My dream media center! Lotz of pics!

[AjzRide]

I disagree on pulling wires wrapped in electrical tape. I did this once, and trust me, you will need to change the wiring later. It is never final in a high end media center. If it is at all possible, work in some smurf tubes.

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/b...IMG_0033-1.jpg

[synclastica_86]

Agree 100%... not taping anything together.

[808six]

ditto skip the tape...the couch, just make sure its stain proof or sprayed to be easily cleanable...my pet peeve is having a nice system only to have a dirty couch

[TMNT]

really nice stuff. I just moved and set up my system. Still in the works, but I like to keep things simple:

[im spencer]

Want to be my best friend? I can watch all the ball games with you. I'll bring the brewskies

[synclastica_86]

I just posted some updated pics. Trying to get some vids too.

Thanx for the advice guys!!! I'm already making some changes. Keep them comming!

PS All bimmerpost members welcomed in my place! lol

[yomama69]

Originally Posted by TMNT

really nice stuff. I just moved and set up my system. Still in the works, but I like to keep things simple:

That room would look a lot bigger if you had a flat panel wall mounted.

I close on my new house in a few weeks. Stand by for my pics in a couple of months. I have plans.

[JayeJaymes]

wow man it's looking good and great choices, keep us posted on the progress. Are you on any of the av forums?

[synclastica_86]

Originally Posted by yomama69

That room would look a lot bigger if you had a flat panel wall mounted.

There is a question that I have about wall mounting. I am planning to do that for my bedroom (if my wifey allows a TV into our bedroom). Where do put the cable boxes and all the other boxes? If you need to set up a cabinet underneath the TV anyways, what's the point of wall mounting?

Originally Posted by J.Rob

wow man it's looking good and great choices, keep us posted on the progress. Are you on any of the av forums?

Nope, not on any AV forums. This is the first time I tried to put different brands together and have a fully automated system. My last system was Band & Olufsen, and the one before that was and the one before that was the Nakamachi soundspace 21. There are the manufacturer's pics.

Beolab 5 (4x)
Beosound 9000
Beolab 7 as center speaker
65" BeoVision wall mounted
Beocenter as DVD player
and a bunch of beocom phones (unfortunately the ladies don't come with)... the cool thing abt them (aside for the design) is that you can adjust the volume of you video and audio systems on the phones. It's quite convenient when you get a call.

This is the Nakamachi sound space. The speakers themselves are actually quite small, but they climb up and down those pillars to match the level of your ears.

[ejheverest]

Just got my Panasonic 42" plasma, still looking at home theater systems, anyone have experience with Bose Lifestyle systems?

[number335]

What type of PC are you using? I'm thinking of using a mini mac for my setup but was wondering if there is anything better suited for an entertainment system.

[synclastica_86]

Originally Posted by ejheverest

Just got my Panasonic 42" plasma, still looking at home theater systems, anyone have experience with Bose Lifestyle systems?

In my cleveland apartment, I used a a 46" sony XBR with a bose system. I was actually quite impress by the sound quality despite the tiny size of the speakers. They are very inexpensive too. I think that they are one of the best bang for the buck deals out there. They are also very versatile because of their size. My fd used their will mounts to fit the system to his boat.

Originally Posted by number335

What type of PC are you using? I'm thinking of using a mini mac for my setup but was wondering if there is anything better suited for an entertainment system.

The media PC which I took pictures of here runs an intel CPU and has vista ultimate (that's as much as I know since I don't wanna type the whole receipt on here). Both my wife and I are using sony notebooks. For video editing (which I was into a while back), I use a PowerMac with final cut pro.

As far as the mini mac is concerned, I worked as a sales in apple for a while here's what I gathered. Most customer who got the mini said that it was quite slow. Although it's cheap and quite tempting, it would cause you much frustration. I think you got 2 options for a media PC. Buy an off the self media PC (sony sells 1 i think) or build your own. If you want a media PC, I presume that you want to store all your AV files on it and surfing the web occasionally, I can't imagine it serving any other purpose. (I mean, the couch is not the best place to play counter strike with a mouse and keyboard and other platforms such as the PS3 will satisfy your gamming needs.) So you'll need lotz of storage (i got 1TB). You'll also need a good graphic card to take advantage of the big screen.

[yomama69]

Originally Posted by synclastica_86

There is a question that I have about wall mounting. I am planning to do that for my bedroom (if my wifey allows a TV into our bedroom). Where do put the cable boxes and all the other boxes? If you need to set up a cabinet underneath the TV anyways, what's the point of wall mounting?

Ah. Check this out. Put your electronics into your closet. You then mount an IR receiver into a wall plate and put it next to the TV. Cat5/6 cable runs from the receiver to the transmitter in the closet. It's an extremely clean setup. If your wife won't let you do that, there's a big problem in your relationship.

My wife is the biggest stickler and hates visible electronics and shit. She's all for that setup for our family room. My LCD in the bedroom is in an armoire with the cable box. Close the door and can't see it.

