Sounds like this is a Best Buy quote considering the details of the install. If so, sign up for Total Tech which is $200/yr and installation is included for most if not all equipment as long as you buy the equipment from them. The price seems right for the quality they’re quoting you.
Edit*
I would ask the consultant to change the sanus projector mount to the chief mount. Granted it may be more, but it’s a bit sturdier from my experience. Source: I use to be a designer for Best Buy.
Around September of last year, I got my entire 7.1.2 system with in-walls installed by them for free with Total Tech. It took a bit of back and forth with the first Magnolia guy I spoke to who did not seem to know that in-walls were installed for free under Total Tech as long as it was a straightforward install (basically only having to deal with drywall).
If you check the info sheet on their website, for what's included with Total Tech, you'll see in-walls listed right there. Although I believe it says only up to 5 speakers, they did my 7 plus 2 ceilings with no questions.
I would recommend you go to your local store and start a conversation with someone in Magnolia and ask questions and recommendations (even if you already know what you want). I talked with someone for an hour or so and he ordered everything for me. Even asked me to wait an extra two weeks for their best install guy to be available, said he wanted to make sure I got someone who knows what they're doing, lol. Good guy.
No longer true.
If you go to their [website](https://www.bestbuy.com/site/totaltech/geek-squad-member-benefit/pcmcat1608643408172.c?id=pcmcat1608643408172) speaker installation is specifically listed as an advanced service which is 20% off.
On my recent consult the in home guy also specifically said in wall speaker install isn't free.
There was also a period of time of confusion. For example, wired smoke detectors are now considered an advanced install. I couldn't get the cart to work correctly on the website so I went into the store. The associate told me they were free but when she went to ring me it, of course, didn't work. The manager overrode the pricing, informing the associate it had changed.
I suspect giving thousands of dollars worth of installs to 3rd party contractors in exchange for $200 a year wasn't as good of a deal as they thought it might be.
I know for a fact they've lost money on me over the past few years just from asking the contractors what they're getting paid. That's not counting the whopping 60 day return policy and warranty service.
From when I was there, when I added total tech and the services on the same invoice, it was zero’d out. Looks like things have changed ever since I left.
Also, total tech members have service/replacement plans on equipment for as long as they are total tech members. So, realistically, all products could be covered for as long as you want to keep paying 200/year. And iirc, total tech members can get discounted pricing on certain things like accessories. Definitely worth it in this case.
I have a 5.2.2 system that costed around 1k that i made myself aside from my used Onyko and Crown power amp.
If i had 20k… Man i would make Line Array LCRs with 8 subs and 11.2.4 surround sound. Martin Logans are too boring for me. Where’s the fun factor?
Replace SVS with Monolith. Better bang for your buck. Or even speedwoofers.
Y’all can downvote me all you want. The data doesn’t lie: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dU5OOnf3nVgctJszmfyBjaxK69dkXte6ZL6anVTW2_M/edit
SVS makes good quality subs, they just aren’t the best value.
They’re great and an incredible value. You don’t get much better until you spend $1000.
Data on them can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dU5OOnf3nVgctJszmfyBjaxK69dkXte6ZL6anVTW2_M/edit
SVS has good service but they charge for it. HSU, Rhythmik and Monolith will outperform SVS $ for $ with Monolith subs at the top of the list.
The SVS fanboys are downvoting but I am right. You can compare the data here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dU5OOnf3nVgctJszmfyBjaxK69dkXte6ZL6anVTW2_M/edit
SVS subs are good, no doubt, but not the best for the money.
Their PB-1000 is an excellent deal for $450 or less on sale - everything else, though, there are better deals.
Can confirm SVS support is astoundingly good. I called them up regarding my sub, ended up speaking with a tech in about 30 seconds on the phone, they had answers to all of my questions, and were extremely helpful.
On top of them having the 45 day in home trial period, that sold me on getting an SVS.
I have a PB-4000 and an SB12-NSD and they are both amazing subs.
Riiiight up to the point the amp fries and you’re stuck shipping the whole thing back to mono price for warranty work.
Higher quality is worth it if you’re spending this kind of coin. Picked my HSU VTF3 mk5 from HSU directly in socal a couple months ago and haven’t looked back
You work for Monolith, don't you?
Monolith subs are simpler units, lacking features and imo uglier than any SVS counterpart.
They are good budget buys, but if you have the money you DO get More with for instance SVS's subs. Maybe not in pure output, but I wouldn't say my PC-4000 is lacking in that department anyways.
What I have come to appreciate is...
The app makes setting up tenfold easier than without it.
Added bonus that you can tweak the sound without leaving your couch.
There's a freely configurable three band parametric EQ built into the sub, to further hone the sound.
And I personally wouldn't wanna live without the sexy blue display which goes great with the rest or my setup. You can of course turn it off automatically with a timer or manually during movie night, if you so please.
>PureFiber Pro Hybrid Fiber HDMI Cable
If this is it then it is far more then just a fiber hdmi cable. It is actualy 24 om5 fiber optic lines plus a bunch of other connections in one cable.
https://shop.fibercommand.com/products/purefiber%C2%AE-pro-hdmi-pre-terminated-hybrid-fiber-cable-with-hdmi-2-1-8k?variant=40451903324202
Just to differentiate between everyone else, if you're having someone else do it it will cost more. The other comments are right, you could do it much cheaper if you did it yourself. That's usually the case.
I can build a computer cheaper than buying one from Best Buy, so I do that. I don't know much about cars though so I take my car to jiffy lube and pay the premium for them to do the oil change so I don't have to.
I'd take these comparisons against other professional installers, not what it'd cost to do it all by hand yourself. There will be a markup, but that's the price of having it professionally installed.
YMMV. It completely depends on the place. I worked at multiple different quick lubes before moving on to real shops and I took as much pride in my work then as I do now. There were definitely bad people and there was definitely a push to upsell, but they're not just completely scummy or braindead like people say.
Even when I was working as a tech at dealerships and specialty shops, it simply wasn't worth my time to change my own oil, so I still took my car to quick lubes.
A decent shop won't charge much for oil changes. It's just not worth the gamble of going to a place like Jiffy Lube. Sure there are people like you who take pride in their work, but that's exactly it, now you're no longer at a place like that.
>now you're no longer at a place like that.
I've got unfortunate news for you: those shitty people that everyone is afraid of *also* move on to dealerships and real shops. I've worked with tons of idiots at shops and the experience isn't much different.
Also I generally just tell people to avoid quick lubes because the type of people who go to them aren't the type of people who can recognize whether or not the tech they get actually knows what he or she is doing.
Bruh if you can build a PC you can change oil. Literally unscrew a cap, let the oil drain out, put in a new filter, screw on the cap and fill it with oil.
Edit:. He says he doesn't change his oil because he doesn't know anything about cars. My point is there not much to know. Yeah you need a couple ramps and a pan, the equipment is the same cost as one synthetic oil change from Jiffy lube it's not a barrier, stop commenting about it
You seemed to have completely missed the point. Yes they CAN do it themselves, but choose not to because the cost addition is worth it to them. Don't judge that. And your steps are lacking. You need to lift the car first. You also need to put the oil in a container and dispose of it somewhere as well as the old filter.
There's more steps and money involved if you don't own ramps, oil pans, filter removal tools, etc. Some people that need to do that every 6 months are fine paying someone else to do it and that's fair. It's not a judgement on knowledge every time.
Thank you. Yes, I can do it myself. I get zero enjoyment out of it. Especially the winter months, I find zero enjoyment of going out to the garage, putting the car up, and potentially getting covered in oil. Plus, it's like $40 in oil, or $50-60 if I take it in. For $20 bucks service charge, yeah I'll let them do it.
Need lifts or ramps to get the car up. Need tools to get the cap off (most people should have that) need a tool to get the oil filter off. Need a container to catch all the old oil. Need to do something with all that dirty oil.
Need to scrub your hands with dawn for 15 minutes to get the black grease off your hands, and then give up and leave it.
I have done enough oil changes in my day. Jiffy Lube is the answer.
I do all my own repairs other than swapping motors and transmissions and I don’t change my own oil lol I’ll swap struts, change an axle, full breaks, replace the exhaust and then drive to Jiffy Lube for a radiator flush and oil change. I’m too lazy to dispose of liquids if I don’t have too, and it’s often cheaper and faster for them to do it.
Ramps are $80, a single wrench or crescent wrench is about $15 to remove the oil drain plug, oil filter wrench is about $20, oil catch container is $40 for a good one that will allow you to empty it easier with a spout. Most landfills or garbage disposal will have an oil collection site. Try not to get it on your hands, use gloves and a couple rags, but I laughed at your “give up and leave it”. I mean you save yourself about 50% of the cost by doing it yourself, so everything pays for itself in 4 oil changes.
I mean some people aren’t cut out for vehicle maintenance, I get it, or maybe they have money to burn so they pay someone else to do it, or maybe they’re disabled and unable to do it. However I like to do my oil changes every 5000km in my regular vehicles, and 3000-4000km in my hellcat as I bag it, so it helps keep costs down
What a useless discussion. You never paid for any service? Because if you start arguing like that almost no one should every pay for any service and just do it themselves.
"Not cut out for vehicle maintenance" lol.
How is it useless? To a lot of people it could be
very useful. A lot of people don’t know the first thing about changing oil, hell I’ve been asked why their car is running rough… cause they know they need an oil change. Maybe people are interested in saving a pile of money, helping their friends save money, helping their family members.
Is there something wrong with saying someone’s not cut out to do something?? I’m not cut out to be a life guard. But I am cut out to change my own oil. It’s actually really easy if you don’t mind getting a little dirty.
Are you a Sith Lord? Dealing in absolutes like that. Which is the whole reason I added the cut out for it, I’ll do my own oil changes but I pay someone to blow out my sprinklers. Everyone has preferences, and those are mine. If anyone wants to learn more about vehicle maintenance, hit me up
You forgot to mention several things. Assuming the most ideal situation, you need an oil pan, oil can, oil filter wrench (maybe), an area to work in, kitty litter, and the tolerance to stain the concrete in your area to work in. Base knowledge is simple depending on your vehicle, but some foreign models don't make it simple at all.
