Rookie here,need help.

[MTK]

Hello all,I have been a member of {mtbr.com} sister site since 1996.
DieHard Mntbiker I am. I knew one day this would happen. Me having
enough Money to post these questions for ya all. Here we go. The Wife
and I are doing a Full make over of our Living Room.

1. New Entertainment Center. This Exact one.
http://www.tvstands.com/Parker-House...X-PKR1147.html

2. New TV

3. Yahama or Onkyo reciever,10" Woofer,center channel,the works speaker package.

4. This power supply that keep's All current even? Dont know what it's called?
it regulates uneven surges of electricity to all your gear? Can cost 100 to 400
dollars. Sorry, I dont know what it's called.

Last some new couch'es,not important,but will add to the enjoyment,and actually
what I am most pumped up about.

Ok,the area is 12 feet by 14 feet. I will sit 9 feet from the screen in a relaxed position.
There is 4 beam's above my head with One Support beam in the Center of the room.
That center beam is at 9 feet,give or take from the wall. The couch butt's up to it.
Speaker's can be put on the beam above me.

But do I want "The" beam above me,{connected to the Suppor Beam},or one beam "Behind" me? How far should I spread the speaker's above me? Another problem I
have{specs's on the link} is that I only have a little over 3" for my center channel?
Do even make a Proper 3" Tall Center channel? I see some of you run the Woofer
up front,IMHO it is best to have the Woofer in the Rear?

TV,I am a Sony Man. I have a 08 XBR 32" in my bedroom. According to "Smokey's"
Chart he posted,I can go as big as 70"s which sound's Stupid? Way to big? I was
thinkin 46" before I came here and did homework by reading. Now I am really confused.
My buddie tell's me 52". I DO NOT want to look like an idiot because I outdid myself!
I can not make a mistake with this kind of money.

SamSung UN55BB8000 55" LED
Pansonic V10 55{or it's highest model}
Sony 2010 Model XBR. Is that LED?

Is LED even dialed in yet? I have no idea. I like LCD. I like Plasma.
Reading here scares me on buying a Plasma? Panasonic pulled out of the market
and I thought they were the Best with the "Elite" series?

I play video games with my son,mabye 4 hours a week on our Sony PlayStation 3
{online}. Ultimate crispness HERE is what I am looking for,the games have soo
much going on. I play War Games.

I watch Music video's of Live Concert's on DVD,Sound is important. I love music.

I watch Football and Soccer/Football. Both of which I am a die hard fan. Soccer does
not come in HD unless it's on ESPN.

I am thinkin Sony here boy's? What is the latest Sony on the Market?

Oh,the ET center can Expand up to 70". It's white glove service,so I need to know
what TV I am getting so they can set it up to the right size.

Speakers I was thinkin,Polk,Kiplish{sp?} but I have this center channel problem? I just
want quality,and be able to turn up my Music.

Is Wireless speaker for the rear any good? That way I have no cable? So far it
seems wireless is Not as good as hardwire. Am I wrong?

I just had DirectTV set my HD box. I am ready there. I am bumping up to 10 gig's
on my Computer/Playstaion. Only at 1.35 right now.


Last,I am not setting this up. I want a Pro. I will buy it all,but not set it up. It's too much
for me. I dont know what I'm doing. I was thinking I would have a friend do it{does this
for a living}or sub it out to a Pro. The Wife say's "No" to the friend,so does my buddy.
I can do as I wish,but I take all thought's on the matter before pullin the trigger. Can
someone out there give me a name of Company in the Bay Area CA that could help
me? The clock is tickin on me,I have maybe a week,at most two.

Thank You for reading my babble,I hope I gave you enough info to help me. Peace


MTK

[02audionoob]

This all depends on your budget. Sony, Polk and Klispch all make some reasonably-priced equipment. There's a big spread between a home-theater system for a few hundred bucks and a system made of components that cost thousands of dollars each.

