Looking for Home Theater answers and suggestions please...

[PurpleHaze]

Hello.

We are refinishing our basement from scratch and look to begin framing by the end of January. So, this is yet another request for opinion and feedback as I’m just not sure of a few things as I have read many, and like most of you, many forum posts in trying to get a more learned overview of all of this.

A few questions then some answers/statements to help with the suggestions:

Any recommendations for also including a dedicated 20amp circuit for either my plasma or the power amp?

Based on the diagram, any idea on rears? On-walls? In-walls?

I have heard some Klipsch speakers and not a huge fan of the horn tweeters. Love the GET Heil/AMT/HVFR tweeter sound though.

Not opposed, in fact appreciate $$$ saved, to going the pre-owned route ala accessories4less.com, audiogon.com, and audioclassics.com

Viewing area for LP is estimated to be between 12.6” – 14.6” depending if we elect to have a small barstool/table behind the multi-piece couch for eating while viewing

The wall with a distance of 7’ 3” on the drawing will not be at an angle as we will be squaring that off for better on-wall or in-wall rear surrounds

Expecting to start off with 5.1 and eventually move to 5.2.4 setup

Coming from a Zvox 770 soundbase in the family room so we really don’t know ‘great sound’

Not looking to get into 4k or UHD just yet as I’m still loving my Panny VT65!

Budget is somewhat fluid and flexible but nothing crazy – est. of ~ $3k for L/C/R and sub? Like most - best bang for the buck

Our listening interests: 60% movies/30% music/10% gaming

Our existing equipment for this soon to be built HT area consists of the following:
Panasonic TC-P65VT65 plasma
Marantz AV8802 – recently purchased from audioclassics.com for a great price

Plasma fan for PQ, besides VT65 we also own a

Room size is included in drawing with no placement restrictions or no aesthetic or size concerns

Music liked by the Mrs and I at decent levels but not loud:
Me – from Arc Angels to ZZ Top (Rush, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, SRV, Dio, Last in Line, AIC)
Wife – Boston, Collective Soul, Journey, Bon Jovi
Basically 80s hair bands, classic rock, 90s grunge and newer country thrown in 

Only speaker I’ve listened to with my own music at a local authorized reseller:
GoldenEar Triton 2’s – loved the staging and blending of the L/R

Multi-channel amp I've considered:
Marantz MM7055, Outlaw Audio 7140, Emotiva XPA Gen 3

Blu-Ray/SACD/DVDA player I've considered:
Oppo Digital BDP-103D

L/C/R (bookshelves) I've considered but not yet listened too (plan too if possible) - comparison by price:
Kef R300 / R600C vs Revel Performa3 M105/106 / C208 / C206 vs BMR Philharmonitor / MTM

Kef Q300 / Q600C vs Revel Concerta2 M16 / C25

SVS Ultra bookshelves / Ultra Center vs GoldenEar Aon 2 or 3 / SuperCenter X or XL vs Philharmonitor vs Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2 with RAAL / Sierra Horizon

Elac Uni-Fi UB5 / UC5 vs SVS Prime bookshelves / Prime Center

Philharmonic AA / AA or MTM vs EmpTek/RBH R5Bi / R5Ci or R56Ci

Others considere or read about - Power Sound Audio, Chane, HTD, other ID sellers

Subs: SVS, Hsu, Rythmic, PSA – not sure of ported or sealed for this room size with it being so open to right and back

Cables: Blue Jeans Cable, Pangea Audio (from AudioAdvisor.com)

Power conditioner/surge protector: Panamax 5300, etc - others?

Outlets: Panamax, Pangea Audio

If floorstanders make sense for this area, I'd like to start with the GoldenEar Triton 3+ as I've heard the Triton 2 with my own music at a local authorized reseller.

Thanks very much for your help!

PurpleHaze

 

[HTfreak2004]

Are you planning on using the 13'4 wall for the display and sound stage or the spot the display is on?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[shadyJ]

Having heard a few different Golden Ear speakers in the past, I always thought they sound fine. If that is what you like, that is what you should go with. My advice is to just go with Golden Ear Bookshelf Aon3 speakers or the Triton 7 towers. The reason is the upper end towers will only get you more powerful bass, but if you get a good subwoofer, you will have that area covered, so it is money wasted. I would just get some bookshelf speaker fronts. I would even get a bookshelf speaker for the center speaker if you can accommodate that. I would try to avoid the conventional horizontal center speaker if you can.

