dougdrake

Wow, almost 2.5 years from the original posts ...

I suggest Watco Rejuventating oil to keep your oiled finishes up to snuff. I use it on my KG4s and Fortes and it gives the wood a very warm glow. Takes a bit of elbow grease to be sure you've buffed it off, or it becomes gummy, though.

Don't know what your wife watches (or what cartoons the kids watch), but how about an Antenna with a Tivo? Unless you're too remote, you can pick up the HD off the major networks over the air, and the Tivo will let you forego the endless commercials...we only take the most basic of cable packages and it's more than enough for casual TV viewing.

Just to be sure, check your audio output settings on the PS3 and be sure it is sending 5.1. It is possible it is only sending stereo output and then your AVR is transmogrifying it to 5.1...

Yes, Forte's do dig deep on the bass, but keep a subwoofer on your Christmas list - you CAN tell the difference. I have an older SVS sub that goes sub-20hz that picks up where my Forte's left off. I'm a fan of Onkyo's current lineup - extreme value for the money, IMO. Look at the TX-SR706 - it's probably got enough power to handle whatever you can't plug in to your existing amps (which I'm not familiar with), and it has pre-amp outs. So you can use it as a pre-amp for the channels you have outboard amps for, and as an amp for the channels you don't have amps for. And you can pick it up for a price that won't break the bank. As for the TeeVee - I also have a 6xx series Samsung and Vizio does not hold a candle to it - yes, there is a price difference but on a 55" screen I believe you will see the PQ difference as well.

Is the Emotiva UMC-1 available? Seems like it's announced but I don't see it in their online store.

Onkyo TX-NR906 - 7.1-Channel Home Network Receiver If you're open to factory refurb's, you can get it for abour $1400 at www.shoponkyo,com. Or the 876 for under $900: http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKTXSR876BLK/Onkyo/TX-SR876-7.1-Channel-Home-Theater-Receiver-black/1.html

The RC-7 is a behemoth, for sure. On a side note, welcome to the forum, sincerely. You gotta love a new member that uses "turd" in their first post! Where will it go from here?

Hi Gregg!

The Sub-10 has speaker-level inputs and outputs. Are you able to wire your speakers through the sub? If so, set the x-over on the sub to its highest position and connect them that way. Although this means you cannot adjust the frequencies that are passed to the speakers, at least anything below 100hz will be filtered. From the owner's manual: " “HIGH LEVEL OUT” – This passes the “HIGH LEVEL IN” signal out to your left and right speakers with frequencies below 100Hz removed."

I was going to mention there's a 3rd connection method, but Prof Thump's blog post above mentions it so I'll just point it out in case you missed it. You can use an HDMI 1.1 or 1.2-capable receiver to receive a Multichannel PCM signal from the BD player (if it passes MPCM) and play the HD-audio formats. Since those versions of HDMI are a bit older, you can likely find a great deal on a used receiver to do this.

I do not believe you can get 1080p via component - not a technology issue but a licensing/control issue. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=675595 You'd have to check the owner's manual for the Yammy, but I'd be surprised if it would convert HDMI to component - seems like all the conversions I've seen are from lower level connections to higher level connections, not vice verse.

I, too, use a PS3 as my BD player and I agree with the above comments about its speediness. Remember that its only HD audio output is via HDMI, and then only PCM, so if your receiver does not support multichannel LPCM over HDMI you cannot play the new HD formats from the PS3. Also, unlike some of the newer BD players, there is no link to Netflix or other streaming media sources to allow Play on Demand.

This looks like the ticket: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10112&cs_id=1011201&p_id=3027&seq=1&format=1#largeimage 4 sets of 6 inputs, one set of 6 outputs.... And it looks like the remote has discrete IR on it so you can directly access any of the inputs.

If you're open to using Factory Refurbs, check out the Onkyo PR-SC886. It's from their Pro Line. It's a terrific pre/pro for $1000 (refurb'd). http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/ONKPRSC886/Onkyo/PR-SC886-THX-Ultra2-Plus-7.1-Channel-3-Zone-Preamplifier/Processor-/1.html Don't know what the Emotiva amp deal is mentioned above, but maybe this will get you into some very nice separates.

Or rent Gia - no "sorta close" at all...

disregard my original post - may not apply here

http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/542999287?i_c=DOD032309http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?threadid=1257191'> (sorry I didn't see the post in the General forum before posting this)

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?threadid=1257191 (sorry I didn't see the post in the General forum before posting this)

Friendly hand....glad hand....either way, sounds top notch!

We are moving from a house in CO where the HT is in the basement to a house in AZ with no basement. I had planned to dedicate one of the larger spare bedrooms to a HT but my wife suggested we convert the LR/DR to a dedicated HT. Her thoughts are "who needs a living room and dining room when you've got a family room also." So, we'll be putting the 120" screen and two rows of Berklines in the living room/dining room combination. It'll be the first thing guests see when they enter the front door!

I have 3 Acurus amps - 200x3, 200x5, and a 250x2. I love them - very high power, very clean, very controlled. They were built by Mondial (which also built Aragon). Klipsch bought Mondial several years back, but to my knowledge never did anything with the brand before eventually shutting it down. They are no longer made. You'd have to buy them used.

You won't get a high-def picture. A picture is only as good as its source material, and upconverting VCR (which is about 240i) or regular satellite will not yield high definition - the original material isn't shot in high-def, so the equipment is just interpolating the signal and filling in the missing resolution with artifical signal information. The only way to get a high-def picture is to have a hi-def source (at least 720p or greater).

If you've shopped a particular model and are certain you want it, I'm not sure why you'd bother with the B&M stores (BB, Sears, etc...) when you can find them less online. For example, Amazon has the subject model of this thread for $100 less than Sears, no tax, and free shipping! Samsung LN46A630 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color List Price: $1,899.99 Price: $1,299.98 Free Shipping You Save: $600.01 (32%)

Ain't projectors grand! If you can, I'd look at darkening those walls. It will really increase the impact of that large picture on the PJ screen!