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joe944
Jan 31, 2004

What does not destroy me makes me stronger.
My primary audio setup has consisted of a Klipsch Promedia 5.1 Ultra for the past seven years or so, and the amp finally started going out making loud hissing and electrical noises. It served me well, and continues to do so although in somewhat of a frankenstein setup. Around the same time was when I purchased my 2005FPW Dell 20.1 inch monitor. With my tax returns I decided to do two things. Put about 1k into my car which is in need of some maintenance and suspension upgrades and get my A/V setup upgraded to suit my desire for high quality media.

Naturally, I turned to craigslist to see what deals I could muster while trying to make sense of reviews and opinions of those whose audio knowledge far surpasses my own. I can see how your average consumer who knows nothing about audio equipment might end up way overpaying for an average sounding system or be too cheap and end up with garbage.

The only sources I output from are my PC and PS3, so when looking for a receiver I wanted HDMI passthrough but upconverting signals, codec processing, and the ability to pull audio from the HDMI connection weren't really necessary. I know everyone knocks on Sony's lower end units but I found an STR-DG720 for $120 and while I could have easily paid two to three times that amount for an arguably better sounding receiver with some features that are nice to have but just not necessary for my situation and budget.

I kept the 5 speakers from the Klipsch 5.1 and although it's hard to tell because they haven't sounded quite healthy hooked up to the old Klipsch amp in some time I do believe that they sound better hooked up to the Sony receiver. I was inspired to dump my entire media collection and am slowly replacing it with FLAC and BD rips.

I wasn't exactly thrilled with how everything sounded with only the five satellites hooked up, although they output decent high and bearable mids there are no lows whatsoever. Understandably so since most of the power in the original 5.1 setup was going into the dual 8" sub. Took me one day to find a Velodyne CT-100 for $150, which I jumped on and got for $100. This 10" woofer is plenty for my 10x14 room and even has some leftover bass for everyone around me to enjoy. :) It definitely sounds better with movies and hip hop as opposed to metal, but it sounds good enough with everything that I'm more than satisfied.

Lastly, I've been looking at my faithful 20 inch Dell for quite too many years as it's shown signs of that dark blotching and increased light leakage over the years, overall though it's still quite usable but strains to be an adequate viewing surface if you are more than a couple feet away from it and even then it's just small compared to what you are used to seeing these days. Couldn't pass up the price and free shipping on this. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254043 I will most likely use the Dell in portrait mode next to the 28", which should make for a much better TV substitute and should make PS3 gaming that much sweeter.

Once I get the monitor, and have a bit of free time, I'll arm myself to the teeth with wire ties and climb behind my jerker to attempt to tame the wild jungle of wires and snap some pictures of the new rig.

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Nija
Mar 2, 2003
F A C K

ShaneB posted:

I really, really want a new receiver with actual balls. My old NAD integrated 2-channel amp at 25w/channel pumped out more punchy bass (from the front 2 speakers, I mean) than my Onkyo 7.1 does now.

Don't limit yourself to actual receivers. Just buy an amp. I picked up a Sunfire cinema grand for about $800 last year. ( 5x400 @ 4ohms ) Just check out audiogon weekly, they pop up pretty often in that price range.

Quicksand_Jesus
Dec 19, 2005

Lasagna Miracle
I posted my system a couple years ago, but have made some changes since then. Namely, I've moved, and then also "shrunk" my system somewhat to better suit my situation at home. Needless to say, it doesn't work real well to have all my components and speakers out with kids around unless you like to have speaker grills punched out. *sniff*....

Anyway, here's my most recent set-up and component list.


Click here for the full 864x576 image.


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Current set-up:

Samsung HPT5034 50" Plasma
Polk Audio Surroundbar 50
Infinity BU-1 Subwoofer
Sony STR-DG810 7.1 Receiver
Philips DVDR3575H/37 1080p 160GB HDD Recorder / DVD Player
Sony Playstation 3 80GB
DirecTV HR-20 HD Receiver
Acoustic Research XSight Touch AARX18G
Acoustic Research RF Extender
Sennheiser RS-120 Headphones

My set-up is based off a combination of having a budget along with trying to minimize everything as much as I can. As it stands now, the only things you see in the living room are the TV, Surroundbar, and subwoofer. Everything else is controlled by the RF remote.

