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The Home Theatre Set-Up


achilles
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Hey, so continuing from Athek's HT thread, I thought it'd be a good idea to create a new thread which would document my experience of setting up a mid level home theatre. 

 

On 3/14/2018 at 6:22 PM, achilles said:

Well, a couple of months turned into a couple of years. Heh. So, Athek. I thought I'd use professional services or atleast a consultant to get everything done, set up. But, and obviously, they're nudging me to up my budget considerably. I want your thoughts/inputs (also anyone else's here)

 

Here's where I'm at right now; 

Usage: Movies (duh), games, music, and sporting event get togethers. 

 

Want:

1. 150" 4K HDR projector + screen. I thought instead of going for a big TV + FHD projector, I'd rather get a better projector itself, as we have a big-ish TV in the living room already for general viewing.

2. Sound system that can shake the floor, and sounds crisp

3. Can handle all modern and near future inputs: consoles, ATV, chromecast/Fire TV, STB, a 4K source, USB etc.

4. Interface that ties it all together; don't want to fiddle with 79 remotes.

 

Can you link me to a place that has good suggestions, and price brackets? Or, any professional you know that can consult with me on the equipment? 

 

As an idea, the guy I'm taking to right now tells me that I need to spend 6-7L just on the sound system equipment if I want a proper HT set up. I'm kind of okay with about 3-4. Please chime in. Thanks. 

 

 

So far, I've been reading online, and have visited one "Experience Centre" in Delhi. 

 

EZHOMZ Experience Centre

 

These guys have a place in Okhla, with three experience rooms. 

Level 1: This one is your basic entry level (for them) bedroom set-up, a 5.1 system with no damping, regular surfaces that you'd find in a typical bedroom, and the room wasn't closed from all sides. we first sat down with this, and needless to say, I really liked it. The bass was vibrating my a*s off, the vocals were clear, and the entire thing just worked for the kind of sound I want to listen to. I could feel the shotgun on screen ripping a hole in my intestines. Cost of the sound system: approx 6L. 

 

Level 2: Mid level with a 4K HDR projector, a fully enclosed room, fully damped, Dolby Atmos 7.2.4 and an eleven feet wide curved screen, recliners and all. There was something off with the projector here, and the frame rate was off, like really weirdly off. It was like some option akin to "motion smoothening" was on, and on hyperdrive. Other than that, the sound was crisper, and I could hear a few more things that I couldn't with the earlier system. I honestly wasn't too impressed, specially because the display was making me weird out. Cost of entire set-up: 35L (!)

 

Level 3: No limits. A full on PVR killer, with reference grade everything. There were like  32 speakers in all, with 4 drivers in each, 6 "behind screen" big speakers, with 2 amps driving each speaker, a pre-amp signal processor for audio and video costing 35L (I sh*t you not) each. I don't remember all the details, but I do remember the scenes I saw. I could hear the bullets moving from the screen to behind me (atmos?), I could hear a lot more stuff that I missed with the earlier set ups, the display was beyond compare, etc. etc. Cost of entire set up: again, I sh*t you not, 6cr.

After looking at this screen, when I went back to the TV, I could see how the TV was so over saturated. 

 

A few points:

  • They didn't have any consoles plugged in anywhere, which was weird
  • TATA Sky sound is just so damn inferior. Even live sports didn't sound great
  • The scene I referenced multiple times was The Book Of Eli scene where Denzel is all that and shoots off Gary Oldman's leg with a shotgun. I have not seen that movie, and boy is that scene boss 
  • Marvel movies, specially Avengers had the worst sound. 

 

 

Obviously, we decided on a level 1 modified system for my place. They also provide automation and full integration of lighting etc. in the room with app control. The only thing missing was Siri integration, rest of it worked pretty well. 

 

Edited by achilles
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The system

 

Here's what they've sent me: 

 

Projector: BENQ W3000 Rec. 709

Screen: Grandview Liberty fixed, curved, 12 feet wide

Receiver: Marantz SR6012

Speakers: Origin Acoustic; various

Subs: Sunfire HRS 12

 

The prices they've quoted seem decent, from what I've checked online

 

Also, we had a discussion for the projector, and we decided that it'd be better for us to go for a good 1080 projector for now, and we can upgrade 2-3 years down the line, when 4K sources (PS5 :naughty:) and projectors become more common, and better value.

