Long time lover of sound proud to be a new Emo.

[jonharis]

Well about a month ago I finally bit the bullet on a system. I've been around sound all my life, my father used to have music playing at home nearly 24/7. I worked as a projectionist as a local movie theatre, and I've loved ll types of live music and sound-centric entertainment. I lurked here for about two years and decided on my system based on what I've read. I purchased a new home with a great basement theatre room and wanted a dedicated HT setup. I went with the options that are listed in my sig line and so far think I made a good decision. I am in the process of getting things dialed in and love that I can refer to a brand specific forum like this for questions. I hope to get many, many years of enjoyment out of these great products! Great to be here. Great to have you as a resource.

[geebo]

Welcome to the Lounge!. You've chosen almost exactly what I have with the exception of the surrounds. I think you're gonna enjoy it. I do.

[jonharis]

Thanks! I wanted the the ERD-1s but couldnt get the WAF. My room is divided and the left surround would have gone on a support pillar. So far I am happy with the 8.3s. Never thought I'd say that about a ceiling speaker. Positioning is really that important.

[ÈlTwo]

Very cool, and welcome.
How about some pics of the HT?

[Porscheguy]

Nice setup!

[Deleted]

Feb 18, 2012 10:33:41 GMT -5 ÈlTwo said:

Very cool, and welcome.
How about some pics of the HT?

Ditto and +1. We need some PICS!

Welcome!

[jonharis]

Ah yes, This thread is useless without pichers!



Things are starting out pretty modest. From the video side I had a 27" 4:3 CRT untill just last year. It suited me fine, I was a big hold out on the HD thing. As you can see my current 42" Samsung is pretty small for the room. My listening position is 13.5' from the TV. From what I've seen for distance/size calculations I should be running a 65-70". It's in the works but probably 1-2 years off. I also just got my first Blu-Ray. It's a handmedown Samsung BD-P1600. It suits me fine for now, streams Netflix great and loads quickly. Video is good too.



As you can see I have a lot of room to deal with, and it's not ideally configured, It's a newly finished basement in a 1956 home. It will be exclusively used for HT and entertaining so I can do what ever i need to for room treatments and the equipment's WAF is unimportant. Although mine loves the look of the Emotiva gear, the ERT-8.3s are a little overwhelming to her but I think part of that is due to the small TV.

Note the "Blown-Away" photo by Stigman, my personal favorite part of the room. You can also see a couple of 35mm Goldberg Brothers Film Reels that I procured from the theatre I worked at. They will become wall art soon, I have several thousand feet of 35mm trailers that I'll integrate into the wall decor somehow.



My setup is still looking like a college frat house but I have plans. The XPA-5 is sitting ontop of the paint sample Blocks from Standout Designs. I'm planning on purchasing one of their Haven 72" consoles the next time they go on sale! Everything will go inside and the CS will be higher up. The old computer pictured will be used as a media server potentially.

The absolute weak point of the system is the Klipsch KSW-50 Sub. It sounded OK in the small room I previously had it in but now it is incredibly inadequate. I plan on purchasing the XMC-1 and like that it is has .2 output. I'm looking at several sub options but I'm leaning towards either one SVS PB13 Ultra or two Rythmik FV15HPs (Suggestions?). Anyways I still have lots of placement and calibration to work on but the system already sounds great.








Upstairs we want to keep things as non-tech as possible. I currently have these infinities connected to an old Sony 2 channel. Pandora and internet radio is provided by an HP Dream Screen. It was a gift and at first I wasn't really into it but now it gets used for 8+ hours daily. Our exterior Bose speakers are also attached to this unit. Ultimately this will be the home for my UMC-1. I'll need help on amp selection. We run both interior and exterior speakers a lot during the summer months. I need some help on how to wire it all using separates. I am torn between the XPA-2 or two UPA-1s. Also to amplify both A/B speakers do I need to amps? Would I add a mini-x-a-100? It's not like the Bose exteriors need a lot of power.

We will never have a TV upstairs because we like to keep our TV separate from the rest of our lives. The upstairs speakers are 100% music. I would like to get something with better full range sound AND better aesthetics. They are really one of the first things seen when someone comes in the house. I am looking heavily at the Thiel CS2.4s for those reasons. I think they are absolutely gorgeous.

I'm a sale shopper and not into instant gratification so I will probably wait till the next Emo Holiday sale to make a lot of these purchases. I'll keep looking through the classifieds here as well.

Thanks for reading and for the warm welcome.

[audiohead]

Nice set up!.Man i Luv the reels!the lil babys settin chillin out!Sooo cool Bro!

[audiofile]

Welcome to the Lounge and that's a nice start on a great setup!

[Deleted]

Yeah, I love those reels.. that's really cool

[briank]

Very nice. For beautiful speakers upstairs you might want to check out the Salk Songtowers.

