Looking to improve my setup!

[fugitsu]

Hey guys so a few of you have seen my setup and have been fairly critical of it, but I'm here to thank you. All I had heard before was people complimenting it, and having some people who actually know a thing or two about home theaters criticize my setup.. well now I'm striving to make it better in any way I can

So here are a few fairly current pictures of my setup, then I'm going to list some upgrades that I'm thinking of making.






Since the entire cabinet was custom made for that TV, when we do upgrade it will probably be of the same size. But since this TV's picture still looks fantastic and can display 1080i via component cables, I'm happy with it. It will be a while before I upgrade this.

I will be cutting one hole into each of the cubes holding my PS3 and Xbox 360 on the left and adding a nice, silent fan to increase airflow -- which really isn't that bad right now. I have some holes drilled to act as a type of vent, but that won't be as good as the fan.

I'm looking for some motorized blackout shades for the windows because the entire room is filled with windows, literally. It makes it hard to watch darker movies and play darker games during the daytime since the glare sucks. While this isn't a HUGE problem considering I live in Seattle, I'd still like to improve my daytime viewing and the overall room aesthetics.

I'm going to replace my subwoofer (not pictured) with something a bit bigger and with a little more umph. Right now it is sometimes crapping out on me when the bass is too loud in some movies. This is definitely a factor of age, considering that it is over 8 years old.

I'm going to replace my Polk Audio front bookshelf speakers with some actual tower speakers. I'm not exactly sure what I would get though, so if anyone reading this could help me out.. that would be awesome. I'd be using those current front speakers for rear speakers (getting much heavier duty mounts of course) and then using my rears for side speakers to round out a 7.1 channel system. The left speaker would definitely be closer to the seats than the right considering the shape of the room, but I would calibrate my system to where the right speaker will have to be much louder so that is sounds exactly the same as the left.

Later I might buy a Logitec Harmony remote to simplify my life, considering that I'm using 3 remotes at the same time right now.

I might also move my chairs back a little bit (just enough so that it's still easy to walk behind them and be able to open the mini fridge) so that I can install a motorized projection screen and invest in a projector to be mounted on top of the cabinets in the back of the chairs, right where the big can is right now. This is much farther down the road, obviously, but this could be something that I can take out and take to college with me. That would be awesome.

That's pretty much all the ideas I have right now. I now have a 100 GB drive hooked up to my Xbox 360 for downloading games and such, and I have a 1 TB drive hooked up to my PS3 for streaming my DVD's (which I am going to sell and move around the house to clear up space for Blu-ray's

Thanks for reading, and please help me find some tower speakers to go in the front of my system!

[Beta Man]

love the wine fridge

[joegs300]

I have a wine fridge right outside of my room!

[brettallica]

While I can't help you with your request for good tower speakers, as I've been out of the tower speaker game for a while now (thanks to the kids), I do have a couple other comments. Probably not super-insightful, but something to think about anyway.

If you're going to buy a Harmony remote, now might be a great time to do this, as they're "only" $168 ish after $20 discount on Amazon. Not bad for a $250+ remote. My home theater's remote setup is a nightmare for those who are "less than tech savvy" (read: the wife and kids), so this remote is very helpful for that.

About the airflow situation in your cabinets, I highly support your decision to go with a fan. I did this for my home theater (see here) and immediately noticed a huge difference in the heat inside my entertainment center -- it became much cooler in there. Do it. Do it now! You will increase your equipment's lifespan greatly with cooler operating conditions.

Also, I like the idea of blackout shades.

[Squozen]

I would suggest trying to move the left and right speakers a little closer to the centre and see if that improves panning - they *look* a little far apart in the first photo but I can't really get a good idea of scale.. they may sound just fine!

You will want to upgrade your centre speaker when you get towers or it'll start getting overwhelmed. As you have a nice big cabinet to place a centre on, go for a big one.

[DavidAg02]

I think some of the smallest and least expensive items on your list of improvements are some of the ones that will give you the most enjoyment.

I would first get a Logitech Harmony remote. All you should need is a 550 model, which you can get for only about $75. You will love it.

Second, I would replace your sub. I highly recommend HSU Research, but just like speakers, there are tons to choose from.

The cooling fans are a good idea. A company called Cooler Guys sells some fan kits which you can easily install into the back of your media cabinet.
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556082491.html

[chasswen]

needs a beer machine hehehe right next to the wine cooler.
J/K

[fugitsu]

Originally Posted by Squozen

I would suggest trying to move the left and right speakers a little closer to the centre and see if that improves panning - they *look* a little far apart in the first photo but I can't really get a good idea of scale.. they may sound just fine!

