Home Theater setup in 1 lac

[gauravkohli0]

Hello everyone!

I'm planning to setup a home theatre room in my new home, and I need suggestions. My budget is Rs. 1 lac.

I have shortlisted Yamaha RX-V671 as the AVR.

What are your suggestions for 5.1 speakers, Blu-ray player and a projector? I prefer floorstanders, btw.

Edit: I'm from Delhi.

 

[Sukhi Gill]

get Yamaha 471 instead, Energy 5.1 setup with CF-30 as front speakers with CB-5 as rears & CC-5 as center + ESW10 OR 8 sub acc. to room size, any budget HD ready projector with Panasonic 110 or 220 blu-ray player. But keep in mind, it can go upto 1.5 lacs and get the blu-ray player later on. Or exclude FS speakers idea.

 

[projectorguru99]

For Projector your budget seems to be low. I will suggest please split your budget into 2. I.e. 50,000/- for Sound system and 50,000/- for Projector. In 50k you will get HD ready projector with WXGA resolution. Go for Epson TW 480 / Viewsonic 5233W / Epson W12.
In sound system go for a ready 5.1 system with Blu-ray that will come in the budget Like Sony 5.1 with Blu-Ray and tower speakers. I suggest if you can increase your budget go for Epson TW 3600 / Viewsonic PRO 8200 approx cost of 85k.

 

[gauravkohli0]

I was thinking of getting an Acer or Benq LED projector which should come between 20-35k.

And i was thinking V671 because it supports Networking.

I can spend 70-80k on the AVR+Speakers+Bluray and 20-35 on the projector.

 

[rajadeep]

I was thinking of getting an Acer or Benq LED projector which should come between 20-35k.

And i was thinking V671 because it supports Networking.

I can spend 70-80k on the AVR+Speakers+Bluray and 20-35 on the projector.

The problem with this is that u have fixed ur eyes on a 40k AVR + u will need 5-6k min for a bluray player, which would leave u just 25-35k for a HT speaker setup out of which u will need 5-10k for wires & accessories... That means the only 20-30k left for a floorstander 5.1 setup... Does not seem feasible... My recommendation is if u want a 671 + floorstander 5.1 + bluray + projector, then push the budget up to atleast 1.5 lacs...Yamaha 673 + Pioneer 51FS 5.1 for 90-95k, 5k min for wiring, 5-10k for a bluray player & 30-45k for a projector & 5-10k for a screen... For projector the good options in LED are Acer K130/K330, Benq GP2, Dell m110 etc... In normal bulb projectors the Epson TW480 is the best VFM one for around 44k... It is extremely well priced in India... Do check if the brightness of the LED projectors is sufficient for u... LED projectors generally have a lower lumen count meaning to decently enjoy them u need a fully dark room... On the other hand a bright bulb projector like the TW480 would perform well even with ambient light...

PS I am trying to figure out why networking is so imp for u in a receiver... I have a pretty good AVR with networking feature, but I havent even tried joining a networking cable to it... Just want to know what I might be missing out...

 

[gauravkohli0]

The problem with this is that u have fixed ur eyes on a 40k AVR + u will need 5-6k min for a bluray player, which would leave u just 25-35k for a HT speaker setup out of which u will need 5-10k for wires & accessories... That means the only 20-30k left for a floorstander 5.1 setup... Does not seem feasible... My recommendation is if u want a 671 + floorstander 5.1 + bluray + projector, then push the budget up to atleast 1.5 lacs...Yamaha 673 + Pioneer 51FS 5.1 for 90-95k, 5k min for wiring, 5-10k for a bluray player & 30-45k for a projector & 5-10k for a screen...

I could extend my budget, maybe till 1.2lac, but 1.5 goes a little out.
How would you rate Yamaha speakers? The dealer in South Ex is giving a good deal on them, and I could get even better deal in Gurgaon (lower tax).

For projector the good options in LED are Acer K130/K330, Benq GP2, Dell m110 etc... In normal bulb projectors the Epson TW480 is the best VFM one for around 44k... It is extremely well priced in India... Do check if the brightness of the LED projectors is sufficient for u... LED projectors generally have a lower lumen count meaning to decently enjoy them u need a fully dark room... On the other hand a bright bulb projector like the TW480 would perform well even with ambient light...

I think an LED projector would be enough for me because I've designed my room in such a way that it's possible to have complete darkness. And I plan on using the wall as the screen, so buying the screen can be postponed.

PS I am trying to figure out why networking is so imp for u in a receiver... I have a pretty good AVR with networking feature, but I havent even tried joining a networking cable to it... Just want to know what I might be missing out...

I find the networking feature to be quite useful. You could access the Internet radio. But most importantly, you could connect it to your network, and stream music from PCs connected in the network. So I could stream music stored in my PC in the other room without any hassles.

 

[just4kix]

A good home theater will cost a lot of money - even insane amount of money. But the good thing is that you do not need to put all the money upfront. It is quite possible to take mini steps at a time. Many people try to fit it all requirements at the same time with constrained budgets and then regret later. Remember two mottos:

1. When you buy quality, you will cry once only.
2. If you shell out peanuts, you will get monkeys.

I learned to live by the above axioms. They sound very high handed and over patronizing but nevertheless are true.

So coming to brasstacks, I can show you how to build a good (not too expensive) HT step by step. First some ground rules, assumptions and factors:

• The outputs are the things that will you will associate closest. The outputs are video (projector) and sound (speakers). Hence you must give highest priority to these.
• I am not in favour of LED projectors. They suffer from low lumens and contrast. They are OK for small projections and/or boardroom but no serious HT enthusiast should consider LED projectors. I have seen LED projectors and these latest ones do not stack well enough against my 2005 model 720p projector.
• Home theatre projectors are different than boardroom (I suppose you know that). You must decide between 720p and 1080p. I would not recommend a 3D projector as there is not much 3D content as yet and there will be additional cost of 3D glasses, etc. But that is your choice.
• Speakers should be decided based on the size of your room. For a room of 14x10 or smaller, bookshelf models are good enough. 7.1 is also not required really. Satellite complete systems such as Energy Classic 5.1 or BA, etc. also can suffice for a smallish room.

Now you can start step by step as follows:

• You could start with a decent 80W~100W RMS per channel AVR and a 5.1 speaker system. Such a sound system will be about 70-80K.
• A 5.1 package usually comes with speaker cables so there may not be any expense on this account.
• You can invest in a good BDP such as Panasonic DMP-BDT220 (or 230). This BDP has very good performance and can be made region free. The cost will be close to 12K. See many threads (including mine) on this topic.
• Other interconnect cables (not speakers) will cost around 2K at most.
• With the above, you would have consumed the 1L budget. For the time being, you can continue watching on your current TV - even if it is a 29" CRT. For me, my 29" CRT was my main display source from 2000 to 2005. There is nothing wrong with that.
• You can go with the projector after a year or two.
• Save at least 80K and buy a GOOD projector that will really WOW you and everyone else.
• Spend about 6K on a manual pull down screen. If you fancy real good screens, you may have to spend double. Motorized screens will cost nearly 25K.