What Is Your Dream Home Theatre Setup for under $6k?

Llookslikescreech on 14/11/2021 - 14:06
Last edited 14/11/2021 - 17:44 by 1 other user

Hi all, long time lurker, first time poster. I'll try and include as much info as a can to make it easier for you to answer, apologies if I get any terminology wrong.

What's your dream home theatre setup for $6k or less? I'm trying to put one together and would like your advice/recommendations.

My background info:

I'm looking for a TV and soundbar or 5.1 style set up for the theatre room of my new house. Theatre room can be made quite dark so brightness isn't a HUGE concern and the room measures 4.15m x 3.34m (tv to be mounted on 4m wall).

I'd prefer a 75 or 85 inch TV rather than projector because I've never been that impressed with projectors in daytime viewing (should I want to have the blinds open). I'd prefer an 85 inch TV if possible but would go 75 if the quality is massively better. The TV will be used predominantly for movies/Tv and some gaming (possibly incl next gen consoles) but the gaming will only be recreational, I'm not a full on dedicated gamer.

I'd like to get a surround sound setup if possible and I'm happy to set up a receiver & speakers should it be required, I've never really been super impressed with sound bars but have seen some with detachable speakers which could give me the real surround sound I'm after.

A pet peeve of mine is slow/terrible software on cheaper TV's. I know this could be solved with a Google TV/Chromecast dongle but it adds a remote and if I'm spending this money I'd kind of like it to just work well.

Current living room TV is a Sony 65"X70F I got in 2018 which I'm still really happy with picture-wise.

Aiming to buy during black Friday sales.

Sorry for the long post, I saw others where people didn't include enough info and got flamed so wanted to explain what I'm after.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Electrical & Electronics Home Theatre

Comments

  • Hybroid on 14/11/2021 - 14:12
    +1

    $6k is just barely enough for a dream LG 77" OLED or equiv decent projector leaving little for the rest… Surround sound systems are remarkably cheap second hand though so something to consider. Even a Muteki 7.2 system is like $200-300.

  • sane on 14/11/2021 - 14:42
    +1

    The home theatre experience is all about the angle subtended at your eyes. You want it filling your field of view, or at least close enough that you can buy that it is. Practically, that means I'd suggest at least 45deg. If you are seated 3m back from the screen, that means (calculator out) 2.5m wide, which means 2.86m diagonal, or about 112 inch diagonal.

    Which is why, particularly if you can make the room dark, I tend to suggest a 4K projector. The 100-120inch projection size is quite doable with most hardware - and although 1080p is workable, the 4K projectors now are pretty much commodity. If you want daytime viewing, either shut out the light, or have a cheap secondary TV for watching the news (just keep your existing).

    Sound you obviously want a proper receiver and speakers (soundbars are carp) and I might be looking for atmos - and a decent sub of course. That will make all the difference to the experience.

    $2-3k for the projector
    $1k for the receiver
    rest for the speakers

  • slknv on 14/11/2021 - 15:03
    +2

    If it's a theatre room, go projector. I've got a 75" TV in my living room which is fine, but for movies there's no comparison for impact with a 150" screen.

    Don't plan on having your dream setup from the very beginning - eg I've got wiring for atmos in my ceiling, but after 10 years I still haven't got around to it. I'm slowly upgrading components over time - still using surround speakers from 10+ years ago. First AV receiver I was using didn't even have HDMI.

    I don't mind soundbars for TVs, but prefer dedicated speakers for theatre. Nice if you can hide wiring in walls (is it a dedicated new home construction?)

  • Mechz on 14/11/2021 - 15:37
    -1

    6k? Barely enough for a decent amp and speakers. Second hand is your best bet.

    Just mentioning sound bars in association with home theatre make me a bit ill. They really are for people who don't know any better.

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 14/11/2021 - 15:40
    +1

    Projector. Best bang for buck. Accept no substitutes.

  • lookslikescreech on 14/11/2021 - 15:44

    Thanks for your feedback so far, everybody.
    Any advice on projector models if I were to go for one? I pretty much just ruled them out straight off the bat

    • ItsMeAgro on 14/11/2021 - 16:50

      Both a TVs and soundbars are OK for living rooms but definitely a bit silly if you have a dedicated home theatre room. Only bought by people who don't know any better.

      Projectors and 5.1 or better home theatre amp/speaker setups are much better and well within your budget:

      • 2k to 3k on a projector
      • 1k on the amp,
      • 1k on speakers.
      • Maybe get a screen (not necessary, if you have a white or off-white wall, but usually worth it for the better picture quality).

      …will get you a fantastic cinema experience. (People with $4000 TVs are blown away by my much more modest $1500 projector and 5.1 setup).