You will want to upgrade your centre speaker when you get towers or it'll start getting overwhelmed. As you have a nice big cabinet to place a centre on, go for a big one.

I believe they sound great where they are, but i'll move them a little closer and see if that makes a difference. Just as an update I made my first purchase this morning on eBay. I bought a pair of Polk Audio Monitor 50's to replace my two bookshelf speakers (which will now be placed in the back.

I'm gonna have to look into a new center... damnit!

By DavidAg02
I would first get a Logitech Harmony remote. All you should need is a 550 model, which you can get for only about $75. You will love it.

Second, I would replace your sub. I highly recommend HSU Research, but just like speakers, there are tons to choose from.

The cooling fans are a good idea. A company called Cooler Guys sells some fan kits which you can easily install into the back of your media cabinet.
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556082491.html

I'll look into the remote later, that's just a last ditch thing. The 3 remotes I use right now are serving their purpose well, so the Harmony will come after I upgrade all my audio components (already 1/4 of the way there!!!!).

After I upgrade my center speaker my next project will be to upgrade my subwoofer. It serves its purpose for now, so I'll save it for the last of my 4 step audio upgrade.

Thanks for the link! I think I might just buy two of those kits

[DavidAg02]

Originally Posted by fugitsu

After I upgrade my center speaker my next project will be to upgrade my subwoofer. It serves its purpose for now, so I'll save it for the last of my 4 step audio upgrade.

Doing both will be nice, I just think you will notice a greater and more enjoyable difference from a sub upgrade than you will a center channel upgrade. That's the only reason I suggested it first.

Honestly the best thing you could do with your center channel would be to ge it down at the same level as your other speakers. As it is now, all of the dialog is probably going right over your head...

Is it aimed down at all? It's hard to tell in the picture.

Originally Posted by fugitsu

Thanks for the link! I think I might just buy two of those kits

I really can't say enough good things about the coolerguys kit. Here's a picture of it in my entertainment center:

[aramis109]

Originally Posted by fugitsu

I believe they sound great where they are, but i'll move them a little closer and see if that makes a difference. Just as an update I made my first purchase this morning on eBay. I bought a pair of Polk Audio Monitor 50's to replace my two bookshelf speakers (which will now be placed in the back.

I'm gonna have to look into a new center... damnit!




I'll look into the remote later, that's just a last ditch thing. The 3 remotes I use right now are serving their purpose well, so the Harmony will come after I upgrade all my audio components (already 1/4 of the way there!!!!).

After I upgrade my center speaker my next project will be to upgrade my subwoofer. It serves its purpose for now, so I'll save it for the last of my 4 step audio upgrade.

Thanks for the link! I think I might just buy two of those kits

That's what I did (upgrade the sub last). It's not a bad way to do things. Look at the Polk CS1 or CS2 center to match your new 50's. Oh, and don't move in your fronts- they're good where they are. There are some threads on this.

Hsu is a great recommendation for a sub, but there are many other options out there as well. Check out the subwoofer forum when you get to that stage of your upgrade.

By the way, I love the finish and look of the cherry cabinets next to the wine chiller. They're really beautifully stained in my opinion.

[FFAngelVanille]

What happened to my post?

[Halcro 1]

Originally Posted by fugitsu

Hey guys so a few of you have seen my setup and have been fairly critical of it, but I'm here to thank you. All I had heard before was people complimenting it, and having some people who actually know a thing or two about home theaters criticize my setup.. well now I'm striving to make it better in any way I can

So here are a few fairly current pictures of my setup, then I'm going to list some upgrades that I'm thinking of making.






Since the entire cabinet was custom made for that TV, when we do upgrade it will probably be of the same size. But since this TV's picture still looks fantastic and can display 1080i via component cables, I'm happy with it. It will be a while before I upgrade this.

I will be cutting one hole into each of the cubes holding my PS3 and Xbox 360 on the left and adding a nice, silent fan to increase airflow -- which really isn't that bad right now. I have some holes drilled to act as a type of vent, but that won't be as good as the fan.

I'm looking for some motorized blackout shades for the windows because the entire room is filled with windows, literally. It makes it hard to watch darker movies and play darker games during the daytime since the glare sucks. While this isn't a HUGE problem considering I live in Seattle, I'd still like to improve my daytime viewing and the overall room aesthetics.

I'm going to replace my subwoofer (not pictured) with something a bit bigger and with a little more umph. Right now it is sometimes crapping out on me when the bass is too loud in some movies. This is definitely a factor of age, considering that it is over 8 years old.

