Cheap Dave's Home Theater

Equipment Review: NHT Super Zero Speakers

2009-10-22T02:58:23Z

It is funny it took me so long to get around to reviewing my little NHT Super Zeros. I figured because they weren't new there wouldn't be that much interest. But these speakers have been around for a while and are widely available.

]]> I am currently using 4 NHT Super Zero speakers as surrounds in a 7.1 set-up. These really are great little speakers. When I first saw these in a store I was impressed. I listened to them for awhile and then tagged along as the salesman worked with another customer. This guy had $3,500 burning a hole in his pocket and almost had his wife convinced that he needed the NHT 3.3 speakers. He listened for a while and was just raving about them.

Then I asked the salesman to turn the Super Zeros back on (keep in mind there was a decent sub playing too). Mr. Big Bucks just kind of scratched his head. He said "How much are those". The salesman said $250. And the other were $3500. this was in a pretty large room and these were the only two speakers in there. He said, "do you have anything in between?" The salesman said "You know we just don't see much of an improvement until you get to the $3500 speakers".

The next time I went back to the store they were going out of business. So an honest salesman going broke, who would have thought. Actually the guy was the store owner. I think he got into HT just a little before it got popular. That and he didn't know how to fleece the sheep.

So I bought all the Super Zeros he had and I have had them every since. In my first NT they were my left right and center. With the NHT 8" sub they made a tidy HT set-up. Over the years I have moved them around and as I have upgraded and built my other home theaters I have always been able to find a use for them.
So these little guys only do one thing, mids and highs (OK two things), but they do that really well. Forget about any bass whatsoever. But a good sub and these make a great system. In fact a friend of mine got some expensive electrostatic speakers. He couldn't believe the sound coming out of these little speakers.

Their small size, sleek piano black finish and easy mounting give them a high wife appeal. In fact if your wife is pushing you towards Bose for the small size try to get her to look at these. Mine are the classic style glossy models. They have recently come out with the Super Zero XU which is an molded cabinet but I assume they have tried to maintain a similar tonal quality.

So if you find a deal on these or even want to buy them new, match them up to a good sub and you can find lots of uses for them.

Select the best home audio subwoofers to bring out the bass in your stereo system, or home theater.

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Movie Review: Fandango

2009-04-09T03:34:30Z

Rating: It's a Keeper!!

I am so excited I am going to write this review from memory. This is one of my all time favorite movies and I have been waiting for it to come out on DVD.

]]> I was starting to make my own conspiracy theories that Kevin Costner had bought the rights and didn't want it released just so we couldn't be reminded of how he looked with hair. But suddenly it is out. I have to get it ordered ASAP.

So the movie is a classic coming of age - road trip movie. Four (or is it 5) graduating college seniors take one last trip to relive the glories of their college days. There is added importance to the trip as the movie is set in 1971 and the Groovers as they call themselves may be heading off to Vietnam.

The movies funniest scene has to do with a sky diving school. Many people don't realizes this is the basis of the movie. It was first a short film about the sky diving school. Steven Spielberg saw it and helped bring it to the big screen. I wish the DVD would include the short film but I am afraid that is too much to ask for.

This movie also features some great Pat Matheny music which really makes the ending touching in a 5 minute stretch with almost no dialog that says so much.

Check this one out, you won't be disappointed.

2009-01-28T02:43:40Z

Start small. Start by being a critic and write out your reviews. Step up the ladder to being the best movie producer that you can be!

Getting Started With Inexpensive Speakers

2009-01-27T04:30:22Z

Sometimes I get the feeling that designing a home theater is a daunting task for many people. They are so worried about getting it right that they put it off until the stars align in some magical way. When I have the money....when we finish the rec room...etc.

I have been talking to some of these people for years and they still haven't even started. Part of the Cheap Dave method is to start now with what you can afford, in fact you might already have many of the components you already need. Get the system up and running and then in the future as time and money allows you can upgrade what you feel are the weakest components, or to take advantage of some new technology or feature like Blu-Ray.