In my new media room there will be a 125" electric projector screen, but in order to do that, my wife is making me design and build a valance to put over the screen casing that she's going to cover with fabric. She wouldn't let me do theater seating so I had to order a nice looking sectional with plenty of room to lounge.

[yomama69]

Originally Posted by ejheverest

Just got my Panasonic 42" plasma, still looking at home theater systems, anyone have experience with Bose Lifestyle systems?

Don't get Bose for a theater. It's really not that great to begin with, but more geared for a living room, not a dedicated theater. If you want awesome sound, go with SVS. Can't go wrong there at all.

[synclastica_86]

Originally Posted by yomama69

Ah. Check this out. Put your electronics into your closet. You then mount an IR receiver into a wall plate and put it next to the TV. Cat5/6 cable runs from the receiver to the transmitter in the closet. It's an extremely clean setup. If your wife won't let you do that, there's a big problem in your relationship.

I'm not sure what u mean. The cable box needs a coaxial cable right? So I need to run one in the closet? What about connecting the electronics to the screen? Presumably you would want HDMI. Does wireless HDMI exist? This seems like a project that involves a lot of electrical work.

Originally Posted by yomama69

My wife is the biggest stickler and hates visible electronics and shit. She's all for that setup for our family room. My LCD in the bedroom is in an armoire with the cable box. Close the door and can't see it.

My wife is the same to a certain degree. She likes the technology, but wants them hidden. She also thinks that the bedroom is a special place and does not want to put a TV in. Given that she approves most of the things (the fully automated system, the M3, our overly luxurious vacations....) that I want, I think it's a fair arrangement.

[yomama69]

Originally Posted by synclastica_86

I'm not sure what u mean. The cable box needs a coaxial cable right? So I need to run one in the closet? What about connecting the electronics to the screen? Presumably you would want HDMI. Does wireless HDMI exist? This seems like a project that involves a lot of electrical work.

It's not difficult. You only have to run the coaxial cable into the closet for the cable box and 1 HDMI cable to the wall behind the TV.

[Mark M]

Glad to see the down economy has not hampered some people's life styles! Wow...Impressive. Kudos!

[yomama69]

Originally Posted by Mark M

Glad to see the down economy has not hampered some people's life styles! Wow...Impressive. Kudos!

Some of us work in recession-proof industries.

[daixloxbmw]

Originally Posted by yomama69

Don't get Bose for a theater. It's really not that great to begin with, but more geared for a living room, not a dedicated theater. If you want awesome sound, go with SVS. Can't go wrong there at all.

+1 on SVS

i have dual SVS PC12-NSDs and they are amazing - sound wise. although, some (my gf) might consider it an eye sore - look wise (since it looks like a mini water heater but i think it looks like it means business).

-1 on Bose

overpriced and underperforming. back when i was in college, i used to work at Tweeter, a high end electronics chain and we (internally) had a lil motto for Bose, "if its got no highs and its got no lows, it must be Bose." but that certainly didnt stop us from selling it since it was crazy high markup products and we make alotta commission on it.

[yomama69]

Originally Posted by daixloxbmw

+1 on SVS

i have dual SVS PC12-NSDs and they are amazing - sound wise. although, some (my gf) might consider it an eye sore - look wise (since it looks like a mini water heater but i think it looks like it means business).

-1 on Bose

overpriced and underperforming. back when i was in college, i used to work at Tweeter, a high end electronics chain and we (internally) had a lil motto for Bose, "if its got no highs and its got no lows, it must be Bose." but that certainly didnt stop us from selling it since it was crazy high markup products and we make alotta commission on it.

All I have to say is PC13-Ultra.

[daixloxbmw]

Originally Posted by yomama69

All I have to say is PC13-Ultra.

that was my second choice but i opted for duals for better dispersion and placement since i can locate them nearfield by the either side of the seating position. price wise it wasnt a huge difference. besides, the dual PC12-NSDs are already complete overkill in my smallish room, just under 3000 cf. i only have them set at 60% gain and that is enough to rattle things off the walls/desks in the floors above and beneath this room.

no doubt the Ultra is an absolute beast though. you must be from one of the AV forums since that sub isnt very well known outside of the forums. nice choice on the Ultra!

[yomama69]

Originally Posted by daixloxbmw

that was my second choice but i opted for duals for better dispersion and placement since i can locate them nearfield by the either side of the seating position. price wise it wasnt a huge difference. besides, the dual PC12-NSDs are already complete overkill in my smallish room, just under 3000 cf. i only have them set at 60% gain and that is enough to rattle things off the walls/desks in the floors above and beneath this room.

no doubt the Ultra is an absolute beast though. you must be from one of the AV forums since that sub isnt very well known outside of the forums. nice choice on the Ultra!

I'm redoing my theater with new KEF reference speakers.

http://www2.kef.com/US/Loudspeakers/Reference/207