I dreamt of this moment for a long time, and itÂ's finally coming true! In the next weeks I will start building my first Home Theater in my new house (I live in Germany), something that IÂ've always wanted to do, but I think I will require some support for the "shopping list". Although I am quite a geek and I love technology since I am a child (studied electronics engineering), I feel I need help from real experts in the art of video and sound. Here I go:
Purpose of the HT: Mainly HDR Movies and HDR Videogames. I am expecting to play good 4K Movies and run a PS4 Pro on it (and maybe to connect a PC for games in a future). I would like also to connect a 4K Blu-ray reader.
Budget: Around 2200â,¬-2400â,¬, but less would be perfect.
Environment: I attached a drawing of the place (room drawing). The expected distance between TV and sofa would be around 2.7m - 3m. We have big three windows in the right wall, so during the days the sunlight will fill the place, but with curtains and during the most time of the year (Germany ye-ah :D), darkness is very plausible.
Components: Questions coming! I already did some research here and have clear a couple of things, but I have doubts too:
TV: Already decided to go for an LG OLED of 55", but I am between two models: The OLED55B7D (1300â,¬ in Amazon) and the OLED55C8 (1790â,¬ in Amazon). According to the use I am giving to the TV (movies and games), does it make really a difference to pay 500â,¬ more for the C8 model? Is it really worth it? I know about the new features like BFI or the burn-in issue improvement in the C8, but honestly, I do not think these things costs such amount of money. Even I could use the difference to build a sound system. But if you tell me that it really worth taking a look and making the effort...I will think about the choice of the C8 seriously.
Sound: This is where I am most lost. At the beginning, I though about the possibility to have two good powered/active bookshelf speakers, to each side of the TV (something like these Edifier R1700 speakers), but I would like to have as well this system as "future investment". I do not want to buy something that I may need to set aside because it limits my possibilities, in case I want to build a better HT in the future. For that reason I am thinking to start with a good AVR and keep upgrading it with speakers. Do you thing it is a good strategy? Does it make a difference powered and non-powered speakers w/ AVR?
In case the AVR is worth it (I guess most of you will say to go for this), I have some additional questions:
I would love if the system has high connectivity (take sound from TV, PS4, Blu-ray reader, Smartphone/Tabled, Alexa...). For that reason I though about the following:
A Denon AVR: Until now, I would only buy two speakers (left and right), without sub/center, but my idea is to upgrade it to a 7.1 as time goes by. However, I do not know which model should I choose, in order to not "overkill", but also to have a good AVR for the future years. I saw the following models: X1400H, X1500H, X2400H and X2500H. I donÂ't find how the -400 and -500 versions are different, I am totally inexpert here. Could you please give me a brief explanation about the differences between these models? Although I guess the X1400H is enough for me, the X2400H cost "only" 50â,¬ more in Amazon, and I wanted to know if it worth it.
Left and Right speakers. I just know these because reading and reading, lots of people recommend them: Klipsch R-SMA (they are gorgeous). Is it a good choice, or do you thing is maybe overkill for my place? If so, is there a cheaper alternative close to the quality of the Klipsch?
As I said, I want to build a good system prepared for the future, but I do not want also to expend a huge amount of money for things I may no use, since I am not an expert audiophile (still I prefer high-end products). My biggest doubts are in the sound system and AVR, since IÂ've never touched one. Honestly, when I start to read the specifications of a Denon, my head spins (too many acronyms!). If you can give me a hand here would be great.
LG SL9Y soundbar is awesome. I would definitely recommend it. I just bought it from amazon 3 months ago and it's working fine. I have also got 30 days of return time. Amazon return policy is awesome.