Home Theater Poll

[bob4432]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
If you have multiple systems you'd call Home Theaters, pick one of them. (duh?)

I was thinking of starting off asking what people thought of as defining a HT, but decided against it. I don't care if you call your 14" TV a HT. That's ok with me.

With all the people buying new TVs I thought I'd get a feel where ATOT stands on the subject.

As if it's not long enough, I'll gladly add questions to it if anyone has any ideas. Feel free to let me know if any changes should be made to it to reflect other options (It's 4:30am for me right now)

Thanks for giving a detailed answer biggestmuff

If anybody wants to do the same without typing out all the questions like he did, copy and paste this into your reply... or quote me and edit... or do whatever you want

What is your display type?


What is your display size?


What is the aspect ratio of your display?


What most closely matches your display resolution?


What is your sound system like?


Bass shakers / some kind of tactile sound? (subwoofer doesn't count)


What is your system used for?


What do you enjoy more?


What was your spending ratio like for video vs. sound?


How much did you spend total?


How is your placement?


What kind of room is it in?


How did you pick out your components?


Did you / are you getting your money's worth?

maybe add in the "How did you fine tune your setup" to add in somewhere about a spl meter - that helped me out a lot over just listening to test material or a test tone. this way i got all the satellites to be perfect and the result is seemless in any direction

the question "What is your system used for?" i think could warranty an "equal time between all connections". personally i use it for hd material, sd video, sd dvd, gaming and computer monitor.

 

[BornStar]

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Once I replace all of the speakers with Paradigm Studios, unless I find something better that still timbre matches the subwoofer, the audio is going to be over the video by a fair amount.

Just so you're aware, Paradigm Studios will not be timbre matched to the PDR10. If you are looking at Studios you should be looking at a Servo-15 or one of the Seismic subs. They've got recommended configurations on their site which you can take a look at. The Studios are great at playing loud and accurate and your PDR10 will undoubtedly not be able to keep up.

 

[nsafreak]

Originally posted by: BornStar18

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Once I replace all of the speakers with Paradigm Studios, unless I find something better that still timbre matches the subwoofer, the audio is going to be over the video by a fair amount.

Just so you're aware, Paradigm Studios will not be timbre matched to the PDR10. If you are looking at Studios you should be looking at a Servo-15 or one of the Seismic subs. They've got recommended configurations on their site which you can take a look at. The Studios are great at playing loud and accurate and your PDR10 will undoubtedly not be able to keep up.

Thanks for the info. Looks like if I want to continue using my existing subwoofer that I should be looking at Mini Monitors from Paradigm.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Once I replace all of the speakers with Paradigm Studios, unless I find something better that still timbre matches the subwoofer, the audio is going to be over the video by a fair amount.

I wouldn't worry too much about getting speakers from the same brand as the sub.

EDIT: oh, I should have read to the end first...

Just find some speakers that fit your budget and you like. Compared to the differences in sound from different speakers, the differences in how subs sound will be minor. Letting your sub pick out your speakers for you doesn't sound like a good idea to me. You shouldn't have a problem getting that sub to work with just about anything.

 

[nsafreak]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Once I replace all of the speakers with Paradigm Studios, unless I find something better that still timbre matches the subwoofer, the audio is going to be over the video by a fair amount.

I wouldn't worry too much about getting speakers from the same brand as the sub.

EDIT: oh, I should have read to the end first...

Just find some speakers that fit your budget and you like. Compared to the differences in sound from different speakers, the differences in how subs sound will be minor. Letting your sub pick out your speakers for you doesn't sound like a good idea to me. You shouldn't have a problem getting that sub to work with just about anything.

Really? I wasn't aware of that. So basically it's more critical that all of the speakers match rather than them all matching each other including the sub. I'll probably still consider Paradigm Monitors since I do like Paradigm speakers. But I think I'll also look at some of the other budget speakers that I believe you've recommended in the past. You do like the Axiom line of speakers, correct?

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

To be fair this isn't really my setup per-say, my father and I have put it together with him putting down the majority of the cash (specifically he bought the TV, I've bought much of the rest).