I'm going to replace my Polk Audio front bookshelf speakers with some actual tower speakers. I'm not exactly sure what I would get though, so if anyone reading this could help me out.. that would be awesome. I'd be using those current front speakers for rear speakers (getting much heavier duty mounts of course) and then using my rears for side speakers to round out a 7.1 channel system. The left speaker would definitely be closer to the seats than the right considering the shape of the room, but I would calibrate my system to where the right speaker will have to be much louder so that is sounds exactly the same as the left.

Later I might buy a Logitec Harmony remote to simplify my life, considering that I'm using 3 remotes at the same time right now.

I might also move my chairs back a little bit (just enough so that it's still easy to walk behind them and be able to open the mini fridge) so that I can install a motorized projection screen and invest in a projector to be mounted on top of the cabinets in the back of the chairs, right where the big can is right now. This is much farther down the road, obviously, but this could be something that I can take out and take to college with me. That would be awesome.

That's pretty much all the ideas I have right now. I now have a 100 GB drive hooked up to my Xbox 360 for downloading games and such, and I have a 1 TB drive hooked up to my PS3 for streaming my DVD's (which I am going to sell and move around the house to clear up space for Blu-ray's

Thanks for reading, and please help me find some tower speakers to go in the front of my system!

Budget Pls??? and when you replace the fronts you will need to replace the center speaker ....yours wount work out too well

[fugitsu]

Originally Posted by DavidAg02

Doing both will be nice, I just think you will notice a greater and more enjoyable difference from a sub upgrade than you will a center channel upgrade. That's the only reason I suggested it first.

Honestly the best thing you could do with your center channel would be to ge it down at the same level as your other speakers. As it is now, all of the dialog is probably going right over your head...

Is it aimed down at all? It's hard to tell in the picture.

Mmm yeah, I'm just gonna upgrade the center first because it's one of my older components and I know it would be overpowered by the new Monitor 50's. Hell, it gets overwhelmed with my current speakers!

At the current moment it is not aimed downwards, but it will be in a holder that can angle up and down when I get my new center. Even though it is higher than the fronts and is not pointed down at the chairs, I still can hear dialogue perfectly throughout all of the movies I have watched on this system. I won't be able to move the position of it until a get a new TV, which will come WAY down the road. To be honest, it probably come until I'm about to move out for college. Hell, that probably will result in me taking all the stuff with me considering it's just my mom here now and she doesn't really care for all this entertainment room stuff.

By Aramis109
That's what I did (upgrade the sub last). It's not a bad way to do things. Look at the Polk CS1 or CS2 center to match your new 50's. Oh, and don't move in your fronts- they're good where they are. There are some threads on this.

Hsu is a great recommendation for a sub, but there are many other options out there as well. Check out the subwoofer forum when you get to that stage of your upgrade.

By the way, I love the finish and look of the cherry cabinets next to the wine chiller. They're really beautifully stained in my opinion.

Oh, thanks for letting me know. I've always kinda wondered about that after seeing pictures of peoples' fronts being so close to the TV.

I will certainly do that, thanks.

Thank you. We had a great guy come in and do ALL the cabinets in that room, including the custom TV enclosure.

That also includes our storage cabinets that run along the right wall of the room.



This guy also put in our two decks when we had them replaced, our kazibo to hold our hot tub (so freaking beautiful. I'll have to take a picture of that sometime) and our outdoor kitchen where we put the grill.

I can't remember his name right now, but he's awesome. Like seriously, probably the best quality job I've seen from anyone that we've hired in the past. Only problem is that his crew and him do usually go over their estimated time of completion. For example, the decks were supposed to take about 3-4 weeks. They ended up staying for 7-8. But who cares, he built the decks beautifully and took the time to really care about what he was doing.

[fugitsu]

Originally Posted by Halcro 1

Budget Pls??? and when you replace the fronts you will need to replace the center speaker ....yours wount work out too well

I already got my fronts. I got two Polk Audio Monitor 50's for about 140 dollars from Polk Audio Direct on eBay.

I'm going to look into the CS2 for my center speaker. My budget for that is hopefully less than 80 dollars

[rogman]

I'd recommend Aperion towers for your front. But, if you do switch brands you'll need to change the center too. You may already know this, but the center should be the same brand and product line as your fronts.

I have Aperion 533Ts in the front and an Aperion 534C center. I love the sound I get from my Aperion systems. (I have two Aperion 5.1 surround systems, the other is a bookshelf system.) The link to My Home Theater has pics of the speakers. Or if you're still undecided, this link may help too: http://www.finishabasement.com/home_...r_speakers.htm.

Aperion has a free 30 day trial (including shipping both ways), so it's a risk-free audition.

Another thing I thought I'd mention is that if you have to keep your center on top of the TV, you may want to tilt it down toward your listening area. Might get better dialogue that way. I'd consider a bigger sub too.