How to manage home cinema budget?!

Big Carrot

Ex Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2020
Messages
325
Reaction score
204
Points
72
Age
48
Location
Kent
I'm planning ahead for a new home cinema room in a house we are in the process of buying and wanted some advice on equipment and how to allocate the budget between the various components.
Don't tell my wife, but I'm hoping to allocate the £15k stamp duty saving towards better equipment! :clap:

I was thinking something along the following lines:
- £8.5k for new projector (e.g. JVC DLA-N7)
- £1.5k for screen
- £12k for speakers (M&K300/150/95) set up 7.4.1
- up to £6k for Amp Receiver (new Denon X8700 might be available by the time I'm ready)
Say up to £2k for set-up , cables and extras etc

Currently I have an Epson TW9300 in my existing cinema room, would the JVC be a significant improvement?

Given the c. £30k budget, have I split this the right way?
What would you suggest?!
Thanks
 
Last edited:
I'm planning ahead for a new home cinema room in a house we are in the process of buying and wanted some advice on equipment and how to allocate the budget between the various components.
Don't tell my wife, but I'm hoping to allocate the £15k stamp duty saving towards better equipment! :clap:

I was thinking something along the following lines:
- £8.5k for new projector (e.g. JVC DLA-N7)
- £1.5k for screen
- £12k for speakers (M&K300/150/95) set up 7.4.1
- up to £6k for Amp Receiver (new Denon X8700 might be available by the time I'm ready)
Say up to £2k for set-up , cables and extras etc

Currently I have an Epson TW9300 in my existing cinema room, would the JVC be a significant improvement?

Given the c. £30k budget, have I split this the right way?
What would you suggest?!
Thanks
In the words of my hero, Arnold Schwarzenegger..."Do it, Do it noooowwwwww!!
 
With that kind of budget I would suggest you get in touch with one of the trusted dealers on the site such as @The Sound Counsel or @Seriously Ltd to discuss your needs first. The kit may depend on your room (dedicated vs living room vs man cave), if you need soundproofing / room treatment etc, how many seats / rows you are catering for, dedicated AT screen vs in ceiling retractable etc etc etc.

It may be you want to go with a lumagen to get the best from the projector, or 2/3/4 subs to cater a big room.

There isn’t a ‘right’ allocation for the budget is the key point. Others may disagree, but the denon amp with the MK300 package may not be a good combo (as in you might want a better amp combo).

Have a look at some of the member builds on this site to get a feel for what you might be trying to achieve first, as that might give you some ideas
 
With that kind of budget I would suggest you get in touch with one of the trusted dealers on the site such as @The Sound Counsel or @Seriously Ltd to discuss your needs first. The kit may depend on your room (dedicated vs living room vs man cave), if you need soundproofing / room treatment etc, how many seats / rows you are catering for, dedicated AT screen vs in ceiling retractable etc etc etc.

Sure, I have a preferred installer in mind (who did my previous room), I just wanted to get some ideas before I speak to them, given we haven't actually completed the house purchase yet, and don't want to waste their time until we are ready to proceed.

It may be you want to go with a lumagen to get the best from the projector, or 2/3/4 subs to cater a big room.

There isn’t a ‘right’ allocation for the budget is the key point. Others may disagree, but the denon amp with the MK300 package may not be a good combo (as in you might want a better amp combo).

I wondered about that, but there seemed to be a big gap between the Denon and say a Lyngdorf MP-40. Not sure if there is a better (intermediate) solution?

Have a look at some of the member builds on this site to get a feel for what you might be trying to achieve first, as that might give you some ideas

Well the idea of the MK300 + Lyndgorf Mp-60 was picked up from Seriously Cinema's demo room (I think!),
 
What about seating and if you have the budget how about a pro calibration? Either way the build is going to be awesome. It’s your money spend it how you want dude 👍😁

I can get the seating in the 'furniture' budget, maximising the budget for equipment ;)
 
+1 for the MK / Lyngdorf combination however you might need to stretch your budget as you’d need to account for power amps too, suppose you could use your existing projector then put that money to the audio but I guess depends on your priority.