What is your display type?
Sony 60 " SXRD (rear projection LCOS)

What is your display size?
60"

What most closely matches your display resolution?
1080p

What is your sound system like?
- Pioneer VSX-810s receiver
- Fronts: Athena Audition AS-F2.2
- Center: Athena Audition AS-C1.2
- Rear Center: Acoustic Research (can't remember the exact model, we've had it for a while)
- Rear (Left & Right): Generics, my dad already had these lying around.
- Sub: 10" PSB sub (can't remember the model, my dad bought it maybe 10 years ago).

Bass shakers / some kind of tactile sound? (subwoofer doesn't count)
No

What is your system used for?
- 40% HD cable
- 30% DVD
- 30% HD DVD


What do you enjoy more?
HD DVDs

What was your spending ratio like for video vs. sound?
Roughly 3:1 (video:audio)

How much did you spend total?
Hard to tell exactly, maybe $3.5-4kish total...

How is your placement?
TV is about 8-10 ft from sofa. 6.1 speakers, we bought the receiver when DTS-ES had just been released, that's why we ended up with 6.1 as opposed to 7.1. When we update the reveiver, we'll probably change to a 7.1 setup. The rears and sub are in need of replacing to something more potent anyway.

What kind of room is it in?
The whole thing is in a very open L-shaped room in the basement; the asymmetry in the room make for acoustics that aren't great, frankly.

How did you pick out your components?
Auditioning and research at AVS Forums.

Did you / are you getting your money's worth?
Very happy, the components are all great bang for the buck. IMHO the SXRD produces an exceptional picture for the money and the Athenas were a great buy as well (I got them on clearance as well, got all three for $500 Canadian incl. 10 yrs warranty).

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: nsafreak

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Once I replace all of the speakers with Paradigm Studios, unless I find something better that still timbre matches the subwoofer, the audio is going to be over the video by a fair amount.

I wouldn't worry too much about getting speakers from the same brand as the sub.

EDIT: oh, I should have read to the end first...

Just find some speakers that fit your budget and you like. Compared to the differences in sound from different speakers, the differences in how subs sound will be minor. Letting your sub pick out your speakers for you doesn't sound like a good idea to me. You shouldn't have a problem getting that sub to work with just about anything.

Really? I wasn't aware of that. So basically it's more critical that all of the speakers match rather than them all matching each other including the sub. I'll probably still consider Paradigm Monitors since I do like Paradigm speakers. But I think I'll also look at some of the other budget speakers that I believe you've recommended in the past. You do like the Axiom line of speakers, correct?

I'm using SVS subs with my AV123 speakers, my parents are using an AV123 sub with Axiom speakers
The really critical part to match is the front three speakers. IMO even matching the surrounds isn't really a big deal unless you're doing multichannel music.

You have a lot of control with placement/phase/gain/crossover to try to get your sub to mesh well with your speakers. Unless you get speakers that have unusual requirements for a sub to match well, then you should be able to get good results with any decent sub.

I just think you should listen to a variety of options before letting your sub pick for you

A $399 retail sub shouldn't be forcing you to buy a particular ~$3k-$5k retail Paradigm Studio set or even a ~$1200 Mini-Monitor set (or a bigger monitor set)
Certainly go out and listen to those especially since you said you've liked other paradigms you've heard, but keep your options open.

As for the Axioms, I bought those for my parents (they need a new display) from craigslist since they were quite the deal. Those speakers + stands + sub + receiver was $750.
I didn't really like them personally, but they'd be on my short list of online recommendations to look at in the range. Everybody likes something different, so they might be just what you're looking for.
Ascend is another right in that range.

SVS and AV123 X-series are a little more budget oriented but they're both coming out with speakers that would be direct competators to the Axiom/Ascend pricerange.

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Originally posted by: nsafreak

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: nsafreak
Once I replace all of the speakers with Paradigm Studios, unless I find something better that still timbre matches the subwoofer, the audio is going to be over the video by a fair amount.

I wouldn't worry too much about getting speakers from the same brand as the sub.

EDIT: oh, I should have read to the end first...

Just find some speakers that fit your budget and you like. Compared to the differences in sound from different speakers, the differences in how subs sound will be minor. Letting your sub pick out your speakers for you doesn't sound like a good idea to me. You shouldn't have a problem getting that sub to work with just about anything.

Really? I wasn't aware of that. So basically it's more critical that all of the speakers match rather than them all matching each other including the sub. I'll probably still consider Paradigm Monitors since I do like Paradigm speakers. But I think I'll also look at some of the other budget speakers that I believe you've recommended in the past. You do like the Axiom line of speakers, correct?

