swt61

That's OK, I'm quite used to hearing music at friends houses too. All the time thinking "aren't they hearing the same distortion I'm hearing"? Some of them even have themselves convinced that stuff like clothes for the children, little Jimmie's college fund & the mortgage payment are more important. I hope I never loose touch with reality like that.

:prettyprincess: :prettyprincess:

So last night I went into the city to check out the LCD and Plasma TVs. My first stop was Sam's club, only because they had the Vizio 47" 1080P 120Hz. TV I had been thinking about, and a Panasonic 50" Viera Plasma as well. As you can imagine it's not the optimal environment to audition TVs. However I was able to see some differences even in that environment. In that bright lighting the Vizio did look pretty good, especially when fed by a Blu-ray player. Next stop was a local audio video store with a much better viewing room. Unfortunately they didn't have the Panasonic G10 series, but I was able to view LCD and Plasma side by side in a darker environment (as it will be in my viewing room). I did notice the Blacker background of the plasma immediately. I was also just blown away by Blu-ray (the latest Pirates of the Carribean). That's the first time I've seen a Blu-ray movie, and it was so much more incredible than I could have imagined. I really had no idea the technology had come so far. Believe it or not my local Sears store had both the Vizio and Panasonic I wanted to pit against each other. They also had a pretty good viewing area due to several florecsent overhead lights being either turned off, or burnt out. I even talked a salesman into moving the Vizio next to the 50"G10. That decided it for me pretty quickly in terms of picture quality. While I will say the Vizio is a pretty decent TV, the Panasonic just had the better picture. The 'Blackground' was fantastic! And the colors were better in every respect. Now Sears of coarse is pretty damned proud of that Panasonic, at $1,799 + 8% sales tax. That has to be factored into the decision, as I do have to maintain some resemblance of a budget. After returning home and doing some more digging online however, I have found the Panasonic VIERA TC-P50G10 for as low as $1,394.00, shipping included. When I add the sales tax I'd pay buying the Vizio locally, the value is much easier to see. So in conclusion I have indeed decided the Panasonic VieraTC-P50G10 Plasma will soon be hanging on my wall. Many thanks to all involved in showing me the options available! BTW, the lifespan of the new G10 series is every bit as good as LCD. The power consumption and heat issues have also been greatly diminished.

Awesome cat! Nice to see you give him a good home!

Thanks Ken!

I'm thinking that's going to bring my source up to par with the β22 and K1000. That should make me very happy.

Just ordered and paid for my OPPO BDP-83. It should ship by the 15th. I hope to look at flat screens and finalise my decision there this weekend, though it'll be about two weeks before I make the purchase. Should be a major change from the 19" CRT TV and VCR/DVD combo I am currently using.

Welcome Wayne!

Homemade Chocolate chip cookies wouldn't be a bad start. Six dozen should start him off. PM me for shipping details, and nevermind the Texas address, that's just for quality control.

Dr. Wood gives a big, big two thumbs up! Firstly East India Rosewood is one of my favorite woods, secondly I think that shape is just perfect. Love the squared top, with the lightly chamfered edge. And lastly the finish is beautiful! If you ever wash up as an engineer Nate, you can come and work for me! Vicki congratulations on a beautiful pair of headphones that were obviously a labor of love.

I think in generall they'll sound fine. I have heard Martin Logans well into the middle of a room, and they sounded great. They did have a dynamic woofer however. I think what may also be important is in which way you orient the speakers. I'd be relatively sure that they'd sound best with the livelier end of your room behind the Maggies, and the deader end of your room out in front of them. Is that possible?

I sent him two pair of T50RPs. Tony (from our Milan, Italy contengent) bought the headphones for me to modify for he and I. It just didn't look like I would have the time to get to them though, and quite frankly why not go with the tried and true Smeggy creation. I doubt I could top it. And they look so damn good!

Toby Keith?

What about Lefty?

Congrats Al! Damn nice looking Cicadas!

I will absolutely check out the afformentioned plasmas. And yes I agree the Panasonic prices are very, very good for the high end quality they represent. I will not rule them out, and if I prefer the picture I'll rethink my budget. Thanks for the info guys! It's greatly appreciated.

I think the bald guys job description includes pulling out the royal penis, and holding it aimed at the urinal. For fun I bet Monster Douche surges the Segway back and forward while baldy tries to keep reign on the penis.

Good movie! I liked Peterson in Manhunter as well.

The room can be made dark easily, and usually that's how I watch movies. I'll check out your recommendations Dusty, Thanks! I did zoom in a local store that looks worth checking into. I'll go Saturday and see what they have to offer.

Great, can I get that in 7.1 please?

Well movies (Blu-ray specifically) would by far be how the TV would be used most. Damn! I see that Sam's Club has that Panasonic for under $1,300.00. I guess I have more looking to do after all. I'll go check out more TVs this weekend, keeping plasma in mind this time. Thanks guys!

Panasonic - VIERA / 50" Class / 1080p / 600Hz / Plasma HDTV - TC-P50S1 Hmmm, it's a bit more than my budget, but it's also larger. Is this a decent choice?

Gosh Renato I'm not sure that'll be enough, as I plan to live to 178. Let me do the math. So Plasma is probably not a concern for me then, but if I can't budget the Panasonic I'm guessing that plasma over LCD is not always going to be a clear case? I will most likely have to compare as many different TVs as possible. Any opinions of what I should really give a look at in my budget Renato?

Well I do put a lot more effort and care into my audio system than anything I've ever owned I could even remotely call a video system. However I think we're way more alike here than different. I used to get caught up on name brands and followed a lot of advice from publication reviews years back. It took some time, but I finally realized I was building systems for others opinions, and not my own. I've long since learned to trust my own ears and my own preferences. It won't always be the popular choice, but I'm completely comfortable with that. I know that I prefer solid state to tubes in general. That's not the path followed by the majority of audiophiles, but I grew up on the solid state sound sig., and it's what sounds right to me. There's no right or wrong here, just different flavors for different tastes. I've always said that if it's understood that so many of us see and taste things differently than others, why is it such a stretch to believe that we hear differently as well? I, like you Nate have come to understand that what sounds good to me is the right choice. Names and pricetags have very little if anything to do with it. It just took me longer to figure that out than you. And I do live in the real world where budgets come into play. And things need to be prioritised at times, and video is a bit further down the "Important" list for me. If Mr. Thorsen places it at a higher priority that's just fine, but it's silly to think that everyone else need follow suit.