Jazz Monkey's living room set up

Jazz Monkey Jr

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My living room set up over the years

May 2005 - Moved in. Trusty old Panasonic 32PF10
roomstart4dl.jpg


Set up 1 - Sept 2005
After getting 42" PV500 on the wall in 2005., £2300 for a 42" plasma but it was built to last. BOSE lifestyle 12 system.
Project HERE

plasmafinal0ek.jpg


Set up 2- Jan 2010
New flooring, re decorated, Monitor Audio speakers, Onkyo Amp, Blu-ray player, Firebelly stove.



I was looking in to the 65VT20 but the flickering issues put me off so I decided to wait. I then looked in to a projector set up which was much more sensible.
I then got a cheap screen and projector for now (£400).

Upgrade - Nov 2010
Got 106" screen, Sanyo Z4 projector.
Fireplace is going to be lowered, speakers to be moved below the screen.
Panasonic 50V10 - worst plasma I've had due to the blacks getting lighter over time


Screen down:




Jan 2011
Fireplace lowered for shelf to sit centre speaker on - false pelmet to hide screen


Nov 2012
New kit
JVC X30 projector - A big upgrade from the Panasonic AE3000 but needs a decent screen to shine
MK SB1250THX - First proper home cinema sub
Onkyo NR-818 amp - A big jump from the 876 with Audyssey XT32
Oppo 103 blu ray player - Great at streaming (never used it for blu-rays)
The Onkyo gave the speakers a free upgrade


View attachment 451128
2013
New kit
MK MX-350 MkII Sub - A beast of a sub but my room isn't great for getting the best out of it (but still sounds great)
Darbee darblet - The best value for money upgrade for the projector picture
Front wides - Sounds much better with the screen down
Xbox one - replaces Oppo for streaming (not sure how good it is yet)
Harmony smart control and Ultimate remote - more resonsive than the 900
Phillips Hue lights - can dimm them individually and set scenes on the Harmony depending on activities
Draper React II screen - 98" - 2.35:1 with Sesame case
Hue light strips - will have a false ceiling next year as the screen is set lower.
View attachment 451128

2014
New Kit
JVC X70 projector
Oppo 103D with built in Darbee (Xbox One was no good for streaming on release)
MK X10 Sub - an upgrade from the 350
Buttkicker LFE x 2 - adds that extra oomph to movies
Lumagen Radiance Mini 3D - to help with the calibration
Full ISF calibration by Gordon @ convergent AV

2015
New Kit
XTZ Cinema speakers, proper home cinema speakers. Similar to MK 150's but cheaper.
Sony HW40 as the X70 doesn't seem quite bright enough since I got the React screen as it is quite grey, the Sony is 1700 lumens compared to 1200. Will get the Sony calibrated once it's got over 100 hours on it.
View attachment 550203
View attachment 550232
View attachment 550234

2016
LG 55" 4K OLED
OLED & projector calibrated by ********
Arendal Sub 2 (2 x 13.8" drivers)
Anthem MRX-720 AV receiver, 4K, Atmos & DTS:X
Emotiva XPA-5 power amp
Audiolab 8000x7n power amp
Origin Acoustics D64's in-ceiling for Atmos duties
 
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as the jazz guy in " the fast show" used to say-"nice".

:)
 
I have got a Panasonic 50V10 on the wall now, I had to lower the bracket by 40mm to line up with the bottom of the screen. I am waiting for the fireplace to be lowered by about 5" so I can move the centre speaker below the screen.
I also have Sky HD instead of Freesat and a couple of Sonos music streamers which are awesome.
 
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That blokes head in the fire must be getting rather hot by now he has been there some time ant e!!
 
That blokes head in the fire must be getting rather hot by now he has been there some time ant e!!

He comes to visit every now and again :)
 
Looks nice!

how much does it cost to set up a basic projector?

i haven't got the foggiest, complete beginner.
 
After spending some time looking at some of the set ups on this forum... I realise that i'm gonna need a little more money !
 
Looks nice!

how much does it cost to set up a basic projector?

i haven't got the foggiest, complete beginner.

