Need to build a Home theatre, need you advice guys!

BiGBrOwNPimpsta · Sep 5, 2009, 09:27 PM

Well I got my place renovated so its all dark oak floors now. Now I wanna get rid of my good ol sony projection and get a decent LCD and home theatre so here is the low down:

I'm pretty interested in the Sony W Series 46" for my place, I mean it pretty much looks comparable to last year's XBR or so. Eventually all the TV's will be 240hz, dude at the store told me I won't notice the diff which I somewhat believe. But they say the same thing about 720p and 1080i, and I despise 720p makes my whole experience so muddy and crappy. I live in a condo, so I can't even really have a large system.

This leads me to my next thing which I was kinda attracted by the Yamaha RXV765. Looks like a solid receiver. The 565 apparently has shitty rear connectors, but the feature set makes it attractive. So i knocked that off the list. I do want to get a receiver with at least 4 HDMI in, I won't be running more than 5.1 ever but clarity and compatability is my main concern. Won't be running super loud speakers, and maybe in the future in a basement thats all. My bro has a Pioneer not a big fan of it...so the 765 looks like a good package.

EDIT: just realized, would the receiver be unable to output at 240hz? I do like when some movies run at 120hz like action movies so it looks pretty fake. Dramas feel good at 24hz.

Lastly, speakers I found were the C SERIES. I would need I believe 4 C1's, a C6 and a C4 subwoofer. I heard it and it sounded good and are a reputable manufacturer. But speakers can be the hardest thing to find sometimes.

Bottom line: I need your help in find maybe the "Q6600" of a home theatre! lol. Somewhat good for the future but not over the top as I live in a condo, but damn good bang for the buck. Would that setup be i listed be acceptable and what should I swap? Its going to be used for everything and maybe some music listening (HDTV, DVD, BD and gaming). That analogy of the q6600 is probably my best way of describing it lol. I'm not super knowledgable about all the stuff.

BiGBrOwNPimpsta · Sep 7, 2009, 04:49 PM

53 views no replies? maybe i posted in the wrong forum? hmmm

isaak · Sep 24, 2009, 06:39 AM

its possible no expertise lies in this area at DH

i have also posted a thread regarding home theatre speakers. I opted to go with KEF over Bose (my mum pressured me into at least looking into Bose). The model name is KEF KHT 3005 SE, they are 5.1 and are said to be very very good

Im definately no expert in this area so I can't help you with anything I'm afraid

Judas · Sep 24, 2009, 04:39 PM

i can't really comment on the tv of your choice.. far as i know everything still is outputing through DVI at a maximum of 24/50/59/60hz, it's up to the TV to do the 120/240/500/600hz conversion.

The yamaha amplifiers are amazing... there will always be the cheap ones... but the one your looking at looks quite good... i've always been impressed with yamaha.

speakers.. can't comment on those ones you mentioned.... i'm a fan of sound accoustics though... they make a damn good speaker.. and they are not cheap..... the cost of one of their speakers generally can get you 4 of another cheap kind.... they are built VERY well and produce excellent sound.

far as subwoofers go... like speakers.. best to go into a audio store and get them to setup various systems.

The audio place i deal with for my supplier are a retail front as well, I or anyone else can walk in and pick any combination of items off the shelf and get them to hook it up at will to hear. When i was searching for a subwoofer for my sister recently, i musta listened/felt about 15 different subwoofers before i was able to pick the one i wanted.

OmegaRED · Nov 21, 2009, 08:09 AM

Pimp what did you end up buying?

I've got my main home theater set up in my bedroom so I went with small speakers too. I would go to Future Shop and check out Energy's line of Mini or Micro speakers. A lot of it is on sale and these are very highly rated speakers for the price. I picked up the RC-Micro 5.1 system recently and it delivers huge sound for such tiny speakers. I haven't heard the Mini's but I think I might buy a couple of them to use as back channel surrounds (once you've tried 7.1 you won't want to go back

).