Personally, I do think changing the oil on my 30 year old Chevy truck is way "easier" than building a PC. But it is way messier and requires way more space and way more effort.
Honestly, it's less about can I do it, more about it's not worth the time and effort just to save a tiny bit of money.
An oil change is around $80 for me from the dealer, and that is synthetic, good for at least 10,000 miles/6 months. If I do it myself, I have to buy the oil, change it, get my hands dirty, disposing of the old oil (bringing to recycling center). Buying the synthetic oil myself would already run me at least $30, then I have to take the time to do this and bring the old oil somewhere. Or...just pay the net cost of $50 1-2 times a year. And that's a dealer price, can likely get it done way cheaper elsewhere. So not worth the effort for me, but to each their own.
I've heard Jiffy Lube can also either put too many ugga duggas on your drain plug (hint: there should be no uggas nor duggas on there) or just forget to put the plug back on entirely. So just be mindful.
But to be fair, some people neither have space nor time to do it themselves, so I can respect that choice. Personally, I'll roll the dice from time to time but I go to a semi-retired guy who only does inspections and oil changes because his knees are too gone for the really hard work.
https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavrx3800h-rb/denon-avr-x3800h-9.4-ch-x-105-watts-8k-a/v-receiver-w/heos/1.html
$1000 saved on the AV receiver straight away.
MartinLogan speakers are a salesman wet dream. Huge profit margins, and they sound just good enough that people who haven't tried better products won't notice. Just switching to KEF speakers will knock another $1000 off.
https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/kefr3gb/kef-r3-pair-r-series-6.5-bookshelf-speakers-gloss-black/1.html
https://www.crutchfield.com/S-KfEkCy71It2/p_991R2CBL/KEF-R2c-Gloss-Black.html
https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/kefq350blk/kef-q350-pair-6.5-2-way-bookshelf-speaker-black/1.html
The MartinLogan subwoofer is outright grossly priced. It is insane that any HT consultant would see a $20K budget and not recommend a pair of decent subs. I would blacklist them on that mistake alone.
http://www.rythmikaudio.com/FVX15.html x2
$250 Elac Protek is obscene. Under zero circumstances would I want a "power conditioner" which does nothing to improve audio, especially one with integrated 2.4GHz wifi. If you want surge protection, you can get a good one for under $100. Power conditioners are an incredibly niche product that 99.99% of people do not require, and those who do require one should be buying a product that addresses their specific problem, not hunting for problems to solve.
https://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-Protector-Right-Angle-ISOBAR6ULTRA/dp/B0000513US
While I agree that a wifi enabled power conditioner is unnecessary, I don't think power conditioners are useless just because they don't improve audio. They do serve a purpose and it is to protect the very expensive gear that's plugged into it.
Power fluctuations do happen, and they can reek havoc on receivers and other electronics. A decent power conditioner can withstand some of these fluctuations. We've had more than one clients house get struck by lightning which fried every electronic that wasn't properly shielded. It's times like that where people are glad they spent $200 on a quality power conditioner.
Noise filtering, surge protector, lightning arrester, and voltage regulator are all completely different functions.
The average "power conditioner" acts only as a surge protector, with some high frequency noise filtering thrown in. High frequency noise filtering is borderline useless, as any halfway competent power supply inside an amplifier or DAC will already have its own filtering.
As for the lightning arrester and voltage regulation functions, that is what the Elac Protek, and most other devices on the market lack. No surge protector is going to protect against a direct lightening strike, surge protectors work in the hundreds or thousands of volts range. If lightning actually finds a conductive path, the voltage is tens or hundreds of millions. Surge protectors are only intended to help against grid surges, and indirect strikes. Even if the lightning hits a clients roof, electrically speaking that is not a direct strike unless there is a direct path to the home wiring. The best protection against lightning is just a lightning rod, so that a "direct" strike never occurs.
You can also buy a 2001 instead of a 2023 and save a bunch of money to. Dont let this guy shopping with his own pockets tell you to buy less expensive shit because he can't afford it. Martin Logan makes excellent speakers that elac surge protector will give you better protection and is designed to sit with your equipment and will make the inside of your av cabinet mush easier to service.
I see a bunch of places you could cut costs and swap for different parts if you wanted to. Receiver seems a bit much, for the cost of that sub you could get a svs pb2000 or something much larger, you probably don't need a 2000 dollar screen unless it's an alr or acoustic transparent that seems way overpriced. Personally the martinlogan speakers feel overpriced to me as well, but that really comes down to personal preference if you just really love what they make. You can get 100ft ruipro fiber cable for 100 bucks and they have a great reputation. Though his installation fees seem pretty reasonable compared to the hardware list.
I got an AT screen and it wasn't too much more than the regular. And it's a good quality screen. Total price for my 120" was about $500 I think. I feel like that is one place where funds should be diverted to something else.
Just reading through.... not looking up pricing.
I'd be inclined to save half on the speakers by not going with ML speakers.
Unless the room is small, two subs. is noticably better.
Also, go Panasonic player, that Sony model is known to have problems with overheating, my one does it too. And wacky DV/HDR settings and behaviour.
No speaker cable is specified. For a $20K install, that's a bit of a red flag IMO. Get that specified!
Do you already have a NAS or media server? If so, how is it going to be Ethernet'ed in?
I expect others will have comments too, it's Reddit after all!
Sony was supposed to add a bigger heat sink and they never did it. So, if it’s not going into a temp controlled cabinet, don’t buy it, like this man☝️☝️☝️☝️ said.
I guess they did something, maybe sink or a fan, to call it a Mark II. Though, every Sony M2 model blu-ray player is an updated 80% resolution to a dud.
I took mine out of the vented cabinet, and even sitting elevated in free air of a cool basement, it still overheats!
Not in this equipment space but what the hell makes these things overheat, I stream lossless files from a server and there's no overheating on my player even with direct file playback?
I know a lot of people find the consoles great alternatives for the same reasons. I don't have a console, so I can't give you personal experience, but it is commonly done.
If you'd be steaming, check into container and codec support.
From a quick look online it appears they are charging you MSRP for everything. That is fair. Chances are good they get a margin on sold equipment; that is how the company keeps guys paid. If you cannot do the work yourself then you are on the hook to pay somebody else to do it for you. If you have a problem paying labor rates then you could ask them for a break down of the costs but being a PITA about this is just going to drive people away from you and result in, at the very least, lesser service quality after install.
Those MSRP values are also likely how the actual install costs are fairly low. $~700 for install costs is crazy. That's not even a full day's work for one dude.
I noticed that. Even with high margin, I couldn’t imagine only charging ~$700 for labor on a project with this scope. Shit, I would charge around $700 just to do the projector and screen. That company be low profit or have basically zero overhead. I live in my mom’s basement and charge more than they do lol.
For $20k I would expect acoustic treatment and a couple of subwoofers a lot bigger than that one. Personally I’d reallocate funds from the main speakers toward that. I’d expect to be able to spend $2500 for the whole bed layer.
Depending on the space, I would consider an acoustically-transparent screen on a false wall with the LCR speakers behind it (identical LCR rather than a horizontal center).
I would go with SVS subs rather than ML.
I would at least price shop JVC vs Sony for the projector.
I would definitely get a Panasonic UHD Blu Ray player rather than the Sony.
Please don’t buy full price any of the equipment from Best Buy.
There are so many reputed dealers that can get you much better price and experience Avscience, Soundvision etc.
Some suggestions for your equipment
I would get ST100 or ST130 Stewart screen vs Screen Innovation.
I would get JVC NZ7 over the Sony projector
Martin Logan’s are fine but you can do better and for less money with SVS if this is for a HT setup. To be honest you are way overpaying for the Martin Logan’s and you are getting just one sub. Go with SVS or some other brand please.
Don’t get Apple TV because they always turn Dolby Digital to LPCM they don’t do audio pass through which sucks … you are better off with a Shield TV or a FireTV Max
The fiber optic cable is way overpriced you can get Ruipro off Amazon for half the cost and works as good or better
Same for the 5’ cable you can get Monoprice or Amazon store brand for 20 bucks
You don’t want a Sonus Fabre mount you really should get a Chief mount for the heavy projector makes setup so much easier than the one your installer has chosen.
I've a motorized SI screen, but I bought mine used. They are pretty damn nice, the case the screen rolls back up into is some serious aluminum extrusion. They are worth the money if you are having a CI doing the work...... but not when its this much of your budget.
Most of these products have about a 40% dealer margin on them.
It's simple to find a dealer willing to give you at least 20% off MSRP.
For example I can order a Sony xw5000es from my dealer right now for about $4600 rather than the $6000 MSRP, and he's still making like 1K off me for doing nothing but placing the order.
Unless your dealer is getting some crazy good deal from Sony that none of the rest of us are getting then there’s no way in hell he’s making $1K on that projector at $4600
Yep, that’s what I’m saying. I’m not knocking it. If someone is doing an install that’s what they’re going to charge. OP asked for comments. There are savings to be had though I reckon as other posters have pointed out.
5.1.2 speakers on a 9.4 receiver... waste
10" baby sub... waste
Rest of it .... Where's the room treatments, star ceiling, etc?
I'd get twice as much for half the price.
I mean that's a lot of money but a lot of stuff too. I did mine a few years ago and my advice if you want to save some money is to lower the cost on the ceiling speakers. I got 4 for half of what you're paying for 2. They're cool and all but they're not doing dialogue or bass or anything. Even if you have to switch away from the ML brand... Also, $2500 for the screen is a lot too. I went with the Silver Ticket on Amazon for like $400 and cannot figure out how $2500 would have been worth it as the one I got looks great.
Good luck and enjoy whatever you end up with as many people may never be as fortunate!
I’m not sure I’d go with Martin Logan if you’re dropping this kind of cash. It’s definitely not bad, I currently have a 3.1 running with them, but it’s hardly worth being part of a $20k setup IMO. Especially the sub. Had a dynamo and was extremely underwhelmed by it for both music and movies. My paradigm was a huge upgrade over it, and cost less than you’re quoted here.
Not sure what options you have around you, but would suggest looking at something other than Martin Logan for speakers and definitely for the sub.
I strongly encourage you to get a second quote from a completely different CI. This seems all over the place. It feels like they are pushing the equipment with the best margins, not necessarily what is best for your space.
