Audiophile considering HT


Well, I'm thinking of adding HT to my 37" Sony TV, DirectTV Dish, Toshiba HiFi VCR. I've got plenty of audio systems, and good ones at that, but have no interest in including audio and video together, so I'll need to build a HT system from scratch. Since the sound isn't critical (movies, sports), I don't want to spend a bunch on money on it but being a 'phile I don't want junk either. I know very very little about HT other than I'll need a DVD player, fronts, backs, sub, center channel and some sort of amp. The smaller and less obtrusive the stuff is the better. Budget is undetermined but I figure a couple of grand for some reasonably current (but used stuff) should do it. Any suggestions is much appreciated, Jeff
jeffloistarca
Hey,I got a nickel's worth to throw into the pot.Don't waste your time with outlaw cards.They all get burned sooner than latter.If you can recieve programming with it/ they can 'burn' it.Just a fact of life./No matter what they try to tell you. Progrssive scan dvd payers are only for HDTV/ready sets,with scan rates of 31/or better.(Reg tvs:15).Almost no 5.1 audio on sat.+you can only use toslink to access it.Dts/aint worth the fuss on dvd.It "was" the better mouse trap on lazer disc. DD is worth/necessary.Don't leave home without it.The sound and music from dvd are something to be reckoned with. Get a stand alone processor/mix and match what you got;be blown away."MOST" folk who are against ht/haven't thrown enough money at it. It IS more than explosions.Sooo many here badmouth HT/those can't be convinced. Jadis/ Aerial make for good ht.Before you get 302's/blend in your best for a decent taste.
Okay, so a NADT770 receiver, B&W DM302's for front and rear, B&W ASW1000 sub, B&W CC6 center ought to do the trick. Throw in a DVD player and several miles of speaker cable and I'm all set. From the sounds of things I'll need a spool of decent wire, I suppose it'll depend on the type of speaker output jacks on the NAD as to what gauge of wire I can use. Couple of questions linger, do you have the speakers set up like in audio so the tweeters are approx ear level, or does it matter? I figure the center channel sits on top of the tv and the rear and fronts pointing in the general direction of your head. Sub doesn't matter where it goes? Finally, any idea what I should expect to pay for the NAD receiver, B&W sub and center? Personally I never watch movies, I'd rather read a book or listen to music but you gotta entertain the family too. Thanks all, you guys are a big help. Jeff
Hi. I had a very expensive ht setup and then I realized (as you did) youdon't really need it for good movie enjoyment. I chose Marantz sr7000 reciever (excellent reviews, good remote, plenty of power), Monitor Audio silver series speakers (reasonable used, MADE for ht), Toshiba dvd. Good luck. I
If used is OK, there are usually B&W ASW subs here and other classified sites, such as Audioshopper and Audioweb. If the seller shows the list price, you can get an idea of new with no discount. A both B&W and NAD dealer I can recommned is Northampton Audio/Spearit Sound.