forums

Off-Topic Home Theater setups

Dan E. Dangerously

Dan E. Dangerously

This board...it's my note
Maude
Joined
Nov 3, 2011
Messages
14,555
Anyone have a nice setup? I don't care if it's big, small, in your living room, or basement. Whatcha got and what equipment are you rolling with? Every speaker and piece of hardware you got, especially TV and AVR.

I'm going to be dipping my toe into ATMOS soon for the first time and am curious if anyone else dabbles in this. I won't be doing anything extravagant size wise. I've done some reading about it and have a good idea of what I'll be buying already. The only thing set in stone are the speakers, I'll be using my late father's vintage Polk 7C monitors for my front left and right. He never got to build his basic 5.1 setup, and I want to build mine around them.
 
Last edited:
Advertisement
SpikeUM said:
To threadjack a bit, I am actually looking for a new large TV, have always bought Sony or Samsung, but if anyone has ideas, I am open.
Click to expand...
What's your budget? Also, what are you looking to watch on it: sports, cable, movies, streaming, or all of the above?
 
Dan E. Dangerously said:
Anyone have a nice setup? I don't care if it's big, small, in your living room, or basement. Whatcha got and what equipment are you rolling with? Every speaker and piece of hardware you got, especially TV and AVR.

I'm going to be dipping my toe into ATMOS soon for the first time and am curious if anyone else dabbles in this. I won't be doing anything extravagant size wise. I've done some reading about it and have a good idea of what I'll be buying already. The only thing set in stone are the speakers, I'll be using my late father's vintage Polk 7C monitors for my front left and right. He never got to build his basic 5.1 setup, and I want to build mine around them.
Click to expand...
I don't know much about the Polk 7Cs but much of the vintage audio gear from the 70s and very early 80s is usually very decent. Usually, as long as they have some heft to them they will sound good. I used to have some Sansui's (forget the model name) but they were from 78-82 era and sounded great. They had an awesome warmish yet natural tone. I regret getting rid of them.

I currently have a 5.1 living room setup with a 75" TV Denon X3500H receiver with JBL Studio 580 L&R channel with matching center and JBL Studio 520 surrounds. I really want to do ATMOS as well but the thing holding me back is needing to get into the attic to run the wires for them and I don't want to do that lol. It is worth it though as long as you have a halfway decent sub and a nice TV that isn't too far away from the main seating area. People often get a 75-85+ inch TV and sit 25ft away from it and wonder why they can't tell the difference in 4k. My biggest piece of advice is to get as big a TV as possible (and move the couch as close as possible) and a really good sub. It'll feel like a theatre experience.

My to-do is to upgrade the sub from a hand-me-down 10" Sony I got from a buddy to a real 12-15" from HSU Research or an SVS sub.

Long story short, if you're going to do it. Do it right and I promise you won't regret it.
 
Advertisement
SpikeUM said:
To threadjack a bit, I am actually looking for a new large TV, have always bought Sony or Samsung, but if anyone has ideas, I am open.
Click to expand...
As @Dan E. Dangerously said without knowing your budget it's hard to suggest one. All the name brands have great TV and really bad TVs. It's hard to go wrong with OLED assuming you have the right viewing conditions (i.e it's not outside or in a very bright room). But I would argue to get as big a TV as possible a 75" TV may be a better upgrade than a more expensive 55" OLED if you're sitting 15ft away from it.

Rtings.com is a great resource for TVs.
 
JamesQuall said:
As @Dan E. Dangerously said without knowing your budget it's hard to suggest one. All the name brands have great TV and really bad TVs. It's hard to go wrong with OLED assuming you have the right viewing conditions (i.e it's not outside or in a very bright room). But I would argue to get as big a TV as possible a 75" TV may be a better upgrade than a more expensive 55" OLED if you're sitting 15ft away from it.

Rtings.com is a great resource for TVs.
Click to expand...

Thank you. Its a brightly lit room and I will be sitting 10-12 feet away, how does that change your thoughts?
 
