5000 dollar home theater help!!
 

Hey everyone,

I have been tasked with helping my parents build a home theater setup for their newly constructed house. I have been given $5000 for this task. The system will be going in a large basement area with no windows. I know for this amount its not going to be top of the line but I figure it should be more than enough to satisfy them.

They do not need a dvd player b/c I bought them one awhile ago so that should leave a little room for play. Anyhow, for $5000 here is what I'm going to need. TV (bigger than 40 inches HDTV ready), surround sound setup (front and surround, center, and sub) and a receiver to power the whole system. I am not factoring wiring into the cost of the setup. I am going to take care of that for them.

What do you guys recommend? I have been out of the game or awhile and I know things come out very quickly. I know you guys are pros :) and I look forward to your help and suggestions. Thank you very much in advance!!!!

Without taking anything else into consideration, a basement with no windows just screams for a front projection system.

Agreed but not for that budget.

I am at a loss as to how to help. What size is the room? Where will the speakers be placed? Is the dvd player progressive scan?

Good luck.

Brian, the dimensions for the entire basemen are are 18ftX38ft with a ceiling height of 8 feet. The part of the room where the system will go is 18ft by 19feet. The dvd player is progressive scan. Any suggestions?


Scott

Well . . .

These are my opinions only, hopefully others will have ideas.

That is a large area. Are you choosing the speakers? Have you thought about the rear channels? What about the seating positions and the size and type of TV. A Projection TV can handle a center on top but that will mean you need a rack of some sort for the equipment. Front channels are usually floor standing or on stands.

Frankly that budget is not going to go far, a htib solution wont work due to room volume.

You need a TV, 5 or 6 speakers and at least one subwoofer and a decent size receiver to power them.

Not sure what stores are in your area but some brands to consider in receivers are Denon, Yamaha and Onkyo. Speakers could include PSB, Paradigm, B&W, Polk, Swan, Boston Acoustics and Definitive Technology.

Here are some charts for comparison.

Receivers:

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S...=4&g=10420&s=0

TV:

http://www.crutchfield.com/cgi-bin/S...=6&g=11430&s=0

Speakers:

http://www.av123.com/specials.shtml

Good luck!

If it was my 5 grand this is what I would buy:

Receiver: Onkyo SR-700 (Street Price $600)

Speakers:

Fronts: PSB Image 5T's (Street Price $600)
Center: PSB Image 9C (Street Price $300)
Rears: PSB Image 2B's (Street Price $300)
Subwoofer: HSU VTF-2 ($500)
or SVS 20-39PCi ($600)

Total Audio Price $2300-2400

That leaves two excellent options for a high end display device.

Option #1: HD RPTV

Toshiba 65HDX82 (Street Price $2700)
Mitsubishi WS-65311 (Street Price $2700)

Option #2: Front Projection System

There are some nice new projectors coming out in your price range. Like the Panasonic AE-300 and Sony HS-10. This option would be the best for a true home theater experience.

I would recommend asking the same question at Home Theater Forum

yeah, as skar mentioned there are several new front projectors coming out now with affordable (for front projectors) prices. from what i have read the HS-10 should be available for about $2500 so it should fit in your price range. it's review will be up at projectorcentral soon. add about $2000 for a 5.1 speaker setup and another $500 for a receiver (i'd recommend a denon 1803) and you will be right on target.

You can buy an HDTV ready projector for a pretty inexpensive price and make your own screen much bigger than 40 inches.

www.projectorcentral.com
(locate an inexpensive projector)

Make your own screen out of sheetrock or curtain blackout fabric and save some money.

http://www.armorform.com/page25.html

http://www.armorform.com/page26.html

Go with a permanent mount screen for about $500
www.cousinsvideo.com

Find some great hardware deals at www.jandr.com
(Their prices are usually less than Crutchfield's)

I bought my 12 guage speaker wire from www.partsexpress.com

Does the $5,000 include construction costs? If so, you may end up blowing ~$2k just to build walls, floor covering, ceiling tiles, etc.

I am going to buy a 53 Inch panason hdtv widescreen at soundtrack pretty soon, My one was having a sale and i called them and the total price with tax was $1700, but since thier no windows i would get a projector, you can find them pretty cheap on ebay, and it would most lilekly be better then a rptv, and i dont know to much about surround sound but bose has a nice set up for $2500 which sounds extremely nice cause i remember when i went to the bose store they did a whole show for us with this system, i forgot the model number though!

It isn't the PT53WX42 which you can get for $1619.99 with free shipping and no tax from Good Guys, is it? Because there are plenty of good prices around.

PT53WX42

Please think about front projection.
 

Front projection and basements go together like David Lynch and head-scratching! There must be someplace around you to audition the latest projectors. The price is coming down weekly. Rear projectors take up alot of room and amaze nobody. Front projection is so space-efficient...and nearly everyone is intrigued, pleased, envious, and LOVES WATCHING A PROJECTED MOVIE.

wow, thats the tv, thats cheap, is the web site safe?? ive never heard of it?

scarter,
i have to beat the drum along with everyone else that is recommending a front projection set-up.
you can certainly get into the game for that budget, and whats more, the quality of whats available for the money would surprise you (and your parents).
presentation pjs are what you have to look at though. you can get spectacular picture quality at a fraction of the price of pjs that are made and marketed soley to HT enthusiasts.

here's my set-up, total cost was probably just under $5000- including furnishings

NEC LT150 front projector
5 Ascend Acoustics speakers (3 cbm 170s, 2 HTM 200s)
Hsu Vtf-2 sub
NAD t-752 reciever
panasonic rp-56 progressive scan player
malata 520 progressive scan player

1 refurd Marquee theater seat
DIY screen (blackout material- about $40)

the audio end cost about $2100
the front pj cost me $1800

right now, NEC has some new models out (LT240 i believe) that are supposed to improve on the 150.
NEC not only produces some of the highest quality low cost units available, they also have a very generous warranty and excellent track record for customer service.
i have no doubt the 240 (about $3K) connected via a breakout cable (about $40) to a good progressive scan player would make your jaw drop.
i'm also extremely happy with the audio end.
i just finished upgrading everything a few weeks ago, and i spent months looking and hearing everything i could.
there are many, many options in audio.
this is also something that you may want to have your parents take more of a hands on approach too.
i was recommended many good brands of speakers, but i eventually learned that what i really wanted was something with a fabric domed tweeter. all the metal ones i heard were just too bright for me.
the fabric ones produced a much less fatiguing soundfield.
the Ascends are truly incredible speakers, especially for the money, and i wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone else...but then again there are many, many choices in this area.
sound especially is so much a matter of individual taste. whats too bright to me (or you), may be just perfect for your parents.

whatever you do, try to keep an open mind for front projection. the room you described is perfect for it, and once you get into fp, there really is no going back.