astroglide's home theater: what i own, what i would buy today

[astroglide]

[ QUOTE ]
Great thread. However, I have to disagree on the awesomeness of wall-mounting. The volume saved in our master bedroom by going with a wallmount LCD vs. a standard TV with a pedestal/entertainment center/etc. really opens up the room for me. I am really big on open space, though. I would mount all my electronics in/on the walls if possible.

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i see it as a perfectly functional decision if one is space-limited, or particularly enjoys open spaces. i think the general appeal of wall-mounted flat panels is the "ooh ah" though, and it's got nothing to do with the picture. i think all of the indiscriminate purchases of crappo plasmas from costco attests to this. i wouldn't avoid a flat panel just to make a statement about that stuff, i'm just saying i wouldn't seek it out for those reasons.

most flat panels i've seen in homes are what i'd consider to be improperly mounted too: too high, too low, off to the side, etc. i particularly hate the visual distraction of the over-the-fireplace mount, in addition to the height thing. it's not like we read books by holding them over our heads with a busy landscape right in front of our face.

immersion the thing that matters most to me when watching high definition content, and those are the sort of things that pop you out of it. another thing is viewing angle though, and a wall-mounted set is going to be set back a good 12-18 inches from where a rear projection set would have been. that effectively translates to a smaller screen, and less immersion. in other threads i've made a big deal out of screen size because it's a big, big deal to me. i think most people look at a 42" and say, hell, i've only got a 27" set now this is gonna be more than enough! once they sit 10' away from a 60" screen someplace else they should quickly realize that it isn't too big, it's just right.

it seems likely that flat panels will become the eventual standard, and i'll still be the first in line if it's cost-effective, large enough, and i'm able to mount it properly in the room.

[edtost]

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i consider myself an educated consumer, not an expert, but i am completely satisfied with the products i'm using.

TELEVISION
own now: sony kdf-60xs955
would buy: sony kds-60a2000


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A $4000 TV.

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HOME THEATER IN A BOX
own now: onkyo ht-s580
would buy: onkyo ht-s590


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A $400 audio system.

Something seems off here.

J

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more or less weird: i have the 50" version of that TV (its unbelievably awesome, btw) hooked up to a ~$2k stereo audio system rather than surround sound.

[PITTM]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
i consider myself an educated consumer, not an expert, but i am completely satisfied with the products i'm using.

TELEVISION
own now: sony kdf-60xs955
would buy: sony kds-60a2000


[/ QUOTE ]

A $4000 TV.

[ QUOTE ]

HOME THEATER IN A BOX
own now: onkyo ht-s580
would buy: onkyo ht-s590


[/ QUOTE ]

A $400 audio system.

Something seems off here.

J

[/ QUOTE ]

more or less weird: i have the 50" version of that TV (its unbelievably awesome, btw) hooked up to a ~$2k stereo audio system rather than surround sound.

[/ QUOTE ]

2k stereo audio system specs? anyone here use McIntosh stuff? My TV setup downstairs is a 32 inch samsung hd, hooked to a 1978 Marantz 1060b, hooked to KEF C40 speakers. I've never been able to turn the Marantz past 40% as when i got to 35 the neighbors came over immediately to complain [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[edtost]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


A $400 audio system.

Something seems off here.

J

[/ QUOTE ]

more or less weird: i have the 50" version of that TV (its unbelievably awesome, btw) hooked up to a ~$2k stereo audio system rather than surround sound.

[/ QUOTE ]

2k stereo audio system specs? anyone here use McIntosh stuff? My TV setup downstairs is a 32 inch samsung hd, hooked to a 1978 Marantz 1060b, hooked to KEF C40 speakers. I've never been able to turn the Marantz past 40% as when i got to 35 the neighbors came over immediately to complain [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]
your 2-channel audio thread from OOT

I only counted the costs of the integrated + speakers, since the CD player isn't really part of the home theater, and I can't remember what brand or how much the overpriced cables I bought were. Rega integrated was ~$950 iirc, and dynaudio bookshelfs were a little over $1k.

[PITTM]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


A $400 audio system.

Something seems off here.

J

[/ QUOTE ]

more or less weird: i have the 50" version of that TV (its unbelievably awesome, btw) hooked up to a ~$2k stereo audio system rather than surround sound.

[/ QUOTE ]

2k stereo audio system specs? anyone here use McIntosh stuff? My TV setup downstairs is a 32 inch samsung hd, hooked to a 1978 Marantz 1060b, hooked to KEF C40 speakers. I've never been able to turn the Marantz past 40% as when i got to 35 the neighbors came over immediately to complain [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]
your 2-channel audio thread from OOT

I only counted the costs of the integrated + speakers, since the CD player isn't really part of the home theater, and I can't remember what brand or how much the overpriced cables I bought were. Rega integrated was ~$950 iirc, and dynaudio bookshelfs were a little over $1k.

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ah, that WAS you. yeah. nice [censored] setup dude.

[By-Tor]

I am very suprised to see Home Theater In A Box on your list, but seeing that you live in a condo, I can understand why.

If you where to move to a blastable location, which Receiver / Speaker combination would you be looking at as a replacement?

[astroglide]

[ QUOTE ]
If you where to move to a blastable location, which Receiver / Speaker combination would you be looking at as a replacement?

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i would probably target a price range, troll around avsforum and cnet for recommendations, and then try to listen to the elements of the setup in-person.

i find the idea of somebody not being able to tell the difference between dvd and hdtv somewhat revolting, but i think i would put myself in that same category when it comes to audio. unless two things are literally side by side, i think i would be unlikely to perceive something as being signifigantly better. but then again, i question the veracity of so many people's claims on audio because there are such varying opinions. hundreds of brands and combinations, and it still seems like so many of them are individually just brand loyalists. if that's what the discriminating ear is boiling it down to, maybe things really are close within a given price strata.

i sort of liken it to people having intense feelings about specific branded liquors when they would probably be unable to pick it out of a lineup. if simply asserting that a specific, esoteric brand is tops makes one an expert i'll probably never get there. i actually kinda hope that there is a medium to high end equivalent of a home theater in a box. for most people that's probably just going to the local high-end store and asking for a packaged recommendation, but if i'm going to be taking a lot of it on "well it's plenty good for me!" faith i figure i might as well get a deal.

perhaps all of this will open up and change for me when i begin investigating, but i doubt it.

[astroglide]

as an aside, the harmony remote provided the impetus i needed to start using rechargeable batteries. i picked up an energizer kit at sam's club, extremely happy that i did. less hassle, less waste. with a quick-charger and charged spares there's never a problem.

[sean c]

borodog,

I have the wall mount in the bedroom and family room. It kicks ass in the bedroom but in the family room we still had to get a decent sized cabinet for all the other stuff.

astro,

I have the harmony 890. I love it but then again i don't know any better.

[Borodog]

Sean,

We have the electronics for the bedroom on a low slung set of shelfs on the floor beneath the TV, about 18 inches high. The footprint is small, but the important thing is that it opens up a couple of cubic yards of volume that would have been taken up by a regular entertainment center.

I will probably be going flat panel in the living room this year for the same reason. We have a regular TV in an entertainment armoir type thing, and it looms like a frigging refrigerator in my living room. It annoys me more and more every day. Just typing this has made me want to go TV shopping.