5.1 Studio Beginner

[Djizasse]

Hi all

I'm beginning my journey in this new (for me) brave world of (quality) audio.
I've been lurking around for a while, have read many posts and now I've got a few questions for you.

I "need" to assemble a 5.1 system for my home studio.

The physical space:
img261.imageshack.us/img261/1856/escritorioxq3.gif

My "studio" is a 157"x157" (4m x 4m). I have:
- concrete walls
- parket floor
- fabric couch
- wooden doors (door to corridor and closet doors)
- glass door to the outside
- a rug (made with rope)
- wooden desk

I'm going to make the following modifications to this room:
- curtains to cover the glass doors
- the back wall is going to be covered in textured vynil wallpaper
- the other walls are going to be painted
- the closet doors will be covered in some kind of fabric to give it some colour
- some wood furnitures will be added

The "needs":
I will make music (computer music production) and play games. I want to be able to mix in stereo and also in 5.1. Gaming, is also in 5.1. This is in a PC with 6 analog line level channels output.
I want to mix at moderate levels, but my gaming is done loud (when i can )

I will also want to connect a minidisk, MP3 player, an electric guitar (through an audio buddy pre-amp), 2 other computers and 2 game consoles.

The speakers must be magnetically shielded and small enough to put in my desk and it's preferable that they don't colour the sound.

Later on i will get a subwoofer and a telly or projector.

The Equipment i came up with:
4 x Tannoy Reveal 6 Monitors
1 x Tannoy Reveal 66 Center Channel
I can get this pack for £448 (+-€640). I choose it for the neutral response (from what i've been told).

Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver
I can get it for +-€450. I choose this one for the pre-outs (to connect another amplified system and for future proof) and because one guy told me the Yamaha 661 could not drive theses 6 Ohms monitors very well.

I simply can't listen to the Tannoys, they're not sold in Portugal, I'm just counting on reviews i've read.

Do you think this is adequate?

 

[Seth=L]

For a near field system, most definitely. However, I might steer you away from the Onkyo TX-SR605 based on what I have heard about it.

What other receivers are you able to purchase for about the same price?

 

[Djizasse]

I just want a receiver capable of:
- powering these 6 Ohm monitors
- 6 (or more) analogs inputs for 5.1 (or more)
- pre-out for these 6 (or more) analogs

With these specs I found the 605 and the Yammy 661.
With a little more i could get:
HK 247 for €550 (don't know if it can handle the monitors, seems weak)
Yamaha RX-V861 for €555
Yamaha RX-V659 for €493
I can also get a demo unit Yamaha RX-V1600 for €600
I don't know much about the Yamaha HTR series, they seem to be only avaiable in the USA. Anything to 400USD would be ok.

If i dropped the pre-out requirement do you think i would find more receivers in this price range? From what i've seen, features seem to come in packs and if i go cheaper i lose all the requirements :\

 

[jcPanny]

Receiver options

The Onkyo 605 you mentioned doesn't meet your pre-amp output requirment. The higher end 705 has this feature.

All of the concrete and wood surfaces are highly reflective and bad for acoustics. Try a clap test in the middle of your room and listen for echos. Leave some money in the budget for room treatments and furnishings to help tame the reflections.

 

[Djizasse]

Oooops I thought the 605 had pre-outs. I should've checked better.
Thanks for the heads-up.

I clapped and i didn't get any echoes, just a short reverb with a rapid falling tail. I have 2 bookshelves filled with books, that helps, i guess.
I've been reading about room treatment and i've got no problem in going DIY, i love "bricolage"

I guess this is getting harder than i thought. Back to research.

 

[Seth=L]

Oooops I thought the 605 had pre-outs. I should've checked better.
Thanks for the heads-up.

I clapped and i didn't get any echoes, just a short reverb with a rapid falling tail. I have 2 bookshelves filled with books, that helps, i guess.
I've been reading about room treatment and i've got no problem in going DIY, i love "bricolage"

I guess this is getting harder than i thought. Back to research.

The H/K AVR-247 is in line in terms of power, regardless of published specifications.

Do you want HDMI features, or need them.

 

[Djizasse]

No need for HDMI, primary media source is a computer, connected to LCDs (DVI).

I'm gonna check the 247, thanks. It sells for +-€550 in this side of the pond, unless someone knows of an online store that can get it cheaper.

 

[Djizasse]

I've checked the H/K 247, it seems to do the job. The specs seem much lower than the Yamaha RX-V661, but i believe you that it has more power than the 661.

I've went through the manual and it only references 8 Ohms speakers. The Tannoys reveal are 6 Ohms. No problem with this?

edit:
And another thing, as i can only get the H/K 247 for €550 (and maybe 50 more for the posting), i get close to the following two alternatives:
Yamaha RX-V861 for €555
Yamaha RX-V1600 for €600 (demo unit)

What would you do, only caring about the audio quality?

 

[Seth=L]

If you can get the RX-V661 for significantly less, go with that one. It's a great receiver. The RX-V659 is another good option, but the price on it seems a bit high considering the RX-V661 is its replacement.

 

[Djizasse]

I can get the 661 for €450.

I don't want to keep making questions forever, but doesn't the 659 have a more powerfull amplifier than the 661?
Look here: RX-V659 Measurement Analysis

I can't find the analysis on the 661, but if i remember correctly, at 4 Ohms it halved the power output. I'm afraid that it won't handle the 6 Ohm Tannoys.

