Thinking about setting up a high end audio system

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
hehe

Better go for the 89db $5400 S8s then
http://www.paradigm.com/en/ref...del-2-17-1-34.paradigm
http://www.soundstage.com/reve...adigm_signature_s8.htm

You missed the Dunlavy SV-Cs I posted?

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bi...39620537&/Dunlavy-SC-V

I don't know anything about the Dunlavy speakers. I'm just continuing the Be tweeter tangent that I got on earlier, not saying that the S8s are the winner of what Blurry should get

much better speakers than the S8 http://mixonline.com/ar/audio_highend_studio_monitor/

You are still single, you can buy them. I would have to call them structural reinforcement columns to get them pass my wife.

Well I am in a relationship, but yeah... not married.

If....
1) I had $4500 sitting around
2) I had a room with some space in it
3) I wan't going to be moving soon
4) I could get a matching center channel for a reasonable price

Then maybe

You'll be fine with phantom centre. I just couldn't clear the staircase at my parents place or I would have got them if they were available at 5k back when I was buying.

I've tried phantom center before... doesn't work for me based on my seating positions and my tendency to watch movies with multiple people.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

I've tried phantom center before... doesn't work for me based on my seating positions and my tendency to watch movies with multiple people.

That is because your speakers are puny

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

I've tried phantom center before... doesn't work for me based on my seating positions and my tendency to watch movies with multiple people.

That is because your speakers are puny

And center channels help with positioning

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

I've tried phantom center before... doesn't work for me based on my seating positions and my tendency to watch movies with multiple people.

That is because your speakers are puny

And center channels help with positioning

trust me, with the Dunlavy you will not need to anchor anything... the frigging actors will be standing between the towers.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

I've tried phantom center before... doesn't work for me based on my seating positions and my tendency to watch movies with multiple people.

That is because your speakers are puny

And center channels help with positioning

trust me, with the Dunlavy you will not need to anchor anything... the frigging actors will be standing between the towers.

I've heard that with properly setup Focal's before (the 1007 Be, and 1037 Be), and you definitely can find speakers that do that.

With that being said, a center channel *usually* helps more with the positioning.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

I've heard that with properly setup Focal's before (the 1007 Be, and 1037 Be), and you definitely can find speakers that do that.

With that being said, a center channel *usually* helps more with the positioning.

Phamtom centre > mismatched/misplaced centre. Main problem is it is impossible to have your centre speaker's tweeter line up with your mains tweeter because that would place the centre either in front of the display blocking your view or behind the display and it gets muffled by the display (even if it is supposed to be acoustically transparent)

Angling the centre is basically the only practical solution and that will reduce the precision of the imaging and limit the sweet spot height/depth.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

I've heard that with properly setup Focal's before (the 1007 Be, and 1037 Be), and you definitely can find speakers that do that.

With that being said, a center channel *usually* helps more with the positioning.

Phamtom centre > mismatched/misplaced centre. Main problem is it is impossible to have your centre speaker's tweeter line up with your mains tweeter because that would place the centre either in front of the display blocking your view or behind the display and it gets muffled by the display (even if it is supposed to be acoustically transparent)

Angling the centre is basically the only practical solution and that will reduce the precision of the imaging and limit the sweet spot height/depth.

True, but a lot of times you can get it close which is better than phantom IMO.

Or you could just put the TV over the fireplace, the speaker on the mantle even with the tweeters just like this. :laugh:

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Or you could just put the TV over the fireplace, the speaker on the mantle even with the tweeters just like this. :laugh:

I want to shoot all interior designers.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Or you could just put the TV over the fireplace, the speaker on the mantle even with the tweeters just like this. :laugh:

I want to shoot all interior designers.

:laugh:

But it creates a "cozy" room feel. Plus you can put your center's tweeter level with the towers :laugh:

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/sp.../12-09-2007/Front1.JPG

I've done what I can to get the heights right. I have no doubt that with those speakers that I'd have centered sound when sitting right between them, but seating several feet to the left or right of the sweet spot is what I'm talking about.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/spmclaughlin/web/0%20Current%20Room/redecorating/12-09-2007/Front1.JPG ">https://mywebspace.wisc.edu......09-2007/Front1.JPG</a>

I've done what I can to get the heights right. I have no doubt that with those speakers that I'd have centered sound when sitting right between them, but seating several feet to the left or right of the sweet spot is what I'm talking about.

Link is broken.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Or you could just put the TV over the fireplace, the speaker on the mantle even with the tweeters just like this. :laugh:

I want to shoot all interior designers.