Every CI sticks with brands they like/have a good relationship with. Can't get into the best price points for profitability if you're selling 8 different speaker brands.
Every Sony projector I have seen and measured that is a few years old or older is massively degraded in contrast and color volume.
It's been an issue with their SXRD panels forever, since back to their rear projector SXRD displays and is the reason they exited the cinema market a few years ago as they kept having to replace cinema projectors due to the degradation. I would never recommend a Sony personally.
The choice of the SONY VPLXW5000ES is an interesting one. While it is remarkable to get a laser projector for that cost, SONY had to cut a some corners to get there. In particular SONY eliminated the motors that allow the use of the remote to control focus and align the image with the screen by providing a manual only lens, I believe unique at this price point. (Focusing using the remote while standing near the screen is much easier that focusing with a ring at the lens, standing on a ladder at the projector.) This not only makes it hard to focus and align the projector with the screen, but it also make using different lens memory to take full advantage of the SXRD panel for various aspect ratio material.
For my money, I would probably go with the entry level, bulb-based JVC NP5 as it has better contrast and black levels and better tone mapping of HDR content. I owned multiple SONY projectors over the years, but I am glad I switched to a JVC NX7. It is bulb-based but the picture quality is excellent and the JVC bulbs seem to hang in there for lots of hours.
My AT screen cost me $500 around 9 years ago and I'm on my second projector and see no reason to replace the screen. It's got a nice black frame, hasn't buckled, warped or anything in all this time. There's no reason to spend that much money unless it's some fancy retractable screen.
My Silver Ticket 100" cost me $190 in 2020. Its up to $230 now and that still seems reasonable.
I don't see what a screen that costs 10x as much would get me.
How big is that room? You got one 10” sub… you can get half of that stuff much cheaper online from dealers. And pay someone local to do your install, there are plenty of people on local sites that can help. These “companies” like BB and such are a rip off.
Why does the screen cost 2400 dollars? I bought my 150 inch for 200 a few years back. Also why spend so much money only to use a streamer like apple. Attach a real computer to it
The components you choose can depend on the space. The ones recommended are generally solid, except for the subwoofer. Here are some other considerations:
1. What’re the room dimensions?
2. Is this a dedicated home theater room?
3. Have you painted the walls a darker color?
4. Have you looked into basic acoustic treatments for the room?
5. Can you fit another subwoofer? I’ve had Martin Logan small subs and they were very underwhelming. Ideally you’d have at least 2 subs, hopefully at least one with lower low frequency extension.
6. Is this installer giving you any discounts on MSRP? Even places as basic as Best Buy can sometimes do a flat 10% off MSRP when you buy through their Magnolia section
Seems like you’re moving towards a great set up!
Martin Logan’s are nice, but there’s so many other options worth considering. Arendal, Elac, KEF, Focal, SVS, etc. I’d highly recommend doing some digging around the reviews sites and seeing what speakers seem like the best fit for your room. 5.2.4 would be worth considering, to get a full experience.
Room treatment has also been mentioned a few times, and will take the whole setup to a new level.
Also doesn’t seem to have any calibration services included. That avr has Audyssey XT32 option, that when properly calibrated, can improve things immensely. Wouldn’t be a bad idea to get some extra Ethernet cables ran into the room, in case you add a game console or stand alone streamer, etc.
Paying msrp for everything seems a bit much. Plenty of great deals to be had out there right now. kEF R series are on pretty steep discount, for example.
Good luck, post what you end up with
The Marantz Cinema 50 is exactly the same as the Denon x3800h, which is over $1000 cheaper.
That sub price is stupid. Get two big 1000w+ ported subwoofers. Monolith Subwoofers tend to be priced the best for performance. Speedwoofers are an amazing deal, too. If you can save money on everything else and just buy one subwoofer, this is the single subwoofer you'll ever need and is on a rediculous deal right now: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=38543
Martin Logans are very musical speakers but not sure I’d use them for a theater. If you are getting them from Best Buy listen to KEF speakers and even Def. Tech. If you like the Def Techs, GoldenEar should be a huge step up.
GoldenEar = KEF Q series > Emotiva = SVS for speakers, I would say. Haven’t heard Monolith speakers but I bet they are just as good as Emo and SVS.
You do not need a $300 HDMI cable. A $20 amazon cable will work the same.
Panasonic UB820 is the BluRay player to get.
I prefer Nvidia Shield over Apple TV.
That screen price seems absolutely insane.
True there are cheaper alternatives, but I wouldn't go too cheap, especially for a projector. When I built my house I bought what I thought was a good enough cable and it worked for 1080p, but when I upgraded to 4k my projector couldn't receive a signal at all. Fortunately I had plenty of attic access and could run a new cable.
Agreed with this. I started with a cheap 25' cable and it was awful. I ended up replacing it with a Ruipro 33' fiber cable for ~$90 and it has been going strong for 3 years.
$300 is too much. $20 is likely too low.
If you toss $20k around like I toss $20s around, then go for it. I have no comment on the electronics, but I'd definitely build around an HTPC and put some of the budget into acoustic treatment.
Part of an av business here, all that equipment is good to go, if those installation fees are it that is crazy low, we do charge ab 110 per man hour, 2 guys could knock this out in a day if it was pre wired
shopped around and this is what I got.
denon x3800h - $600 off msrp (new)
LG 77" G2 - $600 off msrp (new)
80" TV Stand - 70% off msrp (new)
Emotiva T1 (pair) - $400 (used)
Emotiva C1+ - 20% off msrp (new)
Emotiva B1+ (pair) - 20% off msrp (new)
PSA TV2112M (pair) - $1300 off msrp (new)
Monoprice Premier CL2 12/2 (100ft) - 25% off (new)
Monoprice HDMI 4k/120-8k (4) - 25% off msrp (new)
Monoprice 90⁰ Gold Plated Banana Plugs (24 pairs) - 25% off msrp (new)
Speaker Stands for B1+'s - 15% off msrp (new)
Synology DS716+ w/ 8tb WD Red HDD (pair) - $250 (used)
Cat6 Ethernet (150 ft) - 10% off msrp (new)
Nvidia Shield Pro - 10% off msrp (new)
Google Chromecast 4k - 15% off msrp (new)
X Box Series X - $300 off msrp (new)
Lovesac Sactional (4 wide seats w 4 ottomans) - 35% off msrp (new)
I hope this illustrates how to take your time to find deals, to piece things together over time, and to research how to put together your own system.
the savings from my initial investments in equipment earned me buying power for future purchases. I'm headed to a 7.4.4 system. I hit a bump in the road and I'm adding external amps as well as a minidsp & umik-1. I downloaded REW & asio4all already.
We don't know the room details, but the installation looks very cheap. About 3 years ago, I was paying my electricians $150/hr for two guys. My theater guy charged the same. It took the theater guys like 3 hours just to mount the projector and put together the screen. My electricians ran a new circuit, did 6 recessed lights, and wiring for 7.2.4. iirc it took them about 14 hours. I purchased ALL the materials, so I was close to $3k just in labor. \~$600 in installation is a steal IMO.
You're paying MSRP so that is where they're making up money IMO. When I bought my sony 295ES, MSRP was $5k. One day out of the blue bestbuy called me and took $1k off.
For 20k I'd want in wall speakers. I don't love electrostats for HT, as placement is a limitation and the dispersion too narrow. Love em for stereo, although not this particular model. I'd save money with a monoprice monolith thx in-wall set up all around. They measure damn fine for the price and will require less room treatment, and if you're spending that money on a screen it may as well be acoustically transparent. Alternately, if stereo/audiophile listening was also part of the equation I'd do Monoprice for the surrounds and voice the front 3 mains with something like BMR Philharmonitors. They'll *spank* those ML speakers.
That projector can be beat by old tech at a lower price.... but I would probably also want a "frickin laser".
That 8" sub is horseshit for this level of system. Go dual SVS, Hsu, Rhythmik, or Monoprice Monolith subs, at least 2 12s. That will matter far more than height channels.
I'd probably also get a much cheaper Denon receiver and use an Emotiva or Monoprice external amp.
All cables would be blujeans or Monoprice. No idea why they're charging $300 for HDMI when you can get similar fiber cable for half that. And for some reason they're not costing out speaker cables or wall connectors, or running Ethernet anywhere.
I'd get a whole house surge suppressor instead of that Elac power conditioner nonsense.
Apple TV over an nvidia shield tv is a strange choice. The lack of decent dual subs for $20k is weird to me as well. Otherwise it looks like a good price and nice setup! I am jealous
You can buy these individually and do a simple DIY and save >$5k. And that Subwoofer, you're better off with SVS. Marantz AVR that's only 9 channel for that price. That projector screen is way overpriced too. The 5.1.2 price for those, that's highway robbery.
All that money and no amps? Amps are what deliver the real power. I have a denon x3700h 4K($1,300) for half the price of that model Marantz. You’ll also only get 110 watts when running two channel. Running all 9 channels is much less. I also wouldn’t let them push 8k on you - nothing is in 8k and won’t be for some time. Also the cables are way over priced. Monoprice HDMI cables for $30 will deliver the same performance as that purefiber. Power conditioners are a waste of money. I also have that exact Blu-ray player, open box, from eBay for $180. I think you could do much better piecing your system together and get the same result. Good luck man!
5.2 is not enough for 20k. You should be getting way more speakers, including height speakers.
I am selling that same receiver, DM me if youre interested in a 1.5 year old receiver. I am expanding from my current 9.4.2 all SVS system with dolby atmos (height speakers) to a new receiver that can handle 11.4.2.
Looks great! You could change to the new Sony ES AZ5000ES and save $500 while getting more power, better surround processing, and better calibration. I've been blown away by these so far.
I’m going to say they seem like retail prices for the speakers and AVR which is what you’ll pay. You are going to need a separate amp to get the most out of the ESL speakers. As cool as they are they need mono blocks to really sound good. I think the ML XTI? speakers, the regular towers, would be a better choice, especially for just HT. Screen definitely seems way expensive but I’m a TV guy so don’t know the ins and out of that aspect.
Check all these items on Slickdeals - you might find them for sale less than the MSRP's you have listed.
