[mark1voman]

I am putting together my first HT setup and thought that the knowledgeable folks on this forum might have some comments. I sure would appreciate any thoughts you may have, since I have already learned volumes just from reading the various threads.

As for the viewing room, it is a carpeted 13' 10"W x 14'D x 8' 3"H room that has only one common wall with the rest of the house. It also has five windows with wooden shutters, smooth ceilings, and a 10' hallway that leads into the room to the left of the viewing wall.


The setup:

Samsung HLP5663W DLP TV - (Installed/$3095) I have had this puppy for about a week and a half so far, and all I can say is "WOW!". This set features 56" of HD glory that just sizzles, whether watching Discovery HD Theater, Monday Night Football, or HBO HD. Sharp, detailed images; vivid, lifelike colors; and wide viewing angles combine to make this one a winner. Non-HD signals can usually be coaxed into looking quite good with the right combination of picture mode and setup options - especially if they are digital signals. BTW, I have this resting on a beautiful new Laurier credenza with their patented "U-Turn" component shelves that rotate out for easy wiring - very nice!

Harman Kardon AVR335 Receiver - (On order/Price TBD) This new, yet-to-be-released, incarnation of the HK AVR line seems to have the goods. Should be delivered within the next few weeks.

Klipsch Cinema 10 5.1 System - (On order/$1450) With a 15 month-old running around the house, I wanted to avoid floor standing speakers. After being bitterly disappointed by every satellite system I encountered (and I encountered a bunch!) I was pleasantly surprised by this system. Clear dialog; wide, realistic soundscape; crystalline highs, punchy mids and tight bass; sharp styling; and a “reasonable†price are what drew me into buying this package - they should be here by Monday.

Toshiba SD5970 DVD with HDMI - (On order/$199) After reading all the bad press about this unit's now-defunct/recalled predecessor (SD5960) I was a little hesitant to try this unit out. But, after reading numerous hands-on rave reviews I thought I'd take the plunge. Besides, the place I bought it from has a 30 day, no questions, free return shipping, policy if it turns out to be a dud. The main reason I wanted this unit was for the HDMI connection at a reasonable price - and it comes with the HDMI cable included! Expected in the next two days.

Motorola DCT6208 HD Cable Receiver/DVR - (Installed/$5 per month) This unit comes directly from Comcast. Though, the folks I spoke with on the phone at Comcast told me that the DVI connection on this unit was not active in my area, the tech that installed assured me that it indeed was. The Monster DVI cable will arrive with the Klipsch's. (BTW, all cabling will be Monster except for the HDMI included with the Toshiba). As for the performance so far, the HD signals are just amazing! I'm holding off activating my DVR capabilities until the two-tuner box is available (sometime in January according to the tech).


Well, there it is. Please tell me if I over did it for the room size, bought the wrong components, have a horrible set of eyes and ears, over-payed, or possibly actually hit the mark. Don't be shy or hold back any punches - I can take it. BTW, all prices are “out-the doorâ€, delivered, including any taxes.

Thanks, in advance, for your input!


Mark

 

[David_Larkins]

Mark,


Welcome to the forum. No doubt you'll learn a lot here as we all continue to do.


Looks great - I am sure that you'll be happy with that set up. Hopefully you will be able to hold off the upgrade bug for a while anyway.


One thing that I will ask though (since you said that you can take it ):


Why buy first and then ask our opinions after the fact? When the upgrade bug does bite (and it will), my advice would be to start or contribute to a thread in the appropriate forum to decide on the equipment first, and THEN go out and buy it


I'm sure that you are going to love the setup. Make sure you calibrate everything properly so that you get maximum enjoyment out of your purchase.


Good Luck.

 

[mark1voman]

Thanks David. I appreciate your welcome and encouragement.

While the Sammy is indeed an "after the fact" item, the rest of the items are easily returned or exchanged at this point. None of them have arrived (aside from the Moto HD box) so I can't even give my initial impressions of these products. So, I thought it would be beneficial to get any hands-on opinions from the fine folks on these boards before they arrived. Especially if anyone had experienced some particular bug that I should be looking for from the units yet to come.

On the issue of calibration, other than setting the crossover frequencies and utilizing the HK's EZ Set/EQ for optimal speaker balancing and EQing, are there any other steps I should be taking in order to achieve that "maximum enjoyment" out of these components?

As for "the Upgrade Bug", I am also an avid guitarist/musician and have long suffered from G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). And, while these HT purchases have put the kibosh on any major near-future guitar-related purchases, I'm sure my next acquisition from the music genre will put the brakes on the next AV buy for a while. Yes, it's a vicious circle!


Mark

 

[David_Larkins]

Sorry Mark, but 'easily returned' still = 'after the fact'


As for calibration, HK's EZ set will probably be OK for audio setup - although I'll say that for me (I have an H/K AVR-8000) the EZ set feature didn't work all that well, and I redid a couple of settings manually.


You'll also want to get a copy of AVIA and set up your video. Brightness, contrast, sharpness, color, and lots of other settings that this DVD will help you to get right.


Good Luck.

 

[Stew4msu]

Looks like a good system Mark. The only thing I might suggest is to see if you can upgrade the sub with that system. I have Klipsch in my living room and when I bought the system 4 years ago, mine (quintets) also came with a 10" sub. After about 1 week, I thought the sub was lacking and was able to exchange it for their 12" version and pay the difference. I don't know if that's still an option, but if so, I would do it.

Sound and Vision also thought the 10" sub in the Cinema 10 system was lacking:

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/art...&page_number=1


See if you're able to upgrade the sub for a couple hundered dollars. If not, try it out, but I think you may find it will be the first thing you upgrade.




Stew

 

[mark1voman]

David,


Do you recommend the AVIA over the Video Essentials calibration disk, or the THX calibration found on certain DVD's?


Stew,


Thanks ... I can't wait to get the rest of it in-hand and set-up.

Since I have to share this viewing room with my wife, and taking into account that she isn't into BIG bass, I was looking for something a little tighter than say a Hsu. The RW10, in my listening tests, seemed to offer a full, realistic bass that was far from becoming overbearing or mushy. We'll see if it holds up once it takes it's position in our home. If not, I'm sure I'll be here taking advice on what to buy next.


Mark

 

[David_Larkins]

Mark,


I find the THX cal. to to insufficient for a good setup... I recommend AVIA. It's fairly user friendly and very thorough.