VSG12777
New Member
Hi everyone
I finally got some time today to transfer photos and post them here! Whew. My home theatre setup was done in phases over the last 2 months. I'd say it was pretty fast compared to how long we actually thought it would take.
I was pretty clear that we didn't want to spend upwards of 20-25k on a brand new AV receiver, so I decided to pick up a used unit. Question was - which model I would get, and in what condition would it be?
Fortunately for me, I had informed my used HiFi guy sometime back that I would need a good DTS receiver. Just when I think of calling him to check, he calls me and says "Sir, I've got a nice Yamaha 459 DTS amp without HDMI. Maybe 2006 or 2007 model but superb condition and very good performance. Do you want to have a look?" What timing! We had sort of arranged for about 10-12k for a good used amp and this guy calls me up to say exactly what I wanted to hear! Without wasting more time, I asked him for the model details and his price. He initially quoted 11.5k for the Yamaha RX-V 459. Upon consulting a few of my friends and A/V freaks, I was told not to pay more than 10k for it.
Anyway I checked out the specs, downloaded a PDF, went through it and even contacted 2 people on the forum who are owners of this amp, and decided to go for it. I negotiated with him and he gave me a final price of 10k. Paid him an advance of 1k and 2 weeks later, gave him the 9k balance and brought it home. At this time, we had only the AVR and nothing else to go with it.
Around the same time, my research for speakers was still on. I was very seriously contemplating getting the Wharfedale MovieStar 70+ set, for 30k brand new or for 23k for a 6-month old demo set. Avidyarthy from HFV highly recommended this set and I liked the looks and specs as well. The main reason (as you'd anyway find from my photos) that I was considering a satellite set, was that the main door to the house was eating away about 3 feet of my wall space, due to a depression made for the door. This is the only thing I don't like about our apartment. Everything else is nice. I wanted to get tower speakers after hearing to different models and brands at my friends' places but due to this space constraint I kept trying to convince myself that in this apartment, only satellite speakers would be suitable.
However, one of my friends told me to check out the Yamaha NS 8390 towers if they were still available as he said they were fantastic for the price and the bass was good enough for me to be able to manage without a subwoofer for a while. I checked out the Yamaha India website and I found the NS 8390 3-way floor standers listed for an MRP of 13,992. The matching NS-P60 centre/surround package was listed at an MRP of 9,612. So totally this package at MRP would work out to around 24k. Called up the Yamaha Music Square here in Chennai and they said they had 2 sets of the complete package in stock but would be unable to give me a demo on the same as their demo room was already setup with other models of speakers and amps. They however said they could even give me delivery on the same day evening if I confirmed the order in the morning.
Then I called up another hifi shop where I had been a couple of times last year just before we moved into this apartment. He said the same thing. Have it in stock but can't give you a demo as this is one of the older models and a low-priced product. Both reasons from these dealers were crap, but nothing could be done. Dilemma was now - Wharfedale MS 70+ for 23k used, or 24k for a full Yamaha brand new tower package? I can't remember the number of days I used to keep thinking about this and just be looking nowhere with a blank look on my face.
My wife then said "Look. If you're so keen on those towers and want them so badly, why are you trying to convince yourself with the Wharfedale model? Ask your hifi forum friends and others about these speakers and also check out internet reviews, and then take a decision. We will make some small adjustments when we use the towers, just like we adjust our seating when we watch TV!"
This gave me a fresh boost and I called up the hifi shop again to check on the price. He said he could do a best price of 21.5k for the whole Yamaha package, inclusive of delivery and credit card charges. After speaking to him for another 10-15 mins, he closed the deal at a superb 19k for the whole package! I was more than thrilled. This was on a Friday evening. Went the following afternoon, paid for it, asked them to open the speakers and connect it to their amp and had a demo. Was very very happy with the sound. And they had connected it to a Yamaha 365 AVR. Packed them back into boxes and took them home in the Santro. Towers in the back seat and the centre/surround package box in the front passenger seat. Was finding it tough to change gears with that huge box in the front seat, but adjusted and somehow managed to reach my parents' place.
