HT setup budget 5 lakhs

[LocutusEstBorg]

I did not say to get a Oppo bluray player ... I said to get a Oppo BDP 103D that is a DARBEE Edition. If you think that Darbee edition gives equal and same image output that a local samsung and sony player gives, then I will not talk any further.
I wonder for what reasons these guys at oppo would charge the consumer 60K or 70K just for a blurayplayer which performs equal to the ones in our local market and local made. Enlighten me on that if u know.

It's just a gimmick. I'd argue it degrades the image quality. You can get similar gimmicks from your TV or software players like PowerDVD. These gimmicks just apply random Photoshop like filters to the video to highlight the edges of objects etc.

The only useful processing feature is frame interpolation to smoothen the video, which may or may not suit some movies. This is best done by the display device like the TV or projector since it's aware of the native refresh rate unlike the player.

Altering the image is the opposite of Hi-Fi. Fidelity is reproducing the original content as recorded. That means using room correction for audio and a colour calibrated TV / Projector for video. You need to buy a calibration device to do this.

 

[krishnamurthy]

I did not say to get a Oppo bluray player ... I said to get a Oppo BDP 103D that is a DARBEE Edition. If you think that Darbee edition gives equal and same image output that a local samsung and sony player gives, then I will not talk any further.
I wonder for what reasons these guys at oppo would charge the consumer 60K or 70K just for a blurayplayer which performs equal to the ones in our local market and local made. Enlighten me on that if u know.

There maybe marginal improvements but like in life, very expensive does not mean they are value for money. For ex: Bose speakers, they are quite pricey but VFM - No.
Or we call in India, posh localities, with sub-standard infrastructure but have extremely high real estate costs.

 

[elangoas]

For such a good budget, why stop with 7.1? Think you should consider 11.2 for such a large room..

Consider High end satellite speakers with 2 subs should rock... Invest the money on additional speakers for a more addictive movie watching experience..

I had Onkyo AVR 818 which has Audyssey Multi EQ XT32 Digital Room correction feature in a 9.0 set-up... After Audyssey calibration, it made me so addictive for watching movies...

As other FM had pointed out, you can consider Marantz / Denon AVR's that support Audyssey XT32 calibration..

 

[VLIX]

There maybe marginal improvements but like in life, very expensive does not mean they are value for money. For ex: Bose speakers, they are quite pricey but VFM - No.
Or we call in India, posh localities, with sub-standard infrastructure but have extremely high real estate costs.

Very true, expensive does not mean quality.

 

[Aquarian09]

There maybe marginal improvements but like in life, very expensive does not mean they are value for money. For ex: Bose speakers, they are quite pricey but VFM - No.

Or we call in India, posh localities, with sub-standard infrastructure but have extremely high real estate costs.

Let me first know whether u have had a demo or have checked anywhere at a friends place, I think we should talk about OPPO darbee edition only when we r sure that we BOTH have checked the darbee edition player, without even having a demo or even checking it out for the clarity, there is no point in talking about this. I am not blindly making any statements here, but I have seen the improvement of the picture when played in 105D and our very own favourite budget players.
Let me clarify once again that I am not degrading any of the regular budget players here, I myself have a budget player and not all that Hifi expensive players, I was just suggesting the thread starter based on his budget, that he can think about it and maybe he will get an idea about having a demo of it.
Maybe he will like it, am just suggesting him.

 

[Aquarian09]

It's just a gimmick. I'd argue it degrades the image quality. You can get similar gimmicks from your TV or software players like PowerDVD. These gimmicks just apply random Photoshop like filters to the video to highlight the edges of objects etc.



The only useful processing feature is frame interpolation to smoothen the video, which may or may not suit some movies. This is best done by the display device like the TV or projector since it's aware of the native refresh rate unlike the player.



Altering the image is the opposite of Hi-Fi. Fidelity is reproducing the original content as recorded. That means using room correction for audio and a colour calibrated TV / Projector for video. You need to buy a calibration device to do this.

Yup accept it totally
But again it brings out that richness in the picture when played in that player,
I have checked both players at same time on the same projector and same AVR , lot of difference though
Like u said it depends on the room correction and all other factors act together, projector or TV , AVR and others.

 

[raghupb]

For a pure HT setup invest wisely in Projector and Screen.
These will be the most vulnerable elements of the ensemble.
Projector due to the lamp and screen due to mechanical.
The above two must be new items.
AVR as suggested can be a mid range 7.1 or 7.2 (new or pre-owned or demo)
Speakers can be 2 FS + C + 2 Sur + 2 SB (new or pre-owned or demo)
1 or 2 subs is based on room area.
Furniture and room sound-proofing must be done after you acquire all of the above.

5L is a generous budget for your dream HT. It can be done cheaper if you have patience and don't mind pre-owned/demo items.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[AKT]

Let me differ a little bit here.

I believe one's preference should be different for an audio only setup vs HT. I've heard from many people that they would like to use their setup for 50% movies and 50% music. That to me is the biggest failure point.

For HT, I would prefer big horsepower with powerful bass; something I believe Americans excel at. My vote would go with Emotiva line of electronics, HSU Research/PSB/Sunfire sub and Def Tech/Martin Logan speakers.
I've seen suggestions on dual subwoofers. That's an absolute must.

Had this been a musical setup, I would have gone with an all British setup.

 

[bprags]

Guys thank you so much for all your suggestions. Finally found some time and visited absolute phase. It was nice talking to prithvi, he deals only in high end stuff I wasn't aware of it. He was still kind enough to spend couple of hours with me. He is more of a stereo guy. He did not have a HT setup so I couldn't check out anything. Prithvi played me the stereo setup of image and elac. I would like to visit more shops before I take a call. Any other her places in blr to visit? I did try vector systems, did not like their approach at all, plus they stock only two brands.

