[Chris Larsen]

Hello everyone. I'm in the process of building a home and want to add a theater room. I talked to the Magnolia guys at Best Buy and they gave me list of audio/video components to buy that are within my budget. I plan on mostly using the room dark and watching movies, but may also use it with some ambient light to watch tv and play video games. I'm hoping someone can give me some honest feedback on their suggestions. The guys have been very helpful, but I'm always a little skeptical of sales people. Here is what they suggested to me:

Denon 7.2 4k Ultra HD receiver - AVRX2600H ($700)
Screen Innovations 5 Series Fixed Slate 1.2 - 5TF100SL12 ($1900)
Epson Home Cinema 5050UB Projector ($2800)

They also suggested that I "future proof" the HDMI wiring to the projector and go with a $500 Real 4K adapter with a 35' fiber optic cable. I'm not sure this is necessary and this is actually what I'm most conflicted about. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[JSKMDWK]

Denon makes great receivers, as does their sister company Marantz. Look for some thing with enough input and ability to drive your speaker configuration. You may also want to look at last year's models to spend less. Magnolia will of course recommend what they sell, but there are many screen options out there. I suggest getting a screen that will maximize the majority of your viewing time. So and ambient light rejecting screen in a room that will be mostly used in the dark is going to compromise the majority of your viewing. You can get a standard white screen for much less from other manufacturers. Epson makes a great projector and would be a solid choice, next step up would cost about twice as much.

For the HDMI, the only way to future proof things is with an empty conduit run. Have your low voltage guy install a future pipe 3" in diameter with no 90 degree bends in it (multiple 45 degrees can work) that runs from your gear location to the projector. Run a good quality HDMI cable for now and replace it if/when you need to.

Lastly, when designing a home theater, you really want to think about the room and the people in it more than the gear. Selecting the right number and type of seats, the HVAC for the room, the dimensions of the room, the speaker locations, viewing angles and size of screen, entrance and space to move around the room, etc. are all greater concerns than the brands or models of gear that are easy to change out over time.

 

[RLouis]

I’ve always gone for separates meaning a separate Preamp/processor (Marantz 7704 in my case) and separate amps. This really future proofs your investment because pre/pro technologies evolve much quicker than amp technologies do. Every few years you can just upgrade your pre/pro and leave everything else in place. And, this allows for complete flexibility for upgrading or moving around main and surround amps. Also pre/pros have balanced outputs for long cable runs to rear amp/s.

Check out the Elite Screens Manual Series on Amazon. Nice highly rated screens at amazing prices. The money you’ll save here can go toward a pre/pro and amps.

Do Amazon search for “100 ft hdmi cable 4k with booster”. Of course you can get shorter if install warrants. The money you’ll save here can go toward a pre/pro and amps.

 

[gewiz44]

Hello Chris, I have a home theater room measuring 13’ X 21’ X 7’ approximately. One of the things I did to make a marked improvement is paint the ceilings and walls a medium to dark flat grey. It is still easy to see with the lights on but with the lights off, it really reduces the reflected light from both the TV and my 120” projection screen. My setup is 1080P and honestly, I am very happy with it. I currently have a Epson 5030ub and even with a 120” screen and sitting 13’ back, I can easily see the pores in the faces of the actors. I had a Denon AVR 4311 but the digital audio started dropping out so I found a good deal on a Pioneer SC-95 9.2 with Atmos . I really didn’t notice a lot of difference but I do like the Denon over the Pioneer so if a good deal on a AVR-x4400H 9.2 ch presents itself, I would probably buy it. There is very little difference between the x4400h and the x4500h. I have a Sharp Aquos 80” TV which produces a great picture. For 4K, look for 18gbs hdmi cable or better. I have had good luck with carefully purchasing used equipment off of Ebay but depending on your budget there are more options open to you. I have been complimented on my setup but it is definitely on a budget. Pioneer SC-95 $400, Epson 5030UB $800, Sharp Aquos 80” TV $1000, Electric 120” projection screen $250. Try “google” about projection screens, sometimes there isn’t a lot of difference between the expensive and cheaper models. A friend of mine has a Sony XBR-75Z9D 4K TV and it has more “nits” than my sharp but aside from brighter headlights, sun, and flashlights, I don’t really see enough difference to warrant the extra price and yes, my vision is still good. Speakers are subjective, I have some Boston, Definitive, and Klipsch that sound very good. Again, if you don’t have to have new or the latest and greatest, you could save a lot of money there. Just another option to consider.