A cheaper option is the KEF 5.1 system I've seen on ncix, it lists at over $1000 but it drops to $500 every couple of weeks. It would be perfect for a small place. You didn't specify a budget but it's best to keep the cost of speakers down if you're not going to crank them up and put that towards a nicer tv.

BiGBrOwNPimpsta · Nov 21, 2009, 08:22 AM

I couldn't afford the energy speakers and samsung LED tv, so my setup is this now

Sony 46" Z5100 Series 240hz
Bose Accoustimass 10 (don't hit me, I'll explain)
Yamaha HTR-6260 (a.k.a. rxv-665)
Logitech Harmony One

Without the remote it was $4300 with taxes, then the stands, remote and hdmi cables and surge protector was another $800 or so. Hardest part was deciding on everything, finding places. Eforcity.com is a good place to buy, but took a long time for their stuff to come in. No customs either they put different declaration on it. In addition, luckily found a place in Richmond Hill that actually sold proper stands and a/v racks (no one in canada has them anymore). Check out www.electronicsforless.ca, I heard mixed stories about the customer service and their payment method was not as smooth, but overall its a place you put in an order and you grab your stuff. If you are that kind of person it is no problem. When I went to go pick up my stuff with my boys, one of the italian managers was screaming about some idiot customer which was pretty unprofessional haha.

I went for the Accoustimass 10 because the dude at futureshop did a good price on them, with the receiver I got it for $1300. Energy speakers would run me over $1600, then add in the cost of good cabling. I have a condo, I can't blast this stuff so its no use in getting a really nice system. My bro spent more on his Definitive audio system, the Bose actually is a lot better sounding overall. And I know experts will tell me when you open up a Bose system, they are crap quality. But you know what, I am not a picky man (yet) with sound nor do I have the accomodations for higher end system. Overall the system sounds REALLY good, but it's Bose's thiefing of propriertary cables which is a bitch. They are long, but can be an issue if you need to replace your speaker wire and cannot use anything higher gauge. Saved me the hassle of running out and buying more cables. SD content looks pretty bad on the TV, but movies are extremely clean. Blacks are deep as hell, pretty bright on HD and Full HD content. Takes a little tweaking and this TV is one of the best I've seen. The 240hz fills in framerate slowdowns, so the slight 10fps dips in MGS4 are non-existent hahaha. 240hz is overkill, but you know what next year all the TVs will be that so its not an issue and I will be up to date. Love the Yamaha receiver, first time doing a setup myself and had no hassles from anything (except tightening some speaker connections). Just wish I had a bit more space for everything, doesn't look bad but bigger is better. Luckily everything I bought is black, so it works out nicely.

BiGBrOwNPimpsta · Nov 21, 2009, 08:34 AM

also my buddy and his bro went down to buffalo and grabbed a home theatre for a good price, think he got a onyko HTIB set. don't know how it compares to mine.

and KEF speakers are pretty solid, its just one of those things if you want a good deal you gotta buy online. I hate shopping online due to waiting for stuff to come in, shipping costs, having to wait for exchanges etc.

OmegaRED · Nov 21, 2009, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BiGBrOwNPimpsta

I went for the Accoustimass 10 because the dude at futureshop did a good price on them, with the receiver I got it for $1300. Energy speakers would run me over $1600, then add in the cost of good cabling.

I've heard this before, that you can haggle with the salesmen at Futureshop and usually get audio stuff for a lot cheaper. I jumped the gun and got my speakers used elsewhere then they went on sale at FS for 20 bucks cheaper

When I went there they had those Bose ones on display and they sound incredible, even though everyone says they are shit. The Energy speakers they had setup sounded like ipod headphones it was pathetic. It was totally different when I plugged them in at home. I think they do this on purpose to make more cash off the high priced stuff.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BiGBrOwNPimpsta

also my buddy and his bro went down to buffalo and grabbed a home theatre for a good price, think he got a onyko HTIB set. don't know how it compares to mine.

Lucky guy, he probably got the THX model it sells for 1300+ here. I grabbed the model below it but both are pretty good for what you get.

