[kyeo138]

Hello all, new to the 'shack'. About little about me, I'm on my 3rd system, which is a yamaha YHT-900 HTIB. It was perfect for my apartment, and is at least 6 years old. The TV is a Samsung LN-t4066F, which will be regulated to bedroom duty (40" in the bedroom, I know!). Now I'm married, and we moved into a house and it's time do a system upgrade. My living room size is about 16'x16' with 10' ceilings and a big open wall into a dining room. Currently carpet, but will be removing it for hardwood. I'm not an audiophile, but I am pretty technically savvy and am reading up on a lot of things.

I plan on doing this probably this summer, and these are the current products I'm considering:

TV:
Vizio VF551XVT 55" LCD
Samsung LN55B8000 55" LCD

The Vizio will debut at $1,999, probably cheaper at costco, and really, even if it doesn't come close to the Samsung it will be less than 1/2 the price. I will keep a close eye on both as their release comes closer.
Also looks like the Vizio will be using an LG panel, with 15k:1 actual and 1M:1 dynamic contrast ratios.


Receiver:
Yamaha RX-V3900
Denon AVR-3808CI

I've pretty much made up my mind and going w/the Yamaha RX-v3900. The price is under 1400 right now, and should drop even more by the summer (crossing my fingers).

Speakers:
SVS 7.0 SCS-01(M)

I'm sold on the SVS SCS 7.0 speakers. Maybe I'll try to save up for a set of MTS, but it would cost around triple. Given the reviews on the SCS, I'm not sure I could justify spending 3x as much for the MTS.

Subwoofer:
SVS PB12-NSD
SVS PB12-Plus
SVS PC-Ultra
SVS PB13-Ultra

I've settled on SVS, but now which model....

Thanks for any input!

 

[salvasol]

Re: New system recommedations

Subwoofer:
HSU VTF-3 MK 3
SVS PB12-NSD

Now it gets heated, lots of people on both camps, and I realize this is more of a SVS forum. Right now i'm leaning more towards the HSU only because I know someone who has a couple years old VTF2 (i think mk2) and it sounds terrific.


Also, any recommendations for speaker stands? There are tons of choices, not sure if I should go with the ones from SVS or if there are there better options?
Thanks for any input!

I think that you read more advise on buying SVS because is what most of the members have, not many HSU owners (in my case I had Velodyne and Infinity, but just joined the DIY club :bigsmile ...I there anyway that you can met with members who own SVS and HSU and compare???

About the stands, can you DIY some??? ...:huh:

 

[eugovector]

Re: New system recommedations

I'd consider leaving a carpet or rug for acoustic reasons.

 

[tonyvdb]

Re: New system recommedations

Your decision to go with Vizio for a display may not necessarily be the best choice, Less cost for more screen size usually means cheaper parts inside and less lifespan. That said Vizio is manufactured by LG from what i have heard and they do make a decent display but I would still be a bit cautious.

SVSound is a sponsor here at the Shack but I can attest that they make a fantastic sub for the money people that own HSU also say that they make a great sub for the money. It comes down to personal choice and either way you wont be disappointed. For speakers SVS is a great choice several members here have them and all have had nothing but positive comments.

For a receiver have you considered Onkyo as well? The Onkyo 706 is a great receiver and is very feature rich.

 

[kyeo138]

Re: New system recommedations

Thanks for the responses!

About the Vizio, yes I'm leary about it too, and will definitely demo it before buying. I think releasing a set that low will force others like Sony and Samsung to drop theirs, so it's a win win for us!

I've read nothing but good things about the SVS speakers, and will go with those. They should even have some in stock when i'm ready to order

I'd really like to compare the SVS and HSU subs, but either way I think you're getting a lot of bang for your buck. I've read nothing but good things about both, so I'll see what's up product-wise around June.

With the hardwoods, we will have an area rug, and I'll have the sub on a piece of carpet too, probably hidden next to or behind the couch. One thing my wife was worried about was speaker wires, but I told her I could run them under the floors and back up behind the couch.

