Do you guys have a home theater system? I don't but I plan on getting one because I want to watch Lost in HD and with good sound :D

Yeah I do, :) I have a room with a ceiling mounted projector and surround sound. I just have to plug in my laptop and away we go - home cinema :)

Yup. I have a reasonable system at home with 4 rears, 2 fronts and an center out of the JAMO E8 series. Two Klipsch RW10 subs, and a 50" Grand WEGA. Running a SONY 3000ES Digital Receiver right now. It's in the shop having the firmware upgraded, so I expect better performance. It wasn't so bad in 2 channel, but it had some back channel hiss issues. Also have an HTPC. I think I need an Xbox 360 to complete the experience ;)

You have 2 Klipsch RW10s? Crazy

I have only 1 :P

I thought you had a KSW10? The RW are the lower Reference series.

I just use my music system for a sound system, tv and movies sound brilliant through it, theres no point in me going out and buying a proper cinema sound thingy ma jig. :)

I don't have a Home Theater system and I don't plan on getting one. The speakers I have work fine for me and as long as I can hear what I'm watching on TV, I'm happy.

Try This...

Walk down the street with your ears covered.

Then...

Walk down the street with your eyes closed.

When you've done that, tell me which experience was more interesting ;)

Eyes closed! :P I've got a Home Theater, but it's a fairly crappy one. It's good enough for me, so I won't plan on getting a new one anytime soon =P

Exactly!

So if you're watching a DVD with a 5.1 sound track, and you're NOT getting it with a home theatre system of some kind, you're just watching your movies with your ears covered. Not that interesting is it :D

The thing is, sometimes Home Entertainment Systems get really expensive, because people say "Hrm, this thing gives me more value for my money. Oh wait! There's something else over there" caused by indecision. Most people get along fine with their widesreens, but I have to agree with you, Home Theater > TV.

I thought I would add my home theater. I've posted pix on a Sony audiophile website called Agoraquest. I'm SLOWLY getting my upstairs HT to where I want it to be. But this is for general viewing of all sorts of things (sports, movies, etc) and listening to music, which I'm listening to right now (DTV 'Franks Place' channel 853). My HT dimensions are basically 25' x 25'.

Wallew's Home Theater (http://209.59.135.61/viewtopic.php?topic=22037&forum=63&keyword2=electronics)

Well, that's my UPSTAIRS Home Theater setup. The first page and the fourth page have all the pix of my HT and the 'progression' I've gone through to get where I am today. Here's the list of where I am today.

Sony STR-DA9000ES
Sony DVP-NC555ES with Glass Toslink connections
Sony SSK90ED speakers (9) with 12 gauge wiring connecting it all up
Toshiba TLP-711 HD projector (made by Sony)
Directv HD satellite receiver with Glass Toslink connections
Directv Tivo with Glass Toslink connections

Our master bedroom has (or will have) the following.

Sony KP-53S70 53" rear projection TV
Sony STR-DA5000ES
Sony SSK90ED speaker (I need one or two more)
Sony SAT HD-300 satellite receiver with Glass Toslink connections
Directv Tivo with Glass Toslink connections

Purchased but not installed.

Sony SSK90ED speakers (11 NIB for my downstairs dedicated HT)

I am still saving to purchase my second Sony STR-DA9000ES for my downstairs HT. Plus saving for a Sony DVP-NS9100ES DVD player with iLink. Plus saving for a Sony SXRD projection unit.

I'm waiting to see how the Blu-Ray/HD DVD wars shake out. I will no doubt purchase one of them as well. And I'm waiting to see what the 'whole house system' will look like that Directv is getting ready to introduce some time later this year. Once all this 'shakes out', I'll tear into our basement and do things like 'mass load' the floor with 4000lbs of sand. I will free float the walls and floor from the ceiling, and run 12 gauge wiring for the 11 SSK90ED speakers.

And I'm still looking for ONE or TWO more SSK90ED speakers for our master bedroom setup. I also want to purchase five SA-WX700 250 watt subs - two upstairs, two downstairs and one in our master bedroom.

I've GOT to say WE LOVE DTV. We love the programming. We love their customer service. We love their techs. Yeah, I know, a little sickening. But it's so hard to get a good product, great customer service and great techs to support it all. FROM ONE COMPANY! Who knew it could get this good?

