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What's in your Home Theater?

306K views 498 replies 312 participants last post by  blue dragon 
#1 ·
I've always been interested in knowing what other people have to view movies or even regular TV. So I thought I'd ask everyone to post what components they have in their home theater.

I guess it's only fair that I start. :smile:

TV: Toshiba TW40X81 widescreen HDTV. (Recently ISF calibrated by JohnnyG)
Receiver: Kenwood VR-2080 DD/DTS
Speakers: PSB Stratus Silver mains and centre. Minis for surrounds.
Subwoofer: PSB Subzero (8")
DVD: Panasonic RP-91
LD: Pioneer CLD-D504
CD: Kenwood CD-323M 200-disc changer
VCR: JVC HR-VP670U
Satelite: ExpressVu Model 6000

Norm
 
#29 ·
Here's my 33 year summary, perhaps bringing up some good memories for others... (Prices are all tax included)
The "bold" items I still have.
Not one of these components ever "failed" except for VCRs which get constant use.
I had one or two items repaired at minor cost, but all were resold and used by others for many happy years.

Year, Item, Manufacturer, Model, Cost, Comments
---------------------------------------------------------------

1969, Amplifier, Sansui, AU555
Turntable, Dual, 1015F
Speakers, Star TV RS8U $380

1971, Receiver, Pioneer, SX990, $180 Traded AU555

1972, Tape Deck, Sony, TC127 $125

1973, Television, Zenith, 20" E4030X $550 Our first TV

1975, Turntable, (The best) Empire 598 $270 Sold 1015F ($388-120)

1976, Tape Deck, (Dolby) Yamaha, TB700 $200 Traded Sony ($300-100)

1977, Amplifier, Yamaha, CA610 Traded Pioneer Receiver & Speakers
Tuner, Yamaha, CT610
Speakers, Yamaha NS690 (now my "surrounds")
Headphones, Yamaha HP1 $930 (package)

Tape Deck, (Reel to Reel) Akai, GX630D $640

1978, Tape Deck, (Auto Reverse) Dual C939 $428 Traded TB700
VCR/Tapes, Panasonic PV1500 $2,100

1980, Turntable, (Direct Drive) Dual, 714Q $470 Traded Empire 598
VCR, Panasonic, PV1750 $675 Upgraded

1982, Amplifier, Yamaha, M4
Pre-amplifier, Yamaha, C6 $1,113
Television, (51") RCA, PFR100WR $2,444 What a sale

1983, Tuner, Sansui, TU-S7 $200 What a sale

1984, CD Player, Yamaha, CD-X2 $690
Speakers, (For TV) Akai, SWT-M3 $150

1986, VCR, (Remote, Portable) RCA, VLP-950HF $1,042

1991, In-wall Speakers, KEF, CR200F $600 (Living Room)
Receiver, Yamaha, RX-450 $351 (Living Room)

Sold CA/CT 610 & Akai RTR Tape Deck ($400)

1992, VCR, JVC, HR-D990U $655
Laser Disk Player, Kenwood, LVD710 $805
Dolby Surround Decoder, Yamaha, DSP200 $592
Centre Speaker, Yamaha, NSC90 $173 (now rear centre)

1994, Tape Deck, (Dolby C) Yamaha KX670 $517

1996, Television, (upstairs) Zenith, SR2787DT $748
VCR, JVC, HRJ620U $423 (1986 RCA VCR Broke)

1997, Subwoofer, Clements Richter II $506

1999, VCR (S), JVC S7500U $667 (1992 JVC Broke)
DVD Player, Toshiba, SD2109 $608
VCR, JVC, VP670U $275 (3rd VCR)

2000, Speakers, (Hybrid) Martin Logan Scenario
Speaker (Centre) Martin Logan Cinema $4,600 (set)
Receiver, Yamaha, RX-V1 $3,305

2001, Headphones, Grado, SR-125 $247
HDTV, Hitachi, 61UWX10B $5,923

Sold (M4, C6, DSP, T7/Akai Speak) ($385)
Sold RCA 51" TV ($275)

The home theatre room is about 16' x 19'. I sit about 11' from the TV and the surrounds are about 4' behind and to the sides. The TV and the main speakers are on the "short" wall.