Some equipment you might want to look at are the Sony 1080p 120Hz televisions in the 50-inch size range for around $1,800, the Onkyo receivers like the TX-SR806 for around $1,000, a good Blu-ray player for a few hundred and a home-theater speaker system like these at the Axiom site for around $2,000:

http://www.axiomaudio.com/epic50_main.html

If you can afford to move up higher than this stuff, it won't be wasted money. There is better equipment out there. These are just a few ideas to start. You can find a wide variety of this type of gear at crutchfield.com.

[MTK]

Those speakers look nice. I have BlueRay in the PS3. The money I'm thinking
tobe about 6 to 7000 dollars. I can not use those center channel unless I put
it on top,the link you gave me. I will be getting deal's on all the equipment expect
for the Sony TV. If I went to another brand,the one's I listed above,I could get a
deal on it as well. I need to do more homework on LED. Is it to new? Should I
get a Plasma? Or just the new Sony LCD. These thing's I wonder. I'm off todo more
reading. Peace.

MTK

[frahengeo]

Those speakers look nice. I have BlueRay in the PS3. The money I'm thinking
tobe about 6 to 7000 dollars. I can not use those center channel unless I put
it on top,the link you gave me. I will be getting deal's on all the equipment expect
for the Sony TV. If I went to another brand,the one's I listed above,I could get a
deal on it as well. I need to do more homework on LED. Is it to new? Should I
get a Plasma? Or just the new Sony LCD. These thing's I wonder. I'm off todo more
reading. Peace.

MTK

Hey There,

This type of project is always fun to do. IMO, LEDs look great, but is still in its early stages and because of this you will be spending 3~3.5K for a 55" TV. Its difficult to beat a Pioneer Elite plasma, but again its $$. An LCD may be your best option considering your budget. With that said, the best thing to do is go to your local BB or AV store and look at all the TVs and compare. I've always been an XBR man myself, but recently bought a Samsung LCD and I am very happy with it. I decided on the Samsung after a side-by-side comparison to a Sony XBR, which is what I had originally intended to buy.

Personally, I would put more emphasis on speakers. Everything else comes and goes, but a good set of speakers will always sound good and last a lifetime. For home theater, a good center channel is a must. Take a look at Definitive Technology's center channel w/built in sub. Perhaps you can get a discount on Def Tech as well. I did.

As for power conditioners, check out the APS HT15 sold by TigerDirect.com. For $199.00, you can have all the features of $500~$600 Panamax or MonsterPower. I admit that my HT15 doesn't look as good as a Panamax, but its built very solid and is feature packed (voltage regulator included).

As for a blu-ray player, I keep reading that the PS3 is one of the best blu-ray players out there. Other blu-ray machines are often compared to the PS3, especially in terms of loading times. Why not use what you already have? If not, read reviews of Oppo BDP-83. Even people that have >50K home theaters are buying these units.

Regardless, good luck with your project.

[bfalls]

It looks as though you may have a spot in the center below the TV for a center channel. A 3" spot over the screen just isn't enough. Bose makes some thin speakers, but a center channel with less than a 3" mid-woofer is sub-standard. You may be able to get a decent bookshelf speaker in that spot.

You might look at the Emotiva site. They have several speaker options including their ERM-1 which is on closeout for $149. Its sealed, so would work in the cabinet. It also has boundary compensation for this type of placement. They're being discontinued because the next model in the line has close to the same specs using 6.5" woofers instead of the ERM-1s 5.25".

They also have a AV preamp ($699) and 5 channel amp XPA-5 ($799). Do an online search, the components are well-respected. Shipping doesn't cost much. My 88lb XPA-5 was delivered at their standard rate of $25. It was only $10 for a pair of 37lb speakers. I put the build quality and value much higher than Klipsch' and I'm a big Klipsch (correct spelling BTW) fan.

I work for Sony and a big fan of some of their products. Love the LCDs. I have a KDL52XBR5 and their flagship STR-DA5300ES receiver. Not a big fan of their speakers. They've just come out with their ECO series which use substantially less power than previous models. I'm trying to talk my wife into another LCD for the living room. Not pushing it too much since I've purchased three ERM-1s, XPA-5, a pair of T&A Triton 3-way speakers, B&W LM-1 speakers, Monster THX speaker wires and several Legacy Gallery in-wall speakers for a remodeling project this year. I haven't hit her limit. Why ruin a good thing.

