Who says you need a dedicated room? (With Pics) - Page 12

Thanks




There are times when I would prefer a dedicated sound-controlled space for late night viewing. My youngest is two and I dont want to wake him with the sound or vibration. This is where I think the MBM comes in handy. The impact can be felt at lower levels if you up the MBM a bit (I know, not technically correct but it works for me). I save the higher volume stuff for weekends when I have less concern about waking the kids or keeping them up. My Sennheiser headphones sound pretty good with the new Onkyo 3008 and I was pretty satisfied with using them last night watching Book of Eli.

I will work on adding a shot of the panel this weekend. Its nothing fancy but it works incredibly well.







Thanks. I'm still deciding on the replacement but it will probably be something basic for the plasma and source units. The receiver will stay plugged in the wall directly. As far as home value goes, it probably wouldn't increase the value in my area but it would likely add to the appeal if I were to sell it. My last house (had dedicated room) sold very fast. I was told that the theater room was even more appealing than the pool and was the reason for the quick sale. On the down side, all gear has to be swapped out for cheap stuff or the buyer will try to include the existing stuff in the sale. Thas was nearly a deal killer in my last house. The buyer wrote down all of the model numbers and researched prices. He wanted it all (PSB speakers, Sony PJ, B&K amps, etc). He ended up with a refurb Sony LCD projector, Onkyo HTIB, and a few good things that I no longer needed (Carada screen, seating, rack).

RS2 (FPJ1) to RS20 upgrade:

I've had a little bit of time to view the RS20 that replaced the FPJ1/RS2 a couple of weeks back. So far I'm very satisfied considering the minimal cost to upgrade from one to the other. If I would have spent thousands on the same upgrade a couple of uears ago I may be less satisfied.

The RS2 was already a great projector. The contrast was excellent, brightness (at sub 200 hours) was good, sharpness was as good as I expected, and colors were not too over the top when color saturation is dialed down a little. I did not like the lack of motorized controls and handling of pans/motion. It also had a bit too much black crush.

The RS20 is more of an incremental upgrade. I'd say it really just improves on an already good display. Other than the minimal cost to upgrade there have been no cons. The pros:


-brighter (even at 400+ hours but new lamp is on the way)

-more accurate color in the calibrated mode as well as THX mode

-deeper blacks noticeable on fade to blacks (not a tremendous difference here) though still crushes blacks a bit

-love the fixed iris

-a bit sharper and more apparent three dimensionality

-better handling of pans and motion in general

-motorized control of the lens

-auto lens cover (love this)

-a little quieter (didnt have a problem with the RS2)

Prior to purchasing it I was considering the RS40. The issues it seems to have turned me off. Then I considered the RS35. Considering it is probably a very minimal improvement over the RS20 I decided it wasn't worth twice the price. Now with the RS20 I will likely hang on to it until I find an amazing deal on a Sim2 or......

Newest addition to the HT is a pair of Sennheiser HD 650's and a 20 foot Moon Audio Blue Dragon V3 cable. At $1k for the combo it better be a nice substitute for the Klipsch

I haven't update this thread in a while but the house is now for sale and we're moving into a larger home with a room that is going to be a small dedicated theater space (approx 14x20). Most of the equipment I already have but some changes may occur in the near future:

Moving from RS20 to RS55
12 ft wide 2.35:1 Dalite HP screen with older 2.8 gain material
Marantz SR7005
Klipsch THX Ultra II speaker system: (3) KL-650-THX and (4) KS-525-THX
2x SVS PB13 Ultra subwoofers
Hsu MBM-12
Oppo BDP-93 Blu-Ray
PS3 & 360 for gaming
Toshiba HD-A30 HD-DVD for HD and SD DVD

Thanks. I'm looking forward to playing with a new space.

I use my Oppo for the few times that I watch standard DVDs. I don't notice much of a difference. I may ditch the HD DVD this time.

Considering we have similar size rooms, what are your thoughts on a 12 ft wide screen? I was a bit hesitant at first but I picked up the new screen at an insane closeout price.

I'm going to keep the same L configuration seating that I currently have so placing the speakers below the screen will have to do. The screen is the original HP 2.8 gain so its not acoustically transparent. I'm planning on sitting 12-15 ft from the screen.