 

[raghupb]

Music Ranch in Jayanagar
ProFx MG Road
Audio Planet in Koramanlaga
Cinebels Millers Road
DNI on ORR Bellandur

There may be more. I have visited the first 3 during the last 3-4 years. Good audition experience.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[bprags]

yesterday visited ProFX MG road. Met a guy called Jayasheelan, they had demo setup for 2 brands KEF and Cabasse. I was told that Cabasse is more for movies and KEF is music oriented. He played a few clips [same clips] on both the models, I felt cabasse had a more immersive movie experience [more bass, rumble] surround felt nice. KEF didnt have that immersive feel, though good still wasn't what I expected for movies. Not sure if it was tuning, the same AVR was also used for both. Later on I played flacs from my mobile, KEF felt more at home while playing music, Cabasse for music felt ok.
Later on Jayasheelan played some more music, wasn't happy with the output, on inquiring about the source of the music I was told MP3.

By the way, I asked the pricing of epson TW8200, I was told 2.2 lakhs, whereas online the same is available for 1.8x. Why such a huge discrepancy in pricing?

Still not convinced, need more auditions, this decision making is going to be a lengthy process, I feel.

 

[krishnamurthy]

Cabasse is over-priced. Try Dali Zensor 7, PSB X2T, Jamo C97 and you may get what you are looking for within your budget range.
Get projector from overseas since there is only 1 year warranty locally. These projectors are sold close to 100% retail margins in India. Get Optoma HD26 from Europe and your all-inclusive cost will not be more than 55k. Indian cost is 88-92k. This is a very good projector and can be mounted atleast 15 feet away from the screen.

 

[krishnamurthy]

Music Ranch in Jayanagar
ProFx MG Road
Audio Planet in Koramanlaga
Cinebels Millers Road
DNI on ORR Bellandur

There may be more. I have visited the first 3 during the last 3-4 years. Good audition experience.

Cheers,
Raghu

Lokesh of HTstore.in based out of JP Nagar 7th phase is reasonable as well.

 

[LocutusEstBorg]

Don't buy overpriced speakers. That money should be spent on Audyssey MultEQ XT32 or Dirac Live. That is what gives you real sound quality.

 

[raghupb]

I felt cabasse had a more immersive movie experience [more bass, rumble] surround felt nice. KEF didnt have that immersive feel, though good still wasn't what I expected for movies. Not sure if it was tuning, the same AVR was also used for both. Later on I played flacs from my mobile, KEF felt more at home while playing music, Cabasse for music felt ok.
Later on Jayasheelan played some more music, wasn't happy with the output, on inquiring about the source of the music I was told MP3.

When auditioning, carry your own source material. Music material should be CDs or a USB stick with FLAC/high-bit-rate MP3 rip of numbers that you are very familiar with. If you have any BD/DVD that you are familiar with, then carry them too for movie audition.

Unless your mobile can attach itself as a readable USB device (windows and apple) or via wifi, don't trust it as a good source. Headphones jack and BT are for quickies not for auditioning.

AVRs are basically sound processors and video switchers (some exclusions here). Even in so called "stereo" mode, I suspect that the path is through ADC --> DSP --> DAC --> Amp. Suggest you try "direct" or "pure" mode the next time around. Many demo rooms are set up for HT. So if you are picky about how the AVR/speaker will sound for music, try with sub off/on, all supported music modes, tone controls, etc.

Coming to ProFx itself, I have been there a few times, but only once for a targeted audition. A couple of times it has been because I had to kill time while waiting for someone. The guys are courteous but sometimes the salesmanship comes through (can't blame them for this). I never heard Cabasse there, but have heard the Polk (TSX and RTi) and KEF Q ranges. Cabasse struck me as a lifestyle product. Polk was impressive for movies and KEF for music. Disclaimer, I own a pair of KEF R300s.

Here is how I would assess a system for music playback (please note it is not a generalization). Other FMs may add their methods.
1. Tune set should be male vocals, female vocals, duets and chorus, stringed instruments, drums, piano, synthesizers, tabla, flute, violin. With 8-10 numbers you should be able to get all of the above.

2. Stereo imaging and soundstage: A good tune would be a lead vocal with a couple of guitars/piano and some drums. Or an ensemble of Indian classical.
- The vocals should be near center, very mildly louder than the instrument set, but should not sound dismembered.
- Drums should sound as though they are being heard from slightly behind the singer and the other instruments with the vocals
- Move a foot or two to the right or left and one speaker will be heard more than the other. Note these changes
- Move a foot or two towards or from the speaker plane and the perceived depth of vocals/instrumentation may change. Note these changes.
- Sometimes it feels everything is coming from the speaker plane, sometimes I can hear depth. I feel a bit of depth is good.
- Indian classical or hindustani music is a good idea to check out because of fewer instruments.

3. Bass/drums etc should be as tight and precise as possible. There should be no boom or reverb; if so then the room is contributing more than it ideally should towards playback. Tabla playback, I feel, is very good audition material. Boom or reverb can give you a headache very soon.

4. Mids/Highs should not cause you to scrunch your face. This means the system is "bright" and needs some toning down. This can cause listening fatigue within 5 minutes.

5. Volume - increase and decrease the volume to hear how it sounds at different points. You may want to hear how it sounds at low volume as it is a very real scenario (late night listening).

6. If the speakers truly disappear (close your eyes and check), then the system is a good one and the room is not contributing too much to the sound.

7. Vendor willing, ask if the speakers can be moved in/out, closer/apart (on a first visit, it is unlikely)

8. Have another person with similar music tastes to get a second opinion.

9. Once you narrow down on a system, come back home and try to judge how it may sound in your imperfect setup. Make the decision after sleeping it over.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Raghu