Home Theatre systems

[Rexx]

Originally Posted by duaned

I use a Logitech 1100i and I am very happy with it. As an installer I do a lot of work with Logitech remotes. But you are best buying these online as most retailers dont seem to stock them anymore due to Logitech's online presence.

Duane,
Norma big fan of the 1100, my fave was the Harmony One, still is. Had mine for five years now and hasn't missed a beat. I too am an installer/seller.
I find the harmony one etc to be a bit nicer in the sense there is a lot of hard buttons already there. Most clients that's easier to introduce.

[Rexx]

Originally Posted by svo347

Ive been informed to buy a Logitech remote to operate the entire system off one controller and was "Quoted" around $500!!! for that price ill happily use the 4 at the moment

As Duane said look online cheaper everywhere. Now keep in mind while the are great remotes they are not perfect they do need some tweaking to get them just right. Have been programming and setting up these remotes over 5 years.
Got mine to the point the wife can't use the original ones any more

[Noddy]

Between 04-07 I had a Phillips pronto which was ok for the time but not great. Since then Ive used the Rotel receiver remote which controls everything but because you cant re assign button names no one else has a clue what button does what.

So I want a remote that most people could walk in the room and fire most things up. I had some macros setup on the pronto which worked occasionally.

The 1100 has been around for some time and I have looked at it before, I'm just surprised not much else has been released since in this price range.

I spoke with the IRule local rep via email and they want approx 750 to setup a custom remote. This is tablet application.
www.iruleathome.com

Rexx when you say the 1100 is not perfect what problems does it have? Software related?

[Rexx]

Noddy,
I hate to sound like a fanboy but bang for buck and what you can do with the logitechs at a 1/4 of the price of Pronto, Marantz etc etc is solo much better.
I have NEVER seen a pronto, Marantz , clipsal, remote ever programmed to the point you can store the others away. As an installer the 1100 is great as long as your a bit of a gadget guy. The lack of buttons tends to scare most clientsmasmthe have to change from one screen to another. The only real issue outside of that is battery life. My Harmony One goes about 4 to 5 days before it goes back on the charger. In short I love it. If you can't program a rotel then you can do Logitech

[duaned]

I leave my 1100i off the charger for weeks at a time, it has never gone flat!
As for hard buttons, whilst I agree, the 1100i gives you the ability to place your (or customers) choice of buttons on the first page of the touchscreen. This is great for regular IR commands and even better for those buttons that are not available as Hard Buttons on the Harmony One. But each to their own!

Back on topic, how about a pic or two of said Home Theatre Systems?
Here's a teaser of mine. This Centre costs more than most Home Theatre Systems on it's own!



Grills Off!

[Rexx]

That Center is a F'n BEAST!!!!

[Rexx]

Mine well I have kids 3 in fact and they are 5 and under. Floor standing was a mo mo for me. What I got was the Anthony Gallos Ti Divas. While they are small they freakin crank and crystal clear. Please do not compare these to Bose as they are not even close. As an installer too I get to play with other peoples toys just not mine yet

[Rexx]

Duane of the charger weeks at a time thats insane never seen a 1000 or 1100 last more than a 2 days.

[AC/DC]

Nad Stereo Valve amp for Music

Yamaha amp for theatre. Pana HD Projector

Dali 10" front, Dali Centre, Dali Rears.

Velodyne 15" Sub.

Goes hard !

[Noddy]

Here's a couple of pics of my HT. Sorry about the quality, being a dedicated room theres no ambient light. I'm going to trial some blue coloured LED down lights today and ditch the 50w halogens. There are two mdf columns on the each side wall with sconces on them. Overall for something I completely designed myself I'm very happy. You can have the room cranking along and hear virtually nothing from outside the house.

Rf5s. The small light fitting you can see on the wall houses a bright led which lights up if someone hits the front door bell. Very handy.

online photo storage
You can't make a lot out in this pic of the front stage, the two SVS subs are on the each side. 100" screen.

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[blueoval]

nice set up there Matt.

[blueoval]

Thought I'd revive this thread.

I got my home theater finished a few months ago and thought I'd post up some pics of the setup and room.

This is the mini bar in the HT room

VINTEC triple glazed mini bar fridge - can house up to 150 cans of (insert beverage here)

My Sofa - can fit 6 adults with comfort.

My HT system


DLS Flatbox XL wall speakers

DLS 3 way ceiling mounted speakers - professionally color coded to match ceiling paint

Yamaha 7.2ch 90w x7 amp provides plenty of power. PS3 back compatible unit acts as my media centre.

Sorry for poor quality picture, but this is the cabinetry that the system is fitted to.