Is it a dedicated room or living room set up you are looking at?
 
Sure, I have a preferred installer in mind (who did my previous room), I just wanted to get some ideas before I speak to them, given we haven't actually completed the house purchase yet, and don't want to waste their time until we are ready to proceed.



I wondered about that, but there seemed to be a big gap between the Denon and say a Lyngdorf MP-40. Not sure if there is a better (intermediate) solution?



Well the idea of the MK300 + Lyndgorf Mp-60 was picked up from Seriously Cinema's demo room (I think!),

Indeed, the MK and lyngdorf combo is probably a good way to go, albeit that starts to eat into the budget a fair bit. I personally have a Storm integrated amp which is great, but again at that kind of money you need get demos if possible.

Might be worth thinking about your preference for sound vs image. I am very happy with my Epson 10500 laser projector and lumagen combo (circa £10k all in), but I could easily spend more on a Sony or JVC (probably the Sony 760). However, I am chasing the best sound possible, so I allocated more budget the the amp, speakers, and subs.
 
+1 for the MK / Lyngdorf combination however you might need to stretch your budget as you’d need to account for power amps too, suppose you could use your existing projector then put that money to the audio but I guess depends on your priority.

Is it a dedicated room or living room set up you are looking at?

What he said.
 
+1 for the MK / Lyngdorf combination however you might need to stretch your budget as you’d need to account for power amps too, suppose you could use your existing projector then put that money to the audio but I guess depends on your priority.

Is it a dedicated room or living room set up you are looking at?

It will be a big room, but not dedicated to home cinema, so therefore there will probably be some compromises on how dark the room will be, which means that maybe I wouldn't get the full benefits of the projector upgrade. So could save this money for a better Amp/Receiver?
 
It will be a big room, but not dedicated to home cinema, so therefore there will probably be some compromises on how dark the room will be, which means that maybe I wouldn't get the full benefits of the projector upgrade. So could save this money for a better Amp/Receiver?
Are you happy with your projector at present? If so i’d say stick with that.

If you end up going down the Lyngdorf route (or others for that mind) I’d recommend going with dual subs too (more cost to factor in!)
 
Are you set on MK speakers? If not then would be well worth looking at the Arendal 1723 range, definitely more bang for your buck, and some would say better. Obviously the latter is down to personal preference of course, but not too many have switched from Arendal to MK, but a few have gone the other way.

I'd agree with others that good speakers deserve a good processor and power, so Anthem, Lyngdorf, Trinnov, Storm etc. but it does start to get expensive the higher up you go of course.
 
Are you set on MK speakers? If not then would be well worth looking at the Arendal 1723 range, definitely more bang for your buck, and some would say better. Obviously the latter is down to personal preference of course, but not too many have switched from Arendal to MK, but a few have gone the other way.

I'd agree with others that good speakers deserve a good processor and power, so Anthem, Lyngdorf, Trinnov, Storm etc. but it does start to get expensive the higher up you go of course.

Thanks. I should have said that I currently have the in-wall M&K95/85 in my existing 5.1 set up, and would be looking for an in-wall solution for the new room - anything else won't get past my wife!

I'm also wondering whether the existing speakers might have a place as Surround or Atmos speakers which would help stretch the budget a bit further?!
 
Not knocking the MK speakers, but they are expensive and will significantly eat into your budget. There are definitely better “bang for your buck” speakers out there, whether they are actually better or not is personal preference.

I’d definitely recommend a lumagen as part of your budget, it will do wonders for your picture quality.

More consideration should be given to the room itself before thinking too much about equipment, although it’s nice to plan ahead.

I personally wouldn’t have an av receiver with the sort of equipment you’re looking at, processor/power amps should be the way to go. Plenty of options out there, again, all about personal preferences.
 