I'm now totally satisfied and won't need anything for many years (I hope), except for a High Def PVR when it becomes available, but I'll probably rent that, like I do my SA3100HD.
 
#30 ·
TV: Toshiba TW65X81
A/V Receiver: Marantz SR7000
L, R Speakers: KEF C75
Centre: KEF C90
L,R Surround: KEF C10
Subwoofer: Energy ES-8
DVD Player: Tosiba SD-5109
DVD Jukbox: Sony DVP-CX850 DVD Jukebox
CD Jukebox: Pioneer PD-F1039
VCR: JVC HR-S8000U S-VHS
Laserdisc Player: Pioneer CLD-3070
Digital Cable Box: General Instrument DCT2000HT
Remote Control: Marantz RC 2000 MkII
Wireless Headphones: Sony MDR-DS5000
 
#32 ·
I have built a dedicated room for my home theater
Wow, some great equipment and your own home theater. Perhaps when set up you can show us some pics.

Would also be interested in knowing how you researched building your own home theater.
 
#33 ·
Current HT:
Sony Wega KV-36FV27 36" Television
Panasonic DVD-CV5CA-K 5 disc DVD Player
Technics RS-BX606 Cassette Deck
Technics SA-DA10 Receiver
Toshiba VC-761 VCR
BEV 5100 Receiver

The left, right and center speakers are Studio Lab. I don't know the model number, they were a gift a couple of years ago. They're tall, thin and loud anyway.

The surrounds are a couple of old Studio Lab monitors from the 1970s. They're huge and still sound nice. I had to use them for something when I got my new speakers.

The subwoofer is a Sony SA-WM40.

Old Stuff:
Toshiba 3108 DVD Player (will be hooking up to old TV)
Sony SLV-920HF VCR (will be hooking up to old TV)
The old TV is a 27" Panasonic GAOO (10yrs old). I have an older (6yrs) Technics receiver I may hook up to the old TV setup if I find a small inexpensive speaker set.
 
#34 ·
Home theater research

Human

I do have some pics of my equipment scanned and saved, most shots are just ok. It was an experiment with a cheap camera but they are viewable. I have yet to buy the screen, so there are no screen shots.As for researching for my home theater I looked into various resources such as dealers and retail stores, magazines-( AV interiors, Stereophile Guide to Home Theater and Home Theater). The internet I found had lots of info with manufacturer websites, home theater forums like this one(being a Canadian site helps!) And also individual websites where you can check out other peoples set up, design and equipment. I got most of my ideas from the individual web sites and magazines.
 
#35 ·
Here's mine:

TV - Toshiba 50H81 50" 16:9 HD-RPTV
DVD - Toshiba SD2800 (non-progressive)
VCR - Sharp (some model, doesn't really matter)
Receiver - JVC 8010-VBK DTS/5.1
Speakers - JVC Labrynth Bookshelf (Mains), JVC Surround set for rears and centers

I just got the TV less about a month ago so and the receiver replaced my bookshelf console that came with the JVC speakers. So my next purchase is investing in something better for the speakers, although these do a great job. I was looking at going with the Athena S2/P2's for mains, S1's for rears and C1/P1 for Center.
 
#36 ·
Psyklops,

How do you like your JVC receiver? I have the same one and I'm in the process of getting speakers in the next couple of weeks. I went to FS today an auditioned some Athena speakers. I loved them. They sounded great. I'm thinking of getting the Athena AS-F1 for fronts, AS-C1 center and either the AS-B1 or AS-B2 for rears. Still haven't decided on the rears. I think I'll probably go with the AS-B1's. Now I just have to decide on a sub. Any suggestions?? I auditioned some JBL, Polk and Cerwin-Vegas also but I like the Athena's the best.
 
