Home Theater Enthusiasts?

[NatureBoy]

I'm moving to TV in few weeks. At my current house I have a den with a modest home theater setup - fronts, surrounds, subwoofer. The room is not very big, and contains the sound well. The home we're buying in TV - like most of them - has a giant main cavern with hard walls, ceiling, and floors.

Are there any home theater enthusiasts or audiophiles in TV that have advice on how to set up a system in a TV house?

I checked the club list and didn't find anything.

[villagetinker]

A neighbor installed sound deadening panels onthe side walls as I recall, and had a carpeted floor. The effectively cancelled out a lot (if not all) of the reflected sound. The panels were color coordinated with the walls. Were nice setup.

[Tom&JenC]

I'm moving to TV in few weeks. At my current house I have a den with a modest home theater setup - fronts, surrounds, subwoofer. The room is not very big, and contains the sound well. The home we're buying in TV - like most of them - has a giant main cavern with hard walls, ceiling, and floors.

Are there any home theater enthusiasts or audiophiles in TV that have advice on how to set up a system in a TV house?

I checked the club list and didn't find anything.

I have the same issue. I have an analog set up. Tube amp, Cerwin Vega speakers, Fluance turntable. Also a 7.1 home theatre. Pioneer Elite, Klipsh speakers.
All in the same cabinet. I left the rear speakers behind at the old house. I was gonna get best buy out there to mount the tv and give some advice about the rear speakers. I guess they can mount them on the ceiling via the attic. I just hate being married to that kind of set up and not be able to move them around when I want. I might just go with a quality soundbar for the tv and call it a day. I will look into the non reflective panels our friend from Pa is talking about. Whenever we looked at a place, the only thing on my mind was the A/V set up and the garage.

[Nucky]

I had all the best equipment my entire life. It doesn't seem to matter anymore as I played it so loud and the construction business I was in damaged my hearing. I bought everything from a Bose Store when we moved down here 6 years ago and it's just fine.

Good luck with your project. There is a really great guy named Tom from the Villages Audio Visual who will come up with some alternatives for your project. 352-388-1677.
Leave him a message. He is very busy but I promise you he is well worth the wait for a return call. The phone number is from about 5 years ago. He hung some Televisions and routed some wires. Talented man.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I'd like to turn one into a golf simulator

[Chi-Town]

I have quality front, center, subwoofer, and ceiling mounted rear speakers. You can't skimp on speakers especially the center speaker for dialogue. A Yamaha receiver completes the system in a large room.

[NatureBoy]

A Yamaha receiver completes the system in a large room.
I’m thinking one of the new Yamaha Aventage receivers. I have Paradigm speakers from the 90s that I’ve been very happy with; so I’ll probably get a set of those.

[Michael G.]

Maybe these people can help.

Home Automation Installer Ocala, FL: (352) 245-2183 (https://hometheaterbybobstv.com/)

[kkingston57]

I'm moving to TV in few weeks. At my current house I have a den with a modest home theater setup - fronts, surrounds, subwoofer. The room is not very big, and contains the sound well. The home we're buying in TV - like most of them - has a giant main cavern with hard walls, ceiling, and floors.

Are there any home theater enthusiasts or audiophiles in TV that have advice on how to set up a system in a TV house?

I checked the club list and didn't find anything.

I did have a good sound system before moving to TV. In recent years have been seeing less and less surround sound systems. Some of the newer sound bars are fabulous and do not require a lot of wire.

[daniel200]

I have a Sonos sound bar and two Sonos One side speakers set up for my TV home theater. Sonos has an app that allows you to use your iphone to “listen” to your speakers as you walk around at various locations in your room …. The app then “tunes” your different speakers for best sound where you normally sit while watching TV. Very easy to set up. (My hearing is less than perfect … so I can’t tell you it really works)

But I really love my Sonos speakers. Great sound quality …. No speaker wires required as it is wireless. And very easy to stream anything from your iphone to the speakers (podcast, streaming radio, your local music files …etc etc)

[Badger 2006]

I had all the best equipment my entire life. It doesn't seem to matter anymore as I played it so loud and the construction business I was in damaged my hearing. I bought everything from a Bose Store when we moved down here 6 years ago and it's just fine.

