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Post by LuisV on Nov 2, 2022 19:34:31 GMT -5
After enjoying a 2+ year journey with a dedicated 2 channel system, I was recently bitten by the HT bug... yup, you guessed it, I'm heading back to HT and yes, sooner than anticipated!! I'm sure you all know how it goes... you either come down with a mild case of upgraditus or a maddening itch that needs scratching.  Since this is heading into a different direction, I figured best to start a new forum post for this aspect of the room's journey. Many thanks to everyone that read and participated in my 2 channel thread... I'm completely humbled that it has over 350 replies and 12,000+ views!! Many thanks for letting me ramble on and allowing me to share my experience with you. Here's the 2 channel thread... emotivalounge.proboards.com/thread/57382/heading-back-2-channelBelow is a quick recap of my original plans for the room... the COVID pandemic threw a major monkey wrench into my plans as I needed to place a desk into the room; however, the last couple of years listening to 2 channel audio was a blast! emotivalounge.proboards.com/thread/53614/new-home-smaller-ht-space  Fast forward to the present... the desk needs to stay, the GiK acoustic treatments will remain; however, the room will be repainted a little darker to help tame some of the light reflections within the room. |
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Post by LuisV on Nov 2, 2022 19:38:29 GMT -5
Many... many moons ago, I purchased a UMC-1, then upgraded to the XMC-1 when it was initially released. My previous HT was built around these Emotiva processors and XPA-2 and XPA-5 amps (Gen 1 then upgraded to Gen 2). For over a decade I loved my Emotiva gear; however, for this latest journey, I wanted to forgo multiple boxes and keep things simple... Based on initial previews, I took a leap of faith and pre-ordered the Marantz Cinema 50. When I watched Andrew's review, it quenched my anxiety of pre-ordering this AVR... Besides all major movie surround sound formats, the Cinema 50 supports Tidal, Amazon Music and Roon. It has the ability to store multiple room correction settings, so I'll be able to compare differences between Audyssey MultEQ and Dirac. Bummer that it's not available on day 1, but Dirac should be available in the March 2023 timeframe via a software upgrade and purchase of a license. www.marantz.com/en-us/product/av-receivers/cinema50www.dirac.com/marantz/Additional details of the new Cinema Series: www.audioholics.com/av-receiver-reviews/marantz-cinema-series |
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Post by LuisV on Nov 2, 2022 19:53:11 GMT -5
Now that I'm heading back down the HT path, I've been researching speaker options and all paths lead me back to the experience I had a couple of years ago with the Arendal towers.... effortless dynamics, deep, yet not bloated bass, with a pretty wide and deep soundstage. Yes they were a little bright within a "pure" 2 channel setup; however, now that I can leverage Audyssey or DIRAC via the Cinema 50, I'm pretty sure that I can tame the edginess with minor tweaks within the room correction software. That being said, based on the size of my room, 10'11" x 15' 7" with 10' ceilings, I'm thinking the 1723s line is a little overkill for surround and height duty, so I reached out to Arendal for some recommendations. After a trading a few emails with them, here's what they recommended to consider as "constants" with the LCR options: Subs and Surround Speakers:- 1961 1v Sub (possibly 2 of these)
- 1961 Surround Speakers (2 pairs - sides and rear)
- 1961 Height Speakers (1 pair mounted on the ceiling)
LCR Options:- 1961 Monitor and 1961 Center
- 1961 Towers and 1961 Center
- 1961 Towers and 1723s Center
- 1723s Monitors and 1723s Center
Although I'm leaning towards options 3 and 4, I'm still weighing all of these options. Erin's video of the 1961 towers paints them as rather good speakers... decisions... decisions...