Unpacked, connected the amp and speakers etc and played some blu ray rips from the WD player, through the LG 42PQ70 plasma there, and they were all amazed at the difference in sound between this system and the Sony HT-DDW 840 HTIB (6 yrs old) which is setup there.
Next, packed up everything and on Sunday morning, went to our new apartment and my wife and I unloaded everything. Rushed to office the next day, got back early and setup the speakers and amp, together with my Pioneer stereo amp and Sony SS-D55AV 3-way bookshelves, Kenwood 13-band graphic equaliser/spectrum analyser unit etc which was already in the hall.
At this point I had only the amp and Yamaha speakers. No tv cabinet and no tv either. The plan though, and a long time dream of mine, was to have a 50 inch plasma wall mounted. The Panny 50 inch models were just too expensive and Samsung had bad service. Didn't want to take a chance. Was initially planning for the LG 50PK550 but once I read so many people were facing issues with it (green dancing pixels and what not), I decided to avoid this model. We would anyway watch some good tv programs like my car shows, music channels, music programs, game shows etc. So I also wanted good sound from the tv.
I found that the only model which met this requirement, was the LG PJ560 plasma. Zeroed in on this model and 10 days back when we were sort of ready with the finances, I checked with my dealer and he said he could get the piece (50PJ560) in 2-3 days if I confirmed it on the phone. Meanwhile I checked with Mehuldil from this forum, who was very happy with the 42PJ560 and its speakers.
I confirmed the order with my dealer and he ordered it from LG. Their showroom is just too small to keep stocks of such big plasmas. Hence the "ordering and getting stock" part. He usually has at least 1 or 2 brand new 42 inch plasmas with him at any time as it's a popular size and pricing is attractive. 42PJ350 was being sold at 39k to new customers, while for known ones like me, it was 37k. Just an example. He had quoted 64k for the PK550, 61k for the PJ560 and about 57k for the PJ350. I could not find better prices in Chennai upon checking.
However 2 weeks back, I saw this huge full page ad in Times of India, for LG plasmas and LCDs with free Airtel HD DTH. And guess what ... the PJ560 50 inch model was advertised at 61,990 with Airtel HD. Called up the dealer at once and told him about this, and he immediately made a call to whomsoever concerned, and told me within 5 mins, that he could give me the 50PJ560 with the Airtel HD for 59k !! I was thrilled. He then closed the deal for me at 58.5k when I went in person. Took it on Finance from Shriram Consumer Finance. Zero percent interest, but documentation and processing charges of 3k odd. 18 month scheme, with 15k initial payment and around 3.6k per month as EMIs for 13 months through post dated cheques.
Next, I needed a good hifi cabinet to put all my components with some space for related accessories too. Checked out various models at different shops and finalized on a Damro unit for about 6.8k. Simple design but very elegant looking and very spacious compartments for all the bulky hifi and a/v gear that we tend to have nowadays. 2 draws as well for accessories, which was a bonus. Paid and got delivery 2 days later.
I also wanted to wall mount the surround speakers as concealed wiring had been done for the rear speakers. So I picked up the surround speaker stands along with one for the centre speaker too, as I had planned to mount the centre speaker on the stand beneath the plasma.
So here's the list of equipment and prices:
Yamaha RX-V 459 (used 2007 model) - 10k
Yamaha NS-8390 3-way front tower speakers and NS-P60 surround and centre speaker package - 19k
Damro TV cabinet - 6.8k
LG 50PJ560 plasma - 58.5k
Surround speaker stands - 300 bucks (for 2 stands)
Centre speaker stand - 200 bucks
I shall post the snaps set by set (phase by phase, as you can see how the look and feel of the hall in my flat changed so much after the arrival of the Damro tv cabinet and the 50 inch plasma!), as I have one set without the plasma, tv cabinet and wall mounted surround speakers. I have another set showing everything together, along with even menu options in the plasma for those who'd be interested.
