You’re probably all set for your Super Bowl party now, because you’re organized, prepared, like Boy Scouts … well, we know a lot of people who aren’t prepared. How do we know? We asked dealers in the Green Bay and Pittsburgh areas, and they all told us they’re busy as hell, hanging TVs, tweaking sound systems, calibrating projectors, all in time for the Sunday showdown.

In fact, most of the places we called barely had time to talk to us because they were so swamped with sales and service calls. This makes us think that all we need to kick the recession is more Super Bowls—I’ll make that suggestion to Congress right away.

Anyhow, we DID manage to get a few consumer electronics (CE) pros on the line to tell us what kind of system they’d like to watch the Super Bowl on.  Here you go:

Packers Fans

Joe Szprejda, manager of Sound World in Green Bay:

Sprejda says Sound World has been putting in emergency home theater systems non-stop this week for eager Packers fans, and he’s sure they’ll be delighted with the experience (especially since he thinks Green Bay will win by 7 points).

For the HDTV, he recommends an 82-inch Mitsubishi DLP rear projection. At 82 inches, the players will be bigger than real life, but the owners won’t break the bank on cost or have to take up a whole wall (just most of it). He likes the Mitsubishi because it’s huge, bright and has a very wide viewing angle—important if you have a lot of guests over.

Sprejda would match the TV with an Integra integrated surround sound receiver and a full suite of Speakercraft AIM Cinema in-wall speakers.

To keep all the party guests comfortable, he’d have them settled into durable leather Bello theater seats, which can withstand a spilled beer or chicken wing, we hope.

Over in Appleton Wisconsin, Tim Suess, of Suess Electronics, says the best home theaters are big, really big.

He’d recommend a Sony SXRD front projector matched with a 132-inch Stewart Firehawk screen. “The projector has great depth,” he says, as well as excellent performance for fast motion—important for a fast-paced sporting event (let’s hope it’s fast). And of course, we want vibrant colors for that half-time performance by the Black-Eyed Peas.

To make sure those Black Eyed Peas sound great, Suess wants to hear the show from a system made up of McIntosh audio gear and Paradigm Signature S8 speakers. The game would pipe into the theater from a DirecTV HD system with a DVR for instant replays.

In his ideal sports theater, the guests would hunker down into Salamander Talia leather theater seats. These feature motorized reclining, memory foam and fold-out tables for guests to plant their snacks.

Suess expects the game to be exciting down to the last minute with the Packers coming out on top by one touchdown.

Steelers Fans

From Steelers country, we talked to Chris Carter of Pro TV and Audio in Pittsburgh.

Carter says this week his business has been slammed, by customers, not weather (though probably that too).

He says a great system to watch the Steelers run all over the Packers on would start with a Samsung LED LCD TV (7000 or 8000 series). He recommends the LED TVs because they have the inky blacks of a plasma, but without the glare—plus they’re extremely thin and light, making them easy to hang on the wall. Also the wide viewing angle makes the party’s seating (or standing, jumping, yelling) arrangement less of an issue.

For sound, Carter wants to match the TV with a Denon integrated receiver such as the AVR-3311CI. Carter’s a fan of Denon because he says the company’s products are extremely custom installer-friendly with features like discrete codes, RS-232 port and calibration modes. To the Denon, he’d connect either Martin Logan or B&W speakers. He says anything from those lines sound great, but he’s particularly partial to Martin Logan and notes that they’re extremely accurate and dynamic even when listened to at low levels—though we know you won’t be doing that.

Oh, and Cater says Pittsburgh will come out ahead by two touchdowns.

Marty Rodgers, owner of Cinemagic Home Theater in Pittsburg, is definitely a Steelers fan (that’s him in the picture).

For Rodgers, only a projector will do, and lately his favorite projectors have been JVC D-ILA system, like the new 3D DLA-X9. Despite the disappointment (or relief) that the Super Bowl isn’t being broadcast in 3D, he recommends this projector for its bright and high contrast image. For a target, he likes to aim that JVC at a 110-inch Vutec Silverstar screen.

For audio, he suggests an Onkyo integrated receiver for its ease of use and ease of installation by the CE Pro. He’d want to include speakers from Jamo or Energy, depending on the specifics of the room.

Like the other pros surveyed here, Rodgers agrees that quality leather theater chairs are a must, and again, we hear the name Bello recommended as being comfortable and durable enough for a sports party. We hope everyone cleans the Primanti scraps out of the seats after the game. 

Grant Clauser - Technology and Web Editor, Electronic House

Grant Clauser has been covering home electronics for more than 10 years with editorial roles in several consumer and trade magazines. He's done ISF-level damage to hundreds of reviewed products and has had audio training from Home Acoustics Alliance and Sencore. He's also the author of the book The Trouble with Rivers. Follow him on Twitter @geclauser.