The wiring through the attic, the shelving in the coat-closet-turned-media closet, the new outlets and everything in between was accomplished by myself and my father-in-law. Needless to say, the money saved from doing the work ourselves was well worth it.

fahrvergnugen
Nov 27, 2003

Intergalactic proton-powered electrical tentacled REFRIGERATOR OF DOOM.

Quicksand_Jesus posted:

I posted my system a couple years ago, but have made some changes since then. Namely, I've moved, and then also "shrunk" my system somewhat to better suit my situation at home. Needless to say, it doesn't work real well to have all my components and speakers out with kids around unless you like to have speaker grills punched out. *sniff*....

I love your minimalist approach, I'm a big fan of drat-near-invisible HT setups. Good job!

army_of_babies
Dec 5, 2004
Fighting for your color TVs

Quicksand_Jesus posted:


Click here for the full 864x576 image.

Infinity BU-1 Subwoofer

How does your subwoofer like being on a hard surface? I had my Klipsch Sub12 on a hard surface just to end up watching it try to run away.

Hello Spaceman
Jan 18, 2005

hop, skip, and jumpgate

army_of_babies posted:

How does your subwoofer like being on a hard surface? I had my Klipsch Sub12 on a hard surface just to end up watching it try to run away.

Put something heavy on it. If it's too light, it's not doing its job.

orangetomato1469
Jul 20, 2008


This is my bedroom/computer system.
-B&W 625 Bookshelf Speakers
-Pioneer Elite A-35R Stereo Amp



The speaker placement is completely sub-optimal, but space was a huge factor. Someday I will get some stands and mount them correctly.



The new home theater.
- BenQ W1000 projector (1080p)
- 85" High Gain Focupix screen
- Onkyo SR605
- Polk R50 fronts
- Paradigm CC190 center
- Premier Audio PA-120 subwoofer




- Denon DP-300F Turntable
- HTPC Homebuilt(Blu-ray, HDMI, HDTV, 4TB media)
- Xbox 360 (20GB, HDMI)





- Beginnings of record collection
- Awful mess of wires


So far I've been really happy with the new projector. I had a 42" LCD before, and it has taken some getting used to the new set-up. The room has a lot of ambient light, but the projector has enough lumens to make it watchable during the day. At night movies look incredible (hopefully I'll get some screen shots soon). Even the OTA broadcasts of the Olympics come in nicely in HD through my cheapo computer tuner. Plans for the future include getting matching Paradigm fronts and surrounds. Other than that...for the amount I spent putting together the system, I think it kicks rear end. Also, I need more records.

sm3g4
Nov 1, 2000
I know it's kind of sloppy looking but this is a temporary setup. I finally got a job and I'll be moving soon, so expect an upgraded version in the near future!



TV: Samsung HL-S5087W (50" DLP)
Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR606
Front speakers: Klipsch RF-3 (Bi-amped)
Center: Klipsch SC-1
Surrounds: Klipsch SS-5
Sub: Infinity PS-10 (in back corner)

Xbox 360 w/ HD-DVD player
Wii
Popcorn Hour A-100
Sony DVD player
Logitech Harmony One

Here's what the surrounds look like:

sm3g4 fucked around with this message at 19:36 on Feb 26, 2010

One Arm Manny
May 17, 2008

orangetomato1469 posted:

- Paradigm CC190 center



Are you happy with the cc190 as your center channel? I am waiting on a set of Monitor 7's to come in for my fronts and considering changing my center out for a cc190. Thanks!

orangetomato1469
Jul 20, 2008

One Arm Manny posted:

Are you happy with the cc190 as your center channel? I am waiting on a set of Monitor 7's to come in for my fronts and considering changing my center out for a cc190. Thanks!

Yeah, it's a great speaker. Compared to the crappy Onkyo HTIB center I had before, the Paradigm makes a huge difference, especially in dialog heavy movies. I also looked at the Monitor 7's and they are great as well. It's obviously best when you can have matching front and center channels.

One Arm Manny
May 17, 2008

orangetomato1469 posted:

Yeah, it's a great speaker. Compared to the crappy Onkyo HTIB center I had before, the Paradigm makes a huge difference, especially in dialog heavy movies. I also looked at the Monitor 7's and they are great as well. It's obviously best when you can have matching front and center channels.

Sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. My current center leaves something to be desired, and I agree matching fronts are the way to go. Thanks again.

clredwolf
Aug 12, 2006
Made some great finds in the retro section. First, for $80 on Craigslist I found a Pioneer SX-780 in good condition (some cosmetic damage, knobs need to be cleaned, otherwise works great). Then, I found a pair of Sansui S-520U speakers at a Salvation Army. They didn't have a price, so the guy at the register let them go for $11! Right now I have them hooked to my computer, with an M-Audio Delta 2496 as the soundcard.

All this wood grain is looking really tacky. I feel like my desk is slowly turning into an 80s Mercedes...


Click here for the full 816x612 image.


This desk was not meant for this. I'm considering getting a nice bookcase for the amp and future equipment.

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Speaker Porn:

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Some of the cosmetic damage on the SX-780:

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Retro music for a retro setup (yes it was the first thing I played on it):

Click here for the full 816x612 image.

man thats gross
Sep 4, 2004
I just wanted to thank you to all the contributors to this thread for giving me so many great ideas. I've scanned this bad boy front to back and I think I finally have a decent idea of what to do (and what not to do) with my living room.

Can't wait to take my new TV off my 7-year-old Jerker desk and get it set up properly. :sigh:

Strict 9
Jun 20, 2001

by Y Kant Ozma Post

sm3g4 posted:

I know it's kind of sloppy looking but this is a temporary setup. I finally got a job and I'll be moving soon, so expect an upgraded version in the near future!

TV: Samsung HL-S5087W (50" DLP)

Hey HL-S5087W buddy! I think that's the first other one I've been on these forums. Still have and love that TV. I also have a nearly identical setup in other regards (Onkyo 607 instead of 606, Polk speakers instead of Klipsch). I've had a hell of a time finding a space for that center speaker with a DLP TV. Sadly can't use a TV stand like you have due to a crazy baby crawling around.

slaphappynickname
Sep 13, 2007

by Y Kant Ozma Post
You're going to think I'm a crazy person. I just added some new equipment to our never-used living room / spare toy room (we have a family room with my primary HT setup and a toy room upstairs for the kids) so that the kids would have their own decent tv to watch HD content streamed from our media server.

46" Pioneer Elite plasma
Acer Aspire Revo for the HTPC
Add-on Pioneer Elite speakers
crappy LG DVD player until I bring in a decent blu-ray setup
Wii, etc. I might buy a second 360 to throw in here, though we never use the other one.

The Revo streams HD content from the server, and is controlled by a lenovo qwerty remote/keyboard. We use a DiNovo mini in the family room, but the lenovo is more kid friendly, and at $50 is a lot cheaper to replace when the kids break it every 2 months.

All contained within and on what is now the most expensive god drat piece of furniture in my house.


Click here for the full 1024x768 image.



Click here for the full 1024x768 image.



Here's the family room setup from about a year ago. The only real changes in that time are a 360 elite, and an additional 350 or so DVD's that I've ripped to my server. I have a solid 400 or so discs to rip from my DVD collection, but I'll honestly never get around to doing all of them. I just bought 2 more 1.5TB drives to give some much needed capacity, so at least I won't have full red bars on all of my drives now.

52" Sharp LCD
HK 347
Samsung 1500 BluRay
Athlon 5000+ HTPC running XBMC (win7 now)
Klipsch Reference 3 all around
Elemental Designs A3-300


Click here for the full 1024x768 image.


[
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Alternate View:


Click here for the full 1024x768 image.

hotsauce
Jan 14, 2007
Not a photo of my setup (in the middle of moving from PA to UT) but did want opinions of the Yamaha RX-V765. Will be using it for a living room/zone 2 (outside) setup.

Seemed like a good deal at $391 shipped (after bing and newegg).

Mr.Peabody
Jul 15, 2009

Click here for the full 640x480 image.


I'm a horrible photographer, The wall in the background should be grey.

Pictured:
Sony Bravia KDL-40V3000
Sony STR-DG920 A/V Receiver
Silverstone HTPC

Sony SS-F7000 front speaker
Sony SS-CN5000 Center channel speaker

Not Pictured:
Sony SS-B3000 rear surround speakers
SVS Sound PC13-Ultra subwoofer
Sony Playstation 3 Metal Gear Solid Edition
Kabel Deutscheland Digital Cable

Legdiian
Jul 14, 2004

Please don't take offense, but I'm just wondering how you decided on that height for your TV.