#37 ·
Here is what I have put together so far

- Pioneer Elite VSX 36TX THX Ultra reciever 5.1,7.1
- Pioneer Elite DV-C36 5 disc dvd player
- Panamax Max 5100 line conditioner
- Scott 5 disc cd player (12yrs old)
- Plus Piano DLP projector
- Draper Luma M1300 106 inch 16:9 screen
- home made ceiling mount for the projector

- Ultralink Videophile high definition component cable 10m
- Ultralink Videophile high definition composite cables 1m & 6m
- Ultralink Competition audio interconnect cable 1m
- Ultralink Subsonix stereo powered subwoofer Y cable 6m

- StudioLab Image 7s for the front speakers
dual 5.25'' woofers
1'' aluminum dome Vifa tweeter
poly propylene capacitors & large guage air coils
2nd Order crossover with impedance equalization 2.3KHz
lower 6'' of cabnet filled with sand for added weight and stabillity
gold plated bi-wire termanals
6.5'' W x 9'' D x 36'' H oak cabnets

- StudioLab Image 6 for the center channel
identical as above but 17'' W x 9'' D x 6.5'' H oak cabnet

- StudioLab Image 5s for the surruonds
single 5.25'' woofer
3/4'' aluminum dome vifa tweeter
poly propylene capacitors & large guage air coils
2nd Order crossover with impedance equalization 2.9KHz
gold plated bi-wire termanals
6.5'' W x 9'' D x 11'' H oak cabnets

- StudioLab Digital series 250 watt powered subwoofer
single 12'' woofer
ported cabnet design 21'' W x 21'' D x 18'' H black vineer
 
#38 ·
TV: Philips 32" PW9616
Dvd:Harman Kardon DVD-1
Laserdisc:pioneer 925
Amp: Denon AVC-A1 SR
Front B&W 640i
Center MS 905c
Surround B&W 604 S1
Back Surround B&W 602 S3
Rel Storm

CD:Sony CDP-XA 3ES on Audioquest Sorbothanes
Tuner: Onkyo T-4970
Minidisc: Sony
Tape Deck: Sony 835S
VCR: Sony

Cables: All Monster
 
#39 ·
dcgapg said:
Psyklops,

How do you like your JVC receiver? I have the same one and I'm in the process of getting speakers in the next couple of weeks. I went to FS today an auditioned some Athena speakers. I loved them. They sounded great. I'm thinking of getting the Athena AS-F1 for fronts, AS-C1 center and either the AS-B1 or AS-B2 for rears. Still haven't decided on the rears. I think I'll probably go with the AS-B1's. Now I just have to decide on a sub. Any suggestions?? I auditioned some JBL, Polk and Cerwin-Vegas also but I like the Athena's the best.
I love my receiver. I got it last October for about $570 CAD which was a fantastic deal for a receiver with the options that it has. Most others with the same features cost $100-$200 more. I read a lot of reviews on it and everyone was favorable. The only thing is that the USB feature is more of a gimmick than a real feature. As it's only really useful if you don't have a sound card in your PC. Plus USB has a much small max. cable length than audio cable which would be the preferable way to hook up your PC to the receiver if you have a sound card.

Those Athena's are their basic line (Audition Series). I haven't heard them yet, the ones I was looking at are their professional line (SCT series), but they aren't available at Future Shop. I went to Visions here in Alberta to demo them and was fairly impressed. They are a considerable jump in price from the Audition series, but the thing I liked about them was that they were modular in design. Meaning that you could buy your fronts (S1, S2 or S3) and then you could later on buy a subwoofer for each speaker (P1, P2 or P3) to extend the bass for each channel. Then you can do the same for your rears and even the Center speaker (C1) has the ability to connect with a P1 subwoofer to give you bass response on your centers. That's all in addition to the subwoofer connected to your sub out on the receiver.

I did notice that Athena has just released an AS-P400 subwoofer for the Audition line that you were looking at. You should check that one out if you plan on going with the Athena speakers. You can check their website at www.athenaspeakers.ca to find a dealer that carries all their products nearest you.
 
