My home cinema build thread

[AlmaataKZ]

Bb, there is a good reference thread about Audyssey on avs forums, as well as on Atmos. Very comprehensive.

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/90-receivers-amps-processors/795421-official-audyssey-thread-faq-post-51779-a.html

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Are your speakers flat or floorstanders BB? How did your hear about them? And what combination with amp did you know to pair them with? How much are the speakers RRP too? Cheers.

 

[bigboss]

Bb, there is a good reference thread about Audyssey on avs forums, as well as on Atmos. Very comprehensive.

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/90-receivers-amps-processors/795421-offici...

Thanks! That's very helpful!

 

[bigboss]

Are your speakers flat or floorstanders BB? How did your hear about them? And what combination with amp did you know to pair them with? How much are the speakers RRP too? Cheers.

My speakers are Monitor Audio WT280-IDC in-wall speakers for fronts and centre, WT265 in walls for side and rear surrounds, and CT265 ceiling speakers for Dolby Atmos. They belong to Trimless 200 series and share drivers with Silver range. I had demoed the Silver series, and bought on the basis of that. Admittedly, I never demoed them with Marantz receivers, as the decision to change to Marantz was made at the height of my house move. I bought the Marantz with the agreement to swap to Yamaha if I was not happy. The Marantz is a keeper.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I've left them as is for now, as I wasn't sure whether I should disturb the Audyssey setup. What do you think?

Apologies, I hadn't seen this thread until this morning...

Auto setups will always be tricked into thinking the speakers are bigger than they actually are due to the effects of the room.

80-100Hz is a good starting point to experiment, and how high you can push that crossover point really depends on how good the performance of the sub is like higher up its range. The good thing about the Ken Kreisel subs is that they're designed with this sort of thing in mind, so crossover points up to 200Hz aren't out of the question - although I'd only recommend going that high if you're needing extremely high SPLs, and using a symmetrical, dual sub arrangement. I think you'll end up around 100-120Hz.

Giving the sub a bit more to do eases the load on the speakers (and in turn, the amplifier), and will result in less distortion, and a cleaner, clearer sound.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I have my eye on something like XTZ Cinema 3X12 subwoofer, which will perfectly fit my bay window right at the front (to avoid booming).

I suppose I can try my KK DXD808 in the bay window. That area is blocked off by the sofas in any case. Where should I point it towards, to avoid booming?

The best place for a DXD sub is in the corner, as they're designed for corner loading, with the side firing driver facing the side wall (or at least into a wall). Do experiment though, as finding the right place can make quite a difference to the end result.

You'll probably be stunned at what sort of difference dding a second 808 will make - it's not just twice as good! And you'll still have a small footprint if you stack them on top of each other...

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Are your speakers flat or floorstanders BB? How did your hear about them? And what combination with amp did you know to pair them with? How much are the speakers RRP too? Cheers.

My speakers are Monitor Audio WT280-IDC in-wall speakers for fronts and centre, WT265 in walls for side and rear surrounds, and CT265 ceiling speakers for Dolby Atmos. They belong to Trimless 200 series and share drivers with Silver range. I had demoed the Silver series, and bought on the basis of that. Admittedly, I never demoed them with Marantz receivers, as the decision to change to Marantz was made at the height of my house move. I bought the Marantz with the agreement to swap to Yamaha if I was not happy. The Marantz is a keeper.

*drinks*

 

[scene]

Are your speakers flat or floorstanders BB?  How did your hear about them?  And what combination with amp did you know to pair them with?  How much are the speakers RRP too?  Cheers.

My speakers are Monitor Audio WT280-IDC in-wall speakers for fronts and centre, WT265 in walls for side and rear surrounds, and CT265 ceiling speakers for Dolby Atmos. They belong to Trimless 200 series and share drivers with Silver range. I had demoed the Silver series, and bought on the basis of that. Admittedly, I never demoed them with Marantz receivers, as the decision to change to Marantz was made at the height of my house move. I bought the Marantz with the agreement to swap to Yamaha if I was not happy. The Marantz is a keeper.

*drinks*

+1 on that.
Thanks to you bb, sonofsj & hisdudeness, I went for the Marantz SR7009 as well and I have to say it sounds superb. I've got a set of mixed ma speakers as well.
Thanks *drinks*

 

[bigboss]

*drinks*

 

[Leeps]

The system's looking very smart indeed BB. Thanks for sharing all the pics too.

You're obviously spinning a lot of plates just now, but at some point (maybe on a new thread?), might I be cheeky and request a mini review of the Marantz SR-7009? (And I notice there are one or two other posters on this thread who've gone for the same beast: I'd value your comments too).

I've just this week upgraded my front 3 speakers (MA Gold GX50 / MA Gold GXC150), so I won't be looking seriously at a new AVR just yet, but as and when I do, the Marantz would definitely be on my radar.

As I use my system for music mostly, I'd be especially interested in comments on how it handles 2-channel sources. I know I keep going on about this, but one thing I especially like with the Pioneer is its Extended Stereo setting which plays 2-channel sources through all available speakers, but then I can 'weight' the fader towards the front speakers to make it sound more natural. So I'd be particularly interested to know if there are Marantz equivalents to this, how successful these settings are, and whether there's the flexibility within these settings to alter the fader in this way.

I know when I read about the Arcams before, they take a very purist approach to 2-channel sources and don't offer modes like this at all. It's Pure Direct or nowt. But when these receivers have such excellent processing to adapt to each individual room, it seems a shame to lose out on these features that work wonders with multi-channel sources.