With that in mind I found this site. The Speaker Company. They have many inexpensive systems. Keep in mind that you can start small and later buy bigger or more expensive home theater speakers and your "starter" system can move to your bedroom, kids room etc.

They also have some inexpensive in-wall speakers. I have never understood why in-wall speakers should cost so much. they are speakers without boxes. Again if you start small you can always replace them with bigger speakers later.

My point isn't to say these smaller or cheaper speakers are inferior. Quite the opposite. After having them for a while you might find out that they work fine and you don't feel like you are missing anything. but you might skip the 5+ years of planning and start enjoying your home theater now.

Equipment Review: AudioSource AS8S 8" 3-way In-Wall Speaker

2008-08-20T19:55:48Z

In my home theater I decided to use in-wall speakers as my front left right and center speakers. I bought the AudioSource 8" 3 way speaker model IW8. It is a 3 way speaker similar to the AS8S two way speaker listed below.

]]> Now these may just be the Cheap Dave dream speakers. They can be found on Amazon and EBay for less than $100 a pair. I was a little nervous about buying the speakers online without getting to hear them. When I was making this decision my home theater was still just bare 2x6 studs.

So I bought one pair from Amazon. I figure it was a small risk. I had then for a while before I was able to hook them up but when I wired my HT room up I immediately hooked them up and started to play them. Again this was still several months before the room would be finished and the speakers had to try to fill a much larger space. But they sounded good and were able to produce clean loud sound in less than ideal conditions.

So I went ahead and bought 3 more pairs since I was planning on doing a 7.1 system. When the room was completed I installed the speakers. It was really pretty easy. But in the process of soundproofing the room I hade to make a tough decision. Two of my walls act as double walls and I realized that putting in-wall speakers in those walls would defeat the soundproofing. So I ended up just using the in-wall speakers as my front Left, right and center speakers. I also have two in wall subs. But all of these are on outside walls of the house. So I don't worry about the sound transmission.

So I have a couple of extra pairs. That is the risk I took and I plan to use at least one par elsewhere in the house.
So now that my system is up and running how does it sound. Fine is the main answer. I know speakers are a very important part of any home theater and if you put a dozen different models on a selector switch and changed between them you can notice all kinds of differences. But also that test at the hi-fi store doesn't't necessarily tell you what that speaker will sound like in your room. So without having other speakers to compare to I can't say whether these are the best speakers every or not. But they do what I need them to do as defined in the cheap dave philosophy.

I wanted the 8" woofers for added bass and they do a good job putting out lots of bass. So it is possible you could get away without a separate sub with these speakers. (you can always add one later). Also by having a speaker with good bass you have your choice in configuring your amplifier. You can set it for large speakers and it will send more bass to those speakers or set it to small and it wll direct the bass to the sub. Options are a good thing.

The tweeters can be aimed towards you seating position which is a nice feature. And the three way design should help with voices. (note mine are a 3 way model that I still see available on EBay but Amazon has a 2 way model with nearly identical specs).

I have always been puzzled why in-wall speakers seem to be so expensive. they don't even have a cabinet for goodness sake. I think it has more to do with the fact that they primarily exist in the realm of the professionally designed and installed whole house sound system. But the way I look at it in-wall speakers are all about the drivers.

These speakers appear to have good quality drivers at a fraction of the price of some in-wall speakers. So I recommend the AudioSource in-wall speakers for a Cheap Dave approved home theater with that professionally designed look. High wife appeal, high Cheap Dave appeal.

Article: Stars On The Ceiling

2008-07-14T04:21:37Z

In any home theater project you plan, you dream, you scheme and eventually you do. In all of that time some things change and the HT you end up with may not resemble the one you originally envisioned.

