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AV set up help

post #1 of 7
11/17/09 at 9:23pm
Thread Starter 
Dear guys,

I would like to ask for some help with the AV Room I am planning on building.

For starters, the dimension of the room will be a finished Length of 5.4 Meters and a width of 4.8 meters and height of a maximum of 3.1 Meters . This room will have no windows so ambient light will not be problem. I have been told that the squarish dimensions of the room would not be optimal for listening to audio. I hope you guys can guide me on how to configure the shape of the room for me to enjoy a future audiophile set up.

Initially, I am planning on building a set up for watching movies and playing video games on. I have been in contact with a few equipment providers. I will be listing below the choices they have given me.

1. Projector
- Mitsubishi HC 6800
- Mitsubishi HC 7000
- Panasonic AE 4000
- Panasonic AE 3000
- Epson 8500

I read yesterday about dust blobs on projector setups, is this a normal problem? Should I just go with a flat screen tv?

2. Screen
- Stewart LX092 92" motorized film screen
- DA Lite motorized film screen

3. Reciever/Amplifier
- Lexicon RV 5
- Anthem AVM 50V2
- NAD 747
- NAD 785
- NAD 775
- Denon 4810
- Onkyo TXNR 5007

4. Left and Right Front speakers
- Focal - JM LAB Chorus 836V
- Klipsch RF 63
- Klipsch RF 83
- B&W CM 9

5. Center speaker
- Focal - JM LAB Chorus CC800V
- Klipsch RC 64
- B&W CM Center 2

6. 2 or 3 pairs rear surround channel speakers
- Focal -JM Labs SR700V
- Klipsch RS 62
- B&W CM5

7. Subwoofer
- Focal - JM Lab Chorus SW800V
- Klipsch RW 12D
- B&W ASW 12CM

These are the options which is being offered to me. Please let me know what I will be needing and what equipment you would suggest based on experience or what you have heard.

In the beginning, I wanted to have the speakers in wall, I was however discouraged by people by telling me that this would not sound good. Can you guys comment on this? I was looking at getting B&W CT700 series speakers for this.

Any suggestions would be highly appreciated.

Thanks very much.
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post #2 of 7
11/18/09 at 4:23am
You have a lot of decisions to make and I would suggest breaking each decision down, rather than looking at it as a huge project. Look at each decision you have to make and figure out first what you need/want, then start looking at the projectors from the lowest price and up, to see if they meet your needs. Once you come across one that does, then go to the next one priced up and see what it offers that the lower priced doesn't, and is it worth it for you. This is what I would do, assuming you are on some sort of a budget.

As far as in-wall speakers go, they typically are only as good as the enclosure and setup you put them in. If you don't put something around them in the wall, then sound will be going everywhere. In-walls can be setup to sound good though, if that's what you want. Just make sure and match all the speakers (go with the same brand and model level). It will also depend on how big of an audiophile you are...I know many people on this forum would not be happy with an in-wall system.

You just need to set your priorities and start making some decisions.
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post #3 of 7
11/18/09 at 5:15am
your Sub selection can certainly be expanded, SVS, HSU...I am going to the SVS factory next week for a demo, I can let you know how it goes. I have a Polk sub now and it handles quite well, but upgrade-itis has his and this is really my last piece of "old" equipment that needs replaced.

As for the projector dust blob issue, I think that was more of an issue with models 2 years ago, mostly epson and panasonic if I recall. While I dont spend much time on the projector forum now that i have my 6500, I have not heard many complaints.
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post #4 of 7
11/19/09 at 5:30am
Thread Starter 
Dear jpdeuce/guys,

Thank you very much for your feedback.

Being a newbie that I am, I have a hard time knowing what I need and what I want. There are things that I see in the technical specs of the components I look at and they are all Greek to me. I do not understand Ohms or watts or crossover and stuff, so I really beg for your patience.

I would like a system wherein I can be happy watching movies like 300, Saving Private Ryan, Pirates of the Caribbean etc. at the same time enjoy watching concerts by Bocelli, Eagles and maybe even Streisand. I would really appreciate it if you can tell me about your systems you are very happy with, what speakers you got, what projector, screen and recievers. Or maybe what you would change if you got the chance.

1. Projector - being a room with no windows, would I need a very high contrast ratio? high Lumens?

2. Screen - with the room being what it is, do I need a white, grey, silver screen?

3. Reciever - I want a reciever which can both be used for watching action movies at the same time sound good listening to audio. Does such a reciever exist? or am I dreaming? I plan on building a dedicated audio set up in the future, as soon as I can afford it.

4. Speakers and Sub - I realize that there is no limit to the amount I can spend on these, but like everyone else, my wife imposed a budget hehehehehe. I want quatlity speakers that will serve me well for at least 5 years before the need to upgrade arises. I do not like listening to speakers which sound sharp and thin. Though I was told that this is a combination of a lot of factors, I would want my speakers to be able to sound great with music ( I prefer listening to vocals and broadway songs like songs from Les Mis, Phantom of the Opera, Wicked etc.)

Dear Smakovits,

Is it ok for my Subs to be of different brand from my speakers? I was told that I should have the same brand for all the speakers and subs.