Having got used to Extended Stereo with the Pioneer (and I like its effect very much), any replacement would definitely have to have this feature.

I'd also be interested in any comments about the Marantz's remote. This is definitely the Pioneer's worst feature by far. It's plain unfriendly, full of miniscule buttons and its quality makes Fisher Price look exotic.

So any comments would be appreciated.

 

[ellisdj]

The GX require as high quality amplification as you can get to sound their best - more demanding I found than the price tag would allude to but very good at the same time

Just bear that in mind and dont skimp on whatever you get - better to save for longer

 

[Leeps]

Point taken! I do at least intend to bi-amp the GX50's in the interim to make the best of the Pioneer. I was keen to return to small standmounts. Personally I prefer their typical traits to bassier floorstanders.

Anyway, to BB's project...

 

[bigboss]

Thanks Leeps! I will certainly post mini reviews of my AV equipment. I've got an AIX audio calibration disc which I plan to use tomorrow to calibrate my system.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I have my eye on something like XTZ Cinema 3X12 subwoofer, which will perfectly fit my bay window right at the front (to avoid booming).

I suppose I can try my KK DXD808 in the bay window. That area is blocked off by the sofas in any case. Where should I point it towards, to avoid booming?

Theres a couple of KK DXD808s over on AVF for £625 each...

 

[bigboss]

Thanks David. Yes, adding more 808s is the way to go in the future. At present, I don't find bass lacking at all. I'm amazed how the bass beautifully integrates with the sound giving that thump without being overly aggressive.

I'll experiment with putting the subwoofer in the bay window.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I've been listening to music all morning and afternoon whilst being busy on the iPad, so I'm not looking at the speakers/sub - it is surprising how integrated the whole thing sounds, so when you look up and see a sub/sat system, it doesn't make sense. The DXD subs seem to integrate extremely well with any speaker, such is their performance.

 

[bigboss]

That's true. I'm loving the subwoofer.

Its difficult for me to compare the Panasonic with my previous Kuro in different rooms. Very similar in performance. All I can say is I'm not missing my Kuro.

With the increased viewing distance, 50 inches definitely feels smaller. I can see using my projector more often.

 

[Son_of_SJ]

Its difficult for me to compare the Panasonic with my previous Kuro in different rooms. Very similar in performance. All I can say is I'm not missing my Kuro.

Yep, especially as your 50VT65 has been calibrated. Mine hasn't yet been calibrated but it now seems better than it first appeared out of the box on 30th December, especially on Standard Definition which I watch quite a lot of, on Freeview. I'd say that at the moment my VT65, using mostly Steve Withers's borrowed calibrated settings, is very comparable to the calibrated LX5090 Kuro in the front bedroom.

With the increased viewing distance, 50 inches definitely feels smaller. I can see using my projector more often.

I could have definitely told you that 50 inches would not seem big in a bigger room! *smile*

 

[Jigsaw]

Hi BigBoss,

Have you cranked up the volume on your system yet? I'm asking becasue as you know, I am now planning on the same speaker config as you except for the sub. When I was in a local shop demoíng the kef T205, i asked the guy to turn the vol up and the rear speakers were struggling. I'm wondering if your rear speakers are a good match for your front ones?

On a side note, the Denon AVR x4100w is heavily discounted from 1299 to 729. Does anyone have any comments on the Denon?

 

[Series1boy]

Hi BigBoss,

Have you cranked up the volume on your system yet? I'm asking becasue as you know, I am now planning on the same speaker config as you except for the sub. When I was in a local shop demoíng the kef T205, i asked the guy to turn the vol up and the rear speakers were struggling. I'm wondering if your rear speakers are a good match for your front ones?

On a side note, the Denon AVR x4100w is heavily discounted from 1299 to 729. Does anyone have any comments on the Denon?

ive just upgraded from the Denon 2113 to the x4100 and the difference in sound quality is night and day with signifcant improvement. It's more clear and crisp and has injected new life into my focal 716 floor standers. There is also a big improvement in surround sound and feels more emersive. I've only watched movies and not really listened to music through the x4100. I've not installed atmos speakers, but this will be my next step.

 

[simonlewis]

I've noticed a big reduction in the price of amps as i was interested in a £500 denon X2100 amp now £279 from richer sounds,

is this the norm as i may have to wait another twelve months before i purchase an amp or are they being reduced for dolby atmos amps being released this year ?

 

[bigboss]

Hi BigBoss,

Have you cranked up the volume on your system yet? I'm asking becasue as you know, I am now planning on the same speaker config as you except for the sub. When I was in a local shop demoíng the kef T205, i asked the guy to turn the vol up and the rear speakers were struggling. I'm wondering if your rear speakers are a good match for your front ones?

On a side note, the Denon AVR x4100w is heavily discounted from 1299 to 729. Does anyone have any comments on the Denon?

The surrounds are not meant to be as loud as the fronts. My surrounds have the same driver as the fronts and are loud enough. When I calibrated the system, the results showed that the fronts and surrounds are equally matched in "loudness".

Denon often drops in price drastically few months after launch.

 

[bigboss]

Projector arrived today. Installed and watching Skyfall *yahoo*

 

[scene]

Projector arrived today. Installed and watching Skyfall *yahoo*

Stop posting and get watching
Glad to hear the right coloured one has turned up. Look forward to hearing about what you think of it...
... Later

 

[Series1boy]

Projector arrived today. Installed and watching Skyfall *yahoo*

when is Vincent coming to calibrate the projector?