New HT Room

[engtaz]

Very nice setup Congrats.

engtaz

 

[rmk]

PSA re Berkline lighted cup holders

Just a note of caution to anyone considering these. I have a set of Berkline 45000's with the lighted cup holders (six of em) and when they are on, the light is an incredible distraction. The chrome enclosures reflect the light (think blue Bat Beam) and they light up the room. Unless there is a cup in the holder blocking the light, they create a bright blue beam the shines directly in my field of vision.

They look very cool in the daylight (see the Berkline ad photo above) but mine are off and will stay that way. They are a total waste of money ... IMHO.

 

[jostenmeat]

Yea, I played with a night-light of sorts plugged into the back wall, and even that dramatically reduced perceived contrast or brightness. I wouldn't ever consider rope lighting for similar reasons. I've always wondered about those lit up cup holders. Sorry about that.

 

[rmk]

Yea, I played with a night-light of sorts plugged into the back wall, and even that dramatically reduced perceived contrast or brightness. I wouldn't ever consider rope lighting for similar reasons. I've always wondered about those lit up cup holders. Sorry about that.

It really isn't a problem as my seats were floor samples and the lighted cup holders were included. I can't believe anyone would actually use the Berkline version.

I changed out the surround back speakers and installed another pair of monopole in-walls.The SB channel is so infrequently used that the large Revel Embraces were overkill so I sold them. I'm liking the clean look of in-walls for surround duty plus I painted them the same color as the acoustic panels for an interesting look.

Also added a rug to break up the large expanse of carpet from the seats to the front. Colors of the rug tie everything together pretty well. We are loving the theater seating. Huge improvement in comfort over the sectional for movie watching and music listening.

Movie tip;
Flight of the Phoenix Bluray (Sand Storm scene) is my new favorite system demo. When the plane rolls the bass energy in the room is simply amazing. The DTS HD MA sound track leaves me grinning every time I watch it. It is also worth it to listen to the music on the closing credits. The last song (after Gimme Some Lovin by Traffic) is Angel by Massive Attack ... it may be the coolest bit of multichannel music I have heard. Be sure to hang in there until the very end as there is a fly over sound effect that is also amazing.

 

[butchb]

very nice setup

 

[Vaughan Odendaa]

Great setup RMK. Do me a favor if you can; try Superman Returns Chapter 11, the part where he is about to lift the shuttle off the plane. This is what I would qualify as a busy sequence and my system in my room has never handled it well.

The reflections in my room really obscure the detail in this sequence. For example, I can't hear the opening score properly when the shuttle is first separated from the 747. Tell me what you think.

Regards,

 

[rmk]

Great setup RMK. Do me a favor if you can; try Superman Returns Chapter 11, the part where he is about to lift the shuttle off the plane. This is what I would qualify as a busy sequence and my system in my room has never handled it well.

The reflections in my room really obscure the detail in this sequence. For example, I can't hear the opening score properly when the shuttle is first separated from the 747. Tell me what you think.

Regards,

Thanks

Re Superman Returns, is that the Bluray or SD DVD version? I'm making a Blockbuster run today and will check it out.

 

[Vaughan Odendaa]

Try the SD DVD to keep comparisons valid. Thanks.

FYI, today was the launch of our first HD channel. . .ever. I'm talking one channel here. It's a major step up from standard definition, that's for sure.

Regards,

 

[jamie2112]

That is a VERY nice setup, I am impressed.........

 

[rmk]

Revel Ultima Studio2's

Interesting testimonial as to the imaging and horizontal dispersion of the Studio2’s

We were watching a movie last night (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day) using my Pioneer Elite DVD player on the projector. I had been using the Elite for CD play in stereo mode and I have my Integra set to use last config on startup. Due to the position of the 9.8 in my AV cabinet (and my bad eyes) I can’t see the source of Surround mode display so we ended watching the entire movie in Stereo mode.

Granted, this is a “chick flick” (good one to accrue WAF points) but there was an airplane flyover near the end where I finally noticed the surround channels were silent. The centering of the voices in this talky musical movie even off center from the sweet spot seat was amazing. The imaging and dispersion of the Studio2’s is so good and immersive that I honestly did not notice stereo mode was being used as opposed to my usual 7.1 config.

These speakers properly placed and with a good sub would do a great job in just about any mid-size and down HT (mine is 3600^3).

I cannot say enough good things about the Ultima Studio2 speakers for both two channel and HT.

I received the fourth Berkline today (two weeks ahead of schedule ) and will get it setup in the next few days. I purchased from Roman (Ultimate Home Entertainment) and I'm very happy with the price and excellent service.

 

[Warpdrv]

Hey RMK!, things are always evolving so nicely in your HT... glad you are happy with everything...

Stupid thought on my part, but as far as those cup holders, If you really even give a crap, you could try a stupid upgrade by some of that glow in the dark material at the bottom of the cup area. It only glows slightly but still provides something there...

 

[croseiv]

Dang it... I have to say it...Very nice!!!

I fully expect to read about your set up in SandV or something.....Yeah I'm green with envy. But you've done a great job.

 

[jostenmeat]

It doesn't surprise me at all that phantom works as well as it does in your system, seeing the pedigree of speakers you have and the amount of time and/or money you've spent on acoustics.

I've heard even lesser speakers phantom like nuts. During one audition, I actually went up to the center speaker to see if it was on, because it was so uncanny. The next customer to walk in, whom I noticed while chatting up the dealer, did the very same thing I did which made me chuckle. They were BW 804s. Studio 2s must be something else.

 

[rmk]

Stupid thought on my part, but as far as those cup holders, If you really even give a crap, you could try a stupid upgrade by some of that glow in the dark material at the bottom of the cup area. It only glows slightly but still provides something there...