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Post by LuisV on Nov 2, 2022 20:01:31 GMT -5
Time to start making the move... so I ordered an Arendal 1961 1v sub. It has a 12.2" driver, 550w RMS amp, and a vented enclosure. Plan is to see how this bad boy pressurizes the room and if needed, I'll purchase a second one down the road. Original decision was between this sub and either an SVS PB2000 or PB3000. You can find more info about the 1961 1v or other Arendal products by Clicking Here
21.5 x 15.4 x 19.7in 79.6lbs   |
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Post by fbczar on Nov 2, 2022 20:05:14 GMT -5
Many... many moons ago, I purchased a UMC-1, then upgraded to the XMC-1 when it was initially released. My previous HT was built around these Emotiva processors and XPA-2 and XPA-5 amps (Gen 1 then upgraded to Gen 2). For over a decade I loved my Emotiva gear; however, for this latest journey, I wanted to forgo multiple boxes and keep things simple... Based on initial previews, I took a leap of faith and pre-ordered the Marantz Cinema 50. When I watched Andrew's review, it quenched my anxiety of pre-ordering this AVR... Besides all major movie surround sound formats, the Cinema 50 supports Tidal, Amazon Music and Roon. It has the ability to store multiple room correction settings, so I'll be able to compare differences between Audyssey MultEQ and Dirac. Bummer that it's not available on day 1, but Dirac should be available in the March 2023 timeframe via a software upgrade and purchase of a license. www.marantz.com/en-us/product/av-receivers/cinema50www.dirac.com/marantz/Additional details of the new Cinema Series: www.audioholics.com/av-receiver-reviews/marantz-cinema-seriesI suppose your only concern is how the Marantz will sound compared to what you are accustomed to. |
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Post by LuisV on Nov 2, 2022 21:02:36 GMT -5
I suppose your only concern is how the Marantz will sound compared to what you are accustomed to. No doubt... that is and will be on my mind; however, I've always liked the Marantz "warmer" sound. Couple of friends had Marantz AVRs and prior to the UMC-1, I had a Marantz Pro-Logic processor (forgot the model) and Rotel Amps; eventually upgraded the Rotel to two Acuras amps. The last time I listened to my Emotiva gear was over 2 years ago, so I'm not sure I'll be able to recall how it "sounded", but I do recall the memories and fun it brought to the family. Not sure I can compare the 2 channel audio qualities of an AVR to my Schiit Freya tubey goodness and pair of Vidars; however, I'm looking forward to getting back into the HT experience. The Cinema 50 is scheduled to arrive on Friday, so once it's setup, I'll provide initial thoughts... if the Freya / single Vidar combo hasn't been sold, I'll do some comparisons. The EVOs will remain for now, but eventually they will be sold to help fund the transition to HT. |
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Post by 405x5 on Nov 3, 2022 10:34:19 GMT -5
After enjoying a 2+ year journey with a dedicated 2 channel system, I was recently bitten by the HT bug... yup, you guessed it, I'm heading back to HT and yes, sooner than anticipated!! I'm sure you all know how it goes... you either come down with a mild case of upgraditus or a maddening itch that needs scratching. Since this is heading into a different direction, I figured best to start a new forum post for this aspect of the room's journey. Many thanks to everyone that read and participated in my 2 channel thread... I'm completely humbled that it has over 350 replies and 12,000+ views!! Many thanks for letting me ramble on and allowing me to share my experience with you. Here's the 2 channel thread... emotivalounge.proboards.com/thread/57382/heading-back-2-channelBelow is a quick recap of my original plans for the room... the COVID pandemic threw a major monkey wrench into my plans as I needed to place a desk into the room; however, the last couple of years listening to 2 channel audio was a blast! emotivalounge.proboards.com/thread/53614/new-home-smaller-ht-space Fast forward to the present... the desk needs to stay, the GiK acoustic treatments will remain; however, the room will be repainted a little darker to help tame some of the light reflections within the room. I never went back to home theater, per se. I first took interest in it back around 1985 and I credit captain Jean-Luc Picard of the starship enterprise for providing the motivation to get into it. I lived in a smaller house back then when the TV in the living room was separate from my basement stereo. Wanting to hear those engines of the new enterprise as they were intended, I ran a pair of RCA’s, through a hole in the living room floor down to the basement to steal some sound from my high powered stereo to the TV so that was the beginning. Later, when I moved to where I am now I looked at Dolby surround receiver’s, which was pretty much all that was around back then, and just started to get ideas of what other people were doing to bring stereo and film together. I started to draw my plans and finally in 2001 picked up everything that I bought from Internet research and a few visits to some of the dying out show rooms and came up with a Sunfire theater grand II processor which became my control center until 2014 when I picked up the XMC one. So I’m here and I never looked back. One system for everything and there is no reason why It can’t be that way, especially since today’s AV processors, have all the capability and More so than the old days of a purist stereo preamplifier. |
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Post by LuisV on Nov 3, 2022 19:49:33 GMT -5
At the time I decided to head down the 2 channel path, I went with a tube preamp, but I hear ya 100%... live and learn. In my previous HT setup, I had B&W 804 speakers and loved they way they sounded with the XMC-1 and XPA-2, so fingers crossed the Marantz AVR and Arendal speakers will satisfy me audio wise.
