Home Audio

[TrailBlazn420]

I've got some old school receivers from the 70s, and love the way they sound. Is anyone else into home audio/ home theater set-ups? Flat-Screen TVs are cool, but they're nothing without sound! Let's see some pics!!

 

[havie22]

Here is mines!View attachment 17085View attachment 17085

 

[Blckshdw]

Impressive! House party at Havie's house this weekend!! Everybody bring your own booze!!

 

[havie22]

View attachment 17086 THOSE ARE BEFORE PICS!

 

[havie22]

Impressive! House party at Havie's house this weekend!! Everybody bring your own booze!!

YOU ARE ALL WELCOME!ITS BIGGER NOW I HAVE TO TAKE PICS OF HOW IT LOOKS NOW AND I LENDED MY 2 BASS BOTTOMS!

 

[djthumper]

Man I put my DJ stuff up but I guess I can pull it out for a pic if I can't find any.

 

[havie22]

i have to take a new one of the whole set up together but my kids will make me turn it on!lol

 

[fishsticks]

I'm actually a dealer for several home theater brands.

My camera battery is dead so you get a crappy cell pic for now. This setup fit so much better in our old house as I built 22 space rack into a wall there. I need to work out what I want to do at the new place still.

TV: Mitsubishi WD-Y65 65" 1080P DLP (I actually PREFER DLP TVs to flat screens for several reasons)
AV Receiver: Denon AVR2808ci
Fronts: Polk Audio RTi-A7 towers
Center: Polk Audio CSi-A6
Surrounds: Polk Audio FXi-A4
Subwoofer: Velodyne Impact 12
Other stuff: Xbox 360, softmodded Wii, Media PC with MyMovies pulling from the 4TB storage array on one of my servers.


I live in a townhouse now. The sound proofing between units is good but I should probably just sell most of this. I can't turn it up like I used to be able to. Movie/Rock Band night was VERY popular at my old place.

 

[djthumper]

i have to take a new one of the whole set up together but my kids will make me turn it on!lol

Yeah that is my problem, the boys will want me to crank it up.

 

[Porkins]

TV: Mitsubishi WD-Y65 65" 1080P DLP (I actually PREFER DLP TVs to flat screens for several reasons)

You got me beat there, we have a 55"

 

[Regulator]

I'm actually a dealer for several home theater brands.

My camera battery is dead so you get a crappy cell pic for now. This setup fit so much better in our old house as I built 22 space rack into a wall there. I need to work out what I want to do at the new place still.

TV: Mitsubishi WD-Y65 65" 1080P DLP (I actually PREFER DLP TVs to flat screens for several reasons)
AV Receiver: Denon AVR2808ci
Fronts: Polk Audio RTi-A7 towers
Center: Polk Audio CSi-A6
Surrounds: Polk Audio FXi-A4
Subwoofer: Velodyne Impact 12
Other stuff: Xbox 360, softmodded Wii, Media PC with MyMovies pulling from the 4TB storage array on one of my servers.


I live in a townhouse now. The sound proofing between units is good but I should probably just sell most of this. I can't turn it up like I used to be able to. Movie/Rock Band night was VERY popular at my old place.

I like the idea of the media PC. I am currently using a DLink media streaming box, it works but if I have anything else going on the network it has a habit of lagging. Especially during high action scenes in the movie.

 

[fishsticks]

I like the idea of the media PC. I am currently using a DLink media streaming box, it works but if I have anything else going on the network it has a habit of lagging. Especially during high action scenes in the movie.

I build high power media servers for some of my clients. The one you see there is just a box I built out of spare parts. I always recommend running wire to a media PC as they will overwhelm a wireless network quickly.

 

[walterc4553]

Downstairs
Sony - KDL-40W5100 - TV as big as the wife would let me get
Sony - STR -DG1200 - 7.1 with Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Decoding
Sony - BD350 - BluRay player. with Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Decoding
Toshiba - 5 disc DVD/CD changer
Win 7 Media Center 3GB ram with dual tv tuner. watch and record at same time.

I have the bluray player decoding the signal and then streaming to the reciever. The reciever decodes all other signals.

All my speakers are lower end but I am in the believe that unless you have the best of hearing and you don't push the speakers limits (keep the volume down) you won't notice the difference. So I don't spend much money on speakers.

