Post Your Home Theater Setup!

[Beodude123]

Well, I finally just about finished my HT setup, so I figured I would see what you all have going on. Post them up!

[nike13857]

I'll do mine probably tomorrow.

[CraZx2ing]

Hitachi 50VF820 50" Rear Projection LCD
Onkyo TX-SR702
Playstation 3 (Games/Bluray)
Toshiba HD-A3 (HD-DVD)
Zenith up convert DVD player
Polk Audio XRt12 XM receiver
Polk Audio CSi5 Center
Polk Audio RTi10 Front x2
Polk Audio RTi6 Rear x2
Polk Audio RTi6 Surround x2
Velodyne DPS-12
Monster HTS3500 Power conditioner/surge protector
Logitec Harmony 880 advanced remote control

I am currently building a dedicated home theater that will use projection instead of the big screen and I am remodeling the rest of the house at the same time. Here is a quick pic of how it looks right now in its non permanent location:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1305/674846013_ace93e3de8.jpg?v=0
I sold the wii and got the PS3 after the 360 died. Also missing in that is is the HD DVD player and the Zienth upconvert dvd player.

here is a set of photos of the room transforming from a wood panel garage add on to a drywalled room:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9236850@N04/sets/72157600573079743/
I still have a ton of work left to do and probably wont get to it anytime soon do to the wife wanting me to finish remodeling the rest of the house prior to the man cave...

[CraZx2ing]

Well Beo, looks like you and I are the only ones with HT gear. Your the OP show your ish lol.

[LunchBoxZX2]

I've got some stuff... I'll try to post it all later, kinda busy today so we'll see.

BTW, 100" TV's FTW!

[yellow2000S/R]

The parents basement. I pretty much set up all of it, built the 1'tall x 8' wide and 6' deep "stage" for the 2nd sofa. Both end seats on the sofas recline.

5.1 surround (7 speakers, both stands have 10" subs (not powered right so they hardly do anything), and then we have a seperate 10").

The speakers on the wall and center speaker are Infinity, the stands are some old ones from back when my dad was a DJ back in the army (LOL), and the receiver is a Yamaha. I dont feel like getting the model numbers, its all over 7+ years old.

The projector is an Optoma HD70 Projector. Does 720p. All video is ran with hdmi cables and all audio is optical.

I made the screen with material from E-Bay and 1"x2.5" wood and flat black paint from Home Depot. It is 4.5' tall and 6' wide.

http://www.endlessmotorsports.net/Gallery/Basement/Pano1.jpg

http://www.endlessmotorsports.net/Gallery/Basement/2.jpg

http://www.endlessmotorsports.net/Gallery/Basement/3.jpg

http://www.endlessmotorsports.net/Gallery/Basement/4.jpg


I'm hardly down there any. If I'm not at work, I'm either on the computer or working on something outside / around the house.

[raider]

^those recliners look very comfortable

[yellow2000S/R]

^those recliners look very comfortable

They are. My parents got them at a liquidation sale b/c a place was going out of business. I've had to fix the bottom left seat base and now the top right one in the pic is messed up also.

The staples rip out for the metal webbing under the foam and the seat feels "sideways" because it tilts. Its just a PITA to take the seat all apart to get to the crap because the stupid locations of the bolts.

The basement needs an overhaul tho. Many have said it looks like its stuck in the 50s / 60s. House was built in the mid 80s. We've discussed staining the paneling below the shelf with a transparent black so you still see the "wood grain" pattern, and above putting drywall up and also getting rid of the drop ceiling putting dry wall up. Too much $ tho.

[Beodude123]

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/6319/1003848ej0.jpg

The PS3 is definitely my source for everything. It's the only thing that is hooked up!

But yeah, PS3, Sony 60" SXRD, Onkyo 705 with Ascend Acoustics speakers filling up the 7 channels! Word.

[CraZx2ing]

looks good. I can't wait until I get my dedicated HT room done. Going to have the interior walls sound proofed, all in wall wiring and etc. Just have to do it lol. I hung all the dry wall and stopped after that. Might end up paying someone to do all the tape work for me unless i get someone to come over on the weekend and help me knock it out. *shrug* once it's all done i'll get a screen and a projector.