A power conditioner is the word you were looking for. Depends where you live if it's needed. Areas, like an apartment building where motors ect... cause spikes, yes, otherwise a surge protector should be OK.

As far as installation, it's not that difficult, especially when using HDMI for satellite and PS3. All that is left are the speaker connections. As long as you keep the '+' and '-' consistent throughout, you should be OK. Anything fancier you can ask for help here. I think what confuses people most is they don't understand the difference in cabling audio and video. With HDMI, they're both in one cable. What will get confusing is if you want to have additional connections so you can view TV, game ect... without having the receiver on.

Hope this helps.

[MTK]

I read for 3 hour's here last night,mostly on TV's. You guy's crack me up
when I read here. It's just like Mnt.Bike but a different field. Like LCD and
Plasma,we argure about a Single Pivot vs Horst Link with the same passion.

Moving on. Guy's how much can I get a Pioneer Elite Plasma 50" for? Where
would I buy it? I have not done that homework yet as I am stuck on LED LCD
Sony XBR or a Plasma Homework. But If I go Plasma,{which I think I will} I
want it tobe a Pioneer,they are the King's of Plasma,this much I do know.
That being said,I can get a Rippen deal on a Panasonic V10 55" Plasma,and
a Samsung as well. I'm just not feelin those two even though they come with
a rippen deal. You thought's on Panasonic/Samsung please. I mixed up
Pansonic and Pioneer on my "First" post saying that Panasoic was the leader
in Plasma. I meant Pioneer is the leader. The "ONE" and only thing that concerns
me about Plasma is that I play video games. At Max I play 5 hours a week. I
NEVER leave it on in the backround. I got co-workers etc screamin in my ear
about how it will get ruint! Whatever I say.

I mispoke on my budget,there is no budget. I was thinking that would be "about"
how much I would spend. Reason being I have a connection in the field. Sorry.


bfall's: On the Power Conditioner{thank you} I am going with MonsterPower
as I will get a smokin deal. I guess I dont need it,but I would feel better if I
did. Your right,I will do it will the help of my buddie. IE,no pro will be hired.
I have made the call. Oh,and your right,I have to figure somethin else out
for that Center channel. I'm on it!


frahengeo: Your right, I will put more emphasis on speakers,I love music.
I Am going to use my PS3 for the Blue Ray,sorry for the confusion there.


Two thing's are for sure. 1: Yamaha Receiver{dont know model yet}
2: Power Conditioner: MonsterPower

Peace,I'm off todo homework.

MTK

[02audionoob]

Pioneer is out of the plasma business, aren't they? Anyway...with no budget, I wouldn't be looking at receivers...I'd be looking at separates.

[MTK]

but I do not know what your last sentence means? "I'd be looking at separates."

As far as them going out of business,which is my understanding as well,I really
dont care If I can get 10 years from her? It will be time to move on. Hell,at the
these prices,I would be happy with 6 years.

Guy's I am having a hard time understanding "what is the Model Number" of
Pioneer's Top Plasma? The prices I am seeing are nice. I must be missing
something? It's too cheap.

Back to homework. Peace.


MTK

[02audionoob]

but I do not know what your last sentence means? "I'd be looking at separates."

A receiver is a box that combines the functions of a tuner, preamp and amp into one box. These are usually the most economical solutions for an audio system but not necessarily the best. The best amps are in a separate box. The best preamps are in a separate box. And the best tuners are in a separate box.

Speaking of separate amps, the best are often in a separate box for each channel. For stereo, you'd have an amp for the left and an amp for the right. In fact, you could bi-amp your speakers and have an amp for the highs on the left, one for the lows on the left, one for the highs on the right and one for the lows on the right.

Example separates: http://us.marantz.com/Products/616.asp

[MTK]

thank you for that info. I had never even heard of it? Well,I am sorry to say
that the Wife and I got into it last night. Not over money,but the SPEAKER'S!
I want the Soupa Doupa sound system. She want's thing's nice and tidey.
I am sorry to report{especially with audio freak's like you} that I am going to
get a ghey sound system. Yes,that's right,all this talk and research has come
down to this. I know,it's not real sound,please dont tell me so. It is
the best I can do.

