So many questions... - Axiom Message Boards

I have so many questions, it seems the more I research the more I learn and the more questions pop up. Hubby and I are building a house and are putting a dedicated theater in the basement. Our room is 15x28 with ceiling starting at 8' and ending up at 10. We have decided on the Epic 80-600 system and have somewhat decided on a Denon AVR 4306 and the Panasonic PT-AE900U. I have read great reviews about the projector, so am mostly convinced about it. the receiver sounds good, but the review I heard said it's hard for a newbie. And both hubby and I are new, but we are capable of learning. So based on the dimensions of the room, would this reciever handle these speakers without having another amp hooked up? I don't necessarily think that we'll be deafening ourselves in this room with crazy loud music, but I also don't want to be limited on our options

. Also I have looked at a few places that have what I think is called media centers where there are hundreds of DVD's stored and hooked to the "client" for watching. One place told me $5500 for a set up with 3 clients and this other guy told me starting price is $7,000 for one client, but others can be added. I would love any information and advice on our set up. We are movie watchers and music listeners. but not everyday. Although today I went to a home that had a theater and they played the phantom of the opera song in there and it nearly brought tears to my eyes because the sound was so intense and amazing!! So i am thinking I could be found down there immersing myself in the music. we have a fair bit of money to be spent on this project, but like everyone else, we need the most bang for the buck! Sorry for the novel, i just feel like I have so many questions.

Thanks!!

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I have so many questions, it seems the more I research the more I learn and the more questions pop up.

Welcome to the dreaded life of a scientist, or blooming audiophiles.

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Our room is 15x28 with ceiling starting at 8' and ending up at 10. We have decided on the Epic 80-600 system and have somewhat decided on a Denon AVR 4306 and the Panasonic PT-AE900U.

Lovely choices. I'm considering that Panasonic myself.

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So based on the dimensions of the room, would this reciever handle these speakers without having another amp hooked up?

Yes and if you are at all concerned about turning up the volume beyond the capabilities of the receiver, that Denon has "pre out" connections such that you can hook up an external amp to power everything from just the main speakers to the rest of your system if necessary. A small addition in the future if it is needed. Otherwise, test out the setup with the receiver first. If you don't run into any distortion or clipping problems at your standard listening volumes, you are all set.
Good used amps (e.g. Anthem at 225W/channel rating) can run as little as $600 Cdn.

Sorry i can't comment on the dvd client thing.

i would reccomend one of the sony mega changers..

i have one it holds 400 dvd's/ cd's onkyo also has a mega changer, i think theirs holds 600 dvd's and the onkyo can be linked to give you a total of 600 disks.. and going with either the sony or onkyo will be WAY less than 5000$ i think the sony is at best buy/ circuit city for 400$ or so.. and the onkyo product is in the same price range i think..

the way that i kept all of my disks in order was i made an access database, with muptipal fields, so i could search by many different options, actor, type (action comedy ect) and you could get a in expensive dell and place it on a table if you have one in your room, I kept my laptop on my coffie table, sense I had my HT set up in my living room, and this worked out wonderful, I could find exactly what I wanted with in a minute. I also have a projector, and I definaly think this is the way to go, nothing like watching HD on a 100” image, I don’t even want to watch regular tv after watching HD.. one other item you might want to think about adding is a video scaler

http://www.dvdo.com/pro/pro_isvp30_packs.php#packabt102

dvdo vp30, you any input in any input out, so you can always have 1080p/I output..

just an idea.

Welcome to the forum!

Always good to have another distaff forum member. Sonicfox, Amie and, I believe, Gena are our current female members.

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have so many questions, it seems the more I research the more I learn and the more questions pop up.

As Chess said, "Welcome to the dreaded life of a blooming audiophile." This hobby proves the old adage "the more I learn, the less I know."

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...based on the dimensions of the room, would this reciever [Denon 4306] handle these speakers without having another amp hooked up?

From what I've heard, it will be more than adequate for your room and your system. It's a highly respected brand and model. And, repeating Chess, again, if you want more, you can always add a separate amplifier at a later time.

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the receiver sounds good, but the review I heard said it's hard for a newbie. And both hubby and I are new, but we are capable of learning.