 

Integration and app control: lights, AC, HT system, door lock with full scene set-up etc. I need to read up more about Siri and Homekit to see if there's a better solution. 

 

@AtheK and others, please chime in. This was just my first visit to any HT centre, and I'll be looking for more. Looking to finalise by April end. 

 

 

 

 

 

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The system
 
Here's what they've sent me: 
 
Projector: BENQ W3000 Rec. 709
Screen: Grandview Liberty fixed, curved, 12 feet wide
Receiver: Marantz SR6012
Speakers: Origin Acoustic; various
Subs: Sunfire HRS 12
 
The prices they've quoted seem decent, from what I've checked online
 
Also, we had a discussion for the projector, and we decided that it'd be better for us to go for a good 1080 projector for now, and we can upgrade 2-3 years down the line, when 4K sources (PS5 :naughty:) and projectors become more common, and better value.
 
Integration and app control: lights, AC, HT system, door lock with full scene set-up etc. I need to read up more about Siri and Homekit to see if there's a better solution. 
 
[mention=584]AtheK[/mention] and others, please chime in. This was just my first visit to any HT centre, and I'll be looking for more. Looking to finalise by April end. 
 
 
 
 
 
Sounds good, wats the price quoted for all that.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

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^

Projector: 1.2L

Screen: 1.2L

AVR: 1L

Front LR speakers: 1.2L

Centre Speaker: 60k

4 Surround speakers: 1.5L 

Sub: 1.3L

Total: 7L after discount

 

They've added a discount of 12.5% on these prices, but they charge a 10% consultation, installation etc. charge so that's there. 

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You can just get a echo dot paired with Logitech harmony remote which is Alexa compatible as well. I use these for my TV+PS4+Tata sky+AV Receiver.

If you are setting up Ambient lighting, an activity can be setup to do multitude of things with just single voice command

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7 hours ago, achilles said:

^

Projector: 1.2L

Screen: 1.2L

AVR: 1L

Front LR speakers: 1.2L

Centre Speaker: 60k

4 Surround speakers: 1.5L 

Sub: 1.3L

Total: 7L after discount

 

They've added a discount of 12.5% on these prices, but they charge a 10% consultation, installation etc. charge so that's there. 

When they say fixed screen will they be making a frame as well, 1.2 lacs sounds expensive. Why not go for a motorized screen. 

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Can anyone suggest an audio solution for games/movies to pair with my TV? Currently using a 5.1 all in one 1000w from sony.

Optimally, I would like to create a custom system but the budget allocated by my parents is 50-100k as I am "still a student" thus it would be quite difficult to go custom.

So any all in ones/soundbar suggestions?

 

Edited by kunjanp
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11 hours ago, kunjanp said:

Can anyone suggest an audio solution for games/movies to pair with my TV? Currently using a 5.1 all in one 1000w from sony.

Optimally, I would like to create a custom system but the budget allocated by my parents is 50-100k as I am "still a student" thus it would be quite difficult to go custom.

So any all in ones/soundbar suggestions?

 

For a 1L budget, instead of going for an all-in-one solution, i would suggest get a separate Receiver and Speaker package. You could split it 50/50 between the two. Soundbar is a definite no-no if you want a proper home theater setup.

As to which ones to get, i will leave that to others as i'm not upto date with the latest products in the market.

 

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59 minutes ago, amigoatul said:

For a 1L budget, instead of going for an all-in-one solution, i would suggest get a separate Receiver and Speaker package. You could split it 50/50 between the two. Soundbar is a definite no-no if you want a proper home theater setup.

As to which ones to get, i will leave that to others as i'm not upto date with the latest products in the market.

 

Neither am I so I did a quick search and the components which came up were too expensive thus didn't think that custom package is doable.

But if someone has some suggestions for the same, I am all up for it.

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26 minutes ago, kunjanp said:

Neither am I so I did a quick search and the components which came up were too expensive thus didn't think that custom package is doable.

But if someone has some suggestions for the same, I am all up for it.

For 1 lac it is doable 

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On 3/21/2018 at 9:43 AM, sweetvar26 said:

Love home theater setting up process. It could be tedious but it’s fun! I might move this year, so I might get a small compact package for a modern apartment. 

