The Apex Club

[gosalh]

Hi rickydeg and ric71, with the A10 wall bracket, does it cater for the cable to be trunked so i can use cable trunking? Just preparing in case i go for the extra A10s on the wall for the dsx height setup. Ive got the brackets stored in the attic, cant be bothered to get up there and look myself lol

Cheers

 

[ric71]

Hey gosalh,

You can run trunking up to the bottom of the back plate on the bracket and then just feed the cable up. The cable will not be visible from the front.

The bracket also has a cut out hole if you run cables in wall.

So yes you can use trunking. Have you had a demo yet?

 

[gosalh]

Hi ric71, thanks for this. No i havent had a chance to get a demo yet, happening this Saturday so i'll get back to you guys with some feedback. Im just trying to work out the logistics of the cabling in advance so if i do go for getting the extra A10s.

Cheers

 

[RickyDeg]

Hi ric71, thanks for this. No i havent had a chance to get a demo yet, happening this Saturday so i'll get back to you guys with some feedback. Im just trying to work out the logistics of the cabling in advance so if i do go for getting the extra A10s.

Cheers

If not you'll get your second AW-12 sub, right?

Or you plan on getting both?

 

[gosalh]

Hey Ricky,

lol i'll go for the AW12 for sure if i dont get the 2 additional A10s. Otherwise i'll wait for a month or so to get the AW12. But i think it will improve the soundstage by having the 2x AW12s.

And you're absolutely correct that this is a very expensive hobby , the problem i have is that im always thinking of ways to get the best out of the system.

 

[RickyDeg]

Hey Ricky,

lol i'll go for the AW12 for sure if i dont get the 2 additional A10s. Otherwise i'll wait for a month or so to get the AW12. But i think it will improve the soundstage by having the 2x AW12s.

And you're absolutely correct that this is a very expensive hobby , the problem i have is that im always thinking of ways to get the best out of the system.

Yes, it would be fascinating to hear possible benifits you'll experience having two of them in your room. Especially since you got the dual sub calibration in Audyssey Multeq XT32. As you probably read in my review of the Onkyo TX-NR5009 my own pair were kept under amazingly tight control with an iron fist. Ontop of that low-level detail was projected more clearly into the room aswell. Just to name an example for you: the LFE-channel on "The Dark Knight" never sounded so good!

I'm missing the dual sub calibration of the AW-12 to be honest :O

 

[greedy]

http://www.homecinemachoice.com/news/article/monitor-audio-apex-pound;2425/10231 nice review, maybe someone dont read yet..

 

[gosalh]

Hi guys

So i had my demo for dsx and dolby pllz with heights and wides, and it blew me away! Dsx sounded much richer and made the soundstage wider. Even without the wides it still sounded a couple of steps ahead of a 5.1 system. I went for heights as i dont have space for wides, placed an order for 2x A10s.....and i would only do this if i was impressed and heard a big improvement which i did.

Avatar was one of the discs used for the demo, the jungle scene was amazing, heights kicked in and the animal sounds were coming from the height channels. Also the bulldozer sequence...the trees crashing down sounded AMAZING!!

 

[RickyDeg]

Hi guys

So i had my demo for dsx and dolby pllz with heights and wides, and it blew me away! Dsx sounded much richer and made the soundstage wider. Even without the wides it still sounded a couple of steps ahead of a 5.1 system. I went for heights as i dont have space for wides, placed an order for 2x A10s.....and i would only do this if i was impressed and heard a big improvement which i did.

Avatar was one of the discs used for the demo, the jungle scene was amazing, heights kicked in and the animal sounds were coming from the height channels. Also the bulldozer sequence...the trees crashing down sounded AMAZING!!

Awesome gosalh, awesome! :rockout:

I had a feeling you'd be impressed. I have been too after the demos I've had. I can imagine it sounded pretty impressive with DSX Wide, but those channels can be even more difficult to accomodate in the home listening environment. There were however a few soundtracks where I found Pro Logic IIz or DTS Neo:X to sound more "natural", but it's a preference issue I guess. Bet your Denon A-100 will continue to impress you even further now!

Let us all know when you've installed the new set of Apex and please give us your extended listening impressions with varied material. And don't forget to show us your set-up (which we still haven't seen, hehe). Now I suppose the additional AW-12 will have to wait a while huh?

 

[gosalh]

Hi RickyDeg

hehe yep i couldnt resist temptation and purchased another two A10s :-s

I'll probably hold off on the additional AW12 until Xmas time. But i will post system pics once i get the new heights in place hopefully by the coming weekend. Will send you details of my listening experience with the A100 integrated with the heights.