We all started out "new,"and we all learned. You will too. You can always seek help here and at other forums. We're always glad to lead someone astray

. The worst thing about your choice is that Denon's poorly written (translated?) manuals can drive one to distraction. But hang in there, ask questions, and we'll be happy to help you figure it out.

I'm no help with the "media center" thing either. Apologies. I'm not sure how a media center works but that seems a lot of money to spend for the convenience of being able to call up a movie, particularly in light of the fact that you aren't an everyday movie watcher. My ignorance of how a media center works prompts the question, what is your objection to a good universal player, like the Denon 2910 or 3910? Should you, like me, become interested in high resolution music, SACD and DVD-A (and judging from your comment about the Phantom of the Opera music, I would recommend you give it a try), you'll want a player capable of playing those formats.

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today I went to a home that had a theater and they played the phantom of the opera song in there and it nearly brought tears to my eyes because the sound was so intense and amazing!! So i am thinking I could be found down there immersing myself in the music.

What equipment, particularly speakers, are you currently using? Knowing this will give us a good idea if you are going to experience the rejuvenation of your music listening that so many of us have enjoyed. I was approximately a 95% movie watcher/5% music listener when I replaced my 30 year old stereo equipment. Now it's closer to 50/50. And, when I have a well recorded CD (preferably an SACD) of music that I really enjoy, and can turn off the lights, sit back and close my eyes, I sometimes think I have croaked and gone to heaven (which, at my age, is not an unreasonable possibility...............except for the "gone to heaven" part.

)

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we have a fair bit of money to be spent on this project, but like everyone else, we need the most bang for the buck!

Well, though there are others as well, you've come to one of the best places for "bang for the buck."

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i just feel like I have so many questions.

Fire away! Just keep in mind that you'll be receiving a myriad of opinions and you'll have to separate the wheat from the chaff. In the end, only YOU can tell what is best for you. But, as I said, we'll be glad to lead you astray.

Once again, welcome!

With so many questions, I guess that you start somewhere and work through the list. If you have some time, I think that you will find it somewhat enjoyable.

I would also recommend you read about the Sanyo Z4 projector. Spend some time on http://www.projectorcentral.com for more information. The Panny is also a good projector, I love my Z2. The Denon won't have any problems driving that system, and you can always buy an aditional amp to drive the 80's if you want. Or, you could be seperates right now versus a receiver. I also would say you don't have to spend 4-5,000 on a solution for your DVD's. I originally planned to by a Un-Raid Server from Lime Technology to rip all my movies to hard drives, but it is easier to just put the DVD's in my Home Theater PC, you can still use a Media Center software for music, internet, HD TV watching, etc...

For those who are interested in finding out about "media centers," this could be what ablack311 is talking about (ablack311, please correct me if I'm wrong). Kudos to Dennis for finding this site.

Media centers are nice and convenient but they are far from necessary for most Home Theater setups. The only time they really become necessary is if you have a HUGE movie collection. Personally, I'd suggest putting the Media Center on the back burner until you figure out the receiver/speakers. I'd worry about room acoustics long before I'd spend a moment thinking about a media center. If you are dead set on getting one, you can look into HTPC's (Home Theater PC's) that can store your movies on a hard drive or look at the Escient Fireball system which is far from cheap but works very well.

ESCIENT FIREBALL

311,

Greetings….

I’m about a year ahead of you. I started this same trip as you, and can emphasis with you. Lots and lots of info…..

I wouldn’t worry too much about the learning curve on AVR’s. They all suck in that regards. It doesn’t matter what you get, there will be some irritation and plenty of booze to drink before you figure it all out. The Dennon you are looking at is a dandy from what I can tell. You should have no problems driving the M80’s with it either. There’s lot’s of helpful folks on this sight that can walk you through the setup, so no worries there.

I just picked up a panny 900au myself. To be real honest about it, if I were buying today, I’d get the Optoma H72. While the 900 is supposed to be a great projector, I think the H72 has the winning edge. http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/OptomaHD72p1.php The Optoma has HDMI inputs and it will vertically stretch the image with either component or HDMI input. What this means is that it’s one of the very few projectors that will manipulate a digitally up-scaled image. With component, you just get 480P verses 720P or 1080i. Too much info for this post on these pro’s / con’s, but check out the 2.35:1 screen input thread I started a few weeks ago. Lot’s and lot’s of screen information on that thread.

