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Post by LuisV on Dec 4, 2022 11:20:45 GMT -5
I always forget that Emotiva has HDMI cables, I'll check them out if I start seeing issues again... and thanks for the info on the Zeskit Maya 8K cable, I added it to my build list for the projector portion of the room.
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Post by LuisV on Dec 6, 2022 14:06:59 GMT -5
Some observations from the last week or so... My previous BR player was an Oppo BDP-103; however, I sold it a few years ago when we moved into our new home. Ever since I sold it, I regretted my decision... well, until now! The DP-UB820 provides a fantastic 4k image! I don't have the Oppo to compare it to, but the image from this player does not disappoint and puts a smile on my face each and every time I spin up a disk! The menu system is relatively easy to navigate; however, as I'm sure most owners are aware, to take full advantage of the image quality that this player can provide, there are various default settings that need to be changed as well as a couple of hidden options that need to be enabled. There are various YouTube videos that walk you through the settings, so I'll link one of the ones I watched below. I think I've said it before, but I'm not a fan of the glossy finish and full length disk tray door. Not sure why most players have gone this route... hopefully one day that will change, but for now, I'll simply deal with it. After spending several weeks with the DP-UB820, I have zero cons with the player itself... the audio / video quality the player provides is simply stellar! When on sale, don't wait... grab it before they are sold out! Highly recommended... Arendal 1961 1v subwoofer... no question, within my room, this sub is a keeper... deep, quick and explosive when needed. There a few rattles and buzzes in the room that I'll need to find and fix now, but that's a minor byproduct of deep bass. And yes, to help smooth out the bass across all seating positions, a second one will be purchased; I can certainly get away with only one for now, but a second one will be icing on the cake. Arendal 1961 surrounds... this is the first time that I have similarly voiced LCR and surrounds and to be honest, I have no idea why I never did this in the past. My previous systems consisted of B&W LCR with Def-Tech bipolar surrounds, then the same B&W LCR with Emotiva surrounds, then DIY LCRs with the same Emotiva surrounds... from memory, so take this with a grain of salt, but I don't recall surround information sounding so seamless in the past. Transitions from front to side and then disappearing way behind me towards the back of the room, I only have side surrounds at the moment, are in a word seamless... zero sound difference. Maybe it's the tweeter's waveguide providing the wide even coverage, but its truly seamless. Going from memory, I recall hearing a sonic difference when effects panned from the front to the sides and then rear, it always bothered me, sounded more of a tonal type change, but again, I'm going by memory, yet recall it. I've found that bass information seems better integrated into the surrounds now... maybe it's because I'm simply paying more attention to how things sound, but I don't recall this within my previous setups... I recall my previous surrounds sounding more hollow. These surrounds are keepers for sure... another pair of surrounds will be purchased within the next couple of weeks as I want to take advantage of the current pricing structure. Arendal 1961 monitor (center channel)... it's a relatively small sealed yet heavy brick... to be honest, I didn't think it would perform... glad I was wrong! It appears to sound better when stood up rather than laying on it's side, but until I decide on projector vs a big OLED, it needs to lay on it's side for now. That being said, it can get loud without strain, blends well with the other Arendal speakers in the room, so all in all... it works rather well as a center channel speaker. At times male vocals can sound "chesty", but I've heard worse, again going by memory, as an example, when I auditioned the SVS Ultra center in my previous room... I didn't care for how it handles male voices. That being said, anyone who is interested in the 1961 series, the monitor works great as a center channel; although, my initial thoughts indicate it sounds better stood up than laying on it's side; however, I plan to do more listening tests in the upcoming weeks. Arendal 1961 towers... when the boxes were delivered, I honestly thought Arendal sent me 2 monitors and not towers. When I unboxed them, my initial thought was, wow these are small, did I make a mistake? Compared to the EVO 4.4s, they are ~7" shorter and ~3" narrower. Sound wise... using the Cinema 50 as the Schiit combo was sold, the 1961 towers slightly edge out the EVOs musically... the soundstage height, width, and depth is slightly better with the 1961 tower... possibly due to the waveguide and slight angle of the cabinet; either way, there's a difference with the 1961 edging out the Wharfedales. Hands down, the EVOs have more bass, but I can understand the difference based on the EVOs having larger drivers and cabinet. AMT vs soft dome, directly compared to the 1961, there is a hint of sibilance with the EVOs, and there is a different sound signature in the upper register due to the different driver designs; however, to my ears, neither are harsh and I'm happy with both. I can honestly say that the harshness I heard with the 1723 S towers is not present with the 1961 speakers. I believe the tweeters between them are identical except for the magnets, it's neodymium in the 1723 and ferrite in