Good luck with your project. There is a really great guy named Tom from the Villages Audio Visual who will come up with some alternatives for your project. 352-388-1677.
Leave him a message. He is very busy but I promise you he is well worth the wait for a return call. The phone number is from about 5 years ago. He hung some Televisions and routed some wires. Talented man.

Ditto on Tom from Villages Audio Visual. He’s the best. He will get to you quicker if you text him

[Worldseries27]

i have the same issue. I have an analog set up. Tube amp, cerwin vega speakers, fluance turntable. Also a 7.1 home theatre. Pioneer elite, klipsh speakers.
All in the same cabinet. I left the rear speakers behind at the old house. I was gonna get best buy out there to mount the tv and give some advice about the rear speakers. I guess they can mount them on the ceiling via the attic. I just hate being married to that kind of set up and not be able to move them around when i want. I might just go with a quality soundbar for the tv and call it a day. I will look into the non reflective panels our friend from pa is talking about. Whenever we looked at a place, the only thing on my mind was the a/v set up and the garage.
great system

[Worldseries27]

great system
very excellent choice

[NatureBoy]

very excellent choice

Is that a real setup? If so, it must have blackout shades that can be lowered. And I don’t see any speakers.

[retiredguy123]

I have quality front, center, subwoofer, and ceiling mounted rear speakers. You can't skimp on speakers especially the center speaker for dialogue. A Yamaha receiver completes the system in a large room.
I agree. Understanding dialogue seems to be more of a problem with movies and shows today. When I have trouble understanding the dialogue, I use high quality headphones. Much better than room speakers.

[MacScuba]

These people are super helpful.
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[defrey12]

Ditto on Tom from Villages Audio Visual. He’s the best. He will get to you quicker if you text him

Tom might do good work…if you can get him to talk to you. Literally, he would not CALL me but INSISTED on texting. He even took the time to write a diatribe on why it saved him time…when he could’ve just called. Go see John @ Bob’s TV up on 441. Great guy that knows his stuff. One stop shop. He only installs if your system includes something you bought from him; he no longer does outside installs.

[dougawhite]

The sound system of choice for most Villagers is a set of hearing aids with bluetooth connection to the tv.

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

I had all the best equipment my entire life. It doesn't seem to matter anymore as I played it so loud and the construction business I was in damaged my hearing. I bought everything from a Bose Store when we moved down here 6 years ago and it's just fine.

Good luck with your project. There is a really great guy named Tom from the Villages Audio Visual who will come up with some alternatives for your project. 352-388-1677.
Leave him a message. He is very busy but I promise you he is well worth the wait for a return call. The phone number is from about 5 years ago. He hung some Televisions and routed some wires. Talented man.tom is a great guy , he’s done work on my last 3 homes here , your right he’ll always call back

[jimbo2012]

I have a 10 foot in ceiling drop down screen, love it.
Have Epson projector ceiling mounted

Denon receiver, B&W speakers, also added two speakers in the lanai for music.

I did most of it but Tom from the Villages Audio Visual helped with recommendations and did all the wiring.

He is also a resident

[Hape2Bhr]

I did have a good sound system before moving to TV. In recent years have been seeing less and less surround sound systems. Some of the newer sound bars are fabulous and do not require a lot of wire.

I had two surround systems for the basement and living room when we were in our house. Now in a condo and have a soundbar with external subwoofer (SVS) hookup. The neighbors can feel it when I am watching an action movie. :boom::boom:

[NatureBoy]

These people are super helpful.
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Yes. A set of acoustic panels with some art on them would be nice. Have to get buy in from the wife. 😬

[NatureBoy]

The sound system of choice for most Villagers is a set of hearing aids with bluetooth connection to the tv.