Wish I had saw this thread earlier, I was upgrading my cables and decided to go with monprice.com, they ship from the US to Canada and all of their stuff is the same quality as Monster but literally for a couple of bucks. I found a local guy who has all the same prices....15cents/ft you can't beat that for good speaker wire. I will never, ever buy any cables from a store again. The mark up must be between 500-1000% on some items

BiGBrOwNPimpsta · Nov 21, 2009, 09:06 AM

I believe he did get the THX system, it is 7.1. Their receiver runs hot, and I don't know how my receiver stacks up to his. He did also get a plasma, and stuffed the whole system in his bedroom lol. Only thing I bought monster was the surge protector, since it was $40. A regular belkin one is $30. HDMI cables are such a ripoff, Eforcity had HDMI 1.4 and under my understanding I heard I needed 1.4 for 240hz, but really I didn't. Didn't cost much more for 1.4, but I could of grabbed 1.3 locally for maybe a bit less.

Man all this technology, see everything is cheaper upfront but its all the costs around it and recurring costs that have made it even more expensive. Back in the day "damnnnnn you got a $5000 tv?!". Now it's HDTV + speakers + receiver + HDMI cables + stands for everything + HDTV service. It's a lot more than $5000 and a new recurring cost of HDTV. Cloud computing is going to be great, but its going to be a new cash grab.

edit - if you need cheap cable tunnels, get it from Ikea. They are plastic, you cut them with scissors and pretty decent thickness. I use it for my z5500 wiring, looks a lot better and modern. The style is ribbed.

OmegaRED · Nov 21, 2009, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BiGBrOwNPimpsta

I believe he did get the THX system, it is 7.1. Their receiver runs hot, and I don't know how my receiver stacks up to his. He did also get a plasma, and stuffed the whole system in his bedroom

That's exactly what I did! I like this guy

Yes, that receiver runs hotter than Hell but if you Antec Veris cooler on top of it and it will be ice cold in no time.

Quote:

Only thing I bought monster was the surge protector, since it was $40. A regular belkin one is $30. HDMI cables are such a ripoff, Eforcity had HDMI 1.4 and under my understanding I heard I needed 1.4 for 240hz, but really I didn't. Didn't cost much more for 1.4, but I could of grabbed 1.3 locally for maybe a bit less.

I've been considering this Monster Home Theater Power outlet

, it's on sale but if not I will just grab another APC 11 outlet from TheSource for 40bucks. I use one of those for my PC and seems to do the job.

Quote:

Man all this technology, see everything is cheaper upfront but its all the costs around it and recurring costs that have made it even more expensive. Back in the day "damnnnnn you got a $5000 tv?!". Now it's HDTV + speakers + receiver + HDMI cables + stands for everything + HDTV service. It's a lot more than $5000 and a new recurring cost of HDTV.

The saying used to be that you spend 10% of your Home theater budget on cables and accessories and back in the day I followed that guide but now I see how overpriced things are you can wire an entire home theater with top notch cables for less than $50 using a site like monoprice.

OmegaRED · Nov 21, 2009, 09:23 AM

By the way, Pimpsta, just wait until you find out about Bias Lighting! If you thought you were done spending money you haven't even begun. I went to nearly every hardware store in the city finding the right fixtures and bulbs for my bias lighting. It's a MUST for anyone with a big tv in a dark room.

I used this guys suggestion to start with but I will probably go with the professional stuff.

BiGBrOwNPimpsta · Nov 21, 2009, 09:23 AM

grab something reputable and looks nice for the surge protector, usually you are fine. I live in a new condo so my power is pretty clean. Monster cables work on analog signals (component) and longer distance HDMI connections. The company should be investigated for the garbage they pull.

BiGBrOwNPimpsta · Nov 21, 2009, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OmegaRED

By the way, Pimpsta, just wait until you find out about Bias Lighting! If you thought you were done spending money you haven't even begun. I went to nearly every hardware store in the city finding the right fixtures and bulbs for my bias lighting. It's a MUST for anyone with a big tv in a dark room.