the 1961; however, this shouldn't provide a sound signature difference, simply a power handling difference... I could be wrong though. Maybe it's the warmer sound signature of the Marantz over the Schiit combo, but regardless of what it may be, that edginess I previously heard is not present. HT performance, both crossed at 70or 80hz, the EVOs and 1961 towers work very well as LR channels, with the EVOs having a little more presence, "meat on the bones", up to the crossover point. How do the 1961 and 1723 S towers compare, from memory, all I can remember is that the 1723 S provided oodles of bass as in no sub is necessary... seriously... a sub is NOT needed for 2 channel audio with the 1723 S towers. I recall that the 1723 S had a slight "edginess" forward sound to them, but I was using different components at that time, so I can't honestly comment much on that aspect other than to say, I don't hear any "edginess" with the 1961s. Dynamically, without question, the 1961 towers can hang with with the larger towers, it only falls short in the bass department, but in HT isn't that what a sub or two is for? Regardless of volume knob position, there is zero strain, and zero tonal change when the volume is raised way beyond normal listening levels. These speakers sound much larger than their size implies, so I'm questioning if I should place a more powerful amplifier behind them... the towers are listed as 350w RMS with the center as 250w RMS. For now, I'll leave things as they are, but we'll see what the future holds as the Cinema 50 has preamp outputs.  My only concern is the fond memory of listening to the effortless dynamics and bass the 1723 S towers provided and; therefore, the potential upgrade itch as those 1723 S towers were truly impressive. But, and there's always a but right... I need to remind myself that during those listening sessions, I was using two bridged Vidars sending close to 400w to each tower... major difference over the 110w or so from the Marantz. Although I still have plenty of time within the 60 day home trial, Arendal has their owners covered once the trial period is expired... 365 days from date of purchase, if owners have an "upgrade itch" that needs scratching, Arendal has an upgrade policy... more details can be found below... I guess it's a way of future proofing their customers as well as keeping them loyal and happy... arendalsound.com/1-year-premium-upgrade/As a whole.... Movie after movie, episode after episode, I've been impressed with the 1961 speakers and subwoofer, so much so, that I've been eagerly looking through my library for titles to rewatch. Based on what I'm hearing thus far, I'm truly looking forward to adding the rear surrounds and height speakers. Next major decision for the room will be regarding the display... a big OLED or 4k projector. |
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Post by LuisV on Dec 8, 2022 11:06:29 GMT -5
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Post by LuisV on Dec 13, 2022 16:08:00 GMT -5
For the last couple of weeks I've been comparing my old workhorse, a 2017 Nvidia Shield to the latest AppleTV 4k (128GB ethernet model). After weeks of use, I can say without any doubt that regardless of app, the AppleTV is the faster of the two to open, navigate and start a stream; both are connected via ethernet. Our family has been in Apple's ecosystem since the first generation iPods and iPhones were released and eventually made the switch from Windows to macOS ~15 years ago; therefore, we have a long history with Apple. It's nice to have direct access to our photo / video memories from the AppleTV and we've enjoyed the various slideshows that it creates and displays. That being said, it's main downfall is that it fails to play any 4k content properly via Plex. When I'm not spinning a disk, Plex is my goto streaming app for my content. The Nvidia Shield plays 4k content without issue and passes through the appropriate surround sound format to my Cinema 50.
The decision has been made... the Nvidia Shield has kicked the AppleTV 4k out of the HT room and for the time being, I moved it into the family room. Yes, we also have an Nvidia Shield connected to that room's TV, so only time will tell if it will dethrone the Shield within that room as I'm thinking we'll reserve Plex to the HT room...
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Post by LuisV on Dec 29, 2022 11:34:10 GMT -5
Finally getting back to report on the AppleTV 4k in the family room... after a couple of weeks of using it on a day to day basis, I can honestly say that it has dethroned the Nvidia Shield within that room. Although connected via ethernet, it's still having issues with Plex 4k content; however, for day to day viewing via Netflix, Amazon Prime, Discovery, Vudu, etc., hands down the AppleTV provides a better user experience and it seems to be, at least to my eyes, better visually. The Shield doesn't support Dolby Vision, or at least not the one I have, so it was nice to see the DV pop up for the first time via the ATV 4k. I wish the remote was backlit as we need to retrain our muscle memory, we keep hitting the wrong buttons, but I'm sure that will be corrected within the next few weeks of daily use. I had to turn off the "gesture" functionality of the Apple remote as it drove my wife nuts; however, once disabled, all was well. The Nvidia Shield is without doubt showing it's age, I believe I purchased it in 2017, so we'll see what happens if Nvidia releases an updated streamer. Keep in mind that I am a firm believer of hardwiring all devices that can be, so if you're considering a wireless connection to either the Shield or ATV 4k, your experience may vary.
