Equipment & Product Recommendations
The Projector: Epson Home Cinema 1080UB Projector Review | review
Price: $2999 | Buy It Now
Epson makes the LCD display engines (chips) that go into most other 3LCD projectors. As such they really know what they are doing. For years, this expertise caused them to price their systems out of reach for most home theater enthusiasts. Last year all that changed and companies who were secure in their market dominance started fearing for their marketshare.
The Epson Home Cinema 1080UB projector is a projector that should strike fear into all manufacturers of LCD technology. This robust and high-performance model really nails all the important metrics of what a good home theater projector should be - and it has the features to match. 1920x1080 pixels, horizontal and vertical lens shift, solid user calibrations options - you name it, the HC 1080UB is the target to beat this year for the mid-fi 1080p projector market.
Alternates: Panasonic
PT-AX200U LCD ($1999) review; Epson Home Cinema 1080 ($2499) reviewbuy it now |
Carada Criterion Series Brilliant White | review
Price: $690 (92" HDTV screen)
When
choosing a screen for your new cinema, it is important
to keep a few things in mind.
- The size of the screen you can accommodate for your viewing position.
- The amount of throw distance the projector needs to fill the screen (the distance the projector needs to be mounted from the screen).
I would not exceed 120" diagonal for the screen given most projectors currently on the market in this budget. Another thing you will need to select is the screen material. If you have good light control, you may want to consider the following screen.
This is a pure white screen that will provide you with accurate high contrast images provided you can control light in the viewing room. It will also give you large viewing angles up to 45%. If you don't have a lot of light control, then I would recommend the use of the Cinema Vision. This is a white screen material that will give you very punchy colors, decent black levels, and will tolerate some ambient light in the room. The viewing angles will be reduced to about 38%. You also need to be aware that setting up a Front Projection system is more involved than simply placing a Rear projector or Plasma in your room. Running cables to the projector, putting in a 110 volt outlet near the projector, and installing the screen in your room will take time and patience. With a little help from the dealer you purchased it from and some help from a fellow movie watcher it should take no longer than a week end to install. You will be rewarded for your time and effort.
Alternates: Stewart Luxus Deluxe StudioTek 130 ($1683) info; Da-Lite Cinema Contour High Contrast Cinema Vision ($1100) review
The Receiver: Marantz SR7002 | info
Retail
Price: $1399 | Buy It Now
There are a lot of choices in this price category for AV receivers, however we had to give the nod to Marantz this go-around. The SR7002 sports 4 (count 'em) HDMI inputs and two outputs in addition to its ample 4 component inputs (with dual outputs). This beefy receiver has Audyssey's MultEQ and also handles HDMI 1.3 - so all those great audio formats will get decoded and processed. A Zone 2 remote is included and the receiver handles Deep Color and xvYCC as well. 110W x 7 means you'll be able to drive even the most inefficient speakers to ear-bleeding levels and to top it all off, they opted for THX Select2 certification. If you're shopping for an upgrade, and this fits your budget, you can rest assured that you're picking the right receiver.
Alternates: Yamaha RX-V1800 ($1199); Pioneer Elite VSX-92TXH ($1300) info
Best Alternative for Audiophile: The Emotiva MMC-1/LPA-1 Package
Price: $1148
If
you really want to make your speakers sing and have a larger
room demanding more power, we strongly recommend going with the new
Emotiva Ultra Theater Series consisting of the MMC-1 A/V Processor and the LPA-1 7CH Power Amplifier.
This package comes in at $1148 (no typo) around the same price as these
receivers. It even comes with a 2x1 HDMI internal switcher supporting
up to 1080p.
Blu-ray Player: Samsung BD-P1400
Retail Price: $399 | Buy It Now
Now that Toshiba gave up the HD DVD ghost, we're left with the available Blu-ray choices as practical forward-thinking high definition DVD recommendations. BD-Live )Profile 2) issues aside, if you want a player now, then the third-generation Samsung isn't a bad choice as these players go. Outputting 1080p/24/60, the BD-P1400 handles all the latest lossless audio formats and 24p support means that you'll be able to view films as they were intended (and mastered) when paired with a compatible display.
