rmk

rmk

Audioholic Chief
My new ATI AT2005 amp arrived today. At a 92lbs. shipping weight I was a bit worried and FedEx destroyed the outer box. Fortunately all is well with the inner box and the amp itself. It was funny at first I thought wow I've never had a package arrive with the box looking so good.:rolleyes:

Here are some pics:

Front


Back


It is a 200wpc modular design fully balanced Class A/B amp. It is also made in the USA. I will be adding a 2 channel model just like this so I can go back to 7.1. A nice touch is it came with a trigger cable. It does not sound any different than the MPS-1 it replaces (which I'll be selling:)) not that it should.

I'm off to go do some x-country skiing and drinking.:D
Dang .... that's some nice wire management.:cool:

Also, thanks for the refreshing honesty regarding your amp "upgrade". I made a similar lateral move from a Sunfire TGA7400 to a W4S 7 channel with no discernable difference in SQ or output. But my lighter wallet makes me so much more agile :p.
 
adk highlander

adk highlander

Sith Lord
Dang .... that's some nice wire management.:cool:

Also, thanks for the refreshing honesty regarding your amp "upgrade". I made a similar lateral move from a Sunfire TGA7400 to a W4S 7 channel with no discernable difference in SQ or output. But my lighter wallet makes me so much more agile :p.
Thanks, yes the lighter wallet help my skiing this weekend.

I will say this about the ATI. It does have a lower noise floor than the MPS. Not that the MPS had alot of hiss but I could here it a bit when I was standing next to the speaker but this amp is dead quiet.:D So I guess that makes it worth the 2200+ that I spend.:rolleyes:
 
adk highlander

adk highlander

Sith Lord
The MX-810 is different than all the other pro series as it uses a wizard based system similar to the harmoney remotes. If you've programmed URC remotes in the past this is annoying at best. While wizards are nice for a beginner it was a real pain when trying to do complex macros and there was no way do use variables or other programming tools to help in tracking the "state" of the system.

URC's customer service was great and offered to let me upgrade to the 880 for only 20 bucks more than the 810. All the latest remotes use a single programming interface so you can program an entire house of remotes and base stations in one project.

One other complexity to my system is that my HT gear and my distributed system share sources which can be a pain if you are watching something in one room and someone else is trying to use the same source in another zone it can turn off sources and the remotes will go out of sync. At minimum I wanted to be able to track which sources are being used by which zone and keep power states where they should be and not turn off a source that another zone is using.

Enter the MSC-400. This is URC's top of the line base station and it stores the macros and has voltage and video sensors to check power state of devices. It also has RS232 control so I can hardwire my components to the unit and not rely on IR flashers (which with directv boxes is a pain).

The MSC also allows me to create variables so I can track what zone is using what sources so it will not accidentally power down a sources being used in another zone. The sensors also allow me to check to see if a source is on before I send a command which allows me to write better macros that will work faster if it can skip steps.

The only bummer so far is the MX-850 I have for the bedroom is not compatible with the new software and I cannot get the MSC triggers into the remote so I will need to upgrade that one as well.

The only thing missing for me from this system is complete 2-way communication between the remote and the MSC. I would like it to be able to let the user know if someone is using a source and let them choose a different one based on info coming from the MSC. URC does offer 2-way IP based systems but these are way more expensive and are not fully developed.

I want to thank Scott for all his help and direction getting this going.

RS232 control on the following:

Onkyo 885
Integra MZA 4.7
Directv HR23-700 DVR
Directv H23
Mitsu HC500

IR for these:

Oppo BD83 (50 bucks for the RS232 so I may upgrade)
Fireball SE-80

To get RS232 control of directv boxes you just need a USB - DB9 converter and a null modem. Works like a charm.
 
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adk highlander

adk highlander

Sith Lord
Well I've finally finished installing my rack rails and installing all the gear with the custom shelves. I'm very happy with the outcome.:D

I could only fit some of my gear in the rack so I chose to put my prepro, dvr, Blu-Ray and amps.







I have to do some touch up paint work around the outside of the trim.

The shelves fit very well. The only glitch I had was that middle atlantic mislabeled the box for my Oppo face plate. It said Oppo BD83 on the box but had a ps3 faceplate. They send the correct one and I had it in two days.
 
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krzywica

krzywica

Audioholic Samurai
Looking very slick Craig. I like the mesh vents between the gaps in the rack. Keep up the good work buddy!
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
Well I've finally finished installing my rack rails and installing all the gear with the custom shelves. I'm very happy with the outcome.:D

I could only fit some of my gear in the rack so I chose to put my prepro, dvr, Blu-Ray and amps.







I have to do some touch up paint work around the outside of the trim.

The shelves fit very well. The only glitch I had was that middle atlantic mislabeled the box for my Oppo face plate. It said Oppo BD83 on the box but had a ps3 faceplate. They send the correct one and I had it in two days.
That looks really nice and professional. How do you get access to the back of the rack?
 
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adk highlander

adk highlander

Sith Lord
Thanks guys. I've been buying parts to do this for so long I never thought I would actually complete it.

