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spyder1,

What size Mitsu are you getting, that it's costing you $3K? I know the place where I got my TV sells the Toshiba 65" HDTV Widescreen for $2795 delivered, extra $100 for in-house delivery. No tax. Warranty automatically extended 2 years if you purchase with your American Express card. Hell, if you use your AMEX Blue card, and find it cheaper somewhere else, AMEX will pay you the difference, up to $250! I used this feature when I bought my receiver, and the price dropped $50 in the next 2 weeks.

On to your receiver - The 898 is a very good receiver, but have you considered the Denon 3802? It's probably the only competition for the 898, but it's quite a bit cheaper (I picked up mine for $799). The 3802 (and it's cheaper cousin, the 2802) both support Dolby Pro Logic II, not sure if the 898 does or not.. As for your decision to keep your DVD player, if it doesn't support DTS, you might want to consider spending an extra $200 and pick up a progressive scan DVD player that does DTS. Makes a world of difference, just sample the two versions of Jurassic Park for proof

I guess my confusion lies with the $3300 figure you're coming up with for the stereo equipment. A receiver and 5 speakers shouldn't cost that much. Are you buying these retail, or online?

If you're looking for more info, check out http://www.hometheaterforum.com

OC,

I'm getting the 55" Platinum Plus Mitsu HDTV. It goes for three grand. Let me know what model that Toshiba is and where you got it so I can check it out. That's not a bad price at all.

The 898 does support Pro Logic II, I just looked at the Denon the other day and may decide to go with the 3802. I'd also like to know where you got it for $799 since the 3802 that I saw was going for $1199. If I can save 700 bucks on my receiver, then I'll go with it! Especially if the two are very close in comparison.

I'm replacing all of my speakers. I'm going with Cambridge Soundworks and the $3300 was including the 898. The fronts are $1500, center is about $200, rears are $250 a shot, and then the 898 is about $1500. If I get it as a package deal it's $3500 minus a $200 coupon which is good until the end of November (hence the $3300 number I came up with).

If I can save a grand or so with the Toshiba TV and the Denon, then it's definitely something I at least want to look into.

Thanks...

OC,

Forgot one thing... my DVD player has DTS decoding also built into it. So I'm set there.

I'm Mr. Bargains, so that's why I've quoted you all the cheap prices

Toshiba 65H81 - $2795 - www.continentaltrade.com

Denon 3802 - $799 (have to call to get this deal) - www.6ave.com

Continental Trading is a nightmare to deal with, so you might want to see if you can find some place who's within $250 of their price, and then use the AMEX Blue to pricematch with them.. I also heard ShopSunshine is a great vendor to deal with, and have better prices.

6th Avenue is one of the few authorized Denon dealerships that operates over the Internet. Denon refuses warranty claims on purchases from non-authorized dealers. If you want to save an additional $50, use the AMEX Blue card to pricematch www.buydig.com's price of $749.

$1500 front speakers? Where can I get a link to them, I'm just curious why they're so expensive.. I have NHT SuperTwos, which I got on closeout for $500 for the pair.. I think their replacements now run about $800-1000.

Hope some of this info helps, happy to help a fellow CEGer.

OC,

I definitely appreciate all of the information that you have provided me. As a matter of fact, right now I'm comparing the Toshiba series to the Mitsu series I was going to get to see the difference. If I can get a 65" Toshiba for the price of a 55" Mitsu and the quality is equal, then I'm going to go for it. I understand what you mean by bargain shopping, especially when it comes to electronics.

Here's the link of the front speakers that I'm leaning towards getting... http://www.hifi.com/products/product_information.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=90853&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=104879&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=671&bmUID=1004277504914

They are the Newton Series T300 Tower Pair. Right now they are $1600, but there's a $200 coupon for them. I've actually heard these speakers (a buddy of mine in MA has them) and they are amazing. I'm open to suggestions on those also. I currently have Bose 501 Series Vs which are nice speakers, but I want a higher tower speaker with a bit more punch.