:laugh:

But it creates a "cozy" room feel. Plus you can put your center's tweeter level with the towers :laugh:

how long do you think the tv/centre will survive with the fireplace there?

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Or you could just put the TV over the fireplace, the speaker on the mantle even with the tweeters just like this. :laugh:

I want to shoot all interior designers.

:laugh:

But it creates a "cozy" room feel. Plus you can put your center's tweeter level with the towers :laugh:

how long do you think the tv/centre will survive with the fireplace there?

Heat doesn't affect either, what makes you think that they would have any less of a lifespan above a heat source? :roll:

I am jk about TV's over the fireplace in case somebody didn't get that, because I am 100% against that.

 

[EvilYoda]

I'm wondering if we shouldn't rename this thread "high-end audio discussion" and let the OP try again. We've gotten off on a slight tangent, at the very least.

Then again, he's got a lot of good speakers to go look for now. We can expect him to report back in, oh, 3 years.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu......09-2007/Front1.JPG"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/sp.../12-09-2007/Front1.JPG"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/spmclaughlin/web/0%20Current%20Room/redecorating/12-09-2007/Front1.JPG ">https://mywebspace.wi............Front1.JPG</a></a></a>

I've done what I can to get the heights right. I have no doubt that with those speakers that I'd have centered sound when sitting right between them, but seating several feet to the left or right of the sweet spot is what I'm talking about.

Link is broken.

booo, stinking maintenance

Ok, here's a different crappy picture
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/Y...wsDAjello/IMG_0288.jpg

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc..........007/Front1.JPG"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu......09-2007/Front1.JPG"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/sp.../12-09-2007/Front1.JPG"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/spmclaughlin/web/0%20Current%20Room/redecorating/12-09-2007/Front1.JPG ">https://mywebspace.wi............t1.JPG</a></a></a></a>

I've done what I can to get the heights right. I have no doubt that with those speakers that I'd have centered sound when sitting right between them, but seating several feet to the left or right of the sweet spot is what I'm talking about.

Link is broken.

booo, stinking maintenance

Ok, here's a different crappy picture
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/Y...wsDAjello/IMG_0288.jpg

Oh how I long to be living on my own again....

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc..........007/Front1.JPG"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu......09-2007/Front1.JPG"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/sp.../12-09-2007/Front1.JPG"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/spmclaughlin/web/0%20Current%20Room/redecorating/12-09-2007/Front1.JPG ">https://mywebspace.wi............t1.JPG</a></a></a></a>

I've done what I can to get the heights right. I have no doubt that with those speakers that I'd have centered sound when sitting right between them, but seating several feet to the left or right of the sweet spot is what I'm talking about.

Link is broken.

booo, stinking maintenance

Ok, here's a different crappy picture
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/Y...wsDAjello/IMG_0288.jpg

why didn't you put the centre higher?

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

I could put the center up about 6 more inches I supppose before it really gets in the way of the screen. Laying down to watch doesn't leave as much room to adjust it as it appears in that picture.

It took about 3 minutes for me to write that and attempt to make it not sound dirty.

 

[sdifox]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
I could put the center up about 6 more inches I supppose before it really gets in the way of the screen. Laying down to watch doesn't leave as much room to adjust it as it appears in that picture.

It took about 3 minutes for me to write that and attempt to make it not sound dirty.

try to get the tweeters to the same plane as the mains' tweeters as much as you can.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
I could put the center up about 6 more inches I supppose before it really gets in the way of the screen. Laying down to watch doesn't leave as much room to adjust it as it appears in that picture.

It took about 3 minutes for me to write that and attempt to make it not sound dirty.

try to get the tweeters to the same plane as the mains' tweeters as much as you can.

What happened is that I got new front speakers. My old front speakers had the tweeters a little lower. I haven't been motivated to find something that will look semi-normal under my center channel yet.

I do get bothered with setups where the center is poorly aligned with the front speakers. The 5" difference in heights has not been noticeable to me.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: sdifox

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
I could put the center up about 6 more inches I supppose before it really gets in the way of the screen. Laying down to watch doesn't leave as much room to adjust it as it appears in that picture.

It took about 3 minutes for me to write that and attempt to make it not sound dirty.

try to get the tweeters to the same plane as the mains' tweeters as much as you can.

What happened is that I got new front speakers. My old front speakers had the tweeters a little lower. I haven't been motivated to find something that will look semi-normal under my center channel yet.

