Turning bonus room into dedicated theater room 16'*20'*8' carpeted flooring. Definitely 7.4.4 and possibly 9.4.4. Because of existing structure I will have to put the screen on the long wall. Plan to use for everything (movies, tv, music). You can see existing equipment in my signature (bought and enjoyed based purely on Audioholics recommendation!). Here's my list and some questions. It's a substantial investment so any feedback would be GREATLY appreciated. I'd rather spend more and spend once...
Pre/pro: Lyngdorf MP-60
Amp: struggling to figure out!
LCR upgrade: RBH 821 Reference
Side/Rear: RBH 61 Reference
Ceiling: 4 RNH SI815/RL Reference
Screen: Stewart 120" 1.4 gain
Projector: Sony Bravia 7
Movie Player: Strato V
Source: Apple TV 4K
Control: Control4
Seating: 1 row only of 5 Valencia Tuscany Ultimates (already ordered)
Questions:
1. Will I be able to tell the difference between the Lyngdorf and a Marantz AV10? (no place to do A/B comparison). I'm not into learning and tweaking Dirac, and hoping the Room Perfect does a great job.
2. Do I add wides? Really like the concept of Spatial Audio, and since my setup will be wider than it is deep (front to back), I'm wondering if it will be significantly nicer (provided the source material has wide data). That of course could be an easy add at a later date that wouldn't have any previous money wasted (not an upgrade).
3.Amp(s). Not a clue. They are suggesting the 8 channel Lyngdorf MXA-8400. I could use my existing Outlaw mono blocks to get me to 7.4.4, but I'd like to keep them downstairs if I don't want to go upstairs and have existing RBH 661's downstairs for everyday TV/music. Also, I'm assuming the Lyngdorf is a better amp than my Outlaws, so I wouldn't want to use the Outlaws for LCR - which leaves me in a weird position of which speakers would I use the Outlaws for (I only have 3 of them). If I go 9.4.4 I'm gonna need extra amp regardless (and one of the 8 channels on the Lyngdorf amp will be wasted. Lyngdorf does not make a 3 channel amp, so I'm really perplexed on this part.
4. MadVR Envy? Never seen it, and it seems like an easy add later that also wouldn't have any previous money wasted (not an upgrade).
They haven't given me any details on acoustic panels yet. I'm thankful they are willing to work with my existing equipment. I hadn't heard of Lyngdorf before, but they're pushing it and Room Perfect pretty hard. They aren't an RBH dealer so I'll have to find a source (want to timber match existing speakers as best as possible and have been very happy with the ones I have). Wanting to upgrade LCR's so I can keep the other three downstairs, and simply improve my most important speakers. Thought about the 8300 Towers, but like the larger tweeters in the 821's. All in it's a stupid amount of money, so I really don't want to buy anything I'd want to upgrade anytime in 5 years. They tell me the Lyngdorf has space dedicated for upgrades, but I realize if an existing board can't support it, then that upgradability could be worthless to me. I hear there's room to negotiate on Lyngdorf and hope that's true!
Any ideas/suggestions/comments truly greatly appreciated!!!
