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Post by classicman on Jan 12, 2005 10:39:41 GMT 7
since this is a relatively new forum, it is but proper and appropriate to begin this segment with this particular topic. this could be of great help to those who are just embarking on this hobby. to those who have already their own HT set-up, please post and share your experiences on how you get started. what equipment or appliance did you first acquire, what would be the ideal size of the room to house your HT, and other similar inputs. to those who are yet to put their own HT set-up, you may also post your questions, querries and views regarding this matter. lets get started.......  |
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Post by avphile on Jan 12, 2005 13:01:28 GMT 7
Great topic.
I will assume that anyone wanting a home theater has heard and experienced a proper HT set-up elsewhere, whether at a friend's home or in an AV showroom. Or maybe he has experienced what it's like to be in a THX-certified Theatre. So that the urge to have one for the home is already there.
If not, I strongly suggest to anyone wanting a home theater to first visit a proper HT installation, whether in a friend's home or an HT showroom. I say that because I sometimes see in some homes an entry level HT gear where all the 5 speakers are mindlessly placed so near the TV and the subwoofer sitting alongside on a cabinet, all stacked together like in a store display shelf. The owner apparently has no idea how and where to position those many speakers. A real waste.
Even in a small reasonably treated room with small but competent satellite speakers and subs properly positioned and calibrated relative to the viewing/listening position, a great DVD on a modest HT set-up can be a sonically hair-raising experience for the neophyte enthusiast.
So to answer the question, starting an HT set-up can range from the cheap, to the moderately expensive, all the way to the outrageously expensive.
From exprience, I've been in HT since the early 80s. I started with Beta Hi-fi on plain 12" stereo speakers flanking a 21" TV. The first home releases of Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Alien and Amadeus I experienced were on Beta Hi-Fi. THose stereo floorstanding 12" 3-way speakers really rocked my room and did bring some cheap thrills. So, HT need not be multi-channel. Even a stereo set-up can bring you to speed in HT.
But HT the way they've evolved these days is really more about multichannel surround set-ups. The enveloping sound aided by really powerful subs is often at the core of the sonic thrill ride - half the fun (the other half is in the display) So when Dolby Prologic became the standard, HT was born. When Beta died, most VHS titles were in prologic format already. The last prologic VHS I experienced was the animation Titan A.E. and the surrounds were very active, even if in mono.
NOw you have DD/DTS in DVDs. Goodbye prologic. Goodbye VHS. That doesn't mean you can't have excellent HT in prologic. Many excellent gears and set-ups for HT started with them. And you still can. Preowned prologic receivers that were considered high-end in their days can be a ticket to your first HT if you don't mind going prologic. And DVDs are downward compatible. Meaning, you can play them in prologic modes.
OFcourse, the sonics of a DVD are meant to be maxed via their DD or DTS capabilities. And only a reciever or player with the DD and DTS decoding facilities will do justice.
These days, most anyone can enjoy HT for below P10,000. If you have an existing PC powerful enough to run DVDs in a DVD-ROM drive, you can actually enjoy REAL high definition picture (but only on the small PC screen)and using any of those powered 5.1 sub-satellite speakers below 5T. Alternatively, you can buy a generic DVD player for less than 3T and hook them up to those same powered sub-sats and you have a working 5.1 HT in your room.
Next-up, the moderately expensive route will require an entry level HT receiver costing from 13T and an entry level DVD player, whether generic or branded, from 3T to 6T. Then you need a 5.1 speaker set that can start at around 10T to 12T. Add a powered sub that starts at around 5T. So you have a bit more muscled HT set-up.
Nice thing about these HT speaker sets are their timbre-matching qualities that HT starters should bear in mind. When a Ferrari engine races across the room, a timber matched set will ensure that the Ferrari engine sounds uniform across all the speakers. And not become a toyota when it reaches the back or center.
This player+receiver set-up is often preferred and can end up becoming outrageously expensive with flagship DVD players costing upwards of 40T, flagship receivers costing 200T and speakers costing just as much or more.
Let's not forget about pre-owned stuff. If you're not obsessed with cutting edge technologies, HT receivers, DVD players and speakers 2-3 years old will still give you an excellent HT experience today. And at their bargain prices, they often give more value for your bucks.
The last HT route is going real separates - separate multichannel preamps and processors and power amps. But that is often an upgrade direction rather than a start-up.
This is just the sonic side of the HT thrill. There's the video aspect as well. I hope a video expert is around to discuss what to look for in HT displays and the video capabilities of DVD player when starting.
Just my thoughts.