Good idea but I think I like them better unlighted

croseiv
Dang it... I have to say it...Very nice!!!

I fully expect to read about your set up in SandV or something.....Yeah I'm green with envy. But you've done a great job.

Thanks, fun hobby and a good one to grow old with

jostenmeat
It doesn't surprise me at all that phantom works as well as it does in your system, seeing the pedigree of speakers you have and the amount of time and/or money you've spent on acoustics.

I've heard even lesser speakers phantom like nuts. During one audition, I actually went up to the center speaker to see if it was on, because it was so uncanny. The next customer to walk in, whom I noticed while chatting up the dealer, did the very same thing I did which made me chuckle. They were BW 804s. Studio 2s must be something else.

Of course you are correct, positioned correctly any good speaker will do the phantom center. I was just surprised I didn't notice due to the width/depth of the imaging. Very cool.

 

[Warpdrv]

Of course you are correct, positioned correctly any good speaker will do the phantom center. I was just surprised I didn't notice due to the width/depth of the imaging. Very cool.

Any good quality setup should yield those same results...

I have gone through that so many times.... my bedroom setup with my Paradigm Sigs, I have all the equipment in the basement below the room completely out of sight. I have my Pronto 9600 setup to change my audio settings to whatever I would like, but mainly I have it set to auto in hopes that it does its job properly. Only to find that some nameless individual (Cough Jr. Cough) got to it, and set to stereo full time, but the sound stage thrown by the Sigs is spectacular....

Obviously my system doesn't compare to your and I wouldn't imply any comparison here, but I certainly can appreciate a well performing system.

On a side note... Many have been happy with the new Integra's, I am looking forward to the 9.9 coming out and how well it performs...

 

[rmk]

Any good quality setup should yield those same results...

I have gone through that so many times.... my bedroom setup with my Paradigm Sigs, I have all the equipment in the basement below the room completely out of sight. I have my Pronto 9600 setup to change my audio settings to whatever I would like, but mainly I have it set to auto in hopes that it does its job properly. Only to find that some nameless individual (Cough Jr. Cough) got to it, and set to stereo full time, but the sound stage thrown by the Sigs is spectacular....

Obviously my system doesn't compare to your and I wouldn't imply any comparison here, but I certainly can appreciate a well performing system.

On a side note... Many have been happy with the new Integra's, I am looking forward to the 9.9 coming out and how well it performs...

Yea, I really feel for you with only Paradigm Signatures and an F112 for your bedroom system

It doesn't look like there will be much difference between the 9.8 and the 9.9. I'm still interested in what the Emotiva DMC-1 replacement will do. I had a DMC-1 and really liked it. I thought it bested my Lexicon and Parasound C2 in SQ and if it weren't for HD audio via HDMI, I'd probably still have it.

 

[rmk]

Tweener Room

Stating the obvious, you can’t really enjoy watching a movie or listening to music for an extended period unless you are comfortable. When I first built out my new HT room, I thought that a large sectional couch (see above) would be the best all around solution for the room. It would allow more space for several people and would be good for conversation and lounging/relaxing in the room. What I have found is that I use the room mainly for HT and so DVD concerts and movie viewing account for 90% of the rooms use. I also have an HD TV more conveniently located downstairs for general TV viewing.

In hindsight, the comfort delta between a sofa or even sectional with ottoman and a good quality HT chair or recliner is huge. Because I did not want to do a totally dedicated HT with a pseudo theater motif and I was put off by recliners as "for old folks", I did it my way with the sectional. I do believe that the room looked better aesthetically with the sectional but the comfort trade off was much more than I expected. For me, couches are good for <30 minute duration stays. Much beyond that and I better be supine and asleep.

As this room is a dedicated space, I could easily make the change and am very happy with the result. For those of you who have to share your HT or music space you may not be able to make this work for you. Of all the systems I have seen on the internets, only a few have been able to make this work (Seth V’s here is a notable example).

I picked up the fourth HT chair last night and set it up. Not bad looking but not really what I had in mind when I started out with the room, but damn … it’s comfortable.

 

[rmk]

Big changes are a foot in the HT. The Revels are for sale as are the Fathoms. Replacement speakers are here but not installed in their final locations. They will be on-wall behind a new 137” fixed AT screen. The Plasma is sold as well and I’m adding a new model JVC projector. I haven’t decided on a subwoofer but there are several possibilities based upon moving all of my equipment to an in wall cabinet on the left side of the room.

Part of this is my tendency to upgrade on a whim, part is due to getting great (too good to pass up deals on equipment) and part is due to being a bit hasty in the initial construction of the room.

From a performance standpoint, the system will now be much more geared to HT rather than music. Since my use is a least 90/20, HT/Music this seemed like a good trade off.

I will post pictures here as things progress. I’m hoping to have it all wrapped up by Xmas if not before. Here are some pics of the room as it stands today.

 

[Duffinator]

What are you crazy? Actually I'm surprised it took you this long to upgrade those subs. I guess I won't get a chance to hear the Revels, darn. As for the movie screen bigger is better.

 

[rmk]

What are you crazy? Actually I'm surprised it took you this long to upgrade those subs. I guess I won't get a chance to hear the Revels, darn. As for the movie screen bigger is better.

If a vote were taken I'm sure the consensus would be yes I am

Parting with the Fathoms is difficult. I had a local guy with the JTR Triple8's over for a comparo with the Revels and they sounded really good. Once I heard the Triple12LF's, I was hooked.

Bottom line, for a two channel music system, speakers like the Revels are best. For HT, I like these big ugly super efficient (100db sensitivity) pro-audio type boxes (as long as I don't have to look at em).