New Projector and surround system advice

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Hi

About 2 years ago I purchased my first home cinema setup which comprised of :

Toshiba 32" LCD (recommended by what hifi)

Onkyo SR-605 amp (recommended by what hifi)

PS3

KEF 1005 surround sound speakers

I've decided though it's time for an upgrade and want to really do the upgrade in 2 stages the first being a projector and then a new speaker package, the second new cd player and amp.

From reviews and personal choice I like the look of the SANYO PLV-Z700 as it's not too expensive but seems to get rave reviews, would you agree this is a good choice? Also if going down the projector route I'm going to need some advice on screens and setup.

My living room is slightly tricky as there are eaves all over the place and as it's rented and tricky with the slopping ceilings I'm thinking about a PANOVIEW HIGH-GAIN Pull up screen (186cm x 105cm). The projector can be mounted from the ceiling with a floor to ceiling height of 2.58m and distance to screen would be about 2.70m. I'd also like the bottom of the viewable image to be about 1m from the floor as this would give a nice eye level for viewing. I'm not sure how much height angle you can use with a project???

Would the above setup and screen/distances work??? My other question is what's a good HDMI cable to run to this projector with the distance obviously being a major factor?

The next big upgrade is I want to purchase the B&W 685 Theatre System, I think it looks great and the reviews seem nothing but great. Now I know my AMP isn't really perfect but will it be ok for now???

I'm also interested in purchasing a sub £300 Blu-ray player to upgrade from my PS3?

After this phase is complete I'm interested in purchasing CYRUS CD6 and CYRUS XP6 amp, I will want to wire this equipment into the left and right B&W, how do I do this as they will also be wired to the surround sound amp?

Looking forward to all you knowledge and help as I'm looking at getting the projector, screen and speakers ASAP.

James

 

[Anonymous]

My PJ is 2.2m from ceiling to floor plus 12cm for the mount, and the distance 3m from the screen, the screen is 172 x 98.
I think my screen is too big for my liking and will get a smaller one soon.
If you can get a demonstration that would be ideal, have a look at the Panasonic PT-AE3000 if you get the chance, although at 2k this may be well above your limit.
QED-P HDMI works well for me.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, well after more investigation I seem to be finding it hard to source good information on projector setup and screen types and positioning.

Can anyone recommend a projector screen? I'm now thinking I might get a fixed frame screen and mount it myself to a movable frame while I rent then in the future I can mount it straight to the wall. I have seen good things for BEAMAX but seem to struggle to find good reseller in the UK. I am looking for a 16:9 screen about 180cm to 190cm wide as I am limited by curved ceilings and project throw distance.

Any help would be great!

 

[Frank Harvey]

JamesSelby:

Hi

About 2 years ago I purchased my first home cinema setup which comprised of :

Toshiba 32" LCD (recommended by what hifi)

Onkyo SR-605 amp (recommended by what hifi)

PS3

KEF 1005 surround sound speakers

I've decided though it's time for an upgrade and want to really do the upgrade in 2 stages the first being a projector and then a new speaker package, the second new cd player and amp.

From reviews and personal choice I like the look of the SANYO PLV-Z700 as it's not too expensive but seems to get rave reviews, would you agree this is a good choice? Also if going down the projector route I'm going to need some advice on screens and setup.Your choice of projector should be based on an actual demonstration rather than any reviews, which should only be used as a guideline. There will be LCD and DLP projectors at this price point, both with their positives and negatives. LCD tends to have benefits regarding natural skin tones, and are generally quieter than DLP. DLP tends to have a better black level than LCD, bringing out more detail in darker areas, but will produce rainbow effect. You really must see some to see which you prefer. Optoma's HD20 is the main DLP alternative at this price point.

My living room is slightly tricky as there are eaves all over the place and as it's rented and tricky with the slopping ceilings I'm thinking about a PANOVIEW HIGH-GAIN Pull up screen (186cm x 105cm). The projector can be mounted from the ceiling with a floor to ceiling height of 2.58m and distance to screen would be about 2.70m. I'd also like the bottom of the viewable image to be about 1m from the floor as this would give a nice eye level for viewing. I'm not sure how much height angle you can use with a project???

Would the above setup and screen/distances work??? My other question is what's a good HDMI cable to run to this projector with the distance obviously being a major factor? Make sure the panoview screen isn't the glittery silver/grey affair - we had one and it hindered picture quality. I'd recommend a normal white screen from the likes of Beamax.

Many projectors have vertical shift, allowing high ceiling mounting while maintaining a low set picture in front of you, and usually keeping the projector fairly straight without having to angle it too much. This varies from projector to projector, so you'd have to look at their specs to see how much vertical shift they can manage. Generally, more expensive projectors have more vertical, and horizontal shift.

The next big upgrade is I want to purchase the B&W 685 Theatre System, I think it looks great and the reviews seem nothing but great. Now I know my AMP isn't really perfect but will it be ok for now???The Onkyo will be ok for the B&W, but there are many alternatives available - again, try and demo a few packages if you can.

I'm also interested in purchasing a sub £300 Blu-ray player to upgrade from my PS3?Do it. A good quality Bluray player will always out perform the picture on offer from a PS3 . One of our packing guys did just that recently - changed to a Pioneer BDP320 - he couldn't believe the difference.

After this phase is complete I'm interested in purchasing CYRUS CD6 and CYRUS XP6 amp, I will want to wire this equipment into the left and right B&W, how do I do this as they will also be wired to the surround sound amp?You'll need an AV amp with pre-outs - the front L&R pre-out should be wired into the Cyrus 6xp, then the Cyrus volume control set to the 12 o'clock position. The master volume is then controlled by the Onkyo, or whichever AV amp you decide to go with.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info.

I've been looking at stands for the B&W's and am a little confused, I think the Soundstyle Z2's and Partlington stands look good but I'm surprised to see they don't seem to offer any cable management. If I'm going to spend a fair bit of money on stands and speakers and I don't really want to see the cable floating behind the speaker.

Any ideas?

James