[ZX2 S/R Black]

This is just a sneak peak of the speakers when I got them... I will post pics of the entire thing later

Everything is hooked up...I also have the reciever... no TV though :(

I am using my computer monitor instead... right now 17" LCD... but in a month or 2 I will buy my brothers 24" LCD and be content :)

Floorstanders:
2 Klipsch RF82

Subwoofer:
Klipsh RW12D

Reciever:
Denon AVR-3808CI

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/6695/img0010au4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

haha many might wonder how the hell I afforded these at 19... answer is I work 2 jobs but mostly it's because I work at best buy and got it all at like 1/2-1/3 the price :)

I almsost bought a TV but decided my computer screen was good enough and I'd rather spend it on the Z!!! so hence the turbo build :)

[1981gMachine]

Nothing fancy

32" Sanyo
NES
SNES
PS1
PS2
Phillips 1000watt 5.1 with HDMI hooked up

and Catnapper Furniture FTW

http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/4064/cid0518081951ta3.jpg

http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/9854/cid0518081952al7.jpg

[CraZx2ing]

haha many might wonder how the hell I afforded these at 19... answer is I work 2 jobs but mostly it's because I work at best buy and got it all at like 1/2-1/3 the price :)

All of my gear retailed for about a total of $10,000 when I bought it, however, I worked at Ccity and ended up paying around $3,500.

[slammmed]

I'll post mine shortly but here's my specs. *Model numbers to follow later*

Family Room - 37" Protron 1080i LCD
Speakers: Bose accoustimas
Subwoofer: 10" Polk Audio
Wiring: Cat 5e :)
Video Source: HD DVR - Direct TV
Game Source: Wii - yay!!!!

Living Room: 32" Sony Trinitron CRT HDtv

Outside entertainment:
Pool: 2 x Infinity Outrigger outdoor speakers
Dinner Deck: 2 x Infinity Outrigger outdoor speakers
Garage: 2 x Infinity Outrigger outdoor speakers

Audio/Video distribution:
Primary Surround Sound - Sony Component Video switching receiver
Outside Audio: JVC
In house Audio: Bose
Over The Air HD and HD DVR video distribution is next on my list of rewiring.

Remote Control:
Universal Remote - MX850 RF

All together I have about $600 spent on my home theater system.

Ive been very fortunate, my brother is a high end home theater installer. The bose speakers were given to me by a neighbor, 2 of the infinity speakers were left with the house, the other two pairs my brother found laying by the side of the road and were in perfect working condition. The wii was a gift from my mother and the TV I got for $359 on clearance at sears one day.

I am currently in the process of building a media cabinet and running all new wires for audio video distribution. Once that is done I will be able to watch the DVR in any room as well as pick of over the air hd channels from any SD or HD set. My goal is to be able to watch something in one room and be able to pick up and move to another room and continue where I left off.

[CraZx2ing]

The bose speakers were given to me by a neighbor, 2 of the infinity speakers were left with the house, the other two pairs my brother found laying by the side of the road and were in perfect working condition. The wii was a gift from my mother and the TV I got for $359 on clearance at sears one day.

Oh phew. BOSE for free is still a little over priced. I'm glad you didn't spend cash on those. :beer: Aren't hookups great??

[slammmed]

Oh phew. BOSE for free is still a little over priced. I'm glad you didn't spend cash on those. :beer: Aren't hookups great??

lol the bose arent bad at all. the actually are really crisp. Most people hear the base model bose and see the price and snub their nose. Of course I wouldn't have bought these, but thats because my brother is in the business. For a plug and play diy setup you don't want to calibrate or anything they are great. The setup I was given has the multiroom media center brain. It also came with a microphone that will auto calibrate the system. The downside is the lack of mids. but im going to most likely get a secondary 12" sub and set the frequency accordingly. This would supplement the lack of mids and add that extra umph.

[CraZx2ing]

I used to have people come in to Ccity gung hoe over BOSE and I would absolutely rape them on the $2k and up systems and toss in all the extras so they walked out paying around $5k for the works.

Then theres the misinformed people that are skeptical but think BOSE is good because of the name. Those people I loved. I would demo BOSE's $2k up stuff against comparable Polk or Infinity or etc that cost between $500 and $1k. They'd be blown away at the difference it makes to have speakers capable of being more than just tweeters. I would then bend them over and spend $5k+ of their money. They were just getting more for their money then the former :).

[tachman6500]

and i thought my black and white tv was cool

[nike13857]

yeah, my do-it-yourself $1500 system feels like nothing anymore, lol

[Soadrocksever]

ick beo? you browse the web on the ps3? do you have a mouse/keyboard hooked up? lol (im gona assume you do) cuz w/o that its hardxlame

[Soadrocksever]

yeah, my do-it-yourself $1500 system feels like nothing anymore, lol

LAWL. yeah we have a lame 26" Westinghouse lcd, w/ a ps3, and a old lame dvd player w/ an amp built in for 5.1, and no digital input :(

[CraZx2ing]

bah, everyone starts somewhere. I thought i was the ish at 16 with my 27" tube tv (not even flat screen) with S VIDEO!!! and my $300 phillips 500watt 5 disc changing dvd player with built in surround and nifty looking speakers.

