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.

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.

I voted for #1, as you said that he was into looks. And Rotel seems to be the place to go (not just) for looks.

I couldn't tell the difference with sound quality between the Rotel 1055 vs the the NAD 752. I believe the 752 is a couple of hundred bux cheaper.

Craig, all of the receivers listed are sonically transparent and will have no effect on the basic sound. What will have an effect is the listening room interface with the speakers. Especially since he isn't big on tweaking, the Pioneer receiver with its MCACC(which sushi doesn't "hype" enough)is what he needs. Also, he's absolutely right to insist on a mega CD changer.

This one is easy. Definitely the Pioneer-based plan. Period!

Besides the MCACC that I am too lazy to hype enough, i.Link/FireWire/IEEE1394 appears to be quickly becoming the industry standard for digital connection of DVD-A/SACD players. Forget about the proprietary Denon link, or multi-channel analog connections. The i.Link connection will give you MUCH more flexibility, providing the entire complement of digital-domain processing, including full bass-management and MCACC.

But I think Sony's mega-CD changer is better than the Pioneer, no?

Certainly having one cable to link up multi channel formats would be a plus from the rats nest of 6 rca cables that i'm presently using right now.
I really need to get a decent audio rack with serious cable management.

Personally, I'm hoping that inexpensive converters come out for those of us too impatient to wait for Firewire to show up on our recievers. D'oh!

276 views and only 20+ votes. No wonder people like [censored by the office of non-political posts] end up in office. Come on guys...vote!

Uh oh -- you've breached the official moratorium on discussions of politics! You are hereby sentenced to be flogged by the Pres... I mean a wet noodle.

I've done my duty. That means I can complain, right?

That contest looks pretty neck and neck spiff.
Perhaps your answer has already been made. Other than choice #3, it appears that all 3 other options are favoured rather equally.

Hello

Another possbility for a combo DVD player is the Pioneer DV-563AS. I just bought one yesterday, and it seems an amazing player for the price. $180 gets you DVD-Audio, SACD, DVD, CD, and a JPEG photo viewer. No firewire out, though. It wasn't a problem for me because I have a Pioneer 45TX w/o firewire. Since the 55TX has firewire you may want the single cable solution.

Jim