spent $2,000, was it well spent?

[muzicman20003]

Hey all, im a freshman at purdue university in indiana. I've spent about the last year and a half, working at a Wendy's and piecing together a Home theater, used 50/50 for music and movies. Im just curious as to what everyone else thought of what i got, if it was worth the money, a good deal, should have bought something different, saved my money for something better, etc. Just curious as to some opinions.

here is the list of what i have

Reciever: Denon 1803

Mains: JBL Studio S38II
Center: JBL Studio ScenterII
Surrounds: JBL Studio S26II
Rear Center: JBL Studio ScenterII
Sub: Adire Audio Rava/shiva mkIII driver (I love this sub, would recomend it to anyone)

DVD Audio/Video: JVC XV-SA75

Interconnects: Are all phoenix gold, I dont remeber models, i just know its there middle grade stuff gold plated connectors and twisted pair wires, all double shielded.

Speaker wire: Sound King 12 gauge copper wire/ banana clips that i installed myself.

All in all, ive spent just under $2,000. unfortuantly, i have not purchased a nice tv as of yet, i have a freebe 19" POS that gets me by for now. Keep in mind that this right now it is all in my small 10X15 dorm room. I actually invented an ingenious way of "mounting" my speakers to get them off of my desk, if you are interseted i can email you a pic. anyway, i just wanted to know what everyone thought, quality vs money. The question almost everyone asks themselves when buying new equipment. I appriciate any and all comments.

thanks


muzicman

[TinHere]

Congrat's.

If you're happy that's all that matters regardless of what other's might think will make you happy. I'll bet the dorm rocks now, just remember why you're there so you can upgrade in the future.

Enjoy!

[skeptic]

I'd have gone for a pair of S312 IIs or the S412p IIs instead of the S38 IIs and the sub. J&R has the S412pIIs on sale for $399 each plus shipping. I'd also go for the S38IIs for the rears. This would add a few hundred dollars but I think with the prices at J&R and a little negotiating, I could still have kept it around $2000.

[Crunchyriff]

I'd have gone for a pair of S312 IIs or the S412p IIs instead of the S38 IIs and the sub. J&R has the S412pIIs on sale for $399 each plus shipping. I'd also go for the S38IIs for the rears. This would add a few hundred dollars but I think with the prices at J&R and a little negotiating, I could still have kept it around $2000.

I think the lad is considering intrinsic floor space, ( a dorm room, remember) and in that, I too, would have gone with the S38s. In my own apartment, however, would be the S412's. The S38 is a very robust unit that sounds way bigger than it's size. I too, would have gone with the S38's for rears.

musicman- ya done good, and you gotta love the SCenterII. I have the original SCenter, and I love it. Probably one of (if not) the best center channel spkr for under 400 bucks.
Now go get ya a popcorn popper..the good one that ya crank by hand on the stove. Don't forget the coconut and peanut oil! Butter, too...no artificial crap!

Crunchy

[Willow]

Hey all, im a freshman at purdue university in indiana. I've spent about the last year and a half, working at a Wendy's and piecing together a Home theater, used 50/50 for music and movies. Im just curious as to what everyone else thought of what i got, if it was worth the money, a good deal, should have bought something different, saved my money for something better, etc. Just curious as to some opinions.

here is the list of what i have

Reciever: Denon 1803

Mains: JBL Studio S38II
Center: JBL Studio ScenterII
Surrounds: JBL Studio S26II
Rear Center: JBL Studio ScenterII
Sub: Adire Audio Rava/shiva mkIII driver (I love this sub, would recomend it to anyone)

DVD Audio/Video: JVC XV-SA75

Interconnects: Are all phoenix gold, I dont remeber models, i just know its there middle grade stuff gold plated connectors and twisted pair wires, all double shielded.

Speaker wire: Sound King 12 gauge copper wire/ banana clips that i installed myself.

All in all, ive spent just under $2,000. unfortuantly, i have not purchased a nice tv as of yet, i have a freebe 19" POS that gets me by for now. Keep in mind that this right now it is all in my small 10X15 dorm room. I actually invented an ingenious way of "mounting" my speakers to get them off of my desk, if you are interseted i can email you a pic. anyway, i just wanted to know what everyone thought, quality vs money. The question almost everyone asks themselves when buying new equipment. I appriciate any and all comments.

thanks


muzicman

You could've spent 100k and peeps still will comment on it in a negative way....it's not how much you spent to me it's how much you love it. Every night after work I can't wait to go home and turn it on and try stuff I have read on this forum. But if you're looking for a thumbs up on your system... I give it to ya !! why don't you post your pic on the forum so we can see your speaker placement

[Bryan]

Though I am not entirely thrilled with your speaker selection I will say you could have done far worse. The AVR-1803 is a solid entry level receiver and I am sure the Rava will serve you well for years to come. Not sure of the JVC unit but that is my lack of knowledge showing there. Overall, I think you will be very happy with your system for at least the next four years.