My advice... get a halfway decent receiver (it'll last forever) for around $500. Then buy a couple of nice front speakers and only do 2 channel. (SHOP AROUND there are always crazy good deals and packages and discounts available). Then add a center, then add a sub. They I would add a couple of rears/sides. By the time you get all that stuff together the TV you really liked for $3000 is only $1200. Buy it. For DVD players i've used everything from the $25 generic one (these always play all regions and formats shhhh) up to HD DVD and PS3 for Bluray. You should also remember that a PS3 does DVD upconvert, Blu ray, internet, etc. You might as well pick one up and, oh yeah, they can play games to.

With a pieced together system you can upgrade speakers and components as your taste or paycheck likes.

[tylahjames]

Nothing Spectacular, but, I am happy with it. My apartment is the official hang out spot now though. We play Scene It? a lot, watch a lot of the games over here during football season, (Go Cowboys), and Rock Band it up...

42" 1080P Westinghouse
700 watt Sony surrond sound/DVD player
Xbox 360
And my Harmony remote, chyeeeah. I love that thing.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/IbanezGSA60/newtv.jpg

[Beodude123]

ick beo? you browse the web on the ps3? do you have a mouse/keyboard hooked up? lol (im gona assume you do) cuz w/o that its hardxlame


I have a keyboard on there sometimes, but not usually. I don't type much on it, I usually just lurk.

[Beodude123]

My advice... get a halfway decent receiver (it'll last forever) for around $500. Then buy a couple of nice front speakers and only do 2 channel. (SHOP AROUND there are always crazy good deals and packages and discounts available).


Receivers are pretty important. I did a lot of research, and Onkyo seems to offer the best quality for the price. I got my TX SR 705 for $525 or so shipped. It does 7.1 channel sound, along with all the HD audio codecs. It's pretty nice, and has a automatic calibration to make the sound even all the way around.

[koihoshi]

Office.
http://static.flickr.com/84/244315103_a52a18c571.jpg

My in home tv setup.
http://wallstreetjackass.typepad.com/raptureready/images/ghetto_flatscreen.jpg

http://wallstreetjackass.typepad.com/raptureready/images/ghetto_tv.jpg

[MrWeeyums]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/114/304086392_8f9e4eacac.jpg?v=0

[Soadrocksever]

lawl at mr weeyums

[CraZx2ing]

Receivers are pretty important. I did a lot of research, and Onkyo seems to offer the best quality for the price. I got my TX SR 705 for $525 or so shipped. It does 7.1 channel sound, along with all the HD audio codecs. It's pretty nice, and has a automatic calibration to make the sound even all the way around.

Yup! I agree. Anything less than $500 is probably not going to be a good investment. I got my Onkyo TSXR-702 about 3 years ago for about $550 and I love it. I used to sell Onkyo over HK and Sony (I think they are fighting for first place with BOSE in the crappy audio competition). The best thing about it is the high currency amp. It'd take a 1400 watt Sony to put out the power the 700 watt Onkyo does. (watts are just as misleading as contrast ratio in tvs, BTW).

On my system i can crank it to the max and have minimal if any distortion. Obviously, at normal or reference levels of volume it sounds fantastic. The clarity is just so amazing.

There are times when I would turn on some classical on my XM and play it over all channels real loud to engulf myself in the sound and just doze off. its such a perfect sound.

[Beodude123]

I wish I could put my speakers in better positions, but the wife rules all, so they go where convenient. Granted, the receiver can adjust for placement, but still...

[EmoRebellion]

Room Specs:
Modded Electrohome Marquee 9500LC Ultra Projector
102" screen
7.2 surround sound
B&W 700 Series speakers
Dual Sunfire powered subs
Custom reclining theater seats

Rack Contents:
PS3 for BLU-RAY
Monster Power
Integra DTC-9.8 (http://www.integrahometheater.com/model.cfm?m=DTC-9.8&class=Separates&p=i)
Outlaw 7700 Amp (http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/7700.html)


http://giantandmidget.com/images/Right.JPG
http://giantandmidget.com/images/Front.JPG

Modifications include HDMI card for full 1080p resolution, power supply regulator, fan noise reduction, lenses, ACON adjuster, and a custom fiberglass case.

http://giantandmidget.com/images/Rack.JPG

http://giantandmidget.com/images/Full.JPG

http://giantandmidget.com/images/ht/screen.JPG

The Integra preamp is doing the audio processing, as well as the video upscaling (when required). It handles DTS-HD Master Audio, DD Plus, TrueHD, and pretty much anything else you can think of. Sorry, no pics of the screen yet.. :shrug:

Thoughts? :wickywicky:

[CraZx2ing]

muuuuch better place for this post :). like i said in the other... $7,500 is still so much for a projector. At least this clears up one of those, "what do millionaires blow their money on?" questions... $50,000 projectors lol.

