Hey everyone,

I wanted to get your opinions on the new Home Theater setup I bought. It is all Sony components, and even though I know they are not the best, I am a college student, so bear with me.

The room is ~12Wx20L.

Here goes.


Sony RM-AV3000 Touch Screen All-in-One Remote Control
Sony KP-65WV700 65" Theater Wide 1080i/16:9 HDTV-Ready Projection TV
Sony STR-DE485 Audio/Video AM/FM Receiver (included with : )
Sony HT-DDW740 Home Theater 450-Watt Dolby Digital 5.1/DTS 5.1 Surround Sound Speaker System
Sony DVP-NS755V Progressive Scan DVD/SACD/MP3 Player
Sony SAT-B55 Digital Satellite DirecTV Receiver
Sony SLV-N50 19-Micron Head Video Cassette Recorder/Player
Sony SCPH-39001 PlayStation 2 w/ Online Network Adapter
Sony WEGA A/V Cabinet's to Match TV (2)


What does everyone think? The DVD, Receiver, Surround, TV, and Remote are all new stuff. Everything else I have had from the past.

Any opinions of the hardware, any suggestions for speaker placement, etc. are all welcome.

Thanks in advance!

 

Anyone who can afford a 65" TV doesn't need any advice from me.

 

Not bad for still in college. Mine's a mish-mash of brands, since I don't think one particular brand makes the best of everything, but staying "in the family" definately makes control easier.

I used to have the RM-AV3000 remote. Well, either that one or the older model, I don't remember. I bought it used and played with it for a few days before reselling it. I found that I preferred hard button remotes because I often control by touch, rather than actually look at the remote, and liked one-handed operation much better than two.

Acoustically, the sound stage would probably sound better with the main speakers along the 20' wall. However, with a 65", you'd have to place the TV on the 12' wall or else you'd be way to close. In general, most (front) speakers sound best when they have a few feet between them and anything else (wall, tv cabintet, etc.) I'd put the TV in the middle of the 12' wall, then start with the speakers in between the TV and wall on each side. Tweak placement as necessary. Wider is generally better, but not so wide as to disconnect the left and right stages. They're small, and probably don't need quite as much free space around them. Try to place them slightly in front of the TV plane if you can, rather than on the wall (behind the TV).

You should have your couch about 12' back (TV to your head) -- that should be about optimal for both sound and video. The rear speakers look like direct monopole designs, so should be placed further back than your seating position to provide better rear fill. It's a toss up whether you should mount them on the side walls or the rear wall, you'll just have to try them both and see which is better.

Check out www.hometheaterspot.com (my other favorite haunt) for more theater talk.

 

Holy crap. That's a seriously good system for a college student (or even a recent college grade). I was pretty pimped when I had a 27" TV in college.

Had it been me, for that room, I would have gone with a 57" widescreen (probably the same line, I've always liked Sony TVs) and put the cash difference into better speakers and receiver. The smaller TV would have allowed you to get a bit more into the center of the room, and have more space on the sides to flank with the speakers.

 

Thanks for all the info guys! I just purchased teh Sound&Video Mag A / V Tune-Up DVD from Best Buy yesterday,and holy shit! The TV looks ten hundred times better and the sound is better too now that all the levels and spaceing/placement is correct.

As far as the width of the room goes... the TV & 2 cabinets take up the entire wall, I only have room left for the subwoofer in the corner! Turned out to be just enough room.

I am looking into getting a HDTV Receiver as well, but that will have to wait, because the one I want is ~$780.00 online!

 

I wouldn't go Sony for a projection screen that large. Look at Pioneer Elite or Mitsubishi diamond series. You sure seem to be a big Sony fan, but for the price you're paying for that overpriced company you can get better stuff from Yamaha or Denon or Pioneer Elite or Onkyo if you want quality. If you want more features, go for the Sony stuff. Make sure you get a good home theatre setup dvd (there are two major ones that I forget their names). I have the older Sony touchpad. Works great with my combo Sony Vega (yes it's Vega, not Wega. The V has a shadow. A marketing botch called it a Wega), Toshiba dual dvd and Onkyo components (and Definitive Tech speakers). The remote would work even better with your All Sony setup. Good luck with it and I hope you're not paying retail!

 

Nope, didnt pay retail!