RelievedSimpleton

Hello, I have been purchasing a RF-62 HT system over the past couple months. I recently got the center channel and it worked fine for a couple weeks, or I missed any problems with it. Now, I can't watch TV for more than 10 minutes without the center channel cutting out. It won't work again until I shut the system down for the night and it'll work fine, for about 10 minutes the next day. Sometimes it starts working again, sometimes it doesn't, it's pretty much random. I figured it was the receiver so I brought that to the Pioneer (VSX-816) service center near here and they had it for 2 weeks testing it and couldn't find a single problem wrong with the receiver. I've also switched out cables to a known working one and had the same problems. So basically what I'm wondering is if a problem with the center channel could be causing this problem? If so, is it anything simple that I could fix myself or would I have to bring it somewhere for repair? Also, if anyones has had to have a speaker repaired, what's the process? Any information is appreciated. Thanks.

That was exactly my thinking. It seems to me that a center is basically a compressed version of the floorstanding version to allow it to fit ideally for the majority of people who want it above/below their TV and don't have the option of putting it behind. I'll most likely end up just going through with switching out the speaker unless someone has an opinion on why I shouldn't that makes sense. -RS

Hello, I am currently in the process of piecing together my HT. I've currently got a pair of RF-62's and a RC-62. I also just decided to purchase a new, acoustically transparent screen to replace my current homemade screen. Due to this I plan on putting the LCR speakers behind the screen. I'm still within my 30 days to return the RC-62 and was wondering what the recommendation is, to keep a RC-62 or to buy a 3rd RF-62 to be used for the center? Any input is appreciated. Thanks, RS

I would also recommend the Harmony 880. It is an excellent remote, easy to setup and you can't beat Logitech support. If you call them with pretty much any problem that's not easily fixable, they have no problem just sending you a new one. One thing you may want to consider is the Harmony 890. It has RF capabilities and while you may not need it now, it's nice to have the option available in the future. The Harmony 880 can be gotten as cheap as $90 at times. Watch sites like slickdeals, etc. The Harmony 890 is a bit more expensive but I've seen it go for around $190 at the lowest I could find it. Note these prices were a couple weeks ago when I was buying a remote. I ended up with the 880 only because I couldn't justify over $100 on a remote. Either way you'll be satisfied I'm sure. Edit: One thing I forgot to point out, the Monster remotes are based on the Logitech Harmony remotes as I understand it. So IMHO they are just overpriced copies of the Logitech series, however, I may be wrong about that as I've never used one.

Carada makes excellent projection screens. They also have very friendly and helpful customer support if needed. There site is at www.carada.com As for putting speakers behind the screen, you'd have to look for Acoustically Transparent screens, Carada does no offer these. One thing I just found last night, not 100% sure on the quality as I don't have one, is SMX Theater Solutions. They sell acoustically transparent fabric, no frame yet. With this material you could put the speakers behind the screen with no problem. They are also currently in the final stages of producing frames to go with the material. There is more information on their site, www.smxscreen.com If you're willing to wait a little longer, it's possible you could get one of these for a somewhat decent price. If you only want a 80" across screen in 16:9 format, the material alone will cost only $285. You would of course still need a frame, not sure what people are doing for frames currently but like I said, they are coming out with one soon.

Well, this is a home theater in a bedroom. I currently still live with my parents, only 18. Right now, the bedroom is the only room I have to do this until I move out. To give a rough idea of my setup I threw together a drawing. The main viewing area is from the couch. Occasionally I sit in the computer chair with my feet up on the bed while playing video games. This drawing isn't to scale or anything, it's just to give a rough idea of what the setup is. As for the bed being off to one side, it doesn't seem to affect the sound too much since the RF-62 is roughly twice as tall as my bed. The surrounds I have now, the unlabeled boxes, are just cheap free Pioneer bookshelf speakers I got with my receiver. The couch is about 2 feet off the rear wall, I could move it to be about 3 foot off the wall if I needed to for the rear surrounds to sound better but I'd prefer to leave it where it is. Any info on what rear speakers to get to make this a 7.1 setup would be appreciated. Thanks, -RS

I am currently in the process of building a home theater in my bedroom. I'm piecing things together as I can't afford to go out and just drop $4-5,000 on a surround system and projector. I currently own a pair of the RF-62's as well as the RC-62. Planning on getting the RS-52's around July. I have a few concerns though. My first is how long is this line of speakers expected to be sold for? I just want to make sure that when I eventually get around to buying the subwoofer it's still available brand new. I honestly probably won't be able to until around November/December. Also, I have a 7.1 receiver and would like to be able to have a 7.1 system. What would be the recommended speakers to add to this system to do this? I am unsure whether I should grab some bookshelf speakers or if I should go for some more surround style speakers. Not to mention I would have no idea what bookshelf speakers would match up with this system. Also, if it's recommended to get two more surround style speakers, should I go for the RS-52's or something less powerful? Any information or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, -RS