That said, many of the speaker brands you mentioned should do fine. Revel, Kef, SVS, RBH, all very good brands. One thing I would try to do if I were you is get two subwoofers. This way you will get a more even bass response throughout the room, and therefore a better sound, and you will also be able to use a higher crossover point for more powerful bass than what your main speakers will be capable of. In that room I would go for ported subwoofers. If you like your bass loud, I would go for two Hsu VTF3 mk5s, but if you don't need monster bass, go for two VTF2 mk5s, or RBH Sound I-12s if you need the subs to be pretty.

 

[Bucknekked]

One thing I would try to do if I were you is get two subwoofers. This way you will get a more even bass response throughout the room, and therefore a better sound, and you will also be able to use a higher crossover point for more powerful bass than what your main speakers will be capable of.

For home theater, twin subwoofers are a great way to add punch and smooth out the bass response in general. Shadyj speaks the truth.

 

[lovinthehd]

Hello.

We are refinishing our basement from scratch and look to begin framing by the end of January. So, this is yet another request for opinion and feedback as I’m just not sure of a few things as I have read many, and like most of you, many forum posts in trying to get a more learned overview of all of this.

A few questions then some answers/statements to help with the suggestions:

Any recommendations for also including a dedicated 20amp circuit for either my plasma or the power amp?

Based on the diagram, any idea on rears? On-walls? In-walls?

I have heard some Klipsch speakers and not a huge fan of the horn tweeters. Love the GET Heil/AMT/HVFR tweeter sound though.

Not opposed, in fact appreciate $$$ saved, to going the pre-owned route ala accessories4less.com, audiogon.com, and audioclassics.com

Viewing area for LP is estimated to be between 12.6” – 14.6” depending if we elect to have a small barstool/table behind the multi-piece couch for eating while viewing

The wall with a distance of 7’ 3” on the drawing will not be at an angle as we will be squaring that off for better on-wall or in-wall rear surrounds

Expecting to start off with 5.1 and eventually move to 5.2.4 setup

Coming from a Zvox 770 soundbase in the family room so we really don’t know ‘great sound’

Not looking to get into 4k or UHD just yet as I’m still loving my Panny VT65!

Budget is somewhat fluid and flexible but nothing crazy – est. of ~ $3k for L/C/R and sub? Like most - best bang for the buck

Our listening interests: 60% movies/30% music/10% gaming

Our existing equipment for this soon to be built HT area consists of the following:
Panasonic TC-P65VT65 plasma
Marantz AV8802 – recently purchased from audioclassics.com for a great price

Plasma fan for PQ, besides VT65 we also own a

Room size is included in drawing with no placement restrictions or no aesthetic or size concerns

Music liked by the Mrs and I at decent levels but not loud:
Me – from Arc Angels to ZZ Top (Rush, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, SRV, Dio, Last in Line, AIC)
Wife – Boston, Collective Soul, Journey, Bon Jovi
Basically 80s hair bands, classic rock, 90s grunge and newer country thrown in 

Only speaker I’ve listened to with my own music at a local authorized reseller:
GoldenEar Triton 2’s – loved the staging and blending of the L/R

Multi-channel amp I've considered:
Marantz MM7055, Outlaw Audio 7140, Emotiva XPA Gen 3

Blu-Ray/SACD/DVDA player I've considered:
Oppo Digital BDP-103D

L/C/R (bookshelves) I've considered but not yet listened too (plan too if possible) - comparison by price:
Kef R300 / R600C vs Revel Performa3 M105/106 / C208 / C206 vs BMR Philharmonitor / MTM

Kef Q300 / Q600C vs Revel Concerta2 M16 / C25

SVS Ultra bookshelves / Ultra Center vs GoldenEar Aon 2 or 3 / SuperCenter X or XL vs Philharmonitor vs Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2 with RAAL / Sierra Horizon

