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I don't want to be "that guy" but could we move this discussion to the htpc and/or xbmc threads, and start posting our badass sound systems again ?
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May 10, 2013 04:47
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jonathan posted:I don't want to be "that guy" but could we move this discussion to the htpc and/or xbmc threads, and start posting our badass sound systems again ? I was going to post this as well, but kept forgetting. Not that I mind the discussion or anything, but y'all might get more in depth about various types of boxen over at the HTPC Thread, and if you have questions about XBMC there's a whole thread for that as well. Oh, and the AppleTV thread if you're into that.
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May 10, 2013 14:44
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Some of you guys have amazing systems (both equipment, and looks). Mine is a bit more humble, but I think it's pretty decent. I imagine that the lack of awesome decor reveals me as forever a bachelor though. Click for larger.  Sony 52" rear projection HDTV, almost 8 years old, still going strong. Onkyo TX-NR616 Apple TV Roku Sony BluRay player PS3 Polk R50's Polk PSW10 sub Polk center and surrounds (older set, don't remember the models).
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May 11, 2013 23:12
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My 2 channel stereo that also does TV/Gaming stuff P5225156 by SEJRamsay, on Flickr Philips 47 inch Technics SL-1210Mk2 NAD 375BEE w/Phono Stage module and DAC module PS3 Sonos Connect B&W CM9
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May 23, 2013 09:36
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Dang I like your entertainment center/wallpaper combo. Are they flip down smoked glass on the top strip?
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May 23, 2013 16:06
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It's fabric, the idea is that you can put a centre channel in it. But it is also IR transparent. Smoked glass would be awesome though.
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May 23, 2013 16:15
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Laser Cow posted:It's fabric, the idea is that you can put a centre channel in it. But it is also IR transparent. Smoked glass would be awesome though. Where did you get it? I want one.
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May 23, 2013 17:20
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Bolia, so unless you are in Scandinavia I think you'll have to search for something else.
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May 23, 2013 17:38
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KillHour posted:Where did you get it? I want one. I want one too  time to try and find something similar stateside.
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May 24, 2013 18:34
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Weeeee!, got my binding posts in. Now I can wire up the drivers. Its strange to me that shipping from parts express was $30 but shipping from Hong Kong is free. The subs are 12ft^3 ported enclosures with 18" drivers. The enclosures are tuned to 15hz for a good balance of extension and efficiency. In room with some EQ they should be flat down to 10hz or so, at over 115db. Powering them with a behringer inuke 3000 class D amp. Each driver will be seeing around 650 watts RMS @ 4 ohms. Total price $150 to build the enclosures, $550 for the drivers shipped, $380 for the amp, another $50 for misc stuff. jonathan fucked around with this message at 18:44 on May 24, 2013 |
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May 24, 2013 18:41
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 20130523_231314 by Rivera82Falcon, on Flickr I finally bought my house and only had the time to quickly mount the screen onto the wall (LG 47" - Will get model # later). I keep wanting to get everything up real fast but I KNOW that I'll screw up something and have to go back to the drawing board. I'm looking into a few different receivers and right now I've narrowed it down to the following: Onkyo HT-RC360 7.2 Onkyo TX-NR414 5.1 Onkyo TX-NR709 7.2 I know I don't need the 7.2 Surround sound but the multiple zones and extra inputs really help out for everything I want. The speaker(s) I have considered for this is the Polk Audio CS10 Center Channel Speaker and when I build my deck, use the second zone for outside music while using the Onkyo phone app to control music. I have lots of cables to rerun and fix up the mess the previous owner left for me to clean up but once that is complete, all the cables will be organized much better and connected to a central location with a basic service loop instead of 20' service loop. For furniture, I'm looking at some Ikea items (BESTÅ) for now since $$$ isn't something my wife isn't willing to hand out and I can play around with pieces from their planner online app. Giveawayoftheday.com is giving away a home designer app so I'm going to play with that as well to help me figure out what I want to do in the end. If anyone else has an idea or recommendation, by all means, throw in your two cents. The max height I can go is 67" before I hit a pipe and the length of the room is 11'9" x 8'. I can't go back any further because the furnace is at the 10' mark and I want a 1' gap from where my couch will be. The right side I can go back 7' before I hit a pole (you can see it in the picture). rivera82falcon fucked around with this message at 03:56 on May 30, 2013 |
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May 30, 2013 03:39