[EmoRebellion]

Yeah.. I cant really imagine anyone paying full retail for one of these babies.. Im sure that at least 80% of these are currently in military/aviation installations.

Has anybody had any experience with the new Integra line? (Integra is the high end gear from Onkyo) I am extremely impressed with this preamp so far, and running everything over HDMI is awesome!

[Buster]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1305/674846013_ace93e3de8.jpg?v=0

What a cheap way to sneak in a free ad.

Ha.

Good job. Does this get you a discounted rate?

[LunchBoxZX2]

While I would love to have one of the really high-end projector setups, I don't have the space for one, neither can I justify the price tag in most cases.

As stated, a receiver with good, clean power will most likely last you a long time. My setup right now is not a permanent one, and is semi-budget oriented until I have the time to finish the basement and build out the home theater the way I want it.

For now, I have a Sony (yes, a Sony... it has 2 HDMI inputs and accepts 1080p signals) STR-DG710 receiver that I snagged for about $250 to hold me over until my HT is done... I needed the HDMI and it was cheap a year ago when I bought it. The speakers are a mix, but will be replaced with B&W or ML's when I get around to finalizing everything. The fronts are an old set of Sony MF-SS415 floor speakers, and the center is a cheapo Sony. My rears are Acoustic Response Series 707 floor speakers with 12" woofers and individual gain adjustments. My sub is a budget MTX SW2 12" powered model that fires downward in a sealed enclosure.

Right now, my projector, an Optoma HD70 is running everything through HDMI @ 720p... I have the Optoma 1080p model brand new in a box waiting for the bulb to go out on the HD70. My screen is 100" diagonal 16:9 aspect ratio with a 1.2 gain... just a cheapie pull-down that I have mounted in-between two of our basement rafters (our entire setup right now has black curtains around it, so no "basement area" is showing around the area you look at).

I have the Xbox 360 and HD DVD add-on running through HDMI as well as the Comcast DVR. I sold my PS3 after owning it a month... I'll buy a stand-alone BR player down the line... just wasn't impressed with it to be honest.

As I said, as I finish things, everything will be upgraded and properly calibrated by a professional. The receiver will be the next purchase for sure, and will probably be something like a top model Onkyo, one of the ones you can't buy at Best Buy or the like.

This is all down the line though, probably a year or so off until I can finish everything... my budget setup works for now.

[CraZx2ing]

What a cheap way to sneak in a free ad.

Ha.

Good job. Does this get you a discounted rate?
Heh, yeah I noticed that the first time i posted the pic a long while back. I was like.. hey I should get paid for this!


While I would love to have one of the really high-end projector setups, I don't have the space for one, neither can I justify the price tag in most cases.

As stated, a receiver with good, clean power will most likely last you a long time. My setup right now is not a permanent one, and is semi-budget oriented until I have the time to finish the basement and build out the home theater the way I want it.

For now, I have a Sony (yes, a Sony... it has 2 HDMI inputs and accepts 1080p signals) STR-DG710 receiver that I snagged for about $250 to hold me over until my HT is done... I needed the HDMI and it was cheap a year ago when I bought it. The speakers are a mix, but will be replaced with B&W or ML's when I get around to finalizing everything. The fronts are an old set of Sony MF-SS415 floor speakers, and the center is a cheapo Sony. My rears are Acoustic Response Series 707 floor speakers with 12" woofers and individual gain adjustments. My sub is a budget MTX SW2 12" powered model that fires downward in a sealed enclosure.

Right now, my projector, an Optoma HD70 is running everything through HDMI @ 720p... I have the Optoma 1080p model brand new in a box waiting for the bulb to go out on the HD70. My screen is 100" diagonal 16:9 aspect ratio with a 1.2 gain... just a cheapie pull-down that I have mounted in-between two of our basement rafters (our entire setup right now has black curtains around it, so no "basement area" is showing around the area you look at).

I have the Xbox 360 and HD DVD add-on running through HDMI as well as the Comcast DVR. I sold my PS3 after owning it a month... I'll buy a stand-alone BR player down the line... just wasn't impressed with it to be honest.