That looks really nice and professional. How do you get access to the back of the rack?
There is a room behind the rack that I have the rest of my gear (server, popcorn hour, sat box, multizone receiver and dvd player). I am finishing my wire management and then I'll post some pics of the rest of the gear. I also have a thermal management setup that consists of 4 120mm fans and a temp sensing control unit that will pull air in through the bottom from vents and pull the air out the top to give the chimney effect. I still have to build the back door so I will just leave it open until it is complete.

It has been almost 3 weeks and I really haven't watched anything with the new 7005. I was troubleshooting he buzzing I was getting and not really listening to anything. I may get a few hours today to toss in some music and a movie to see if there is any real difference with my old Onkyo.
 
adk highlander

adk highlander

Sith Lord
I've got more pics now of the back room with the back of the rack and my other gear.

Top of the gear rack which has the whole houses cat 5 wiring, dsl modem, router, and the MSC-400 which is the brain of the control system.


This one is the entire back of the rack unit.


Detail of the upper gear.


Amps


Had an extra 17" lcd so I've got that hooked to the server just in case. Next to it is the popcorn hour C-200.


Last one has the dvd player for the bedroom zone and sat box on the first shelf. Second shelf has the Integra MZA 4.7 which is a 4 zone av unit and below it is the server.
 
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zildjian

zildjian

Audioholic Chief
Looks great Craig. Keep figuring out all the whole home remote control details, so I can bug you when I go that route in the next house!!! :D
 
adk highlander

adk highlander

Sith Lord
Looks great Craig. Keep figuring out all the whole home remote control details, so I can bug you when I go that route in the next house!!! :D
Sure not a problem.:) URC has not put the 7005 in their serial database so I've been adding all the codes individually. Thankfully they supply all their codes in an excel sheet right on their site and a guy at avs has also shared his ccp file with me to see how he is handling a few workaround issues we've found.
 
adk highlander

adk highlander

Sith Lord
As a few of you know I've built a garage over the summer and have been working on consolidating all of my gear from all my zones into a second rack in my basement. It has taken a bit longer than I expected but I am now at a point where I am "finished" with all my sources, remotes and zones up and running.

I guess it is always fun to start with a before pic. Here is the way I had some of this gear setup before I started.



The system was primarily a SD 4 zone system using an Integra MZA 4.7 as the main controller for the zones. I did add a 4x2 component matrix switch for a while but when the garage came I decided I needed at least 4 HD zones.

After bugging BMX for some help he recommended an Extron matrix switch which are primarily a professional switcher. These have all BNC connections and RGBHV inputs/outputs. I found that I could use one of the Horizontal or Vertical inputs to transmit digital audio. Also the model I purchased allows for analog switching with volume control. So for under 200 I have a matrix switch that not only will handle 8x4 zones with component video/digital audio but acts as a preamp as well!

This pic is of the entire new rack. I purchases 4 Middle Atlantic rails and built the rest from 2x4's I had left over from the garage build.

From the top down:

Cat5e patch panel
Monoprice 24port 10/100 switch
MA power center
URC MSC-400 - Master controller for all URC remotes. RS-232 & IR control
Popcornhour C-200
Niles SI-245 amp - bedroom amp.
Dell computer for music files and future Home Controller (homeseer)
DTV HD Sat box
DTV HD Sat box
Sony DVD Player
Extron Crosspoint 300 8x4 matrix switch
Monster Power Center
Custom Server Raid5 4 Hotswap 2TB drives



I also rewired my phone system and SWiM switch for my DTV into a new structured wire box. That is the white box at the top. I have DSL so the new distribution panel I purchases allows me to strip the DSL out to the router and then just send the phone to each jack. This way I don't have to use any of the "dongles" that you would normally with a DSL system.



this is the back of the rack. I mounted it sideways so I would have the ability to easily work on the wiring without have to have any kind of a slide out mechanism. The small box on the outer part is a mini KVM switch so I can access the computers directly if I am not using remote desktop to access them. I am mounting a small monitor directly above this and will have a wireless keyboard with a trackpad when they come in.



Next pic is the back of the MSC. I am using 3 of the 5 IR ports, All 5 RS232 ports, 4 of 5 video sensors, 2 RF antennas and one of the relays which I can use as a 12v trigger for the bedroom amp.



To feed my ripped music I am using a MusicStreamer USB Dac. Great product for the money. (thanks Greg) I used velcro to mount this and the baluns so they are out of the way but still easily accessible.



The last pic I will bore you with is the back of the Extron matrix switch. Here you can see all three baluns I am using to feed my HD signal via Cat5 to the zones. Also you can see that the analog inputs actually don't use RCA connections. I had to custom make the wires and use their phoenix connectors to the matrix switch.



All and all I am super happy with the outcome. I can now use up to 8 sources shared across all 4 zones plus the theater. I have quite the selection of URC remotes now to control everything. The CCP software makes it very easy to have all of your remotes and base stations in one file so updates are very easy.
 
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zildjian

zildjian

Audioholic Chief
Again I have to say great work, and I still plan on bugging you about zone controls and wiring when I build my next house!
-Brad
 
adk highlander

adk highlander

Sith Lord
Good news I finally ordered our new couch for the theater!

Here is a pic except in our model the chaise is on the left and we will have the head rests on all three seats.


Now the bad news. I have to wait 4 months for it to arrive.:( Anyone going to Italy and want to pick it up form me?
 
V

Vart

Audioholic
Did you order that online or is there someplace in Placid that sells them?
 

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