Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater HT for $10K

I agree with Ray. I'd suggest M60s and an upgraded sub.

Offloading bass to the sub greatly frees up the amp. Most power is required for bass frequencies. With the sub handling bass (and most of the power), I personally don't think you need an upgraded amp.

Save some money in case you need acoustic wall panels, carpet, paint, sconce lights, light dimmers, media storage, etc. Those are the details that transform a room to a theater.

Do your seating calculations carefully. For high def, you need to sit closer than standard def for a given screen size. Here's a viewing distance calculator: Viewing distance calculator


Be aware of how much off-axis angle your screen tolerates. If you can't control room lighting a big DLP or LCD rear projection display might be better.

The biggest improvment I ever made to my HDTV was getting a DirecTV HD Tivo (HR10-250). It totally transforms the TV experience.

If after considering the above you have money left over spend it on seating. You spend a lot of time there.

I think one question that needs to be asked is wheher you want a 5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 setup. Your post implies 5.1 since you mentioned the Epic 80 system and priced it as a 5.1 system.

With that kind of money, some people in your shoes might want to consider a 6.1 or 7.1 setup so I just want to clarify and be sure a 5.1 setup is what you are aiming for.

rook (notice it rhymes with "hooked" ? he MX-700 has been getting some pretty good play here and quite a few of the board denizens own one. There are some threads you can look at here and here and here .

The net of it is that this puppy is an unbelievably able addition to a Home Theater. As you will see, the MSRP is $349, but it can be had as an open box item from SurfRemoteControl for $180. That's how I got mine and they come in pristine condition. When you get to the info (it is worth the time to pore through the ones I listed, go from the last link to the first.) about the review at Remote Central - stop over and read it.

You wil also see that this thing will make the 3805 stand up and sing for you. As you MIGHT be able to tell, I like mine alot!!! This is a no-brainer addition to the HT you are planning. Several folks here are available and willing to help you get it set up, including myself.

Be careful of MarkSJohnson though - it looks like he is going to use his as a paper weight!

KC - It will indeed be a 7.1 setup...so I guess I miscalculated by $500 for 2 more QS8s.

Closer to the screen for HD?? Did I read that right?

is it my stupidity or do other people have a problem understanding the distance calculator. i want either a 51 or 57 inch (diag) wide screen hdtv rear projection i will be between 10 - 12 feet which size should i go. sorry for the hijack but i figured since someone was quoting that distance calc maybe they would know how to use it. Thanks

OK, glad that was cleared up. There are 4 things I would do if I were in your shoes.

1.)My first suggestion echo's that of some others. I would get the M60's instead of the M80's and use the extra money to apply towards another pair of QS8's to do 7.1.

2.) I took a quick look at the specs on the Sony projector. Do you have Voom or any other source to where you will be watching a lot of HDTV? If not, and you will be watching regular cable/TV and DVD's, then I suggest you save a bundle of money by considering a projector that has less native resolution but excellent contrast(3000:1). I have seen two DLP projectors that readily outperform much higher-priced HDTV compatible projectors when it comes to viewing DVD's and regular TV/cable. Don't waste your money buying a projector with a higher native resolution if you can't take advantage of it. In the event you won't be watching HDTV, I suggest you take a look at the Optoma H31. You can get one for $1300 and it defies logic at its price. I have witnessed this thing beat out other projectors that were around $3k. Skeptical? Find one and audition it...you will likely be amazed.

3.) With the savings from the afforementined paragraph, I would set my sights on a NAD T773 receiver. I believe MSRP is $1800 but you should be able to get it from a local dealer for $1500. This receiver really gives you solid power with its dual-Holmgren torroidial power supplies and can even go stable to 2 ohms. Despite what some might say, this is the kind of A/V receiver that makes some question whether separates are really needed. Also, the remote supplied with this unit is good enough that you don't have to buy an aftermarket remote to be happy. It's not as nice as a new Pronto, but it is very solid and does everything most people would require. I won't rant on about specs etc. but I will provide links to a review and the receiver:

http://www.avrev.com/equip/nadt773/

http://www.nadelectronics.com/av_receivers/T773_frameset.htm

4.) Again I will echo what others have said and consider an SVS sub or perhaps the EP500.