I used this guys suggestion to start with but I will probably go with the professional stuff.

that's just way too much god damn, and a lamp is always on in the libing room so its useless. however, I do have white LEDs behind my acer monitor for cosmetic purposes haha. Give its a nice glow thats all, saw it at IKEA so I grabbed it for $50. My other buddy has an uncle, who apparently has spent $15k or so on his sound system. lives in hong kong, the speakers look like massive Tubas. He is paranoid about sound, he adjusted his sofa for a week in millimeters and claims light affects sound quality. Messed up dude

OmegaRED · Nov 21, 2009, 09:36 AM

A lot of people like using those LED strips Ikea sells for Bias lighting. I started with the lamp in the video then went to a fluorescent tube hanging from the back of the tv. It really does make a huge difference when watching movies. I'm going to order one of these kits, it's calibrated to the proper light spectrum blah blah techie stuff I don't care about.

BiGBrOwNPimpsta · Nov 21, 2009, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OmegaRED

A lot of people like using those LED strips Ikea sells for Bias lighting. I started with the lamp in the video then went to a fluorescent tube hanging from the back of the tv. It really does make a huge difference when watching movies. I'm going to order one of these kits, it's calibrated to the proper light spectrum blah blah techie stuff I don't care about.

when I buy an aston martin, a nice THEATER (yes THEATER) will compliment it in my mansion ahahhaa. I wish I was rich for all this crap

OmegaRED · Nov 21, 2009, 09:43 AM

The lights only 60 bucks, so that's like a few bolts on the wheel of an Aston Martin. You can afford that. Go ahead, splurge!

BiGBrOwNPimpsta · Nov 21, 2009, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OmegaRED

The lights only 60 bucks, so that's like a few bolts on the wheel of an Aston Martin. You can afford that. Go ahead, splurge!

oh i mean the fine tuning aspect of the tv gets too costly and time consuming right now, f**k OLED will stomp on this anyways in a few years. it never ends.

I probably won't benefit from the the lights due to light always on in my living room.

Judas · Nov 21, 2009, 03:39 PM

any stereo system i've hooked up i use a 1000-1500 VA UPS by APC..... i've stayed away from surge bars

BiGBrOwNPimpsta · Nov 21, 2009, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas

any stereo system i've hooked up i use a 1000-1500 VA UPS by APC..... i've stayed away from surge bars

you must be hooking up some crazy shit. I'd probably not hook it up to a cheap surge protector, the normal home theatre ones should be more than sufficient

OmegaRED · Nov 21, 2009, 05:53 PM

Like Pimp mentioned, I also live in an apartment building and have never had any power issues so I'm content with just using a decent surge protector from any computer store. I've even gotten so cocky over the years I don't even unplug my computer when there's a lightning but if I was in house I would definitely invest in something that would offer better protection for my components.

SeraphicSorcerer · Nov 21, 2009, 05:55 PM

Man, you guys are way over my head on home theatre stuff, I always wanted to build a home theatre but have only a small clue what is good or not.

OmegaRED · Nov 21, 2009, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeraphicSorcerer

Man, you guys are way over my head on home theatre stuff, I always wanted to build a home theatre but have only a small clue what is good or not.

It's true, all the confusing specs on tvs might be worse than the numbering schemes Nvidia and ATI use for their video cards

Whenever I try explaining HDTV's to people going to buy one usually the conversation ends with "but this one looks nicer". Perhaps it's not that complicated at all, you just need to buy what you can afford and what looks and sounds best to you.

Thankfully, it's a lot easier to learn a lot about home theaters than computers. I learned pretty much all of what I know about home theaters in the last 2 months after I bought my Plasma tv. I'm kind of a buy first, ask questions later person

SeraphicSorcerer · Nov 21, 2009, 06:25 PM

That's exactly my problem Omega Red, then against Visuals are unique to the person so what looks better to me may not look better, I am very big on contrast ratios and vividness, HDTVS I understand, It's Sound systems and speakers etc, I have no idea on

I'm the kind of guy that will buy the most awesome radio, the more buttons I can screw it up with the better, but then the speakers will probably only be mediocre.