 

I've wanted this for as long as I've owned a TV. But, apartments have neighbours and societies, and neighbours and societies are unkind-max to single guys. 

 

11 hours ago, AtheK said:

For 1 lac it is doable 

 

I would've gone for a staggered set-up. Get a couple of things, 2 LR bookshelves to get me started, and then add components with time. That's what I'd originally planned. 

 

Anyway, will be going to a couple more places this weekend, and will update here. 

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Update: the last weekend was a bust. The demos I took were quite pathetic. One was quite literally a house-basement set up. Ugh. This weekend should be better. I've lined up two supposedly amazing demo areas. Also, I've found someone "in the know", through a family friend, who has been into this business for more than 25 years. Met him, seemed like a stand-up guy, very knowledgeable (d-uh) and I will most probably get my set up done from him. He doesn't have a demo room in Delhi, so I'll look around some more till I can find a system that I really like. 

 

His team did send me a prelim set up, which mostly included Earthquake Sound speakers and subs. I couldn't find much online about these, and I asked him for a demo, which he said he couldn't provide, so I politely declined. I'm not going to purchase a relatively obscure brand without so much as a demo, even though that guy might know what he's taking about, and quite trustworthy too. 

 

Also, all of these guys, the home theatre guys provide what they call "automation & integration". What they basically do is install relays and dimmers to your existing lighting in the house, and make them work with the HT in a single app, with a unified interface. Eg: you tap the movie button on the app, all the lights turn off with a theatre dimming effect, the curtains on the windows close, and the curtains over the screen (if you have them) open, or the screen rolls down etc. While it felt alright, the biggest problem for me was no Siri/homekit integration, and quite honestly, the works felt like a hack, rather than something cohesive, and then, in my online endeavours I saw this..

 

Hue Disco

 

 

.. and this is what my room will have. HFS. :wub:

 

Will keep the updates coming. Hopefully this week should be a blast. This one guy has an SVS set-up, which i'm very excited to try out. If you don't know about SVS, which I didn't till yesterday, you should read on them if you're at all interested in a set-up like this. 

 

 

Edited by achilles
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On 3/20/2018 at 4:35 PM, Pacifier said:

You can just get a echo dot paired with Logitech harmony remote which is Alexa compatible as well. I use these for my TV+PS4+Tata sky+AV Receiver.

If you are setting up Ambient lighting, an activity can be setup to do multitude of things with just single voice command

 

Oops, I don't know how I missed this. Does the Harmony have an app mirror? I'd like to use the iPad or iPhone to do most functions, except for volume, play/pause/skip while I'm actually watching something. Also, I'm not at all invested in Alexa, or, rather, am fully invested in Siri, and would like to keep it that way. 

 

I've also shortlisted the Logitech Pop switch. Seems like a fun way to get stuff done, without having to fiddle with the phone app or the watch everytime. This is ofcourse once after everything is set up. 

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Oops, I don't know how I missed this. Does the Harmony have an app mirror? I'd like to use the iPad or iPhone to do most functions, except for volume, play/pause/skip while I'm actually watching something. Also, I'm not at all invested in Alexa, or, rather, am fully invested in Siri, and would like to keep it that way. 
 
I've also shortlisted the Logitech Pop switch. Seems like a fun way to get stuff done, without having to fiddle with the phone app or the watch everytime. This is ofcourse once after everything is set up. 
Yes, if you get the harmony hub, you get app which does everything that you can do with remote. I haven't used iPhone and I think harmony hub is not compatible yet will Apple home kit but still the hub+remote is very good on it's own.

In my experience, Having Alexa, at least offloads work outside of your phone for instances when you are talking on phone and wanna get some music started for someone else.

Some screenshots of the app.
The Logitech pop switch I believe would do the same thing as starting preconfigured activities

d6238032c5a23eb0d6fc6723b6229761.jpge937369a6d3507681699ea5ef604a23d.jpg
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^Thanks. I was *just* reading about this on cnet. Looks like this’ll do, albeit with some effort on my part. But, on the plus side, I’ll be able to get this to do exactly what I want, and this works with Hue too. ?

 

Where should I get it from? The US price is $129 but amazon.in shows it for a criminal 29k. ??‍♂️

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