It is so fascinating to see how time flies(And how much we change, though only at surface level)!
Around 2 years back, I wrote an article on this topic and now I am doing it again but this time I will try to provide information based on the feedback I received.
I have established already that a home theater is never a home theater without a projector.
So this time I have got a new projector from Infocus called X9. It is a gem of a projector with native 720p resolution and a lot cheaper than native 1080p resolution.
The audio is by Denon PMA 500 stereo amp and speakers are JBL Balboa floor standing. I was all into surround sound but the clutter of wires, placement of speakers, finding the sweet spot was too much trouble for my laziness. The final nail in th coffin was the artificial feel that you get when it is a surround system especially from the side speakers which suddenly go on and bring back me to the real world instead of immersing me more into the movie.
Also, for me me floor standing speakers are very important. Please do not go by only the tech specs on frequency range. On paper most of the satellites have awesome frequency range but how good are they is the big question and there is really no measure on that except our ears. There is a huge advantage with floor stands, primarily they have a lot more volume, bigger sized drivers especially for various frequenct ranges(Tweetes, mid and woofer) and they perform better than satellites. If the slighlty higher price and floor space is no challenge this is the way to go.
I always liked Denon and PMA 500 is thier entry level stereo amp. I went for a stereo amp because the current rating is much higher than similarly specced receiver and I do not want any clutter of sound. Minimalist is the way to go.
I play my movies from laptop and who ever has connected a laptop headphone out must have encountered hum from the speaker. This is primarily bacuse of some earthing issue somewhere. I have bought this small external sound card called Creative Xmod which is awesome. It connect via USB and some how enhances the sound in more realistic way. It has got surround mode on stereo and it is good enough and realistic rather than artificial for me.
Connecting cables are cheapest available gold plated tips and thicker speaker wires. I use HDMI to connect to projector.
Now the final question. What is the damage?
Infocus X9 - € 525
Denon PMA 500 - € 225
JBL Balboa Pair - € 230
Creative Xmod - € 80
Cables - € 25
Total is € 1085(INR 71000)
Content:
Video:I am sure most of you reading this would know that accessing 720p or 1080p content is tricky as currently it is only Blue Ray or the HD broadcast which generally caps out at 720p. As of today when the access to 1080p content is almost impossbile, why should we pay a premium price for 1 or 2 blue ray movies we have? The same logic applies if you do not have access to 720p content either. But please go for a native 16:9 projector because of the format of moveis which is generally at 2.35:1. Though you get some bars on top and bottom it is much better than 4:3. If some one is giving you a good deal on 4:3, please don't fall for it.
Audio: All the DVDs have 5.1 and stuff so there is no dearth of content. yeah, there is 7.1 and beyond but honestly I think this is all marketing crap. C'mon except for the center speakers which makes you hear dialogues more clearly(which in first case is the problem with sound mixer at movie studio - they should always give an option to enhance voice instead of investing huge somes of money on some technology which does not even do half the job) there is nothing else I want to do with all the surround sound.
Video is much more involving than Audio, so spread your budget accordingly.
HTB is good for really an entry level and denon or yamaha makes good stuff but since I am now against the satellite speakers I would not recommend that options. But, if you feel compelled to then please monitor the THD mentioned on the ratings. The lower the better(least 0.01 some sony systems claim at 10% that means if you pump up the volume you get all garbage)
If Projector does not fit your requirements, kindly go for the bigesst possible LCD TV(If 42" 720p tv and 32" 1080p tv are of same price then go for 42")
Do not spend too much on cables as home thetre enthusiasts do(Monster Cables etc). I am not denying their performance but the marginal benefit they provide is very minimal vis-a-vis the premium price they ask for. It is better to use that money for bigger TV or more powerful amp.
It is very easy to observe that I am really a geek when it comes to electronics but within limits:)(Atleast I like to believe it like that). So if you are in fix to make a decision but both the options appeal equally, let me know, I might be able to give an advice!
Enjoy Movies:)
I also use the Setup to play Flight Simulator and it is AWESOME!
Bummer, It looks like I can not do 2 reviews on the same product(which seems logical) and so updated the old one but attaching the old review content below for reference)
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True Home Theatre on Budget - First Cut!
Being Indians. The best part that happens to us is we turn into Movie
Buffs without much effort:)(Hint. Over a weekend we all agree to
watch a flop movie very easily than to go out for a trek or a game or.) So here is an insight of the Home Theater gear that I invested
(err. spent) in after hundreds of hours of research. I always wanted a
real home theater. when I say real it means REALLY REAL! But as every
one of us. was always on a tight budget. The meeting point gear that
I bought out is as below
1.
Infocus SP 4805 Projector - It is a DLP projector and is a native 16:9
format(ideal for the movie formats!) and is the cheapest of the
Infocus range(I believe in pedigree at times!) and this is brand
really rocks
- 100" screen - This is a pull down 4:3 screen but on a 16:9 format I manage to get 90" diagonal projection
3.
Yamaha 306 receiver and 5.1 speaker package - I would advice any day to
go in for separates - stand alone Receiver and speaker package.
4.
Pioneer DVD player with DivX capability - DivX is a must and those who
are familiar with movie downloads would know why;) I am not going into
details of each of these products tech specs as I want to focus more on
the approach. Projector is a must(The same Aishwarya Rai looks bigger,
better and more realistic on a 90" screen at your home.
trust me
on this as well as on sun screen!) This gear would work cheaper than a
standard 42" plasma, if your relative/friend is willing to source you
out things from US of A(thanks to my dear friend who made this
possible!).
I had a great time with this set up and would
recommend this to every one who would like to see the movies the ways
movies are to be seen! Happy viewing! PS: I know there might be too
many questions(which I will be happy to answer) but my point of this
topic is to give the right direction for the perfect home movie theater
experience and give a first hand impression of how it feels in
reality. Transformers - 7.4.7 . waiting. music n lyrics - still
not seen! Spiderman 3. drooling more Blood Diamond - awesome flick!
. . .
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