 

[Seth=L]

The RX-V659's amplifier is similar if not the same as the one found in the RX-V861. I guess they wanted to take that great amp and put it in one model up for the next slew of receivers. You may be better off with the RX-V659 or RX-V861. Be certain you won't be using HDMI in the future, you might be surprised.

 

[Djizasse]

In my studio i will not use it. With 3 computers, two LCDs with diferent resolutions and used as dual displays, there's no way that a receiver can cope with that
I'll leave the HDMI for the living room

Anyway, i'm starting to understand what i want and what my options are:
€493 -Yamaha RX-V659
€550 - Harman Kardon AVR 247
€555 -Yamaha RX-V861
€600 -Yamaha RX-V1600

I'm gonna sleep on the matter. Thanks for the "monitoring"

 

[Djizasse]

I had decided to go on the Yamaha RX-V861, but before making the purchase i rechecked all specs (receiver and monitors).

In Tannoy's site i found this:
Frequency Response (1) - 63Hz to 51kHz
Recommended Amplifier Power - 50 to 100W @ 8 Ohms
Power Handling Average RMS (2) - 50W
Power Handling Programme RMS - 100W
Nominal Impedance - 6 Ohms
Sensitivity (3) - 90dB for 1W at 1m
Distortion - <0.6%
Crossover Frequency - 2.9kHz
Dispersion - (@-6dB) 90 degrees

I sent an email to Tannoy and the speakers can be driven at 8 Ohms.
I'll prolly get the RX-V861 anyway, i read the manual and like what it can do

By the way, i'm finding tannoy email support very good. Their replies are fast.

 

[Djizasse]

Bought the RX-V861, connected it to 2 old sony speakers (SS-A107) and i'm playing with it and listenning to good music (Mp3 player through optical). Just the flexibility a receiver brought to my little room is very satisfying, being able to change the source with a touch of a button is amazing.
The ambar color of the display is perfect for my room

I ordered the Tannoy Reveals 6 and 66. They were out of stock but the shop allready made the order to the factory. In 2-3 weeks they'll be here (i hope).

My precious are being made I'm happy (the liquor helps) lol

 

[Seth=L]

Once you kick the Sonys out and start using the Tannoys I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Djizasse]

My Reveals have arrived

They're not in the final position and are connected with whatever suitable cable i could find in my spares (a few meters of 18awg). In two or three weeks i'll start my own "Member Systems Gallery" thread with the "studio/office/room" transformation.

The first downside is that it's getting really difficult to hear FM radio, the lack of quality and excessive noise seem amplified lol

I've been listening to some tracks i made and they really need EQ work, the low frequencies are a muddy mess, but this was trully expected (and desired).

Anyway... this is my first set of decent monitors and amp. It's quite a revelation. I won't bother you with the pages i could right about this. I'll just say that i'm really happy and i'll be around here for a long time

 

[Djizasse]

I'm still here I just wanted to register the evolution of my Studio.

I'm delighted with the tannoys and the rx-v861.
I've added a 32" Samsung LE32-A656, a Xbox 360 and a EP35 HD DVD player.
The Sammy is a delight to work (and play) with.

And Seth, I'm using HDMI to connect the receiver to the TV. The xbox and the EP35 are connected to the receiver, also with 2 HDMI cables LOL
The PC is using a DVI cable.

Now I'm starting the build of a Infinity Kappa Perfect 12VQ, powered by a Behringer EP2500. I still need to decide on how to equalize the speakers, the behringer DCX 2496 seems to be the best choice so far.

I also need to sort the illumination. I need good light to work comfortably.

A few more months and my studio will be finished

 

[WmAx]

I'm still here I just wanted to register the evolution of my Studio.

I'm delighted with the tannoys and the rx-v861.
I've added a 32" Samsung LE32-A656, a Xbox 360 and a EP35 HD DVD player.
The Sammy is a delight to work (and play) with.

And Seth, I'm using HDMI to connect the receiver to the TV. The xbox and the EP35 are connected to the receiver, also with 2 HDMI cables LOL
The PC is using a DVI cable.

Now I'm starting the build of a Infinity Kappa Perfect 12VQ, powered by a Behringer EP2500. I still need to decide on how to equalize the speakers, the behringer DCX 2496 seems to be the best choice so far.

I also need to sort the illumination. I need good light to work comfortably.

A few more months and my studio will be finished

No doubt: the DCX2496 is the best option. You should also use it to cross the main speaker so the subwoofers.

I hope you are building twin(stereo) subwoofers. These offer benefits over single units - mainly being superior integration.

 

[Djizasse]

I have no space for two "Simple 12s", but taking the 12" to the living room and building a pair of 10" is not out of the question. Two tall cilindrical 12"s would also fit in the room.
It'll all depend on how satisfied I'll become with my skills on building one.

 

[WmAx]

I have no space for two "Simple 12s", but taking the 12" to the living room and building a pair of 10" is not out of the question. Two tall cilindrical 12"s would also fit in the room.
It'll all depend on how satisfied I'll become with my skills on building one.

Then go for two 10's if that's what it takes to fit them. Two will be far better than one for seamless integration purposes. While it might not matter much for movies - if music is the goal - then it's very important.

-Chris