As Yoyo said, in terms of movies and TV, you generally want to do a good job of timber-matching fronts and center since there's a lot of panning that happens there. Generally, you want to buy all three of these speakers together with same brand/model. Matching rears/surrounds to the front speakers is somewhat less important since most of what comes out of these speakers is "atmosphere" anyways. You won't really notice too much if the noisy crowd coming from your rear speakers doesn't match your fronts...

Finally, there's really no need to timber match a sub. Your sub is working all alone at frequencies below what the rest of your system is working on anyway (assuming your system is set up correctly). Besides, your subwoofer is mostly there for really deep bass and tactile feedback. If you buy a decent set of fronts they should dig deep enough that your subwoofer will really never need to take care of anything melodic.

 

[ShadowBlade]

What is your display type?
CRT TV

What is your display size?
24"

What is the aspect ratio of your display?
4:3

What most closely matches your display resolution?
480i

What is your sound system like?
Pioneer 5.1 System 600W-860W

What is your system used for?
Almost everything audible in the room

What was your spending ratio like for video vs. sound?
Almost exactly 1:1

How much did you spend total?
Just over $400

How is your placement?
Could be better

What kind of room is it in?
Technically my bedroom

How did you pick out your components?
Researched online, then purchased in a store

Did you / are you getting your money's worth?
Yes

 

[BornStar]

Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle
As Yoyo said, in terms of movies and TV, you generally want to do a good job of timber-matching fronts and center since there's a lot of panning that happens there. Generally, you want to buy all three of these speakers together with same brand/model. Matching rears/surrounds to the front speakers is somewhat less important since most of what comes out of these speakers is "atmosphere" anyways. You won't really notice too much if the noisy crowd coming from your rear speakers doesn't match your fronts...

Finally, there's really no need to timber match a sub. Your sub is working all alone at frequencies below what the rest of your system is working on anyway (assuming your system is set up correctly). Besides, your subwoofer is mostly there for really deep bass and tactile feedback. If you buy a decent set of fronts they should dig deep enough that your subwoofer will really never need to take care of anything melodic.

Just to clarify because I'm getting a little embarrassed by the responses my comment is indirectly getting, I'm not saying that timbre matching is what he should be going for. I'm saying that unless he likes very low volumes for his studio speakers, the PDR10 is going to distort long before the Studios do. I would expect him to get much more pleasing audio from the bigger subs from Paradigm or any company.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: BornStar18

Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle
As Yoyo said, in terms of movies and TV, you generally want to do a good job of timber-matching fronts and center since there's a lot of panning that happens there. Generally, you want to buy all three of these speakers together with same brand/model. Matching rears/surrounds to the front speakers is somewhat less important since most of what comes out of these speakers is "atmosphere" anyways. You won't really notice too much if the noisy crowd coming from your rear speakers doesn't match your fronts...

Finally, there's really no need to timber match a sub. Your sub is working all alone at frequencies below what the rest of your system is working on anyway (assuming your system is set up correctly). Besides, your subwoofer is mostly there for really deep bass and tactile feedback. If you buy a decent set of fronts they should dig deep enough that your subwoofer will really never need to take care of anything melodic.

Just to clarify because I'm getting a little embarrassed by the responses my comment is indirectly getting, I'm not saying that timbre matching is what he should be going for. I'm saying that unless he likes very low volumes for his studio speakers, the PDR10 is going to distort long before the Studios do. I would expect him to get much more pleasing audio from the bigger subs from Paradigm or any company.

Yeah, that sub wouldn't really be the same calibre as a Paradigm Studio system, but depending on things like his room size and what he's using to power the paradigms, the sub might be enough for him.

I think we were both a little surprised to see nsafreak jump up to a Studio system initially based on the sub though
Nothing wrong with dropping a few thousand on speakers, but if that doesn't phase you, then getting a great sub to match would be even better :thumbsup:

 

[ultimatebob]

What is your display type?

Old Sony WEGA 32" CRT

What is your display size?

32"

What is the aspect ratio of your display?

4:3

What most closely matches your display resolution?

480i

What is your sound system like?

2.0

Bass shakers / some kind of tactile sound? (subwoofer doesn't count)

Nope

What is your system used for?

Digital Cable

What do you enjoy more?

Watching DVD's

What was your spending ratio like for video vs. sound?

I spent all of my money on the video components and stands, and got all the Sony audio components as a hand me down from my parents. It's a nice matched set, though... Although it's a 6 year old matched set

How much did you spend total?

About $1400 for the video components (TV/DVD/VCR/stands,cables). The audio components (Receiver, CD player, Tape deck, speakers) probably cost my parents about $1,200. If I'm lucky, I might get $400 for everything if I tried to sell it now

The Harmony remote that controls it all is awesome, though!

How is your placement?

It's decently positioned, for a 2.0 sound system anyway.

What kind of room is it in?
Living room

How did you pick out your components?

I researched the Sony TV, and matched everything else to work with the Sony.

Did you / are you getting your money's worth?

Considering that half of it was "free" and I've been using it for 6 years with few problems... Hell yeah!

 

[sdifox]

What is your display type?
Optoma HD72

What is your display size?
92" GreyWolf

What is the aspect ratio of your display?
16x9

What most closely matches your display resolution?
1280x768

What is your sound system like?
Sound system in place since 1999 (was using a 29" CRT from 1990 for the longerst time)
Pre/Pro: Marantz AV-9000
Amp: Outlaw 750
Mains/Centre/Surround: Definitive Technology BP2000TL (with 500watt 15" sub builtin)/CLR2000/BP10B
Sources:HTPC (including OTA HD Tuner), DVD-A,DVD, Digital Cable, CD Changer, MD Recorder

Bass shakers / some kind of tactile sound? (subwoofer doesn't count)
Have it, haven't hooked it up.

What is your system used for?
Music, TV, Movies, Consoles and sometimes PC game

What do you enjoy more?
HD movies and DVD-A

What was your spending ratio like for video vs. sound?
Video 1: Sound 5

How much did you spend total?
C$12,000

How is your placement?
Not Bad

What kind of room is it in?
300SqFt dedicated room. Spare bedroom on 2nd floor FTW!

How did you pick out your components?
Long research, plus impulse buying

Did you / are you getting your money's worth?
Think so.

This is nothing compared to what the content cost me... The close to 1200 DVDs alone cost me approx US$16,500.00 I use static US$1=C$1.5 so my numbers are not affected by exchange rate flux. Not counting the music side...

edited to fix unintentional emoticons. I tell ya, colon and o.

 

[Need4Speed]

Some changes to mine in the last couple months..

Added a dedicated amp for LCR - Acurus 200x3
Replaced the Sony HS51A with the Epson Pro Cinema 810
Replaced the Panasonic S97 with the Denon 2930
Replaced Sony VL900 remote with the Harmony 1000

 

[Kelemvor]

Polls like this are why there should be a VOTE ALL button.

 

[pennylane]

Well I added a center channel. So now I have a full 5.1 system. Next is a bigger TV. Then some combination of Blu-Ray and HD-DVD.

 

[Kelemvor]

What is your display type?
27" CRT TV Nothing fancy

What is your display size?
27"

What is the aspect ratio of your display?
4:3

What most closely matches your display resolution?
Whatever a plain, old CRT TV is.

What is your sound system like?
5.1

Bass shakers / some kind of tactile sound? (subwoofer doesn't count)
Nope

What is your system used for?
Movies and rarely a CD

What do you enjoy more?
Home because it's free and mine but theater for big, sci-fi movies

What was your spending ratio like for video vs. sound?
Pieces wer eput together over years. No idea. Guessing 4:1 in favor of sound.

How much did you spend total?
Guessing 1k

How is your placement?
Speakers are in the right positions but didn't measure anything out. I do use the sound test feature on my tuner to adjust them.

What kind of room is it in?
Basement TV room.

How did you pick out your components?
Speakers from when I worked at Best Buy ages ago
DVD Player was on sale but I knew I wanted it.
Amp was a gift but I picked it out.

Did you / are you getting your money's worth?
Sure am.