SpikeUM said:
Thank you. Its a brightly lit room and I will be sitting 10-12 feet away, how does that change your thoughts?
Click to expand...
I would go as big as possible 75"+ if you can swing it. The higher-end Samsung QLEDs are awesome for bright rooms. The Sony OLEDs also get pretty bright but not as much. Though they are fantastic but are top-self prices. Again it really comes down to what your budget is. If money is not a problem the Sony A90J 83" OLED will make your brain melt with how great it looks but costs an arm and a leg. Hisense is also making great budget yet quality TVs but again it all depends on budget and specific models as mentioned earlier.
 
Advertisement
SpikeUM said:
To threadjack a bit, I am actually looking for a new large TV, have always bought Sony or Samsung, but if anyone has ideas, I am open.
Click to expand...
We recently replaced a 50" with a 75" Samsung Q80. We got a soundbar for it and it's been well worth it.

Highly recommend.
 
Advertisement
Closing on a house we just built really soon and going all in wall and in ceiling speakers. Been a Monitor Audio fan since the 90s. Was looking for a w150lcr and a couple w180s...and I called a local dealer and be said he had a former demo of a w250lcr and a couple wt380idc... much better speakers with low usage for half the price of the speakers I was looking at. And for surround I got 4 Yamaha 8 inch in ceiling. Stuff has been in storage for a while now.. can't wait to install it. Nice thing is the new house has spray foam insulation...so no insulation to breathe in and I'll be able to see all the joists.
 
IMO skip the TV and go projector/screen.

My setup:

Audio:
Pioneer Elite 9 channel Atmos receiver.
7.2.4 Onyx/Polk/SVS(subs) setup.
Emotiva power amps.

Video:
Big Epson 1080 projector (replacing with 4k soon)
120" Elite screen.

Sound/light control:
Homemade soundtraps
Blackening materials on walls/ceiling etc

My setup is 'modest' by most HT standards.

IMO Sound is the biggest consideration if you want 'movie theater' quality experience. That and light control.
 
JamesQuall said:
I don't know much about the Polk 7Cs but much of the vintage audio gear from the 70s and very early 80s is usually very decent. Usually, as long as they have some heft to them they will sound good. I used to have some Sansui's (forget the model name) but they were from 78-82 era and sounded great. They had an awesome warmish yet natural tone. I regret getting rid of them.

I currently have a 5.1 living room setup with a 75" TV Denon X3500H receiver with JBL Studio 580 L&R channel with matching center and JBL Studio 520 surrounds. I really want to do ATMOS as well but the thing holding me back is needing to get into the attic to run the wires for them and I don't want to do that lol. It is worth it though as long as you have a halfway decent sub and a nice TV that isn't too far away from the main seating area. People often get a 75-85+ inch TV and sit 25ft away from it and wonder why they can't tell the difference in 4k. My biggest piece of advice is to get as big a TV as possible (and move the couch as close as possible) and a really good sub. It'll feel like a theatre experience.

My to-do is to upgrade the sub from a hand-me-down 10" Sony I got from a buddy to a real 12-15" from HSU Research or an SVS sub.

Long story short, if you're going to do it. Do it right and I promise you won't regret it.
Click to expand...
Awesome. My old man got those Polks at an electronics store in the 70s. He brought a vinyl copy of Dark Side of the Moon with him to test them. They still sound amazing. They may not be ideal for a home theater setup, it's just more of a sentimental thing. I also have his old Pioneer CS-X500k for surround for now, but will probably upgrade later. I'm getting a Polk CS10 for my center, and some Polk XT90s for Atmos that can rest on top of the monitors so I don't have to mess with hanging them. Hopefully it works. Waiting to get the sub last.

I'm still debating between the 55 inch Sony X90k or splurging for the X95k to go bigger. I'll be gaming also on this, and the game I play most (Destiny) would definitely risk burn-in with an OLED. I'm pretty much set on getting a Pioneer Elite VSX-LX305 unless I can find an LX505.
 
