Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater New Setup for Brother

You may remember I was put in charge of setting my brother up with a new HT package. Here are my top four suggestions for him. What do you all think? Things to keep in mind. 1) He REALLY wants a jukebox style cd changer 2) Style is EVERYTHING to him. (not over sound quality, but he'll gladly pay a premium for added style/prestige)

He is immune to "upgraditis" - so what he gets now will be what he has for the next looong time.

Sorry it's difficult to read, I cut and paste from a .doc I sent to him. Didn't want to re-type/edit this whole thing for this post. Sorry!


Option #1 – Rotel based

Axiom M60ti mains $800 http://www.axiomaudio.com/m60ti.html
Axiom VP150 center $350 http://www.axiomaudio.com/vp150.html
Axiom QS8 surrounds $470 http://www.axiomaudio.com/qs8.html
Hsu STF-10 subwoofer $440 http://www.hsuresearch.com
Rotel RSX-1055 5.1 receiver $1300 ($1100) http://www.rotel.com/products/specs/rsx1055.htm
Rotel RDV-1060 DVD/DVD-A $900 ($800) http://www.rotel.com/products/specs/rdv1060.htm
Pioneer PD-F27 301 disc changer $425 http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/Pioneer/CDA/HomeProducts/HomeProductDetails/0,1422,616,00.html
Panasonic PV-V4623S VCR $80 http://www.onecall.com/PID_18368.htm
Cables/Stands/Misc $500
$5265 msrp $4965 street

Option #1 ½ – Rotel/Denon based

Axiom M60ti mains $800 http://www.axiomaudio.com/m60ti.html
Axiom VP150 center $350 http://www.axiomaudio.com/vp150.html
Axiom QS8 surrounds $470 http://www.axiomaudio.com/qs8.html
Hsu STF-10 subwoofer $440 http://www.hsuresearch.com
Rotel RSX-1055 5.1 receiver $1300 ($1100) http://www.rotel.com/products/specs/rsx1055.htm
Denon DVD-2900 Universal Player $1000 ($740*) http://www.usa.denon.com/catalog/pdfs/DVD2900%20Lit%20Sheet.pdf
Pioneer PD-F27 301 disc changer $425 http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/Pioneer/CDA/HomeProducts/HomeProductDetails/0,1422,616,00.html
Panasonic PV-V4623S VCR $80 http://www.onecall.com/PID_18368.htm
Cables/Stands/Misc $500
$5365 msrp $4905 street * B-stock with warrantee



Option #2 – Denon based

Axiom M60ti mains $800 http://www.axiomaudio.com/m60ti.html
Axiom VP150 center $350 http://www.axiomaudio.com/vp150.html
Axiom QS8 surrounds $470 http://www.axiomaudio.com/qs8.html
Hsu STF-10 subwoofer $440 http://www.hsuresearch.com
Denon 3803 6.1 receiver $1200 ($810*) http://www.usa.denon.com/catalog/pdfs/AVR38033v2.pdf
Denon DVD-2900 Universal Player $1000 ($740*) http://www.usa.denon.com/catalog/pdfs/DVD2900%20Lit%20Sheet.pdf
Pioneer PD-F27 301 disc changer $425 http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/Pioneer/CDA/HomeProducts/HomeProductDetails/0,1422,616,00.html
Panasonic PV-V4623S VCR $80 http://www.onecall.com/PID_18368.htm
Cables/Stands/Etc $500
$5265 msrp $4615 street * B-stock with warrantee


Option #3 – Pioneer based

Axiom M60ti mains $800 http://www.axiomaudio.com/m60ti.html
Axiom VP150 center $350 http://www.axiomaudio.com/vp150.html
Axiom QS8 surrounds $470 http://www.axiomaudio.com/qs8.html
Hsu STF-10 subwoofer $440 http://www.hsuresearch.com
Pioneer VSX-55TXi receiver $1100 new model, no links yet
Pioneer DV-47Ai Universal Player $1200 ($650) http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/Pioneer/CDA/HomeProducts/HomeProductDetails/0,1422,92380,00.html
Pioneer PD-F27 301 disc changer $425 http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/Pioneer/CDA/HomeProducts/HomeProductDetails/0,1422,616,00.html
Panasonic PV-V4623S VCR $80 http://www.onecall.com/PID_18368.htm
Cables/Stands/Etc $400
$5265 msrp $4715 street