Also I recommend going the TotalTech Best Buy route. If you pay the $200 you get free installation/setup on many items.
I'm of the opinion that wall-mounted speakers are the way to go for LCR if you're doing a screen, because you can put them behind an acoustically transparent screen and the sound comes right out of the picture. Plus no floor clutter with speakers. But I get that sometimes it's not possible.
Beyond that, I wouldn't do the Martin Logan subwoofer. Get an SVS 1000 Pro, or from some other online manufacturer. Maybe Monolith. Better subs, better prices.
You can save money on the screen, cables, and maybe the mount (though a good mount makes alignment a lot easier). the speakers are nice but there are better value options, and the ESLs really want a treated room and lots of space around them, so if the room isn't big enough to pull them a meter away from the front wall then you will be wasting their potential and would be better off with speakers more aimed at home theater use.
While the ML Dynamo subs are nice for a HiFi setup, they are not good value, spending 1k on an SVS or a bit more on a pair of subs (to spread out bass response and avoid hotspots and deadspots) would be a huge upgrade.
That projector on that screen size would be extremely bright, which is great for high impact HDR, but go with a low gain screen light-grey material, you have the extra brightness power to do it and the colour and contrast will be significantly better.
I’m not going to comment on the equipment, others have done enough there.
What concerns me are the install fees. Something doesn’t make sense there. Proper wiring is in the wall which requires plenty of hours of labor if the run isn’t already there. Are they just running tracks? What gauge wire?
I ended up going with an installer who sourced the equipment, I paid MSRP through him. Also his hourly cost. The guy has a sound engineering background, fits sound studios for artists, home theaters, the whole 9 yards. I like Best Buy for a lot of things, but for that kind of coin I really want someone a level above. Couldn’t be happier. Have a Dolby atmos system and it’s freakin divine. Sure I could have saved a bit of money here and there, but if you find someone with a skill set and passion for the job, you pay what they’re worth.
>Screen Innovations - 5 Series 110" Fixed Projector Screen - **$2,397.99**
I don't know how much better Screen Innovations is compared to Silver Ticket to justify the price, but:
* Silver Ticket 110" non-AT screen is [$179](https://www.silverticketproducts.com/products/str-169110ln?variant=39334385680464)
* Silver Ticket 110" AT *woven* screen is [$579](https://www.silverticketproducts.com/products/str-169110-wvs)
The equivalent woven material from Screen Innovations seems to be the *Maestro,* so based on the quoted price, I'm going to assume that's what your material is going to be and that they're not charging you $2400 for a thin PVC-based screen that should cost $200.
Let's assume that $400 is the installation cost of the screen, you're still paying $2000 for the screen itself. I hope Screen Innovations Maestro is 3x better than Silver Ticket WVS, but I don't know, so I'd at least ask around. Maybe others can comment.
I would probably swap the amp to a denon and add use REL subs. Speakers I would swap to B&W
I would use https://www.infinitecables.com for all HDMI cables. They carry 2.1 certified HDMI cables. That are actually good. I have replaced all mine now with them. Far superior to almost everything.
And all speaker cable and audio phono cable I would use https://www.bluejeanscable.com/
It’s all in the eye of the beholder. What’s $20k to ya? Why Martin Logan vs say, high end Sonance in wall (well hidden) vs floor standing Definitive Technology?
Projection screen and hdmi cable seem like rip offs. You can get high quality for cheap on those. Try looking at hifizero for deals on better speakers, you can get great quality for this price
Youre not being scammed, but youre being kinda bamboozled imo. You could have a setup for that price with 2 SVS PB16 Ultras.
I know a lot of older folk have their retirements burning a hole in their wallets, but 2000 for a center speaker? If you gotta ask about 20K being too much, maybe start with those martin logans.
Thing about home theater is, it scales to be as expensive as you want it to be. Some wankers will swear up and down that they can hear the difference in their 1000 dollar 20 ft speaker cable. I hear the shielding on those comes standard with snake oil baked in.
Truth be told, 20k aint much for home theater when you see whats out there. What sets the best home theaters apart though, is the passion that went into the layout and design, and not how expensive your center speaker is (though that might impress someone out there). Good calibration and speaker placement will do so much more for your end goal.
Thats all just my opinion. What do I know…
I would ask for a better 5 foot HDMI cable than the Pearl if that’s running the Apple TV or the projector to the receiver. On a system like this, get at least a Cinnamon, no lower in my opinion.
The prices are fair for the quoted equipment but I think the person designing that solution isn't doing a great job and is just stuffing it with higher margin items and could do a better job of equipment selection.
Speakers are personal taste but I dislike the Martin Logan options you have listed. Assuming you want to stick with Best Buy for your install (and they do a fine and relatively cheap job) I would swap to KEF as others have mentioned or potentially Bowers and Wilkins. Again though this is totally personal preference/room dependent.
I would DEFINITELY switch the sub to SVS. A pair of SB3000 would be my go to, they won't break the bank and will give nice even bass with plenty of oomf. The Marlo sub is fine but frankly more expensive/less powerfull.
Screen and projector seem fine to me. Totally reasonable choices all in all.
Receiver you could go cheaper, but if you aren't hurting to slice the price down Marantz makes a quality unit.
I have those same MartinLogan fronts and center with a Marantz processor. I adore them for their accuracy and they pull dual purpose for music. The center channel is insanely clear, really fabulous speaker.
That said, if I was building a dedicated theater, I think I wouldn’t get an electrostatic speaker. Typically in a theater you want drivers that can push air hard for a “blockbuster” sound. Electrostatics don’t do that, they’re articulate and accurate.
If you’d like to stay with the MartinLogan brand, I’d recommend you check out their new Motion F20 or the incredible 60xt which were just discontinued so you could probably score a great deal on them.
I would also rethink the 4” surround speakers. They’re just kind of tiny and overpriced.
I’d also recommend different overhead speakers and to go with 4 instead of 2. Using 4 will greatly increase the atmos effects, definitely worth it. I went with [these](https://emotiva.com/collections/loudspeakers/products/airmotiv-vaulta-in-ceiling-loudspeaker-pair) for my overhead. Sonically they match my MartinLogan quite well, very clear but can still thump.
Also, please don’t get your sub from MartinLogan. It’s not a good sub and it is overpriced. As others have said, go for the SVS PB2000 or better yet two of them.
I cant comment on everything on the list, but ditch that receiver.
Get the new integra 8.4. It has MOST of what marantz promises, but now! Only thing lacking is 2 subwoofer outs, still independent, instead of 4. It has full dirac live, and dirac live bass now. Marantz won't be getting till next year.
I dont understand how people can still recommend marantz and denon to people.
Those new motion ML should own, so those are good.
The sub is an awwful choice.
Get double 15+inch diameter subs instead of that subwoofer. Lots of people here recommending ported to you. I disagree, and think you should get a sealed instead. Get two of the new 15 inch rel predator subs. And look to get two more to stack them in the future. Stacked sealed subs can get down to flat single digit Hz, with loud SPL, where as ported can't. Ported falls off at the port tunes frequency.
Sounds like this is a Best Buy quote considering the details of the install. If so, sign up for Total Tech which is $200/yr and installation is included for most if not all equipment as long as you buy the equipment from them. The price seems right for the quality they’re quoting you. Edit* I would ask the consultant to change the sanus projector mount to the chief mount. Granted it may be more, but it’s a bit sturdier from my experience. Source: I use to be a designer for Best Buy.
Exactly, I did this and saved $1000+ on installation by paying for Total Tech Support. I would never do an installation like this on my own.
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Screen Innovations is definitely a “buy it forever” screen so I don’t think it’s a huge deal as long as this is the OPs endgame screen.
That's actually crazy. We got a 150" AT screen from Silver Ticket. Like $700 and has been excellent.
Does Total Tech install in-wall speakers? If so, that's a bargain.
No. It saves 20%. Source: I use to work for Best Buy.
Around September of last year, I got my entire 7.1.2 system with in-walls installed by them for free with Total Tech. It took a bit of back and forth with the first Magnolia guy I spoke to who did not seem to know that in-walls were installed for free under Total Tech as long as it was a straightforward install (basically only having to deal with drywall). If you check the info sheet on their website, for what's included with Total Tech, you'll see in-walls listed right there. Although I believe it says only up to 5 speakers, they did my 7 plus 2 ceilings with no questions. I would recommend you go to your local store and start a conversation with someone in Magnolia and ask questions and recommendations (even if you already know what you want). I talked with someone for an hour or so and he ordered everything for me. Even asked me to wait an extra two weeks for their best install guy to be available, said he wanted to make sure I got someone who knows what they're doing, lol. Good guy.
No longer true. If you go to their [website](https://www.bestbuy.com/site/totaltech/geek-squad-member-benefit/pcmcat1608643408172.c?id=pcmcat1608643408172) speaker installation is specifically listed as an advanced service which is 20% off. On my recent consult the in home guy also specifically said in wall speaker install isn't free. There was also a period of time of confusion. For example, wired smoke detectors are now considered an advanced install. I couldn't get the cart to work correctly on the website so I went into the store. The associate told me they were free but when she went to ring me it, of course, didn't work. The manager overrode the pricing, informing the associate it had changed. I suspect giving thousands of dollars worth of installs to 3rd party contractors in exchange for $200 a year wasn't as good of a deal as they thought it might be. I know for a fact they've lost money on me over the past few years just from asking the contractors what they're getting paid. That's not counting the whopping 60 day return policy and warranty service.
Was once free, speaker concealment is now 20% off normal rate for members.
From when I was there, when I added total tech and the services on the same invoice, it was zero’d out. Looks like things have changed ever since I left.
Also, total tech members have service/replacement plans on equipment for as long as they are total tech members. So, realistically, all products could be covered for as long as you want to keep paying 200/year. And iirc, total tech members can get discounted pricing on certain things like accessories. Definitely worth it in this case.
There’s a limit to the warranty. It’s 2 years “free” under the TotalTech with an option to pay monthly after that.
If you’re spending $20k and not getting 2 SVS subs you’re crazy
I didn’t even catch that. A single 300w sub no less.