Im also thinking of getting mood lighting LEDs to stick behind the TV area to add that extra touch. Have you (or anyone else) ever used mood lighting to add that cosmetic touch to your system?

 

[RickyDeg]

Hi RickyDeg

hehe yep i couldnt resist temptation and purchased another two A10s :-s

I'll probably hold off on the additional AW12 until Xmas time. But i will post system pics once i get the new heights in place hopefully by the coming weekend. Will send you details of my listening experience with the A100 integrated with the heights.

Im also thinking of getting mood lighting LEDs to stick behind the TV area to add that extra touch. Have you (or anyone else) ever used mood lighting to add that cosmetic touch to your system?

That's an interesting idea gosalh! Ambient lighting behind the TV! No personal experience yet but I have seen cool examples online (recent one below). I know IKEA have a few LED strips you could use for this purpose. Some fasten them on the back of the display panel itself (mimic Philips TV's).

As a sidenote; I'm wondering how you will solve the issue of cabling those additional A10's as they will likely be mounted high up on your front wall? Or are you placing them ontop of bookshelves perhaps? This is the biggest problem for me personally because I have no bookshelves or possibility to integrate cables inside the wall itself. One of the worst things I know are cables dangling on the wall or trying to "hide" them with ugly looking cablestrips. But that's just me.

 

[gosalh]

Hey Ricky

Yeah that was the dilemma i had and the wife was against the idea of having heights. I did a lot of thinking on what the room would look like with the different trunking configuration. The room itself has a lot of classic coving, decor etc so im going to use micro trunking (magnolia - to match the colour of the walls) and hide it as best i can with that. I already have trunking on one side of the TV which i couldnt avoid or hide. So 'm going to try placing the speakers at the top left and right corners of the white center section of the wall (see the poor quality pic i took with my phone).

If you have any suggestions on what best configuration could work please let me know.

p.s. before anyone asks, just to be clear that radiator was disabled since the day i purchased the system.... Unfortunately the other side of the room wouldnt work as i have a window there and i wanted to install the TV and A40 on the wall. So the sofa, foot stool and rear A10s with stands are on the other side. I'll take a proper pics of all components of the system and post it up soon so you can get an idea.

 

[RickyDeg]

YAY! Thanks for showing us your set-up gosalh Always a pleasure seeing other peoples entertainment rooms, especially if they have some of the same stuff as you do, hehe.

I can see now how you plan to manage the cable issue. Might be tricky but with some patience and adequate material I'm sure it will turn out good. However, I lack any good suggestions. Hopefully it will be rewarding once you pop in the first Blu-ray to have a listen with 'height'!

How do you like those stands for the Apex? Are your pair of rears also placed on those stands? As you may remember from my photos I only have stands for the rear pair. Also, have you taken the covers off the speakers to listen to them like that for a while to see how they perform? I personally can't cover mine up, since it takes away some of that lovely treble I adore so much. Plus I love how they look without the covers, but that's always a matter of preference.

 

[gosalh]

Hi RickyDeg, yeah i have the stands at the rear as well. I think they're well built and serve their purpose. But I dont know how good Monitor Audio's brand of audio cable (internally wired) is compared to using QED or some other top brands.

I left the speaker covers on, as the wife didnt like the bare look (i had to compromise somewhere lol). I sometimes take the speaker covers off and put them back on. It doesnt make much difference to my listening experience to be honest. Also keeps the dust off the drivers.

I'll post more pics with a decent camera once i get the new speakers fitted. Plus i'll showcase my audio rack with the Oppo95 and Denon A100.

Cheers

P.S. to all on the thread, if anyone has any other suggestions on how i can best trunk the height speakers, really appreciate any help you can give

 

[RickyDeg]

Hi RickyDeg, yeah i have the stands at the rear as well. I think they're well built and serve their purpose. But I dont know how good Monitor Audio's brand of audio cable (internally wired) is compared to using QED or some other top brands.

I left the speaker covers on, as the wife didnt like the bare look (i had to compromise somewhere lol). I sometimes take the speaker covers off and put them back on. It doesnt make much difference to my listening experience to be honest. Also keeps the dust off the drivers.

I'll post more pics with a decent camera once i get the new speakers fitted. Plus i'll showcase my audio rack with the Oppo95 and Denon A100.

