Need suggestion for Home theater in Apartment

[cyberiafreak]

Hi,
I'm interested in setting up home theater with the budget of 70K. But I stay in my own apartment (second floor) and not bought anything as of now for home theater setup. Waited almost 3 years now..Infact not furnished my hall, thinking about TV placement etc. My hall size is 20x10 feet, would like to have a decent home theater without disturbing neighbors(we share a common wall).

Having one more option is- guest bedroom which is 10x10 room, no furnitures and wont be having guest often.

Pls suggest me which one to go, I love watching movies, songs, occasionally connect to my PC as well.

Sometime think about HTPC also. First thought of going for Bose, but my friend(Hifi member) advised me not to go with that.

If any body staying in an apartment, having home theater setup < 70-80 K, pls suggest me / share your plan.

thanks in advance
Mahesh,Blr

 

[dillihifi]

you can try out the violet audio system which will fit into your budget. This makes a nice complement to the HTPC. Well take an audition first. It is slated to be launched in Dec

 

[Kittu]

Well if you are sure no guests and furniture in second bedroom thats the best for HT room over living.

Coming to the setup..

You can choose a nice AVR (Denon 1911/Onkyo 608/ Yamaha XX7) series and pair with good 5.1 speakers.. Paradigm,Energy,Deftech pro,QA and Wharfcinema package.

First audition the speaker package then choose the avr to drive them .

Good luck.

 

[crewcut]

Strongly reco moving the TV to the guest bedroom. That way people can watch it selectively without highjacking the attention of everyone in the house.

If you get a sofa cum bed, it doubles up for hosting guests too when required.

 

[afj]

it depends...do you like being alone and no one disturbing you when you listen or watch then the guest bedroom is the place to go. but if youre like me and enjoy listening to music with friends and a more communal style then keep it in the hall

 

[sud98]

As said there are pros and cons of both approaches

Living Room
Pros
Larger room so can buy better quality speakers
If you can integrate a projector it will enhance the viewing experience
Cons
Furniture will cause placement options
Like mentioned if you like to see or listen alone then impossible

Guest room Would be the opposite in pros and cons
Since its a small room, you may have lesser options and will need a smaller (cinema type) speakers and probably a TV should do fine.

If there is an option of expanding this room (like how vinay did) by breaking a bathroom, it would be a fantastic option.

 

[dillihifi]

I think a HTPC + a projector/plasma > 50in + violet is the way to go in future for HT in apartments/living rooms but this is not so for dedicated HT rooms.

However, a receiver alongwith sat sub is also an option though u have to deal with the wiring also.

 

[crewcut]

Get the best of both with a multi-zone AVR. Run the HT in the guest bedroom and play music in the hall.

Wiring will be a challenge though.

 

[Kittu]

Wiring shld not be a problem .. As most aptments will have standard TV cable point connected from living to bedroom... Use the same pipe to get the speaker wires out .

 

[cyberiafreak]

Wow really this is an amazing community, thanks everyone for your time, patience and response. Points are really worth...and have chosen guest bed room for the setup.

1) Samsung TV -26 inch -~25.5 K ( 10 x 10 room, cannot make out extra space) & blue ray player from sony 3370- ~10K

2) For AVR + speakers - thinking seriously to take some package(HTib) which supports future or upcoming tech's++, no upgrade for atleast 3-5 years. 5.1 setup would be sufficient enough for the room size. Pls recommend any good one, reviewed from our members. Cost [20-30K]

3) Bought today HI-Fi magazine & AV MAX to catch up the latest happening, product, brand, deals, price -- but can't able to choose anything out of that. May be for 1 lakh+ budget lots are there as recommendation. Nov Hi-Fi Magazine also covered about 2010 awards.

