The Projector: Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 7500UB

MSRP: $4,999 info

Epson’s newest high-performance 1080p 3LCD flagship projector is a sight to behold. The 7500UB features the latest-generation Epson D7 platform with C2Fine technology, Ultra Black technology with 75,000:1 contrast – that’s the best in the industry, Silicon Optix HQV Reon-VX with PW390 processor, 12 bit panel driver, 120 Hz FineFrame Technology, Anamorphic (vertical stretch) scaling, etc, etc…With too many features to name, you’ll have to see this one to believe it. It is also compatible with an anamorphic lens attachment is made by Panamorph which will bump up the price a couple of thousand dollars.

Alternates: JVC DLA-HD100 ($7999) info, InFocus ScreenPlay 777 ($14,500) ; Yamaha DPX-1300 ($12,495) info

Projector Screen: Seymour AV 109" H095 Center Stage XD Screen

Price: $2,637 (109" HDTV screen) info

What doesn't Seymour AV Screens provide? We can't think of anything. They retract, they are acoustically transparent so you can place your center channel behind them, they come with either IR (for easy universal remote integration) or RF control. They manufacturing every screen with its fabric cut at an 15 degree angle with respect to the roll to eliminate the possibility of screen induced Moire. They have Somfy ILT motors for fast, smooth, and most importantly quiet operation. Want an extruded aluminum case? No problem. Want it in custom finishes? They've got that too. For this system we've picked an H095 Center Stage XD 109" diagonal screen with 1.18 gain, 1500+ holes/sq. in., 4k ready A.T. material with stitched fabric velvet borders, tab tensioned, and black backing included. Of course, it's got the Somfy ILT motor with IR receiver, control junction and wall switch. For extra pizzazz we've opted for the extruded aluminum case with Black Pearl Blue, 5 coat gloss paint but you can certainly find less costly options from them. .

Alternates: Stewart Luxus Deluxe StudioTek 130 ($2395) info; Da-Lite Cinema Contour High Contrast Cinema Vision ($1400)

The Processor: Denon AVP-A1HDCI 12CH Home Theater Processor

Retail Price: $7,500 info / review
The Denon AVP-A1HDCI represents bleeding edge technology that only a select few manufacturers can compete with regardless of price. If you’re looking for the very best home theater separates solution, I highly recommend considering the Denon AVP-A1HDCI pre/pro and POA-A1HDCI ten channel power amp. While their model #’s aren’t impressive sounding, and the associated name doesn’t quite have the prestige of a Levinson or Krell, you can rest assured the Denon products have it where it counts in performance and features and are pound for pound a better value than virtually all of the super high end products on the market. From its Realta video processing engine, to its sophisticated Audyssey room correction, top notch construction and component usage, you’re getting Mercedes level performance and refinement at Acura prices. Your high end audio snob friends may snicker at this system, especially since they likely spent 2-3 times more for hollow boxes, but I suggest humbling yourself by saying nothing. You don’t want everyone driving the same car you’re driving, do you?

The Processor: Denon POA-A1HDCI 10 Channel Power Amplifier

Retail Price: $7,500 info / review

The Denon POA-A1HDCI is as powerful as it is heavy but most importantly it exhibits ultra low noise and distortion to handle the subtle nuances of music with great finesses and clarity. The POA-A1HDCI revitalizes Denon’s high end stigma that it earned over the years but also puts itself into an elitist price category that only the very wealthiest audiophiles would dare tread. It will most certainly serve as a conversational piece when people visit and see the sheer mass of this mega multi-channel amplifier. You can rest assured that its size is backed by legendary performance one would expect from Denon flagship pieces. The POA-A1HDCI delivers respectable high and most importantly clean dynamic power and provides enough channels to handle even the largest scale home theater installations with a few to spare for specialized needs and installations. Coupled with the matching AVP-A1HDCI processor, you’ve got a state of the art A/V separates solution that can run toe to toe with any of its peers in this price class.

Transport: Denon DVD-A1UDCI ‘Universal’ BD Player

Price: $3,800 info

The DVD-A1UDCI ‘Universal’ BD Player not only plays DVDs and Blu-ray, but also SACD and DVD-A. Finally, you can get rid of all your other transports while retaining access to your entire content library. Except for those HD DVD discs of course. At $3800 a pop, this is definitely not your father's Blu-ray player. So what does $3800 get you? Blu-ray 2.0 ready, SACD and DVD-A playback (a first in combination with a Blu-ray player), and just about any other format you can think of. Of course, you're going to be interesting in 1080p upconversion and Denon's got you covered with the 10-bit Silicon Optix Realta chipset famous for providing the highest resolution high-definition video available today via HDMI connection. The DVD-A1UDCI has dual HD video output scalers so images can be output in HD resolution quality via both the HDMI output and component output ports. On the audio side, you've got Advanced AL32 Processing, allowing digital upsampling of 16- and 24-bit digital signals to 32-bits. The player offers full on-board HD Audio decoding from Denon’s DDSC-HD branded circuitry, as well as allowing for Bit Stream Bypass to HDMI for Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution and DTS-HD Master Audio digital transmission to an AVR/AVP for decoding.

