Home Theater Mega Thread

[TheGrimm]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

I found the Elite series to be pretty decent. Other than that I'd agree. I think my next is going to be a Marantz.

Marantz is to Denon as Lincoln to Ford. There are small differences, but for the most part you'd be better to buy an equivalent priced Denon to your Marantz as it will be a higher-end unit.

They share a lot of internals.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by TheGrimm

Marantz is to Denon as Lincoln to Ford. There are small differences, but for the most part you'd be better to buy an equivalent priced Denon to your Marantz as it will be a higher-end unit.

Umm.... isn't Marantz the higher-end version?

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

Umm.... isn't Marantz the higher-end version?

That's what he's getting at - dollar for dollar, you'll get a higher-end Denon for the same price as a mid-range Marantz, and the Denon will outperform the similarly-priced Marantz.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

That's what he's getting at - dollar for dollar, you'll get a higher-end Denon for the same price as a mid-range Marantz, and the Denon will outperform the similarly-priced Marantz.

I read the analogy completely wrong then.

[TheGrimm]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

I read the analogy completely wrong then.

Sorry about that, was trying to clear up the difference between Denon and Marantz with a muddy analogy...

TourqueDog was bang on with what I was trying to convey though, there are some great top of the line Marantz systems, but if your budget is say $1000, it would be better spent on a Denon system then a Marantz one.

FYI I've mentioned it here before but I have a 3313ci and love it. I demo'd the Marantz as well, but came to the conclusion above.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by TheGrimm

there are some great top of the line Marantz systems, but if your budget is say $1000

Yeah I've got a Denon and a Pioneer Elite now. I'd like to sell the Elite as I've had my eye on the Marantz 7007.

[RedMileDJ]

Can anyone recommend a good HMDI switch? I was looking at this one:

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-ca/produ...3e97461724en02

Anyone have experience with this one, or can recommend a different one? I just need to be able to hook up my PS4 (when I get it) and also my Chromecast. I'm just using the speakers on the TV, but my TV also has an optical output for future upgrades (sound-bar, etc).

[PsYcNeT]

I used this one from Amazon for a long time. No video degradation, auto-swaps to the active device. Doesn't need an extra cable. Pretty great for an 8$ device.

I would generally advise against using the optical out on your TV in the future however. Most soundbars have HDMI switching capabilities anyhow.

[Brannigans Law]

its funny i still use these



and combined with upgrading the speakers themselves, like the Klipsch B10s i got at memoryexpress a while back, i cant justify startign over with a brand new system. i know using optical out on my tv isnt ideal but the alternative is spending almost a grand and getting pretty similair sound i have now.

ive had these speakers for so long its some what remarkable to me.

[PsYcNeT]

The real question is, is your TV outputting a proper 5.1 signal or down-scaling it to 2.0, where your audio processor in your speaker set has to fake-scale back into 5.1 "Stereo"?

[Brannigans Law]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

The real question is, is your TV outputting a proper 5.1 signal or down-scaling it to 2.0, where your audio processor in your speaker set has to fake-scale back into 5.1 "Stereo"?

Who could say. Is there a way to test that?

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by Brannigans Law

Who could say. Is there a way to test that?

On full size receivers, it should show you the type of signal being received (graphic of 5 speakers+sub vs graphic of 2 speakers, lit 5.1/DTS logo, etc). A lot of TVs downscale audio, but there are some that don't. You could check your TVs manual (though it may not say at all).

[StrykerSteve]

Alright home theater enthusiasts, looking for some tips.

My setup is getting pretty old, but it was fairly high end at the time of original purchase, I'm wondering if I can continue to get by, or do I need to look at updating some of my components. I've tried to link to the specs of each piece, if I could find them online.

TV - Panasonic 65" VT60 plasma
BD and Games - PlayStation 4
DVD - Oppo DV-970HD
Receiver - Pioneer VSX-D712
Center Channel - Sound Dynamics Cinecenter-R
Front Channels - Mission 763i Tower
Rear Channels - Mission 731 Bookshelf
Satellite - StarChoice DSR500HD
Subwoofer - Nuance CX-100

That's my whole package, as it exists today. Currently in the process of developing my basement for a media room, so wiring and such is still adjustable based on my final configuration.

