2. home-theater
  3. 1052501972

Is $18,000 enough for a high end HT?

This will be my first attempt at building a HT. My room size is: 19'L x 11'2"W x 8'H. This room is a library. I want high-end stuff. I want my windows to rattle when the Apollo 13 takes off. I want to be tempted to get up and dance when a good music score comes on. I want to build it myself as I think it would be a lot of fun. I have plenty of vacation time that I could use. The following is what I would expect:

1. A projector with Texas Instruments' Mustang/HD2 and 16:9 aspect ratio
2. Recessed screen
3. 5 on or in ceiling speakers (Thiel or Triad I’m thinking)
4. 1 Subwoofer
5. DVD player
6. Power Conditioner
7. Processor
8. A 5 channel Amplifier
9. Cables for the items on the list

When I priced every thing I wanted individually the price came to over 25K. Bare in mind $18,000 is a lot of money for me. However, I figured since we spend a ¼ of our lives watching TV it is well worth the investment. I invested some money a few years ago explicitly for my HT. Besides, I figured if my wife is not happy with all the money I will be spending, I could just say, that I am not taking the money from our cash flow, rather from a fund specifically set up for a HT. I am thinking maybe I should pull money out now. But is 18k enough? I am not willing to spend that kind of money if I will not have a great HT. Perhaps I should wait a couple of more years until I save up more money and the technologies go down in price. (I'm concerned that I will say that in two years again as I did two years ago. There are always newer technologies coming out.) I have no experience with any dealer and want to know if I could expect such a deal from a reputable authorized dealer. I read in Robert Harley’s book: “Home Theater For Everyone” that choosing the dealer is far more important then choosing the manufacturer of the components. In my experience for other purchases I find this to be very true. It seems there will always be tech support issues. Also, when I want to upgrade and add components, the dealer will know exactly what I have and all of my issues and I would be able to get his/her valuable input. I plan on adding within the next year or so, an AMX system for control, a video processor and an HDTV set top box.

The cables I would start off not so high end as I want to see for myself over time if they make a difference. However, the cables that would go in my ceiling I would want high end because it would be a big pain to replace those. I would also be flexible with the projector, I would settle for a refurbished or demo unit (with valid warranty). I would even settle for a good one that has an HD1 chip and an XGA resolution. I have seen some of those and they are definitely good enough.
captaincapitalism
chaskelljr2001's avatar
chaskelljr2001
476 posts
 
"KeithR":

Your quote is: "See, you can do it, and many have done it for less."

And my answer is: Yep........ a LOT less as a matter of fact. I couldn't agree with you more.

--Charles--
captaincapitalism OP
52 posts
 
Thank you all for your most informative advice and inspiring words. When I told my wife my plan to incorporate a HT in our library she agreed on the condition I make it “invisible.” After reading all your advice, I strengthened my resolve and told my wife it would be a shame to spend all that money and never truly getting high-end sound. I then showed her an ad for the KEF Q Series speakers that are in all the HT magazines that I buy. I showed her that speakers could actually be beautiful. She agreed. Anyway, now I am back to square one. I thought I had the speakers worked out and I would work around that. Unless, I could be lucky and the KEF speakers are great sounding speakers. I also showed her the B&W Nautilus. She likes them as well. However, the Nautilus is probably out of my price range.

As of now I plan on going to audition the KEF’s Q Series, 201 w/stands and the 202c. (Unless I could find a good deal for the Nautilus.) I think it would be great if I could make my wife and I happy at the same time.

As for the sources, I plan on auditioning the Krell Showcase as they now have a deal to get $2,000 off.

I still would have to get a recessed screen since it will be in front of a bay window. I just got solicited from Draper for a screen; they claimed they are around $1,000 cheaper than Stewart for the recessed screen and that they are just as good. Can anyone verify this?
jimbo3
304 posts
 
EVERYBODY is less expensive than Stuart. Usually by ALOT. Guess if you have a champagne budget and the eyes of a hawk, the infintessimal difference might be sufficient justification.

By recessed, do you mean a ceiling roll-up or a fixed screen recessed into the bay? If it's a ceiling mount, you'll need to make sure the joists are parallel with the case as you can't cut into the joists without some serious structural problems to overcome.
captaincapitalism OP
52 posts
 
The joist detector was actually my first investment.
lokie's avatar
lokie
528 posts
 
I have a fealing that you would not get much more enjoyment out of a $50,000 system than you would with something like Krelldog's system. Your on the right track with this thread. Just keep asking questions.
More to discover