As I said, as I finish things, everything will be upgraded and properly calibrated by a professional. The receiver will be the next purchase for sure, and will probably be something like a top model Onkyo, one of the ones you can't buy at Best Buy or the like.

This is all down the line though, probably a year or so off until I can finish everything... my budget setup works for now.
This is the internet. Words with out pics/vids is pointless. ;)

[LunchBoxZX2]

I'll post pics, I was at work when I posted.. hard for me to get to everything when half of the web is blocked.

[CraZx2ing]

lies! lies i tell you!!

[slammmed]

Here's some pics of the setup my brother just finished at my condo, where my mom currently lives. It's more of a whole house entertainment system, rather hard to get everything into perspective but i'll narrate as much as I can.


50" NEC Plasma Monitor - EDTV - no HD signals at the time. Pioneer plasma speakers, TIVO, DVR, Yamaha Receiver & nintendo wii
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=740&stc=1&d=1211971950

Here's a side picture of tv.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=741&stc=1&d=1211971829

Here's a shot of a dvd being distributed to the bedroom. Any video source from the living area can be distributed to the bedroom. This is nice when my mother wants to watch something from the DVR, TIVO, DVD player or when we hook up the security camera to the roof for the golf course view.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=742&stc=1&d=1211971890

Rear surrounds - bose (2 of the speakers from the 3 bose setups I got for free :dance:)
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=744&stc=1&d=1211972140

http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=743&stc=1&d=1211972140

Now the part my brother really excells, the wiring. I will post some of his other structure panel and rack wirings later. The wireloom is going to be replaced with spiral loom for a cleaner look but the wireloom was all he had at the time.

All wires were custom made to length with appropriate service loops to match color, termination and blend in with the stand.

Wire trunk going to speakers, wii sensor bar, plasma display, etc.. You can see two plates, one for the trunk and one for the distribution. Anything plugged into the red,white,yellow or the coax on the left plate will be distributed to the bedroom, although all video switching is going through the yamaha receiver.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=745&stc=1&d=1211972317

http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=746&stc=1&d=1211972511

[slammmed]

sorry for the blurry pictures. I'm a horrible photographer.

last but not least. Subwoofer wiring. While it appears the wiring is going through the power trunk it is actually fed through a subwoofer feed in the wall. This helps with the interferance oh so common on rca feeds. Even though this is a digital coax output feed to the sub.

http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=747&stc=1&d=1211973127

Here you can see the back of the couch is open and it allowed us to get optimal placement for the speakers.
http://www.teamzx2.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=748&stc=1&d=1211973103


The end result is an incredible sound from very basic components. Everything was practically free.

My brother adjusted the sound delay, the speaker size, used a digital decibel meter to adjust and ensure no speaker over powered the other, etc.. and I have to say this is right up there with any system ive ever heard on display at any of these retail outlets.

Transformers Movie through this is incredible. I can't wait till she gets a dolby digital receiver.

One thing to note, while the plasma is not HD it does however have a matte finish which imo REALLY ties it into the system well.

[CraZx2ing]

Very clean install. Your brother does good work. The way he did the wiring looks top notch. I'm doing a simular thing in my dedicated HT room with the wires all run in the walls and wall plates. Keeps everything looking clean and nice. I think this is the first system posted that you don't see a bowl of spaghetti wire behind the TV stand.

[slammmed]

yeah I was happy he did it right for our mom. Im gonna go over and run a 4 outlet electrical behind the equipment so that black cord going to the left would be gone.

[EmoRebellion]

Heres a crappy shot of the screen and front speakers.
http://giantandmidget.com/images/ht/screen.JPG
http://giantandmidget.com/images/ht/acorn.JPG

Since its hard to make out, these are the speakers. http://blog1.musicfield.jp/du_ak/archives/703MR-thumb.jpg

http://blog1.musicfield.jp/du_ss/archives/htm7.jpg

[LunchBoxZX2]

I will go more in-depth later on... for now, here is a pic of my 100" screen when we finally got it dialed in last year. No, that is not me in the pic, and yes he's just being retarded. This weekend I will have more time to take proper pictures of everything as it is now.

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g214/metrovescent/BigAssScreen001.jpg

[EmoRebellion]

Now youre talkin... Cmon, give me the specs!

[Hypnose Zx2]

i vote for slammmed

[Beodude123]

I vote for me, just because I enjoy my setup. It really sounds good when there is a quality transfer. We were watching Michael Clayton last night, and the picture was great, and the sound was nice and crisp. Jen couldn't really tell the difference, but I could. Uncompressed sound for the wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!

[slammmed]

I vote for emorebellion that projector :drool: