help - need some advice to get started

[dafugginman]

looking to build a system on a $5,000-$6000 or so budget, to be used almost exclusively for movies. aesthetics are pretty important and would like some pretty big floor standers as part of the system as i have a 63" projection with two 19" lcd tvs on top, so anything small would look a little silly. i'm new to this, so please bear with me. my head is spinning with all of the reading, varying reviews, and wide variety of choices.

should i go separates or a good receiver, such as a dennon 3805 or 5805, high end yamaha, onyko, or separates like rotella or parasound? lexicon and bryston are a little too much. any others? really not looking to go too far over 3000 here. i know THX and THX2 certification is a bit of a gimic, but it is something i would prefer to have given this is for a home theater.

for the rest of the system, i'm trying to narrow it down, but the list keeps expanding. what about a paradigm studio v.3 100 system, axiom, klipsch, or celestions A3s, which should give you an idea of price range and design i'm looking for - dark wood or black. they all seem to get just fair reviews on others sites, and given axiom's heavy level of advertising on here, i'm a liittle leary of the feedback here. really just looking for the best bang for the buck and these seem to be a better value for the performance vs the polks and infinitis.

also, are there any good sites to buy online? i'm really really having a tough time finding online dealers that sell higher end equipment below MSRP. the audio stores around me all charge MSRP.

would appreciate any feedback on some or all of the above.

[topspeed]

Please clarify: is you budget $5-6K or $3K? What exactly do you need? Speakers? Amp? Pre/pro? DVD? CDP? Do you want a universal player or because this is a dedicated HT, a simple progressive scan DVD player will do? How big is your room?

[dafugginman]

total budget is 5-6k, for the speakers, Amp, Pre/pro, receiver or whatever else you all think i need. i saw a rotella CDP yesterday, but don't know what they are for :( . i have a progressive can DVD player, and will hold off for a while and consider options later, such as one with networking ability or when HD dvd players come out. i'm ok on the dvd player for now. total is 5-6k, was thinking 3k for the audio equipment. i have money, and can go higher if it's really really worth the extra money.

live in a loft with 25-30 foot ceilings. the room in question is on the smallish side 15 x 10 maybe, but it's mostly open to the dining room. plus, i won't be living in an apartment forever, so one that could transfer to a fairly big room down the road. i took this picture from the dining room with a POS resolution camera phone. there is quite a bit of space behind me.


Please clarify: is you budget $5-6K or $3K? What exactly do you need? DVD? CDP? Do you want a universal player or because this is a dedicated HT, a simple progressive scan DVD player will do? How big is your room?

[dafugginman]

better picture from the loft.

[dafugginman]

last one i promise.

[paul_pci]

I guess I would get a higher end receiver for around $1k from Yamaha or Denon (they are not the only brands you could check out for that budget, but they are solid equipment) and take the remainder of the budget for speakers and the sub. Putting clear delineations on your budget would be the first step in shopping and getting useful feedback.

[topspeed]

total budget is 5-6k, for the speakers, Amp, Pre/pro, receiver or whatever else you all think i need. i saw a rotella CDP yesterday, but don't know what they are for :( . i have a progressive can DVD player, and will hold off for a while and consider options later, such as one with networking ability or when HD dvd players come out. i'm ok on the dvd player for now. total is 5-6k, was thinking 3k for the audio equipment. i have money, and can go higher if it's really really worth the extra money.

live in a loft with 25-30 foot ceilings. the room in question is on the smallish side 15 x 10 maybe, but it's mostly open to the dining room. plus, i won't be living in an apartment forever, so one that could transfer to a fairly big room down the road. i took this picture from the dining room with a POS resolution camera phone. there is quite a bit of space behind me.
Thanks, that's helpful.

For an HT only set-up, I'd get a decent receiver like Paul mentioned. A 3805 would do nicely, as would an equivalent Yammie or Onkyo. I like the Denons and Yammies because they both have auto-room calibration which makes a huge difference in the sound quality of your overall rig. It sounds like you are already set on the dvd player and if you don't like the DAC's in it for audio, you could always hook it up optically to whatever receiver you buy. If you decide this is what you want to do, my opinion (and you know what they say about opinions...) is that the Denon's Burr-Browns combined with their proprietary Alpha processing makes for one of the smoothest, most analog sounds out there. Again, just my opinion.

OK, your source and receiver are set, so all you really need are speakers now. With $1K dedicated to the receiver, you have plenty left over for a good 5.1 system. Your space really isn't big enough for more than that, but most receivers at this price point will have 7 or 9 channels for future expansion if you need it. Speakers are totally subjective so you're going to have to get out there and listen to as much as you can until you find one that you like. Listen to music when demo'ing. A speaker that can excel at music will be able to handle movies without problem. One of the most dynamic systems at around $3-4K would be this Von Schweikert Audio System 12. (http://vonschweikert.com/surround_systems.html) This is rated as a Best Buy from The Perfect Vision. Call Kevin at VSA for the package price. Other systems to consider would be Paradigm's Studio Series, Energy, Klipsch, B&W, DefTech, and Focal.

Good luck and enjoy the journey.