#40 ·
HDTV: PIONEER ELITE PRO-610HD 58" WIDE
RECIEVER : PIONEER ELITE VSX36TX
DVD PLAYERS: PIONEER DV444 ELITE DV-45A
FRONT SPEAKERS: PARADIGM REF STUDIO 40
CENTER SPEAKER :" " " " " CENTER
REAR SPEAKERS : " " " " " STUDIO ADP
SUB FRONT: " " " " " SERVO 15"
SUB REAR " CLEMENT STUDIO 10"
SAT SYSTEM MAIN : EXPRESSVU 6000 HDTV
SYSTEM CONTROL : PRONTO TSU2000
WIRE: ULTRA VIOLET THE GOOD STUFF
 
#41 ·
T.V. Old 52" RCA soon to be Tosh 57HDX
Rec. Denon 3802
Amp Adcom GFA 7400 5 x 100W
DVD Tosh 2108 Will go progressive with HDTV arrives
Laser Pioneer 501?
VCR Proscan
Mains Definitive Tech BP-10's
Centre Def-tech CLR 2002
Side surrounds Def-tech BP2X
Rear surrounds RFT moniters
Sub SVS 20-39 powered by a 250W old Yammy amp
Wire & cables IXOS
All in a 16' x 14' dedicated basement theatre with approx. 120 DVD's & 35 Laserdiscs

P.S This is a great site,keep up the good work :D
 
#42 ·
HDTV: Toshiba 50H81
Receiver: Harman/Kardon AVR 310
DVD: Panasonic RP-82
LD: Sony MDP-455
CD: Sony CDP CE-515
VCR: Mitsubishi U-62 SVHS
STB: SA 3100HD
Turntable: Dual CS-5000
Phone Preamp: NAD 7020e
Sub Equalizer: Behringher Feedback Destroyer DSP-1000
Left/Centre/Right/Surrounds: Castle Durhams
Subwoofer: Mirage 10" Active

Next month:
Replace HDTV with Sony HS-10/Epson TW-100 projector w/ 92" wide screen
Add Home Theatre PC to the mix
Never see the light of day again :)
 
#43 ·
To all the new people welcome and Wayner on behalf of DHC thank you!
I dont want to steer this thread to go off topic so forgive me but,
dboswell what the hell are these things? :lol:
Phone Preamp: NAD 7020e
Sub Equalizer: Behringher Feedback Destroyer DSP-1000
 
#45 ·
Beerme1

As 57 says, I use the NAD receiver (my first receiver from 13 years ago - still works and looks great!) to boost the phono output level to match standard line levels as my H/K receiver has no phono input.

The BFD DSP-1000 is a great inexpensive (like around $200 Cdn) digital parametric equalizer that can flatten out a boomy bass response from room modes - particularly in smallish rooms. It makes a HUGE difference to the depth and smoothness of the bass without having to crank it up to headache levels once it's tweaked.

Dave
 
#46 ·
57 said:
Beringer Destroyer

I found the speaker choice interesting. Haven't seen Castle much on this side of the pond.
I haven't posted my specs before, the speakers are kind of haphazard overall. I do have Castle Warwick front speakers, however. Other than that, a Paradigm centre and some yamaha rears, no sub still. I like the Castle's, even though they are on the small end of their range (roughly 15" high, x 9 x 9).

I was thinking about adding a sub, getting some new speakers for surround L/R, and retaining the Yamaha as surround back. I'm not that well versed in thing audiophile, and I'm sure I could do better by opening up the piggybank and getting a matched set of speakers, but I know I'd spend a fair bit more than the tiny matched sets. Also, no one seems to really be adding the surround back(s) into any matched sets - since the Panasonic only has power for 1 speaker I'd end up with needing half a pair.

Rest of the gear: TV: Toshiba 50H82, DVD: Panasonic RP-62, Reciever: Panasonic SA-HE200, VCR: Sony SLV-790HF
 
#48 ·
No big addition, but I got a JVC HR-S5911U Super VHS VCR (for the wife's soaps) last weekend. It's supposed to put out S-VHS quality on standard (high quality) VHS tapes. I wasn't wowed by the quality, so I went out and got an S-VHS tape today from the Sony store. Anyone know who else sells S-VHS tapes, preferrably Maxell or can anyone recommend a good tape?