]]> My original plan was to do our HT as a drive-in theater. Complete with real cars to sit in and gravel on the floor and stars on the ceiling. Little by little reality set in. Gravel is going to be a mess and noisy so carpet would be better. Cars are too big and really not that comfortable to sit in so a nice 4 recliner theater seat would be better. But one thing we kept was stars on the ceiling.

There is a company locally that paints a realistic night sky on your ceiling using fluorescent paint. We first saw them at the Seattle Home show and we got the special home show price of $500. They come to your house and do the whole thing in about 3 hours. They won't let you in the room to see their special process. I imagine it has something to do with projecting the stars on the ceiling. You can pick a specific date, like the day you were born or your wedding day.

We wanted a winter sky with Orion centered in the room. We also have the Milky Way running through the center. They also put a few comets in just for fun. You can spot some of the major constellations and the effect is really good. In fact it has a great 3-D effect and you lose all feeling of being in a rectangular room.

Unfortunately it doesn't really work with any light in the room. So even the projector is too much. But during really dark scenes the stars will kind of come out. (leaving a black light on helps bring them out too).

It is kind of fun to just let movie credits roll with the music playing and sit there and look up at the stars. It really is kind of like being at the drive-in.

Another really cool thing is that this has become our favorite napping place in the house. Anytime of day it is pitch black and quiet. And you can sleep under the stars.

NETFLIX - Having the ultimate DVD collection 3 movies at a time

2008-06-15T18:14:05Z

OK I have used NETFLIX before. I quit it when I realized the movies were spending way too much time sitting around the house waiting to get mailed. But that was my fault not theirs. I signed back up and resolved to do better at sending them back.]]> So let me explain how NETFLIX works and how you can use it to make sure you always have something good to watch. Basically having NETFLIX is like having HBO but you are in charge of programming. You select you movies online from over 60,000 titles. You arrange them in any order you want and they send them to you. The most common plan is 3 movies at a time for about $17 a month (there are often deals and free trials). You can watch them and send them back one at a time or all together. As soon as they get a movie back the next one on your list is mailed. They have regional distribution centers so the movies come pretty fast. If you mail a movie by Monday you will ge the replacement by Wednesday or Thursday. So with 3 movie you could basically have a new movie every day (if you were better at getting them mailed than I am).

So I would like to compare NETFLIX to the premium movie channels and the video store. I have had HBO and the other premium movie channels but I think they end up ruining movies. How is that? Well you flip around the channels and stop on a movie on HBO and the odds are you miss the beginning. So you watch part of the middle. And then later in the month you see the end and somewhere along the line you see the beginning (and suddenly a lot of things make more sense). So in the month you end up seeing the whole movie but you never get the full experience. So in the end you know the whole plot but whatever emotional impact is gone. Tivo helps improve this or even "On Demand" but you have to be more diligent and you still aren't really picking from a large quantity of movies.

The other option is the standard video store. One of the video chains is running a funny commercial right now which takes a shot at NETFLIX (that tells you know how serious the competition is). It shows a couple curling up on the couch ready for a Saturday night movie and he has "Killer Clowns" and she says what else do you have? "Killer Clowns 2". It is funny and it does give you the possible downside of NETFLIX, matching your picks to your moods. But i have had that experience and worse at the video store. After spending 30 minutes or more trying to find a movie by reading the box of the boxes, you end up with something that doesn't match the description and is just a horrible waste of time.

So you have to think about how to balance your NETFLIX Queue. YOu can sort and shuffle your list anyway you want. So it you go on a tear with spaghetti westerns don't put them all in a row. Mix it up. Throw in some comedies or even some classic British TV comedies. Plus you also have your DVD collection.

With 60,000 titles you have about the entire DVD catalog to chose from. I find the NETFLIX and IMDB (Internet Movie Database http://imdb.com) are a powerful combination. I have been addicted to IMDB for years. I have used it to find movies, read reviews and find out: who is that guy and what else was he in. But IMDB also has a great rating system and lists of top movies. It has the top 250 movies of all time and breaks that down to the top 50 comedies of the 80's as voted by women etc. So if you go down these lists you might surprise yourself how many you have seen but you will also find some gems that you have missed.

