Upgrade my theater. What to do??

[johnnyk8]

Alright Gang,
I am going to be building a new house over the course of the next 6 months or so and have a chance to beef up my home theater. I have a setup that I am very happy with but would like to look at a 7.1 or a projector or something that would really be unique. Make it a home theater not just a dedicated room. Look at my signature for what I already have.

Options -
Audio---
I would like to get a processor that has a really good video switcher (HD compatible) and still use my amp. I would add an amp if needed. Suggestions?

New Video ---
Maybe a projector and keep the big screen for video games and stuff like that. Any recs on a projector?

Other---
Anything lese that would really make it a unique doesn't have to be audio video related. eg Popcorn machine ....

Restrictions-
Square footage is not a problem. I would like to keep this addition under $7,000

Let's have fun with this one gang. If I get some responses I will break this thread into a couple separate ones.

Thanks Everyone :)

[nick4433]

Let's have fun with this one gang. If I get some responses I will break this thread into a couple separate ones.

If it's your money we are spending then be rest assured, we will have fun!
BTW, what budget are we talking about for this fun?

[johnnyk8]

If it's your money we are spending then be rest assured, we will have fun!
BTW, what budget are we talking about for this fun?

About $7,000 is a pretty good chunk of change but still enough to really make a difference. It really depends what it is.

[PAT.P]

[QUOTE=johnnyk8]Alright Gang,
I am going to be building a new house over the course of the next 6 months or so and have a chance to beef up my home theater. I have a setup that I am very happy with but would like to look at a 7.1 or a projector or something that would really be unique. Make it a home theater not just a dedicated room.




If your going to 7.1 you'll need a receiver and two more speaker leaving you how much$$$ ?Pat.P

[kfalls]

One disadvantage of going with a projector is they produce heat and heat changes calibrations and reduces bulb life. Also the fans can be pretty noisy. I don't know about you, but I don't like to hear constant droning or fans kicking on and off while I'm trying to enjoy a movie, or especially music. I'm sure there are a lot of creative ways to minimize the noise, including placing a box around the projector, but you still need to vent the heat somewhere. Front projection has come a long way in the past few years in terms of quality and cost, but unless you feel qualified to install it yourself, professional installation and calibration could be prohibitive for your budget. The cost of calibration by an ISF certified technician can run upwards of $125 per input and I don't even want to think about the time and cost for installation, especially if carpentry and venting is involved.

From your signature I see you have more than a decent home theater in terms of hardware. Being a "gearhead" myself, I'd normally say buy more gear, there's always something bigger and better to buy. But, since you already have a more than adequate system, put the money into the room and accessories. Install some built-in cabinets, theater lighting, automation. The wife approval factor will be higher, the experience will be more enjoyable and she'll loosen the purse strings for upgrades at a later date when the technology changes and you'll want to stay current.

[johnnyk8]

kfalls you hit the nail right on the head. I think that's the way to go. Furniture and decorating. It is remarkable how much that crap costs!!!!!! $200 for a frickin movie poster frame. You gotta pay to play I guess.

The all important WAF is a very important often overlooked specifaction. Smart married men should pay more attention to WAF than THD if you know what I mean.

As for the projector- that info is exactly what I am looking for. Sure it's cool to have a super huge screen but the upkeep and the noise seem to be a big drawback. Thanks for the advice.

As for a response to the 7.1 comment earlier. I have some klipsch booke shelves so I have the speakers taken care of but I need the processor. Any recommendations?

[kfalls]

I consider myself a very lucky man in that I have a wife who's very much into good audio and video. We have three home theater systems in our home, bedroom, living room and my son's room (recipient of gear from past upgrades). My bedroom system is 7.1, but in the earlier Yamaha (RX-V2095) sense (mains, center, surrounds and front effects, not surrounds and rears) the speakers are Klipsch Kg4 mains, either a KLF-C7 or KV3 center (dependent on mood, very different sounds) and two pairs of RS-3s similar to your RS-35s. The low end is handled by an SW8 for the upper bass and an custom-built ACI Saturn sub driven by a Marantz MA-700 for lower bass. As you can see I'm familiar with Marantz quality, but not particularly your components. I'm also familiar with your remote since I have a Pronto and believe they are similar if not identical.

In my living room I have Legacy Focus mains, Silver Screen center, and German T&A P-30 3-way rears. I have the Focus bi-amped with a Yamaha M-65 driving the 3-12"/ch woofers and a Denon AVR-3300 (105Wx5) driving the upper mains, center and surrounds. Each system has it's own merits. The Denon is more musical and projects into the room more and has a more 3D sound, while the Klipsch/Yamaha system is very dymnamic and great for movies.

I've been looking for a new receiver as well and have given great consideration to the new Yamaha's RX-V1500 or RX-V2500, but would take the earlier 1400 or 2400 since they are very similar and a good value since the new models have come out. Where in the past the Yamaha didn't sound as 3D, the new models sound great and provide more utility and setup features than earlier models. Any of the models would serve you well with plenty of power to drive the efficient Klipsch'. If you're truly interested and have the money to spend you might consider B&K, a little pricier, but justified by build quality and great amplification. Rotel would also be a very good choice. Be careful not to get too involved with expensive gear, or you'll suffer my fate of having an expensive processor (Lexicon CP1+ $1695) which is still of very good quality, but outdated long before it's usefulness.

I assume you have a 65" Mitsubishi from the model number which should be more than adequate for some time. If capable, go with HD and use a good component, DVI, or HDMI cable, since a TV this large can appear grainy, especially if viewed from too close a distance. If you haven't already, invest in a setup disc from AVIA or Video Solutions, they're easy to understand and you'll be rewarded not only with a great picture, but getting the TV out of the manufacturer's "torch mode" will protect your investment and prolong the tube's life. I've just completed classes in ISF calibration and working on the certification and see real value in professional calibration, but I'd consider it only is you're unhappy with the setup after your setup using the calibration discs.

Most of my gear I've collected over the years and it's served me well, no klunkers in the bunch. Probably our next upgrade will be a dedicated room, just as you're building. My wife enjoys our systems, but would love to have her living room back. I can't say I blame her I;ve reined over it for many years and am more than willing to concede-----providing of course I have an adequate HT room built. Enjoy your new room and read personal reviews for the receiver or processor before you buy, checking out the gear is half the fun.

[johnnyk8]

Thanks dude!

Sounds like you got a sweet deal set up over there.

My wife is very cool with it. She's an artist and loves color and detail. It's just the upgrades that she finds hard to justify. You and I must be pretty lucky we could be in MUCH worse situations.

Thanks for the advice. I am going to concentrate on the actual design of the room. Stuff like chair rail, cabinets, maybe another row of chairs like the leather ones I have right now. One other thing that will be really trick is going to have to be lighting. I have the stuff I just need to wrap it in a well designed room. Something like in Home Theater Interiors (well not quite) :p

Video-
Right now for video I am running better cables' component cable. I just scored that DVM -1815 DVD player with a Faroudja chip. Man that sucker kicks hiney!!
I have heard about the Avia disk and have never bought one but it comes so highly recommended that I am a fool for not buying one.

As you can see from my gallery link I have a dedicated room in the basement that I finished myself (the pictures don't really do it justice). That was a really fun project and something that I had always wanted to do. I am also going to use that as a learning process and impove on my mistakes when I build my new one.

Thanks. I will go forward with the plan I have in my little, obsessive compulsive brain and will post pictures when I start the project.