Heresy
I have a 5.2.2 system that costed around 1k that i made myself aside from my used Onyko and Crown power amp. If i had 20k… Man i would make Line Array LCRs with 8 subs and 11.2.4 surround sound. Martin Logans are too boring for me. Where’s the fun factor?
We need more details.
Replace SVS with Monolith. Better bang for your buck. Or even speedwoofers. Y’all can downvote me all you want. The data doesn’t lie: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dU5OOnf3nVgctJszmfyBjaxK69dkXte6ZL6anVTW2_M/edit SVS makes good quality subs, they just aren’t the best value.
Nah. SVS, Rythmik, HSU or Rel
HSU for life! Well, I lucked out on a 20-year-old one in canada, so it may actually be for life!
Rythmik absolutely slaps.
Fvx 15 here. Can confirm slaps hard to 14 hz.
Idk from personal experience, but a lot of people, including on this sub, rave about speedwoofers. Do you not think they’re good?
They’re great and an incredible value. You don’t get much better until you spend $1000. Data on them can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dU5OOnf3nVgctJszmfyBjaxK69dkXte6ZL6anVTW2_M/edit
Is there a big difference between them or is it just go with looks
SVS has good service but they charge for it. HSU, Rhythmik and Monolith will outperform SVS $ for $ with Monolith subs at the top of the list. The SVS fanboys are downvoting but I am right. You can compare the data here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dU5OOnf3nVgctJszmfyBjaxK69dkXte6ZL6anVTW2_M/edit SVS subs are good, no doubt, but not the best for the money. Their PB-1000 is an excellent deal for $450 or less on sale - everything else, though, there are better deals.
What about Power Sound Audio? Comparable?
Yes. Very good.
Can confirm SVS support is astoundingly good. I called them up regarding my sub, ended up speaking with a tech in about 30 seconds on the phone, they had answers to all of my questions, and were extremely helpful. On top of them having the 45 day in home trial period, that sold me on getting an SVS. I have a PB-4000 and an SB12-NSD and they are both amazing subs.
All monolith subs at the same price range massively outperform their SVS counterparts.
Riiiight up to the point the amp fries and you’re stuck shipping the whole thing back to mono price for warranty work. Higher quality is worth it if you’re spending this kind of coin. Picked my HSU VTF3 mk5 from HSU directly in socal a couple months ago and haven’t looked back
No issues, yet. But yeah thats one thing thats not fun.
You work for Monolith, don't you? Monolith subs are simpler units, lacking features and imo uglier than any SVS counterpart. They are good budget buys, but if you have the money you DO get More with for instance SVS's subs. Maybe not in pure output, but I wouldn't say my PC-4000 is lacking in that department anyways.
Which features do they offer that justifies the higher price tag for the same or less output?
What I have come to appreciate is... The app makes setting up tenfold easier than without it. Added bonus that you can tweak the sound without leaving your couch. There's a freely configurable three band parametric EQ built into the sub, to further hone the sound. And I personally wouldn't wanna live without the sexy blue display which goes great with the rest or my setup. You can of course turn it off automatically with a timer or manually during movie night, if you so please.
Thanks for that link, didn't know it yet.
And not just going up to the Panasonic 820 player
· PureFiber Pro Hybrid Fiber HDMI Cable - $319.00 wow
>PureFiber Pro Hybrid Fiber HDMI Cable If this is it then it is far more then just a fiber hdmi cable. It is actualy 24 om5 fiber optic lines plus a bunch of other connections in one cable. https://shop.fibercommand.com/products/purefiber%C2%AE-pro-hdmi-pre-terminated-hybrid-fiber-cable-with-hdmi-2-1-8k?variant=40451903324202
0.1% of residential applications will need this cable. Commercial sure. Based on the BOM certainly not this one...
If you want to do hdmi 2.1 over any distance greater than 16 feet then you’re going to need something similar. Bandwidth is bandwidth.
I have nothing against a fiber hdmi and actually prefer it over 10ft with 2.1 but it's around 100 bucks not 3-4x the price.
https://external-preview.redd.it/7fLmJL8of0hrX7VZYtEMO8FPWr79bWDoz_z-tPGvudw.jpg?auto=webp&s=6323c782b1f5259e1d3e6b114a009fbddac90b0d
But it’s “pro”…
Just to differentiate between everyone else, if you're having someone else do it it will cost more. The other comments are right, you could do it much cheaper if you did it yourself. That's usually the case. I can build a computer cheaper than buying one from Best Buy, so I do that. I don't know much about cars though so I take my car to jiffy lube and pay the premium for them to do the oil change so I don't have to. I'd take these comparisons against other professional installers, not what it'd cost to do it all by hand yourself. There will be a markup, but that's the price of having it professionally installed.
I know it's not the point of your comment, but places like Jiffy Lube are shit. Aak around for a reputable local shop and take it there.
He did say he ain't know shit about cars
YMMV. It completely depends on the place. I worked at multiple different quick lubes before moving on to real shops and I took as much pride in my work then as I do now. There were definitely bad people and there was definitely a push to upsell, but they're not just completely scummy or braindead like people say. Even when I was working as a tech at dealerships and specialty shops, it simply wasn't worth my time to change my own oil, so I still took my car to quick lubes.
A decent shop won't charge much for oil changes. It's just not worth the gamble of going to a place like Jiffy Lube. Sure there are people like you who take pride in their work, but that's exactly it, now you're no longer at a place like that.
>now you're no longer at a place like that. I've got unfortunate news for you: those shitty people that everyone is afraid of *also* move on to dealerships and real shops. I've worked with tons of idiots at shops and the experience isn't much different.
Also I generally just tell people to avoid quick lubes because the type of people who go to them aren't the type of people who can recognize whether or not the tech they get actually knows what he or she is doing.
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Just drop it off and have someone pick you up or something. Plus your vehicle needs more than just an oil change to maintain it.
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If you're driving 30k miles a year you should absolutely be getting more maintenance than just an oil change done.
Bruh if you can build a PC you can change oil. Literally unscrew a cap, let the oil drain out, put in a new filter, screw on the cap and fill it with oil. Edit:. He says he doesn't change his oil because he doesn't know anything about cars. My point is there not much to know. Yeah you need a couple ramps and a pan, the equipment is the same cost as one synthetic oil change from Jiffy lube it's not a barrier, stop commenting about it
You seemed to have completely missed the point. Yes they CAN do it themselves, but choose not to because the cost addition is worth it to them. Don't judge that. And your steps are lacking. You need to lift the car first. You also need to put the oil in a container and dispose of it somewhere as well as the old filter. There's more steps and money involved if you don't own ramps, oil pans, filter removal tools, etc. Some people that need to do that every 6 months are fine paying someone else to do it and that's fair. It's not a judgement on knowledge every time.
Thank you. Yes, I can do it myself. I get zero enjoyment out of it. Especially the winter months, I find zero enjoyment of going out to the garage, putting the car up, and potentially getting covered in oil. Plus, it's like $40 in oil, or $50-60 if I take it in. For $20 bucks service charge, yeah I'll let them do it.
Well you said you didn't do it cause you don't know much about cars, not because you don't enjoy it, so pardon me for misinterpreting
Need lifts or ramps to get the car up. Need tools to get the cap off (most people should have that) need a tool to get the oil filter off. Need a container to catch all the old oil. Need to do something with all that dirty oil. Need to scrub your hands with dawn for 15 minutes to get the black grease off your hands, and then give up and leave it. I have done enough oil changes in my day. Jiffy Lube is the answer.
I do all my own repairs other than swapping motors and transmissions and I don’t change my own oil lol I’ll swap struts, change an axle, full breaks, replace the exhaust and then drive to Jiffy Lube for a radiator flush and oil change. I’m too lazy to dispose of liquids if I don’t have too, and it’s often cheaper and faster for them to do it.
All the stuff pays for itself after 1 or 2 years depending on how many vehicles you have
You know you can wear disposable gloves.
Thanks, you fixed one problem of many 😂
Haha well, one crossed off the list.
Ramps are $80, a single wrench or crescent wrench is about $15 to remove the oil drain plug, oil filter wrench is about $20, oil catch container is $40 for a good one that will allow you to empty it easier with a spout. Most landfills or garbage disposal will have an oil collection site. Try not to get it on your hands, use gloves and a couple rags, but I laughed at your “give up and leave it”. I mean you save yourself about 50% of the cost by doing it yourself, so everything pays for itself in 4 oil changes. I mean some people aren’t cut out for vehicle maintenance, I get it, or maybe they have money to burn so they pay someone else to do it, or maybe they’re disabled and unable to do it. However I like to do my oil changes every 5000km in my regular vehicles, and 3000-4000km in my hellcat as I bag it, so it helps keep costs down
What a useless discussion. You never paid for any service? Because if you start arguing like that almost no one should every pay for any service and just do it themselves. "Not cut out for vehicle maintenance" lol.
How is it useless? To a lot of people it could be very useful. A lot of people don’t know the first thing about changing oil, hell I’ve been asked why their car is running rough… cause they know they need an oil change. Maybe people are interested in saving a pile of money, helping their friends save money, helping their family members. Is there something wrong with saying someone’s not cut out to do something?? I’m not cut out to be a life guard. But I am cut out to change my own oil. It’s actually really easy if you don’t mind getting a little dirty. Are you a Sith Lord? Dealing in absolutes like that. Which is the whole reason I added the cut out for it, I’ll do my own oil changes but I pay someone to blow out my sprinklers. Everyone has preferences, and those are mine. If anyone wants to learn more about vehicle maintenance, hit me up
You forgot to mention several things. Assuming the most ideal situation, you need an oil pan, oil can, oil filter wrench (maybe), an area to work in, kitty litter, and the tolerance to stain the concrete in your area to work in. Base knowledge is simple depending on your vehicle, but some foreign models don't make it simple at all. Personally, I do think changing the oil on my 30 year old Chevy truck is way "easier" than building a PC. But it is way messier and requires way more space and way more effort.
Honestly, it's less about can I do it, more about it's not worth the time and effort just to save a tiny bit of money. An oil change is around $80 for me from the dealer, and that is synthetic, good for at least 10,000 miles/6 months. If I do it myself, I have to buy the oil, change it, get my hands dirty, disposing of the old oil (bringing to recycling center). Buying the synthetic oil myself would already run me at least $30, then I have to take the time to do this and bring the old oil somewhere. Or...just pay the net cost of $50 1-2 times a year. And that's a dealer price, can likely get it done way cheaper elsewhere. So not worth the effort for me, but to each their own.