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It's really nice having a clean slate when designing an entertainment room like that. Since you already have drywall in, consider using floor trim that will allow you to hide wire under it. That way you can run wires to the surrounds without showing them. Consider a t-bar/drop ceiling. It makes wiring in pot lights of your choice, projector, extra speakers etc much easier. You will want carpet or at least a big wide rug between your seating area and the front soundstage. I highly recommend the Onkyo 709. It's got a good solid amp with lots of reserves (it does close to 90 watts per channel with 5 channels driven) and is 4 ohm stable and meets THX requirements. The calibration it uses (MultiEQ XT) is the second best available, and is the basic setup that IMAX uses for their theater calibrations. Are you planning to keep that TV or are you going with a projector setup ? In either case, one thing I wish I had done before I set up my front stage, was to build a false wall, and put the speakers behind it. The false wall can be constructed of 2x2 pine board. You build a frame, paint it flat black, and then cover each section by wrapping black spandex over it. The spandex is acoustically transparent, allowing you to hide your speakers behind it. The middle section of the wall can either be the projector screen (Use a double layer of white spandex, or a white front and silver rear layer) with the center channel in the middle of the screen behind it, or build a frame to hold the TV, with the center channel just below it. Essentially what you get is a screen in a wall, with no distracting speakers. Place your gear (receiver, xbox, bluray player, HTPC etc) on a rack behind the viewing area, or, build a closet to house all the gear. It's pretty classy looking to have nothing but a view screen, with big sound seeming to come from the picture, not speakers infront of it. As for colours, Home theaters always seem to look good with crimson or dark red walls, with black trim, and black furniture. You will want to avoid white walls, or any light colour. Same goes for the floor and ceiling. The light will reflect off any light surface and kill off your contrast.
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May 30, 2013 05:04
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jonathan posted:It's really nice having a clean slate when designing an entertainment room like that. Since you already have drywall in, consider using floor trim that will allow you to hide wire under it. That way you can run wires to the surrounds without showing them. Consider a t-bar/drop ceiling. It makes wiring in pot lights of your choice, projector, extra speakers etc much easier. You will want carpet or at least a big wide rug between your seating area and the front soundstage.  cave dimensions by Rivera82Falcon, on Flickr Unfortunately, that is concrete where the display is and also on the left is concrete as well. Also, the ceiling is low and my head is almost touching the support beams (I'm 6'1"). I am keeping that display up as it does show a nice clean picture and it is still new with little hours used. It used to be in our bedroom but my wife doesn't want a TV in there anymore so bonus for me. Finally, the floor is staying as tiles because we just had a big storm pass by and I found water spots forming around the place so I need to figure out where it is coming from and find a way to stop it if at all possible. I can paint the walls however another color which I would definitely enjoy doing. As for the false wall, I do like that idea and can use that also to hide the cables easier while keeping it open enough to do any needed service. Two feet should be more than enough really for me to squeeze behind it and work or maybe construct it on some kind of wheels so I can keep it more flush to the wall and slide it out as needed. I am limited on height as there is a pipe about 67" up that would keep me from going any higher. Maybe one day I can get a plumber to relocate it along with other pipes in the basement. I'm tired of hitting my head on them every time I'm down there. Thanks for the idea though...it is giving me different ideas and options which is what I really need right now. I don't want to rush this at all.
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May 30, 2013 13:14
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Yeah, false wall should be light weight and easy to move. Often its just a frame, and then you put the speakers behind it, and then use fabric panels that just Velcro into place. To dampen reflections off the floor, I got a shape shag rug from Costco. It was $80 or so. Also check out auralex acoustic treatments. They have studio style sound absorbers that could be used on the walls to get rid of echo. They don't cost much. You can get similar products off eBay for even cheaper. If you want to spend a bit more, consider GIK Acoustics. A small budget on sound treatments will go a long way in a reflective room like that.
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May 30, 2013 23:22
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jonathan posted:Yeah, false wall should be light weight and easy to move. Often its just a frame, and then you put the speakers behind it, and then use fabric panels that just Velcro into place. I do A/V installs for a living and never really took into consideration a lot of other factors involved. Need to study for that CTS again. I've seen magnetic acoustic panels in the past that I have to say I actually like. Might consider that if they turn out to be cheaper than the velcro type although it shouldn't and just be a matter of preference. I'll look into absorbers next so I can see how it'll fit into my room here. Know of any good sites that have simple tutorials on making false walls?
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May 30, 2013 23:35
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Avsforum.com and search for false wall in the forums. Should be a few examples of construction. The only difference is that they generally are used with a projector screen. Since you're using a TV, you would make yours with an opening. I would even consider covering up the TV frame so its only the screen, but that's just a thought.