Elac Uni-Fi UB5 / UC5 vs SVS Prime bookshelves / Prime Center

Philharmonic AA / AA or MTM vs EmpTek/RBH R5Bi / R5Ci or R56Ci

Others considere or read about - Power Sound Audio, Chane, HTD, other ID sellers

Subs: SVS, Hsu, Rythmic, PSA – not sure of ported or sealed for this room size with it being so open to right and back

Cables: Blue Jeans Cable, Pangea Audio (from AudioAdvisor.com)

Power conditioner/surge protector: Panamax 5300, etc - others?

Outlets: Panamax, Pangea Audio

If floorstanders make sense for this area, I'd like to start with the GoldenEar Triton 3+ as I've heard the Triton 2 with my own music at a local authorized reseller.

Thanks very much for your help!

PurpleHaze

Just a few observations:

Cables nothing from Pangea, they pander to the clueless

Power conditioner: Most equipment doesn't need one, why do you?

Outlets: AYFKM? This is insane

 

[Bucknekked]

Hello.

Any recommendations for also including a dedicated 20amp circuit for either my plasma or the power amp?

SVS Ultra bookshelves / Ultra Center vs GoldenEar Aon 2 or 3 / SuperCenter X or XL vs Philharmonitor vs Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2 with RAAL / Sierra Horizon


Subs: SVS, Hsu, Rythmic, PSA – not sure of ported or sealed for this room size with it being so open to right and back

Cables: Blue Jeans Cable, Pangea Audio (from AudioAdvisor.com)

Power conditioner/surge protector: Panamax 5300, etc - others?

Outlets: Panamax, Pangea Audio

PurpleHaze,
I apologize for not reading your entire list of requirements and suggested areas for your project on my first reading of your post. I got sidetracked by my ADD at multiple subwoofers.

Your list belongs in the hands of an audio contractor or consultant. If you really want quality advice on all those topics in specific enough detail to be of service, that's what consultants and contractors do. This means you take a $10,000 project and turn it in to a $20,000 project. But, everything gets covered and you will get feel good advice that will reinforce every idea in that list and help with justifying those purchases. It would not surprise me if a consultant also made a few suggestions not on your list. It depends if he has that orthodondist bill for his teenagers paid off yet.

Dedicated breakers ? Installed in existing structure, that's a serious extra cost for what benefit?
Power conditioners? I have the number for Monster somewhere I could refer you to. They sell some very expensive units that do that. Do you have the issue clearly identified as to what you would be fixing with those conditioners? There are also contractors that can add whole home systems as well. Just in case.
Power Outlets? When did that become a thing for home audio/HT ? I get that there are audiophiles that will pay $300 for a power cable to replace the one on their amp or AVR. I don't think it does a dang thing, but I get that some folks do it. What problem does one address or fix with expensive power outlets?

I am disappointed that I didn't see any acoustic treatments in your laundry list of things to consider. They are right in line with power conditioners in that they are expensive, technical in nature, solve problems you may not have in a way you won't be able to explain, but they are stinkin' cool on a list of stuff to do.

I am poking a little fun at your very comprehensive list because if you intend to do all those things or address all those areas in a remodel, you actually need some site specific advice by a professional. And if you hand most contractors a list of wants like this one, that list of wants becomes a list of requirements. That's just one dudes opinion. All opinion.

 

[PurpleHaze]

Are you planning on using the 13'4 wall for the display and sound stage or the spot the display is on?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

HT... I hadn't really looked at the room differently. Are you suggesting that I use that wall as the front (tv and L/C/R). The diagram is a little misleading as the plan would be to have the TV nearer to the line in the 'alcove' measured at 13' wide to accommodate the 65" Panny plasma and L/C/R and a sub or 2.

Thanks

 

[PurpleHaze]

Having heard a few different Golden Ear speakers in the past, I always thought they sound fine. If that is what you like, that is what you should go with. My advice is to just go with Golden Ear Bookshelf Aon3 speakers or the Triton 7 towers. The reason is the upper end towers will only get you more powerful bass, but if you get a good subwoofer, you will have that area covered, so it is money wasted. I would just get some bookshelf speaker fronts. I would even get a bookshelf speaker for the center speaker if you can accommodate that. I would try to avoid the conventional horizontal center speaker if you can.

