New Condo, New Theatre. Need HELP!

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post #1 of 4

4/26/10 at 10:01am

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360 Posts. Joined 7/2008
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I've been out of home theatre/audio for a few years while living in places with unsuitable environments for a quality system. My system that I bought in High School is in storage, and I want to salvage some parts and upgrade others. I am going to list the equipment I have currently, as well as the floor plan. I will really appreciate any help. I am on a tight budget, which is why I want to save/reuse as much equipment as possible.

I am looking at the best options for a quality system for everyday use. I mostly play Xbox Live and watch sports. Movies only 2 or 3 times a week.

Floor Plan (Apt #1) 1795 sq. ft. 10' ceilings. Polished hardwood floors (I think I will add a large rug).

There is a fireplace, and the TV (probably 50" plasma) will be above it. The fireplace is between the windows on the outside wall (far left). There is just no other way it will work. I am going to have the TV mounted as low as possible.

Current equipment:

Receiver - Marantz SR6200
Fronts- Paradigm Phantom
HSU HB-1
Rears - Paradigm ADP-170
Center - Paradigm CC-150

Sources:
Xbox 360 + HD DVD + NetFlix Streaming
FIOS TV

Need to buy:

Sub-Woofer
Blu-ray player

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post #2 of 4

4/26/10 at 4:31pm

1,215 Posts. Joined 7/2006
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Since you describe the display as "probably 50 in. plasma" maybe you are still shopping for a display and, IMO, if you want to get as close as possible to a genuine "theater" visual experience but can't go with a projector and screen then please consider as big a tv display as possible. Mitsubishi makes a very nice 82in DLP and their 73in can be had for near the price or even cheaper than many plasma models and a LOT less than LCD tvs.

We tried to achieve "theater" with a 60 in. TV - found it can't deliver the experience - so we had to go projector and screen - not as expensive as you might think if you're a determined and creative shopper - we don't have a huge house and our PJ to screen distance is only 13 feet so if you can go bigger you eyeballs will appreciate it.
Best of Luck

post #3 of 4

4/27/10 at 7:58am

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The wall space for the display is only 54" wide, with windows on the side. I'm determined to have a "theatre" feeling, because this is a hold-over until I purchase a full house within the next 3-5 years, and then have a dedicated room. This system will mostly be used for tv, videogames, sports, and then movies. The TV is also going to need to be 5 feet off the ground.

post #4 of 4

4/27/10 at 8:38am

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Just to convey the layout I imagine I've (poorly) updated the floor plan to show the approximate layout.

Note: The TV is going to be 5-6 feet off the ground (wall mounted above fireplace)

Note 2: For the rear speakers to be in line, they must be 8 feet off the ground (RL above double door leading to master bedroom). They are dual firing speakers (check the top post for more info).