Would it be safe to assume that dust blobs are a problem of the projectors of Christmas past and will not be a factor in my choosing any of the newer projector models? ( I have never owned a projector before)

Thank you very much for your patience and understanding.
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post #5 of 7
11/19/09 at 4:23pm
Couple of quick comments. These questions could take a whole thread to answer. You just need to do some reading and figure out what you want/need. No one can really tell you that. But...

Quote:
Originally Posted by tikboy1010 View Post

1. Projector - being a room with no windows, would I need a very high contrast ratio? high Lumens?

You're at the advantage here. With very little ambient light issues, you would probably be happy with just about anything that is high def and hooked up correctly. If you can go 1080p on budget, then do it. One note here, and you will hear this again shortly, several of these specifications are measured by the manufacturer, and are not independent tested (which would be valuable to compare across manufacturer). It would help by going to independent sites like projectorpeople or projectorcentral to see reviews by them and specs measured by them.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tikboy1010 View Post

2. Screen - with the room being what it is, do I need a white, grey, silver screen?

As far as I know, white and grey are the main choices, and I think grey is chosen mainly to get better black levels. I believe there might be a correlation between the technology of the projector...so maybe a DLP projector is for grey screen and LCD is for white. This could be way off...but I don't think it's a huge concern.
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post #6 of 7
11/19/09 at 4:37pm
Looks like you've got a decent budget based on your equipment choices! I've just recently been through the equipment selection process, so I can sympathize - with so many choices, where to start?

I looked first at what functionality did I need - how many inputs, outputs, etc. Going in-wall, like you, I was going between B&W, Atlantic Technology, and SpeakerCraft. Projector-wise, there isn't a bad choice in the bunch, so my decision came down mainly to price. I also did tons of reading on AVS on every piece of equipment I was considering, and went from there.

I ended up with a Yamaha RXV3900 receiver (had heavily considered the Denon 4310 and that Onkyo, but bang for the buck turned me to the Yamaha), Atlantic Tech IWCB626s for L/C/R (further to jpdeuce's comments, the 626s were designed with an in-wall closed box - IWCB) and Atlantic Tech ICTS6.3e speakers in the ceiling for surrounds and rears. I also found out about a sub company from Iowa called, Elemental Designs, and went with their A3-300 sub. Do some reading on the boards on their products. Lastly, I ended up with the Epson 6500UB, the predecessor to the 8500. I wrestled the most with this decision between Epson and Panny. In the end, the 6500 came in at a better price and included a replacement bulb.

As for screens, going white or grey depends on the gain of the screen. Whites typically reflect light better (higher gain), while greys can produce better black levels. There is a wealth of better info in the screens section of the boards, and I encourage you to do some reading.

So I don't think you can make a bad decision if you do your homework. At this point, a lot of it comes down to personal preference and how you intend to use your system. Good luck, and post some pics!
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post #7 of 7
11/23/09 at 6:19am
Thread Starter 
Dear guys,

Thank you very much for all your comments and suggestions.

It is very hard to get to audition systems for my room, as there are very few people in the Philippines who set up systems for video, most of the people I know are all audiophiles/2 channellers. And most of the dealers do not have audition areas.

There is however a system I got to watch and listen to last weekend and am adding it to the short list of systems that I want. I forgot the other components but the Left and Right speakers were Focal JM Labs 1027S and the center was the Focal JM Labs CC1000S. Can you guys tell me something about these speakers? I found them great listening to Bocelli but a little bit too expensive.

I have practically narrowed the list down and would appreciate further assistance from all you good people on what I should go for.

1. Projector
- Mistubishi 6800
- Panasonic AE4000


2. Screen
- Stewart - is it important to pay big bucks for the motorized projector screen that I am getting? or should I go with Da Lite or Elite which is far cheaper. Will do just that Bhuttman thanks.

3. Left and Right Front speakers
- Focal JM Labs 1027S
- B&W CT 700 7.3 - this is my first choice as I really prefer to have my home theater speakers hidden. I just need to know if these speakers are worth the price.

4. Surround speakers
- Focal JM Labs SR800V
- B&W CT 700 7.5

5. Subwoofers
- Focal JM Labs SW 700V
- B&W CT SW12

6. Reciever
- NAD T785
- Lexicon RV 5 - I noticed that this reciever does not do DTS HD, should this be a problem?
- Anthem AVM 50v - I was told that that I would need a pre amp for this, would it be a good idea to go separates for an AV room? would this be worth the additional costs?


If we decide on hiding the speakers, would you suggest the B&W CT series? Who can I ask on the design of the cabinets? Is there a special material I should use for the cabinets? I would really appreciate any input from people who have had experience on these speakers. Do they sound well enough to be considered?

I know that there are more speakers in the market, too much in fact that I get dizzy researching everything. However, my main problem is the availability of dealers for these speakers. I do not think Speakercraft has a dealer here( too bad for me JPDeuce), I have written Triad to inquire on who their dealers are but no response as of yet. There are people who do Paradigm, Polk audio and Klipsch here but they cannot answer my questions on inwall speakers as they claim they do not have enough experience with these kind of speakers. So any of you guys who have used these, please chime in.

Thank you again for all your emails and suggestions.
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