That said, many of the speaker brands you mentioned should do fine. Revel, Kef, SVS, RBH, all very good brands. One thing I would try to do if I were you is get two subwoofers. This way you will get a more even bass response throughout the room, and therefore a better sound, and you will also be able to use a higher crossover point for more powerful bass than what your main speakers will be capable of. In that room I would go for ported subwoofers. If you like your bass loud, I would go for two Hsu VTF3 mk5s, but if you don't need monster bass, go for two VTF2 mk5s, or RBH Sound I-12s if you need the subs to be pretty.

Shady, thanks for the consideration of the Aon3 which I'm seriously considering. Would the dual Hsu VTF3 mk5s compare well with the SVS PC-2000 or PB-2000 and the VTF2 mk5s to the SVS PB-1000 or the $399 per SVS SB12-NSD (sealed) wheres all the others are ported?

 

[PurpleHaze]

PurpleHaze,
I apologize for not reading your entire list of requirements and suggested areas for your project on my first reading of your post. I got sidetracked by my ADD at multiple subwoofers.

Your list belongs in the hands of an audio contractor or consultant. If you really want quality advice on all those topics in specific enough detail to be of service, that's what consultants and contractors do. This means you take a $10,000 project and turn it in to a $20,000 project. But, everything gets covered and you will get feel good advice that will reinforce every idea in that list and help with justifying those purchases. It would not surprise me if a consultant also made a few suggestions not on your list. It depends if he has that orthodondist bill for his teenagers paid off yet.

Dedicated breakers ? Installed in existing structure, that's a serious extra cost for what benefit?
Power conditioners? I have the number for Monster somewhere I could refer you to. They sell some very expensive units that do that. Do you have the issue clearly identified as to what you would be fixing with those conditioners? There are also contractors that can add whole home systems as well. Just in case.
Power Outlets? When did that become a thing for home audio/HT ? I get that there are audiophiles that will pay $300 for a power cable to replace the one on their amp or AVR. I don't think it does a dang thing, but I get that some folks do it. What problem does one address or fix with expensive power outlets?

I am disappointed that I didn't see any acoustic treatments in your laundry list of things to consider. They are right in line with power conditioners in that they are expensive, technical in nature, solve problems you may not have in a way you won't be able to explain, but they are stinkin' cool on a list of stuff to do.

I am poking a little fun at your very comprehensive list because if you intend to do all those things or address all those areas in a remodel, you actually need some site specific advice by a professional. And if you hand most contractors a list of wants like this one, that list of wants becomes a list of requirements. That's just one dudes opinion. All opinion.

Buck...

I agree that all of the items on the list probably could use a consultant. It really is a "mash up" of many things and items I have read about or come across within the past 2-3 weeks of researching and learning that frankly, is consuming me

I don't intend to get fancy cables (I've used monoprice for HDMI's) and will probably look to bluejeanscable for all of my cabling needs (speaker, sub, and interconnects). I also don't plan on adding or incorporating a 20amp circuit but I had read that someone posted a hissing sound from their plasma when on the same circuit as their 7 channel amp. Nor do I plan on a power conditioner... I have not and will not buy any Monster products! Most of my lengthy opining was a list of questions and assumptions I have come across while looking for savvy and knowledgeable folks like yourself and others to poke holes in my list so thank you for your time and thoughts.

As for acoustic treatments, yes I would like to include that in lieu of not fancy cables/conditioners/circuits. I just haven't poured over that forum yet. I am meeting with a 'sound guy' next week that our neighborhood friend/contractor who is doing the work knows.

Again, thanks for your opinions as that helps me gauge my list to tone it down a bit.

 

[shadyJ]

Shady, thanks for the consideration of the Aon3 which I'm seriously considering. Would the dual Hsu VTF3 mk5s compare well with the SVS PC-2000 or PB-2000 and the VTF2 mk5s to the SVS PB-1000 or the $399 per SVS SB12-NSD (sealed) wheres all the others are ported?

