OremuS

Ok, so my roommate being the ever talented mortgage broker that he is has decided that with his commission this month he is going to purchase a new Home Theater setup. Since I will also be benefitting from this setup for the next year or so, I figured I would help him shop. Here is what he is looking at getting:

TV:
Mitsubishi WS-65411 Approx $3000

Receiver:
Marantz SR5300 Approx $550

DVD Player:
Marantz DV4300 Approx $300

Speakers:
B&W LCR60 Center Channel
B&W 602 S3 Front Speakers
B&W 600 S3 Rear Speakers

Apex, I know this is your arena. I think that the speaker decision is pretty much set, but the other stuff is up in the air. I have had a hard time finding reviews for the Marantz equipment and I am not super familiar with their equipment. Please help soon as this purchase will be made in the next 2 weeks. Thanks all.

Apex

If it was my money, this is what I'd get (staying with a RPTV that is):

TV:
Hitachi 65SWX20B: Approx $3k
- slightly better quality than the Mitsu 65" GoldPlus

Receiver:
H/K AVR520: <$500
- about equal to the Marantz SR6xxx or SR7xxx series, plus have Logic7 and more powerful amp

DVD Player:
Definitely a Panasonic RP82 (if you can find one) or CP72
Shootout... RP82 CLEANS UP!


Speakers:
Rocket Loadspeakers (up to whatever your budget is)
SVS Subwoofer

Much of A/V is personal taste though. What's his room like? What are his listening preferences? Is he more of an audio guy or video? What kind of video does he watch most?

OremuS

As for the room....this setup will currently go into the living room of our apartment which is about 15' x 20'. I know that a 65" RPTV is kinda large for this room, but he wants to purchase somethign that will be going into the house he will be purchasing sometime next year. As for the A/V setup, he is primarily a movie guy. Some music listening, but primarily for movies or PS2 playing. Because of the type of space that we have and that there are neighbors, we would probably be looking at bookshelf sized speakers for the fronts and rears. If needed, I have a 12" Cerwin Vega subwoofer that we will mate with the speakers, simply to save money at this point.

Apex

The recommended (optimum) THX viewing angle of 36 degrees is obtained from a 7.5' viewing distance for a 65" 16:9 TV. The absolute maximum viewing angle of 26 degrees is obtained at 10.4' from that 65" TV.

There are people who prefer a smaller picture, so each person needs to judge for himself. I'm pretty comfortable with a 36 degree viewing angle. It does depend somewhat on your source material. But 65" is not too big at all for a 15x20 room.

The rockets are a good choice in smaller rooms because the cabinet is rather thin. They're also more flexible with their placement than many speakers that perform at that level (with is a definite plus for your setup). If you wanted a bookshelf type setup, you can get a package like this:

Package 5

If you get bookshelf speakers, your sub becomes even more important. I'd suggest HIGHLY that you get bookshelf speakers that can perform at least downwards of 60-80hz.

If you have more of a budget, the ACI Sapphires rock.

http://www.audioc.com/speakers/Sapphire/prelim.htm

If you can fit it, a good subwoofer is really a must. You want something that can generate clean, accurate bass, without being boomy and slow.

dave

When I was looking for my RPTV, I had my eyes set on a 50" HDTV. But I was able to find a 57" on sale, which came out to be cheaper than the equivalent 50".

I was worried that it would be too big for my living room (13' x 12'). After subtracting 2'6" for the TV and another 2'6" for the sofa, I was left with 8' of viewing distance.

I previously had a Sony 32", and it took me about a week to get adjusted to the new set. Now I think it's the perfect size for the distance (or I could have gone a little bigger ).

Thump553

Apex, am I reading your second post correctly-that you prefer the ACI Sapphires over the Rockets? Rockets seem to be getting an awful lot of publicity on the net. I have never heard either but both are in my shortlist for an upcoming audio/HT system.

How about the ACI Emeralds? My room is an odd layout & I may have to go to bookshelf speakers.

ArkiStan

rule of thumb #1.....whatever the options are....just listen to apex.

Apex

My view is that, at the end of the day, good audio is almost completely subjective. Because of this, we can talk about what's built well, what has good basic design principles, and basically how things should be arranged. However, when it comes down to what you should buy, as far as we can go is to recommend a few good products. What my preferences are might not be yours. Whereas one person might prefer a warmer, smoother sound, others may perfer something that's bright and punchy. Some people love horn tweeters (ie. klipsch lovers), while others prefer the sound of ribbons or the vifa tweeter (rockets & many other $$$ speakers). Honestly, Rockets are better known for their tower speakers (especially their 750) than their bookshelf speakers.

Both AV123 (rockets) and Audio Concepts Incorporated have great 30-day no-questions-asked return policies. If you can, audition both.

If you have an odd room layout, pay particular attention to speaker placement. That can make a big difference.