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May 31, 2013 00:22
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This is the setup I've made over the last few years. I'm really happy with the image quality and sound quality. I wish the main room we had it in was a little darker, but it's a rent house and the house I buy will have a room just for the theater. I bought almost all emotiva based on some reviews. If I could do it again, I'd get a nicer center channel speaker. The video processor has had to have its firmware updated a few times from bugs, and the hdmi card in it died, but support has been amazing and they fixed it no problem. Emotiva is a dream to deal with if you want good support. I bought the video processor when it was a whole new line. They seem to have worked out some of the original problems and are probably a lot more stable now. Equipment: * 120" screen * Western Digital Media Hub * Epson home cinema 8350 * Emotiva UMC-1 * Emotiva UPA-5 * Emotiva ERM 6.2 bookshelf speakers x3 * Emotiva ERD 1 x2 * Epik Empire Subwoofer * Playstation 3 * Xbox 360 * lovely cable box from charter         
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Jun 2, 2013 00:17
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Christ, dude, how heavy is an amp with a linear power supply? That's some audiophile-grade crazy right there. I'm afraid to ask how much it cost. KillHour fucked around with this message at 00:44 on Jun 2, 2013 |
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Jun 2, 2013 00:36
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loving heavy. It's like 75 lbs or so, and is a bitch to move. It's a toss up if the subwoofer or the amp is heavier. I bought almost all of this when I got a programming job that was pretty much Office Space right out of college and hated it. So I spent the money as quick as I could. Luckily for my finances, and wife, I have a job I love now. Iirc it was Sub: 700 Amp: 500 Processor: 750 Bookshelf speakers: 350 (each) Rear speakers: 250 It's been a while, but I think that's what I paid. The amp and the sub are well worth the money. If you're getting a sub, get Epik. They are incredible.
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Jun 2, 2013 00:59
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mrbass21 posted:Equipment: Nice setup! It sounds like you are enjoying the Emotiva speakers; they look impressive to me on the site but I haven't seen anyone using them on any forums. I've also not seen anyone skipping a receiver as a source. Speaking of weight, my friend has an XPA-2 hooked up to some Golden Ear Triton Twos. That drat amp pumps out incredible sound at the expense of a huge footprint and weight. I assume the UPA-5 is similar to the XPA-5? I don't think your setup is audiophile crazy. It looks like a well tamed setup. That screen must be incredible for watching movies.
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Jun 2, 2013 01:40
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Movie watching is awesome. I definitely could have spent some more cash for some crazy setup. I think it's somewhere inbetween "just starting to get serious about sound" and crazy audiophile. Just enough so your friends don't make fun of you :p I was looking on the site to find the bookshelf speaker and I didn't see them anywhere. They sound great, but I don't know if I would go the same route again, but it's probably a case of "grass is greener". I can't say enough nice things about emotiva. Seriously, even if you don't like the speakers, they let you return them in 30 days. They are a great company to deal with and for anyone getting into setups, the amps can't be beat for the price. The projector was like 1100 and the screen was 500 (ezframe). For 120" it's a pretty good deal and that projector has a VERY versatile positioning while maintaining aspect ratio and doesn't use a keystone. It was projectorcentrals editors pick for like 4 years. And the xpa is supposedly the upa with xlr connections for each channel along with coax connections. Possible slightly higher rms wattage. mrbass21 fucked around with this message at 02:02 on Jun 2, 2013 |
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Jun 2, 2013 01:59
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mrbass21 posted:loving heavy. It's like 75 lbs or so, and is a bitch to move. It's a toss up if the subwoofer or the amp is heavier. You're nuts. For 700, that sub had better do 20Hz at reference volume with <1% THD. edit: That sub is 140 lbs according to the manufacturer's website. KillHour fucked around with this message at 07:31 on Jun 2, 2013 |
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Jun 2, 2013 07:27
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Do y'all use calibration discs at all? I had a DVD version awhile back but completely lost it in one move or another, and the market seems to have expanded quite a bit. I've got my TV picture dialed in to about where I want it, but my father in law wants to do something a bit more technical with his new 50". Any recommendations?
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Jun 2, 2013 14:26
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KillHour posted:You're nuts. For 700, that sub had better do 20Hz at reference volume with <1% THD. That sub is dual opposed 15" drivers. In room it will go below 15hz. For something you can purchase ready to run, its one of the top 5 subs you can buy for under $1500. Equal in performance to the Elemental Designs stuff, or the Rythmik FV15. The Captivator and Submersive subs outperform it, but they're like $2500.