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Post by 405x5 on Nov 3, 2022 20:20:55 GMT -5
At the time I decided to head down the 2 channel path, I went with a tube preamp, but I hear ya 100%... live and learn. In my previous HT setup, I had B&W 804 speakers and loved they way they sounded with the XMC-1 and XPA-2, so fingers crossed the Marantz AVR and Arendal speakers will satisfy me audio wise. Looking forward to hearing about with you think of the sound. I was a big fan of the B&W 802s. If I weren’t lost in my vintage Allisons, I may have gone down that path. One of my buddies has the Marantz AVR and loves it. It’s a nice piece of hardware. |
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Post by LuisV on Nov 4, 2022 10:37:37 GMT -5
Here's some additional information about the 1961 surrounds... they are a Tri-Axial design, voiced similarly as their bigger 1723 brothers; therefore, regardless of which LCRs I decide on, the effect channels should blend in seamlessly. arendalsound.com/product/1961-surround/11.3 x 6.5 x 7.3in 13.2lbs   Being a wedge design, I plan on mounting a pair of the 1961 heights on the ceiling as Atmos effects. arendalsound.com/product/1961-height/11.2 x 6.5 x 5.9in 9.7lbs   |
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Post by LuisV on Nov 4, 2022 10:52:46 GMT -5
FedEx delivered the 1961 1v subwoofer; it wasn't double boxed, but it had more than sufficient packaging material to keep it safe while traveling from the Chicago area. It's been unboxed and temporarily connected... so far, I'm very impressed with its build quality and finish; it has a textured matte finish that looks great within the room. I need to move things around as I sold my Freya and second Vidar, so I'll take more pictures tonight.  |
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Post by red5ive on Nov 4, 2022 11:36:47 GMT -5
Very cool! Looking forward to seeing the final results. I also just read a review on the 1961 towers, I'd love to demo a pair! Wish I had heard of them before I went down the B&W route, to at least give them a listen.
While I don't have a dedicated HT room (just a living room HT), I went through a similar thing a little over 10 years ago. I had gotten into HT in the 90s, then in the early 2000s went back to a separate 2-channel in a separate room (my home office) while still having an HT in my main room. Then Emotiva released the USP-1 that had an HT bypass option, which was intriguing to me to try and marry an HT and 2-channel setup in my main room. It worked well, but curiosity got the best of me and I ventured into dedicated pre-pros, and eventually landed on the Marantz AV7005. I loved the processor so much with both music and movies that I gave up my 2-channel room and converted it to an "Office HT" (aka mancave) and added a Marantz 6005 AVR + Emotiva amp. I had found what I thought was the final solution for my music/HT needs, but then a friend urged me to take a listen to the Yamaha Aventage line. I did. Normally I'm not a fan of Yamaha with music, but I was so floored by the Aventage with both music and HT performance that I bought the flagship AVR on the spot, and I haven't looked back. I eventually went with the flagship pre-pro (CX-A5200), which incidentally was a month before covid hit, so I gotta say the whole "shelter-at-home" thing at the time was not a problem for me. I also upgraded the Office to a 2000 Aventage series AVR coupled with an Emo amp.
