Happy holidays to all the Outlaws out there!

My in-laws are in the process of building their new home and, after having watched movies in my theater room, have decided to build their own media room. They're not exactly tech saavy and they don't feel that the contractor building their home would know much, so they're looking to their son-in-law for advice. How foolish, but I digress.

Not being the HT geek I consider myself to be, they would need a very simple to use system. I have, obviously, recommended the model 1070 as a start (with the release of the 970, this advice may change). The speakers are where I'm stuck. Their budget isn't small, but its not gartagtuan either.

So here's my question: I've seen many-a-post about AV123 products, which is an on-line only dealer. After reading the most recent Home Theater Mag I noticed they paired a Model 1070 with Aperion audio speakers (another on-line only dealer), which they gave rave reviews. Are these on-line only speakers the real deal? If not, what are some other suggestions you could recommend for the budget-minded?

I'm a Paradigm geek, so I have also considered the Monitor series. The price points on the AV123's and Aperion's are enticing though. Feel free to let loose with your opinions. My reputation with my in-laws is at stake here...

Thanks everyone and have a great holiday season!

There are a number of quite good online speaker manufacturers. AV123's Rockets have a very loyal following, and Aperion has also done very well. SVS (formerly SV Subwoofers, no SV Sounds) is coming out with a speaker line that has some good buzz around it. If you like Paradigm's Monitor series, you might also look at Axiom Audio - another Canadian speaker company that would probably be very remiscent of the Monitor line to your ear.

Good luck man...puhh, you know, I would'n like to be in your situation. I am upgrading my speakers right now and know the pain of choosing the right speakers....but then making this choice for the in-laws...no way. Dont take the post to serious, just thought to show some compassion here...

Have a great holiday season as well.

Another thought just occurred to me... Your in-laws appear to like your system, so what speakers are you running? If they like your speakers, finding speakers that are similar to them would be a pretty good starting point.

Desertfox, I disagree. Whenever you're in the position to spend someone else's money, that's always fun!!

I have the Paradigm Studio Series v3: CC570, 100's, ADP 470's, 20's and a PW2200 sub comprising my system. I love it, but the cost for that 7.1 system is a bit more than they wanted to spend. The budget they allotted for equipment only is between $10,000 & $12,000 - that includes receiver or pre/pro/amp, DVD player, DirecTV, rear projector, screen, cables, speakers... etc. The construction to build the media room, its furniture and accoustic treatments are on a separate budget.

I'va managed to find the Receiver (1070 as mentioned earlier), DirecTV digital DVR and the DVD (the Oppo - Thanks Gonk!). Now its on to the Projector and speakers. This is a daunting task to say the least. I hope the extra info helps. Thanks again everyone.

You've got a nice budget to work with. At that price point, you could even go with the 970/7125 - it's an extra $700, but it would give them some flexibility in upgrading later. A nice dedicated room like that could lead to more interest in upgrades down the road than a simpler living room setup. The Studio v3's would certainly take a big bite out of what's left, but a Rocket or Axiom package could be a good fit while leaving you enough for the projector and all the assorted extras (screen, cables, universal remote).

I should have mentioned that I would junk the Denon and buy a 1070 for the bedroom if I thought it would sound as good as the 990. I'm tempted.

I would caution that all these opinions (including mine) are mostly based on apples to oranges comparisons and should be treated as highly subjective since A-B comparisons in the same room and system weren't done. That said, I've bought my last Denon as long as Outlaw lives.

Here's a thought: put some of your budget into a nice remote control. I find most non-techy people get scared very easily by most remotes and the amount of buttons on them. The fewer buttons they have to push to watch a movie or some TV, the better.

It sounds like you have a good budget to work with. Let us know how it turns out.

Jason J nailed that suggestion. I used to have 6 remotes sitting on my coffee table. Then one day I read a post Gonk made about the MX-700 and have been one happy camper ever since. A good remote is key. Having "the One" remote, that does everything, is easy to setup, configure, and has nice button layout, is HUGE!

-Rob

I've said before (and will likely say again) that my wife's #1 upgrade we ever had for the home theater was the MX-500. The MX-700 was icing on the cake - the extra macro ability and extra pages per device let me tweak the remote to a point that eliminated user frustration. My dad got an MX-500 for his birthday and loves it. My in-laws are getting one for Christmas in a week.

Very cool! I thought long and hard about remotes and it appears I was on the right track as that appears to be a general consensus for the HT-impaired.

Thanks for the e-mails on the MX-700, Gonk. That little piece of heaven will definitely be a part of their HT.

So, thus far we have the Outlaw 1070 (or 970/7075 or 7125) as the source component, the Opoo as the DVD, an xbox 360 for gaming, a Monster 5100 for filtration... now the big debate - speakers!

I've considered AV123's, Aperion and Paradigm's Monitor series. Any other's I should be looking at? Any opinions from users of the brand's I just mentioned?

By the way, I'm overwhelmed by the amount of help all of you have provided. I can't thank all of you enough. Outlaw owners really are the real deal!

Since the Paradigm Monitors are in there, you might let Axiom onto the list unless you've already excluded it - my little M3ti's are pretty decent speakers.

Houghers,
With that kind of budget, I would definitely recommend going the separates route. It will give them more power than I receiver and suit a dedicated room like that much better down the road as technologies change.