12" Dayton Sub with its own amp. (DOnt ask me the model number on either I got a mate to order them both from the states). The sound on this sub is awesome. It's not balls out in your face, but you can tell its definitely there. Shakes the house out to the point my neighbors complain and the gain on it is set to low. Its been fitted out with a custom enclosure, and a beauty panel has been made up to fit into the cabinetry so its nice a neat.





Overall the sound is crisp, clear and precise. The speakers play movies well, but plays music even better at any level, no distortion.

The room has been double lined with 2 layers of CSR Soundchek to keep sound in. A solid core door for added insulation and double glazed windows. I could have spent more on rubber mounts to house the lining on for sound absorption but the costs already racked up plenty with the setup I have already.

I will post up more pics later.

[Sox]

Wow, dunno how I missed this thread...

My HT room measures 6m wide by 7.5m long, by 2.7m high.
The floor is 20mm ply, tiles, and 20mm yellow tongue on top - A form of constrained layer damping.
The internal walls have double layer plaster board with fibreglass batts in the cavity.
The external wall has 3 layers of plaster board with fibreglass in the cavity.
The ceiling is double layer plaster board with 200mm of fibreglass in the cavity.
Solid timber door on each side.

The front wall has 200mm of acoustic foam, and then 100mm of rigid fibreglass.
The side walls have 50mm of high density acoustic foam.
The rear wall currently has a mosh posh of foam, but will ultimately have 100mm of acoustic foam.
The ceiling has a suspended grid with a 100mm air gap for all the cabling and 100mm of rigid fibreglass.
The floor has commercial studio grade Bridgestone rubber underlay, and studio grade loop carpet.
Large corner columns and extra side columns are yet to come, which will serve double duty as bass traps and light holders. There will also be a bulk head down the sides and rear which will hide the surround speakers and A/C.

There is a stage up the front with room for the front amplification, centre speaker, and mood lighting.
The rear has a 400mm tier for the second row of seating, plus steps and extra mood lighting.

We're onto our second set of seating as the first set was showing signs of wear, being a rather cheap unit. The current leather lounge won't be staying, as it will make way for a dedicated theatre style recliner setup with cup holders, etc.

There are CD/DVD racks towards the rear of the room.


The equipment list is as follows -

Main speakers - Equinox Galaxy
Centre speaker - Equinox Meridian
Surround speakers - 4 x Equinox Solstice custom
Surround back speakers - 2 x Equinox Solstice custom

Main amplifier - Equinox mosfet 400w x 2
Centre amplifer - Equinox mosfet 300w x 1
Surround amplifier - Equinox mosfet 200 x 2
(AVR drives the surround back)

AVR - Cambridge Audio 551R
BD player - Cambridge Audio 751BD
Game console - Xbox 360
Foxtel box

Projector - Sanyo PLV-Z800
Screen - 120" motorised 16/9

2 channel preamp - Primare PRE30
CD player - Primare CD31
Turntable - Project 6.9 - Ortofon MC30 Supreme - Cambridge Audio 650P RIAA module

Most of the equipment is off to the side, built into a cupboard outside of the room.

There's no extra subs in the system as the Galaxy main speakers system consist of 8 x 300mm long throw subs, with 4000w of on-board amplification.


We still have a bit of work to complete the room, as always money and time holds things back. So far it's working quite well though.
.

[ronnas07]

Wow... Blue Oval and Sox

[old_mate]

Sox wins.

[jimt3te50]

Holy crap Sox... You know you can buy some big speakers now?

[ILLaViTaR]

Regarding hi-fi my mate had an old pioneer setup from the early 90's and it was better than the super cinema (I'm not exaggerating either!!). Another friend had an $1800 sony setup (7.2 speakers, receiver etc) and it sounded crap, for one all the speakers were less around 3 inch in diameter and were no better than pc speakers.. trebly thin crap.

As far as the sound aspect of it make sure you get QUALITY, don't splurge on 7.1 or even 5.1 gimmick crap. If you don't have anymore more than $1500 you'll need to start small. 2 front monitors at $450ea (paradigm are good) and a decent receiver mainly with quality power amp/eq/room eq/million other important things $400-$600 are good entry levels. If you don't have $1500 try ebay as the older stuff in music is generally better than new (just prepare for serviceable things like speakers needing to be reconed and possibly even replacement tubes)

Can you get all tube power amps for hi-fi like wit music eqiupment? One of those and some studio monitors would sound incredble!

(lol 2yr odl thread thanks alcohol!) some killer setups in this thread!!!

[blueoval]

Ok rick you gotta bigger Wang, you win. Lol

I'm still happy with my humble setup. It is very good for what I've spent.i could have spent more but I had to cut the budget or i'd be sleeping on the floor with no need.