So I have pretty much seen all of the top 50 all time movies (I still haven't seen the Godfather movies, I know they are top rated but I am not much of a gangster movie guy). Even if you don't like subtitles and black and white movies you have to see some of the movies on the list like "M". There is a reason they are so highly rated.

So the reason I decided to write this now is that we saw a great movie from Israel last night. Ushpizin. I am still digesting that movie and will write my review shortly. But it was one I never would have rented at the video store and it would never make it on HBO. Also it was my wife's pick on NETFLIX. I will have a hard time topping that one. But with IMDB and NETFLIX I have enough choices to make it interesting.

Movie Review: Bowfinger

2008-06-05T03:19:23Z

Rating: It's a Keeper!

I have cajoled, lent, and blackmailed many people into watching Bowfinger over the years and I have learned that this is one of those love it or hate it kind of movies.

I am definitely in the love it camp. I have never figured out why the people it the hate it camp react so negatively but to me this movie is sheer genius. The story is about Bowfinger (Steve Martin) who is a wannabe movie maker who tries to make an action movie. But there is only one problem. His big name star won't do the movie. So he does it without him knowing.

Eddie Murphy plays Kit Ramsey, the biggest black star in the world. He also plays his brother. Of course Eddie plays multiple characters in many movies, but in this one he does it without make-up and he does it very well.

Heather Graham, in all her Heather Grahamy goodness, is great as a fresh off the bus actress who gives herself a whole week to succeed in Hollywood. She works her way through the entire movie company to gain screen time.

I love movies like this where the more I see it the more littl efunny details I see. That is one of the things that makes a movie worht owning. Also if it was one that didn't do great at the box office you can suprise your guest with it.

Now I might have put you off by saying this is a love it or hate it movie. But believe me if you are in the love it side you will be glad you saw it. If you hate it I can only say don't be a hater.

Murphy and Martin at the top of their game. Give it a try and see for yourself.

This movie is #10 on my All-Time Best Comedy list.

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Equipment Review: Remote Extender Jensen JDC-IR100A

2008-06-04T07:06:24Z

I love the layout of my new dream home theater. I have a separate projection room with the projector and all of my equipment at the back of my home theater. The only problem with this arrangement is how to get my remotes to work with my gear.

]]> There a roughly a gazillion different universal remotes, IR, RF, UNICEF. It can be confusing to say the least. Plus you can spend a lot of money on these things. the last time my wife bought me a mid-priced universal remote control with RF I literally could never get the thing programmed. Now I am not an idiot and I can read directions (as a last resort) but I never got it to work.

So for my new theater I chose a very easy solution. I just bought an IR/RF repeater. These are small units. You put one in the room and the other within line of sight of your components. When you aim you IR remote and the receiver it will convert the signal to RF which can go through walls and then the other unit convert it back to IR and controls you equipment. If this sound complicate don't worry it isn't.

The nicest thing about this approach is it is simple. I had the whole thing up and running in about 5 minutes. I don't have to reprogram any remotes. I use the same remotes I have come to know, love and lose in the seat cushions. I can always add a fancy remote in the future.

So how does the Jensen unit perform. fine is all I can say. It works well. Sometimes there is a little delay so you might have to slow down you channel flipping fingers of death. Because of my arrangement I can't get the unit to control my projector. The IR receiver on that unit is in a completely different area than the other components so I just can't get it to do everything. But that is OK once I get a movie set up for aspect ratio I usually don't touch the projector remote again.

I could get a little hard wired repeater unit that you put directly over the window on the component and that would do the trick.

BTW I only paid about $20 for this thing on EBay. So it was quick, cheap and effective. The Cheap Dave trifecta. So before you find yourself impersonating Ozzie Osborn with an expensive and complicated universal remote give one of these a try.