Maybe this well help spiff tally the results:


Planned speaker setup:
Axiom M60ti mains $800
Axiom VP150 center $350
Axiom QS8 surrounds $470
Hsu STF-10 subwoofer $440
Cables/Stands/Misc $500




Sorry spiff.
It is a slow day.

Which one would you choose for spiff's brother? (all values listed include Planned Speaker setup costs) single choice
	Setup # 1 Rotel RSX-1055 5.1 receiver $1300 ($1100) Rotel RDV-1060 DVD/DVD-A $900 ($800) Pioneer PD-F27 301 disc changer $425 Panasonic PV-V4623S VCR $80 $5265 msrp $4965 street
	Setup #2 Rotel RSX-1055 5.1 receiver $1300 ($1100) Denon DVD-2900 Universal Player $1000 ($740*) Pioneer PD-F27 301 disc changer $425 Panasonic PV-V4623S VCR $80 $5365 msrp $49
	Setup #3 Denon 3803 6.1 receiver $1200 ($810*) Denon DVD-2900 Universal Player $1000 ($740*) Pioneer PD-F27 301 disc changer $425 Panasonic PV-V4623S VCR $80 $5265 msrp $4615 s
	Setup #4 Pioneer VSX-55TXi receiver $1100 new model Pioneer DV-47Ai Universal Player $1200 ($650) Pioneer PD-F27 301 disc changer $425 Panasonic PV-V4623S VCR $80 $5265 msrp $47
Votes accepted starting: 05/24/06 10:11 PM
View Results

Wow...nice.

Feel free to suggest ideas I've not thought of as well! Thanks everyone.

I voted for setup number 3, but I'm changing my recommendation to setup 4 after I did a little research.

And here's my reasoning:

First, if he's going to have the system for a long time, he should max out the channels his receiver can handle, and the VSX-55Txi Pioneer is a great receiver even without the sushi-hyped MCACC. Second, we still don't know which format (DVD-A vs. SACD) will eventually win out, so a universal player seems like a great way to hedge your bets. Third, if you stick with the same brand, they should all integrate well and you'll probably be able to control all three pioneers with one remote off the bat.

I have one question, though. Has the Hsu STF series not been officially announced yet? I couldn't find any info on it other than in their forums. And how do you know it's better than the VTF-2?

I found the info on the STF's on the hsu site. I'm assuming it will perform as well as the VTF-2, without the variable tuning ability - and it costs a tad less. My brother won't be bothering with any tweaking. Once it's setup, he's done. So variable tuning a sub is just a waste of money for him.

Personally I'd pick #2 for him. I know the components won't be from the same maker, but the Rotel 1055 is a sweet receiver, and it has that "prestige" edge that my brothe will like. It's essentially the same as #1 but the Rotel dvd player is replaced with the denon universal player, for exactly what you said...future proofing his setup for as long as possible.

As far as having the receiver, cd player, and uni-player being all from the same company - yeah...that's a nice plus, but most decent recievers are going to have a learning remote. I know since I got my Rotel 1066, I use it's remote exclusively for my tv (JVC), vcr (magnavox), dvd (pioneer), etc...

Keep the opinions coming!

Does your brother definitely want an SACD or DVD-A player? If not, I'd consider eliminating the separate DVD player altogether and getting a large DVD-CD changer. He can always add a high-resolution music source later.

hey...you know what speakers I would throw in!

hehehehe

i don't.

Don't even try to tell me that's a legit reply! You're just trying to top the boards!

Note that the 55 does have the Sushi hyped MCACC.