[XP6]

HT nerds!

[Sox]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Ok rick you gotta bigger Wang, you win. Lol

I'm still happy with my humble setup. It is very good for what I've spent.i could have spent more but I had to cut the budget or i'd be sleeping on the floor with no need.

Your system is really nice mate.

I only have such an elaborate system because that's one of the perks of being in the business.
I doubt I'd be in any position to drop over 40k on a pair of speakers if I wasn't the person making them.


I forgot to mention, the main stereo amplifier will be replaced soon with a pair of 1000w mono blocs.
Each mono amp will have 12 x 250w mosfets, a 2000va transformer, and 100,000uf of capacitance.

[blueoval]

The scene from Back to the Future is what I see with your setup Rick. haha


Everyone's taste on what they want is different I guess.

I spent $1500+ alone just on the speakers because I wanted wall mounted and lots of clarity rather than Db.

As a combination, the whole setup is very well tuned and is crystal clear. I really love the way the movies and music sounds through them as a whole. Anything more for me would be wasted as I wouldn't be able to use the maximum potential of the system.

I know I could have spent more on a better amp but the Yamaha I got for a really good price. So it was hard to pass up.

The TV is a 70" Sony Bravia LED LCD. The windows are covered with cellular block out blinds.

[rednose]

Hey Shav,

Looks like I will be going wall mounted speakers aswell as it's a cleaner look.

Where did you purchase the XL's and do you think 2 Midi's for rears would be better suited to the 3 XL's up front or would Mini's be enough for the rear?

Amp is a Yammy RXV-1900

Room is 5 x 3.6

Screen is 70" Sony LCD

Thanks,

George

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by rednose

Hey Shav,

Looks like I will be going wall mounted speakers aswell as it's a cleaner look.

Where did you purchase the XL's and do you think 2 Midi's for rears would be better suited to the 3 XL's up front or would Mini's be enough for the rear?

Amp is a Yammy RXV-1900

Room is 5 x 3.6

Screen is 70" Sony LCD

Thanks,

George

Hi George

I had a rep here in SA that distributes the DLS brand so I got a good deal. I can PM you the details of the guys if you wish? He will send interstate too. Top bloke and very knowledgeable. I had him over to check out my room and told him what I was after before I ordered to ensure I purchases the correct speakers.

My amp is Yamaha RX-V675

My room if 4.3x4.5

Screen for my room is 70" Sony too.

As for rear speaker choice, the midi's would be fine if you are wanting the look of the speakers to stand out. For my system I wanted the sound to be there but wanted the speakers to blend in, hence why I chose the DLS IW 2.4/2.6 ceiling mounted speakers. http://dls.se/en/home/prod.html?produkt=en_947

I don't think you can go wrong with the sound. The on wall types will be a touch different compared to the in ceiling but overall the quality will be there. Your amp especially will make the most of the sound. My amp is great, I can have the sound between 0 and +5 and the sound will be crystal clear yet still loud and without distortion. I never watch a movie or listen to music at that level of volume (usually about -17 for Bluray and -10 for DVD). Your amp has nearly double the power of mine, so you find the speakers will come into their own so earlier in the volume range.

The position of where the speakers will be mounted is crucial. So be aware of 'reverberation' and sound reflection of adjacent walls. Even a painting on a wall can change the effect of the sound in a room. So choose carefully and do some research on optimum speaker locations based on the speakers you choose.

Are you in SA? If you were, I'b be happy to give you a demo of my sound system.

[rednose]

Thanks Shav, unfortunately I'm in Sydney.

Is your contact Davide from DLS?

He told me Midis for Right, Left and Rears and an XL for the Centre would be perfect for my room.

Still have about 6-12 months before I move into the house so will do some more research

Currently have Krix Lyrix and Centrix up front and Krix Apex for rears, 10 years old but still work well

Cheers,

George

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by rednose

Thanks Shav, unfortunately I'm in Sydney.

Is your contact Davide from DLS?

He told me Midis for Right, Left and Rears and an XL for the Centre would be perfect for my room.

Still have about 6-12 months before I move into the house so will do some more research

Currently have Krix Lyrix and Centrix up front and Krix Apex for rears, 10 years old but still work well

Cheers,

George

Hi George, yes it was Davide. He's a very knowledgeable guy and knows his DLS products.

Definitely do your research, you have to be happy with the purchase at the end of the day.

Krix stuff is pretty good and I am not surprised that its still going strong to this day.

