Eppie's HT and audio setup

[Eppie]

Started with the Panasonic plasma, Paradigm bookshelves and Denon AVR. Bought a used V2 centre which I finally replaced last year with the matching V5 centre. The rears are actually high-end car speakers as I had a 2nd pair new in the box and they do the job nicely. Was playing CDs and streaming through the PS3 but added a Raspberry Pi and installed Roon after re-ripping everything to FLAC. Latest addition is the Pro-Ject turntable. Kept the VCR to play anime tapes and still use the game consoles as I have more games than time. (Eight sources connected to the system. Top that. )
Main speakers: Paradigm Studio 20 v5
Center: Paradigm Studio CC-590 v5
Surrounds: Audia CSX-535 by Clarion
Subwoofer: Klipsch KW-100
Receiver: Denon AVR 2310CI
TV: Panasonic TC-50G20 plasma
Sources:

• Windows 10 PC server and Raspberry Pi 3B+ client running Roon
• Playstation 3 (blue-ray and Plex client)
• Turntable Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO w/ Ortofon 2MRed
• Pioneer DV333 dvd/cd player
• Sony SLV-N50 vhs
• Playstation 2
• Nintendo Wii
• Cable box

 

[lovinthehd]

VHS still? Wow!

 

[Pogre]

That's a nice little setup for your small room. The car speakers actually don't look odd or out of place either. Everything looks nice n tidy too.

 

[Eppie]

VHS still? Wow!

Hehe... yeah, I was big into anime (Japanese cartoons) and still have a lot of tapes. Giving some shows a final viewing before I finally retire the player.

 

[Eppie]

That's a nice little setup for your small room. The car speakers actually don't look odd or out of place either. Everything looks nice n tidy too.

I cleaned up for the shoot.
Thanks Pogre.

 

[Pogre]

VHS still? Wow!

Did you see the rotary dial phone beside the center channel on the left?

 

[Eppie]

Did you see the rotary dial phone beside the center channel on the left?

1956 baby!

 

[lovinthehd]

1956 baby!

We're a good vintage

@Pogre I had a coupla rotary phones up til 2008 when I finally moved from that house....now not even any landline....

 

[Eppie]

We're a good vintage

@Pogre I had a coupla rotary phones up til 2008 when I finally moved from that house....now not even any landline....

Oh, I said baby for impact. The phone's 5 years older than me.

 

[afterlife2]

Whoa congrats! How ya liking the system and what movies/Music has made it shine so far? That yellow paint looks great on the walls. Enjoy!

 

[Eppie]

Whoa congrats! How ya liking the system and what movies/Music has made it shine so far? That yellow paint looks great on the walls. Enjoy!

Thanks. I've had the system for a few years and have been pretty happy. Big fans of Lord of the Rings and also the Marvel Avenger series of movies. The various Batman films play back great as well. The photo of the back wall captures the colour of the paint best. It's more of a tan with some yellow/orange mixed in, but I was going for something 'warm' and I have yet to get tired of the colour after several years.

I'm a classic rock fan (70's through 90's) but not always the best recording quality so I lean towards other genres for pure listening pleasure. The first album I played on the new turntable was Steely Dan's Aja. Nice sounding vocals, piano and cymbals and beautiful guitar work. I then played Styx Crystal Ball (pictured) as the LP is in pristine condition and has that big rock band sound with dual guitars and keyboards. Next was something different: The Politics of Dancing by Reflex, which was considered new wave or synth-pop. Many layered synth track, nice reverb on the vocals and a really punchy drum track. The title song in particular sounds amazing when turned up loud. For classic rock tracks, Deep Purple's Lazy is a favorite. One of the best opening keyboard runs ever, and with just bass, guitar, drums and keys you can pick out each instrument so clearly. Dire Straits / Mark Knopfler's music tends to sound very nice as well. I also like Supertramp, but their best sounding album in my view is Brother Where You Bound (after Rodger Hodgson left). The piano, drums and vocals sound amazing compared to other albums from the mid 80's.

 

[Pogre]

I just read somewhere earlier that a lot of audiophiles seek out Steely Dan because they're known to have very good recordings and their albums are super clean.

 

[afterlife2]

Thanks. I've had the system for a few years and have been pretty happy. Big fans of Lord of the Rings and also the Marvel Avenger series of movies. The various Batman films play back great as well. The photo of the back wall captures the colour of the paint best. It's more of a tan with some yellow/orange mixed in, but I was going for something 'warm' and I have yet to get tired of the colour after several years.

I'm a classic rock fan (70's through 90's) but not always the best recording quality so I lean towards other genres for pure listening pleasure. The first album I played on the new turntable was Steely Dan's Aja. Nice sounding vocals, piano and cymbals and beautiful guitar work. I then played Styx Crystal Ball (pictured) as the LP is in pristine condition and has that big rock band sound with dual guitars and keyboards. Next was something different: The Politics of Dancing by Reflex, which was considered new wave or synth-pop. Many layered synth track, nice reverb on the vocals and a really punchy drum track. The title song in particular sounds amazing when turned up loud. For classic rock tracks, Deep Purple's Lazy is a favorite. One of the best opening keyboard runs ever, and with just bass, guitar, drums and keys you can pick out each instrument so clearly. Dire Straits / Mark Knopfler's music tends to sound very nice as well. I also like Supertramp, but their best sounding album in my view is Brother Where You Bound (after Rodger Hodgson left). The piano, drums and vocals sound amazing compared to other albums from the mid 80's.

Great overview thanks.

 

[Eppie]

I just read somewhere earlier that a lot of audiophiles seek out Steely Dan because they're known to have very good recordings and their albums are super clean.

They were very meticulous both in their composition and in the studio. Wish I could have seen them live.

