OK..It's time...

[hawk52]

try to get this abridged;

- awhile ago posted severe ice dam damage due to f*&^ing winter
- got insurance claim, recieved settlement, got check, bid out for quotes and:
- today the work began
- in my living/media room had to take all apart, TV audio..ect..
- started to look at the mess of cables ect. umm??? good time to reconfigure/organize
- umm??? good time to upgrade TV from the loved Mitsu 55" RPTV to 55" plasma?
- well that receiver served me well.. but.. it's old and a tech refresh is in order
_ a blue ray.. till now have not been motivated due to the obsolete stuff I have now
_ had a good year 10' with bonus ect.. expect 11' to be better as the pipeline looks real good..
- so $$ not to much of a factor within reason figure budget of 2K TV & 1K Reciever.. with open mind
- Speaker upgrade will come too.. but it's going to be a bit more $$ and after 11' finishes with a bang
- the Panasonic line seems to have high regard here and other reviewers..
- 3d not a real need..internet apps yes... quality picture absolute as well as reliabilty.. suggestions welcomed
- have not much reserach into the reciever yet so ideas and suggestion the the 1K or less range welcomed.
- no seperates please ..to lazy and I believe for me and my use a good recievers will be super ample..

so as stressed as the restoration is, the thought of new audio/video in the HT makes me feel it might be worth it..

looking forward to your suggestions

 

[Botch]

My story is exactly the same as yours, except instead of an ice dam, it was new carpeting for me. I didn't want to re-set up my hujazz entertainment center, my 12-year-old 27" CRT TV, and my 30-year-old stereo on the new carpeting, so I upgraded everything too.

It's a wild, fun process, and you'll enjoy it immensely!

 

[hawk52]

thanks Botch.. i do look forward to the upgrade.. it's whats in between...like no bedroom to sleep in, no TV other than my office (my wife took that over) and all the movement of everything...it's tuff.. then i think of Japan and all my issues go away real soon.. i actually feel guilty thinking of what i'm going through as compared to their suffering..

 

[Botch]

...it's tuff.. then i think of Japan and all my issues go away real soon.. i actually feel guilty thinking of what i'm going through as compared to their suffering..

Amen, Hawk... :|

 

[-B-]

Go top of the line Panasonic, if you don't mind an outgoing model line go for the VT. I have seen them around $1700 for a 50". Though top of the line Samsungs are damn near the Panny, I prefer the Panny for reliability.

Receivers, so many choices it makes your head spin. Onkyo seems to offer best performance per dollar ratio, Marantz to me is just a dead sexy package. Pioneer offers a lot of bang for the buck, but for some reason I can't get past them being a secondary system option....I have no reason for this other than there has to be a reason they are much cheaper than the rest at equal spec. I have heard the Elites are no more than pretty gold and a different color digital display, but I can't confirm or deny. That said I bought a Pioneer for my bedroom :think: The Bluetooth option was the major factor there, I'm wondering if since they have more Bluetooth experience with the automotive side that it can be incorporated at a lesser cost than the other manufacturers.

Oppo seems to be the player of choice, but with Sony, Samsung and Panasonic you really can't go wrong. Many options with all the streaming capabilities you could ask for. $1/150 can get one heck of a player.

 

[PaulyT]

Cool. Way to turn a big annoyance into a big upgrade opportunity! There were some good deals on Yamaha receivers being posted recently... dunno if any of those are still going, but check the classifieds section.

 

[hawk52]

well...here an update... i said fairwell to my mitsu ws55511this AM.. on C.L Friday PM. Free...u pick it up it yours...within 1/2 hour 2 requests...1st one decided no...2nd showed up with truck and he loaded up...

decided on the following for HT;
Panny P55GT30... not released yet... said march...but most likely early April
Onkoyo NR3008 receiver.... will get it with the TV...
good price quoted on both.. so once the tv is in i will work with a local retailer no bb for me thank you...
still need to research a BR player...

also going pull out my old Dual 510 TT.. i have much vinal going back from my father collection of the 50's and up...

also renovations in full swing... insulation and walls done last week... this weekend all HW floors being sanded and mon-tues. 3 coats of finish and buffed
wed. roof replaced...
painting not scheduled
the 7th all upstairs carpeting replaced....