Alternates: PS3 ($399) info Plus one of the following - Denon DVD-1940CI ($369) info; Oppo DV-983H ($399) info

The Speakers: RBH Sound T30-LSE, T-1/R, 66-SE/R, 61-SE/R, 1010-SEP/R

Retail Price (system): $15,000/pair (T30) + $4,519/each (T-1/R) + $2,949/pair (66-SE/R) + $2,049/pair (61-SE/R) + $2,999/each x 2 (dual 1010-SEP/R)= $30,515 [Locate a Dealer]

T30-LSE - Review
T-1/R - info
66-SE/R - info
61-SE/R - info
1010-SEP/R - info

We know speakers are subjective, but we have found RBH Sound to consistently make products that challenge what we know about "high end" speakers time and time again. Many speakers costing much more have graced our Reference Systems, and just as quickly departed. With an incredible, almost unbelievably detailed mid-range and crystal clear, undistortable highs, the RBH Sound Signature Series dives to the top of our loudspeaker recommendation list. These are the flagship speakers we use in our highest end setup which alone should be recommendation enough. The only worthy alternative would be the RBH Sound CinemaSITE which will save you about $5000 info | Review.

Acoustic Consultant: Auralex Room Analysis

Price: $250+ info

Auralex has three different levels of Room Analysis, standard (where you fill out a form, Plus (where they send you a sweep, you fill out the form and measure the response in your room, and they tell you where to move your speakers and place treatments), and Pro (where they come to your house. The standard edition is free, all you need to do is fill out a form. The Plus is $250 for the first measurement location and $100 for each additional measurement. The Pro version has a qualified Auralex rep out to your home to measure your room. Cost on that last one is variable based on your location and scope of work. We suggest at the very least the Plus version with a theater of this magnitude probably demanding the Pro version. Hey, if you're going to have nice speakers and electronics, you'd better take care of that room too!

Acoustics Treatments: Auralex Acoustics

Price: $4,000 info

Now that you know what treatments you need and where you need it, the next step is to treat your room. A good starting point is Auralex Elite which has a wide diversity of acoustical products that will improve the sound of your room without hampering the aesthetics. The SonoSeude system is a great start. Sonofiber and Metrofusor are great supplements when more aggressive room treatments are required. Consulting with the experts at Auralex couldn't be easier. Fax them your room plans and they will come up with some recommended treatments and locations to fit within your budget. Its always good to have more than one set of eyes looking at your room to recommend the best type of treatments. Properly treating your room will ensure you get the most out of your A/V system.

Power: APC Power S20 Conditioner | Info

Price: $1,799/ea (we recommend two) | Buy It Now

APC is the leader in power protection and battery backup products. Moving into the home theater market was a welcome event. The APC S20 features an output capacity of 1500VA (1250W) with battery backup and adjustable voltage sensitivity. The batteries are tool-less, hot-swapable and the unit has resettable circuit breakers. It is UL approved and the VFD display and LED status and display indicators gives all necessary information to ensure that the system is running at optimal settings. Additional features include pure sinewave backup, sequential turn on/off, USB connectivity, isolated filter banks and dataline surge protection. Additional batteries can be added to extend backup time. Additional features include network manageability, temperature/humidity monitoring and a 28 percent larger power train versus the S15.

Note: The installer is advised to run two dedicated 120V 20A amp outlets to power all of the equipment while also running a dedicated line for the Epson Projector.

Power: Furman AC-215 Compact Power Conditioner

Price: $249/ea info

Your probably thinking why another power conditioner when your all set with the two APC S-15's. Well, at only 1.75"H x 5"W x 8.5"D, and weighing in at only 3 lbs., the AC-215's compact, low-profile design makes it ideal for mounting on the ceiling right next to the Yamaha DLP front projector. You definitely don't want to skimp on protecting your most valued piece of equipment in the system (not to mention extending the life of your bulb) and Furman handsomely delivers the goods in the neat little package

The Seats: Berkline 090

Price: $2500 (for 3 chairs)

These chairs by Berkline are very popular due to price and size (about 40" wide each including a left and right armrest) so you can usually fit 3-4 of them into a decent size home theater room. We chose to include a basic triple configuration of these chairs in black for this system. The convenient cupholders and the ability they have to recline without needing much clearance from the back wall makes them extremely versatile. You can upgrade these chairs to include TouchMotion motorized reclining and you can even add a Buttkicker system should you want a more tactile theater experience.

Another important thing to note is the height of the back of the theater chair. You want something that is going to allow the sound from the Surround Back channels to freely reach your ears without hitting the back of the chair. At 41.5" tall, these chairs are perfect for 7.1 surround rooms.

Alternatives: For more custom and upscale solutions with the utmost quality, we recommend checking out seating solutions from Continental Seating. A seating package starts at around $5k for 3 chairs, but the sky is the limit with respect to configurability and choices in materials, colors, etc. Considering you spend most of your time sitting while being entertained by your home theater system, this is money well spent.

The Remote Control: RTI Corp T3 Universal Controller

Price: $1,199 info

The T3 is RTI's ultimate handheld universal controller. With a full color TFT LCD display, powerful 32-bit MCU, 32MB of memory, and Wi-Fi communication option, the T3 takes remote control to a new level.

The amazing T3 Universal System Controller combines the power and flexibility of a graphic LCD touchscreen with an ergonomic design that permits effortless one-handed operation. The T3 is one of the most user-friendly universal remote controls on the market and certainly one of the most diversified for programmability and configurability. Combined with the other TheaterTouch products, the T3 becomes a robust commercial-quality control system.

Alternates: Universal Remote Control Inc MX-950 Aurora w/MSC-400 ($1449)