Well we moved into a newer home in July of last year and it has a pretty big basement.....almost perfect for projection but alas, no go.
No biggie, I made a few upgrades and altho still not finished, I'm pretty happy with the results so far.
Heres a pic of the last setup in the old home.
And now the latest edition.
* Altho not shown in the previous pic, I did have the SVS PB13 Ultra already.
List of equipment
Panasonic 65ST30
-out of the box, ran for 100hrs with color slides and set to D-Nice specs. Wow, plasma is still the one to beat IMO.
Oppo BD93
-if you're on the fence about this player, you can get off of it now. Plays just about everything you can throw at it, excellent PQ, streaming capabilities worked as advertised but MKV's froze/stuttered due to my network so now I have a two 2TB HDD attached, one for DVD and Bluray movies and music and the other for 3D content and BD concerts. Smooth as silk.
Anthem MRX300
-ARC can do wonders to your system, dont let anyone else tell you different.
I'm glad I sold the Marantz and picked up this receiver.
Monster HDP1800
-hey, I wanted a power center with 8 outlets and my local A/V had a smokin deal on these....what can I say?
Parasound HCA 2003
-200W RMS X 3....more than enough.
SVS PB13 Ultra
-my 15 yr son is still in awe when we watch a good movie....unfortunately I've been running it too hot the last couple years and the dreaded "pop" is heard on intense scenes. New woofer is on its way as I'm typing this.
*EDIT* New SVS woofer in, re-calibrated and I dont have to cringe on really loud scenes anymore.
Paradigm Studio 100 V2
-bought used a few years ago with no issues....while running ARC tho, I noticed the tweeter on the left speaker crackling a bit. I've never noticed it on movies or music but Paradigm offers a V5 conversion/repair if you send them in.
*EDIT* Sent the tweeters in thru my local dealer, received them back a couple of weeks later. What I originally noticed was new gold dust caps and a resistor soldered in and after installing, I found the sound very smooth and most important, no more crackling heard when running ARC test tones. Worth $250? Meh, I've spent more on worse, hehe.
Paradigm Studio 690 V4
-this center was one upgrade I wasnt too sure about but afterwards, I dont know how I lived without it.
Paradigm Studio 20 V2
-yea dipoles/bipoles may have a better "surround" experience but with movies AND music, I'm glad I kept them for surrounds after 1st having them for mains.
Other things like GIK Acoustics bass traps/acoustic panels and a Great Gramma for the sub help with certain acoustic/frequency issues.
A Harmony One remote controls it all along with a Lutron Maestro dimmer I recently installed. Next I'm thinking some soundproof material on the tiles for the ceiling (What was that honey!?) more acoustic panels and some white LED lighting behind the TV.
*EDIT* Went to a local Electronics store and bought 4' of 6000K LED self-adhesive light strip which I placed on back of the TV....also purchased a 1400Mah Nicad rechargeable battery, soldered in a couple of wires and velcroed it to the wall behind the TV. I just attach the positive lead to light up the area when watching a movie at night. Will add a photo soon to show the difference.
Let me know what you think and hey, I'm all ears for any suggestions.
No biggie, I made a few upgrades and altho still not finished, I'm pretty happy with the results so far.
Heres a pic of the last setup in the old home.
And now the latest edition.
* Altho not shown in the previous pic, I did have the SVS PB13 Ultra already.
List of equipment
Panasonic 65ST30
-out of the box, ran for 100hrs with color slides and set to D-Nice specs. Wow, plasma is still the one to beat IMO.
Oppo BD93
-if you're on the fence about this player, you can get off of it now. Plays just about everything you can throw at it, excellent PQ, streaming capabilities worked as advertised but MKV's froze/stuttered due to my network so now I have a two 2TB HDD attached, one for DVD and Bluray movies and music and the other for 3D content and BD concerts. Smooth as silk.
Anthem MRX300
-ARC can do wonders to your system, dont let anyone else tell you different.
I'm glad I sold the Marantz and picked up this receiver.
Monster HDP1800
-hey, I wanted a power center with 8 outlets and my local A/V had a smokin deal on these....what can I say?
Parasound HCA 2003
-200W RMS X 3....more than enough.
SVS PB13 Ultra
-my 15 yr son is still in awe when we watch a good movie....unfortunately I've been running it too hot the last couple years and the dreaded "pop" is heard on intense scenes. New woofer is on its way as I'm typing this.
*EDIT* New SVS woofer in, re-calibrated and I dont have to cringe on really loud scenes anymore.
Paradigm Studio 100 V2
-bought used a few years ago with no issues....while running ARC tho, I noticed the tweeter on the left speaker crackling a bit. I've never noticed it on movies or music but Paradigm offers a V5 conversion/repair if you send them in.
*EDIT* Sent the tweeters in thru my local dealer, received them back a couple of weeks later. What I originally noticed was new gold dust caps and a resistor soldered in and after installing, I found the sound very smooth and most important, no more crackling heard when running ARC test tones. Worth $250? Meh, I've spent more on worse, hehe.
Paradigm Studio 690 V4
-this center was one upgrade I wasnt too sure about but afterwards, I dont know how I lived without it.
Paradigm Studio 20 V2
-yea dipoles/bipoles may have a better "surround" experience but with movies AND music, I'm glad I kept them for surrounds after 1st having them for mains.
Other things like GIK Acoustics bass traps/acoustic panels and a Great Gramma for the sub help with certain acoustic/frequency issues.
A Harmony One remote controls it all along with a Lutron Maestro dimmer I recently installed. Next I'm thinking some soundproof material on the tiles for the ceiling (What was that honey!?) more acoustic panels and some white LED lighting behind the TV.
*EDIT* Went to a local Electronics store and bought 4' of 6000K LED self-adhesive light strip which I placed on back of the TV....also purchased a 1400Mah Nicad rechargeable battery, soldered in a couple of wires and velcroed it to the wall behind the TV. I just attach the positive lead to light up the area when watching a movie at night. Will add a photo soon to show the difference.
Let me know what you think and hey, I'm all ears for any suggestions.