I do get bothered with setups where the center is poorly aligned with the front speakers. The 5" difference in heights has not been noticeable to me.

IMO until you start to get 6+ inches the average person cannot notice the positional ques being off. Obviously you want to try to keep the tweeters on the same plane, but unfortunately there is no current way to do this AFAIK without some kind of issue (be it an acoustically transparant screen, or a LCD/plasma). The closest we can get is a few inches in a HT setup. In a pure music setup, you can do that correctly. If you use a center though in a music situation, you now have lost the "true" stereo setup. So if I must come to some middle ground, I'll setup my center below the TV as close to the same plane as the towers and live with sound that *could* be detected by audiophiles as "not ideal".

 

[Tencntraze]

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc..........007/Front1.JPG"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu......09-2007/Front1.JPG"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/sp.../12-09-2007/Front1.JPG"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/spmclaughlin/web/0%20Current%20Room/redecorating/12-09-2007/Front1.JPG ">https://mywebspace.wi............t1.JPG</a></a></a></a>

I've done what I can to get the heights right. I have no doubt that with those speakers that I'd have centered sound when sitting right between them, but seating several feet to the left or right of the sweet spot is what I'm talking about.

Link is broken.

booo, stinking maintenance

Ok, here's a different crappy picture
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/Y...wsDAjello/IMG_0288.jpg

Are those the AV123 rockets? How do you like them? I absolutely love the way that they look and will likely get a pair at some point in the future.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

Originally posted by: Tencntraze

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello

Originally posted by: DisgruntledVirus

Originally posted by: YOyoYOhowsDAjello
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wi............Front1.JPG"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc..........007/Front1.JPG"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu......09-2007/Front1.JPG"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/sp.../12-09-2007/Front1.JPG"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/spmclaughlin/web/0%20Current%20Room/redecorating/12-09-2007/Front1.JPG ">https://mywebspace.wi............PG</a></a></a></a></a>

I've done what I can to get the heights right. I have no doubt that with those speakers that I'd have centered sound when sitting right between them, but seating several feet to the left or right of the sweet spot is what I'm talking about.

Link is broken.

booo, stinking maintenance

Ok, here's a different crappy picture
http://pics.bbzzdd.com/users/Y...wsDAjello/IMG_0288.jpg

Are those the AV123 rockets? How do you like them? I absolutely love the way that they look and will likely get a pair at some point in the future.

Yeah, they're rockets.

I originally got RS550MKIIx4 + RSC200
I later added RSS300s for surrounds
Then I bought a used pair of RS850s and installed Sig crossovers in them
Then I got a Sig crossover for the RSC200

I've been quite happy with them. I could see myself getting RSC500 once that's released eventually, but I feel quite satisfied with my configuration right now. I definitely know there are better speakers out there, but right now they're probably the safest part of my system in terms of what's in "danger" of being upgraded.

Projector needs replacing, Pre-Pro needs replacing, Front three channels could potentially get an amp replacement, I'll do a subwoofer upgrade, Tactile tranducer upgrade, then maybe I'd think about speakers again

If I was really hardcore into music and the whole "audiophile" thing, then I would probably be looking at getting a different system for dedicated 2 channel listening, but based on my habits, I'm quite happy with my hybrid music / movie rocket system.

Here's the crossover upgrade thread I made, all the pictures are out of commission right now though along with the first one I tried to link...
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=67&threadid=2098784

I've had a handful of issues with them over the years that I've had them, but I've consistently gotten excellent support from AV123 with them, which is a big plus for me. Their forum is also very helpful with some extremely dedicated people over there. Unfortunately the forum is on lockdown over there for the time being... They've restructured the pricing on a lot of stuff. Good news to new buyers, but probably going to make for some remorseful recent purchasers. Based on the past actions though, I assume people will be able to pricematch.

Just for examples, the 850 sigs are $1190 + shipping. I paid $1200 shipped for a pair of used 850s (with uninstalled sig crossovers) and that was a pretty good deal at the time.

http://av123.com/component/pag..._virtuemart/Itemid,37/
They've brought back the "Santa Schifter" deal on the 850/200/450 5.0 combo which is probably the lowest they've been.

I know there are a lot of great options at this pricerange, but I wouldn't (and do not) hesitate to recommend these when they're on sale like this. The MSRP on the site is too steep, but when the deals are on, they're pretty solid.

 

[sdifox]

any of you think op will post an update, like soon?

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: sdifox
any of you think op will post an update, like soon?

Or should we just continue on our side conversation?