Final call on:

Audio: Yahama YSP 4000,Yahama YSTSW 315 10" Sub.
Power Conditioner: Monstor MPHTS 2600

The TV it seems is a hard choice. Pioneer Elite is very hard to buy where I am at. IE,
I cant seem to go to a store,look at it,and say,I'll take it. Please go to the back and give
me my box.

I spent 3 hours today grilling like a cheese sandwich my two Tech buddies
on TV's. I took All the knowledge I got from here and Consumer's report and spit it out
like I was a Pro. I felt like a Pro,they were impressed. I was impressed. I drank beer,
they did not. I was stuck on Plasma,and LED,that's it. Then it was Brands and
customer service. That is all we talked about. Mitsi came in on the Radar with there
Brand New Lazer Tech{?} TV which only came in at 65". Too Big. That SOB look's
Tit's though. I love Mitsi. So,it has come down to these.

Samsung LED LCD UN55B8000 50"{?} coming in at over 3 thousand Dollars.
Samsung Plasma PNSOB860 50" coming in at about 1500 Dollars.
Panasonic V10 Plasma 50"{?} coming in at about 1800 Dollars
Don't quote any of these prices,they are off my head.


It's so odd as I am a "Sony Only Macaroni Abalone Man". I am not cheap,Sony it seems
would cost me almost double and she's not Plasma. Ummm I say. My homework has
taught me that LED is just doing what Plasma Already has. Most people have such a
hard on for LCD/LED and not much good to say about Plasma. One has to weed through
all this talk and get to the truth. I must say I am nervous,everyone expect ME, say to get
a LED. Co-Workers,my Tech Buddie's etc. My Homework has also told me that SamSung has
Top Notch customer service,and the only difference on the B8000/80001
not out yet,is the outside line around the TV. 8000 has a Red Line,the 80001 will have
a Silver Line. The call will be made within 2 day's. Peace.

MTK

[MTK]

So I had it down to the Samy 55B8000 LED,Samy SD860 Plasma,Panasonic V10.
Sony XBR LED would also be looked at. I wanted the Pioneer Elite Plasma,but could
not find one here in stock.


I was only able to find ONE store that All the above TV's for me to look at and compare.
I brought my good buddie with me. I was only looking at 50 to 60 Inch TV's. Upon
walking up to them from way back, I noticed there was 9 50" and above TV's on the
Top Rack. We stopped. I told my buddie which one's I liked so far. Number 6 was
best,and number 4 was the worst. We then walk up and look at what I picked?
Number 6{my Favorite} was the Samy 860 Plasma,number 4 was the Panasonic
V10{least favorite}. Ummmm we say. Panasonic is now out of the Race. Sony is
next. Sony was beautiful,very nice. Not as nice as the Samy Plasma IMHO. Sony
want's alot of money. Sony is my Favorite{as I am a Sony Man}. Ummm. Let me
see the Samy LED 55B8000. Lord have mercy we said. It was a 58". We stood to the
side,we pulled out the tape measure. We loved it. However,just around the corner they
had a 58" Samy Plasma 860. The one on the Rack was a 50". We went back and forth
between the the two. The Samy 860 Plasma beat out the Samy LED 8000 hand's
down IMHO. When the Soccer/Football came on the Plasma it was OVER! I knew I
had togo Plasma. The Off Angle was important to me. The Plasma Again was a big
difference IMHO. So,I made my call,Samy Plasma 860 58". I went there for a 50"
but the 58" was to good tobe true. Having said all that,I continue on.

I love the Pioneer ELITE Plasma Picture,but could not find one in stock. So I got home
and made one last call before I pull the trigger. BestBuy. "Do you have a 60" Elite in stock
by chance I ask"? As a matter of fact we do,a customer ordered Two but only took One.
Ummm,how much you want? $5500 down from $6500. "Ask your Mngr. If you guy's will
take $4600 I said." Sold. So,In my living right now is a 60" Pioneer ELITE Pro151FD.
Unreal I say. I got lucky. No Regret's,Peace, and thank's for all your help.

