The Loser Cinema

[majorloser]

It's Alive!

The seven (7) Behringer A500 amps are up and running. Check out the pictures

 

[mulester7]

The seven (7) Behringer A500 amps are up and running.

.....Major, I'd like to hear a report on the sound quality and presence of the Behringers against the replaced 7 channel amp when you are ready to do so....the theater looks GREAT....man, you guys don't mess around.....

 

[highfihoney]

Without a doubt the coolest pic of your room is the pic of the animal house frat house car that destroyed the parade

 

[majorloser]

.....Major, I'd like to hear a report on the sound quality and presence of the Behringers against the replaced 7 channel amp when you are ready to do so....the theater looks GREAT....man, you guys don't mess around.....

I don't know how to put it, Mule. It just sounds better.

For all those audiophiles out there who want to beat me up for thinking this way. I went from a "quality" home audio brand to a "cheap" pro audio brand. I also went from high end audio interconnects between the pre/pro and amps to "home made" RG6 interconnects. According to them, my system should sound like crap. Speakers are the same, speaker wires are the same and speaker placement is the same.

I guess the Cantons just need some more power at tap to reach their potential?

(BTW, I didn't try them in stereo as you asked. Maybe some day if I decide to run a "B" zone)

 

[highfihoney]

I guess the Cantons just need some more power at tap to reach their potential?

Ive found that every speaker ive ever owned & ran has sounded much better with high power amplifiers,even when i was running ultra sensitive klipsch corner horns at 104 db i prefered the way they sounded with high power amps,i think the added headroom really helps

To me what brand the gear is means nothing, its all about what gear sounds best with the speakers & it looks like you've found the right amps for your speakers.

BTW, the new stack of amps look killer,all that wattage really appeals to me

 

[brian32672]

Without a doubt the coolest pic of your room is the pic of the animal house frat house car that destroyed the parade

Yeah, he got that from me. (but what the heck is it doing on your speaker ) (center channel)
(also got the sword from me) (so what do I get in return Dave - JUST KIDDING)

I remember we had that talk - when Todd's (buckeye) wife put all kind of objects on his speakers...


BTW, looks good D.

 

[rolyasm]

Major,
Looking at your pics it looks like you have two center channels stacked? Is that a third sub under your center, or another center? Picture is Theater050

Also, I have the option of getting some Canton Speakers fairly discounted. The options I have are the CD 300 or Ergo 607 series. Do you have any experience with these? Would you say one would be more suited for HT over the other. I really only do about 10% music listening.
Thanks
Roly

 

[Tomorrow]

Dang, Dave. No wonder it's so hot in Florida! Have you checked your electric meter wheel during a movie?

Beeea-u-tiful!

 

[majorloser]

Major,
Looking at your pics it looks like you have two center channels stacked? Is that a third sub under your center, or another center?

Yes, It's a Canton AS-25 subwoofer. It's turned on it's side with the center channel sitting on top. There are three subs soon to be replaced (if HSU comes through) with two HSU VTF-3HO's.

The Canton sub actually belongs in the bedroom with my wife's setup (and she wants it back)

 

[mulester7]

I don't know how to put it, Mule. It just sounds better.

.....well, there it is....and, that's all that matters, isn't it?.....

 

[westcott]

Just curious how many dedicated circuits you are using for your amplifiers and at what amperage?

Gotta love those Cantons!!!!

 

[majorloser]

Just curious how many dedicated circuits you are using for your amplifiers and at what amperage?

Gotta love those Cantons!!!!

I've got four dedicated 20A circuits going to the closet and one of those is also feeding the projector. Three of those are used for the amps. The other is for the rest of the components in the closet.

I also have another 20A circuit for the chairs. Another for the lights. And another for the room outlets. Only thing on the room outlets is the subs.


Yeah, I know, it's over kill

 

[jaxvon]

I've got four dedicated 20A circuits going to the closet and one of those is also feeding the projector. Three of those are used for the amps. The other is for the rest of the components in the closet.

