Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater I think I'm in the market for some Axiom Ws!

My wife is going to start a semi-regular (2x/week) day care service in our house in the near future and we were brainstorming about ways to maximize space in our modest home. My eyes immediately went to our "entertainment center" -- really, just a console-like piece of furniture in the living room that houses my home theater equipment and serves as a pedestal for a large CRT TV (with VP100 on top) and my M22s. I pictured a wall-mounted flat panel TV, flanked by W22s with a W150 sitting underneath it. Pretty nice and standard, right? Well, the pièce de résistance, is that I also envisioned the entire system behind curtains that could be kept shut when the system was not in use, or even if you just wanted to listen to music.

I told all this to my wife, and her eyes lit up. I don't want to repeat myself, so let me rephrase: her eyes lit up after I described acquiring new audio and video equipment. We'd gain about 2 feet of floor space and would also be able to completely hide the TV and speakers (except the surrounds) -- which is something she's been wanting to do for a long time. She often complains that the TV is the focus of the living room....

I know which speakers I'd get already -- W22s and W100 -- so now I'm researching televisions. I don't need anything larger than 32" and it has to be wall-mountable. At this size, that means an LCD television. I've been drawn to the Sharp AQUOS line. Does anyone have any opinions about these? Should I be looking elsewhere?

(Yes, it's no coincidence that this is happening around the same time as tax season. Preliminary estimates say I need to adjust my W4 withholdings so next year's return isn't so large....)

I don't have any advise on TV models, but I know up here in Canada the Costco's have wicked deals on LCDs right now, probably the best place in Calgary to pick up an LCD is at Costco.

Also, and I am sure you have already considered this, you could just wall mount your existing speakers, wouldn't take up THAT much more room than the W series, and then you could put the money you were going to put towards the Ws to a better and BIGGER LCD?

First, Peter, in accord with my usual practice, you're sentenced to 10 lashes with a wet noodle for giving the federal government an interest-free loan instead of owing a little bit. Be that as it may, consider this TV .

Brilliant John, I thought I was the only one who felt that way about "interest free loans".

Peter that sounds like a great use of the room, a win-win situation.

Funny you should mention this. I spent a few hours yesterday looking for an LCD or Plasma set for a friend.

I don't remember the size of your current TV, Peter, but if it's a 32",4x3 TV, keep in mind that by getting a 32", 16x9 TV, your 4x3 image, when watching standard TV programs will be comparable to a 26", 4x3 TV. You'd need to get a 40", 16x9 TV to get a 32", 4x3 image.

Regardless, though I don't consider CNET the end all and be all of sources, it's not a bad place to start.

CNET Editor's ratings of 32" to 41.9" LCD TVs (The Samsung LN-S3251D caught my eye)

I recently purchased a 32" Viewsonic LCD, after being happy with the 27" model I bought for the bedroom ~ 18 months ago. I purchased the 27" from costco.ca and the 32" from tigerdirect.ca.

The 32" has a noticeably better picture than the 27" on standard definition television. I feel the picture on the 32" Viewsonic is almost as good as my old Toshiba Cinema Series 32" CRT. But where the Viewsonic really shines is on HD material. The picture with a 720p feed is stunning. Costco.com has the TV on sale right now for $600, which is a real bargain. My suggestion while shopping is to ensure you view standard definition TV (if that's your main source) and DVD material to see how the native 720p television resolves these lower resolutions. The main weakness of LCD is an often poor picture quality on SD material. Having lived with the 32" Viewsonic for ~ 3 months now, I can say that I'm very pleased with the unit.

Congrats, Peter. But where will you put the equipment?

I have a Toshiba 32" tV That I am happy with. When I have had to call Toshiba concerning the on screen TV guide, or with problems with my Toshiba DVD Player, they were quick to get on the phone with a person I could understand. I will say My brothers 60" Sony rear projection LCD TV has better black levels, but I dont think this is what you are looking for.

Randy

>>I told all this to my wife, and her eyes lit up. I don't want to repeat myself, so let me rephrase: her eyes lit up after I described acquiring new audio and video equipment. >>

Its good to be a part of the "supportive wives" husbands club isn't it?