JayEmm's home theatre history... - Blu-ray Forum

JayEmm · 12-16-2015, 11:03 AM

Hi Everyone...

Photos will be forthcoming, I have to drudge through some albums for this!

So a brief history of my home theatre endeavours. I guess I've always been quite lucky in that my Dad was fairly big into movies and sound stuff, although he definitely made some curious buying decisions.

In the very late 90s, maybe 2000, we (the family) bought a Plasma TV screen. I didn't know anyone else that had one, I don't know how much it cost but it can't have been cheap. It was a JVC unit, EDTV resolution. To that was added a BOSE Acoustimass system that even at the time confused me because I was never sure how you were supposed to get real surround sound from a player with just two RCA plugs...

Anyway, the upshot of us getting this TV was that I got the old "family" screen, a 29" Panasonic CRT. Quite a good screen for the time. It was a Pro-Logic model and even came with two rear speakers and a "centre". Amazing! That was technically my first "surround sound" setup, although I can't ever recall hearing anything from those surrounds.

I then wanted a better sound, so realised my dad had an audio setup in the garage he didn't use. It was old (early 1980s) but was separates and looked very cool. It was mostly JVC units with a pair of Acoustic Research AR18Ls speakers. The speaker foams were shot, but £15 on eBay and a half hour of work later they were back in action and sounding quite good to my then 15/16-year-old ears.

I then decided to get a proper amplifier, something a bit more modern, so got a Yamaha receiver from eBay. This stayed with me for a while. I then upgraded the old AR speakers for a pair of B&W DM602s (S1). What a change! I then put the ARs on rear duty, and bought an REL Q150E sub. Hey presto, 4.1! Nowhere to put a centre speaker at the time, but it did me great.

Unfortunately, I then went off to uni where I had no room for any of this. The Yamaha receiver got sold and the B&Ws were packed down. I then sold the subwoofer and that was that for two years.

When I was at uni, I got my own place. Naturally, the very first thing I bought for a new home was not a sofa, but a projector! I got an InFocus IN78 at a bargain price, and an 88" free-standing screen. My old B&W speakers from home got dusted and brought along, and I bought a pair of B&W DM602 S2s to take over front duty. I then bought an Acoustic Research centre speaker to perform centre duties. Unfortunately, living with people above, below and to either side of me I decided to not get a sub at the time. Probably a wise choice. My new AV receiver was an Onkyo TX-SR805.

This setup stayed with me through one move and was a real pleasure. I loved the projector. Circumstances changed, and I moved out of London and into the countryside. Annoyingly the house I moved into did not have anywhere suitable for a projector, so it had to go.

I moved onto an LG Plasma, a 60" PZ950 model. I also finally bought a subwoofer again - the benefit of detached living! I got an M&K VX-700. Which kicks hard considering it's only 8" woofers.

This brings me nearly up to date. I replaced my AR centre with a B&W one and this was all working fine until about two months ago, when my Plasma screen started dying on me. Deciding it wasn't going to make it through Christmas, I have a new screen. I spent a long time considering what to get, but decided to go LCD. I bought a 75" Sony KDL75W855C. It's not quite as good as the LG, but it's noticeably larger, works very well for most things and somehow seems sharper. I did not want a 4K set because I don't want 99% of my content being upscaled. Having a native 1080P set is ideal for me.

With the new TV, I am taking a speaker upgrade too. An audiophile friend of mine has pointed me the way of Ruark, so on the way I have a pair of Ruark Crusader IIs, a dialogue one and a pair of preludes taking front, centre and rear duties respectively. These will be my first floorstanders and I am very much looking forward to the upgrade!

So, that's my history in a nutshell. My job, by the way, is a cinematographer on low-budget films - so having a decent setup is quite important to me as I need it for both work and pleasure. I'm also an incurable cinephile!

12-16-2015, 11:03 AM	#1
JayEmm Active Member Member since:Dec 2015	JayEmm's home theatre history... Hi Everyone... Photos will be forthcoming, I have to drudge through some albums for this! So a brief history of my home theatre endeavours. I guess I've always been quite lucky in that my Dad was fairly big into movies and sound stuff, although he definitely made some curious buying decisions. In the very late 90s, maybe 2000, we (the family) bought a Plasma TV screen. I didn't know anyone else that had one, I don't know how much it cost but it can't have been cheap. It was a JVC unit, EDTV resolution. To that was added a BOSE Acoustimass system that even at the time confused me because I was never sure how you were supposed to get real surround sound from a player with just two RCA plugs... Anyway, the upshot of us getting this TV was that I got the old "family" screen, a 29" Panasonic CRT. Quite a good screen for the time. It was a Pro-Logic model and even came with two rear speakers and a "centre". Amazing! That was technically my first "surround sound" setup, although I can't ever recall hearing anything from those surrounds. I then wanted a better sound, so realised my dad had an audio setup in the garage he didn't use. It was old (early 1980s) but was separates and looked very cool. It was mostly JVC units with a pair of Acoustic Research AR18Ls speakers. The speaker foams were shot, but £15 on eBay and a half hour of work later they were back in action and sounding quite good to my then 15/16-year-old ears. I then decided to get a proper amplifier, something a bit more modern, so got a Yamaha receiver from eBay. This stayed with me for a while. I then upgraded the old AR speakers for a pair of B&W DM602s (S1). What a change! I then put the ARs on rear duty, and bought an REL Q150E sub. Hey presto, 4.1! Nowhere to put a centre speaker at the time, but it did me great. Unfortunately, I then went off to uni where I had no room for any of this. The Yamaha receiver got sold and the B&Ws were packed down. I then sold the subwoofer and that was that for two years. When I was at uni, I got my own place. Naturally, the very first thing I bought for a new home was not a sofa, but a projector! I got an InFocus IN78 at a bargain price, and an 88" free-standing screen. My old B&W speakers from home got dusted and brought along, and I bought a pair of B&W DM602 S2s to take over front duty. I then bought an Acoustic Research centre speaker to perform centre duties. Unfortunately, living with people above, below and to either side of me I decided to not get a sub at the time. Probably a wise choice. My new AV receiver was an Onkyo TX-SR805. This setup stayed with me through one move and was a real pleasure. I loved the projector. Circumstances changed, and I moved out of London and into the countryside. Annoyingly the house I moved into did not have anywhere suitable for a projector, so it had to go. I moved onto an LG Plasma, a 60" PZ950 model. I also finally bought a subwoofer again - the benefit of detached living! I got an M&K VX-700. Which kicks hard considering it's only 8" woofers. This brings me nearly up to date. I replaced my AR centre with a B&W one and this was all working fine until about two months ago, when my Plasma screen started dying on me. Deciding it wasn't going to make it through Christmas, I have a new screen. I spent a long time considering what to get, but decided to go LCD. I bought a 75" Sony KDL75W855C. It's not quite as good as the LG, but it's noticeably larger, works very well for most things and somehow seems sharper. I did not want a 4K set because I don't want 99% of my content being upscaled. Having a native 1080P set is ideal for me. With the new TV, I am taking a speaker upgrade too. An audiophile friend of mine has pointed me the way of Ruark, so on the way I have a pair of Ruark Crusader IIs, a dialogue one and a pair of preludes taking front, centre and rear duties respectively. These will be my first floorstanders and I am very much looking forward to the upgrade! So, that's my history in a nutshell. My job, by the way, is a cinematographer on low-budget films - so having a decent setup is quite important to me as I need it for both work and pleasure. I'm also an incurable cinephile!

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