Downstairs, that room is begging for a nice front projector set-up.
If you go flat panel, I would recommend the 65" Panny (TC-P65VT30)

[jonharis]

^^ Interesting that you should say that. I walked into my local BB 2 days ago and saw the 65" Panasonic on display, fell in love instantly. Took some measurements and it looks like it would fit perfectly! My speakers are 80" apart right now, so the Standout Designs Haven will fit icely between them. I'd prefer to wall mount the TV both for clean looks and to protect it against two 2 year-olds! BB 18 month no interest is calling my name but I think i'll keep holding out for a while.

I need to start planning my upstairs setup. I've been searching for 2 zone setups from users with the UMC-1. Are there any that someone can direct me to? I need to see wiring/amp examples.

[Deleted]

Check out Costco if you have one nearby or call them on the phone. I think I saw the 65" Panny plasma recently at my Costco for $1500. This unit will look so much better in your room hooked up to Blue-Ray than in an overly bright showroom. 2 year warranty at Costco and used to be 3 year warranty if you use the Costco American Express/ Costco card. I think the model number is like the TC-P65ST34. Same as the P65ST30 in BB.

Wall mounting is a PITA for most folks. I would place it on a stand with the TV up against the wall like you now have. Shelves under the TV for center speaker, components etc.

Great Emo setup! (It would help to get the 6.3 center speaker up off the floor.)


www.racksandstands.com/TV-Stands-l6-c14142-O16941~TVs+Above+60%22.html

[garbulky]

Great basement. I think I would have so much fun cranking that stuff up and enjoying the space. I also like the idea of film reels and would like to see what you come up with.

A few thoughts. Have you considered moving your listening position closer to the speakers. At this distance from them, considering how far apart the speakers are, I would be worried about the width of the soundstage.
If that doesn't quite work, maybe shifting the entire room so that the speakers are on the wall where the blown away guy photo is hanging and the listening area adjusted accordingly so that you face the speakers? This way you can really get some distance between the speakers AND sit far away though that pillar in the middle just may limit you. It still might give you better soundstage width. Also, this way, the corner couch may not be blocking the right speaker slightly. The corner couch probably doesn't make a difference though...

[jonharis]

Thanks for the replies guys. I am committed to this room setup because the sectional can't be configured any other way. I could move it a little close but that will put the couch parallel to the right front speaker.

Thanks for the link to the TV stands. The Standout Designs is beautiful but the ones you linked to are 1/3 the price. That is tempting. The TV you reference is a "lower end" model of the 65" Panny. That said, I have not seen any definitive reviews between the SG GT and VT levels so I don't really know what to think. I want the VT @ $2600 but the ST saves a grand. Is it worth it? Saving a grand would be great. I have a Costco about an hour away so it would be worth the drive and the membership fee. Decisions. Decisions.

shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/TC-65PST34
shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/TC-P65VT30

[jerrin]

Nice basement, looks really comfortable.

I would definately pick up a pair of rythmik subs over a single SVS sub. SQ is much better with the Rythmik.

With regards to your speakers, you can do better for less money if you are a little handy. Check out the "Super-V" at www.grresearch.com Really nice speakers. A fellow is building out a really beautiful pair at Audiocircle.

Even if you are not very handy, you can have someone build them out for you for likely less money than the Theils. Plus, the V's sensitivity is so high, you could even go to set amps if you really wanted. Either way, you wouldn't need much power.

With regards to the TV, I'd recommend the ST. My father just bought one a couple of weeks ago and it has a really beautiful picture. Though it doesn't come with the 3d glasses, you can pick up some Playstation 3d glasses for cheap and they work with this set.

[Deleted]

I have one of the lower end Panny 50" 1080p plasmas I bought at Costco and with Blu Ray the picture quality is superb! PQ is excellent on HDTV and also very impressive on regular DVD's.

I think the S and ST models are fine and rated top picture quality by Consumer Reports (I think it was the latest CR, but I'm in Japan and don't have it with me, thought it was the S model and the ST would be as good or better, but I'm guessing the same PQ). I'm not interested in 3D and don't even consider that part of the set. CR picture quality ratings are very accurate IMO.

The higher end models have some bells and whistles and better built-in speakers (which we in this hobby don't need) but not worth the extra dough IMO. If you are careful adjusting the picture settings you don't need the pro/THX type picture mode settings. On my set I used the cinema mode and adjusted the settings down (brightness, contrast, etc. are usually way to hot out of the box). Google what other folks or pros use on the ST30 or ST34 and you should get a good estimate for natural settings.

shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/TC-65PST34

shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/TC-P65VT30

Check out the specifications section on these. I think you will find if you read between the lines that they have the same picture section, just more tweakability and speakers which most folks don't need.