I got this model because it has a front panel S-Video input. This makes it very easy for me to disconnect my sat receiver from the TV and plug it into the VCR if I want to transfer something to tape. I would have started doing this with Sopranos season 4 if I had the VCR when it started.
 
#49 ·
OK with the addition of the TV I've finally got my HT up to a respectable level.

  • TV = Tosh 50HDX82
    Receiver = Pioneer VSX-D810
    STB = SA 3100HD (Rogers)
    DVD = Panny RP62
    VCR = Sony SLV757 (Antique???)
    Cass = Denon DR-M14HX
    Lights = X-10
    Speakers = Paradigm Atom x 5, CC170 ctr, PDR-10 sub
    Remote = Pronto RU890

TomW.
 
#50 · (Edited)
57's Home Theatre

Thought you might be interested in seeing my home theatre setup. It’s probably a bit different from what you typically see because I have my components beside my chair.

I built the "rack" for the components myself. As you can see, the components are in the middle, vinyl and turntable underneath, CDs and some VHS on the left side, DVDs and some cassettes on the right side. There is plenty of space around the two "heat generating" pieces – the receiver and the STB. Some lesser-used VHS and cassettes are stored under the TV in my new stand.

The room is in our developed basement and can be made quite dark, even during the day or on summer evenings.

The room is about 16’ x 20’ x 8’ high, with the TV along the 16’ wall. We sit about 11’ from the TV (seats are easily movable, if desired, but usually stay in the same spot). "The boss" sits in the larger La-Z-Boy chair, which is a little amusing, since she is quite a small person.

The equipment consists of:

Sharp LC75N8000U 4KTV (added in 2017, photo still of my previous Panasonic 65" Plasma
Martin Logan Scenario Main Speakers
Martin Logan Cinema Center Speaker
Clements Subwoofer
Polk PSW505 Subwoofer
Yamaha NS690 Speakers used for surrounds
Small center rear speaker
IgniteTV in March 2022
Denon AVR4310Ci Audio Video Receiver
Oppo BDP-83 BD player
Toshiba SD2109 DVD Player (kept for non-critical, programmable listening)
Kenwood LVD710 Laser Disc Player (Doesn't get much use)
JVC S7500U S-VHS VCR (Doesn't get much use)
Yamaha KX670 Cassette Deck
Dual 714Q Turntable
Grado SR-125 Headphones with new larger foam from more expensive models

Previous Rogers Equipment - Cisco 9865 (added in December 2013 as the SA8300HD was in its 10th year. I decided to add the 9865 before the 8300 failed since I have a fair number of programmes on it, like concerts, which I will now access once in a while, instead of daily use) SA8300HD (cloned 320 GB) & eHDD (1TB)

Photos of my setup below:

To the younger people just starting out, it took us 40 years of saving, purchasing and upgrading to get to this point, so take your time - getting there is a big part of the fun.


Main Photo:





Room lights down, still some light from window (picture taken daytime). Bias lighting on rear of TV via IKEA LEDs - I used 3 of the 4 "LED bars". This provides enough bias light, using only 2 Watts, so I leave them on 24/7 - great as a night light - don't need to usually turn on any other lights in the HT:





Stand purchased from IKEA, "raised portion" for TV, behind center speaker built by me:





Seating area and components:



Seating area:



Components: Component Stand and two pine tables built by me. Since I now have two STBs, I created an "IR Blocker" using some sheet metal I had and covered the front of the "Blocker" with an appropriately cropped picture of the SA8300HD.


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In our "office" on the second floor we have a Sony KDL40W3000, with IgniteTV that my wife sometimes watches.
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#51 ·
Yeah, a guy at work says he has some Martin Logan speakers in the Front and just got some in the Back, and had a centre on order. He said they are a grille based speaker rather than wafer / cone speaker and cost like $5K. Is that true, or maybe you have a little less expensive series. Too rich for my blood at this point. Do they sound a lot different? I guess once I have my own place and a dedicated home theater area.
 
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