MTK{wont have thing's up and runnin for another week or so}

[blackraven]

MTK, save your money on the power conditioner and skip the monster. They don't really do that much to improve sound. What you want is good surge suppression. I use a cyberpower 1030 HT http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009WDLPK

It has 6000joules of protection and an EMF/RF filter.

Also consider the Onkyo TX SR 607 or 707 receiver if you don't want to do a separate amp and preamp/processor like the Emotiva mentioned above. The Onkyo's have alot of bang for the buck. Some thing to consider about the TV. Plasma is great for low light area's due to the reflective screen. LCD's are better for bright area's and day time watching. If it was me, I would go with a Sony 120Hz 52" XBR and skip the LED's if you are concerned about money. Then I would buy a Paradigm or B&W speaker system. You can build a nice HT system for about $2K with B&W or Paradigm speakers in a 5.1 configuration. Others to consider would be PSB. If you decide to go this way with the speakers just ask for help in which to buy.

[MTK]

I thought I would give you all an update. I have everything now,including
all the top notch cables which cost me 800 Dollars. I am ready. I just
TSP'd the whole dam wall. After this post I will wash the wood floor. I had
to move ALOT of stuff. I gave all of it away to friends. I will hold on to the old
couch as my new ones come first week of Oct.

Today[12 to 3} they will come in and put this Massive piece together. Between
3 and 5pm my new 18gig Interent line will be hooked up. I took the day off. My
friend will be here around 6pm to help me put it all together.

All that being said,I was VERY upset with my friend who is in the business and
was my goto guy to get this done. Not my friend in the above paragraph. I learned
a very good lesson from this. Dont do business with friends. I suppose it can be, and
has been done with great success,it just did not happen for me. I got the Speaker/Sub
and Power Conditioner from him. This after a week delay,and him saying that I was not
clear on what I wanted. Bull****. I was clear. In fact,I did not want to go this route{speaker
wise},I was going to go HUGE on the speakers. Anyway,I guess he did not understand
how important this whole adventure was to me. Thousands of Dollars and a ****load of
Moving and Cleaning. Hours of reading and reading. He is leaving for Hawaii tommorow.
"I'll see if I can come by Tuesday night" he say's. As I put the speakers in my Truck
and told him "you broke my heart, never mind Homey."

You should see this house right now,**** everywhere. Yeah ok,I'll just sit and wait till you
come by. Nevermind all the work I have done,or HOW BAD I want to See and Hear this,
but more importantly how much MONEY I spent. I'll just sit here and wait. For those of
you wondering what did he do that made me so mad? He did not return my call's. He
did not take me serious. He did not respect that I was a paying customer. He did take
my DEADLINE serious,which is Today.

I don't know,mabye it's my fault. Mabye he thought he was giving me a deal and
that was enough? Mabye I expected to much? I can tell you it was a complete cluster****. Enough crying like a little girl,get over it MTK.

Would anyone like to see a picture when I"m done? Peace.


MTK{going to clean the floor.}

[frahengeo]

All that being said,I was VERY upset with my friend who is in the business and
was my goto guy to get this done. Not my friend in the above paragraph. I learned
a very good lesson from this. Dont do business with friends. I suppose it can be, and
has been done with great success,it just did not happen for me. I got the Speaker/Sub
and Power Conditioner from him. This after a week delay,and him saying that I was not
clear on what I wanted. Bull****. I was clear. In fact,I did not want to go this route{speaker
wise},I was going to go HUGE on the speakers. Anyway,I guess he did not understand
how important this whole adventure was to me. Thousands of Dollars and a ****load of
Moving and Cleaning. Hours of reading and reading. He is leaving for Hawaii tommorow.
"I'll see if I can come by Tuesday night" he say's. As I put the speakers in my Truck
and told him "you broke my heart, never mind Homey."


MTK{going to clean the floor.}

Hi MTK,

I'm not clear what happened, but it doesn't sound good. What's up with the so-called deadline? Of all the things that gets done with renovations, remodeling, etc, the AV gear is the last thing that gets installed. So it seems that you can take your time and acquire the gear that you want at your own pace. Couldn't your buddy take care of you when he gets back from his trip??