Keeping the faith and in perspective......

 

[hawk52]

the home stretch...

floors refinished
roof replaced
painting starts mon. ends wed.
2nd flr carpeting replaced thurs.

this has been one hellish time.... the work involved sucks..both the physical and mental wear takes it's toll. once done it will be great.. and the HT upgrade will be the reward.

 

[Botch]

Anxious to see some pics when its all done.

 

[hawk52]

here's a sense of the damage and the work...when it's restored i'll share the results

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/580002567BuRHlz

 

[hawk52]

its been awhile..i finally got out to a retailer who deals in mostly high end but will work with a cheap Pr&%^k like myself. they have been around for a long time and do have what it takes to put you into what you can afford and with top notch service. FYI Natural Sound in Framingham Ma.

spent close to 3 hours with one of their sales consultants. my wife came along kinda funny.. as we were one of the the rooms and sitting on some real cozy HT furniture. i think a couple of time she dozed off.. there so long watched mr and mrs smith.. saw a real good portion.. g-d shes so hot..my wife too... :teasing-tease:

so going with
- panny...p55gt30
- panny bdt-210 BR player
- Marantz sr5005... which is not the onkyo nr3008.. but i did demo the sr7005..they don't deal with onkyo. when i asked why basically reliability.. that had too many problems... did not trash the performance..just reliability.. FYI Marantz is 3 year warr labor parts and the retailer doubles it automatically..6 yrs ... im sold... and you have 30 days in home use...dont like it bring back...i caveated that i had not looked into marantz and would.. i've looked since home and cant find much in negative responses from users avsforum in particular...ANYONE HERE HAVE THOUGHTS PLEASE PROVIDE.. nothing via a search..
- Salamander design senergy twin in cherry w black metal... i have had the single with my original purchase backin 04'.

issue is the gt30 is still in limited availability.. so the question is when,... i decided on a wall mount and i need them to do it.. so install lead time is dependant on availabilty.

all in all im excited that i made the move and if all goes well it should be done in a few weeks...

on another note...

i mentioned in my previous post i'll be bringing out the dual 510 TT. well the marantz unit has no input for phono.. i mentioned to the sale guy i have a 2 channel Yamaha that was my main system in the 80's. he suggested using it... and inputting to one of the tape inputs on the marantz via anlolog. he says that with the focus on video and audio switching today even the units with phono input are not of the quality of the old analog systems. i cant dispute as when those were the state of the art vinal ruled... so i'm breaking that out too.. should be fun to play with it. if all else fails he said for $100 an adapter can be had that will allow for the use via the marantz.. i like the idea of using 80's technology.. i have the room as i'm using the salamander single for turntable, wii and some other yet to be decided components..

so that's where im at... all restoration done.. now i need my TV.....!!!!!!!!!!

 

[hawk52]

up and running... :music-rockout: ... all is well and working.. watching the west finals.. only been a few hours so alot of playing to do..... pictures will be posted in the next week or so... just going to let things settle in.. and learn the ins and outs of the hardware...need to program the harmony 1100.. its been close to 2 months w/o a main HT... i'm a happy camper...

 

[-B-]

Sweet, now it's all set up I'll hold my suggestion of adding just a phono preamp as they sell pretty cheap. As you should know buy now.....THIS THREAD IS WORTHLESS WITHOUT PICS!!!

 

[hawk52]

Re: OK..It's time...Pictures Posted...

Pictures posted...

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/alb ... 1142bTrAxT

 

[heeman]

Lookin' Good.............

How does it sound???? :music-rockout:

 

[hawk52]

Thanks,

so far so good... have not done any critical listening.. so far what i have listened to is warm and i'm quite pleased. and certainly a plus over my Sony... to busy playing with the features. i like the viera cast... the panny is great... solid blacks.. the break in time will help. i've done some adjusting to my liking, will continue to adjust. one thing is the viewing area. the old RPTV there was not much range. the plasma allows for people to it at great angles and see well. i dont have any blue rays... so i think ill goto redbox to check something out. i used the Audessy auto setup. what a breeze and seems well calibrated.