12 in fronts/A main speakers with 3 in mid and dome tweeters
12 in sub
6 in side and rears with tweeters
5 in dual with single tweeter for center.
8 in B main speakers with 3in mid and dome tweeters

I build this two years ago when BluRay and TrueHD were first coming out. Still pretty good considering how things have changed. If I had to change anything right now it would be my center speaker. I want larger mains on it and two tweeters... One just does not carry the high tones well enough.


Home Network
I also have a server with 2TB of raid storage that is on Win 7 with Media center with a single TV tuner (watch or record) Dual core, dual processor with 6GB ram.

Running Remote Potato so that I can watch on any device connected to my network and setup recordings from anywhere.

I have ran Cat 5E to all of the rooms in my house and have Gig network running. I would recommend that if you are streaming from a server to a media center.

Bedroom
The bedroom has piece parts from my old entertainment system (5.1) before the upgrade. Along with a cheap bluray player and 32 in LCD TV(again the biggest my wife would let me get).
5in powered sub
3 in speakers all around
Pioneer 720 5.1
Win 7 Media Center with 2GB ram

 

[fishsticks]

All my speakers are lower end but I am in the believe that unless you have the best of hearing and you don't push the speakers limits (keep the volume down) you won't notice the difference. So I don't spend much money on speakers.

A big factor in determining quality components if their low-mid volume sound quality. No one listens to their systems at full volume, so peak numbers rarely account for much.

That said, I benchmark most existing home theater systems with a simple db meter and some sweep tones. If there's a significant dropoff at a certain range then I make recommendations from there. After that it's all ear tuning. Sound quality is very subjective, especially in recorded music where there are no established "standards".

Speakers are investment pieces, you buy a good set once and they last for years and years.

TLDR version: Your speakers are probably fine.

 

[walterc4553]

Completely agree with you. In fact your statements go right along with my statement about most people cannot hear a difference. It is strange how some people cannot hear complete tone ranges. Why can one person hear low ranges and not high and another hear high ranges and not low. Like you said it is all subjective.

But yes I have thought many times about upgrading then I think to myself the same thing you said... they are probably fine. With two kids now I doubt that I will get to upgrade until they need replaced.

A big factor in determining quality components if their low-mid volume sound quality. No one listens to their systems at full volume, so peak numbers rarely account for much.

That said, I benchmark most existing home theater systems with a simple db meter and some sweep tones. If there's a significant dropoff at a certain range then I make recommendations from there. After that it's all ear tuning. Sound quality is very subjective, especially in recorded music where there are no established "standards".

Speakers are investment pieces, you buy a good set once and they last for years and years.

TLDR version: Your speakers are probably fine.

 

[navigator]

a lot of it is having an ear for it.
I am on the sound committee at our church.
I can run the board and get the mix to work and the levels right but the two other guys can make it sound better.
I know I can't mix it as well as they can, I can hear the difference but can't figure out how to get it right.
I don't have as many hours on the board as they do either though, I expect that is some of it.

My wife can sing harmony with most anyone.
I can't sing it at all unless I am standing beside someone in the choir singing it.
I know I am off but can't find the part.

A lot of it is talent that I don't have.
What is worse is folks that think they have it and don't
Congrats to you audio folks that have the ear for it.

 

[rmsg0040]

Nice systems ppl!,

I use to run peavey sp2's with the peavey 1600 amp. Speakers weighed 90 LBS a piece and made is USA. Nice system but way too powerful. Sold it and bought some yorkville yx15's and 2 qsc gx5 amps. Still have my parents Cerwin Vega VS-120's from 1994, USA made and will probably last forever. In the future I may consider getting a yorkville yx18 sub, qsc gx3 amp, and and a dbx crossover. Peace

 

[gmcman]

Somewhat in the project phase but still need to determine room acoustics due to the extensive paneling. Needs to be centered so I need to add another door to the room in the rear, was corner loaded but with the aquisition of the Polk SDA's I cannot have the equipment in the corner.

TT needs to be on a ridgid mount but is working as of now but added the speakers after the LOML and I dug out the old vinyl....now it's game-on. Was using Polk RT800's for mains but the SDA-2B just blows them away, not fair considering their nature but the added soundstage is just immense.

 

[gmcman]

Man, can't believe this thread hasn't been hit since March...and I was the last one.

Anyway, latest CL find was a 20x20 table and a 20x20 slab of granite, each was from 2 different sellers about 2 miles apart, very cool.

Not the greatest match in decor but the two compliment each other and I was able to get the TT out of the rack and onto a solid foundation. I dynamatted the undersides of the shelves and spiked the feet....made a dramatic difference in rumble or lack thereof. Granted the lid is removed when listening as well.