Getting back in the game - Please help

[legmaker]

I will attempt to make this short. There are only 2 high end companies in my area.
Company A = Pioneer Elite Plasma, Elite Recievers, Elite DVD/ CD Players coupled with Boston Accoustics speakers.

company B = Fugitstu Plasma, Denon Rec, DVD/Cd players with Definative Tech speakers.

I have been out of the AV game for about 13 years (college days) and I'm now very overwhelmed with the choices. I feel like I need the pros to hook up my new house so I know I'm going to end up paying one of these companies to do the work. (unless someone can point me in the direction of a home theater for reasonably educated dummies).

All opinions are welcome.

thank you

[edtyct]

I will attempt to make this short. There are only 2 high end companies in my area.
Company A = Pioneer Elite Plasma, Elite Recievers, Elite DVD/ CD Players coupled with Boston Accoustics speakers.

company B = Fugitstu Plasma, Denon Rec, DVD/Cd players with Definative Tech speakers.

I have been out of the AV game for about 13 years (college days) and I'm now very overwhelmed with the choices. I feel like I need the pros to hook up my new house so I know I'm going to end up paying one of these companies to do the work. (unless someone can point me in the direction of a home theater for reasonably educated dummies).

All opinions are welcome.

thank you

Here's one man's opinion. Neither high-end company has a tremendous advantage over the other. That said, however, the PQ of the Pioneer Pro Elite plasmas is at the top of the heap, along with Panasonic's. I would give it the edge over the Fujitsu in scaling, color, and black level (despite the fact that Fujitsu sources its glass from Panasonic). Both Pioneer and Fujitsu are pricey. If I recall correctly, Futjitsu, which used to be the major player in plasma, is getting out of the game altogether.

Even though Denon is really the foremost maker of DVD players--at least after a certain price point and when sound quality is in the mix--most DVD players these days do a serviceable job so far as video is concerned. One DVD feature that may have a positive effect when it comes to plasma is digital video output (HDMI/DVI). Though it's by no means an imperative, since component is rarely far behind and in some cases even looks better, a well-executed digital connection can cut down on the inherent noisiness of plasma. The low-end Pioneer DVD player with HDMI, however, is not recommended. If you can afford the new Denon 5910, not only are you a better man than I; you also stand to get the best image quality under the sun, until HD arrives. Denon's DVD players begin to step up in every respect at the 2910, which may be a seriously cost-effective alternative to the 3910. The Pioneer Elites are also generally well-regarded.

I'm not familiar with the Def Techs or Boston lines these days to give a valid opinion, But when money is involved, and only two manufacturers at this point are in the running, you would do well to listen to and research both, regardless of people's recommendations. I will say, however, that Def Techs seem to get an inordinate share of high praise.

Ed

[topspeed]

I'm unclear why you have to buy packages from each dealer? Can't you buy the Pio from Dealer A and the Denon from Dealer B? As far as speakers go, it's so subjective that only you can make the right decision there. Something to keep in mind with the DefTech's tho, they are bi-polar designs (except for the PowerMonitors) and will require considerably more attention to placement and need to be well out from room boundries. If you have WAF issues or not a lot of space, this could be a deal killer.

Hope this helps.

[Glen B]

Legmaker, how about including the city and/or state where you live in your profile so we can at least have an idea what "area" you are talking about.

[legmaker]

[QUOTE=Glen B]Legmaker, how about including the city and/or state where you live in your profile so we can at least have an idea what "area" you are talking about.[/QUOTE

Sorry,
I'm in Ann Arbor Michigan. And I may just do what one of you suggested. Right now, I'm leaning toward the Pioneer plasma, with the Denon rec, (3805) and DVD/CD (2910) or possibly a 5 disk changer and the Def Techs on the floor and the surrounds in the wall/ceiling.

There is nothing wrong with buying at different dealers, however they have both quoted "package prices" including the wiring, install, and set up. I get the feeling if they are only doing 1/2 the job, the price goes up and their attention to my system goes down.