I still toy around with the idea of going back to a dedicated 2-channel from time to time, mainly because I'd like a pair of Magenpans (20.x or higher), but every time I fire up some tunes, that thought goes away. I think I permanently have the music + HT bug.
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Post by LuisV on Nov 5, 2022 9:28:01 GMT -5
I suppose your only concern is how the Marantz will sound compared to what you are accustomed to. No doubt... that is and will be on my mind; however, I've always liked the Marantz "warmer" sound. Couple of friends had Marantz AVRs and prior to the UMC-1, I had a Marantz Pro-Logic processor (forgot the model) and Rotel Amps; eventually upgraded the Rotel to two Acuras amps. The last time I listened to my Emotiva gear was over 2 years ago, so I'm not sure I'll be able to recall how it "sounded", but I do recall the memories and fun it brought to the family. Not sure I can compare the 2 channel audio qualities of an AVR to my Schiit Freya tubey goodness and pair of Vidars; however, I'm looking forward to getting back into the HT experience. The Cinema 50 is scheduled to arrive on Friday, so once it's setup, I'll provide initial thoughts... if the Freya / single Vidar combo hasn't been sold, I'll do some comparisons. The EVOs will remain for now, but eventually they will be sold to help fund the transition to HT. initial tests, using the EVO 4.4 speakers and CXN V2 streamer, listening to the same playlist via Roon, switching between the Freya + with a single Vidar and Cinema 50; hands down, the Freya bested the Marantz. The Freya is more holographic has a wider soundstage and instrument placement is more defined within that soundstage. The Marantz is much warmer sounding, not lacking in detail, just warmer. There's no doubt... the Freya + is a great tube preamp and will be missed. |
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Post by LuisV on Nov 5, 2022 9:34:34 GMT -5
red5ive when I had the Arendal towers, they presented such effortless dynamics that truly impressed. I don't recall my B&Ws ever sounding like that; however, their sound is purely but a memory, so I can't honestly provide any feedback on their sound other than at the time I really liked them, more so for audio than HT, but they provided countless hours of enjoyment. Here's a thread I created back in 2015 when I was shopping for new speakers and after some in home demos, I kept the B&Ws; they were eventually replaced with DIY speaker kits for HT, but those HT speakers lacked any true 2 channel only qualities. emotivalounge.proboards.com/thread/41054/opinions-help-needed-which-speakers
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Post by red5ive on Nov 7, 2022 11:48:21 GMT -5
red5ive when I had the Arendal towers, they presented such effortless dynamics that truly impressed. I don't recall my B&Ws ever sounding like that; however, their sound is purely but a memory, so I can't honestly provide any feedback on their sound other than at the time I really liked them, more so for audio than HT, but they provided countless hours of enjoyment. Here's a thread I created back in 2015 when I was shopping for new speakers and after some in home demos, I kept the B&Ws; they were eventually replaced with DIY speaker kits for HT, but those HT speakers lacked any true 2 channel only qualities. emotivalounge.proboards.com/thread/41054/opinions-help-needed-which-speakers That's interesting because my previous towers/HT speakers ( Rocket 850, Bigfoot) were very HT-centric and dynamic, and the 850s in particular were known for their "mid-bass slam". When I tried out a pair of B&W 705 S2s earlier this year after swearing I'd never go from towers to bookshelves, I had little expectation that I'd be keeping them, and in fact I was certain after I gave them a listen that I'd be boxing them back up. But they blew me away, dynamics were still there, and I loved them even more for HT than the Rockets, and their musical performance of course was tons better. I couldn't believe the bass definition, even over the Rocket 850 driver array, and the mids on the 705s easily put the 850s to shame with music. So you have me wondering now about Arendal. Thanks again for the info, I'm intrigued enough that I may give their 1723 Monitor THX bookshelves a try as I have 60 days to return the 2nd set of 705s (and matching center & surrounds) that I just bought for the mancave. |
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Post by LuisV on Nov 7, 2022 12:56:34 GMT -5
Keep in mind that at the time I was auditioning, my 804s were roughly 20+ years old. The main downfall was the HTM center as it couldn't keep up with the towers as it had a single mid-bass driver. When I tried the DIYSG 893 center, it was game over for the B&Ws for HT, audio wise, the DIYSG kits weren't up to the task, but I was mainly focused on HT. As you indicated, 60 day trials are awesome and how better to audition things than in your own room with the rest of your gear? To my ears, the Arendals have a slight "edginess" to them, but I'm sure any of the room correction software that come with processors or AVRs can tame them... you may even prefer that sound signature. Personally, I prefer the warmer laid back distortion that tubes provide, another reason why I went with Marantz, as their sound signature is on the warmer side of neutral.