I haven’t even opened the box on my 900, and I’m not sure if it has HDMI or DVI inputs (its specs say HDMI-HDPC and I don’t have a friggin clue what the hell that is). DVI input has a max VIDEO data stream of 8 bit, verses the HDMI of 12 bits. Don’t ask me what that means technically, because I don’t know! I just know it’s a good thing as 12 bit information is 1.5 X’S that of 8 bit. The Optoma has HDMI and HDMI-HDPC. Maybe someone else can answer that….JOHN??

I don’t know what all that is about the DVD program you mentioned above. Not a clue……sounds funky to me though. I’d just pick up a player and be done with it. I need to buy one too. We are right in the middle of a time where DVD technology is taking a big step towards something new. You have two immerging technologies that are in competition with each other (remember bata and laser disks?). In one year I’m fairly certain that there will either be HD-DVD or Blue ray DVD technology in the main stream, or possibly both. There are currently two different manufactures with HD-DVD players on the market now (Toshiba and RCA). Within one month, there will be two Blue Ray players on the market (Pioneer and Samsung). The Toshiba and RCA HD-DVD players run $500, while the Pioneer will be $1800 and the Samsung will be $1000. The picture quality of HD-DVD is vastly superior to standard DVD, but the players have first generation bugs. ………………so, all that speculation aside, I have made the decision (just yesterday) to pass on these new players and pick up an OPPO standard definition DVD player. It has an amazing picture that scores higher than the $4000 Dennon player, and it’s only $200. In few moths when the HD DVD / Blue ray war is over, hopefully there will be reasonably priced and dependable players available. And if we are all real lucky, there will be universal players that play both technologies. But in the meantime, the $200 OPPO will do just fine.

For your speaker choice, I’d recommend that you go with a third M80 as your center channel speaker if you have room under your screen, which I think you will. Not much more $$$ than the VP.

Later. ………mike

Also Escient Fireball Review

Thanks everyone for your replies! I think i've decided to put the media center on the back burner for now. I can see how it isn't necessary, and if I got one it would have to be one that stored them, as currently hubby and I only own like 15 dvd's!! LOL. I would want to borrow collections of my sister and anyone else I know and save them! Is that legal? I like the idea of putting another M80 in the center, but what exactly is the difference between the m80 and the center that comes in the home theater package? I will need to look into the other projectors, i knew as soon as I posted that I could be swayed another direction. The funny thing about me doing all of this research is that this theater is hubby's dream and I'm the one spending ALL of my time figuring it out!!! I guess that shows i'm the bigger nerd

Ajax: I don't have a theater yet, where I live there is a home show that shows off local home builders, and someone else's house had the theater playing phantom. I think he said the speakers were called alon or elon or something to that effect, it was a smaller room than mine though. Thanks everyone again for your help, and I'm sure i'll be asking more and more questions

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Ajax: I don't have a theater yet, where I live there is a home show that shows off local home builders, and someone else's house had the theater playing phantom. I think he said the speakers were called alon or elon or something to that effect, it was a smaller room than mine though.

AH! I mistakenly assumed you were referring to one of the Phantom soundtrack CDs, and not the actual movie itself. The sound you heard was probably encoded in Dolby Digital 5.1 (an audio format used for most movies). It is a higher resolution format (I believe) than standard CDs, as are SACDs and DVD-As.

Are you saying you have no speakers at the moment, not even an ancient stereo to which you listen? If that's the case, then your audio must come from your TV, and all I can say is "are you in for a treat" (the same is true even if you do have that ancient stereo)

"Alon" or "Elon" doesn't ring any bells. A google search comes up with these monsters, and this small set. There seem to be other models as well, but I can't find a home web site for the manufacturer.

Found this info :

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Recently Alon is now known as Nola speakers(Alon backwards)due to change in partnership in 2004.

NOLA

Okay ...................think I should the Grand Reference IV System in the piano gloss black, it only list for $ 160k.

