I am 26 years old and am new to this hobby (by most standards) and I've been working on this system for about 2-3 years. I have taken full advantage of my discount as a Manger at Circuit City (this explains why I have a lot of mainstream mass market stuff.) I just ordered the 950/7100 combo last week to replace a very unsatisfactory Onkyo TXDS-797 I’ve yet to receive my 950/7100 but a friend of mine came over with his 950/750 and let me audition it and that next day I put in order. If any one has any recommendations for improvements let me know I’d love the input, I will need a new display at some point but the 950/7100 has set the $$$ for that back for a while. Here is my system:

Polk Audio LSi 15 fronts
Polk Audio LSi C center
Polk Audio FX 500i
rears
Polk Audio RM3300 (one pair)
rear center
Velodyne CHT-15
15” sub
Outlaw 950/7100 pre/pro/amp
Onkyo DV-CP500
5 disk progressive scan DVD
Onkyo DX-C380
6 disk CD player
JVC HR-S3800U
S-VHS VCR (for the movies not yet on DVD)
Philips DSR-6000 Directv/Tivo receiver 2 of them, one for movies one for regular TV
Monster HTS-5100
Power Center
Playstation 2
XBOX
Game Cube
All wire is monster cable including M1.4 biwire for the front 3 speakers, M 1000i analog interconnects for CD player and VCR, and Z bass 100 for the sub.

There it is in all its glory, I welcome any feed back you veterans or new comers smarter than me out there may have. I need all the help I can get I picking out a new display and also if a philips pronto is worth the money!!

Thanks for your time
-Kris


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Homer Simpson is a man we can all lookup to!!!
W.W.H.D.

Honestly, Kris, I think the best thing for you to do at this point is -- as soon as the Outlaw combo arrives -- pack it and the rest of your gear up and send it to me. Then start all over building a new system.



Hmmm, have you put bigger hard drives in those DirecTiVos? That's about the only thing I'd recommend.

Oh, and unless you need to keep your XBox pristine and unaltered to play online games, I also think adding XBox Media Player and connecting it to a home network for MP3 and video clips playing is a GREAT addition to a home theater. Unfortunately, you need to "chip" the Xbox to do that and it potentially compromises the ability to play online network games with it.

Of course, you could always have TWO Xbox's.

bob is wise.

get a 2nd one

I think I'm doing exactly that in a few weeks. I will put it to good use! And I don't want to jeopardize my Live! account. I have a friend who just got his account banned due to trying to get online with his modded xbox...tisk tisk!

My gamertag is LOSspoonman if you guys ever feel like playing a few games. Sorry to get offtopic

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Play it LoUd!!

Thanks guys I like what I've got so far there are still a few things I wnt to change. my tv is just a 32"sony not even flat! I bought it 2 years ago to hold me over for a big digital of some sort, I'm thinking DLP rear projection (like the samsung) or a bigger LCD when they become avaiable (sony's 30 XBR LCD is sweet but small and over $5000). I'm looking for about a 42" screen. Becouse of my gamesystems I want to avoid trad. rear projection and I also am not at all sure about plasma, some of the pictures are good and some are very good but most pictures are not. Plus I see so many people having problems with them with very few people able to fix them.

as for Xbox live I plan to go on soon I just need to get my network wireing done

In order to hook all my games up I just ordered a Sima SVS-4D a/v selector from Crutchfield.com not a bad box for $199 has 2 optical 2coax and a remote but I had to order it blind I couldn't find any one who had posted and reviews on it anywhere! Anyone round here have one ore a better reccomendation??

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Homer Simpson is a man we can all lookup to!!!
W.W.H.D.

On the TV thing, I'm an advocate of two TV's:

1. A conventional direct view, like your current Sony, for day to day viewing.

2. A front projector for serious viewing of DVD, HDTV etc. content or for a special game session.

Got my 950/7100 hooked up and all I can say is “why have I been wasting my time with anything but separates ?!” This is just incredible the change in the over all clarity, I love how full my speakers now sound. I have made some changes to the line up, the Onkyo DVD and cd players are gone and have been replaced by the Denon DVM-1815 and I have picked up the Philips TSU-3000 pronto remote with charging station. This new generation is coming together nicely still need a new display I’m thinking rear proj. DLP any recommendations??

Thanks Kris


------------------
Homer Simpson is a man we can all lookup to!!!
W.W.H.D.

Yes. I just got one of the New Sony LCD rear projection HDTV units... the 42" Sony KF-42WE610. WOW. A greatly improved unit over it's predecessors. Almost as bright as a traditional direct view sets, great contrast and off-axis brightness. And the phosphors will never burn in. Check it out on Sony's website. You can get this set for under $2,500.

http://www.sonystyle.com

Also, since the screen image has no flicker, my cat can actually recognize the broadcast images. Cats see so fast that they actually see the lines drawing across a normal TV screen instead of seeing the image as a whole. They would need a frame refresh rate many times faster to recognize images on the screen of a traditional TV.

Now... Animal Planet is the BOMB for the cat, "Hootsie." And High Definition images are so real that I have to keep him from jumping through the set.

Lesson... buy insurance and extended waranty if you have a cat.

[This message has been edited by AGAssarsson (edited September 17, 2003).]

Thanks for the info about the cat. I have had a digital 48" Mitsubishi for the past year but have not seen it in HD yet. My local stations will begin passing through the HD network feeds in the next two months so I will wait until then before I purchase the tuner. I have the DISH satellite service and can say that I am NOT impressed with what they currently have to offer in HD. So I am anxious to get started with HD but am holding back because of the cost vs selection. Can't wait to see how my cat reacts once I make the leap.

for high def satelliteyou should move to DIRECTV they have more channels and all of them are put togather in one $11/month pkg
also they will have a Hi-Def tuner/recorder powered by tivo out the first of 2004!

check the oct 2003 sound and vision for more info in it.

-kris

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Homer Simpson is a man we can all lookup to!!!
W.W.H.D.

Also, since the screen image has no flicker, my cat can actually recognize the broadcast images…
And High Definition images are so real that I have to keep him from jumping through the set.

AGAssarsson: try this one,.. (after you purchase insurance) take one way - too cool for his own good - cat place him on the leather ottoman that he stubbornly persists in climbing on top of every time you proceed to read blueprints spread out on top of aforementioned ottoman while working late and watching your TV in an attempt to multitask productively. In fact, so persistent is this cat that he takes a ride to the floor via my slip and slide method of lifting a few top sheets of the prints high in the air so as to fireman safety net him down to the floor every time he jumps up (20 attempts in 30 min). Sphinx of the desert and back on top – every time you turn your back

Turn on your new 60 LCD GW, plop in your DVD copy of “Signs” running full bore through your 950/770 and VA floorstanders about 6 feet away. Scroll forward to the chapter where the little girl slides the water bowl in front of the German Shepherd who has absorbed bad alien vibes and turned dementedly feral.


Wear protective clothing, in case your cat decides your body is an equally good surface (in fact better than plaster as bodies have all that nice meat to extend traction control claws into) … as he takes a spin around the vertical walled surface of the room.

Watch your kids, (who witnessed aforementioned fun) set him up for a encore for the next week every time they catch him asleep on the ottoman. (This lasted for about 3 go-rounds whereupon the guys gave up after the cat begin to glance at the dog - glance at the perpetrators – and with a disdainful accusatory look, yawn widely).

Congrats on the LCD …they are nice aren’t they!