 

[Eppie]

Not an audio update but a room update. The home theatre room is in the basement of an addition. The original house has a utility basement so the floor in the addition is deeper. That necessitated an 18"x18" concrete bulkhead / retaining wall below the old footings to support the soil. My plan was to cover it with a wall unit. The quote from a local cabinet maker came in at over $10k (and that was years ago before prices spiked). They do great work but over my budget. Decided to do it myself.

We like natural wood and wanted something light coloured that would not darken the room, so I chose to go with maple which is readily available in veneered plywood and solid boards. For the finish, I have wanted to try Danish Oil and chose the Watco fruitwood for it's nice warm colour. Maple is normally very pale but I wanted something to complement the wall colour.

Clad the concrete in plywood to give me a clean level base and to have something to attach the baseboard to. It was pretty cramped in my small shop making cabinets that tall but I had just enough room. Finished the pantry to the right first and then installed cabinets from the left across. Today was a banner day because I got the last set of cupboard doors installed which makes it look much more complete. Still have 8 sets of drawers to build which will go in the 4 pairs of cavities at the bottom of the 4 book cases. The book cases are cramped right now as we're still deciding what to keep. Will get cleaned up when the drawers go in. My vinyl collection is in the upper cupboard and the CDs and movies will go in the drawers with full extension slides.

 

[Mark E. Long]

Not an audio update but a room update. The home theatre room is in the basement of an addition. The original house has a utility basement so the floor in the addition is deeper. That necessitated an 18"x18" concrete bulkhead / retaining wall below the old footings to support the soil. My plan was to cover it with a wall unit. The quote from a local cabinet maker came in at over $10k (and that was years ago before prices spiked). They do great work but over my budget. Decided to do it myself.

We like natural wood and wanted something light coloured that would not darken the room, so I chose to go with maple which is readily available in veneered plywood and solid boards. For the finish, I have wanted to try Danish Oil and chose the Watco fruitwood for it's nice warm colour. Maple is normally very pale but I wanted something to complement the wall colour.

Clad the concrete in plywood to give me a clean level base and to have something to attach the baseboard to. It was pretty cramped in my small shop making cabinets that tall but I had just enough room. Finished the pantry to the right first and then installed cabinets from the left across. Today was a banner day because I got the last set of cupboard doors installed which makes it look much more complete. Still have 8 sets of drawers to build which will go in the 4 pairs of cavities at the bottom of the 4 book cases. The book cases are cramped right now as we're still deciding what to keep. Will get cleaned up when the drawers go in. My vinyl collection is in the upper cupboard and the CDs and movies will go in the drawers with full extension slides.

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Nice work as a cabinet maker I know all to well what’s in a project like that .

 

[Pogre]

It looks so cozy and comfortable. Very nice work.

 

[Eppie]

Nice work as a cabinet maker I know all to well what’s in a project like that .

I learned a lot along the way. First bookcase used butt joints. That made assembly a real chore. The extra work in rabbeting every joint more than makes up for it in accuracy and ease of assembly. I also spent a lot of time watching Paul Sellers, Rob Cosman, Matt Estlea and others to pick up tips and proper sharpening and planing techniques. It's very satisfying when you run a sharp plane over a solid wood frame and get a silky smooth finish that requires no sanding.

One thing I would change is the finish I chose. Danish oil is great in that it penetrates into the wood, is color fast and you can control the amount of reflectivity in the finish, but man, was it labour intensive. 2 coats letting it soak into the wood, then 4 or more coats applied with 200 grit sand paper to build up the layers and polish the surface. That produced a nice satin finish that feels beautiful to the touch. Way too much surface area in a project this size to use a hand polished finish that requires multiple layers. I love to touch the wood surface when I walk by though, it turned out so nice.

 

[Mark E. Long]

I learned a lot along the way. First bookcase used butt joints. That made assembly a real chore. The extra work in rabbeting every joint more than makes up for it in accuracy and ease of assembly. I also spent a lot of time watching Paul Sellers, Rob Cosman, Matt Estlea and others to pick up tips and proper sharpening and planing techniques. It's very satisfying when you run a sharp plane over a solid wood frame and get a silky smooth finish that requires no sanding.

One thing I would change is the finish I chose. Danish oil is great in that it penetrates into the wood, is color fast and you can control the amount of reflectivity in the finish, but man, was it labour intensive. 2 coats letting it soak into the wood, then 4 or more coats applied with 200 grit sand paper to build up the layers and polish the surface. That produced a nice satin finish that feels beautiful to the touch. Way too much surface area in a project this size to use a hand polished finish that requires multiple layers. I love to touch the wood surface when I walk by though, it turned out so nice.

I hear ya on all that finish I use mostly oil finishes now on about everything I make big projects take time no way around it but the end result is what you have there
I built the cabinet my system is in now took all winter one year I used tung oil probably got 15 coats on it and the shelves. I’d love to have a spray both set up to do the finish with .

 

[Eppie]

I hear ya on all that finish I use mostly oil finishes now on about everything I make big projects take time no way around it but the end result is what you have there
I built the cabinet my system is in now took all winter one year I used tung oil probably got 15 coats on it and the shelves. I’d love to have a spray both set up to do the finish with .

Yes, I think it would take 15 coats of Danish oil if I wanted to bring it up to a gloss finish. I'm glad I decided on satin before I started. I got a sprayer from my dad but it's high pressure so I'm not sure if it would be good for wood finishes. I used it to paint an 8x8 shed and repaint the steel siding on the garage and it works great for large surfaces. No room for a booth but I've seen people hang vapour barrier inside a garage to make a temporary booth. It's mostly about dust control. That and not having the fumes in the house.