OmegaRED · Nov 21, 2009, 06:43 PM

When it comes to speakers and sound systems the options are so vast compared to tv's that you have to narrow it down if you want to have any hope of buying something you'll like. Start with your budget, because audio prices might as well be limitless, then the usage scenario (movies or music primarily) and room size. You might spend weeks to find the system you like only to have your woman tell you the speakers are too big or the color is ugly. It's the practical things like that you have to concentrate on. Then go on the internet or to the audio shops and look for something that meets those needs. Audio equipment is like internet porn in that respect, there's something for everyone and there's tons of it out there!

Judas · Nov 23, 2009, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BiGBrOwNPimpsta

you must be hooking up some crazy shit. I'd probably not hook it up to a cheap surge protector, the normal home theatre ones should be more than sufficient

no not really..

considering where i live and who i'm selling to, power flux is very common and #1 thing that causes damage to eletronics here, (aside from someone beating it with a hammer like my last customer, how it still works i don't know, but that case was mangled)..

UPS with AVR or even without and a powerful battery capable of driving the watts required for low or higher end amps/tvs/etc.

I mean a tv and small speaker system isn't gonna need much more then a 500va or equivalent... you just never want to overload upses if you can help it.

Zelig · Nov 23, 2009, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OmegaRED

Wish I had saw this thread earlier, I was upgrading my cables and decided to go with monprice.com, they ship from the US to Canada and all of their stuff is the same quality as Monster but literally for a couple of bucks. I found a local guy who has all the same prices....15cents/ft you can't beat that for good speaker wire. I will never, ever buy any cables from a store again. The mark up must be between 500-1000% on some items

Alternatively, check out Canadian Tire (or similar), you can roll whatever kind of electrical wire off a spool, cut it to whatever length you want, and use that for your speakers.

BiGBrOwNPimpsta · Nov 27, 2009, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeraphicSorcerer

Man, you guys are way over my head on home theatre stuff, I always wanted to build a home theatre but have only a small clue what is good or not.

well normally dont go for HTIB and buy what sounds good to YOU. there's a lot of expert input which is important but hey sometimes you really cant hear that $400 difference. the problem is this shit will keep advancing so dont blow your budget on it.

Sep 7, 2009, 04:49 PM	Thread Starter #2
BiGBrOwNPimpsta HH's #1 Hustla and Pimp Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: The Dirty Dot Posts: 7,717 Rep Power: 107 System Specs	Re: Need to build a Home theatre, need you advice guys! 53 views no replies? maybe i posted in the wrong forum? hmmm __________________ Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music \| Logitech Z-5500 THX 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers \| 2 Lite-On 20x S-ATA Burners \| Logitech G700 Mouse \| Logitech MX5500 Bluetooth Keyboard

Sep 24, 2009, 06:39 AM	#3
isaak HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 2,285 Rep Power: 112 System Specs	Re: Need to build a Home theatre, need you advice guys! its possible no expertise lies in this area at DH i have also posted a thread regarding home theatre speakers. I opted to go with KEF over Bose (my mum pressured me into at least looking into Bose). The model name is KEF KHT 3005 SE, they are 5.1 and are said to be very very good Im definately no expert in this area so I can't help you with anything I'm afraid __________________ The first step... shall be to lose the way. - Galway Kinnell

Nov 21, 2009, 08:09 AM	#5
OmegaRED Relapsed Gamer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Ottawa , Canada Posts: 5,688 Rep Power: 173 System Specs	Re: Need to build a Home theatre, need you advice guys! Pimp what did you end up buying? I've got my main home theater set up in my bedroom so I went with small speakers too. I would go to Future Shop and check out Energy's line of Mini or Micro speakers. A lot of it is on sale and these are very highly rated speakers for the price. I picked up the RC-Micro 5.1 system recently and it delivers huge sound for such tiny speakers. I haven't heard the Mini's but I think I might buy a couple of them to use as back channel surrounds (once you've tried 7.1 you won't want to go back ). A cheaper option is the KEF 5.1 system I've seen on ncix, it lists at over $1000 but it drops to $500 every couple of weeks. It would be perfect for a small place. You didn't specify a budget but it's best to keep the cost of speakers down if you're not going to crank them up and put that towards a nicer tv. __________________ E Penis Specs: <------------- See System Specs Last edited by OmegaRED; Nov 21, 2009 at 08:20 AM.