So there you have it.. the AppleTV 4k is indeed a great streamer and if you're within the Apple ecosystem, basically a no brainer.
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Post by LuisV on Jan 4, 2023 11:27:33 GMT -5
Happy New Year!!
Over the holidays I've been researching proper Atmos speaker placement and what a confusing mess. I've read through countless forum and group posts; they indicate just as many variations or should I say, interpretations of Dolby's documents. Some say to use the specifications for the studio speaker layout as that is how the track is mixed, others say to simply use the home document as a guide, there are those that indicate to place them as front and rear heights or even mount them as high as possible on the side walls pointing towards the seats!?!?! Speaker choices are just as varied with what people should, shouldn't use, etc. I understand that there are compromises and unless the room is built from the ground up around the goal of a HT, that studs, joists, pipes, etc. can be in the way or simply missing from the ideal location to properly mount a speaker.
During my research, I came across a couple of videos; Anthony Grimani's recommendations for speaker placement; he throws another spin on things... they are long, but offer commentary, reasons for his recommendations, etc. etc.
To those that went down the Atmos path, what did you do within your room? Was it worth the effort? What would you, if anything, do different today than what was performed? Am I over analyzing things?
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Post by Zombie on Jan 4, 2023 12:11:00 GMT -5
My surround set up is far from ideal as my “theater” is located in my loft upstairs. Relatively small area with one side completely open. Even though my house is a rather expensive tract home, I was good friends with the Superintendent so he let me come in and do a “midnight wiring session.” My sectional couch is all the way to the back so my rear surrounds are on the back wall about 2.5’ above the listening position. I’ve got the FX2’s in the corners and the FX’s spaced in between. The fronts are towers and the four Atmos speakers are angled Motions. My front Atmos speakers are mounted slightly back and slightly inside the front towers. Towers are about 10’ apart and 13’ from the listening position. The rear Atmos speakers are along the same plane as the fronts (same width) and about 3’ ahead of the rear wall. Almost directly overhead and they sort of fill the third position spaced from the surround corner and surround back speakers if that makes sense. Nice that all the speakers are timbre-matched and after a few tweaks here and there with levels it actually sounds quite good. Sounds move all around the room but pinpointing the exact speaker location source is difficult. Certainly not the model set up but I’m quite happy with how it all works and sounds. I’m running the Yamaha CX-5200 pre with Emotiva Amps and twin SVS subs.
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Post by lhracing on Jan 4, 2023 12:30:20 GMT -5
LuisV, Now that you have lived with the Marantz Cinima 50 for a couple of months what are your thoughts? How is the 2 channel performance? Have you tried ARC? Would you buy it again?
Thanks.
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Post by LuisV on Jan 4, 2023 14:29:28 GMT -5
LuisV, Now that you have lived with the Marantz Cinima 50 for a couple of months what are your thoughts? How is the 2 channel performance? Have you tried ARC? Would you buy it again? Thanks. Would I buy the Cinema 50 again... yes, in a heartbeat. Would I consider the Cinema 40 instead; not sure it's worth the extra $1,000. Two firmware updates thus far and both were seamless; one shortly after it was unboxed and connected, the other happened a few weeks ago. My only gripe was trying to find out what they addressed / included; however, after a few mins googling, I found the details... an email to registered users would have been nice. Keep in mind that I only use 3 sources, Roon via Raspberry Pi SPIF HAT, Bluray and an Nvidia Shield via HDMI; switching between them hasn't caused any hiccups nor HDMI syncing issues. At various times in the last couple of weeks, I've had my 1080p projector connected on the second HDMI output and other than a blackout on the 4k TV for a few seconds after powering off the projector, the Cinema 50 didn't care that I had two HDMI outputs connected at the same time. I recall a similar HDMI blackout on our 58" Plasma when powering off the same 1080p projector when it was connected to my XMC-1 in our previous home, so I wasn't concerned when I experienced it via the Cinema 50. ARC... I assume you mean Automatic Room Correction, at the moment, Audyssey. Yes, I've gone through it several times, and as with all room correction software, it got some things right, others, specifically bass, not so perfect; however, a