Calling All Home Theater Junkies...

[jeb6294]

The newer sound bars I've heard at various friends' houses are actually pretty decent. And quite a bit less of a PIA.

The wife got me that Bose soundbar this past Christmas.  Definitely a vast improvement over the TV speakers.  It's got Bluetooth so I've played music from my phone over it, way louder than I ever needed to do with anything on the TV so far, and it can blast out some pretty serious sound.  One wire to connect and it hides away nicely behind/under the TV (wasn't quite enough space to fit it under the TV so it is right behind it but the sound doesn't seem to be affected at all).  Only thing it doesn't have that would have been nice is the CEC HDMI that would let you control the volume with the TV remote, but I've gotten along just fine without it.

 

[knight1fox3]

Only thing it doesn't have that would have been nice is the CEC HDMI that would let you control the volume with the TV remote, but I've gotten along just fine without it.

If I remember correctly, I believe there is a Bluetooth-to-IR adapter that can be had for relatively cheap which should provide conventional remote connectivity. :thumbs:

 

[Supe]

I have a relatively cheap sound bar in my living room.  The original TV speakers were so bad, that fairly normal dialogue and bass would make the case on the back of the TV resonate and create this horrendous sound.  It more than does the trick for normal TV watching, but it's no theater experience.

 

[Master slacker]

All i have is an 9-year old 50" plasma, a two-channel DIY amp in a hobby box, Overnight Sensations, and an old Altec Lansing ADA885 subwoofer being repurposed when I get the amp in this week. 

 

[Supe]

All i have is an 9-year old 50" plasma, a two-channel DIY amp in a hobby box, Overnight Sensations, and an old Altec Lansing ADA885 subwoofer being repurposed when I get the amp in this week. 

I still need to build a pair of Overnight Sensations for my office!

 

[Dleg]

Final verdict on the 4K Blu ray player:  I can't hardly see the difference between that and regular 1080p Blu ray.  Not saying it was a waste, but...... it might have been. 

This with a 65 inch 4K TV.  Yes, I have all the settings correct. Yes, the colors are more vivid in UHD.  Yes, I can see the greater resolution when I stand up next to my TV.  But I can't see the difference sitting in my couch, 11-12 feet away.

 

[jeb6294]

Final verdict on the 4K Blu ray player:  I can't hardly see the difference between that and regular 1080p Blu ray.  Not saying it was a waste, but...... it might have been. 

This with a 65 inch 4K TV.  Yes, I have all the settings correct. Yes, the colors are more vivid in UHD.  Yes, I can see the greater resolution when I stand up next to my TV.  But I can't see the difference sitting in my couch, 11-12 feet away.

No argument from me.  The TV I just got is a 4K, although I didn't get it because it was 4K.  I've watched some 4K stuff and it doesn't really look that much different to me.  I gotta figure that at some point, they're doing stuff that the human eye can't pick up but it sounds impressive and helps sell more TV's..

 

[Supe]

Final verdict on the 4K Blu ray player:  I can't hardly see the difference between that and regular 1080p Blu ray.  Not saying it was a waste, but...... it might have been. 

This with a 65 inch 4K TV.  Yes, I have all the settings correct. Yes, the colors are more vivid in UHD.  Yes, I can see the greater resolution when I stand up next to my TV.  But I can't see the difference sitting in my couch, 11-12 feet away.

The one I really noticed a difference on was "Finding Dory".  It really changed the fluidity/detail of the animation.  I'm not sure it translates as well to live footage.

 

[Supe]

The hits keep coming!  This last lightning strike (second in 10 months) officially took out the projector, receiver, PS4 Pro, subwoofer amp, and my upstairs furnace  

My wallet is hurting big time.  Replacement equipment includes (and I had to seriously scour the internet for deals):

Receiver: Marantz 6013

Projector: Sony HW45ES

PS4 Pro: Being taken in for repair on Friday

Subwoofer Amp: Dayton Audio SA230

New addition: Panamax MR4300 line conditioner/surge suppressor for most of the AV equipment (rated/warrantied against lightning strikes w/equipment coverage)

New addition: Tripp Lite AV2FB Isobar line conditioner/surge protector to ceiling mount for the projector (also rated/warrantied against lightning strikes w/equipment coverage)

Found the Marantz at the lowest price its ever been.  Still uses Audyssey for setup, and I prefer its music capabilities over the equivalent Denon.

Because I had to replace the other gear, no 4K projector for now.  I was not willing to spend $5K on a compromised native 4K projector, and there are very few offerings in the $3K market with Panasonic no longer manufacturing units like they did a decade ago.  I am not sold on the "simulated" 4K/upscaling in the sub-$5K projector offerings, and I know the price for the real deal technology will drop considerably in the coming years.  So I got a SCREAMING deal on a refurb Sony, which is rated about as highly as any 1080P projector gets in a controlled light environment, and cost me only A THIRD of what the upscaling Epson would have.

The sub amp is nothing to write home about, but is the only decent amp I could find under $300 with some review/reliability history (it's also a class A/B).  230 amps into 4 ohms is plenty for what I need, as my ported SonoSub is pretty efficient, and the previous plate amp had a lesser output than that.

Deal of the weekend, though - I had been wanting to put an AV rack in where the small door opening in the false wall was, because it sucks having to half crawl behind the wall to turn everything on, change discs, etc.  Scouring Craigslist, I found a 7 foot rack with 5 shelves for $70!  Turns out it was a Seismic rated Mid Atlantic rack that lists at $1100 not counting the shelves.  The guy did demo for a living, and a bank was using it for their customer waiting area TV equipment.  He thought he might use it someday, decided he wanted the garage space, so it went home with me.  Made it as far as my front lawn - cut it down to 52" so it would fit behind my false wall.  Secured it to the floor/wall, works like a dream, and no more crawling through the doggie door to change anything.

Any recommendations on whole-home surge protectors?  @knight1fox3?  Looking at the Siemens FS140, which seems to be equipped to handle lightning strikes and be 3 stages so it can protect a broader array of devices/surge levels.