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I’m a youngster. And have done my best to protect my hearing. Always wear earplugs at concerts since high school.
I’m pretty sure my high frequency hearing has rolled off in the past few years.

[gator17]

I had "Audible Images" from Melbourne, Ed Masterson - owner, 321-626-3898, Exceptional Audio & Video System Design - Audible Images AV (http://audibleimagesav.com)install my system: SONY 65" LED SMART 3D 4K ULTRA HD TV; McIntosh Labs MX-122 Home Theater Processor; McIntosh Labs MC207 Multi Channel Amplifier; Martin Logan Impression ESL 11A Electrostatic Speakers; Martin Logan ESL C Center Channel Speaker; Martin Logan EM-R In Ceiling Speakers; Martin Logan BF210 Balanced Force Subwoofer; Oppo 3D BluRsy Player; Blue Sound Pulse Sound Bar for bedroom TV; Blue Sound Powermode2 Zone Amplifier for bedroom and lanai; Blue Sound Node2 for great room; Martin Logan EM-IC In-Ceiling speakers for bedroom and lanai; RTI Remote Control; BluOs app for phone that controls all Blue Sound music systems.

If you've never seen or heard Martin Logan speakers (and not the ones that Best Buy has) you are in for a treat. The sound quality is fantastic. Unlike traditional tweeters, midrange and woofers, ML uses a polymer sheeting over a large rectangular case that gives you an overall wall of sound and not the usual "cone" of sound. There is no ear fatigue that you get with many speakers. MartinLogan | Premium HiFi Speakers for Home Theater & Stereo (http://martinlogan.com)

[NatureBoy]

I had "Audible Images" from Melbourne, Ed Masterson - owner, 321-626-3898, Exceptional Audio & Video System Design - Audible Images AV (http://audibleimagesav.com)install my system

Very nice system. What did you do for room treatment? We bought a Veranda with tile floors and semi-vaulted ceiling. I’m concerned about creating a room that has a chance to sound good.

[gmnirr]

I'm moving to TV in few weeks. At my current house I have a den with a modest home theater setup - fronts, surrounds, subwoofer. The room is not very big, and contains the sound well. The home we're buying in TV - like most of them - has a giant main cavern with hard walls, ceiling, and floors.

Are there any home theater enthusiasts or audiophiles in TV that have advice on how to set up a system in a TV house?

I checked the club list and didn't find anything.

I did home theater set-up for a living. I would be happy to help you.
Rich 352-342-3379 I live in El Cortez Villas

[pjwenz]

I am running an 11.2 Home Theater in my Lantana model home. There were high fronts and ceiling speakers in the home. I added front, surround and rears using the LR and dining area. The room is very difficult because of sliding glass doors, high ceilings and open walls. I run my Audyssey EQ and the sound is fantastic. I have used B&W speakers exclusively for 25 years. Good luck with your system.

[Worldseries27]

is that a real setup? If so, it must have blackout shades that can be lowered. And i don’t see any speakers.
yes real setup

[JerryLBell]

I had Tom from Villages Audio hang my rear channel speakers and mount two TVs on walls with hiding the wiring for them in wall. He also repurposed my phone wiring to give me gigabit hard-wired networking throughout the house (much faster and far more secure than WiFi). He isn't cheap but he isn't outrageous either.