couple of quick tweaks and I was satisfied with the results. Saving the results to either preset was painless and switching between them, equally as painless... no hiccups requiring a reboot / restart, etc... it just worked to capture and transfer the settings. I plan on upgrading to DIRAC once available, Marantz has indicated a March timeframe, so I'll be able to compare results from both software at that point of time... yes, I'll report back once upgraded and I have time with the DIRAC implementation. To be honest, I've been concentrating more on Movies than 2 channel audio, but when listening via Roon, it sounds good to my ears. It lacks some of the resolution and separation that I had with my Schiit Freya + and Vidar amps, but I expected a difference. I think I posted that a few pages back; I would need to reread to verify what I previously indicated... but yes, it sounds good in 2 channel mode. Call it distortion, but there's something about tubes that my soul prefers, so if I had the room to have kept both setups, the Schiit gear would have remained for audio only duties as it's "better". During movies and concerts the musical score sounds great via the Cinema 50... expansive, very open; however, there is a perceived difference in pure 2 channel mode. Do I miss it? Sure, but it's not like I'm looking to replace the Cinema 50 nor obsessing on what's missing; I'm simply changing my focus of chasing down that last ounce of audio nirvana to enjoying the HT experience again. I've been listening through my Lyr 3 to get my tube fix and so far it quenches that thirst. For the last 15 years or so, I've been a diehard Emotiva separates fan... from the initial release of the UMC-1 to getting on the upgrade list of the XMC-1... zero regrets. I originally had XPA Gen 1 amps and "upgraded" to Gen 2 amps... again, zero regrets. Overall it was a very enjoyable journey and they were used for countless hours throughout the years. Thinking about it as I type this, my kids grew up listening through Emotiva components and we have numerous memories as well as photos, family videos, etc, with the gear in the background... if it wasn't music it was a video... something was always playing in the family room!! Nothing like watching Barney or the other kids shows in surround sound...   Why did I go with an AVR over separates... I'm in a much smaller room and wanted to try something different. To be honest, I don't recall ever owning an AVR as I believe my first step into surround sound was a processor from Fosgate; I believe I had Rotel amps... That being said, the Cinema 50 has big shoes to fill and thus far, I'm more than satisfied with it's performance. Yes, if I had to do it all over again, the Cinema 50 would still be at the top of my list and probably the first initial purchase as it meets my needs / requirements. For now it has enough power for the core bed layer; however, we'll see what happens when I add Atmos channels... if it starts running out of steam, I'll add an external amp for the LCR and I'm sure it will be an easy guess as to what brand that amp will be... |
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Post by LuisV on Jan 4, 2023 15:00:26 GMT -5
My surround set up is far from ideal as my “theater” is located in my loft upstairs. Relatively small area with one side completely open. Even though my house is a rather expensive tract home, I was good friends with the Superintendent so he let me come in and do a “midnight wiring session.” My sectional couch is all the way to the back so my rear surrounds are on the back wall about 2.5’ above the listening position. I’ve got the FX2’s in the corners and the FX’s spaced in between. The fronts are towers and the four Atmos speakers are angled Motions. My front Atmos speakers are mounted slightly back and slightly inside the front towers. Towers are about 10’ apart and 13’ from the listening position. The rear Atmos speakers are along the same plane as the fronts (same width) and about 3’ ahead of the rear wall. Almost directly overhead and they sort of fill the third position spaced from the surround corner and surround back speakers if that makes sense. Nice that all the speakers are timbre-matched and after a few tweaks here and there with levels it actually sounds quite good. Sounds move all around the room but pinpointing the exact speaker location source is difficult. Certainly not the model set up but I’m quite happy with how it all works and sounds. I’m running the Yamaha CX-5200 pre with Emotiva Amps and twin SVS subs. Sorry, to clarify your setup, do you have a picture? |
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Post by Zombie on Jan 4, 2023 15:03:06 GMT -5
I can snap some in a bit. Anything in particular you want to see?
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Post by LuisV on Jan 4, 2023 15:11:13 GMT -5
The effects channels... atmos, side, rear surrounds, etc.