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Jun 2, 2013 19:27
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EC posted:Do y'all use calibration discs at all? I had a DVD version awhile back but completely lost it in one move or another, and the market seems to have expanded quite a bit. I've got my TV picture dialed in to about where I want it, but my father in law wants to do something a bit more technical with his new 50". Any recommendations? From the last time I was looking, unless you want to get REALLY detailed calibration, lots of people use PIXAR films thx calibration. WALL-E, Cars, Ratatouille come to mind. For the money, you won't find a better sub. As far as your theatre sound goes, your center speaker and sub are the most important (assuming you're not buying an underpowered receiver, IMO. This sub, admittedly, it's supposed to be better for midrange and music, but movies are still incredibly awesome. None of my friends subs come close to it... I don't have many home theatre enthusiast friends
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Jun 2, 2013 19:59
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Not sure where the hate on audio equipment came from. Sub woofers are one of the most important aspects of home theaters and is where most of the money and time should be spent. The sub frequencies are also the most difficult to achieve good results with since the sound waves are slow enough to be affected by the room. I guess this is a great time to introduce my setup. Be warned; I spent money to get good sound! - Samsung 64" D7000 Plasma - Onkyo 3008 - Boston Acoustics VR975 - Boston Acoustics VR12 Center Channel - Boston Acoustics Bravo Surrounds - SVS PC12-NSD The best photo I have until I get my 3008 back from repair:   Now, why did I spend that much money on equipment? I have been optimizing my room for even bass response. What I have achieved is nothing short of incredible for a relatively little amount of money. With my 3 subs I am able to achieve a good bass response down to 15hz:  This might not look impressive, but the above frequency response is without any EQ correction (Audyssey or parametric EQ) or room treatments. There are no room mode issues disrupting the response. I have a MiniDSP waiting to correct the dips and peaks and I am hoping achieve a response that is +/- 3db: 
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Jun 3, 2013 01:00
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jink posted:I guess this is a great time to introduce my setup. Be warned; I spent money to get good sound! Hey Boston Acoustics buddy  ! Though mine are not quite the same level as yours (VR20 fronts and a VR910 center). Too bad BA has almost completely gone away from the VR tweeter. It looks like the Bravo and a soundbar are the only current products using it. Not sure what I'll go to if I ever upgrade.
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Jun 3, 2013 01:28
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Patch posted:Hey Boston Acoustics buddy Hey hey! You have excellent speakers as well. You can still find 960 and 975s online if you want to upgrade. VR10 and VR12s can still be had if you want bigger woofers in your center. I purchased my 975 pair on Ebay three years ago; they were an excellent deal but the surrounds on the subwoofers were completely deteriorated. I repaired them for around $20 and some time:   It is incredibly sad that Boston Acoustics have abandoned the VR tweeter and most of their high end development. I've watched as the company has imploded into a soundbar and economy speaker company. I love the old Boston sound and the VR tweeters are incredible. If I could find a pair of E100s I would buy them in a heartbeat.
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Jun 3, 2013 02:47
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jink posted:Not sure where the hate on audio equipment came from. Sub woofers are one of the most important aspects of home theaters and is where most of the money and time should be spent. The sub frequencies are also the most difficult to achieve good results with since the sound waves are slow enough to be affected by the room. I dont think anyone is hating on the equipment. I think Killhour just wasn't familiar with that model of sub and was skeptical of its performance versus price. What are you using for measurements and which program to display the output ? I use REW for my plots and measurements. Also, are you using 3 SVS subs ? I'm curious what audessey can do with them without the use if the mini-dsp. Any results without the DSP ?
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Jun 3, 2013 03:09
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Oops, that is REW.
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Jun 3, 2013 03:10
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 Energy 5.1 Take Classic Home Theater System (Set of Six, Black) Sony BDPS790 3D Blu-ray Player with Wi-Fi Yamaha RX-V673 7.2-Channel Network AV Receiver Samsung UN60ES7500 60-Inch 1080p 240Hz 3D Slim LED HDTV (Black) I've got some work to do still, but I just put up the speakers yesterday. I plan on getting some shelving on each side to put blurays and DVDs. Also it will help hide the wires. In bad need of some decor around the setup as well.