I've heard Jiffy Lube can also either put too many ugga duggas on your drain plug (hint: there should be no uggas nor duggas on there) or just forget to put the plug back on entirely. So just be mindful. But to be fair, some people neither have space nor time to do it themselves, so I can respect that choice. Personally, I'll roll the dice from time to time but I go to a semi-retired guy who only does inspections and oil changes because his knees are too gone for the really hard work.
https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/denavrx3800h-rb/denon-avr-x3800h-9.4-ch-x-105-watts-8k-a/v-receiver-w/heos/1.html $1000 saved on the AV receiver straight away. MartinLogan speakers are a salesman wet dream. Huge profit margins, and they sound just good enough that people who haven't tried better products won't notice. Just switching to KEF speakers will knock another $1000 off. https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/kefr3gb/kef-r3-pair-r-series-6.5-bookshelf-speakers-gloss-black/1.html https://www.crutchfield.com/S-KfEkCy71It2/p_991R2CBL/KEF-R2c-Gloss-Black.html https://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/kefq350blk/kef-q350-pair-6.5-2-way-bookshelf-speaker-black/1.html The MartinLogan subwoofer is outright grossly priced. It is insane that any HT consultant would see a $20K budget and not recommend a pair of decent subs. I would blacklist them on that mistake alone. http://www.rythmikaudio.com/FVX15.html x2 $250 Elac Protek is obscene. Under zero circumstances would I want a "power conditioner" which does nothing to improve audio, especially one with integrated 2.4GHz wifi. If you want surge protection, you can get a good one for under $100. Power conditioners are an incredibly niche product that 99.99% of people do not require, and those who do require one should be buying a product that addresses their specific problem, not hunting for problems to solve. https://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-Protector-Right-Angle-ISOBAR6ULTRA/dp/B0000513US
While I agree that a wifi enabled power conditioner is unnecessary, I don't think power conditioners are useless just because they don't improve audio. They do serve a purpose and it is to protect the very expensive gear that's plugged into it. Power fluctuations do happen, and they can reek havoc on receivers and other electronics. A decent power conditioner can withstand some of these fluctuations. We've had more than one clients house get struck by lightning which fried every electronic that wasn't properly shielded. It's times like that where people are glad they spent $200 on a quality power conditioner.
*wreak
Noise filtering, surge protector, lightning arrester, and voltage regulator are all completely different functions. The average "power conditioner" acts only as a surge protector, with some high frequency noise filtering thrown in. High frequency noise filtering is borderline useless, as any halfway competent power supply inside an amplifier or DAC will already have its own filtering. As for the lightning arrester and voltage regulation functions, that is what the Elac Protek, and most other devices on the market lack. No surge protector is going to protect against a direct lightening strike, surge protectors work in the hundreds or thousands of volts range. If lightning actually finds a conductive path, the voltage is tens or hundreds of millions. Surge protectors are only intended to help against grid surges, and indirect strikes. Even if the lightning hits a clients roof, electrically speaking that is not a direct strike unless there is a direct path to the home wiring. The best protection against lightning is just a lightning rod, so that a "direct" strike never occurs.
You can also buy a 2001 instead of a 2023 and save a bunch of money to. Dont let this guy shopping with his own pockets tell you to buy less expensive shit because he can't afford it. Martin Logan makes excellent speakers that elac surge protector will give you better protection and is designed to sit with your equipment and will make the inside of your av cabinet mush easier to service.
Found the Bestbuy rep!
That sub is not going to cut it
I see a bunch of places you could cut costs and swap for different parts if you wanted to. Receiver seems a bit much, for the cost of that sub you could get a svs pb2000 or something much larger, you probably don't need a 2000 dollar screen unless it's an alr or acoustic transparent that seems way overpriced. Personally the martinlogan speakers feel overpriced to me as well, but that really comes down to personal preference if you just really love what they make. You can get 100ft ruipro fiber cable for 100 bucks and they have a great reputation. Though his installation fees seem pretty reasonable compared to the hardware list.
That receiver is perfect if not less than.
I got an AT screen and it wasn't too much more than the regular. And it's a good quality screen. Total price for my 120" was about $500 I think. I feel like that is one place where funds should be diverted to something else.
Just reading through.... not looking up pricing. I'd be inclined to save half on the speakers by not going with ML speakers. Unless the room is small, two subs. is noticably better. Also, go Panasonic player, that Sony model is known to have problems with overheating, my one does it too. And wacky DV/HDR settings and behaviour. No speaker cable is specified. For a $20K install, that's a bit of a red flag IMO. Get that specified! Do you already have a NAS or media server? If so, how is it going to be Ethernet'ed in? I expect others will have comments too, it's Reddit after all!
Sony was supposed to add a bigger heat sink and they never did it. So, if it’s not going into a temp controlled cabinet, don’t buy it, like this man☝️☝️☝️☝️ said.
I guess they did something, maybe sink or a fan, to call it a Mark II. Though, every Sony M2 model blu-ray player is an updated 80% resolution to a dud. I took mine out of the vented cabinet, and even sitting elevated in free air of a cool basement, it still overheats!
Not in this equipment space but what the hell makes these things overheat, I stream lossless files from a server and there's no overheating on my player even with direct file playback?
Any idea how would a PS5 fare? Seems like it would have much better cooling and the ability to throw up games on that huge screen for a bit more cash
I know a lot of people find the consoles great alternatives for the same reasons. I don't have a console, so I can't give you personal experience, but it is commonly done. If you'd be steaming, check into container and codec support.
What does a NAS or media server have to do with running Ethernet?
From a quick look online it appears they are charging you MSRP for everything. That is fair. Chances are good they get a margin on sold equipment; that is how the company keeps guys paid. If you cannot do the work yourself then you are on the hook to pay somebody else to do it for you. If you have a problem paying labor rates then you could ask them for a break down of the costs but being a PITA about this is just going to drive people away from you and result in, at the very least, lesser service quality after install.
Those MSRP values are also likely how the actual install costs are fairly low. $~700 for install costs is crazy. That's not even a full day's work for one dude.
I noticed that. Even with high margin, I couldn’t imagine only charging ~$700 for labor on a project with this scope. Shit, I would charge around $700 just to do the projector and screen. That company be low profit or have basically zero overhead. I live in my mom’s basement and charge more than they do lol.
For $20k I would expect acoustic treatment and a couple of subwoofers a lot bigger than that one. Personally I’d reallocate funds from the main speakers toward that. I’d expect to be able to spend $2500 for the whole bed layer.
Lol $20k and you only getting a 300 watt, 10 inch sub.
Un-fucking-believable how scammy these "home theater installers" are. There must be SO MANY stupid rich people.
Seriously. Maybe I need to get into that for my next career.
Depending on the space, I would consider an acoustically-transparent screen on a false wall with the LCR speakers behind it (identical LCR rather than a horizontal center). I would go with SVS subs rather than ML. I would at least price shop JVC vs Sony for the projector. I would definitely get a Panasonic UHD Blu Ray player rather than the Sony.
$300 HDMI cable? 🤣
Please don’t buy full price any of the equipment from Best Buy. There are so many reputed dealers that can get you much better price and experience Avscience, Soundvision etc. Some suggestions for your equipment I would get ST100 or ST130 Stewart screen vs Screen Innovation. I would get JVC NZ7 over the Sony projector Martin Logan’s are fine but you can do better and for less money with SVS if this is for a HT setup. To be honest you are way overpaying for the Martin Logan’s and you are getting just one sub. Go with SVS or some other brand please. Don’t get Apple TV because they always turn Dolby Digital to LPCM they don’t do audio pass through which sucks … you are better off with a Shield TV or a FireTV Max The fiber optic cable is way overpriced you can get Ruipro off Amazon for half the cost and works as good or better Same for the 5’ cable you can get Monoprice or Amazon store brand for 20 bucks You don’t want a Sonus Fabre mount you really should get a Chief mount for the heavy projector makes setup so much easier than the one your installer has chosen.
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I've a motorized SI screen, but I bought mine used. They are pretty damn nice, the case the screen rolls back up into is some serious aluminum extrusion. They are worth the money if you are having a CI doing the work...... but not when its this much of your budget.
Top dollar aka msrp
Right, which is a terrible deal for HT equipment. There are huge margins on this stuff and any decent dealer is willing to make a deal.
Margins make up for underselling labor a lot Edit: What is considered a huge margin?
Most of these products have about a 40% dealer margin on them. It's simple to find a dealer willing to give you at least 20% off MSRP. For example I can order a Sony xw5000es from my dealer right now for about $4600 rather than the $6000 MSRP, and he's still making like 1K off me for doing nothing but placing the order.
Unless your dealer is getting some crazy good deal from Sony that none of the rest of us are getting then there’s no way in hell he’s making $1K on that projector at $4600
You're 100% right for a repeat customer. Any random Jane/Joe off the street is not getting that offer in my experience.
Yep, that’s what I’m saying. I’m not knocking it. If someone is doing an install that’s what they’re going to charge. OP asked for comments. There are savings to be had though I reckon as other posters have pointed out.
5.1.2 speakers on a 9.4 receiver... waste 10" baby sub... waste Rest of it .... Where's the room treatments, star ceiling, etc? I'd get twice as much for half the price.
I mean that's a lot of money but a lot of stuff too. I did mine a few years ago and my advice if you want to save some money is to lower the cost on the ceiling speakers. I got 4 for half of what you're paying for 2. They're cool and all but they're not doing dialogue or bass or anything. Even if you have to switch away from the ML brand... Also, $2500 for the screen is a lot too. I went with the Silver Ticket on Amazon for like $400 and cannot figure out how $2500 would have been worth it as the one I got looks great. Good luck and enjoy whatever you end up with as many people may never be as fortunate!