Nov 21, 2009, 08:22 AM	Thread Starter #6
BiGBrOwNPimpsta HH's #1 Hustla and Pimp Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: The Dirty Dot Posts: 7,717 Rep Power: 107 System Specs	Re: Need to build a Home theatre, need you advice guys! I couldn't afford the energy speakers and samsung LED tv, so my setup is this now Sony 46" Z5100 Series 240hz Bose Accoustimass 10 (don't hit me, I'll explain) Yamaha HTR-6260 (a.k.a. rxv-665) Logitech Harmony One Without the remote it was $4300 with taxes, then the stands, remote and hdmi cables and surge protector was another $800 or so. Hardest part was deciding on everything, finding places. Eforcity.com is a good place to buy, but took a long time for their stuff to come in. No customs either they put different declaration on it. In addition, luckily found a place in Richmond Hill that actually sold proper stands and a/v racks (no one in canada has them anymore). Check out www.electronicsforless.ca, I heard mixed stories about the customer service and their payment method was not as smooth, but overall its a place you put in an order and you grab your stuff. If you are that kind of person it is no problem. When I went to go pick up my stuff with my boys, one of the italian managers was screaming about some idiot customer which was pretty unprofessional haha. I went for the Accoustimass 10 because the dude at futureshop did a good price on them, with the receiver I got it for $1300. Energy speakers would run me over $1600, then add in the cost of good cabling. I have a condo, I can't blast this stuff so its no use in getting a really nice system. My bro spent more on his Definitive audio system, the Bose actually is a lot better sounding overall. And I know experts will tell me when you open up a Bose system, they are crap quality. But you know what, I am not a picky man (yet) with sound nor do I have the accomodations for higher end system. Overall the system sounds REALLY good, but it's Bose's thiefing of propriertary cables which is a bitch. They are long, but can be an issue if you need to replace your speaker wire and cannot use anything higher gauge. Saved me the hassle of running out and buying more cables. SD content looks pretty bad on the TV, but movies are extremely clean. Blacks are deep as hell, pretty bright on HD and Full HD content. Takes a little tweaking and this TV is one of the best I've seen. The 240hz fills in framerate slowdowns, so the slight 10fps dips in MGS4 are non-existent hahaha. 240hz is overkill, but you know what next year all the TVs will be that so its not an issue and I will be up to date. Love the Yamaha receiver, first time doing a setup myself and had no hassles from anything (except tightening some speaker connections). Just wish I had a bit more space for everything, doesn't look bad but bigger is better. Luckily everything I bought is black, so it works out nicely. __________________ Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music \| Logitech Z-5500 THX 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers \| 2 Lite-On 20x S-ATA Burners \| Logitech G700 Mouse \| Logitech MX5500 Bluetooth Keyboard Last edited by BiGBrOwNPimpsta; Nov 21, 2009 at 08:35 AM.

Nov 21, 2009, 08:34 AM	Thread Starter #7
BiGBrOwNPimpsta HH's #1 Hustla and Pimp Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: The Dirty Dot Posts: 7,717 Rep Power: 107 System Specs	Re: Need to build a Home theatre, need you advice guys! also my buddy and his bro went down to buffalo and grabbed a home theatre for a good price, think he got a onyko HTIB set. don't know how it compares to mine. and KEF speakers are pretty solid, its just one of those things if you want a good deal you gotta buy online. I hate shopping online due to waiting for stuff to come in, shipping costs, having to wait for exchanges etc. __________________ Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music \| Logitech Z-5500 THX 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers \| 2 Lite-On 20x S-ATA Burners \| Logitech G700 Mouse \| Logitech MX5500 Bluetooth Keyboard