Mr.Peabody
Jul 15, 2009
It's a bit tall, but the room actually extends back about 38 feet and I can watch it from the dining room over the couch at that height. Also, my couch is an L shape so when I'm in the living room, I'm typically watching it while laying down.

Fuzzy Wuzzy Bear
Dec 1, 2009

by mons al-madeen
Is that just the angle of the picture, or is it really that crooked?

Nitr0
Aug 17, 2005

IT'S FREE REAL ESTATE
Looks really crooked to me.

Schpyder
Jun 13, 2002

Attackle Grackle

The whole image looks fisheyed.

man thats gross
Sep 4, 2004
Can someone tell me if there is any conceivable reason this could not support a 47" television without the stupid rear panel?

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/20117674

Supports up to 143lbs, TV weighs 50.7lbs with the stand.

Stand is 66"Wx19"D, TV is 45"Wx13"D.

My guess is that it should be absolutely fine, but I can't help but wonder why Ikea would only list the TOBO with the rear panel for TVs above 37". I figure it's probably just a mistake, or they're trying to upsell, or they just don't think it would look all that great, but I can't stop this suspicion that it is dangerous for some reason I am unable to fathom.

Hippie Hedgehog
Feb 19, 2007

Ever cuddled a hedgehog?

man thats gross posted:

Can someone tell me if there is any conceivable reason this could not support a 47" television without the stupid rear panel?

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/20117674

Supports up to 143lbs, TV weighs 50.7lbs with the stand.

Stand is 66"Wx19"D, TV is 45"Wx13"D.

I would guess that the point of that stupid rear panel is that you should throw out your TV stand and instead mount the TV on the rear panel. That would let you put other stuff on top of the bench, I guess. I wouldn't bother with it, myself.

man thats gross
Sep 4, 2004

Hippie Hedgehog posted:

I would guess that the point of that stupid rear panel is that you should throw out your TV stand and instead mount the TV on the rear panel. That would let you put other stuff on top of the bench, I guess. I wouldn't bother with it, myself.

Well, they're supposed to go together, like so: http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/S59850471.

But frankly, that looks more likely to fail catastrophically to me. I just wanted a second opinion in case I was missing something patently obvious.

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006
Most likely they list it with that size limit because the back panel would dwarf the television and it would look odd otherwise.

Large TV's also become progressively less stable freestanding, so it makes sense to push it as an accessory even if it isn't really needed.

Hippie Hedgehog
Feb 19, 2007

Ever cuddled a hedgehog?

Juriko posted:

Large TV's also become progressively less stable freestanding, so it makes sense to push it as an accessory even if it isn't really needed.

Good point. If the rear panel is sturdy enough to hold the weight, it would surely be less prone to tipping than a regular TV stand for a 47"-er.

bEatmstrJ
Jun 30, 2004

Look upon my bathroom joists, ye females, and despair.

Mr.Peabody posted:

It's a bit tall, but the room actually extends back about 38 feet and I can watch it from the dining room over the couch at that height. Also, my couch is an L shape so when I'm in the living room, I'm typically watching it while laying down.

What the hell kind of room extends 38 feet? Do you live in a warehouse?

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006

bEatmstrJ posted:

What the hell kind of room extends 38 feet? Do you live in a warehouse?

Probably a finished basement in a massive house in the burbs. I have seen some huge rec rooms in new construction.

Mr.Peabody
Jul 15, 2009

bEatmstrJ posted:

What the hell kind of room extends 38 feet? Do you live in a warehouse?

Everything to the balcony is the length of the room.. it's 10 meters which apparently is closer to 32 feet.


I also noticed in the picture the TV was crooked. I had to pull it off the wall mount and tighten the bolts, one side had slid since it was installed.

Mr.Peabody fucked around with this message at 23:39 on Mar 9, 2010

Nija
Mar 2, 2003
F A C K
My entertainment center looks like 5 lbs of poo poo in a 3 lbs bag at the moment. I bought the speakers and amp with the intention of not upgrading for the next decade, so I know it doesn't fit the current space very well. I am just renting at the moment.