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Post by Zombie on Jan 5, 2023 14:07:20 GMT -5
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Post by LuisV on Jan 5, 2023 18:59:21 GMT -5
Finally getting back to report on the AppleTV 4k in the family room... after a couple of weeks of using it on a day to day basis, I can honestly say that it has dethroned the Nvidia Shield within that room. Although connected via ethernet, it's still having issues with Plex 4k content; however, for day to day viewing via Netflix, Amazon Prime, Discovery, Vudu, etc., hands down the AppleTV provides a better user experience and it seems to be, at least to my eyes, better visually. The Shield doesn't support Dolby Vision, or at least not the one I have, so it was nice to see the DV pop up for the first time via the ATV 4k. I wish the remote was backlit as we need to retrain our muscle memory, we keep hitting the wrong buttons, but I'm sure that will be corrected within the next few weeks of daily use. I had to turn off the "gesture" functionality of the Apple remote as it drove my wife nuts; however, once disabled, all was well. The Nvidia Shield is without doubt showing it's age, I believe I purchased it in 2017, so we'll see what happens if Nvidia releases an updated streamer. Keep in mind that I am a firm believer of hardwiring all devices that can be, so if you're considering a wireless connection to either the Shield or ATV 4k, your experience may vary. So there you have it.. the AppleTV 4k is indeed a great streamer and if you're within the Apple ecosystem, basically a no brainer. I believe I found a solution to the AppleTV 4k issue with 4k content via Plex... using the Infuse 7 player connected to my Plex server has proven extremely successful thus far. Will be performing additional testing; however, it's played everything that puked via the Plex app. Although an additional cost, it seems to be a viable solution. firecore.com/ |
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Post by LuisV on Jan 6, 2023 10:33:49 GMT -5
OK, here's some pics. Again not the ideal set-up in the real world but you work with what ya got. Room limitations (stud & ceiling joists locations, open side, etc.) don't make it easy. If I was designing a custom home theater room from scratch I'd obviously do it a bit differently. But, I'm not complaining because giving the circumstances it sounds quite good. Anyways, hope it helps a bit. Thanks for sharing and yes, that helped... sorry, was a little confused and the picture cleared things up for me! There are always compromises and all that matters is that you enjoy it.. doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. |
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Post by LuisV on Jan 6, 2023 15:13:03 GMT -5
Planning to mount the surrounds this weekend... I'll post pictures once complete... fingers crossed my measurements are correct. Rear surrounds - the Arendal speakers have a 100 vesa mounting pattern, so these small TV mounts should have enough adjustments to help aim the speakers towards the seats:  Side Surrounds - For the sides, I went with these brackets as I need additional reach between the wall and speaker.  |
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Post by LuisV on Jan 11, 2023 14:42:38 GMT -5
The GiK 244 acoustic panels that I have mounted on the side walls of the room are spaced roughly 5" apart. These panels are 2' w x 4' h , weight 14lbs, are approx. 5.25" thick and are hung with aluminum z-bars (French Cleats). The main seating position happens to be slightly off center of one of the 5" gaps between panels, but as luck would have it, a stud was not exactly were I needed it... it was just under the edge of the lefthand panel. Since the panels are 1lbs heavier and are mounted with z-bars, I decided to try using one of them as I can catch the stud and use a couple of snap toggles in the other mounting points. The speakers are 11.5" tall and weight 13lbs, so I figured that the single stud and 3 toggles should be enough to hold things in place. Since I couldn't find a mount that would clear the 5.25" thick panels properly, they were either too short or too long; I decided to cut a spare 1 x 4 pine board into 11" long sections and after some measurements, I proceeded to screw and glue 3 sections together. I attached a z-bar to the back of this "block" of wood and attached the speaker mount to the other side and bingo... this combo clears the panels and it still provides slight tilt and side to side adjustments. When looking at the way the this is mounted, the bottom of the "block" of wood rests on the sheetrock, so this resting point should help support the load; however, to be on the safe side, I ordered a pair of 20" z-bars as that allows me to catch another stud that is under the righthand panel. They have been hanging for the last 3 days, so not sure if the longer z-bar will be overkill, but for peace of mind, I think it's better to be safe than sorry. I ran out of time to mount the rear surrounds, but in these locations I have stud directly behind the mounts, so it will be an easier install.         |
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Post by cwmcobra on Jan 11, 2023 18:23:04 GMT -5
Looking good, Luis! I have some Tectum panels to hang in my theater and just haven't worked up the gumption to get them hung. I need to do that before winter is gone, but not sure how to best locate them. Actually, I really have no choice but to put them where there is space and hope for the best! That would be on the two doors that flank the screen, and two on each side wall between the surround speaker columns. I just need to do it!!
Chuck
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Post by LuisV on Jan 12, 2023 18:35:06 GMT -5
Thanks Chuck... slow, but steady progress. I don't think I've seen Tectum panels in person, only online... do they have a wooden frame? If so, then I highly recommend aluminum French Cleats; extremely easy to use; been using them for years. But yea... do it my friend... acoustical treatment is bar far the best return on investment. |
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Post by LuisV on Jan 13, 2023 17:06:57 GMT -5
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