Sep 5, 2009, 09:27 PM	#1
BiGBrOwNPimpsta HH's #1 Hustla and Pimp Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: The Dirty Dot Posts: 7,717 Rep Power: 107 System Specs	Need to build a Home theatre, need you advice guys! Well I got my place renovated so its all dark oak floors now. Now I wanna get rid of my good ol sony projection and get a decent LCD and home theatre so here is the low down: I'm pretty interested in the Sony W Series 46" for my place, I mean it pretty much looks comparable to last year's XBR or so. Eventually all the TV's will be 240hz, dude at the store told me I won't notice the diff which I somewhat believe. But they say the same thing about 720p and 1080i, and I despise 720p makes my whole experience so muddy and crappy. I live in a condo, so I can't even really have a large system. This leads me to my next thing which I was kinda attracted by the Yamaha RXV765. Looks like a solid receiver. The 565 apparently has shitty rear connectors, but the feature set makes it attractive. So i knocked that off the list. I do want to get a receiver with at least 4 HDMI in, I won't be running more than 5.1 ever but clarity and compatability is my main concern. Won't be running super loud speakers, and maybe in the future in a basement thats all. My bro has a Pioneer not a big fan of it...so the 765 looks like a good package. EDIT: just realized, would the receiver be unable to output at 240hz? I do like when some movies run at 120hz like action movies so it looks pretty fake. Dramas feel good at 24hz. Lastly, speakers I found were the C SERIES. I would need I believe 4 C1's, a C6 and a C4 subwoofer. I heard it and it sounded good and are a reputable manufacturer. But speakers can be the hardest thing to find sometimes. Bottom line: I need your help in find maybe the "Q6600" of a home theatre! lol. Somewhat good for the future but not over the top as I live in a condo, but damn good bang for the buck. Would that setup be i listed be acceptable and what should I swap? Its going to be used for everything and maybe some music listening (HDTV, DVD, BD and gaming). That analogy of the q6600 is probably my best way of describing it lol. I'm not super knowledgable about all the stuff. __________________ Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music \| Logitech Z-5500 THX 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers \| 2 Lite-On 20x S-ATA Burners \| Logitech G700 Mouse \| Logitech MX5500 Bluetooth Keyboard Last edited by BiGBrOwNPimpsta; Sep 5, 2009 at 09:51 PM.

Nov 21, 2009, 09:06 AM	Thread Starter #9
BiGBrOwNPimpsta HH's #1 Hustla and Pimp Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: The Dirty Dot Posts: 7,717 Rep Power: 107 System Specs	Re: Need to build a Home theatre, need you advice guys! I believe he did get the THX system, it is 7.1. Their receiver runs hot, and I don't know how my receiver stacks up to his. He did also get a plasma, and stuffed the whole system in his bedroom lol. Only thing I bought monster was the surge protector, since it was $40. A regular belkin one is $30. HDMI cables are such a ripoff, Eforcity had HDMI 1.4 and under my understanding I heard I needed 1.4 for 240hz, but really I didn't. Didn't cost much more for 1.4, but I could of grabbed 1.3 locally for maybe a bit less. Man all this technology, see everything is cheaper upfront but its all the costs around it and recurring costs that have made it even more expensive. Back in the day "damnnnnn you got a $5000 tv?!". Now it's HDTV + speakers + receiver + HDMI cables + stands for everything + HDTV service. It's a lot more than $5000 and a new recurring cost of HDTV. Cloud computing is going to be great, but its going to be a new cash grab. edit - if you need cheap cable tunnels, get it from Ikea. They are plastic, you cut them with scissors and pretty decent thickness. I use it for my z5500 wiring, looks a lot better and modern. The style is ribbed. __________________ Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music \| Logitech Z-5500 THX 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers \| 2 Lite-On 20x S-ATA Burners \| Logitech G700 Mouse \| Logitech MX5500 Bluetooth Keyboard

Nov 21, 2009, 09:23 AM	#11
OmegaRED Relapsed Gamer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Ottawa , Canada Posts: 5,688 Rep Power: 173 System Specs	Re: Need to build a Home theatre, need you advice guys! By the way, Pimpsta, just wait until you find out about Bias Lighting! If you thought you were done spending money you haven't even begun. I went to nearly every hardware store in the city finding the right fixtures and bulbs for my bias lighting. It's a MUST for anyone with a big tv in a dark room. I used this guys suggestion to start with but I will probably go with the professional stuff. __________________ E Penis Specs: <------------- See System Specs