Breakdown:
M60's, 4QS8's, VP150 = $2625 (apply 5% discount) = $2493
NAD T773 = ~$1500
Optoma H31 + 106"(horizontal) Da-lite fixed screen = ~$2300
DVD player - $350
Seats for 6-8 ~$2500
SVS PB12-ISD/2 = $899

That puts you at $10,042. The system you listed in your original post put you at $9,800 including the added $500 for the QS8's you forgot to initially list.

Hummmm....I think its a done deal on the Sub. Stick with the Axiom EP500. It would actually look good in your room; I wish I could say the same for the SVS.

Um..is it OK if I misspelled toroidal? ha

Darn the edit window!

KC- My main viewing for HD will be sporting events. Otherwise it'll be regular DVDs and the occasional movie on cable. This is not in the den where I'll watch news and the kids watch cartoons. The Sony projector I mentioned boasts a 6000:1 contrast, which is one of the reasons I was attracted to it. It's apparently not the brightest projector, but I'll have total light control. Whaddya think?

As far as the NAD: I looked at that line initially, and am even still considering separates. What's turned me off of NAD at this point is that MANY of the personal reviews suggest that there is often problems with their products. Yeah they're great when they work, but it seems like SO many complaints about NAD products not functioning properly. Plus, I get the impression that NAD is geared more towards music than HT. Is that correct? And does it have all the features the Denon 3805 does?

Thanks

I must have misread the specs when I looked it up. I thought I saw 600:1. My mistake. I wouldn't worry about brightness with the Sony at all....contrast is much more important. I would still consider looking for a projector that has excellent contrast with a lower native resolution (if such a projector exists). You pay dearly for the higher native resolution and why pay for it if you will only use it once in a while to watch sports? Just my opinion.

As far as NAD, I think you will find their older offerings had the quality control issues, mainly the 7x1 series but the 7x2 series did have an issue with the initial rollout models that was resolved by a firmware updgrade. The latest series has been out for over a year and there hasn't been much reported. I searched the home theatre forum for 'NAD T773' and 'NAD 773' and "NAD problem" and combined their was only 5 threads that spanned from January 1, 2004 to present. None of those threads were the ongoing type you typically see with a unit that is plagued with problems. One guy had a problem with a popping sound but it seems to be related to his Sony TV (odd, eh?) Another person experienced a problem with analog audio and the unit was replaced. One person was irritated by the fan noise of the T773. Lastly, another person is experiencing a noise problem when the 773 is on and in DVD input mode and the DVD player is turned off...apparently the noise goes away when the DVD player is turned on. Not sure if that is a valid issue or a setup issue.

NAD does have a music-first approach; which means they are geared to providing excellent sound on 2-channel stereo. However, that sound quality doesn't dropp off the earth when you switch from 2-channel music to HT. They just want to make a receiver that isn't thought of as "only a home theater receiver'. They are trying to provide the best of both worlds.

I copied the following text from the review link I added in my post. "Particular attention is given to the front main channels, which are fed from a specially selected two-channel DAC for the best possible sonic performance with Redbook CDs and uncompressed PCM recordings." It is just an example of NAD's 'music-first' philosophy. The review I put in the first reply is an interesting read if you want to know more about the T773.

As for the features, you can easily compare those on the net for yourself. The Denon is likely to have some bells and whistles that the NAD does not have while the NAD will have superior dynamic headroom (I noticed the Denon 3805 doesn't list specs for 4-ohm; it can probably handle it but not very effieciently). Any 3805 owners can chime in on that subject. Probably the biggest difference is that the Denon will do video conversion from composite to S-video which probably doesn't apply for most people.