Firstly I'll say that I am in no way a professional, however, I can offer my experiences and advice. Firstly, I want to point out that there are much cheaper 1080p projectors than $9000. That being said, screens as well vary in prices, a 100" diagonal fixed screen can be had for roughly $700 (cheapest I've found on a good quality screen) while a 114" diagonal (100" across in 16:9 format) can be had for roughly $825. These can be gotten from Carada, an internet based company that produces only two types of screens to keep costs low. They are not inferior in any way and in my experience are far superior to anything the local stores had. That's not to say you can't build your own, as I did with my first screen for roughly $75. Now I understand the attraction people seem to have with Sony products when it comes to TV's, but there ARE other brands out there. One example of an excellent 1080p projector is the PT-AE1000U from Panasonic, it has an MSRP of $6000 however can be found for as cheap as $3500. Now if you are insistent on Sony, just ignore that comment, also note I'm not saying that the Sony projectors are inferior, they are far from it. One Big thing to consider when buying a projector is the lamp life and cost of a new lamp. That is something people don't always consider and can add up if you are a couch potato. As for making an informed decision, all I can say is research, research, research. Don't just jump into a projector without reading reviews from as many places as possible. The benefit of having a projector is viewing size as well as the ability to at any time change the viewing size if you need to. To give an example, I own a 720p projector, the Mitsubishi HD1000U. First I'll say that it's absolutely beautiful, being only 720p, on an 80" screen. When the super bowl came around, my family had a party naturally and due to the flexibility I was able to set it up in the living room on roughly a 120" temporary screen for the game as well as occasionally doing a movie night downstairs. With a 70" TV, you have a 70" TV no matter what, no exceptions. As for optimal screen size, since I don't know which way you plan on orienting the projector, I'll go with the low figure of 13 feet. At 12 feet (factoring in roughly a foot of lost space for depth of projector and distance of screen material off the wall), the diagonal size to fit the THX recommended viewing angle would be roughly 107". One thing to be careful of when buying a projector and screen is to make sure that the projector can do the size you want in the room you want. For example, the maximum screen size I can get for a 12' throw is only about 96". There are definitely a lot of factors that come into play when buying a front projection system. The idea that the picture won't be good looking due to the size is nothing to worry about. With the 80" screen in my bedroom, I sit 12' away for movies, etc but only about 6-8' away when playing video games or doing computer work. The image is stunning, mind you this is with a $900 720p DLP projector. A 1080p projector would only improve upon this. There are a few downsides you should be aware of when it comes to front projection. First and most important is light control. The image will look best if the room is as dark as possible. This isn't to say you can't have a light on or a window open, if that is your plan you would need to look for a brighter projector. I personally leave a window open on gloomy days and while it does have an effect on the image quality slightly, I just turn the bulb from Low to Standard and it looks about the same. Also, it may take you some time to get used to the size of the screen. I moved from a 24" flat screen CRT TV and it took me about 2 weeks to get used to the bigger image. You may adjust more quickly or love it right away. One other thing to consider is if you plan to ceiling mount the projector or have it on a table. I have not personally experienced my projector on a table as it just doesn't seem to "fit" the room correctly on a table, however, when I researched, I noted it was recommended to ceiling mount as more light is reflected off the screen towards you instead of reflected off the screen to the ceiling. Not to mention the fact you're less likely to accidentally knock it out of whack creating the need to realign the projector. To kind of sum things up, it all just comes down to a lot of research. There is no definitive answer on which is better, the only real answer is what you prefer. I recommend trying to view as many projectors as possible in local stores as well as any TV's you have been considering. Give yourself some time to think it over and don't rush to purchase something. Take into consideration the benefits and downsides I have mentioned, they are from my personal experience and a summary of the research I did before I bought my first projector. Below is a link to a viewing distance calculator. This can recommend, based on THX standards, a screen size based on your room if you just enter numbers 1 and 2 and hit calculate. I would then take the "Screen size to achieve THX recommended viewing angle" and enter that into the calculator for the actual projectors you are looking into. Each one will have it's own calculator, usually found on the manufacturers site and if not, www.projectorcentral.com will most likely have it. You would use this calculator to determine if the recommended size would even fit in your room based on the length of the room. Make sure to subtract about a foot, a foot and a half to be conservative, in order to allow for the size of the projector. If it won't fit, it's not a big deal, you can always go smaller. http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html I hope this long post helps you out in some way and I'll be around these forums for the next few days so if something is not understood feel free to ask me to clarify. -RS Edit: One thing I forgot to note and remembered after reading the first reply, as he said, 1080p does not seem to be going mainstream soon. It's mainly hyped up by stores to get you to spend more IMHO. If you plan to play Xbox 360/PS3 on it, there's a slight benefit for you now, depending on the games you like, or in the future when 1080p content is more available. I personally just went with a cheap $900 720p projector, plan on keeping it a year or two and upgrading to a 1080p projector when 1080p becomes more commonplace.