4) Want to hear about Onkyo HT-S3100 and HT-S5300 - reviews, price, performance from our members. More at here - ONKYO SIGHT & SOUND - INDIA
[ Happen to see the onkyo advertisement in the back AV MAX magazine ]

And also Pls add your comments, recommendation- for guest room setup like furnishing, electrical points, power surger?, stands...or anything if you would like to share frm your learnings also welcome.

thanks.
Mahesh, Brookefield, Bangalore

 

[Kittu]

Wow really this is an amazing community, thanks everyone for your time, patience and response. Points are really worth...and have chosen guest bed room for the setup.

1) Samsung TV -26 inch -~25.5 K ( 10 x 10 room, cannot make out extra space) & blue ray player from sony 3370- ~10K

Go for a big TV ... Hold on to Bluray player for sometime and get a media player.

2) For AVR + speakers - thinking seriously to take some package(HTib) which supports future or upcoming tech's++, no upgrade for atleast 3-5 years. 5.1 setup would be sufficient enough for the room size. Pls recommend any good one, reviewed from our members. Cost [20-30K]

Onkyo HTIB-3300 (Groupbuy 22k going in HFV) Best in your budget.

3) Bought today HI-Fi magazine & AV MAX to catch up the latest happening, product, brand, deals, price -- but can't able to choose anything out of that. May be for 1 lakh+ budget lots are there as recommendation. Nov Hi-Fi Magazine also covered about 2010 awards.


Yes , but sometimes you can get lucky and see some products in your budget but not in bangalore .

4) Want to hear about Onkyo HT-S3100 and HT-S5300 - reviews, price, performance from our members. More at here - ONKYO SIGHT & SOUND - INDIA
[ Happen to see the onkyo advertisement in the back AV MAX magazine ]

Forget 3100 its dead. 5300 is not in the budget you mentioned so 3300 is a better buy.

You may have a window in the bedroom try close it with thick curtains. Paint it as dark as you can. Do not do any furnishings until you decide on a design for Entertainment unit. Electrical points have 2 one for power another with inverter backup. Always good ..

Interesting you are in brookfields

 

[sud98]

Go for a big TV ... Hold on to Bluray player for sometime and get a media player.
Electrical points have 2 one for power another with inverter backup. Always good ..

Interesting you are in brookfields

Media Player is good if you primarily download, Blu Ray Player makes better sense if you primarily play original BD/DVD and dont want the hassle of ripping.

Is an inverter a good option? I though a second independent main is a good option but an inverter does cause issues in the switching from mains to inverter.

Brookfields is close to my place(Marathahalli) too

 

[Kittu]

Media Player is good if you primarily download, Blu Ray Player makes better sense if you primarily play original BD/DVD and dont want the hassle of ripping.

Is an inverter a good option? I though a second independent main is a good option but an inverter does cause issues in the switching from mains to inverter.

Brookfields is close to my place(Marathahalli) too

Yep. My point was Big tv is better . Inverter is only a backup. In normal bedrooms these builders put always 5amp points not bigger ones... So I said to have 2 points one 15amp and another 5. Always Run the AV on raw power.. During failures some emergency times you can watch TV alone on inverter backup . (IPL,F1 and Soccer games) .

Me also brookfields

 

[Subha15011976]

For TV u may think LG Infinia 26" led tv costs 28+ K. See link below-
LG LED LCD Television in India - Model 26LE5300 LED LCD
For HTiB Set up u may think

1) Pioneer Todoroki - Home Entertainment Systems
Todoroki - Home Entertainment Systems

2) Logitech Z5500 & Sony BDP S370 (No need for Avr)
Z-5500 Digital 5.1 Speaker System
BDP-S370 : Blu-ray Disc Players : Home Video : Sony India

3) Philips HTiB
Philips - 5.1/7.1 Home theatres - Sound and vision - Home theatre

Plz go throuth these it all comes under ur budget.

Cheer

 

[crewcut]

Our room is the same size as yours and as long as our 32" LCD was on the bookshelf about 18" away from the wall it looked fine. The minute we took apart the bookshelf and mounted the TV on the wall, it suddenly looked small. I would reco at least a 32" panel, especially if it's close to the wall and you are sitting on the other end.

There are many discussions here on HTiB, particulary on the Onkyo packages you referred to.