I would not mind doing the set up myself, but I've been out of the game so long that I feel like I need the pros to get it right. Am I right or wrong? Could I do as good of job with the "self install" Is there a step by step manual that I can follow? I'm not afraid of doing the work and saving some money. I just want it to be correct. I'd hate to spend the $$ and hook it up and have it sound and or look bad because of my amateur skills.

Thanks

[edtyct]

Legmaker,

Are you just worried about connecting the wires/cables and such, or are you concerned about mounting the plasma on the wall and hiding the cables? Depending on the level of carpentry involved and where you intend to put the plasma, it might well be helpful to have someone do the work if you don't have good DIY skills. I've mounted a plasma on the wall; it's necessary to have another strong person around at least to help lift it. If connecting the dots, leaving the wiring more or less in the room, and placing the plasma on a stand is the long and short of it, the manuals that come with the components should suffice. As Topspeed (the drummer) said, the Def Techs and subwoofer may take a little experimenting to get the sound right, but that part can be loads of fun.

Ed

[topspeed]

As Ed (the other drummer) mentioned, if you aren't planning on going in-wall with the wiring, it's not that hard to do. That said, the manual from Denon is truly cryptic in nature and unless you have your decoder ring from the last box of Cracker Jacks you ate, it can appear pretty daunting. Crutchfield has this excellent HT install guide that comes with something that I found to be truly invaluable: Cable Labels. These are stickers you put on the menagerie of cables you have to deal with and makes life infinitely easier, trust me on this. If you need to buy mounting brackets for either your plasma or surrounds, Crutchfield has some nice ones and they'll throw in the HT guide for free or you can buy it separately.

Audio is, for most people here, a hobby. What that means is we are always striving to learn something new. Coming from a long history of 2 channel separates, the first first time I glanced over the back panel of an AVR, I nearly went into cardiac arrest. However, after some deep breaths (and a couple of glasses of wine) I realized that it wasn't nearly as complex as it initially appeared. There are plenty of resources readily at your disposal, such as this website. I also think you will derive a certain sense of satisfaction from installing the rig yourself. Don't worry about whether or not it sounds right because the only one it should sound "right" to is you. Remember, every pro started as an amateur. The progression is the fun part!

Hope this helps.

[legmaker]

Thank you to the drummers. Actually the carpentry skills to me are the easy part. I'm not afraid to cut holes in my walls and run speaker wire. When I spoke about letting the pros handle the job, I was speaking more about setting up the colors on the plasma, tuning the surround sound, subwoofers, crossovers, etc, etc. Those are the things I fear that I may do wrong. I would then be a bit embarrassed to call the pros and say, "I bought this over hear, and this thing on-line, and purchased this from Best Buy, now can you help make it work?" I feel the true home audio dealers would be offended and rather reluctant to help me should I botch the whole thing.

[edtyct]

Legmaker, some of the people on this board (including the other drummer, even though, as a drummer, he can't hear anything) are very competent with issues of audio setup. I'm willing to bet that you could save yourself some expense by setting audio levels yourself, with help or confirmation as needed, which would also be a good way to get back in the saddle and attack the learning curve. If you can get your ears, brain, and body to do the job, and realize that it's not so forbidding as you may have thought, you won't always be at a loss about how to troubleshoot the system yourself.

So far as video is concerned, we can easily help you to manage the plasma's connections and colors. Then you could have the option of getting a test disk (AVIA or DVE) to finetune the picture further or even get an ISF technician to take it the extra mile that you can't run yourself (greyscale and color temperature) if you're so inclined (and flush).

Also, I don't know which stores are involved, but a significant purchase like the one that you are about to make should entitle you to a question or two. It shouldn't be any skin off their back to answer you, and most mid- to high-fi dealers know that relationship with their customers is their strong suit. But I'm sure that once you have everything out of the box, wired, and in place (at least provisionally), you will be more than equipped to take care of everything else--and help will just be fingertips away when you need it. I'll bet many of the people here will agree with me that setup is not only a great way to learn about audio/video, but it's also a gas. You are going to be one happy camper.

Ed