And just so no one thinks I'm made of money, I never pay full price. The STR-DA9000ES digital receiver MSRP was $4500. I paid $1200. The 555ES MSRP was $600. I paid $150. The 21 SSK90ED speakers MSRP was $450 each. I paid $80 each (on average). The Toshiba TLP-711 projectors MSRP was about $35k. I paid $650. The Sony SAT HD-300 MSRP was $750. I paid $100. The Glass Toslinks seem to retail from about $75 to $250. I paid $15 each.

So, you too can have a GREAT HT. You just need a little money, a lot of time, a lot of patience and a love for bargain hunting.

That's some sweet equipment. Would love to see some pics. We did a thread a little while ago on that here:

Post Your Home Theatre System! - Futurelooks Community Forums

Post a few ;)

Firewire,
Ask and ye shall receive. I just HATE to waste bandwidth, which is why I posted the linky over to Agoraquest. So, you want pix, I GOT PIX. I'm a retired freelance photojournalist, so I GOT PIX.

http://www.futurelooks.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3975&stc=1&d=1169060564

Left side of HT. Current pix. Note the GIANT STR-DA9000ES (side shot - second down on the rack on the right side of this pix).

http://www.futurelooks.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3976&stc=1&d=1169060564

Right side of HT (Eliot in the pix). Current pix.


http://www.futurelooks.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3977&stc=1&d=1169060564

Left rear including my 'computer station' where I am sitting right now. Current pix.

http://www.futurelooks.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3978&stc=1&d=1169060564

THE SCREEN. Ok, the wall painted (Ultra Satin White with THREE DROPS of white added - full story on Agoraquest linky). Current pix.

http://www.futurelooks.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3981&stc=1&d=1169059966

The Toshiba TLP-711 projector. Currently hung on the OTHER side of the support post with ALL wires in the ceiling now and an electrical outlet added in the ceiling just above it (I GOTTA take a current pix).

http://www.futurelooks.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3980&stc=1&d=1169060564

ELEVEN Sony SSK90ED speakers NIB. The beginings of our DREAM HT in our basement. OK, MY DREAM HT in our basement.

DANG MAN, I gotta take some pix of the rack with the 9000ES and the 555ES in it. These things are MASSIVE. I've only got four items in the rack. The 9000ES digital amp, the 555ES DVD/SACD player and the Directv HD sat receiver and the Directv Tivo sat receiver.

OK, two more pix. These are of our 'older' Sony 53 inch rear projection TV and the Sony STR-DA5000ES. Both of these are now in our master bedroom. I have one SSK90ED speaker in there, but I gotta get at LEAST one more so I'll have AT least stereo.

http://www.futurelooks.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3983&stc=1&d=1169062637

Sony KP-53S70 53" rear projection TV.

http://www.futurelooks.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3982&stc=1&d=1169062637

Sony STR-DA5000ES digital receiver.

That's some nice stuff. But why the SONY speakers? I've heard them before, and wasn't really overly impressed. Was there a reason as to why you chose them besides trying to keep it all SONY?

Firewire,
I was hoping SOMEONE would ask.

It's really pretty simple. Sony has NEVER been known for making good speakers. So they decided to 'fix' that image. The SSK##ED and the SSX##ED series were their answer.

When they first came out, the SSK90ED speakers sold for $450 each at several outlets like Circuit City. And at that price Sony lost over $150 PER UNIT for every one they sold. But they didn't care. They wanted to be known as a good speaker maker as well as a good electronics maker.

Unfortunately, given the price point they just didn't sell well here in the USA. In Canada, given the exchange rate they were higher still, but they sold better than here in the US. In the FAR EAST and 'Down Under' they did better still. I believe you can still find them in the Far East market places.

ANYWAY, these speakers are head and shoulders above EVERYTHING ELSE I listened to at the high end A/V stores. And I'm talking about speakers that were selling for $2k each and above. The TRICK is to get all of your speakers the same. This eliminates the need to 'match' speakers. Because they ARE all the same. That's why I have nine upstairs. And that's why I have eleven for my downstairs. No matching issues in this house.

And the SSK90ED's that I have and am listening to right now put a smile on my face every time I fire them up. Highs are clear and concise, bass is deep and booming. In fact I generally have to turn them down, unless my wife is out of town. Then, when I'm the only one at home, I TURN THEM UP. I know they are too loud when the pictures on the wall start rattling with the bass. SHHH, don't tell my wife...