[muzicman20003]

Thanks for the replies. I do love my system, i left it here over break, and i about died at home. Nothing but a walmart "theater" in a box system that my parents have. I was just curious as to what people in the audio world thought. ive gotten lots of compliments from people around the dorm, but I dont think any of them really appriciate it, they just think it looks cool and goes really loud. ;-) I also have a bro in law who has a B&W setup, the nautilus 802 mains and 803 surrounds and the HTM1 center. I forget which sub he has, with a krell pre/pro and a b&k 7 channal amp. All running to his 65" pioneer elite rear projection. Im not sure on all the specifics, but needless to say, he wasnt entirly impressed. Although, i was quick to point out that i bought my entire system for less than he spent on cables and interconnects!! hehe, oh well, if you got it spend it i guess.

I'll put some pictures of my setup as soon as i get some new ones, The old ones i have are too blurry (friends camera is crap), and ....clean up the room a little. ;-)

thanks again for all the replys

muzicman

Bryan,

"Though I am not entirely thrilled with your speaker selection I will say you could have done far worse."

In the same price range, what would you have suggested, out of curiosity?



Skeptic,

"I'd have gone for a pair of S312 IIs or the S412p IIs instead of the S38 IIs and the sub. J&R has the S412pIIs on sale for $399 each plus shipping. I'd also go for the S38IIs for the rears. This would add a few hundred dollars but I think with the prices at J&R and a little negotiating, I could still have kept it around $2000."


I would have loved to buy the s412pII's, but 3 things, one physical space, if i layed them down side by side, they would have probably been the same size as my bed (hey, theres and idea.) 2, when i purchased these speakers, the jbl s38II's were still nearly $400, on sale, so no you couldnt have kept it at 2,000 at the time, unless you went with used or unauthorized dealers, which brings me to the 3rd thing. I wasnt buying from an unautorized dealer, I got them from vanns.com (great place, frequent sales), I needed the warranty, no way in hell was i going to be moving my speakers around for the next four years from place to place with no warranty. thats why i didnt buy the larger speakers, becuase anyone would love the have the bigger speakers (in most cases at least) but in mine, they just werent practicle, or affordable.

Besides, in a room that is 10X15, i think 1 powered 12 will do it, i dont really think i needed 2 more. ;-)



muzicman

[Willow]

Thanks for the replies. I do love my system, i left it here over break, and i about died at home. Nothing but a walmart "theater" in a box system that my parents have. I was just curious as to what people in the audio world thought. ive gotten lots of compliments from people around the dorm, but I dont think any of them really appriciate it, they just think it looks cool and goes really loud. ;-) I also have a bro in law who has a B&W setup, the nautilus 802 mains and 803 surrounds and the HTM1 center. I forget which sub he has, with a krell pre/pro and a b&k 7 channal amp. All running to his 65" pioneer elite rear projection. Im not sure on all the specifics, but needless to say, he wasnt entirly impressed. Although, i was quick to point out that i bought my entire system for less than he spent on cables and interconnects!! hehe, oh well, if you got it spend it i guess.

I'll put some pictures of my setup as soon as i get some new ones, The old ones i have are too blurry (friends camera is crap), and ....clean up the room a little. ;-)

thanks again for all the replys

muzicman

Bryan,

"Though I am not entirely thrilled with your speaker selection I will say you could have done far worse."

In the same price range, what would you have suggested, out of curiosity?



Skeptic,

"I'd have gone for a pair of S312 IIs or the S412p IIs instead of the S38 IIs and the sub. J&R has the S412pIIs on sale for $399 each plus shipping. I'd also go for the S38IIs for the rears. This would add a few hundred dollars but I think with the prices at J&R and a little negotiating, I could still have kept it around $2000."


I would have loved to buy the s412pII's, but 3 things, one physical space, if i layed them down side by side, they would have probably been the same size as my bed (hey, theres and idea.) 2, when i purchased these speakers, the jbl s38II's were still nearly $400, on sale, so no you couldnt have kept it at 2,000 at the time, unless you went with used or unauthorized dealers, which brings me to the 3rd thing. I wasnt buying from an unautorized dealer, I got them from vanns.com (great place, frequent sales), I needed the warranty, no way in hell was i going to be moving my speakers around for the next four years from place to place with no warranty. thats why i didnt buy the larger speakers, becuase anyone would love the have the bigger speakers (in most cases at least) but in mine, they just werent practicle, or affordable.

Besides, in a room that is 10X15, i think 1 powered 12 will do it, i dont really think i needed 2 more. ;-)



muzicman

IF IF IF.....we all think and say that !! considering the circomstances you seem happy and proud !! Thats all that matters..and think your bro spent too much on his cables !!