Advertisement
Dan E. Dangerously said:
Awesome. My old man got those Polks at an electronics store in the 70s. He brought a vinyl copy of Dark Side of the Moon with him to test them. They still sound amazing. They may not be ideal for a home theater setup, it's just more of a sentimental thing. I also have his old Pioneer CS-X500k for surround for now, but will probably upgrade later. I'm getting a Polk CS10 for my center, and some Polk XT90s for Atmos that can rest on top of the monitors so I don't have to mess with hanging them. Hopefully it works. Waiting to get the sub last.

I'm still debating between the 55 inch Sony X90k or splurging for the X95k to go bigger. I'll be gaming also on this, and the game I play most (Destiny) would definitely risk burn-in with an OLED. I'm pretty much set on getting a Pioneer Elite VSX-LX305 unless I can find an LX505.
Click to expand...
Dark Side is a great audio test! I'm sure your setup will sound amazing! Congrats on the new move!
Edit: Just queued up Time... a classic.
 
Suhrthing said:
IMO skip the TV and go projector/screen.

My setup:

Audio:
Pioneer Elite 9 channel Atmos receiver.
7.2.4 Onyx/Polk/SVS(subs) setup.
Emotiva power amps.

Video:
Big Epson 1080 projector (replacing with 4k soon)
120" Elite screen.

Sound/light control:
Homemade soundtraps
Blackening materials on walls/ceiling etc

My setup is 'modest' by most HT standards.

IMO Sound is the biggest consideration if you want 'movie theater' quality experience. That and light control.
Click to expand...
I'd go all in with a projector if I had a bigger space like a finished basement. Until then, I just live vicariously through this guy's youtube channel.

 
Dan E. Dangerously said:
Awesome. My old man got those Polks at an electronics store in the 70s. He brought a vinyl copy of Dark Side of the Moon with him to test them. They still sound amazing. They may not be ideal for a home theater setup, it's just more of a sentimental thing. I also have his old Pioneer CS-X500k for surround for now, but will probably upgrade later. I'm getting a Polk CS10 for my center, and some Polk XT90s for Atmos that can rest on top of the monitors so I don't have to mess with hanging them. Hopefully it works. Waiting to get the sub last.

I'm still debating between the 55 inch Sony X90k or splurging for the X95k to go bigger. I'll be gaming also on this, and the game I play most (Destiny) would definitely risk burn-in with an OLED. I'm pretty much set on getting a Pioneer Elite VSX-LX305 unless I can find an LX505.
Click to expand...
It's funny you mention that. I love Pink Floyd and as I mentioned in my previous post, those Sansui speakers had a nice warmth to them. When listening to vinyl which usually also has a "warmth" to it, it's cliche but it is definitely the way it was made to be listened to.

One of my most profound recent memories (within the past decade) outside of the birth of my daughter was listening to Ray LaMontagne's Til the Sun Turn's Black on vinyl on a vintage Sansui turntable through a Sansui receiver all from 1978-ish. My grandfather had just passed and it's hard to describe but I was immediately transported to a different place. It was like sitting in a log cabin next to a warm fire with a cozy blanket on a dark stormy, cold night. It was pure sonic bliss.

As you mentioned, those speakers are probably not ideal for home theatre but they may be great for music. Those older speakers usually have a lot higher sensitivity so they are not as difficult to drive and get loud without having to crank the volume ****. As far as the TV, definitely go bigger. A 55" is only good if you're sitting less than 6ish ft away. This is a great tool to get an idea of viewing distance to TV size recommendation.

Regarding the receiver, it really comes down to the room correction software. I would recommend researching what models have the better room correction and going for those. That's the main reason I went with my Denon.
 
Suhrthing said:
Dark Side is a great audio test! I'm sure your setup will sound amazing! Congrats on the new move!
Edit: Just queued up Time... a classic.
Click to expand...
I love Dark Side but Animals is my personal favorite followed very, very closely by Wish You Were Here.

Oh and @Dan E. Dangerously get the Dark Side of The Moon Immersion Box Set if you can which has an absolutely phenomenal 5.1 remaster that will really make you trip lol
 
Advertisement
Back
Top