Plus, they were made to specifically be used with the Sony STR-DA9000ES digital receiver. I had used 16 gauge wire originally and they sound great. But when I replaced that with 12 gauge wire, the sonic footprint floored me.

That's why I have eleven downstairs awaiting the second 9000ES. This time I'm going to bi-wire them, which they are set up to do. Plus each one has a metal base with four adjustable metal spikes that sit on metal discs that have a spot machined out of the center for the spikes to sit in. So they are decoupled from the floor.

If you didn't hear them attached to the 9000ES and/or they weren't set up with the spike feet put into the metal discs they sound somewhat muffled. But set up properly, then tuned with my SPL, I can't tell you how great they sound.

Even the wife noticed it IMMEDIATELY. And she could care less. For example, one of her favorite movies is "Hunt for Red October". There is a scene when the American and Russian sub surface and are talking via morse code over the periscope. FOR THE FIRST TIME, we literally heard the morse code being 'clickety clicked' out. I was astounded that we had NEVER heard that before.

So don't you believe anyone who says Sony CAN'T make great speakers. They can. AND HAVE. I know, because I've got one of the larger collections in one place in the USA.

Now all I gotta do is save the $1500 for my second 9000ES, build my home theater in my basement and THEN these eleven speakers will come into their own. And the 9000ES WILL DRIVE 11 speakers (using the A + B switch). Granted it's synthesized 7.1, but hey, it works for me.

Do you notice your 9000ES having to be "Warmed" up before sounding good? My 3000ES doesn't sound right until about 20 minutes after it is turned on. I find it kind of odd considering its "digital" construction.

:shock: That is a pretty wicked setup. :D


...er... please continue. I'm a n00b with model numbers and such. My HT right now is almost 9 years old now... Time to start doing a ton of research on that, but after the HDTV and camera. :p

You know I would love to have a home theatre system. But I am always afraid that I will spend all that money and then the newest thing will come out and then mine will become obsolete. Which has happend with other things I have bought.

Firewire,
No, you turn my 9000ES (or my 5000ES) on and IT'S HOT AND NASTY right away. But everyone needs to understand, I purchase DEMO equipment on purpose. And this is one of TWO reasons I do so.

First, it WILL be broken in by the time I purchase it. This particular unit came out of a Sony authorized store in Illinois. They ran it six days a week, twelve hours a day. So IT WAS broken in (burned in?) before I ever got it.

Second, if it wasn't BROKEN by being played for two years, six days a week for twelve hours a day, it's probably a 'good' unit. Because if it were NOT, the DEALER would have pulled it and replaced it with a GOOD unit.

So that's the TWO reasons I like demo units. Plus, after being played for two years, then I purchased it. Because it's Sonys ES line, it came with the five year warranty that started the day I got it. So I've got about four and a half years left on the warranty.

Tater03,
In this day and age of new electronics being released every three months, the equipment you purchased three months ago was obsolete the day you took it home. SO WHAT? If you got the unit YOU wanted and it does the things YOU want it to do, then who cares?

I had my last receiver, an Akai, for thirteen years. It worked flawlessly. And did everything I asked of it. When I replaced it two years ago (first with the Sony STR-DA5000ES and now the 9000ES) I gave it to the local Habitat for Humanity Resale store. It's STILL going strong. And that's fifteen years old.

So as long as YOU are happy, it just doesn't matter that it's obsolete. Really. That's all marketing hype anyway. The job of Sony is to SELL ELECTRONIC STUFF. So they HAVE to come out with new stuff to sell us.

I just purchased a Sony DVP-NC555ES DVD/SACD 5 DVD carosel player. It's NIB, which is a first for me. But it was NIB back in 2003. So it's a four plus year old design. But it's EXACTLY what I want. And that I found it NIB at a Sony Factory outlet store for $150 (+$20 for tax and S&H), I consider it a steal. So don't let the age of a piece of equipment throw you. If it's basically a good piece of equipment, it's a good piece of equipment. If not, then it's bad reputation should preceed it. So do your home work and then go out and purchase the stuff that makes you happy.

And God bless those salesmen selling us stuff we REALLY don't need. Cause if they were not out there selling the 'latest' stuff, we would all still be riding horses and shoveling... well, you know. P U !!

