I need some help putting new system together

[brickyardz]

I just went out and purchased the new Sony 60" SXRD set.Now I want to pu together a home theater system. I have no idea where to start,but I want to do this right the first time.My place is small.Living room in 18.5x13.This will be used to watch dvd's listening to music,and also for videogaming. Money is not a problem. I need everything.Receiver,dvd player and speakers.I just want to build a nice,great sounding system. I do not want to go crazy and buy top of the line stuff.Its an apartment and I do not plan to stay there forever.What should I look at? If this was you, what would you buy? Is there anything that I should stay away from? Thanks for you help

[topspeed]

Disclaimer: You should always audition for yourself to see what you like. Audio is one of the most subjective of all hobbies. Choose what you like and enjoy the music.


OK, now that we've got that out of the way, this is the system I just put together for a friend of mine that's building his house. Note; he already has a dedicated two channel separates based system so this is for HT only.

1) AVR: Denon 3806 - flexible 120wpc avr with HDMI switching, auto room eq, Burr-Brown DAC's, multi-zone capability, and Denon quality.
Others worth considering: Yammie, Pio, Cambridge Audio, Onkyo

2) Source: Denon 1920 - inexpensive ($300) universal player with excellent Faroudja chipset. Macroblocking is not a problem with his LCoS monitor so it may not affect your Sony either (great set btw). This is a stopgap measure until BluRay/HD DVD works itself out.
Others worth considering: Cambridge 540d, Panny, Pio

3) Speakers: Vonschweikert Audio System 10 - (2) VR1 monitors, (2) TS 150 dipole surrounds, (1) LCR 15 cc, (1) VRS 1 sub. The front stage is rated down to 40hz and VSA's have amazing off-axis performance rendering a HUGE sweet spot. Smooth, fast, and supremely dynamic. Excellent for both music and HT. If you plan on doing any hi-rez, consider switching the TS 150's for another set of VR1's.
http://vonschweikert.com/surround_systems.html
Others considered: None. This rig is an absolute bargain for the price. Talk to your local dealer and negotiate like crazy.

Hope this helps.

[drseid]

Topspeed has a lot of excellent recommendations... most of them I would just parrot, so I'll focus on some other options where I feel they might be appropriate...

While I understand you do not want to go "top of the line," but as money is not an issue, I think I would suggest at least having a separate multi-channel power amp (while using the excellent Denon 3806 already recommended as a pre/pro) if you want to also use this system for music -- At least one for the front two channels if at all possible.

Rotel and Adcom make nice value power amps, but other higher priced possibilities could also include CODA (my personal favorite), Cary Audio or Bryston. Going the used route on Audiogon.com is a good way to find excellent values on amps and other audio goods, BTW (typically savings of 50%). I figure a used 5 channel amp with at least 150 watts RMS per channel X 5 will set you back an additional $1000-$2500 depending on brand and power (Rotel on the low end of the spectrum, and CODA and Cary on the high end).

For speakers I too, like Topspeed am a big VS fan, but much more so with respect to their higher priced speakers (the 12K/pr. DB99s, and up)... Still, the VR-1s recommended by Top could be just what you are looking for here.

At some more sane price levels than 12K/pr. VS DB99s (although you *did* say money was not a problem, so maybe they are the way to go ;-)), you may choose to do what I orginally did before gradually upgrading to my current system in my signature below...

5 Tyler Acoustics Taylo Reference Monitors ($800 each for a total cost of $4000) - my personal choice

Or another less expensive option that still sounds spectacular could be:

5 Opera Audio Consonance Eric-1s ($500 each for a total of $2500)

As for a 12 inch driver musical sub, that can also handle movie soundtracks:

ACI Titan Sub $1200

You have a great new TV set -- I wish you the best in your audio quest with the hope it ends with equally good results.

Regards,

---Dave