I also have another 20A circuit for the chairs. Another for the lights. And another for the room outlets. Only thing on the room outlets is the subs.


Yeah, I know, it's over kill

Not at all. Electrical isolation is the way to go. I know that if I were building a dedicated theater room, it'd have circuits out the arse.

 

[westcott]

Not at all. Electrical isolation is the way to go. I know that if I were building a dedicated theater room, it'd have circuits out the arse.

I agree. You are only getting about 800 watts per circuit anyway. You need all the dedicated circuits you can get your hands on.

Well done!

 

[majorloser]

I agree. You are only getting about 800 watts per circuit anyway. You need all the dedicated circuits you can get your hands on.

Well done!

????????????

How do you get only 800 watts per 20 amp circuit? It's more like 2,200 watts per circuit.

 

[westcott]

????????????

How do you get only 800 watts per 20 amp circuit? It's more like 2,200 watts per circuit.

Gene did a GREAT article on UL and CSA rated equipment, safety, and other interesting electrical codes that make power output far more limited than most wish to believe.

The All Channel Driven Amplifier Test

You did not go overboard. It may be the only way to get power to all those amps safely and reliably.

 

[majorloser]

Behringer A500's

I know there are a bunch of guys out there that want to know how my Behringer A500's are worinking out. That other thread is getting ridiculous so I'll put my thoughts here.

So far I've tried just about every kind of media I care to run in my house and have had nothing but great performance out of these budget amps. I'm running them bridged and the gain knobs are set at two click past the middle point. PLENTY OF POWER (500wpc bridged). I'm glad I made the switch to separate amps. The multi-channel option really became a PITA after awhile. The B&K could cook meat after a couple hours and if you have a problem with one channel the whole system is down. Nothing like sitting there staring at a silent picture while your waiting for the amp to come back from the shop.


I guess I can sum it up with my positives and negatives lists:

Positives:
>They run very cool. After 5 or 6 hours of continuous use they barely get warm. My pre/pro gets hotter.
>More wattage available in bridged mode than most persons will ever need in their setup.
>Inexpensive compared to multi-channel options
>Ability to run as stereo or bridged mono for added versatility.
>Cool looking LED lights. (seven amps can become hypnotizing when the music is loud and the meters are bouncing)
>Multi amps allow me to easily turn on only the channels I need. Don't need seven channels running if I'm only watch TV (only front three)

Negatives:
>Those cool looking LED's can get distracting if you place them in the front of your theater and they're damn bright in a dark theater (mines in a closet).
>Requires more space compared to multi-channel options.
>No remote trigger to turn amps on and off (back to old school)

All I can say is my Cantons must be some power hungry hogs because the extra power of the bridged A500's is sure doing them some good

For those of you out there that want some serious power for only $179 US shipped to your door, try some Behringer A500's.

 

[highfihoney]

No remote trigger to turn amps on and off (back to old school)

yup no remote trigger sucks,adcom has several products that can fix that problem & i think parasound also offers a solution.

i have the adcom ace 515 that i use in my secondary rig & it works excellent,you plug one power cord into the wall socket & the other into the back of your preamp & when you turn on the preamp it powers on everything but pulls all the power from the wall & not from the preamp.

Mcintosh also offers a solution but its not as affordable & the end results are the same.

adcom ace 515, http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?accspowr&1161738683

 

[mike c]

Im also very interested in some way of triggering the a500's automatically ... can you point me to a unit I can buy in the US (from stores only) or Canada (ok from online)

 

[highfihoney]

Im also very interested in some way of triggering the a500's automatically ... can you point me to a unit I can buy in the US (from stores only) or Canada (ok form online)

Hi mike,im pretty sure both adcom & parasound have stopped production on their power control units,i checked out adcoms website & they are only listed in their legacy product line.

The only power controler im sure that is still made & can be bought new is the mcintosh pc4,these must be bought from a mcintosh dealer & cant be bought online.

mcintosh pc4,http://www.mcintoshlabs.com/mcprod/shopdisplayproducts.asp?hid=1&id=21&cat=Power+Control#corevalue1