What do you folks think?

[TorqueDog]

As far as the TV goes, you're well taken care of in that department and I'd leave it be.

The receiver, on the other hand, doesn't have any HDMI inputs so that should probably get switched up. I'm personally a fan of the Denon InCommand series (I have a 2112ci myself) but most people don't really need to go to that level. The AVR-1913 will work for most people, but I get the feeling you're an enthusiast, so the AVR-2113ci or better will work for you.

If you're still using the StarChoice version of the DR500HD, there is a new version that Shaw Direct offers that outputs over HDMI. They'll let you trade in the old unit on an upgrade, I did that myself (before later moving to a building that wouldn't allow satellite dishes).

The Oppo DVD player is probably redundant with the PS4 supporting DVD playback, but I don't know if there's another reason you keep it around.

[DoubleK]

Hi Guys,

I need some help wiring a soundbar to my TV.

Here is what I have for a setup right now:
TV = LG 47LM7600
Soundbar = Pioneer SP-SB23W
Telus Optik HDPVR
PS3

Everything is hooked up via HDMI to the TV and the TV is hooked up to the Soundbar using the Optical Audio Cable.

I cannot for the life of me, get the soundbar to play audio. I have hooked the audio cable to the Telus box and to the PS3 without success.

I can get the soundbar to play audio over bluetooth, but not through the optical cable. I do see a red light when the cable is plugged in.

I've scoured AVS fourms for someone with the same setup, but no dice.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

I cannot for the life of me, get the soundbar to play audio. I have hooked the audio cable to the Telus box and to the PS3 without success.

First solution I would try is a new cable.

[PsYcNeT]

Ensure your TV is set to send "audio out" and not play it through it's built-in speakers.

Also try another optical cable.

[DoubleK]

I tried a new HDMI and an new optical cable without success.

I have found the setting to turn off the TV speaker, but can't get anything to come out of the soundbar.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

As far as the TV goes, you're well taken care of in that department and I'd leave it be.

The receiver, on the other hand, doesn't have any HDMI inputs so that should probably get switched up. I'm personally a fan of the Denon InCommand series (I have a 2112ci myself) but most people don't really need to go to that level. The AVR-1913 will work for most people, but I get the feeling you're an enthusiast, so the AVR-2113ci or better will work for you.

If you're still using the StarChoice version of the DR500HD, there is a new version that Shaw Direct offers that outputs over HDMI. They'll let you trade in the old unit on an upgrade, I did that myself (before later moving to a building that wouldn't allow satellite dishes).

The Oppo DVD player is probably redundant with the PS4 supporting DVD playback, but I don't know if there's another reason you keep it around.

I'd just add that the new Denon receivers are labled E- 100, 200 etc and for higher end are X1000, 2000 etc. Good deals can sometimes be had with last years models though.

Here's a site with some sale prices on Denon and other home theatre receivers. If I was looking, I'd look at the E400 for value and price. I've dealt with this site once before and it worked out fine but they don't have the highest rep.

http://www.gibbyselectronicsupermark...-40_48_82.html

oh yeah with your components I'd look for a HD up-conversion receiver, which the E400 is. That site doesn't work well in Firefox, I guess the E400 isn't on sale.

[14]

Looking for some expertise or some thoughts on a solution. I did my Home Theatre/Man Cave about 6 years ago. Wired it for projector through the ceiling and walls to where the media centre is. A couple of months ago the HDMI connector (the metal piece) snapped off the end of the cable as it was being pulled out of a device (not by me). So it is now useless. I also wired component originally so I have one connection still but I do not want to keep pulling the cable to various sources for my projector: Shawbox, BR DVD, etc.

Any idea if rewiring/splicing or another solution is possible? Perfect world would be DIY but I am now open to hiring someone now for a solution if there is one.

Looking forward to any thoughts/ideas. Thanks.