Need help with big DIY project

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Since i moved out, my father wants to turn the basement into a movie theatre. about 7 years ago, we built a set of Peerless speakers and he is in love with them. He wants to build all of his speakers (fronts, center, rears, maybe 2 more rears for 7.1?) he loves the Peerless speakers but the tweeter that he is used to is discontinued. He wants to spend around $15000 for the projector, receiver and all speakers. We can get the boxes built for a good price because he owns a custom design office furniture store and the company that builds the furniture can build the boxes at wholesale. Also, we have the trade pricelist from Solen so we can get the components for a bit cheaper than retail. the system will be used for movies, but he mainly wants it to entertain with DVD Concerts. Can anybody recommend a good brand from Solen (same brands as madisound) for this kind of setup? his tastes in music can range from the eagles and steely dan to lynyrd skynyrd and AC/DC so these speakers must be quite versitile and warm.
We are unsure on the receiver as of yet, it will probably be an H/K or Pioneer Elite or Marantz.
Any help will be greatly appreciated! thanks guys.
 
I would go with a kit or existing design, personally. You'll get better sound and a lot less headache. At that budget, the options are very open. I would lean towards a pair of towers for the front, and monitors for center and surrounds. And I would employ the use of at least 2 12" subwoofers in seperate cabinets placed wherever they provide the best coverage (i.e. no holes in the sound or standing waves).

Easily, the most talked about drivers right now are the Dayton Reference Series. They are not available from Solen as they are a house brand of PartsExpress - however, they are cheap for the level of performance offered. Check out Jon Marsh's Modula MTM or RomanB's RS 2.5way MTM for a fantastic set of main speakers. I would definately look to Jon's Modula MT to handle the rear channels. You could also use a Modula MT or another of RomanB's RS 2.5way for the center channel depending on whether you prefer an upright or lying down center channel.

Information on all of these designs here.

Information on the Modula MT and other JonMarsh deisngs here.

There is also a world full of wonderful kits nowadays. Take a look at some of the dealers below for some fantastic speakers that should fit your bill.

Selah Audio
North Creek Music
Ellis Audio
RAW Acoustics

Most of the kits include crossover components. If you went with one of the personal designs, you could use your discount at Solen to save money on that part of the designs, which is a major component of overall cost.

As for subs, there are good choices available there as well. Good and easy would put you in a pair of Dayton RS12 HiFi in a smallish sealed box. I would build two and power them with a pro amp instead of plate amps, as you can get more wattage for less money that way. I think you would also do VERY well with a pair of Ascendant Arsenal 15s in sealed configuration. And of course, there is always the Infinite Baffle (IB) solution.

There's lots more choices out there, these are just a few. Here's a few more hobbyist sites with some excellent designs to check out.

Dennis Murphy
John Krutke
LouC
Humble Homemade HiFi
JohnK

Also, JohnK just designed what looks to be a killer 3 way speaker for E-Speakers.com. Check it out, I think it may fit your plans well if you can come up with matching center and surrounds.

Good luck.
 
Maybe you could eBay for the older tweeters?

Easily, the most talked about drivers right now are the Dayton Reference Series. They are not available from Solen as they are a house brand of PartsExpress - however, they are cheap for the level of performance offered.
That could be interesting if I want to build a sub, but will I really save money? Solen is a 5 minutes ride from me... (No shipping costs)
 
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