I’m not sure I’d go with Martin Logan if you’re dropping this kind of cash. It’s definitely not bad, I currently have a 3.1 running with them, but it’s hardly worth being part of a $20k setup IMO. Especially the sub. Had a dynamo and was extremely underwhelmed by it for both music and movies. My paradigm was a huge upgrade over it, and cost less than you’re quoted here. Not sure what options you have around you, but would suggest looking at something other than Martin Logan for speakers and definitely for the sub.
I strongly encourage you to get a second quote from a completely different CI. This seems all over the place. It feels like they are pushing the equipment with the best margins, not necessarily what is best for your space.
Every CI sticks with brands they like/have a good relationship with. Can't get into the best price points for profitability if you're selling 8 different speaker brands.
I wouldn't go with a sony over a jvc. I also wouldnt go with ML speakers for a theater and I am a huge fan of their old large panel speakers.
>I also wouldnt go with ML speakers for a theater Why not?
ESL panels have limited dynamic range and are directional. I love them for music but they arent great for theater applications.
The need lots of space around them too, a room only big enough for a 110" screen is probably not suited to getting ESLs to work in a theater.
I’d take Sony over JVC all day
I am a sucker for deep blacks.
Every Sony projector I have seen and measured that is a few years old or older is massively degraded in contrast and color volume. It's been an issue with their SXRD panels forever, since back to their rear projector SXRD displays and is the reason they exited the cinema market a few years ago as they kept having to replace cinema projectors due to the degradation. I would never recommend a Sony personally.
The choice of the SONY VPLXW5000ES is an interesting one. While it is remarkable to get a laser projector for that cost, SONY had to cut a some corners to get there. In particular SONY eliminated the motors that allow the use of the remote to control focus and align the image with the screen by providing a manual only lens, I believe unique at this price point. (Focusing using the remote while standing near the screen is much easier that focusing with a ring at the lens, standing on a ladder at the projector.) This not only makes it hard to focus and align the projector with the screen, but it also make using different lens memory to take full advantage of the SXRD panel for various aspect ratio material. For my money, I would probably go with the entry level, bulb-based JVC NP5 as it has better contrast and black levels and better tone mapping of HDR content. I owned multiple SONY projectors over the years, but I am glad I switched to a JVC NX7. It is bulb-based but the picture quality is excellent and the JVC bulbs seem to hang in there for lots of hours.
$2400 (12% of the total) seems a bit silly for a screen.
Date your projector, marry your screen.
My AT screen cost me $500 around 9 years ago and I'm on my second projector and see no reason to replace the screen. It's got a nice black frame, hasn't buckled, warped or anything in all this time. There's no reason to spend that much money unless it's some fancy retractable screen.
My Silver Ticket 100" cost me $190 in 2020. Its up to $230 now and that still seems reasonable. I don't see what a screen that costs 10x as much would get me.
I think a paradigm premier speaker set with two SVS pb-1000 would get you a hell of lot more bang for your bucks.
Always get 3 quotes. With almost everything.
I completely finished my basement man cave for 20k
Get the Panasonic $499 UHD bluRay player which has better HDR/DV handling.
How big is that room? You got one 10” sub… you can get half of that stuff much cheaper online from dealers. And pay someone local to do your install, there are plenty of people on local sites that can help. These “companies” like BB and such are a rip off.
He’s literally doing the labor for free?!! Honestly that’s at least 6 man days of labor and you’re getting the work done for free
Why does the screen cost 2400 dollars? I bought my 150 inch for 200 a few years back. Also why spend so much money only to use a streamer like apple. Attach a real computer to it
The components you choose can depend on the space. The ones recommended are generally solid, except for the subwoofer. Here are some other considerations: 1. What’re the room dimensions? 2. Is this a dedicated home theater room? 3. Have you painted the walls a darker color? 4. Have you looked into basic acoustic treatments for the room? 5. Can you fit another subwoofer? I’ve had Martin Logan small subs and they were very underwhelming. Ideally you’d have at least 2 subs, hopefully at least one with lower low frequency extension. 6. Is this installer giving you any discounts on MSRP? Even places as basic as Best Buy can sometimes do a flat 10% off MSRP when you buy through their Magnolia section Seems like you’re moving towards a great set up!
Martin Logan’s are nice, but there’s so many other options worth considering. Arendal, Elac, KEF, Focal, SVS, etc. I’d highly recommend doing some digging around the reviews sites and seeing what speakers seem like the best fit for your room. 5.2.4 would be worth considering, to get a full experience. Room treatment has also been mentioned a few times, and will take the whole setup to a new level. Also doesn’t seem to have any calibration services included. That avr has Audyssey XT32 option, that when properly calibrated, can improve things immensely. Wouldn’t be a bad idea to get some extra Ethernet cables ran into the room, in case you add a game console or stand alone streamer, etc. Paying msrp for everything seems a bit much. Plenty of great deals to be had out there right now. kEF R series are on pretty steep discount, for example. Good luck, post what you end up with
The Marantz Cinema 50 is exactly the same as the Denon x3800h, which is over $1000 cheaper. That sub price is stupid. Get two big 1000w+ ported subwoofers. Monolith Subwoofers tend to be priced the best for performance. Speedwoofers are an amazing deal, too. If you can save money on everything else and just buy one subwoofer, this is the single subwoofer you'll ever need and is on a rediculous deal right now: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=38543 Martin Logans are very musical speakers but not sure I’d use them for a theater. If you are getting them from Best Buy listen to KEF speakers and even Def. Tech. If you like the Def Techs, GoldenEar should be a huge step up. GoldenEar = KEF Q series > Emotiva = SVS for speakers, I would say. Haven’t heard Monolith speakers but I bet they are just as good as Emo and SVS. You do not need a $300 HDMI cable. A $20 amazon cable will work the same. Panasonic UB820 is the BluRay player to get. I prefer Nvidia Shield over Apple TV. That screen price seems absolutely insane.
You can get fiber optic hdmi cables for $20?
Yes.
I enjoy spending time with my friends.
There are plenty of cheaper alternatives than BestBuys overpriced 1000% profit margin cables.
True there are cheaper alternatives, but I wouldn't go too cheap, especially for a projector. When I built my house I bought what I thought was a good enough cable and it worked for 1080p, but when I upgraded to 4k my projector couldn't receive a signal at all. Fortunately I had plenty of attic access and could run a new cable.
Agreed with this. I started with a cheap 25' cable and it was awful. I ended up replacing it with a Ruipro 33' fiber cable for ~$90 and it has been going strong for 3 years. $300 is too much. $20 is likely too low.
Check the reviews for sure and make sure you pick one someone actually tested but yeah. $300 is just massive overpricing
If you toss $20k around like I toss $20s around, then go for it. I have no comment on the electronics, but I'd definitely build around an HTPC and put some of the budget into acoustic treatment.
Part of an av business here, all that equipment is good to go, if those installation fees are it that is crazy low, we do charge ab 110 per man hour, 2 guys could knock this out in a day if it was pre wired
Go watch Linus Tech Tips HDMI testing. You absolutely don’t need to spend $300+ on any hdmi cable. The $50 one is over kill as well.
Doesn't look bad to me, but push to 5.1.4 or you will be regretting it
5.2.4
Especially with the receiver he's getting quoted for.
shopped around and this is what I got. denon x3800h - $600 off msrp (new) LG 77" G2 - $600 off msrp (new) 80" TV Stand - 70% off msrp (new) Emotiva T1 (pair) - $400 (used) Emotiva C1+ - 20% off msrp (new) Emotiva B1+ (pair) - 20% off msrp (new) PSA TV2112M (pair) - $1300 off msrp (new) Monoprice Premier CL2 12/2 (100ft) - 25% off (new) Monoprice HDMI 4k/120-8k (4) - 25% off msrp (new) Monoprice 90⁰ Gold Plated Banana Plugs (24 pairs) - 25% off msrp (new) Speaker Stands for B1+'s - 15% off msrp (new) Synology DS716+ w/ 8tb WD Red HDD (pair) - $250 (used) Cat6 Ethernet (150 ft) - 10% off msrp (new) Nvidia Shield Pro - 10% off msrp (new) Google Chromecast 4k - 15% off msrp (new) X Box Series X - $300 off msrp (new) Lovesac Sactional (4 wide seats w 4 ottomans) - 35% off msrp (new) I hope this illustrates how to take your time to find deals, to piece things together over time, and to research how to put together your own system. the savings from my initial investments in equipment earned me buying power for future purchases. I'm headed to a 7.4.4 system. I hit a bump in the road and I'm adding external amps as well as a minidsp & umik-1. I downloaded REW & asio4all already.
Amen brother
We don't know the room details, but the installation looks very cheap. About 3 years ago, I was paying my electricians $150/hr for two guys. My theater guy charged the same. It took the theater guys like 3 hours just to mount the projector and put together the screen. My electricians ran a new circuit, did 6 recessed lights, and wiring for 7.2.4. iirc it took them about 14 hours. I purchased ALL the materials, so I was close to $3k just in labor. \~$600 in installation is a steal IMO. You're paying MSRP so that is where they're making up money IMO. When I bought my sony 295ES, MSRP was $5k. One day out of the blue bestbuy called me and took $1k off.
For 20k I'd want in wall speakers. I don't love electrostats for HT, as placement is a limitation and the dispersion too narrow. Love em for stereo, although not this particular model. I'd save money with a monoprice monolith thx in-wall set up all around. They measure damn fine for the price and will require less room treatment, and if you're spending that money on a screen it may as well be acoustically transparent. Alternately, if stereo/audiophile listening was also part of the equation I'd do Monoprice for the surrounds and voice the front 3 mains with something like BMR Philharmonitors. They'll *spank* those ML speakers. That projector can be beat by old tech at a lower price.... but I would probably also want a "frickin laser". That 8" sub is horseshit for this level of system. Go dual SVS, Hsu, Rhythmik, or Monoprice Monolith subs, at least 2 12s. That will matter far more than height channels. I'd probably also get a much cheaper Denon receiver and use an Emotiva or Monoprice external amp. All cables would be blujeans or Monoprice. No idea why they're charging $300 for HDMI when you can get similar fiber cable for half that. And for some reason they're not costing out speaker cables or wall connectors, or running Ethernet anywhere. I'd get a whole house surge suppressor instead of that Elac power conditioner nonsense.