The VTF-3 mk5s are beasts, and will outperform the SVS 2000 subs, likewise the VTF-2 will outperform the 1000s. But then again those Hsu subs are a bit more expensive and don't come with a 5 year warranty. You can extend the Hsu warranty to 5 years for a bit more. The SVS subs are good, but I wouldn't step below the 2000 series. If you don't need major output, the Hsu subs might be overkill, but still, its better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

 

[HTfreak2004]

That depends on if you are dedicating the whole room for HT with music listening as well or if you plan on having a pool table and area for more than a few friends at a time really. I like walking into a room from the rear and seeing the screen and soundstage right as I walk in. If it's in the alcove it seems that it isn't the main attraction to me because it's off to the side and doesn't have full room dedication. Mind you I have a side split home with 4 floors all at 440 square ft/floor usable living space. So I used the lowest level below grade and made my dedicated HT 20.4 ft long x 12 feet wide. The ceiling is lower at 7 feet . The room has zero natural light and can be entered from two doors at the rear left corner. You may not have that with your home layout so you do what you can. I was reading your goals and was thinking you need two systems. One dedicated for HT and you could use the alcove then pickup two moveable dividing walls kind what you would see separating large office space so you could create a division in the room when HT is the main course of the day and then use the other system for your gatherings of friends where you want to play the rock loud but aren't using a tv display. You just use the same receiver/ssp and amp and set it for zone 2 to drive you bar with loud speakers like Cerwin Vega. A lot of equipment allows for multi zones so all you need is an amp for the second zone and some badass 15 inch Cerwin Vegas to light up the party.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PurpleHaze]

PurpleHaze,
I apologize for not reading your entire list of requirements and suggested areas for your project on my first reading of your post. I got sidetracked by my ADD at multiple subwoofers.

Your list belongs in the hands of an audio contractor or consultant. If you really want quality advice on all those topics in specific enough detail to be of service, that's what consultants and contractors do. This means you take a $10,000 project and turn it in to a $20,000 project. But, everything gets covered and you will get feel good advice that will reinforce every idea in that list and help with justifying those purchases. It would not surprise me if a consultant also made a few suggestions not on your list. It depends if he has that orthodondist bill for his teenagers paid off yet.

Dedicated breakers ? Installed in existing structure, that's a serious extra cost for what benefit?
Power conditioners? I have the number for Monster somewhere I could refer you to. They sell some very expensive units that do that. Do you have the issue clearly identified as to what you would be fixing with those conditioners? There are also contractors that can add whole home systems as well. Just in case.
Power Outlets? When did that become a thing for home audio/HT ? I get that there are audiophiles that will pay $300 for a power cable to replace the one on their amp or AVR. I don't think it does a dang thing, but I get that some folks do it. What problem does one address or fix with expensive power outlets?

I am disappointed that I didn't see any acoustic treatments in your laundry list of things to consider. They are right in line with power conditioners in that they are expensive, technical in nature, solve problems you may not have in a way you won't be able to explain, but they are stinkin' cool on a list of stuff to do.

I am poking a little fun at your very comprehensive list because if you intend to do all those things or address all those areas in a remodel, you actually need some site specific advice by a professional. And if you hand most contractors a list of wants like this one, that list of wants becomes a list of requirements. That's just one dudes opinion. All opinion.

Buck...

I'm having a member of Independence Audio Video (local KC area HiFi shop) to come by next Wednesday afternoon for a free consultation.

Interestingly, Indep AV sells B&W, Paradigm, and GoldenEar speakers with Anthem and now Marantz components.


Thank you for your recommendation.

 

[Bucknekked]

Buck...

I'm having a member of Independence Audio Video (local KC area HiFi shop) to come by next Wednesday afternoon for a free consultation.

Interestingly, Indep AV sells B&W, Paradigm, and GoldenEar speakers with Anthem and now Marantz components.


Thank you for your recommendation.

Keep up the research and the fact checking. It would be nice to see how your project turns out. Some photos maybe? Also what you think of the sound you end up with. It's always interesting to see how reality treats expectations.