I think my family can do without all that. It would be nice to have, but my son already hogs up the TV. I am going to wait until everyone is grown up and gone, and then I can enjoy it.

trt,
We don't have any children. So it's me and the wife. We are both over 50 and that's all she will let me say.

The wife is a HUGE sports fan. She probably knows more about sports than any three guys I know. Football, hockey, baseball, basketball. She's listening to it on the radio, watching it on TV, going to it live as it happens.

It's funny. When we go to parties, my wife is out in the living room talking sports with all the guys. ME? I'm back in the kitchen swapping recipes with the women. And we both have a great time.

Now, if the talk turns to computers or electronics or firearms or automotive talk, I'm back out with the guys. But otherwise, I'm all about THE FOOD to eat.

But yeah, I do understand. My little sister and her hubby have two kids. 12 yo son and 10 yo daughter. They live in West Texas on a ranch. They have a really small TV that get's like ONE channel. So they have to go to town where my parents live to watch TV. It's pretty fun for them since we purchased my parents their 60" big screen TV. When ever there is a sporting event my nephew JUST HAS to watch, they drag everyone into town for the evening. If he's been good. But I'm sure I don't have to tell you how to discipline children.

We haven't bought a home theater unit yet. We're pretty happy with the TV we have, as it has really great speakers! However, if we could find one cheap enough, we'd probably consider it. :)

A Good TV does not a home theater make. I've personally witnessed people GLUED to a tiny 14 inch TV simply because the home theater system playing the soundtrack was so good.

On the flip side, cheap and good don't go together. It's like the difference between a real drum set and a guy using tin cans. One's the real deal. The other one is just tinny...and cheap. Which would you listen to? ;)

Doing it right doesn't have to be expensive as demonstrated by Wallew. A good end of season clearance bargain hunt on Discontinued Product can produce some very excellent results and likely something better than you expected.

Firewire,
You are so correct.

Let me 'give away' a few of of my secrets. First, is research, research, research. Find what YOU like, then start looking. And it DOESN'T have to be the latest, greatest unit.

NEVER buy it new, especially when it first comes out. Wait a while. Patience is a virtue. In six months or a year, the brand new product of your dreams will be replaced with the latest, greatest unit. Then the unit of your dreams price will be severely slashed as the store trys to 'move them out'.

Wait for a few months longer. THEN go looking for whatever you want to purchase. I got ALL twenty of my speakers a year after Circuit City had stopped selling them. Granted I had to do the 'leg work' (OK, phone work) and contact about half the Circuit City stores in the western US. But I found nine demo units, seven of which were local. The other two were in Texas. The eleven NIB's were at the same Texas store (a follow up thank you phone call is appreciated by everyone). I found this out by accident when I contacted the store manager to thank him for being so helpful. I then asked if he knew of any other speakers like mine. His answer was shocking, "Why, I have 11 new ones in my warehouse. How many of them do you want?" "All of them", I replied. I paid, we worked out shipping and they were mine. I paid $82 each. Shipping was another story entirely.

But the reason I tell you this is, DON'T be afraid to ask. As a matter of fact, I LOVE to wheel and deal with retail stores. But you HAVE to work directly with the manager. You would be surprised how many store employee's and even department managers rely strictly on their computer. "It's not in the computer, we don't have any". If I had a dollar for every time I heard that, I'd be rich. And that's exactly what every associate told me when I was looking for all my audio equipment.

So don't hesitate to ask for the store manager. THEN, be REALLY NICE. And explain why you are 'wasting' his or her time. They might be willing to go look and see if the computer might be wrong. After doing that, even if you don't find what you are looking for, ALWAYS ASK if another store in their area or across the US might have what you are looking for. I found the store in Abilene, Texas actually had what I was looking for by an associate doing a computer search for me. That store was located in San Antoino, Texas. But he directed me to Abilene. Where I 'got lucky'.

I'd rather be LUCKY than good. This phrase will become your mantra as you look for whatever it is you just have to have. I waited over a year, but have purchased a Sony DVP-NC555ES carosel DVD/SACD player from a Sony Factory Outlet store in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin by following a lead given to me by another member of the Sony forum I'm also a member of.

Well, enough for now. YOU can have a killer HD HT with a lot of patience, a lot of time and a little money. I know. I DO.