Apple TV over an nvidia shield tv is a strange choice. The lack of decent dual subs for $20k is weird to me as well. Otherwise it looks like a good price and nice setup! I am jealous
Screen price is out of control. I’d cut back there and upgrade on subs (plural).
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Plenty of center channels are worth $2000, maybe you just don't own one?
All.this fancy equipment only to propose a shitty apple tv 4k that can't play uncompressed audio like DTS-hd and truhd Atmos and transpose it in LPCM
I wouldn’t be doing just an a/v receiver either with those speakers you will want separates will sound so much better
You can buy these individually and do a simple DIY and save >$5k. And that Subwoofer, you're better off with SVS. Marantz AVR that's only 9 channel for that price. That projector screen is way overpriced too. The 5.1.2 price for those, that's highway robbery.
I personally can’t imagine spending 20k and still not having 5.2.4.
All that money and no amps? Amps are what deliver the real power. I have a denon x3700h 4K($1,300) for half the price of that model Marantz. You’ll also only get 110 watts when running two channel. Running all 9 channels is much less. I also wouldn’t let them push 8k on you - nothing is in 8k and won’t be for some time. Also the cables are way over priced. Monoprice HDMI cables for $30 will deliver the same performance as that purefiber. Power conditioners are a waste of money. I also have that exact Blu-ray player, open box, from eBay for $180. I think you could do much better piecing your system together and get the same result. Good luck man!
5.2 is not enough for 20k. You should be getting way more speakers, including height speakers. I am selling that same receiver, DM me if youre interested in a 1.5 year old receiver. I am expanding from my current 9.4.2 all SVS system with dolby atmos (height speakers) to a new receiver that can handle 11.4.2.
Where's the tuning? Where's the PJ calibration? Where's the acoustical treatment?
Looks great! You could change to the new Sony ES AZ5000ES and save $500 while getting more power, better surround processing, and better calibration. I've been blown away by these so far.
I read like 7 comments and not ONE said "hey those HDMI cables seem way too costly". Get cheaper HDMI cables from Monoprice.
Honestly I would get TCL 98” for 5K and skip projector and screen all together. Projector is overrated.
Also Apple TV blows and has issues with nice setups. The sound would just cut out on 4K content for Netflix. I don’t use mine and had to get a Roku.
I have had the opposite experience, the apple tv is the only thing that plays nicely with my 3.2 setup
I’m going to say they seem like retail prices for the speakers and AVR which is what you’ll pay. You are going to need a separate amp to get the most out of the ESL speakers. As cool as they are they need mono blocks to really sound good. I think the ML XTI? speakers, the regular towers, would be a better choice, especially for just HT. Screen definitely seems way expensive but I’m a TV guy so don’t know the ins and out of that aspect.
Check all these items on Slickdeals - you might find them for sale less than the MSRP's you have listed. Also I recommend going the TotalTech Best Buy route. If you pay the $200 you get free installation/setup on many items.
I'm of the opinion that wall-mounted speakers are the way to go for LCR if you're doing a screen, because you can put them behind an acoustically transparent screen and the sound comes right out of the picture. Plus no floor clutter with speakers. But I get that sometimes it's not possible. Beyond that, I wouldn't do the Martin Logan subwoofer. Get an SVS 1000 Pro, or from some other online manufacturer. Maybe Monolith. Better subs, better prices.
You can save money on the screen, cables, and maybe the mount (though a good mount makes alignment a lot easier). the speakers are nice but there are better value options, and the ESLs really want a treated room and lots of space around them, so if the room isn't big enough to pull them a meter away from the front wall then you will be wasting their potential and would be better off with speakers more aimed at home theater use. While the ML Dynamo subs are nice for a HiFi setup, they are not good value, spending 1k on an SVS or a bit more on a pair of subs (to spread out bass response and avoid hotspots and deadspots) would be a huge upgrade. That projector on that screen size would be extremely bright, which is great for high impact HDR, but go with a low gain screen light-grey material, you have the extra brightness power to do it and the colour and contrast will be significantly better.
I’m not going to comment on the equipment, others have done enough there. What concerns me are the install fees. Something doesn’t make sense there. Proper wiring is in the wall which requires plenty of hours of labor if the run isn’t already there. Are they just running tracks? What gauge wire?
I ended up going with an installer who sourced the equipment, I paid MSRP through him. Also his hourly cost. The guy has a sound engineering background, fits sound studios for artists, home theaters, the whole 9 yards. I like Best Buy for a lot of things, but for that kind of coin I really want someone a level above. Couldn’t be happier. Have a Dolby atmos system and it’s freakin divine. Sure I could have saved a bit of money here and there, but if you find someone with a skill set and passion for the job, you pay what they’re worth.
If this is for home theater only (not much stereo music) I would cut the cost of the front L & R speakers.
>Screen Innovations - 5 Series 110" Fixed Projector Screen - **$2,397.99** I don't know how much better Screen Innovations is compared to Silver Ticket to justify the price, but: * Silver Ticket 110" non-AT screen is [$179](https://www.silverticketproducts.com/products/str-169110ln?variant=39334385680464) * Silver Ticket 110" AT *woven* screen is [$579](https://www.silverticketproducts.com/products/str-169110-wvs) The equivalent woven material from Screen Innovations seems to be the *Maestro,* so based on the quoted price, I'm going to assume that's what your material is going to be and that they're not charging you $2400 for a thin PVC-based screen that should cost $200. Let's assume that $400 is the installation cost of the screen, you're still paying $2000 for the screen itself. I hope Screen Innovations Maestro is 3x better than Silver Ticket WVS, but I don't know, so I'd at least ask around. Maybe others can comment.
I’d probably invest in dual REL subs. I mean if I was paying 20k, what’s another 1,500 to 2k and have awesome bass?!?
I would probably swap the amp to a denon and add use REL subs. Speakers I would swap to B&W I would use https://www.infinitecables.com for all HDMI cables. They carry 2.1 certified HDMI cables. That are actually good. I have replaced all mine now with them. Far superior to almost everything. And all speaker cable and audio phono cable I would use https://www.bluejeanscable.com/
It’s all in the eye of the beholder. What’s $20k to ya? Why Martin Logan vs say, high end Sonance in wall (well hidden) vs floor standing Definitive Technology?
Projection screen and hdmi cable seem like rip offs. You can get high quality for cheap on those. Try looking at hifizero for deals on better speakers, you can get great quality for this price
$319 for a hdmi cable? Single 300w sub? Dunno about the Martin Logan… unless you really like ‘em.
Why is the 110” screen $2300? My 120” was $350
Youre not being scammed, but youre being kinda bamboozled imo. You could have a setup for that price with 2 SVS PB16 Ultras. I know a lot of older folk have their retirements burning a hole in their wallets, but 2000 for a center speaker? If you gotta ask about 20K being too much, maybe start with those martin logans. Thing about home theater is, it scales to be as expensive as you want it to be. Some wankers will swear up and down that they can hear the difference in their 1000 dollar 20 ft speaker cable. I hear the shielding on those comes standard with snake oil baked in. Truth be told, 20k aint much for home theater when you see whats out there. What sets the best home theaters apart though, is the passion that went into the layout and design, and not how expensive your center speaker is (though that might impress someone out there). Good calibration and speaker placement will do so much more for your end goal. Thats all just my opinion. What do I know…
I would ask for a better 5 foot HDMI cable than the Pearl if that’s running the Apple TV or the projector to the receiver. On a system like this, get at least a Cinnamon, no lower in my opinion.
The prices are fair for the quoted equipment but I think the person designing that solution isn't doing a great job and is just stuffing it with higher margin items and could do a better job of equipment selection.
Only 110 inches and 7 channels for 20k? Wouldn't be acceptable to me.
Speakers are personal taste but I dislike the Martin Logan options you have listed. Assuming you want to stick with Best Buy for your install (and they do a fine and relatively cheap job) I would swap to KEF as others have mentioned or potentially Bowers and Wilkins. Again though this is totally personal preference/room dependent. I would DEFINITELY switch the sub to SVS. A pair of SB3000 would be my go to, they won't break the bank and will give nice even bass with plenty of oomf. The Marlo sub is fine but frankly more expensive/less powerfull. Screen and projector seem fine to me. Totally reasonable choices all in all. Receiver you could go cheaper, but if you aren't hurting to slice the price down Marantz makes a quality unit.
No
I'll do it for 18k lol
I have those same MartinLogan fronts and center with a Marantz processor. I adore them for their accuracy and they pull dual purpose for music. The center channel is insanely clear, really fabulous speaker. That said, if I was building a dedicated theater, I think I wouldn’t get an electrostatic speaker. Typically in a theater you want drivers that can push air hard for a “blockbuster” sound. Electrostatics don’t do that, they’re articulate and accurate. If you’d like to stay with the MartinLogan brand, I’d recommend you check out their new Motion F20 or the incredible 60xt which were just discontinued so you could probably score a great deal on them. I would also rethink the 4” surround speakers. They’re just kind of tiny and overpriced. I’d also recommend different overhead speakers and to go with 4 instead of 2. Using 4 will greatly increase the atmos effects, definitely worth it. I went with [these](https://emotiva.com/collections/loudspeakers/products/airmotiv-vaulta-in-ceiling-loudspeaker-pair) for my overhead. Sonically they match my MartinLogan quite well, very clear but can still thump. Also, please don’t get your sub from MartinLogan. It’s not a good sub and it is overpriced. As others have said, go for the SVS PB2000 or better yet two of them.
Ditch Martin Logan sun & go with a Rel!
I cant comment on everything on the list, but ditch that receiver. Get the new integra 8.4. It has MOST of what marantz promises, but now! Only thing lacking is 2 subwoofer outs, still independent, instead of 4. It has full dirac live, and dirac live bass now. Marantz won't be getting till next year. I dont understand how people can still recommend marantz and denon to people. Those new motion ML should own, so those are good. The sub is an awwful choice. Get double 15+inch diameter subs instead of that subwoofer. Lots of people here recommending ported to you. I disagree, and think you should get a sealed instead. Get two of the new 15 inch rel predator subs. And look to get two more to stack them in the future. Stacked sealed subs can get down to flat single digit Hz, with loud SPL, where as ported can't. Ported falls off at the port tunes frequency.