Last edited:
In my opinion, if spending that kind of money, I would demo as much as you can. Sounds like you already have some relationships with dealers, so hopefully that will save you a few £££s, especially if spending a lot of with them! Plus, they can help plan everything together so it should be a seamless integration.
If you go down the MK route, I think you can definitely re-use some of your speakers and that will help you out with your budget. IMHO, I think MK have mastered the in-wall speakers and the new IW tripoles look great/discrete, but I have heard rumours that Arendal are bringing out an IW range which will be interesting to see.
With regards to electronics, definitely look at a the processor/power amp route and at the moment, you are spoilt for choice, you only have to have a look in the section to see the forum favourites.
 
Please feel free to get in touch. We’ve refurbished our showrooms and have both the Lyngdorf MP60 and Trinnov16 on permanent demonstration. We will also have the UK’s first pair of M&K IW150T in wall tripoles installed in the next few weeks.

Bang for buck or best in class is a personal choice but definitely worth having demonstrations if you can.

You should also discuss with your installer what products they recommend and why.

Rich@SeriouslyCinema
 
Please feel free to get in touch. We’ve refurbished our showrooms and have both the Lyngdorf MP60 and Trinnov16 on permanent demonstration. We will also have the UK’s first pair of M&K IW150T in wall tripoles installed in the next few weeks.

Bang for buck or best in class is a personal choice but definitely worth having demonstrations if you can.

You should also discuss with your installer what products they recommend and why.

Rich@SeriouslyCinema

Thanks Rich,

Part of the reason for this thread was to get some ideas on what good combinations might be, so that I’m better informed when I have the discussion with the Installer.

I might take you up on the offer of a demonstration at some point in the future!
 
Please feel free to get in touch. We’ve refurbished our showrooms and have both the Lyngdorf MP60 and Trinnov16 on permanent demonstration. We will also have the UK’s first pair of M&K IW150T in wall tripoles installed in the next few weeks.

Bang for buck or best in class is a personal choice but definitely worth having demonstrations if you can.

You should also discuss with your installer what products they recommend and why.

Rich@SeriouslyCinema

There doesn't appear to be any information on the mksound website about the new in-wall tri-poles?!
 
There doesn't appear to be any information on the mksound website about the new in-wall tri-poles?!
Yes the details are in the M&K website. You need to look at their collection brochure.
 
Well, an unfortunate update to the thread - our buyer dropped out and we have now lost the house we were trying to buy as there was another cash buyer ready to step in.

We've started looking at other houses, but it is highly likely that my 'cinema room' will be more of a compromise than I'd originally hoped would be the case.

To that end:
On one house that we are looking at there is a converted barn, where we would have one end that we would use as a relaxing / sitting area (plus home cinema) and the other end would be a dining area. There is a very high vaulted ceiling and a large beam half way along which the projector could be fixed to.
The main problems I can see are:
- The room is massive, so would need a very powerful system to cope?
- The projector would be a long way from the wall, so would need to be very powerful to produce a bright image?
- There is limited place for speakers behind the listening position, only to the sides or on the beam above, so achieving a decent surround / atmosphere set up will be difficult / impossible.

I'm unsure whether this means that I need to buy more expensive equipment to get around the issues, or actually the opposite, there's no point in buying expensive equipment as the room is compromised so expensive equipment would be wasted?!

I'm sure the experts have come across this type of issue before - I'm interested in any comments/questions/ guidance!
Thanks
 
Have you read the Cowshed build thread? probably one of the best threads on AVF which will show you what can be achieved in a room with a vaulted ceiling. There are several AVF members who have built rooms using pro grade speakers like the JBL 3677's which are very high sensitivity and a great fit for a bigger space

 
Have you read the Cowshed build thread? probably one of the best threads on AVF which will show you what can be achieved in a room with a vaulted ceiling. There are several AVF members who have built rooms using pro grade speakers like the JBL 3677's which are very high sensitivity and a great fit for a bigger space


Thanks, I will take a look.
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom