 a pair (theres obviously some really good subs in this price range) and spending the money saved on more power with an outboard amp to compliment the marantz? Im also very puzzled by your speaker suggestion, FWIW I never heard of them but your suggested speaker selection looks like it could really benefit from the extra power, especially at 4 ohms...

Im just guessing here, very intriguing suggestions indeed...


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

TypeA said:


> Frequency response of 14 - 90 Hz (-2 dB @ 14 Hz)
> 
> Wow, just wow. :unbelievable:


To be fair, there's probably going to be driver excursion and vent limiting at ultra high SPLs - there's no magical subwoofer out there!. The limiting circuitry will kick in at high SPLs to keep the subwoofer from overloading.

But this low tune of 14hz should very well. I've seen measurements of this subwoofer in its 20hz mode and it can put out some rather impressive CLEAN SPLs... essentially over 124db above 30hz and over 113db from 20hz to 30hz (which will probably be more in-room).

You still need two, in order to clean up the in-room frequency response from standing waves.



> You really dont recommend going with like twin subs for about a $1000-$1200 a pair (theres obviously some really good subs in this price range)


I wouldn't. 12" drivers are the bare minimum for what I consider acceptable for a good HT, so of course i recommend dual 15" (GOOD) subs. Small drivers just have to work way too hard, to do what larger drivers do with EASE 



> and spending the money saved on more power with an outboard amp to compliment the marantz?


That'd be a waste of money. The JTRs are 101db/2.83v/m sensitive and the marantz has excellent amps. When you start with the right speakers, you don't need to even spend half of the cost of the speakers on amps. Even with the average speaker, the reason people benefit from separates amps is because they went with certain brands of receivers that prioritize features because features = sales.



> your suggested speaker selection looks like it could really benefit from the extra power, especially at 4 ohms...


I doubt it. Marantz receivers are comfortable with 4 ohm loads (unlike certain brands). Regardless, look at the sensitivity of the JTRs above. If a receiver can even put out 50wpc into 4 ohms (and a 110wpc into 8 ohm receiver, absolutely should be able to, and the SR6004 has been measured at 208watts into 4 ohms anyays) you're talking about 105db @ 10 feet away - REFERENCE LEVELS! That's not even factoring in that indoors, sensitivity can get a bit of a boost. Granted, I believe the JTRs expect your receiver to correct for baffle step losses if away from a wall, so you can maybe knock 3-5db from that number, but you get my point. The marantz will have absolutely no problem driving them louder than most people's speakers can even get with 300watt separates amps with much less distortion - much louder than most of us would care to listen!

They're a 4 ohm nominal load and it's possible that they've got some difficult phase angles or low impedance dips, but then again, who listens at reference levels? I listen to movies like 7db below reference levels, classical music like 12db below reference levels, and compressed music is down closer to 20db or 22db below reference.

But loudness isn't the point - it's freedom from dynamic compression that typical hi fi speakers can't match. They're a flat out nice speaker either way. I might pick a different speaker for _pure_ music listening but for a versatile setup that includes HT and doesn't involve unpredictable tube amps, the JTRs are tough to beat if you can budget them in!

If one wanted to improve the sound of the already great speakers, rather than amplifiers, money would be much better spent on thick bass traps and well placed diffusion panels.


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

Very interesting and informative, thanks for the explain. Guess I didnt really question the marantz being able to provide ear-bleeding levels but more lacking dynamic headroom compared to dedicated outboard. I also saw 4 ohms and assumed the worst, guess they are easier to drive than I thought. Thanks again.


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

Most of the time, your speakers will have less dynamic headroom than your amp. It's the consequence of trading efficiency for extension. You'll notice the JTRs don't try to reproduce 25hz tones... they're -3db at 78hz despite dual 8" woofers for bass. Pair them with two or three quality subwoofers and your system will outperform most people's tower speakers that go down to 30hz but only use 5" woofers, no matter how much amplification they have. You can feed it all the power you want, but a huge amount of that is just going to be converted to heat and it takes really robust drivers to stay linear despite the heat and excursion demands people put on smaller speakers.

Like I said, give me high efficiency speakers, 50 watts of amplification, and multiple subs, over the typical speaker and 300w of amplification.


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

Very cool. Are there any other high efficiency speakers you recommend, maybe cheaper. Just curious...


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## GranteedEV (Aug 8, 2010)

TypeA said:


> Very cool. Are there any other high efficiency speakers you recommend, maybe cheaper. Just curious...


Not really... though I know tesseract is a fan of the Chase Home Theater stuff, I don't think I would want them, since the horn lens looks too small to match the directivity of the 10" woofer used. There's more expensive ones though :whistling:

If you don't mind putting together in a DIY kit, you can make some WICKED high efficiency speakers.. Wayne Parham's 3 Pi speakers with the B&C compression driver and Acoustic Elegance TD12S should blow you away (although admittedly it`s not as high efficiency as if he used a TD12X instead..but that wouldn`t go as low and you know people only buy speakers that go low... for all i know though he`s got a crossover for the TD12X as well)

http://www.pispeakers.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/3/products_id/41

and i've heard that soon he'll be upgrading the horn lens to the wicked-good SEOS-12 waveguide.


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## tesseract (Aug 9, 2010)

GranteedEV said:


> Not really... though I know tesseract is a fan of the Chase Home Theater stuff, I don't think I would want them, since the horn lens looks too small to match the directivity of the 10" woofer used.


It depends how low you want to go. If the woofer was larger and the XO point was in the 1000 Hz range, then it would be a problem. The key to matching directivity between drivers is to put the XO before the point the woofer starts to beam. The horn maintains directivity to 1200 Hz. The XO is at 1600 Hz, well above that point. The OEM Eminence and designer/builder A-Line Acoustics worked for many hours voicing the XO. A Selenium woofer change (the PRO-10) came about and this is how the speaker was introduced, but the decision was made to go back to the original design with the Eminence 10" (SHO-10).

To hear this speaker is something to behold, it has been compared favorably against the GedLee Abbey.

There is a new horn being introduced in a few days, it maintains flat frequency response even further off axis than the older waveguide.


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