And speaking of wires, has anyone even thought of using a sound bar, especially the Yamaha YSP-4000. Just curious as to how it works. I've heard some good things about it, but I know it won't compare to a true 5.1/6.1/7.1 system.

The YSP 4k + sub would run around $2200-$2300, so for a few hundred more I can get a full 7.1 system, for under $3k.

The receiver is really where i'm stuck. I may even consider the Denon 3808, since this summer the 3810 or whatever may come out, and the price should drop bigtime. I thought about the Onkyo's, but i've read that they run pretty hot and there have been some reliability concerns with them. So right now i'm really only considering Yamaha or Denon.

 

[eugovector]

Re: New system recommedations

I have a vizio 42" (cost $900 2 years ago) that runs about 14 hours a day (it's in a college lounge). The power button on the side turns the set on, but not off. That's the only thing that's gone wrong with it. I wouldn't be the least bit leery about Vizio...don't give into FUD.

 

[geniusadam]

Re: New system recommedations

I'll give you my comments on vizio as well. In my family we have a 32, 37, 42, and a 47" LCD. We've had them from 1-3 years, which isn't that long, but still 4 tv's and never one problem. They're good tv's at an amazing price. My saddest point is that Costco took away their lifetime product guarantee. Anyways, i wouldn't be that leery of a Vizio. The biggest limitations of the Vizios are relatively low contrast ratios. But i think you can expect that with the vast difference in cost.

 

[pocho]

Re: New system recommedations

lcd prices are dropping nowadays

 

[Brian12345]

Re: New system recommedations

I've heard nothing but great things about vizio tv's.....

Recently had my 42" LG 1080p plasma stolen :/ and it was replaced by my roommates 42" Viewsonic 1080p LCD which is absolute garbage, but I'll be replacing my bedroom projector setup which was also stolen with a 32" vizio plasma, can't beat the price!

ps- why does it seem like everyone is going LCD > Plasma?

I've always thought plasma was the better choice, plus it has less risk to break from something hitting it....

 

[tonyvdb]

Re: New system recommedations

The receiver is really where i'm stuck. I may even consider the Denon 3808, since this summer the 3810 or whatever may come out, and the price should drop bigtime. I thought about the Onkyo's, but i've read that they run pretty hot and there have been some reliability concerns with them. So right now i'm really only considering Yamaha or Denon.

The so called issues with Onkyo are unfounded as there are several of us on here who have Onkyo and non of us have had issues. Heat is always going to be an issue with any receiver if they are not allowed to breath. Yamaha and Denon are no different.

Brian12345 ps- why does it seem like everyone is going LCD > Plasma?

Each have their advantages and disadvantages. LCD have better contrast and color, are lighter and come in larger sizes for the money. Plasma suffers from the dead pixal problem faster than LCD and give off alot more heat.

 

[eugovector]

Re: New system recommedations

Each have their advantages and disadvantages. LCD have better contrast and color, are lighter and come in larger sizes for the money. Plasma suffers from the dead pixal problem faster than LCD and give off alot more heat.

I'll have to take issue with these two statements. First, at 42", Plasmas have achieved price parity with LCD, though there are very few plasma models in this size compared to LCD. At 50"are almost always less expensive than LCD. At 50", you start to see plasma becoming less expensive, and at 60"+ it's practically no contest...there are very few LCDs of this size, and Plasma starts looking like your only option 9next to front projection, of course).

As for dead pixels, I've never see any info that plasma tech is more prone to failure than LCD as far as individual pixels go. However, when Plasma first came out, they had a much shorter estimated life span than LCD. These days, modern plasma has almost achieved parity, with a half-life of around 60,000 hours, or about 20 years of watching TV 8 hours a day.

The true advantages of plasma, other than the cost benefit at larger sizes, are that Plasma's generally have better black levels, truer color reproduction in off-center viewing situations, and usually have a glass screen making them more resilient to scratches form little kids and pets.

The true advantages of LCD are that it's the only flat panel tech in smaller sizes (not really sure if that's an "advantage"), typically have a brighter screen making them a better choice for daytime viewing in a room without controlled lighting, are typically lighter, typically use less electricity making them less expensive to run, and usually have a less-reflective matte screen.