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Jun 3, 2013 03:52
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jonathan posted:I dont think anyone is hating on the equipment. I think Killhour just wasn't familiar with that model of sub and was skeptical of its performance versus price. Sorry, I meant more of the weirded out attitude to equipment; we aren't getting into ridiculous audiophile territory here!  Yup, REW! I have a calibrated UMM-6 and Galaxy SPL meter. Trying to learn all I can about audio; having objective measurements is a blessing. My friend has a setup we've been working on as well. He is dealing with crazy room modes that we've been tackling with many subs (Golden Ear Triton Twos and 2x Klipsch RW-12d):  I am not using 3 SVS subs. I wish I had the cashflow for that sort of thing! I find that the Boston Acoustics subs built into the VR-975s hold up well. The SVS handles < 20hz and the BAs help with everything else. I put the SVS near-field for that reason. The butt shake is incredible. Unfortunately, I don't have any measurements with Audyssey enabled on my current layout. When it is enabled, it does an excellent job due to Sub EQ handling both sets of sub woofers. I plan on enhancing it's ability with the MiniDSP so that it can use all of it's filters to improve elsewhere. ijii posted:Energy 5.1 Take Classic Home Theater System (Set of Six, Black) Nice setup! How are you liking those Energy speakers? They seem like a hell of a deal.
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Jun 3, 2013 05:25
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I wonder if anyone has experience with wireless surround speakers (or making regular surrounds wireless)? I just moved into a new rental apartment and my room layout makes wiring rear speakers tricky (at least in an attractive fashion). Are there good enough options out there? I see a couple products like this Rocketfish wireless adapter thing, but my searches aren't turning up a lot of other choices. For reference, here's my basic setup:
It's not going to win any awards and I'm OK with that. I have a vintage stereo system in another room for music listening - this is mainly for TV/movies in an apartment building, so I can't blast it. I wonder about getting an adapter to plug into my teeny surround speakers so I can mount them and be done with it. Or getting some cheap (under $200) wireless speakers to use? Or should I just ditch my crappy 5.1 speakers and get a soundbar for a few hundred bucks and live with not having "real" 5.1?
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Jun 3, 2013 16:33
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Aperion makes these as well... not sure if they'd meet your needs, but it is an option: http://www.aperionaudio.com/speakers/wireless-speakers/aperion-zona-reg-wireless-speaker-system
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Jun 3, 2013 22:49
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iluvpr0n posted:I wonder if anyone has experience with wireless surround speakers (or making regular surrounds wireless)? I just moved into a new rental apartment and my room layout makes wiring rear speakers tricky (at least in an attractive fashion). Are there good enough options out there? I see a couple products like this Rocketfish wireless adapter thing, but my searches aren't turning up a lot of other choices. If you can live with mounting that adapter on the wall, and it's convenient to route a power cable to it, I guess go ahead and let us know how it works! I always try to convince people that wiring two long speaker cables around the room is often no more difficult than wiring a power cable, which is a lot thicker and more visible, to the adapter, and then two shorter speaker cables. Also, the power brick for that Rocketfish thing needs to sit somewhere. I was lazy and just ran white speaker cables around the room on the top of the baseboard (around a door opening), and I don't even see them anymore. There are much more fancy ways to hide them, if you can remove the baseboard for example. Hippie Hedgehog fucked around with this message at 11:34 on Jun 4, 2013 |
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Jun 4, 2013 10:58
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Amazon also sells that flat speaker wire with an adhesive back, so you can run it along baseboards and probably never see it again. It's a bit difficult to go around doors with, but the end product looks really good. It's a bit pricey, though.
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Jun 4, 2013 12:59
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jink posted:Nice setup! How are you liking those Energy speakers? They seem like a hell of a deal.
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Jun 4, 2013 15:35
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EC posted:Amazon also sells that flat speaker wire with an adhesive back, so you can run it along baseboards and probably never see it again. It's a bit difficult to go around doors with, but the end product looks really good. It's a bit pricey, though. Thanks, I guess I've got a few things to think about. Does anyone have experience with soundbars replacing a 5.1 setup (especially hooked up to a receiver due to multiple inputs/etc and not just a TV)? I'm debating whether it's even worth the hassle wiring up my semi-crappy speakers... Could I keep my subwoofer with a soundbar? I assume mine might be better than whatever comes with a middle-of-the-road one in my few-hundred-dollar budget?
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Jun 4, 2013 17:12
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iluvpr0n posted:Thanks, I guess I've got a few things to think about. I'm actually going to be hooking one of these up for the first time for my father-in-law this week. I'll definitely post my thoughts on it, I've been curious for a long time.
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Jun 4, 2013 18:08
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Well I made some changes, I went from this mess: To this:   Aurora pro bass shakers  DIY speaker kits from Parts Express. I got left right and center channels. Center is hiding behind the cloth under the screen.  Unfortunately our dinner table for the kids is in the room since their play room took up the dining area.
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Jun 4, 2013 22:49
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Have you seen my apex seals? I seem to have lost them.