 

[child of wonder]

What is your display type?
Westinghouse LVM-47w1 47" 1080p LCD

What is your display size?
47"

What is the aspect ratio of your display?
16:9

What most closely matches your display resolution?
1080p

What is your sound system like?
Logitech Z-5500 5.1 500W speakers

Bass shakers / some kind of tactile sound? (subwoofer doesn't count)
Just the sub

What is your system used for?
Main PC monitor and sound, HD TV, DVDs, Xbox360, PS2

What do you enjoy more?
Playing XBox360, PC Games at 1920x1080, and HD TV

What was your spending ratio like for video vs. sound?
Roughly 5:1

How much did you spend total?
TV was $1700, $75 for cables, $400 for speakers, $150 for TV stand, $200 Misc

How is your placement?
OK. Didn't do anything fancy.

What kind of room is it in?
Family room

How did you pick out your components?
Research

Did you / are you getting your money's worth?
YES!!!

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Need4Speed
Some changes to mine in the last couple months..

Added a dedicated amp for LCR - Acurus 200x3
Replaced the Sony HS51A with the Epson Pro Cinema 810
Replaced the Panasonic S97 with the Denon 2930
Replaced Sony VL900 remote with the Harmony 1000

:thumbsup:

 

[BD2003]

What is your display type?
Direct view CRT. HD Sony Wega XBR2. Still cant beat the image quality of CRT, even for HD.

What is your display size?
34 inch (biggest tube I've seen)

What is the aspect ratio of your display?
16:9

What most closely matches your display resolution?
720p. Even though its a 1080i set, it really can't resolve that high, 720 and 1080 sources look identical.

What is your sound system like?
5.1 Athena Bookshelves + 8-inch Athena Sub
Panasonic XR Digital Receiver

Bass shakers / some kind of tactile sound? (subwoofer doesn't count)
I wish - neighbors would get me evicted.

What is your system used for?
An even mix - games, movies, TV (not much music though.)


What do you enjoy more?
I WOULD enjoy watching at home more if I didnt have neighbors so I could REALLY blast it, and didnt have to wait.

What was your spending ratio like for video vs. sound?
1:1

How much did you spend total?
About $1200 total

How is your placement?
Measured to the inch, rule of thirds, even toed in, room treatment would be nice but too impractical.

What kind of room is it in?
Living room

How did you pick out your components?
Extensive research and aiming for best bang for the buck.

Did you / are you getting your money's worth?
Hell yes. My neighbors are REALLY holding me back though.

[/quote]

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

As for the Axioms, I bought those for my parents (they need a new display) from craigslist since they were quite the deal. Those speakers + stands + sub + receiver was $750.

That is quite possibly the most imbalanced system that exists in this world.

 

[Vic]

TV: Direct View LCD, 37", 16:9, 1080i

Soundsystem: the primary purpose of my soundsystem is to play rock music from either my HTPC mp3 jukebox or my Stanton turntable, not play movies (even though it is connected to cable box, HTPC DVD player, and my TV is not connected to any sound source at all). For this reason, it is not 5.1, does not have a subwoofer, and I don't use any nasty plastic-encased satellite speakers. It's a 4.0 Sony Dolby system from the mid-90s connected to 4 Cerwin-Vega E-312 floorstanding 3-ways, positioned at each corner of the room. This makes for IMO a very crisp, clear, and warm sound reproduction, throughout the ranges in a manner perfect for rock music (IMO), that also happens to be capable of being loud enough to melt your brain without distorting. Yes, I'm aware that it's a 1990's system, and yes, I like it that way. Drop by any time for a listen, and you'll likely forget about the marketing hype about all those crappy newer HTIB systems.

Amount I spent and spending ratio, I can't really say, as I've owned many of these components for several years. Not that much, and yes, I think I've gotten my moneys' worth.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: BD2003

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

As for the Axioms, I bought those for my parents (they need a new display) from craigslist since they were quite the deal. Those speakers + stands + sub + receiver was $750.

That is quite possibly the most imbalanced system that exists in this world.

They'll be getting a 42"-50" display sometime this summer

 

[slsmnaz]

Didn't want to start another thread so maybe someone has a suggestion.

I have a 32" Sharp LCD and a set of z-5500 speakers that I'm currently not using. Any suggestions on an inexpensive receiver (under $300)?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: slsmnaz
Didn't want to start another thread so maybe someone has a suggestion.

I have a 32" Sharp LCD and a set of z-5500 speakers that I'm currently not using. Any suggestions on an inexpensive receiver (under $300)?

So you'd be hooking up the z-5500s through the receiver?