If you have a home theatre with real, dedicated speakers and amplification (not a sound bar) in The Villages, you are in a tiny minority. Most folks can't see the difference between standard definition from high definition, much less 4K with Dolby Vision HDR and most can't hear the difference between a sound bar and a 5.1 sound system with actual separate speakers much less 7.1 or object-oriented sound like Dolby ATMOS or DTS:X. Good for them; it saves them a ton of money in the long run. I sold Hifi equipment once upon a time and became a bit of an audio snob (and later video snob). A poorly calibrated TV, especially one with video smoothing turned on, just bugs me half to death. I can hear the difference between lossless audio soundtracks like Dolby True HD and DTS Home Theater Master and lossy soundtracks like Dolby Digital and DTS just like I can tell the difference between a standard resolution CD and an SACD or high-resolution, 24-bit audio file. My neighbors (heck, even my wife) think I'm crazy but when I watch a movie, I want to WATCH the movie. When I listen to music, I want to LISTEN to it.

I've wondered when a home theater enthusiast club would open in The Villages as there are clubs for bloody everything else, but am not sure what we would do in one. Go to each others houses and drool over who has the best equipment? Even that would be difficult as few if any of us have home theaters than can fit more than 3 or 4 people.

[jdulej]

I had "Audible Images" from Melbourne, Ed Masterson - owner, 321-626-3898, Exceptional Audio & Video System Design - Audible Images AV (http://audibleimagesav.com)install my system: SONY 65" LED SMART 3D 4K ULTRA HD TV; McIntosh Labs MX-122 Home Theater Processor; McIntosh Labs MC207 Multi Channel Amplifier; Martin Logan Impression ESL 11A Electrostatic Speakers; Martin Logan ESL C Center Channel Speaker; Martin Logan EM-R In Ceiling Speakers; Martin Logan BF210 Balanced Force Subwoofer; Oppo 3D BluRsy Player; Blue Sound Pulse Sound Bar for bedroom TV; Blue Sound Powermode2 Zone Amplifier for bedroom and lanai; Blue Sound Node2 for great room; Martin Logan EM-IC In-Ceiling speakers for bedroom and lanai; RTI Remote Control; BluOs app for phone that controls all Blue Sound music systems.

If you've never seen or heard Martin Logan speakers (and not the ones that Best Buy has) you are in for a treat. The sound quality is fantastic. Unlike traditional tweeters, midrange and woofers, ML uses a polymer sheeting over a large rectangular case that gives you an overall wall of sound and not the usual "cone" of sound. There is no ear fatigue that you get with many speakers. MartinLogan | Premium HiFi Speakers for Home Theater & Stereo (http://martinlogan.com)

Yikes, you're talking about some serious change for that set up. Must sound great though!

[valuemkt]

Just installed one in front room: KEF speakers.. two towers and center, two rears in ceiling, two sub woofers.. 120" Stewart fixed screen, SONY 4k ceiling mount projector. remote controlled black out screen. Just starting to enjoy

[NatureBoy]

Just installed one in front room: KEF speakers.. two towers and center, two rears in ceiling, two sub woofers.. 120" Stewart fixed screen, SONY 4k ceiling mount projector. remote controlled black out screen. Just starting to enjoy

Can you post a picture or drawing of the layout? I have a Saginaw/Gardenia. The cable jacks are installed to put the TV in the alcove next to the sliders. Either on the wall between two windows - which puts your back to the open room, or along a side wall - which puts your back to the rear wall and probably makes installing surrounds easier, but then the right side is open to the large room.

[retiredguy123]

I had Tom from Villages Audio hang my rear channel speakers and mount two TVs on walls with hiding the wiring for them in wall. He also repurposed my phone wiring to give me gigabit hard-wired networking throughout the house (much faster and far more secure than WiFi). He isn't cheap but he isn't outrageous either.

If you have a home theatre with real, dedicated speakers and amplification (not a sound bar) in The Villages, you are in a tiny minority. Most folks can't see the difference between standard definition from high definition, much less 4K with Dolby Vision HDR and most can't hear the difference between a sound bar and a 5.1 sound system with actual separate speakers much less 7.1 or object-oriented sound like Dolby ATMOS or DTS:X. Good for them; it saves them a ton of money in the long run. I sold Hifi equipment once upon a time and became a bit of an audio snob (and later video snob). A poorly calibrated TV, especially one with video smoothing turned on, just bugs me half to death. I can hear the difference between lossless audio soundtracks like Dolby True HD and DTS Home Theater Master and lossy soundtracks like Dolby Digital and DTS just like I can tell the difference between a standard resolution CD and an SACD or high-resolution, 24-bit audio file. My neighbors (heck, even my wife) think I'm crazy but when I watch a movie, I want to WATCH the movie. When I listen to music, I want to LISTEN to it.