Nov 21, 2009, 09:23 AM	Thread Starter #12
BiGBrOwNPimpsta HH's #1 Hustla and Pimp Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: The Dirty Dot Posts: 7,717 Rep Power: 107 System Specs	Re: Need to build a Home theatre, need you advice guys! grab something reputable and looks nice for the surge protector, usually you are fine. I live in a new condo so my power is pretty clean. Monster cables work on analog signals (component) and longer distance HDMI connections. The company should be investigated for the garbage they pull. __________________ Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music \| Logitech Z-5500 THX 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers \| 2 Lite-On 20x S-ATA Burners \| Logitech G700 Mouse \| Logitech MX5500 Bluetooth Keyboard

Nov 21, 2009, 09:36 AM	#14
OmegaRED Relapsed Gamer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Ottawa , Canada Posts: 5,688 Rep Power: 173 System Specs	Re: Need to build a Home theatre, need you advice guys! A lot of people like using those LED strips Ikea sells for Bias lighting. I started with the lamp in the video then went to a fluorescent tube hanging from the back of the tv. It really does make a huge difference when watching movies. I'm going to order one of these kits, it's calibrated to the proper light spectrum blah blah techie stuff I don't care about. __________________ E Penis Specs: <------------- See System Specs

Nov 21, 2009, 09:43 AM	#16
OmegaRED Relapsed Gamer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Ottawa , Canada Posts: 5,688 Rep Power: 173 System Specs	Re: Need to build a Home theatre, need you advice guys! The lights only 60 bucks, so that's like a few bolts on the wheel of an Aston Martin. You can afford that. Go ahead, splurge! __________________ E Penis Specs: <------------- See System Specs

Nov 21, 2009, 05:53 PM	#20
OmegaRED Relapsed Gamer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Ottawa , Canada Posts: 5,688 Rep Power: 173 System Specs	Re: Need to build a Home theatre, need you advice guys! Like Pimp mentioned, I also live in an apartment building and have never had any power issues so I'm content with just using a decent surge protector from any computer store. I've even gotten so cocky over the years I don't even unplug my computer when there's a lightning but if I was in house I would definitely invest in something that would offer better protection for my components. __________________ E Penis Specs: <------------- See System Specs

Nov 21, 2009, 05:55 PM	#21
SeraphicSorcerer HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 2,295 Rep Power: 156 System Specs	Re: Need to build a Home theatre, need you advice guys! Man, you guys are way over my head on home theatre stuff, I always wanted to build a home theatre but have only a small clue what is good or not. __________________

Nov 21, 2009, 06:25 PM	#23
SeraphicSorcerer HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 2,295 Rep Power: 156 System Specs	Re: Need to build a Home theatre, need you advice guys! That's exactly my problem Omega Red, then against Visuals are unique to the person so what looks better to me may not look better, I am very big on contrast ratios and vividness, HDTVS I understand, It's Sound systems and speakers etc, I have no idea on I'm the kind of guy that will buy the most awesome radio, the more buttons I can screw it up with the better, but then the speakers will probably only be mediocre. __________________

Nov 21, 2009, 06:43 PM	#24
OmegaRED Relapsed Gamer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Ottawa , Canada Posts: 5,688 Rep Power: 173 System Specs	Re: Need to build a Home theatre, need you advice guys! When it comes to speakers and sound systems the options are so vast compared to tv's that you have to narrow it down if you want to have any hope of buying something you'll like. Start with your budget, because audio prices might as well be limitless, then the usage scenario (movies or music primarily) and room size. You might spend weeks to find the system you like only to have your woman tell you the speakers are too big or the color is ugly. It's the practical things like that you have to concentrate on. Then go on the internet or to the audio shops and look for something that meets those needs. Audio equipment is like internet porn in that respect, there's something for everyone and there's tons of it out there! __________________ E Penis Specs: <------------- See System Specs