Vizio 47" LCD TV

2008-05-25T04:53:25Z

OK I know I have been heavily biased toward projectors and away from plasmas. I still don't think a 42" screen is going to give the same HT experience as a 10 foot screen. But we do watch TV too. So I picked up a 47" Vizio LCD flat panel model GV47L.

I hadn't given the whole Plasma vs LCD debate much thought until I was making my buying decision. I have to admit I was drawn in by the price and was prepared to buy the Plasma. But when I saw them side by side I liked the LCD better. I like that the screen has more a a flat finish instead of the shiny surface of the plasma screen. This might make a noticeable difference when watching the TV in a room with windows or lights.

I have actually had the Vizio for several months (so long in fact the price has already dropped). After living with it for a while I think I can really give it a hearty endorsement. This model has 1080P resolution and the picture is stunning. I use a DVR and record Hd programs so I can demo the unit. Planet Earth and Equator are amazing HD shows. It is as if an HDTV salesman commissioned those shows just to sell TVs.

]]> Another great feature on this TV is the HDMI and RGB inputs. I have been using it with my computer and have become really spoiled. I play my Lord of the Rings game and it is great. A 47" computer screen is just really cool. I did a slide show from a trip and had people over (just like in the olden days except we weren't sitting on folding chairs in the garage watching slides on a sheet).

My wife just got me a Wii for my birthday. (Ok some of you might be tempted to say I am spoiled....you would be right). The screen works great for that too. The one thing I won't hook up to it is a DVD player. If you want to watch a movie, go into the home theater.

Even though I don't watch movies on it there is a phantom surround mode that is surprisingly convincing. I often find myself looking left or right to see where the sound is coming from.

So for the money This is just a great unit. Visio just passed Sony as the number one maker of large flat panel TVs. So the secret is out. I was surprised to find out that Vizio is a U.S. based company (the TVs are made in Taiwan and Mexico). They got their start making displays for Gateway.

So if you are still waiting to get a big LCD TV what are you waiting for?
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Review: Ratchet and Clank PS3 review

2008-05-21T01:19:04Z

The full title is:

Ratchet and Clank:Future: Tools of Destruction

That title may be longer than my review. Not because I don't like the game but because I want to get back to it. I have to say I haven't played any of the other R&C games so I didn't know what to expect. So far I am really enjoying the game. It has a sly sense of humor. The graphics are great and it isn't just doing the same thing over and over.

Also it isn't just a shooter. You can shoot your enemies with a variety of weapons but you also have the Groovitron. It plays a funky beat and the bad guys can't help but dance. Then while they are getting their groove on you scoot on by.

]]> So even though I am not a a hardcore gamer I am liking the game. My 9 year old nephew also liked it.

Movie Reivew: The World's Fasted Indian

2008-05-11T18:12:48Z

Rating: Netflix it

The World's Fastest Indian is the story of Burt Munro a 70-something New Zealander obsessed with tinkering with his 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle and attempting to set land-speed records on it. I really enjoyed the movie. It is just a peek into one chapter of his life as he tries to make the trip from down under to Utah to attempt an official timed run at the Bonneville salt flats. The main action happens when he fires up his machine and shocks everybody with the speed.

]]> Anthony Hopkins is excellent as usual. It isn't until you watch the extra features do you see how good he really is. And that is the main reason I wanted to write this review. After you watch the movie make sure to watch the short documentary about Burt. Then you see how true to life the movie is and how accurate the portrayal of this amazing man is. Many of the lines in the movie are direct quotes. Many of the motorcycle shots are recreations of those in the documentary.

It laso shows just how far his obsession for motorcycles goes when his daughter tells a story of Burt buidling a trailer to tow behind his motorcycle. After tipping over and dumping his 4 kids onto the gravel road several times they finally completed their trip.

If you are looking for a good movie to add to your library or Netflix list. Get The World's Fastest Indian. You won't be disappointed.