Cheers

P.S. to all on the thread, if anyone has any other suggestions on how i can best trunk the height speakers, really appreciate any help you can give

Interesting, cause I too was concerned about the cable Monitor Audio use in the Apex stands. Essentially because one is now mixing two types of cables to these speakers. This was one of the reasons I was reluctant to get these stands, but it's difficult to place the A10's (because of their design) on other "normal" stands and make it look nice. I'm still playing around with that option though so I can run a cable of my own choice all the way to the speaker.

In terms of installation of cables for your 'height' speakers have you considered checking up on cables with a self-adhesive backside? That way you could simply run it discreetly along whatever you wish without using trunk or cablestrip that would be more visable. I know I've seen some high-quality brands who carry that type of cable but I just can't remember which ones. They were also very flat and hardly visable. You could even paint them to the color of your wall if you wished. They also had the same cable but in "normal" construction should you want to use that for other speakers. Maybe you can check with your dealer about those or how to get a sleek installation?

 

[gosalh]

Hi Ricky

Good point on the self adhesive cables, i had no idea such things existed. I'll look into it and get back with some feedback. And good point on painting them, this will probably be a better solution especially if the cable is flat.

Cheers

 

[greedy]

gosalh> i want to help you with cable instalation.From what material your wall is made?is it light construction( from Knauf gips for example)?

 

[gosalh]

Hi greedy,

The wall is made of solid brick construction. I dont want to start etching into the wall to hide the cables, too much hassle and extra cost. Hopefully one day when we do some home improvement i'll get the room done properly. Im open to any suggestions you may have.

Thanks

 

[greedy]

 

[greedy]

A little bit problematic , cause you have solid brick wall.what is behind that wall?maybe this is outside wall or your room is behind?i just wall mounted my Apex

 

[gosalh]

greedy, i have another room behind the wall

 

[gosalh]

Hi Guys, for the Apex A10 bracket, what standard screw size should i be using? Also suggest length when mounting to a wall?

Also with the bracket base, is there a way to get the cable to feed under the bracket so for example when facing the left height speaker mounted on the wall the cable is fed under the bracket to the right side so i can get it smoothly inside the trunking. I cant remember if the A10 bracket base is made of metal or plastic? Was wondering if i could chip through it under the bracket to make space for the cable to feed under it?

Just considering all of my options, could something like this work? http://www.maplin.co.uk/speaker-wall-brackets-9655

 

[greedy]

Gosalh,You have your room, and wall of this room is empty?Maybe you have furniture below that wall?Monitor audio recommends to use minimum 40mm screws to wall mount the A10, i used 60mm screws and the lenght of the screw was about 70mm.I think the main thing is that "head" of the screw must fit to A10 bracket recesus.Brackets are made from metal..There is a rubber pad on that side of the bracket which is sitting behind wall, and another rubber pad, that you put on the bracket.If your cable runs on the wall surface, i think you can do very simple: just run your cable below side of the bracket, then to the up of the bracket and go down to the terminals of the A10.then A10 blocks the view of cable and you cant see cable.Second way-if cable not so fat, you can try to make "tunnel" for it in the rubber pad.sorry for my English language.i hope i helped you a little

 

[Anonymous]

Hey guys, first time poster about to dive in and join the Apex club. I have to say I've read all the 830 replies and this thread is amazing! Kudos to all of you, it's better than a 10 year subscription to What Hifi!

I'm going to get my first system here downunder in Melbourne, and these are the components I'm thinking of. I've previously had hifi separates (Mark Levinsons and Thiels) so music is the priority (60/40) I would say. Have heard the whole range of sats (Paradigm MilenniaOnes, B&W MT60s, Minx and Cabasse) and the top 2 clearly are the Paradigms and the Apexes. The Apex just shades it for music I think, where the Paradigms can sound abit vanilla. However, for movies, its almost an even fight.

Here are my thoughts for the system, let me know what you think / alternatives:

AVR: NAD T757 (It's between this and the Yamaha A3020, NAD just seems better at music, and a more meaty, warm amp that can tame the potential brightness of the Apex)

Source: Oppo BDP-95

Speakers: 4 x A10 (Fronts and rears), 1 x A40 as centre

Subwoofer: SVS SB13-Plus

Realise that some of my componentry might be slightly more esoteric (NAD & SVS), but if anybody has any thoughts, I would definitely welcome them, especially those in the industry. Otherwise, it might just make for an interesting review later

Thanks, guys, the info sharing and camaraderie is awesome!

 

[gosalh]

Hi greedy, thank you so much!! I will give this a go. I even called Monitor Audio directly, and they have said the same as you. My new A10s are due to arrive on Thursday so im doing the last bit of planning before i put them up. I cant wait!!