I think I came across Nola when I was searching, but didn't think anything of it, the ones this particular home had were built in. I saw quite a few homes today that had theaters, but the were mostly built in. Someone once told me that when you build them in you have to box them because the sound from the speakers will escape from the back of them, which is why we are looking into these.....does anyone put axioms in wall? I don't really care either way if they are built in or not. So how do you guys recommend hooking up the projector? HDMI or rgb. Our electrician ran conduit in our theater so we would be able to chang out the wiring of the projector, and then when we were talking to him he says that we wouldn't be able to pull "monster" cables through this though, they won't fit. WHAT THE!!?? um that's the point so we could put anything through it...so now that leads me to yet another question...how should I hook it up? and if we get the panasonic 900 what is hdmi to dvsomething or other...??

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how should I hook it up? and if we get the panasonic 900 what is hdmi to dvsomething or other...??

This tutorial might help explain about connections.

How to connect your Home Theater

HDMI and DVI are digital connections and provide the highest quality video. Though there are differences, you can connect DVI outputs and inputs to HDMI inputs and outputs with a DVI/HDMI cable.

DVI =

HDMI =

Speaking of cables, you'll find most of us recommend avoiding Monster cables. The quality is fine, but they're grossly overpriced. For quality cables at incredibly reasonable prices check out Monoprice.com. I think you'll be amazed at their prices compared to Monster, or even other brands from online vendors.

Wow. I'm glad they tell you you can flip a Nola LCR Reference upside down if you use them vertically. I never would have figured that out...

One just has to wonder about a company whose prices range from $700/pair items to $160K items...

Wahoo!!! hubby and i just got our check for our theater equipment...So i'm just curious...we have $28000 to spend on the whole room...keep in mind we've already spent 1400 in framing for the soundproofing, and about another $2000 for the double drywall we are doing, and I"m not sure the cost on the insulation yet..another 4300 or so for furnishings and carpeting...we will have about 20k to spend on equipment...so I'm wondering how you guys would spend the money!

well order my a pair of QS8 and I will be thankful!
Will even send you a postcard .. no-charge!

monoprice rules. Even with overnight shipping it was less than half of the BB crap. CC was worst, 70 USD for 50 feet of speaker wire.....

20K for A/V equipment……..hmmm

For that room of yours, you can fit some M80’s in back for the rear surrounds. So if it were my money I’d get…..

Five M80’s – the right, left, center and rear surrounds.
Four QS-8’s – side surrounds
Two EP 600’s

I’d get the speakers in one of the custom wood options with a piano finish. Not sure what the exact bill would be, but figure 13K

I’d still stick with one of the <$2000 projectors. There’s no reason to waste money on a high dollar projector, and if you read the reviews, it’s an easy decision. My top three projectors to pick from would be 1) Optoma H72 2) Panny 900 3) Sanyo Z4

I’d still build my own screen. No reason to waste money on a pre-fab screen. Figure $1000 for the material.

That leaves roughly $4000 for the electronics.

You’ll need a DVD player. My first choice is the Oppo. $200. Same reason as my first reply to this string. HD-DVD and Blue Ray are here, but the players are still stumbling around on baby feet. Don’t waste money on a high dollar DVD player.

The rest I’d spend on some good amps and a pre-pro. Probably Rotel or NAD. I like separates over a stand alone AVR. Technology changes all the time. The processing of the video/audio streams is what changes, but the power to drive the speakers doesn’t. With the separates route, you keep the amps till they go up in smoke (15 years or so). Just change the processor ever couple years as needed.

Seeing how this is your first go at a HT, I’d suggest you go to a few Hi-fi shops with a handful of your favorite CD’s. Take the ol’ man and spend some time listening to different speakers. Don’t buy anything, just listen to them. Take note on what you like and don’t like with each speaker. Then come on back and tell us what you think. I’d bet a paycheck that someone here will be able to either find you a better deal than what was at the dealer, or, you may just like the Axiom sound better. It’s pretty important to know what type of sound you prefer though. Axioms may not be for you. And with the money you are spending, I’d make damn sure you get speakers that you’ll enjoy for many years.