      For projectors, start by looking at these:
      https://www.projectorcentral.com/hottest-home-theater-projec…

      For Amp (receiver) and speakers I'd start by browsing reviews of the best 5.1 amp and speakers packages from Yamaha, Sony, etc and go from there:
      https://au.yamaha.com/en/products/audio_visual/home_theatre_…

  • ModdySwag on 14/11/2021 - 15:46
    +5

    Muteki 7.2 are the eshay speaker setup of the AV world. Only bested by white van deals. If you even consider these I have some 10k speakers for sale atm for $50 that are waaayyy better ! 🤔
    Seriously though. Second hand is probably the way to go for this price point.
    Consider a high end Amp paired with second hand Krix speakers
    Krix are to this day in many theatres around Australia.
    Good luck. Happy to help with any further questions.

  • lookslikescreech on 14/11/2021 - 16:00

    Thanks :-)

    If I did just want to get a tv and speaker combo of some sort for that budget, does anybody have any suggestions so I can compare against projectors?

  • Drakesy on 14/11/2021 - 17:37
    +1

    Bowers and Wilkins 5.1 system - would need to be off gumtree/marketplace
    75" Q/OLED/Mini LED - LG/Sony

  • solidussnake on 14/11/2021 - 18:15
    +1

    Good luck with a dream setup for 6k, I've got a 77C1 $5450k and about $4500k of Dali speakers and a pioneer amp I paid $2150 for. Market place for some good second hand hi-fi speakers klipsch, B&W or Dali you might hopefully get a bargain and aim for one of JB audio deals where they do 40% off amps etc

  • AndyC1 on 14/11/2021 - 19:07

    6K would only get chairs and either the TV or the Receiver/AMP & speakers

  • lookslikescreech on 14/11/2021 - 19:44
    +2

    Thanks for your advice on this everybody, I should have probably empasised the "for $6k" part of it. "If you had 6 grand to spend, what would you buy?" kind of thing.
    I appreciate everyone's input and it's given me some stuff to think about so to those who offered something productive, thanks :-)

  • knobbs on 14/11/2021 - 21:09

    I see lots of people on here saying you need to up the speaker game/$ a lot. Is anyone able to describe the difference between a good 5.1 soundbar and the ~$3k speaker setups that are being suggested here?

    • ItsMeAgro on 15/11/2021 - 09:42
      +2

      Is anyone able to describe the difference between a good 5.1 soundbar and the ~$3k speaker setups that are being suggested here?

      Yep, it's like comparing a $500 TV's tinny speakers and an actual commercial movie cinema's sound system. Much more bass, clearer mids, clearer highs, all sorts of details appearing in your favourite songs and movies that you've never noticed before, and a far better sense of realism.

      The action in your film/game seems to be happening right in front of you and all around you, not out the window in your backyard. You're in the thick of it.

      You can feel the music score (and the explosions!) in your chest.

      (But there's a lot less difference between a good $3000 5.1 amp & speakers setup and a $2000 one. Of course, both are well within OP's budget since $3000 is plenty for a good 4k Projector and screen).

      • knobbs on 15/11/2021 - 09:55

        To be able to feel the explosions in your chest do you need a good level of volume though? I currently live in a townhouse so always am trying to be considerate with movie volume nowhere near high.

        • ItsMeAgro on 15/11/2021 - 14:09
          +1

          Short answer: yes, has to be loud.

          Long answer: yes, but a good speaker system is clearer and more satisfying at low volume than a cheapo one, and rubber mats under the bassiest speakers drastically reduces how much your neighbours hear (without reducing what you hear).

  • iforgotmysocks on 15/11/2021 - 00:11
    +2

    $750 hisense, $700 Xbox, $50 head set and $4500 worth of beer and snacks.

    • [Deactivated] on 15/11/2021 - 09:20
      +1

      🤣🤣

  • Drpepper666 on 15/11/2021 - 14:39
    +1

    As others stated 6k is not enough but my advice is buy quality components over time. You can start with a 2.1 or 3.1 setup and buy more speakers over time. Just don't buy a shitty soundbar it's a waste of money and you can't upgrade it.

  • lookslikescreech on 18/11/2021 - 22:00
    Merged from $6K Budget for 85" TV & sound bar/speakers, what would you pick?

    Hi All,

    I've posted previously, but I'm narrowing this down to TV & sound bar/speakers only (rather than entertaining the idea of a projector)

    If you had $6k to buy an 85 inch TV and some speakers (preferably 5.1 or similar), what would you buy?

    TV will be used for movies/tv and some gaming but I am not a heavy gamer so some higher level features on more expensive tv's aren't THAT important to me. I'd love to get a surround sound/5.1 setup and I'm ok to get some average speakers for now then upgrade them down the track.

    The room in which this will be set up is 4.1m x 3.3m (tv on the 4m wall)

    I have a 65" Sony X70F I got in 2018 which I'm really happy with and I HATE poor OS performance I've seen on cheaper tv's (Kogan). I am leaning towards the X85J which is on sale at TGG for $3995 right now.

    What are your thoughts? What would you get with that budget? What have I got wrong?

    Thanks in advance for your help

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