Alternates: Toshiba HD-A35 ($499) info, Samsung BD-UP5000 Hybrid Blu-ray/HD DVD Player ($999) buy it now
If you lean more towards the audio side and would prefer DVD-A and SACD over HD-DVD, then we highly recommend the Denon DVD-2930CI for $849 info.
The Speakers: Mordaunt Short Avant Series | info
Retail Price: $3400 (7.1 system) | Locate a Dealer
Speakers
are the most subjective part of a Home Cinema system!
This single subject draws more praise and criticism
than any other in our hobby. There are many variables
for placing speakers in your new Cinema and many
options. All I can do is help steer you toward a
product that I believe offers the most bang for your
buck based on these key factors:
- Will the speakers provide me and my guests with WOW effect?
- Will the speakers exceed my expectations regardless of price?
- System Synergy: are the speakers tonally the same, do they blend well and will they work well with the rest of the system? Will they be easy to install and do they have placement flexibility.
- Dynamics: are the speakers capable of delivering bone jarring heart thumping sound one moment and subtle whispers the next moment?
- Build quality: do the speakers look good and is the fit and finish refined?
- Can I display the speakers in open spaces and will they look impressive?
- Does the speaker system sound balanced with all types of media?
These are our recommendation for speakers at this price point. These speakers meet all the key points above and still fit in our budget. Its easy to see why Mordaunt-Short earned our 2004 Product of the Year Award for budget multi-channel systems. These guys know how to deliver bang for the buck systems that look as good as they sound!
 |
 |
 |
|
| Model |
Avant
906 |
Avant
902 |
Avant
905C |
| Frequency response |
45Hz-22kHz |
55Hz-22kHz |
60Hz-22kHz |
| Sensitivity |
90 dB |
89 dB |
90 dB |
| Impedance (nominal) |
4-8 ohms |
4-8 ohms |
4-8 ohms |
| Power rating |
15-150Wrms |
15-100Wrms |
15-120Wrms |
| Drivers* |
(2)
130mm aluminium CPC mid/bass |
(1)
130mm aluminium CPC mid |
(2)
130mm aluminium CPC mid/bass |
| X-Over type |
2.5way 2nd order LF, 1st order MF and HF with DVP |
1st order with DVP HF |
1st order |
| Dimensions (hxwxd) |
850mmx165mmx295mm |
290mmx165mmx265mm |
165mmx485mmx200mm |
| Weight |
12kg |
5kg |
7.5kg |
| Magnetic shielding |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Finish |
Honey
Maple
Black
|
Honey
Maple
Black
|
Honey
Maple
Black
|
| MSRP | $800/pair | $400/pair | $300/ea |
 |
 |
|
| Model |
909W |
Avant
903S |
| Frequency response |
30Hz-200Hz |
120Hz-20kHz |
| Sensitivity |
N/A |
87 dB |
| Impedance (nominal) |
N/A |
4-8 ohms |
| Power rating |
300 Wrms |
15-100Wrms |
| Drivers* |
(1) 300mm long throw aluminium CPC woofer |
(2)
100mm aluminium CPC mid/bass |
| X-Over type |
Active - variable between 50 - 200Hz |
2nd order damped LF 1st order HF |
| Dimensions (hxwxd) |
420mm
x 420mm x 420mm |
230mm
x 218mm x 150mm |
| Weight |
28kg |
2.8kg |
| Magnetic shielding |
Yes |
No |
| Finish |
Honey
Maple
Black
|
Honey
Maple
Black
|
| MSRP | $900/ea | $700/pair |
Sure you could do better with a subwoofer from HSU or Axiom, but this system perfectly matches aesthetically and we think it's an important factor to consider in a system of this caliber. If you've got the extra coin, opt for two subwoofers for the benefit of more headroom and better bass distribution across the entire listening area.
For more discriminating audiophile wanting to focus more of their budget on the loudspeaker system, or one that lives in an area of limited distribution for European speakers we recommend the following systems as an alternative.
Alternates: Axiom Audio Epic 80-600 System (~$4,313) review; Buy it Now | Yamaha Soavo Speakers ($5599) Buy it Now