I've wondered when a home theater enthusiast club would open in The Villages as there are clubs for bloody everything else, but am not sure what we would do in one. Go to each others houses and drool over who has the best equipment? Even that would be difficult as few if any of us have home theaters than can fit more than 3 or 4 people.
Question about receivers. I have a 5.1 surround system with Definitive Technology tower speakers, and a Pioneer Elite receiver, and it sounds fine. I have never understood what the receiver does other than provide enough power to operate the speakers. I read about these fancy new Denon or Marantz receivers for $5,000 or so. But, would they make any difference in the sound from my speakers?

[NatureBoy]

Question about receivers. I have a 5.1 surround system with Definitive Technology tower speakers, and a Pioneer Elite receiver, and it sounds fine. I have never understood what the receiver does other than provide enough power to operate the speakers. I read about these fancy new Denon or Marantz receivers for $5,000 or so. But, would they make any difference in the sound from my speakers?
The very high priced receivers typically drive a lot of channels - 11.2 or so - for full Dolby Atmos. They also include a lot of room correction processing, connectivity for lots of inputs, support for multiple video outputs, RS-232 control, and other esoteric things that most people don't need.

But, different receivers do sound different. Their amplifier and processing sections have differences that you might find "better" or "worse". The Pioneer Elite series is pretty decent brand so if it sounds fine to you, and you aren't missing any features (like streaming services such a Spotify) then stay with what makes you happy.

I currently have a Harman/Kardon receiver from the early 2000s. It doesn't have HDMI inputs. But it has good amplifiers, drives my speakers fine, and has Dolby Digital. I plan to replace it with a receiver with HDMI support and more bells & whistles very soon.

[valuemkt]

Can you post a picture or drawing of the layout? I have a Saginaw/Gardenia. The cable jacks are installed to put the TV in the alcove next to the sliders. Either on the wall between two windows - which puts your back to the open room, or along a side wall - which puts your back to the rear wall and probably makes installing surrounds easier, but then the right side is open to the large room.

this is installed in the front bedroom of an IVY 10. The equipment shown is on the front outside wall. To the left of that is the front bump-out containing two large double hung windows plus an arch.. The room brightness / darkness is controlled by up and down shades and left to right knock out curtains. The receiver and all main connections are located in the hallway closet.

[retiredguy123]

The very high priced receivers typically drive a lot of channels - 11.2 or so - for full Dolby Atmos. They also include a lot of room correction processing, connectivity for lots of inputs, support for multiple video outputs, RS-232 control, and other esoteric things that most people don't need.

But, different receivers do sound different. Their amplifier and processing sections have differences that you might find "better" or "worse". The Pioneer Elite series is pretty decent brand so if it sounds fine to you, and you aren't missing any features (like streaming services such a Spotify) then stay with what makes you happy.

I currently have a Harman/Kardon receiver from the early 2000s. It doesn't have HDMI inputs. But it has good amplifiers, drives my speakers fine, and has Dolby Digital. I plan to replace it with a receiver with HDMI support and more bells & whistles very soon.
Thanks. My receiver does have several HDMI inputs, but I don't see any reason to use them. I found that connecting the HDMI cables directing from the cable box to the TV and from the DVD player to the TV provides a better picture. I get the digital surround sound by connecting the TV optical audio output back to the receiver. I could use the HDMI(ARC) TV connection to the receiver for audio, but it didn't seem to provide any better sound than the optical cable.