To the immediate right is the front door entryway, which is the cause for the cram. I know the speakers deserve to be positioned better, I just can't do it at this house.

I also need to get some black pegboard and hide some of the wire-mess. The white device that you can see to the left of the amp is a "tricklesaver" - it powers off the amp and the powered front subs when the TV isn't pulling a charge. This makes it so I cannot run just the receiver and the speakers, with something like an ipod for input, but the receiver itself doesn't use enough power for the tricklesaver to toggle the big stuff on/off - has to be something beefy like a TV.

Mitsubishi 65" DLP
Marantz SR4002
Polk LSi everything - LSi25 fronts, LSiC, LSiX surrounds
Sunfire Cinema Grand 5x400w (at 4ohm) amp
xbox, wii, AT&T uverse ugly box
Popcornhour C200
Random cheap rear end/free decorations and strange stuff in the foreground of each picture.




Mugmoor
Dec 13, 2006

I had a ruff day at work.

Nija posted:

My entertainment center looks like 5 lbs of poo poo in a 3 lbs bag at the moment. I bought the speakers and amp with the intention of not upgrading for the next decade, so I know it doesn't fit the current space very well. I am just renting at the moment.

To the immediate right is the front door entryway, which is the cause for the cram. I know the speakers deserve to be positioned better, I just can't do it at this house.

I also need to get some black pegboard and hide some of the wire-mess. The white device that you can see to the left of the amp is a "tricklesaver" - it powers off the amp and the powered front subs when the TV isn't pulling a charge. This makes it so I cannot run just the receiver and the speakers, with something like an ipod for input, but the receiver itself doesn't use enough power for the tricklesaver to toggle the big stuff on/off - has to be something beefy like a TV.

Mitsubishi 65" DLP
Marantz SR4002
Polk LSi everything - LSi25 fronts, LSiC, LSiX surrounds
Sunfire Cinema Grand 5x400w (at 4ohm) amp
xbox, wii, AT&T uverse ugly box
Popcornhour C200
Random cheap rear end/free decorations and strange stuff in the foreground of each picture.






Hey man, say what you want about speaker positioning, tricklesavers and whatnot, but your place looks downright comfy.

Remmiz
May 3, 2009

GRUUUUUUMMBLES!
Put some floor lighting in that corner behind the couch and I could live on that couch for weeks.

dissss
Nov 10, 2007

I'm a terrible forums poster with terrible opinions.

Here's a cat fucking a squid.

dissss posted:

I'm going to go for smallest television:


Now its all properly set up:




As you can see its rather bright in there during the day must get some proper curtains to block out the view. Also sub and surround speaker placement is a problem (at the moment one of the surrounds is sitting on the arm of the couch)

System is now:
- Pioneer VSX-915
- Polk Monitor 50 front, 30 surround, CS1 center, PSW-111 sub
- No name 32" SD plasma - on the plus side crappy quality shows look as good as DVDs
- No name DVD player that allows skipping normally unskippable stuff
- Oblig. XBox 360
- 8 year old Acer laptop handles HTPC (remember, no HD in this setup)
- Crappy Telstra cable box that requires an external modem for the EPG (extra messy cabling)

Juriko
Jan 28, 2006
I will murder you for your view. Have fun trying to sleep.

man thats gross
Sep 4, 2004

Juriko posted:

I will murder you for your view. Have fun trying to sleep.

Seriously. I would turn the couch around if I were you.

Siets
Sep 19, 2006

by FactsAreUseless

dissss posted:

:words: about a TV or some poo poo...

VIEWWWWWW

Now I will never be happy in life... :smith:

porksmash
Sep 30, 2008

Nija posted:

Mitsubishi 65" DLP

Is that the WD-65C9? I bought that exact TV not a week ago and I am in love with it.

monkeybounce
Feb 9, 2007

dissss posted:

Now its all properly set up:



I agree, nice view.

Why does it look like your doorknob is at face level?

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dissss
Nov 10, 2007

I'm a terrible forums poster with terrible opinions.

Here's a cat fucking a squid.

monkeybounce posted:

I agree, nice view.

Why does it look like your doorknob is at face level?

Never noticed that before but it is quite high. Weird old house I guess.

As for the view don't worry that's where the other couch is facing.

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