----Venkat
I finally got some time today to transfer photos and post them here! Whew. My home theatre setup was done in phases over the last 2 months. I'd say it was pretty fast compared to how long we actually thought it would take.
I was pretty clear that we didn't want to spend upwards of 20-25k on a brand new AV receiver, so I decided to pick up a used unit. Question was - which model I would get, and in what condition would it be?
Fortunately for me, I had informed my used HiFi guy sometime back that I would need a good DTS receiver. Just when I think of calling him to check, he calls me and says "Sir, I've got a nice Yamaha 459 DTS amp without HDMI. Maybe 2006 or 2007 model but superb condition and very good performance. Do you want to have a look?" What timing! We had sort of arranged for about 10-12k for a good used amp and this guy calls me up to say exactly what I wanted to hear! Without wasting more time, I asked him for the model details and his price. He initially quoted 11.5k for the Yamaha RX-V 459. Upon consulting a few of my friends and A/V freaks, I was told not to pay more than 10k for it.
Anyway I checked out the specs, downloaded a PDF, went through it and even contacted 2 people on the forum who are owners of this amp, and decided to go for it. I negotiated with him and he gave me a final price of 10k. Paid him an advance of 1k and 2 weeks later, gave him the 9k balance and brought it home. At this time, we had only the AVR and nothing else to go with it.
Around the same time, my research for speakers was still on. I was very seriously contemplating getting the Wharfedale MovieStar 70+ set, for 30k brand new or for 23k for a 6-month old demo set. Avidyarthy from HFV highly recommended this set and I liked the looks and specs as well. The main reason (as you'd anyway find from my photos) that I was considering a satellite set, was that the main door to the house was eating away about 3 feet of my wall space, due to a depression made for the door. This is the only thing I don't like about our apartment. Everything else is nice. I wanted to get tower speakers after hearing to different models and brands at my friends' places but due to this space constraint I kept trying to convince myself that in this apartment, only satellite speakers would be suitable.
However, one of my friends told me to check out the Yamaha NS 8390 towers if they were still available as he said they were fantastic for the price and the bass was good enough for me to be able to manage without a subwoofer for a while. I checked out the Yamaha India website and I found the NS 8390 3-way floor standers listed for an MRP of 13,992. The matching NS-P60 centre/surround package was listed at an MRP of 9,612. So totally this package at MRP would work out to around 24k. Called up the Yamaha Music Square here in Chennai and they said they had 2 sets of the complete package in stock but would be unable to give me a demo on the same as their demo room was already setup with other models of speakers and amps. They however said they could even give me delivery on the same day evening if I confirmed the order in the morning.
Then I called up another hifi shop where I had been a couple of times last year just before we moved into this apartment. He said the same thing. Have it in stock but can't give you a demo as this is one of the older models and a low-priced product. Both reasons from these dealers were crap, but nothing could be done. Dilemma was now - Wharfedale MS 70+ for 23k used, or 24k for a full Yamaha brand new tower package? I can't remember the number of days I used to keep thinking about this and just be looking nowhere with a blank look on my face.
My wife then said "Look. If you're so keen on those towers and want them so badly, why are you trying to convince yourself with the Wharfedale model? Ask your hifi forum friends and others about these speakers and also check out internet reviews, and then take a decision. We will make some small adjustments when we use the towers, just like we adjust our seating when we watch TV!"
This gave me a fresh boost and I called up the hifi shop again to check on the price. He said he could do a best price of 21.5k for the whole Yamaha package, inclusive of delivery and credit card charges. After speaking to him for another 10-15 mins, he closed the deal at a superb 19k for the whole package! I was more than thrilled. This was on a Friday evening. Went the following afternoon, paid for it, asked them to open the speakers and connect it to their amp and had a demo. Was very very happy with the sound. And they had connected it to a Yamaha 365 AVR. Packed them back into boxes and took them home in the Santro. Towers in the back seat and the centre/surround package box in the front passenger seat. Was finding it tough to change gears with that huge box in the front seat, but adjusted and somehow managed to reach my parents' place.