[muzicman20003]

IF IF IF.....we all think and say that !! considering the circomstances you seem happy and proud !! Thats all that matters..and think your bro spent too much on his cables !!

I would tend to agree with you on the cables, but when you are spending $30K on aspeakers, power, and processor, i guess you want to be sure you dont cut it short with sub par cables and interconnects. I dont know how much he spent total, but im sure it was near 2k and that does include speaker cable, video cable, and other interconnects.

I am happy and proud of my system, i think its not bad for a 19 year old.

muzicman

[Willow]

I would tend to agree with you on the cables, but when you are spending $30K on aspeakers, power, and processor, i guess you want to be sure you dont cut it short with sub par cables and interconnects. I dont know how much he spent total, but im sure it was near 2k and that does include speaker cable, video cable, and other interconnects.

I am happy and proud of my system, i think its not bad for a 19 year old.

muzicman

I wonder if a 30K system and a 3k system really sound that different in relation to the 10x higher price.....if you understand what Im trying to say

[Crunchyriff]

"For a 19 yr old!!"

I got my 1st HT sys at the ripe old age of 39! Back when I was 19, the only thing available was 2 channel, and 2k got you far less than it does today. Way to go, baby.
As far as the JBL brand, I can tell you this: as a pro musician, and audio-lover, I have been using thier products for over 20 years. Pro audio, car, and otherwise. Thier mid 80's 6x9's were incredible car audio speakers. (my 68 ElCamino had 4 in the rear) I still have a killer set of 25 yr old JBL studio monitors that will leave when I am planted "6ft under." They have had some great, as well as terrible products, but I think you can say that about any rather large corporation, that has been in the game for years. Some more, some less. That being said, let no-one frown upon you for owning JBL, my son...

Some cork-sniffers who sneer at the mere mention of JBL (simply because you can find them at Best Buy) really chap my behind. Yet they won't quibble if you happen to pick up a nice Pioneer Elite plasma display...at the same place. Those are usually the ones who want to impress with just how much money they've thrown at their system- and this is ususally the basis for thier bias....or they have the mindset "if it's inexpensive, it can't be good" or worse, again "ooh..it's JBL and you can find those at Best Buy..yuck!"

Where the product is 'floored' alone, has no initial bearing on it's value, or lack of it, whatsoever, IMHO. You can find craptacular products (overpriced ones at that) in upscale places, too.

In our sys, which I will list below, we have the dreaded PSW-D112 subwoofer, which I love. It has had a plethora of user problems with the AMP section. I was quite smug in that ours went for 3 years....before it crapped out. I got ahold of JBL's CS dept, and they authorized a repair, free of charge, while I waited at the repair facility! (remember this is 2 years out of warranty) That's right. I was in and out in 20 minutes flat. (I was taking my fam. to Universal Studios that day, and the JBL rep coordinated the whole thing! I told her what my plans for my trip were, and she got the repair scheduled for that morning!!) THAT'S quality service!

I'm not interested in impressing people with throwing money around- that takes no talent whatsoever, but it does take MONEY. Whoopee. Case in point- my main guitar is a $6k '58 Historic Les Paul. Right next to it, sharing equal duties, is a $110 telecaster clone that gets it's share of work, too- I don't care what ANYONE thinks. I'm more impressed with VALUE.

Had I to do it all over again, I might look into the AXIOM's, or a few others, and a SVS sub, but this is a higher price point that what I spent. I might have gone with the JBL S412's AND a sub. (we have a 22x25' den..he he he he...)
I will probably upgrade our HT receiver within the nxt. 24 mos., but I think the JBL's we have will still be here.

As has been said, you are the one that has to be happy. and if you are, halleujah!

Crunchy
______________________

Onkyo TS-DX 777
JBL S-Center
JBL ND310's front
JBL HLS 620's rear
JBL HLS 610's (stashed for future 7.1)
JBL PSW-D112 sub
Sony RM-AV3000 Remote
Monster Cables
Calibrated w/ Rat Shack SPL mtr.
Toshiba 36" CRT (soon to be replaced by a Samsung DLP)
Calibrated w/Video Essentials
130+ DVD library

Two Hand-crank popcorn poppers....

[Bryan]

In the same price range, what would you have suggested, out of curiosity?

The HSU Ventriliquist system goes for $311 delivered, the Rocket ELT system for $797 plus shipping, the nOrh 4.0 video package for $850 delivered, or the Ascend Acoustics S22-1010 system (front CBM-170s, rear HTM-200s) for $826 delivered. All, IMO, would be excellent. However, one thing to keep in mind is all of those are factory direct options rather than available locally and I am a big fan of factory direct gear.

