Fried Elliott Posted August 14, 2001 Share Posted August 14, 2001 When I was in college (70s, physics) one of my classmates was a ham operator and ran the local college radio station. Naturally, they (and he) had Klipsch everywhere. I promised myself one day I too would own Klipsch speakers in every room of my house. Well, I am 46 y/o and the kids are (finally!) out of college and the bills have stopped. Still no Klipsch speakers but dreams die hard. So lets get BUSY! To start, my wife and I would like to put together a little "home theater" setup in a small 11x14 room just off the kitchen. We are not serious tv watchers but would like a little extra sound quality when we are renting a movie or watching sports on cable (ATT Broadband). Start with our 32" Sony television. And definitely lets get some Klipsch speakers in there. Lets buy everything on eBay. I will make a custom entertainment center for the whole rig so we could even use in-wall mount speakers if appropriate. What else would be needed to get good sound q? Can we get something that works for the tv that also has FM/AM and CD player? (Will it also make the popcorn and bring us the drinks from the kitchen???) And then the great video beyond... DVD player? TIVO? Dish? Thanks in Advance! fried elliott Dallas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake2 Posted August 14, 2001 Share Posted August 14, 2001 Fred - Dreams never should die, glad you kept yours alive. Most people don't. Can you give us an idea of budget? Also, "acceptable" speaker cabinet size (floorstanding vs. bookshelf vs. (dare I say it) cube)? Any existing pre-amp/amplifier/receiver? Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fried Elliott Posted August 14, 2001 Author Share Posted August 14, 2001 Hi Doug! Thanks for the reply! 1. Budget. Not too much of an issue, but then again we're just talking mainly tv viewing in a small room so I would think the point of diminishing returns would start to kick in at, what, ... <$6-800 total for the audio portion? I really have no clue. This is (hopefully) not our final ultimate "dream" setup for audio or even real home theater --- think of it as an eventual "second" system I get to watch when she wants to watch Julia Roberts get married for the 43rd time and I want to watch Terminator 7. 2. Space is a little tight. We are about 7-9 feet from the tv. Floors, walls, cubes, built-ins... its all good. I will make the entertainment center myself so I can place (or build in) the speakers wherever is best. 3. Other than the tv, no other equipment for this room. I have some adcom 2-channel but I want to use that in another room upstairs (my office), which I will be posting in the 2-channel forum right now! fried Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fried Elliott Posted August 15, 2001 Author Share Posted August 15, 2001 Have had some time to do some research and browse what you all are running. BTW, the listings of your eqpt on your posts are very helpful! I think I can be more specific with my questions now. 1. What would be a good low-end/starter Denon AVR? 2. Since I am building the entertainment center myself, is there any reason to *not* consider using some Klipsch built-ins for the front pair/center? Thanks! fried Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eq_shadimar Posted August 15, 2001 Share Posted August 15, 2001 Check out this link for some starter ideas. Also this site has some great info and FAQ's explaining what to look for in equipment etc. http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/Buying_Tips/articledisplay.asp?ArticleID=21 Hope this helps. ------------------ Main System - Cornwalls (L/R main) 2 RF-3's (center channel) RS-3's (white) SVS 20-39CS Harman Kardon AVR 510 Hafler P505 (running sub) ProMedia 4.2 v400 for PC Bedroom - KG4's Harman Kardon AVR 20 MKII Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake2 Posted August 16, 2001 Share Posted August 16, 2001 Hi Fried - For a "starter" Denon AVR, I'd look at the 1601. It's a great value now that the 1602 is out, and you can probably get one for about $250. Can't help you with in-wall speakers. Even though our HT room is small, we've got some fairly large speakers in there. Didn't even attempt to make the inconspicuous, since it's a dedicated HT room. Good luck! Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fried Elliott Posted August 20, 2001 Author Share Posted August 20, 2001 Hi Doug --- Thanks for the recommendation on the Denon 1601. It looks like a great unit. I did not come across any references to the 1601 in my research but it looks ideal. There is one up on eBay right now I am tracking. I had kind of zeroed in on the 1801, the 2801, or the 3300. There are lots of 1801 up on eBay. The 2801 and the 3300 are probably too much for this little room but if a good deal came along... I had read some negative comments about disappointing upper end sound quality on the 1801 and was wondering how the 1601 compared to the 1801. We got the room finished this weekend! Yaa! It is going to be a great personal entertainment room for the two of us. I have hidden cable races build into the baseboards with pull strings and dimmable overhead ambient lights... Last night we moved the tv into the room and sat on the floor like teenagers and watched Six Feet Under. I can harldy wait to get into the next steps. fried Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake2 Posted August 20, 2001 Share Posted August 20, 2001 Hi Fried - Your room sounds nice. It's great to have a dedicated room for HT! As far as the sound quality of the 1601...I'm not an expert on these matters, but I guess I'll try to put some perspective on it. I think you have to ask "compared to what" when you look at the reviews (was is Audioreview.com?). I think if you compare it to other quality receivers in the $300-$450 range (or even at $250 since this is on clearance), it will more than hold its own against Yamaha and others. It's the old "you get what you pay for," as you know. With the figures you mentioned ("$6-800 total for the audio portion"), does that include speakers? If not, I'd say get yourself a 3300 on clearance - I've even seen a 3801 in the $800s now that the 3802 is out. Room size too small? Not a chance. I've got a 10x11 room that I'm running with a 3300 (and looking to possibly add an Acurus 200x3 amp!). DD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fried Elliott Posted August 20, 2001 Author Share Posted August 20, 2001 Well Doug, I just scored a one year-old Denon 1801 for $290 including shipping on eBay so here we go! Looked like a pretty good deal. The (now previous) owner wants to upgrade to a bigger, badder, Denon. I looked at the 1601 vs. the 1801 in more detail on the Denon website. In addition to the slight increase in power (5 ch @ +10W/ch into 8 ohms), the 1801 has two more analog inputs (+PHONO and extra VCR/V.AUX), one more digital optical input, and adds one more channel of video input and output. Otherwise, I bet they are the same units. With the extra video, I can now "permanently" hook up the video camera cables for the electronically challenged Mrs Elliott along with the VCR. I also liked the idea of the little extra power and the extra optical port, but what really sold me was I can hook up my Beogram turntable onto this system and build it into a nice shelf in the entertainment center I am whipping up in the garage as we speak. Speaking of which, I think I am going to mount up a pair of SB-2 or SB-3's as the fronts with a CSS-C1 center and a KSW-10 sub. Still haven't decided on the surrounds but don't need to in order to get started on the fabrication. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake2 Posted August 20, 2001 Share Posted August 20, 2001 Congrats on the buy - I think that is a good value on the 1801. I also have a Beogram turntable -- took it out of storage a couple months ago when I upgraded my speakers, and it's a kick listening to the old LPs. Have fun! Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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