Unpacked, connected the amp and speakers etc and played some blu ray rips from the WD player, through the LG 42PQ70 plasma there, and they were all amazed at the difference in sound between this system and the Sony HT-DDW 840 HTIB (6 yrs old) which is setup there.
Next, packed up everything and on Sunday morning, went to our new apartment and my wife and I unloaded everything. Rushed to office the next day, got back early and setup the speakers and amp, together with my Pioneer stereo amp and Sony SS-D55AV 3-way bookshelves, Kenwood 13-band graphic equaliser/spectrum analyser unit etc which was already in the hall.
At this point I had only the amp and Yamaha speakers. No tv cabinet and no tv either. The plan though, and a long time dream of mine, was to have a 50 inch plasma wall mounted. The Panny 50 inch models were just too expensive and Samsung had bad service. Didn't want to take a chance. Was initially planning for the LG 50PK550 but once I read so many people were facing issues with it (green dancing pixels and what not), I decided to avoid this model. We would anyway watch some good tv programs like my car shows, music channels, music programs, game shows etc. So I also wanted good sound from the tv.
I found that the only model which met this requirement, was the LG PJ560 plasma. Zeroed in on this model and 10 days back when we were sort of ready with the finances, I checked with my dealer and he said he could get the piece (50PJ560) in 2-3 days if I confirmed it on the phone. Meanwhile I checked with Mehuldil from this forum, who was very happy with the 42PJ560 and its speakers.
I confirmed the order with my dealer and he ordered it from LG. Their showroom is just too small to keep stocks of such big plasmas. Hence the "ordering and getting stock" part. He usually has at least 1 or 2 brand new 42 inch plasmas with him at any time as it's a popular size and pricing is attractive. 42PJ350 was being sold at 39k to new customers, while for known ones like me, it was 37k. Just an example. He had quoted 64k for the PK550, 61k for the PJ560 and about 57k for the PJ350. I could not find better prices in Chennai upon checking.
However 2 weeks back, I saw this huge full page ad in Times of India, for LG plasmas and LCDs with free Airtel HD DTH. And guess what ... the PJ560 50 inch model was advertised at 61,990 with Airtel HD. Called up the dealer at once and told him about this, and he immediately made a call to whomsoever concerned, and told me within 5 mins, that he could give me the 50PJ560 with the Airtel HD for 59k !! I was thrilled. He then closed the deal for me at 58.5k when I went in person. Took it on Finance from Shriram Consumer Finance. Zero percent interest, but documentation and processing charges of 3k odd. 18 month scheme, with 15k initial payment and around 3.6k per month as EMIs for 13 months through post dated cheques.
Next, I needed a good hifi cabinet to put all my components with some space for related accessories too. Checked out various models at different shops and finalized on a Damro unit for about 6.8k. Simple design but very elegant looking and very spacious compartments for all the bulky hifi and a/v gear that we tend to have nowadays. 2 draws as well for accessories, which was a bonus. Paid and got delivery 2 days later.
I also wanted to wall mount the surround speakers as concealed wiring had been done for the rear speakers. So I picked up the surround speaker stands along with one for the centre speaker too, as I had planned to mount the centre speaker on the stand beneath the plasma.
So here's the list of equipment and prices:
Yamaha RX-V 459 (used 2007 model) - 10k
Yamaha NS-8390 3-way front tower speakers and NS-P60 surround and centre speaker package - 19k
Damro TV cabinet - 6.8k
LG 50PJ560 plasma - 58.5k
Surround speaker stands - 300 bucks (for 2 stands)
Centre speaker stand - 200 bucks
I shall post the snaps set by set (phase by phase, as you can see how the look and feel of the hall in my flat changed so much after the arrival of the Damro tv cabinet and the 50 inch plasma!), as I have one set without the plasma, tv cabinet and wall mounted surround speakers. I have another set showing everything together, along with even menu options in the plasma for those who'd be interested.
----Venkat