My best friend was in the "business" also and he hooked me up a long time ago. It took a while to get my gear also, but I think that he was trying to be careful when he was ordering my stuff so as to not bring a lot of attention to the transaction. I didn't complain since he was doing me a huge favor. Saved me ~$5,000.00!!!

Photos are always welcome around here.

Good luck

[MTK]

Your right,the AV Gear is the last thing. However,I had about 2 week's to get
my AV Gear. I came here mostly for Audio Help as I wanted big time speaker's.
However,the Wife and I did not agree on that subject. So I lost out on asking
you guy's ALOT of question's about Audio. I was in charge of moving everything
Out of the Room,and getting ALL the New AV Gear for the New Entertainment
Center. I need'ed to have all my Duck's lined up when the ET Center came to
the House. I did that. The next step I had todo was Hook it all up. That is
why I went to my "buddie in the business" to begin with. Once the ET Center is
here,I need it all hooked up,tonight please. I knew what I had to get,but
I am not Savy on hookin her all up. The Wife would like a cup of coffee the next
morning and watch the New's. I cant blame her,I would like the same thing,I dont
think it's asking to much. The house is a mess until everthing is back In order.

Update for those who care.

Half of the ET Center was destroyed in Shipping. The Large Left Side Tower{connected
to the Center TV peice}and the Outer Right Tower. I could have built it if the Large Left
Side was OK,then I could put the Top on her. However,all I can do right now is just have
the TV on the Center Peice.

The High Speed Hook-Up took about 3 hours. I am so HOT that he had to Bump Down
the Speed with Two Splitters. One at the Box,and one inside my house,coming too
10.3 gig's total. He said if he did not,then she would burn my Modem.
I am now runnin 21.3 Gigs with My Speed Test right now. I gave him a 60 Dollar Tip and
asked for his number In case thing's went wrong. The Wife called me this moring and said
the Phone dont work. I said call me Boy. He came today at 11:30am while I was at
work and fixed the problem.

We were up till 12 midnight just bugin on all this Glory. The Speaker was the hardest.
Everthing is up and runnin. The PS3 is Unreal. The speed,the clarity. The TV is Unreal.
It is Bar None,the best TV I have ever seen. I am soo pumped up it aint even funny.
The TV looks Way Better than in the strore{cable's they did not use?} I dont understand
this argument of Plasma Vs LED/LCD? For me Boy's,it's Plasma. Just look at it! Anyway
I have to go cook some steaks. Much more to say. Peace.


MTK{The Yamaha speaker has ALOT of stuff on here }

[MTK]

I need some help. I am not really happy with the Yamaha Speaker. It's Proper
and sound's great,but it's not what I wanted. I have reset the digital beam twice
and have it working great,it's just that It is no where near what a True surround
would sound like.{Yeah MTK,what did you expect!} I know,I like to hear thing's
behind me,I like the sound tobe "broke down" if you will. It seem's I need to have
some little,but badass speaker's behind me? The woofer is great,I dont think I need
a center channel{even though I would love one}but I need more. I can add to this no?
Mind you,I cant go BIG like I want,but I think I would like some small, but badass
speakers{4?} two behind,two up front. Or am I being stupid here? Your thought's
Boy's.

Speaker is a Yamaha YSP 4000. Cables are Monstor M850 DFO High Res.
Fiber Optic.

The TV is next. I love it. Unreal. I dont how to set the Non HD channel's for optium
viewing experience? I do know how,but I dont know what is best?

What is Dot to Dot?

I do not run her at full screen on non DH.

I have the backround set to Black for non DH channels on the left and right.

I tell the TV to confiure to the channel at hand. {here is where I need the help}

Should I run 1080i or 1080p? Which is better? They say the Human eye can not tell
the difference?

Do I have to constantly change my setting's daily for optium viewing experience?

I am trying to figure this all out and it is frustating. Peace.

TV is a Pioneer Elite KURO PRO-151FD Plasma


MTK

[MTK]

I was really looking forward to see some post's on my thread.
Having done alot of reading on this site already,I know there
are some bad ass folk on here. Nevernind,I'll let ya all be then.


MTK