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Post by classicman on Jan 12, 2005 15:14:02 GMT 7
great inputs & insights (as usual), master avphile.....its comforting to know you're on board as mod here, your name gives credibility to this segment  |
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Post by hans adriane on Jan 12, 2005 19:48:57 GMT 7
HT-setup hmmm 1. You should define your budget as to how much your willing to spent. 2. Do your homework search the net. ( check out this site ;D ;D ;D ) 3. Check out AV shops to learn what brand models available. 4. When auditioning bring a friend along its better to have 2 pairs of ears to decide than 1 pair. 5. important that your front and center are timbre match to eliminate unbalance sound.  Share na kayo. ;D ;D ;D |
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Post by j_albert22 on Jan 12, 2005 20:09:21 GMT 7
1. check budget
2. audition
3. basa sa furom na ito
4. get feedback to other member
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Post by Control on Jan 13, 2005 5:54:02 GMT 7
1. Size/Area of Room.
2. Budget.
3. Know the different characteristics of the gears that will fit your room.
4. Whenever possible, always bring a friend who is much more knowledgeable on HT/Audio when auditioning for a gear.
5. Wag na wag mong kalimutang magpa-gulaman ;D
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Post by wanderlust on Jan 13, 2005 15:33:37 GMT 7
tapos kampay kampay agad for the new set-up ingat lang at baka mabasa........ ;D nga pala pwede din bang basagan ng buti ng wine yong system pata tumibay at tumagal   |
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james16
Audionut
power for the digital revolution
Posts: 111
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Post by james16 on Jan 14, 2005 4:26:40 GMT 7
1. Size/Area of Room. 2. Budget. 3. Know the different characteristics of the gears that will fit your room. 4. Whenever possible, always bring a friend who is much more knowledgeable on HT/Audio when auditioning for a gear. 5. Wag na wag mong kalimutang magpa-gulaman ;D senor control, salamat sa pag-imbita.... hehehehe I agree with that and may I add also the type of music you always play.... nung nagsisimula ako nun, gusto ko ng HT na maganda na din sa music.... Nakailan palit din ako nun - Kenwood DV9 (2001) - mini-component - (nasira at pinalitan (5th ave.) ng HT - Kenwood avr w/ speakers at pioneer DV233) - (2002) tapos - palit speakers - mission (m70s series) - (fronts) tapos - palit avr - HK 3550 - (late 2002) tapos bili ng spkrs - mission (m70s series) - (centre, surround) - early 2003 tapos - palit spkrs ulit - monitor audio (fronts at center)- pinaka-ok na ginawa ko - (4th qtr ng 2003) tapos - palit dvd player - HK dvd22 - bumigay na pioneer ko after 2 yrs (3rd qtr ng 2004) tapos - palit spkrs - usher - hanggang ngayon binebreak-in pa... (late 2004) sana huli na ay center speaker tapos matigil na... |
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Post by iceman90a on Jan 14, 2005 5:33:41 GMT 7
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Post by Control on Jan 14, 2005 5:40:03 GMT 7
Master Iceman...pardon me pero hindi yata gumagana yung link  |
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Post by iceman90a on Jan 14, 2005 5:42:28 GMT 7
Master Iceman...pardon me pero hindi yata gumagana yung link huh? try mo ulit... sa akin ok eh |
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Post by Control on Jan 14, 2005 5:54:57 GMT 7
huh? try mo ulit... sa akin ok eh nag-ti-time-out sa akin Master Iceman...  |
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Post by Control on Jan 14, 2005 6:11:30 GMT 7
senor control, salamat sa pag-imbita.... hehehehe ;D |
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Post by j_albert22 on Jan 17, 2005 20:40:58 GMT 7
sana huli na ay center speaker tapos matigil na... Anong Huli na hehehe habang tumatagal dumadami choices mo magsasawa ka din dyan hehehehehe tumingin ka nga sa paligid mo like c HANS hehehehe peace kuyanggggggg opsssssssss moderator ka nag pala baka block mo ako ha peace uli ;D ;D ;D |
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Post by avphile on Jan 18, 2005 13:58:30 GMT 7
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Post by hans adriane on Jan 19, 2005 19:01:04 GMT 7
Anong Huli na hehehe habang tumatagal dumadami choices mo magsasawa ka din dyan hehehehehe tumingin ka nga sa paligid mo like c HANS hehehehe peace kuyanggggggg opsssssssss moderator ka nag pala baka block mo ako ha peace uli ;D ;D ;D Cge cge sa kabilang thread tayo magkita!! ;D ;D ;D |
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Post by southpeak on Feb 3, 2005 19:06:56 GMT 7
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Post by doughn on Jun 19, 2005 0:11:48 GMT 7
for me
first readmagazines and join forums ,auditon as many as you can but within your budget and stick to it., think hard before buying to avoid sudden upgrading habits (sars)
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, december of 2003, our house was almost finished and we decided to buy one ;D ;D ;D . corny 