As far as I am concerned though, my DLS speakers are probably one of the best wall mounted speaker on the market for what I wanted in terms of all round clarity and value. The mid range is very punchy but not intrusive, and it is backed up by a decent sub to tie it all off. Originally I wanted B&W in wall speakers which were better again in the higher DB levels offering excellent crispness, but at double the price range of the DLS speakers, it meant I had to compromise in other areas of the room due to my budget.

As I mentioned before, my design brief entailed as much clarity, and precision as possible when hearing sounds like gun shots, breaking glass, crashes etc. The speakers also had to look like they belong in the room. Being wall mounted I was concerned about the appearance in if they will suit the room and still perform.

I had a minimalistic approach to the home theatre, I wanted it to look crisp and clean but stated and uncluttered, yet able to punch out some seriously clear sound at any DB level. Heavy bass was not on the agenda, but it had to be there to pick up the areas of sound tracks in movies as well as musical environments. The sub I have has been chosen, professionally fitted into a custom box and carefully tuned to capture the lower DB sounds just enough to not be prominent but definitely know its there when required.

I know I could get even better again, but for what I paid, I am very happy with the performance this system offers.

[graphicgoose]

Originally Posted by Sox

Your system is really nice mate.

I only have such an elaborate system because that's one of the perks of being in the business.
I doubt I'd be in any position to drop over 40k on a pair of speakers if I wasn't the person making them.


I forgot to mention, the main stereo amplifier will be replaced soon with a pair of 1000w mono blocs.
Each mono amp will have 12 x 250w mosfets, a 2000va transformer, and 100,000uf of capacitance.

Wow dude, your system is epic! And you're actually the dude behind Equinox Audio? Even cooler! I used to work at a HT store for a while during uni and the best setup I ever got to listen to was some Elac FS 609 CE and some rather expensive Pro Ac's

Had to settle for a Yamaha RXV-1600 (back when HDMI was starting out, mine will only do 720p or 1080i via HDMI) and some Focal JM Lab gear that would be the equivalent to the current 700 series focal gear I guess. Would love to upgrade to something a little more purposeful in the future when I build/buy my own house, but my current setup has served me well for nearly 10 years now!

[Noddy]

I haven't checked this thread out for a while now but Shav and Sox have raised the bar considerably. Well done gents!

Shav, nice setup mate! You must be very happy with the end result.

Sox, also a very nice room. I can only imagine what those main speakers must perform like.

Can you elaborate on the acoustic treatment of the room? What type/brand of acoustic foam did you use for the walls and what type of bass trapping did you use in this room?

Matt.

[ntguy]

Lovely Speakers, not sure if I could ever justify the 42k......

http://www.equinoxaudio.com.au/speakers/galaxy.html

[Sox]

Originally Posted by Noddy

I haven't checked this thread out for a while now but Shav and Sox have raised the bar considerably. Well done gents!

Shav, nice setup mate! You must be very happy with the end result.

Sox, also a very nice room. I can only imagine what those main speakers must perform like.

Can you elaborate on the acoustic treatment of the room? What type/brand of acoustic foam did you use for the walls and what type of bass trapping did you use in this room?

Matt.

Thanks for the kind words.

As for the acoustic stuff.

The foam on the front wall is scrap foam I had for years, probably just a mattress kind of foam, and most likely not ideal for acoustics, but when it's 200mm thick, then it's more than enough.
On top of that is 32lbs/ft rigid fiberglass paneling at 100mm thick.
So the front wall has 300mm of acoustic treatment, in a nutshell the wall doesn't exist acoustically, close to anechoic.

The ceiling has the same 100mm rigid fiberglass on a grid, with a 100mm air gap, I guess this would be semi anechoic.

The side walls have 50mm Dunlop foam - AA29-400. This is the same stuff most commercial studios use on the walls. And the cheap-ish bass traps found on Ebay etc.
It's perhaps not the very best material for this purpose, but it's very good, and sensibly priced.

The back wall just has a mish-mash of scrap foam for the moment.

Bass traps are also currently a mish mash of the Dunlop foam mentioned above.

Ultimately I'm aiming for the 50mm Dunlop foam all the way down the side walls, and probably 100mm on the back wall.

The bass traps will also be quite different, basically a large column in all 4 corners, made from a lightweight timber frame, filled with high density fiberglass or cotton, held in with mesh and covered in a fabric.

3 more hollow columns will exist down the side walls, and tuned as need.

A bulk head mad the same way as the columns, and also tuned as required.


The equipment is only one part of the puzzle, extensive room treatments are what make a system work to it's full potential.

[Sox]

Originally Posted by ntguy

Lovely Speakers, not sure if I could ever justify the 42k......

http://www.equinoxaudio.com.au/speakers/galaxy.html

Thanks, though I couldn't either if I didn't make them...