PS3 review

2008-05-06T04:31:56Z

OK I have come back out to the light. I have been watching the PS3 blu-ray/HD-DVD battle for a while. When HD-DVD got the axe I knew it was time to jump in. I was stil just considering buying a blu-ray only player. But when they are $379 and PS3 is $399 that makes the PS3 an easy choice.

So far we have only watched a few blu-ray movies. But I really enjoy them. The picture is pristine. It really is impressive. Particuclary when you relize how much I violate the viewing distance rule of thumb (2.5x screen width = seating distance, yeah right!) My projeotor will only do 720P: so now that is the limiting factor. I am having a hard time convincing the wife that I really NEED a 1080P projector. But when the bulb burns out I will have a tough choice to make.

I also like using the PS3 wireless controller as the remote. It works great if I can ever remeber which button does what. There is a great 120X FF that lets you zip right along. Also you can play the movie at 1.5X and still hear the sound and it isn't even high pitched. I bought the separate remote but so far I haven't been able to make it work at all.

One of the blu-ray movie we watched was 16 Blocks. This is a strong action movie with Bruce Willis. I love the clarity in the detrails like the reflections on the car windows as they drove. And the sound was amazing. Some of the gun shoots literally made me jump.

For games the graphics are amazing. I have only had one game so far. It is called Lair. In the game you fly a dragon and shoot fire and blow stuff up. I didn't even know that PS3 has a motion sensitve controller (like Wii but not quite as sophisticated). But in the Lair game you fly your dragon by just tilting the controller, tilt right and you go right. It really does give you the feeling of flying.

Playing these games in a dedicated Home Theater is really a sensory experience. My screen is huge. You can get a lttile of that dizzy feeling as you feel the motion. And the soundtrack for this game is full sounding like a major motion picture.

It baffles my mind that these video games have somehow evolved from Pong and Space Invaders.

Of course I am cheap so I don't like to pay $60 for a game. Or even the extra $10 for a blu-ray movie. So Netflix and Gamefly are really kicking in. It was a simple thing to change my Netflix so that all the movies in my que that are available in blu-ray were changed to blu-ray.

PS3 - Blu-Ray overload

2008-04-30T05:28:48Z

I finally got a PS3 and therefore a Blu-ray player. I am still on overload with watching Blu-ray movies and playing PS3 games. No time to do a complete review now but I promise I will when my eyes don't look like a bush baby's.

Let me just say this is the most dramatic improvement to my system since we got the HD hooked up.

I already got my reference disk - Fifth Element. I haven't watched it yet but soon and often....

Stay tuned.

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Amazon.com Widgets

Confused about digital audio vs HDMI

2008-04-24T02:19:32Z

Hi Dave,

I am so confused on home theaters what I really need to know is what is the difference between digital sound and hdmi is there one Im looking toward sony I need to know if digital sound will be good enough for new lcd tw please help!!!!!

Signed Confused

See my answer here ------->]]> Dear Confused

I am not sure I know all the technical differences betweeen HDMI and Digital audio. Lately it seems the audio formats have been changing faster than the material. For example I installed 7.1 in my HT 3 years ago and still very few movies take advantage of it.

There might be other factors that influence your decision. I have chosen to use the component video instead of HDMI at least 2 times. The reason is that my receiver can switch component but not HDMI. So I have cable, DVD and I just added a PS3. To switch the video I just select it on the receiver. Then it switches the picture and sound.

So I guess the short answer is I think either will be fine with your new TV. If you haven't had surround sound before it should blow you away (with a decent subwoofer). The speakers and sub will probably make more of an audible difference to the sound than the digital/analog choice.

So the Cheap Dave philosophy is get something now. Enjoy it. You can always upgrade the weakest link in the future.

And whatever you do don't spend $125 for an HDMI cable.

Thanks for the question. Let me know what you decide.

Cheap Dave

Thank you so much you have answered my question. This is all new to me. I don't know a thing about any of this. What I do know is we love out TV.

Thank you so much, very kind of ya

Confused