[andrzejpw]

Currently, we're in the process of remodeling our basement. Ultimately, it will serve as a home theater for my family for years to come. Note: this will not be the end-all of audio. I have less than a year left, and then I'm going off to college. I've simply been asked by by father to pick out a few components.

The room is 15 feet by 21 feet, and we'll be placing the tv on the long wall. Currently, we have a 27 inch JVC model, purchased around 1995. Do you guys think that its worth getting a new TV at this time? Note that this will have to serve my family for years to come. Should they buy one closer to 2006/7?

Currently, our home theater consists of:

JVC 888VBK receiver
Apex 660A DVD player
Dish Network 501 PVR

Front speakers: Omni-audio speakers (yes, these are the infamous "white van" speakers that my dad bought for $200).
Center: Pioneer (matched with rears below, too lazy to rip it out)
Rear: Pioneer S-H152B-K
Subwoofer: nothing

As you can tell from the above, audio-fidelity is not really of paramount importance so much as budget is. Lately, however, this has changed. As my family has become better off, and my father more accepting of hi-fi audio, he's been more open to purchasing better equipment. First, I'm asking for some suggestions about a TV. For future proofness, 16:9 would be ideal I think. We'll be placing a sectional in the room, so figure us sitting about 10-15 feet away from the TV. Budget-wise, my dad is pretty open, but figure around 2k.

Secondly: a subwoofer. I've never been much of a bass guy, and to me the idea sounds dirty, but it sure would be nice to hear those shots during saving private ryan. . .

Thirdly: a new source. The whole hi-res audio thing would probably be lost on my family, so its not a necessity. A philips 963 looks tempting. . . especially if I could "appropriate" it for some headphone sessions

.

Fourth: new front speakers? I've always dreamed about paradigm 5s or something. Can anyone make a suggestion? This would probably not go through, however.

We're actually in the process of doing the room right now as I type this(I'm taking a break). We'll be running speaker wire to the rear(we have a spool of monster (yah, I know) XP that my dad picked up for pennies). The only thing I'm worried about is the fact that the pioneers may not be able to fill the room.

Thanks for your help guys. If all goes well, I'll have a nice room for inviting friends over and the occasional make-out session (skippy would be proud).

 

[andrzejpw]

I took the time to post that and nothing?

 

[vrao81]

I'm confused, is 2K the budget for the TV or the whole system?

 

[andrzejpw]

2k for the tv, sorry if that wasn't clear.

 

[vrao81]

How much can you spend on a sub, source, and new speakers?

 

[andrzejpw]

throw some ideas out. $500-600 sounds like a good limit for a sub/source. Speakers, well, just throw some ideas out.

 

[vrao81]

Well for a sub I would at least get an Adire RAVA ($400). SVS would also be a great choice, the cheapest SVS powered sub is $550.
The phillips 963 is a great choice. If you want to upgrade your speakers, you almost certainly have to upgrade your receiver.
You could get the TV, sub, and receiver now, then save for speakers and the receiver later.
Or if money is tight just get the sub for now.

 

[andrzejpw]

anything closer to $200-$300 sub wise? just looking at options. . .

 

[vrao81]

Seriously, most $300 and under subs are total junk.....

 

[Lando]

Hmmm...you've got 2k to spend on a tv and a very large wall....how about a projector? I can't personally recommend any, but IIRC entry level projectors are down to about 1k. I'm sure you could get a decent projector and a video scaler for 2k. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)

 

[HD-5000]

Entry level projectors are junk. $2000 can get a decent rear projection TV. andrezjpw, I am also building a home theater in my basement, which we finished solely for the purpose of home theater. I would beg, beg, beg! for a higher budget for the audio. It's going to be well worth it in the long run.

 

[CRESCENDOPOWER]

Quote:

Originally posted by vrao81 Seriously, most $300 and under subs are total junk.....

Quote:

The room is 15 feet by 21 feet

I am with vrao81 on this one. I think I would much rather have my money in the bank!

 

[andrzejpw]

Ok, I'll look into that sub. Kelly suggested an Infocus X1 projector, which is looking pretty good.

 

[lan]

If you can check TVs and projectors locally that would be nice. X1 is a good budget projector. Of course "good" is a matter of perspective. I have a Sanyo Z1 and really like it.

 

[grinch]

my tv can be had for around $2k and i find it to be rather incredible (sony 34xbr800). however, since you're going to dedicate a whole room to home theatre, you probably don't want to stop at 34". i'm not a big fan of rear projection tvs, especially when directly compared to my front-view. either way, i think you should definitely get a model that is hdtv ready. the 34xbr800 does not have an hdtv tuner, but has plenty of inputs for one if i ever decided to go that route.

if you want to spend more time in learning and setup, it sounds like a dlp is the way to go. i've been hearing great things about the infocus x1, but it is rather stoic in options and inputs. plus you'd have to run additional cables through your ceiling, along with all these speaker cables you're running now. also, keep in mind that your sound system will have to be setup fairly explicitly as you'll ALWAYS have to use it since projectors don't generally have any kind of sound output (sort of a duh thing, but it seems like it was worth mentioning anyway).

also, on the subwoofer thing, i would suggest a diy model. i know you and your dad seem to be diy-inclined, so why not use it? they're supposed to be great for the money, i just can't remember any links to the places that sell kits/schematics.