I have a very cheap set-up for now as I really want a JVC, either HD350 (£2000) or a 3D X3 (£3500) and then I would need a decent screen for around £1500.
My set up for now was £180 for the screen and £220 for ther projector off here which is 720p and looks pretty good when the lights are off.
The HDMI lead (10m) was around £60 but is a decent one which will do for the next upgrade.
 
After spending some time looking at some of the set ups on this forum... I realise that i'm gonna need a little more money !

These forums will mean you are always something better. I am happy with my amp and speakers (around £2500) but I will put 2 more at the rear for 7.1 which will be around £350 and maybe £30 for the cable but I will probaly get the speakers off here for around £250.
 
that seems reasonable, but how much is it for the setting up/building work (Obviously a ballpark figure), cos I'mno good with stuff like that.

Yours looks very nice without being over the top, perfect for a front room IMO.
 
that seems reasonable, but how much is it for the setting up/building work (Obviously a ballpark figure), cos I'mno good with stuff like that.

Yours looks very nice without being over the top, perfect for a front room IMO.

I buried all the wires last year when I redecorated and got a new floor. I have had the fireplace skimmed twice to cover the wires as my old speakers were BOSE and the wire wasn't suitable.
You can do it on the cheap by getting trunking as I have for now, around £30 and a long power lead for around £5, you can get a cheap HDMI cable for around £10.
You obviously need a DVD/Blu-ray player if you haven't already got one, you could get a second hand one for £50-£100 for a half decent one. You could also get a cheap surround system for around £100-£200 which would sound OK.
 
Nice Set up ! Can I enquire where you sourced what looks like a tab tensioned screen for £150 ?
 
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Looks as good as ever pal, that 360 doesn't get much use nowadays does it?

No :(
I've even got one in the bedroom and that is lonley too.
 
really nice set-up, clean and simple!

I'm thinking of a scope screen for my next upgrade. How do you find the experience? Do you need to manually zoom the projector everytime to fill the screen? How about 1:85 movies, how do you find the black bars on the sides?

Lovely set-up again !:thumbsup:
 
really nice set-up, clean and simple!

I'm thinking of a scope screen for my next upgrade. How do you find the experience? Do you need to manually zoom the projector everytime to fill the screen? How about 1:85 movies, how do you find the black bars on the sides?

Lovely set-up again !:thumbsup:

Yes I have to manually zoom up, takes about 5 mins to zoom and set lens adjustmens, that's why I want a proper lens set up eventually.
The experience is good but I would like more 'pop'. The PJ hasn't got the brightness for that size of screen, I think you need at least the new JVC which is 1300 lumens.
The black bars don't bother me, you get them all the time watching DVD's on normal TV or vice versa.
 
really nice set-up, clean and simple!

It needs a few improvements, the fireplace is getting lowered and so are the speakers due to the screen size. There is a false pelmet for the screen being done on Friday and I want the wall colour a bit darker. I am also going to clean the bricks up behind the stove, and I want black granite for the hearth and maybe change the downlighter LED's as they are quite a cool colour but are only 1W each and were the only ones available at the time.
I also want a decent screen and JVC projector and anamorphic lens.

Maybe in 12 months it will be finished. :)
 
thanks for the info ! When you say you want a decent screen, what's wrong with the one you have? Is it the lack of gain / reflection?

I'm hoping to build a new extension next year and thinking about upgrading my 720p hitachi to a 1080p PJ, as well as toying with the idea of a scope screen. With the build there won't be much in the budget for new AV equipment ! The JVCs look lovely but pricey, whereas the panasonic AE4000 is more in budget range and has auto-zoom for scope screens....a poor man's anamorphic lens !

I was going to say you probably would benefit from darker walls, do you get any light spill onto the ceiling when you zoom the PJ for scope movies?

Still, looks very nice !
 
The screen is very cheap and basically made out of PVC, I could do with more gain for this PJ but hopefully will match screen/PJ when I come to upgrade. Light spill will always be a problem as it is a living room and not a dedicated cinema room, it's all about compromise.
EDIT: The Draper React II screen should massively reduce the light spill and is ideals for my viewing environment as it will give the best image possible in my set up.
 
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Nice one mate, fire looks great too. :thumbsup:
 
Set up as today, I am gooing to leave the side speakers where they are as they wouldn't look right if they are lowered and the centre is more important. I might get a Radius 250 to replace the 225 as it looks a bit small under the plasma.

 

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