[ARK1]

Hi,


So my brother-in-law needs help building his home theater for their bonus room. Recently I installed my first HT with help from you guys and am pretty happy for the budget I had. His budget is more than mine so I need something more for them to deliver the best bang for the buck. He has allocated $5000 for the whole setup which will include an HD TV, receiver and at least 5.1 speaker system (upgrade to 7.* in future).


Room size: 19'x17'x10' (room is open to stairs and rest of upper floor)

Primary use: 80% Movies/Gaming , 20% music (iPod connection would be nice)

Appearance: Looks matter (for WAF)

Budget: $5000 (+10-15% if needed)


I am allocating $2500-3000 for a 65" TV(they want a 65"). Rest will go in to the AVR and speakers.


Please give your recommendations for the AVR and speakers to fit the budget. I think he can go 10-15% above the budget if it takes it to another level. Also if you have a big HD TV that you love, please tell about that too. Looking forward to your suggestions and appreciate the help.


Thank you!

 

[imjay]

If he can allocate $3000 for a tv then I would strongly recommend the Mits 82inch HDTV.


It doesn't get to a true Theater in the Home screen size but it is about the biggest television you can buy for less than $4k. We have the Mits 60in TV for watching day-to-day TV programming and it is a fantastic television.


The room size you mention would probably support a projector and theater sized screen and if 80% of the use is movies then I would recommend something that will give him that "WOW, this is like the movies" experience and for the TV budgeted amount he could achieve a 120in diagonal image and "real" Home Theater.


I apologize - the focus of your threat was for the ears - please let me share our experience that while sound is very IMPORTANT the visual component is most important for "theater".


If the room will support dimming the lights and firing up a theater sized screen I can assure he will not regret going with a projector and screen if "theater" is the goal.

Best of Luck

 

[Spartan94]

I spent roughly $5,000 on my a/v gear and this is how it shook out for me:


JBL Studio L series speakers

(2 L890 towers, 4 L820 surrounds, LC2 center, L8400p sub)

Pioneer Elite VSX-01txh

Epson 6500ub projector

DIY projector screen & cables makes up the rest.


As far as money goes, for me it went:


projector 50%

speakers: 40%

a/v receiver: 10%


I know that others will say the same, but you just can't beat a projector!

 

[unseen79]

Are the opposed to a projector / screen?


For $3000 you could get a Panasonic AE4000u and a nice 110"+ screen.

 

[ARK1]



Quote:
Originally Posted by unseen79 /forum/post/18196114


Are the opposed to a projector / screen?


For $3000 you could get a Panasonic AE4000u and a nice 110"+ screen.

Thanks for the replies guys. Well its not a dedicated theater room for just movies. They will be watching regular tv/cable on it too. So thats the reason they prefer a plasma screen.


I got Energy TC speakers for myself and I love their sound quality. Has any one experience or owns the higher priced energy speakers (specifically the tower models CF-30, CF-50, CF-70)? Would they be good enough (loud) for this size room? How are they compared to other brands? If I can get some feedback on them, I think I would go for Energy as I was really impressed by how good my little ones sound.