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My Almost-daily Journal |
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| About I love trying out new things, especially when it comes to internet technology. I never really kept a journal, but it's something that I've always wanted to do. Now, everybody will get a chance to look inside my twisted, and somewhat-warped mind.
I've also subscribed to Audio Blog, so a few times a week, I'll leave actual voice blogs. Very cool!XML Newsfeed Previous Posts
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Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Finally Bit the BulletWe're finally making some progress on the living room home theather system. We're slowly chiseling that project away, piece by piece, day by day. Last month we finally made a decision on the TV stand/stereo rack. That was a major milestone. It looks fabulous, by the way! Here's a pic of the stand:  My main concern was an area that will hold my tall Yamaha receiver, as well as a shelf that could accomodate a center channel speaker. I am very happy with our decision to go with the BDI Deploy 9639 stand. Danielle was hoping for something more Amish, but I had a hard time envisioning a modern plasma display sitting on an heirloom relic dresser from the colonial days. Yesterday, I picked up a Definitive C/L/R 2300 center channel speaker from Pecars. They let me borrow it to see how it fits. It's sitting nicely on the middle rack:  Here's some of the detailed specs on this bad boy: -Recommended Amplifier Power: 20 - 250 watts -Nominal Impedance: 4 - 8 ohms -Tweeter: 1" pure aluminum dome tweeter -Midrange: two cast-basket 5 1/4" upper-bass/midranges in D'Appolito arrays -8" subwoofer -Built-in sub amp: 150 watts RMS -Frequency Response: 22Hz - 30kHz -Non-resonant monocoque cabinet -Magnetic Shielding: both metal shield and dual field canceling magnets -Auto On/Off: Signal sensing -Linkwitz-Riley crossover networks -Wide dispersion pure aluminum dome tweeters with magnetic fluid cooling -Diffractionless grill/baffle interface -Full-range quality and linear response -Dolby Digital AC-3 ready -27 lbs. -19.5" x 12" x 5.8" The speaker not only is a piece of jewelry, it sounds crisper, cleaner, more separated, and deeper than some floor-standing speakers I've listened to. This thing has an amp and a subwoofer built-in! This means I can run that speaker in "large" mode in the receiver setup. I can't wait to fire up Saving Private Ryan in DTS and the Matrix. I'm gonna shake the house off the foundation. I'm still on the fence on the front speakers. The Klipch monstrosities are in the living room now, but those are not going to grow too long of roots. I got congressional approval to get nicer speakers. I'm currently considering the Definitive BP-10B's or quite possibly the BP-7001's (same as BP-10B's but with built in 10" woofer + 300 W amp). There's also some dude selling a set of BP-2004 TL's on ebay, which is a similar set, but two model numbers older. Here's what those jewels will look like:  Still, it's a tough decision, considering all the key considerations: price, sound, and aesthetics. Sound and aesthetics are a no-brainer. Price? Well, that's a whole other story. Decisions decisions... Drumroll please.... And finally, the biggest milestone of today is that I finally make a plasma purchase! Yes, I bit the bullet! But wait... I bit the bullet back in October, when I ordered a 42" direct from Panasonic. And it's now February, and still no plasma! After months and months of research, flip flopping back and forth between Pioneer, Panasonic, and Samsung, the decision is made. When I first saw the Pioneer Elite in AV Systems in Rochester, I fell in love with it. It was considered a "monitor" plasma, meaning that it basically was just a plasma display-- no tuner, no speakers, no nothing! Just a display. That thing looked sharp! It came with a Pioneer media box, that is nothing more than a box with a stereo component form factor that gave you all the inputs, tuners, and things the plasma needed to be functional, without sacarificing real estate ON the plasma. Only problem, the 50" model cost over $6500. That was my benchmark. Every plasma I liked had attached speakers on the bottom or sides, or was silver, or had a huge bezel... compromises compromises. I have digital cable, so I could care less for a built in HD tuner. I have a high end stereo system, so I don't need built in speakers. There was just not a consumer-level plasma TV that suited my minimalist needs. Then I decided to step up the research. I jumped on all the reviews ever written on the internet, and stumbled across CNET.com. I should've checked there first. You want to know what CNET's biggest recommendation is, hands down, for the best plasma display? It's a commercial-level plasma monitor made by Panasonic: the TH-50PHD8UK. All you get is a plasma display... no stand, no tuner, no extras. Eureka! Best picture? Yes! I'm sold (I'm sure they didn't review the $12,000 plasmas sold by Runco... they use NEC displays). The plasma monitor comes with three expansion slots on the back that accept a variety of input/output boards. It comes with two: component video board and a computer VGA board. I have to buy the HDMI board as well as a stand. Still, the total overall cost is at least $1000 less than if I bought a comprable consumer-level TV (such as the Panasonic 50PX500U) with speakers, stand, tuner, etc. I bit the bullet and actually ordered this sucker from an online reseller called monitoroutlet.com. Shipping is free, and they deliver to your door, instead of the curb. Believe me, I did research, and I couldn't find one negative thing about this company. I'm basically preordering since the company is out of stock, but they expect the plasmas to arrive in one to two weeks. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one. Last time I ordered a Panasonic, I waited two months before cancelling my order. So here's the beauty that's on its way:  I also went ahead and order HD from Comcast, as well as their Motorola DVR. I'm eager as hell to set all of this up. Finally, last thing is going to be wiring speaker wire up through attic and get surround sound speakers installed. I'm not looking forward to that, but crucial to my home theater. Got my eye on the Definitive BPX surrounds. I'm sure more posts will follow as I'm tracking my TV shipment, which, since there are so many backorders on this thing, I'm a little worried. Prepare for some rants in the next couple weeks. posted by Dino at 4:26 PM (permanent link)
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