Keep me posted as to your plans and if you purchase the Arendal's, please provide feedback... good or bad.
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Post by red5ive on Nov 7, 2022 15:42:26 GMT -5
Keep in mind that at the time I was auditioning, my 804s were roughly 20+ years old. The main downfall was the HTM center as it couldn't keep up with the towers as it had a single mid-bass driver. When I tried the DIYSG 893 center, it was game over for the B&Ws for HT, audio wise, the DIYSG kits weren't up to the task, but I was mainly focused on HT. As you indicated, 60 day trials are awesome and how better to audition things than in your own room with the rest of your gear? To my ears, the Arendals have a slight "edginess" to them, but I'm sure any of the room correction software that come with processors or AVRs can tame them... you may even prefer that sound signature. Personally, I prefer the warmer laid back distortion that tubes provide, another reason why I went with Marantz, as their sound signature is on the warmer side of neutral. Keep me posted as to your plans and if you purchase the Arendal's, please provide feedback... good or bad. Noted, thanks. I'm not a fan of room correction EQ when it comes to music. I run everything "through" and unprocessed for music. But as much as I love HT, music is still important to me, and so far I've never been happier than I have been the last few months with the B&Ws pulling both duties. And while I also prefer a warm-to-neutral sound, I'm surprised at the flack the B&Ws get for being harsh or bright because I get nothing like that in my setup. It makes me wonder if people are just regurgitating or are being influenced by measurements from websites like that science speaker review forum. They sound clean and smooth to me, and that mid-range is like butter! Nevertheless, I'm always open to try out new gear, even if I've become a B&W fanboy being that I have the same speaker line now in my main setup and the mancave lol. Still, the Arendals look promising! |
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Post by fbczar on Nov 7, 2022 20:54:03 GMT -5
No doubt... that is and will be on my mind; however, I've always liked the Marantz "warmer" sound. Couple of friends had Marantz AVRs and prior to the UMC-1, I had a Marantz Pro-Logic processor (forgot the model) and Rotel Amps; eventually upgraded the Rotel to two Acuras amps. The last time I listened to my Emotiva gear was over 2 years ago, so I'm not sure I'll be able to recall how it "sounded", but I do recall the memories and fun it brought to the family. Not sure I can compare the 2 channel audio qualities of an AVR to my Schiit Freya tubey goodness and pair of Vidars; however, I'm looking forward to getting back into the HT experience. The Cinema 50 is scheduled to arrive on Friday, so once it's setup, I'll provide initial thoughts... if the Freya / single Vidar combo hasn't been sold, I'll do some comparisons. The EVOs will remain for now, but eventually they will be sold to help fund the transition to HT. initial tests, using the EVO 4.4 speakers and CXN V2 streamer, listening to the same playlist via Roon, switching between the Freya + with a single Vidar and Cinema 50; hands down, the Freya bested the Marantz. The Freya is more holographic has a wider soundstage and instrument placement is more defined within that soundstage. The Marantz is much warmer sounding, not lacking in detail, just warmer. There's no doubt... the Freya + is a great tube preamp and will be missed. |
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Post by LuisV on Nov 10, 2022 14:32:35 GMT -5
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hemster
Global Moderator 
Particle Manufacturer
...still listening... still watching
Posts: 51,921
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Post by hemster on Nov 10, 2022 18:25:01 GMT -5
1961... didn't they have a more recent model?  Just kidding! |
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