[muzicman20003]

I wonder if a 30K system and a 3k system really sound that different in relation to the 10x higher price.....if you understand what Im trying to say

there was actually about 10 seconds where he had this sad look in his eye, like he was upset that he spend 10X what i did, and mine still sounds nice, but, like i said, that only lasted for about 10 sec. hehe

[muzicman20003]

"For a 19 yr old!!"

I got my 1st HT sys at the ripe old age of 39! Back when I was 19, the only thing available was 2 channel, and 2k got you far less than it does today. Way to go, baby.
As far as the JBL brand, I can tell you this: as a pro musician, and audio-lover, I have been using thier products for over 20 years. Pro audio, car, and otherwise. Thier mid 80's 6x9's were incredible car audio speakers. (my 68 ElCamino had 4 in the rear) I still have a killer set of 25 yr old JBL studio monitors that will leave when I am planted "6ft under." They have had some great, as well as terrible products, but I think you can say that about any rather large corporation, that has been in the game for years. Some more, some less. That being said, let no-one frown upon you for owning JBL, my son...

Some cork-sniffers who sneer at the mere mention of JBL (simply because you can find them at Best Buy) really chap my behind. Yet they won't quibble if you happen to pick up a nice Pioneer Elite plasma display...at the same place. Those are usually the ones who want to impress with just how much money they've thrown at their system- and this is ususally the basis for thier bias....or they have the mindset "if it's inexpensive, it can't be good" or worse, again "ooh..it's JBL and you can find those at Best Buy..yuck!"

Where the product is 'floored' alone, has no initial bearing on it's value, or lack of it, whatsoever, IMHO. You can find craptacular products (overpriced ones at that) in upscale places, too.

In our sys, which I will list below, we have the dreaded PSW-D112 subwoofer, which I love. It has had a plethora of user problems with the AMP section. I was quite smug in that ours went for 3 years....before it crapped out. I got ahold of JBL's CS dept, and they authorized a repair, free of charge, while I waited at the repair facility! (remember this is 2 years out of warranty) That's right. I was in and out in 20 minutes flat. (I was taking my fam. to Universal Studios that day, and the JBL rep coordinated the whole thing! I told her what my plans for my trip were, and she got the repair scheduled for that morning!!) THAT'S quality service!

I'm not interested in impressing people with throwing money around- that takes no talent whatsoever, but it does take MONEY. Whoopee. Case in point- my main guitar is a $6k '58 Historic Les Paul. Right next to it, sharing equal duties, is a $110 telecaster clone that gets it's share of work, too- I don't care what ANYONE thinks. I'm more impressed with VALUE.

Had I to do it all over again, I might look into the AXIOM's, or a few others, and a SVS sub, but this is a higher price point that what I spent. I might have gone with the JBL S412's AND a sub. (we have a 22x25' den..he he he he...)
I will probably upgrade our HT receiver within the nxt. 24 mos., but I think the JBL's we have will still be here.

As has been said, you are the one that has to be happy. and if you are, halleujah!

Crunchy
______________________

Onkyo TS-DX 777
JBL S-Center
JBL ND310's front
JBL HLS 620's rear
JBL HLS 610's (stashed for future 7.1)
JBL PSW-D112 sub
Sony RM-AV3000 Remote
Monster Cables
Calibrated w/ Rat Shack SPL mtr.
Toshiba 36" CRT (soon to be replaced by a Samsung DLP)
Calibrated w/Video Essentials
130+ DVD library

Amen,

I know most people my age would much rather have a car than an HT, but i had a 78 lincoln that went from here to there, and i was fine with that. So I built myself an HT. yeah i have taken some flack for using jbl, but even then i can simply say, ok listen to what i have, compared to what I payed, can you really justify the fact that you spent, 50% more than i did, with a 15% increase in sound? Anyway i know how you feel.

Also you play guitar! '58 les paul, ohhhh yeaaahhhh. hehe i play also, i actaully have started a collection of guitars, quite small at this point, but will continue to build it over the years. Right now i have a washburn idol series electric. and '89 or '90 fender gemini acoustic (cant remeber what year exactly) and a cheap alvarez reagal. once again all about value. I got the fender from my aunt...and it cost me 50 bucks to fix up, and it plays as well as some 300 - 400 dollar guitars ive played...the alvarez was a garage sale deal, and my electric i bought used from a small music shop and did some modifications myself. eventually, my father has promised me his yari alvarez, its the 50th aniversaty guitar, #889 of 900 hand signed. Im sure you know what i mean when i say this, (because of your '58 les paul) its just one of those special guitars.

as always thanks for all of your relpy's



muzicman

[muzicman20003]

more pics

[muzicman20003]

last pics

[muzicman20003]

here are the pics i was talkin about

[muzicman20003]

????????