Home Theater Mega Thread

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

Yup they do. So in your case the Marantz allows the "surround back" input to be assignable. Meaning you'd lose 7.1 capability, but you could set the surround back to act as Zone 2 front speakers, turn on both Zone 1 and 2 fronts, and it'd basically be a 5.1 setup with the fronts bi-amped. If that makes any sense.

So you'd take the metal strip out of your speakers (that's now connecting both negatives and positives together), plug one set of -/+ into "Front A" like they are now, plug in the other set of +/- into "Surround Back", then assign surround back as "Front A (or 2, depending on what Marantz calls it).

Okay cool. Thanks so much. I can't wait to change this stuff around. I'll report back. I don't mind losing 7.1. I've only been rocking 5.1 anyway.

[Baron von Kriterium]

Originally Posted by Sliver

lol, yeah. I got that stuff from A&B Sound in 1995 when I bought a NAD receiver. He told me it was like $15 a foot or something crazy. Don't worry, he threw it in because 'I seemed like a good guy.' Anyway, I've been carting it around for years, but I think it's time to get rid of it.

There is nothing wrong with the twisted wire (not worth $15/ft, though!). You could clean it up by using heat shrink and some Techflex, though. Using 4 x stranded 16 AWG gives you an equivalent 10AWG.

The theory is that the wires are twisted together in opposite directions in order to help reduce asymmetrical field interactions since the wires are not on either the inside or outside of the cable more than any other wire.

The theory also says it also helps to keep the inductance of the overall speaker cable at a minimum.

I make my own speaker cables this way, but I honestly don't notice any difference in audio quality. But, they do look sharp.

http://diyaudioprojects.com/Power/Lo...peaker-Cables/

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

plug one set of -/+ into "Front A" like they are now, plug in the other set of +/- into "Surround Back", then assign surround back as "Front B (or 2, depending on what Marantz calls it).

Whoops. Typo. Surround back should be set to B or 2.

[Baron von Kriterium]

Full disclosure: I am not a home theatre wiz having never really enjoyed the surround sound. At any rate, here are some of my comments:

For bi-amping: unless you bypass the speakers' internal crossover, you won't gain anything. Well, maybe a little. But not enough to make it worthwhile.

If you want to go the bi-amp route properly, you will need an electronic crossover between pre-amp and amp. You will need more cables (likely XLR). Ideally, your amps should be the exact same to avoid gain issues. More money, in short.

However, if I read you correctly and your main audio source is streaming audio from WWW, then this is way overkill.

I've read that Marantz HTRs sometimes peg their volume to -6dB for iPod/ Apple TV/internet and the like. Dunno if that is true or not or if that is a glitch in a small quantity.

Regardless of the 7007 specs, I'd still get separate amps. I run a tiny Marantz NR1403 but I have two Parasound HCA 1000s driving the fronts and centre (I only use 3.0 in my home theare set-up). Basically, I'm using the NR1403 as a preamp/processor and nothing else. I do not use it for two-channel stereo; I have a separate set-up for that.

If you want loud and thumping bass, get some Crown XLS 1500 amps. You get a lot of power/$$$ with those amps. I don't know what you paid for the 7007, but you could get an NR1403 and a boat load of power amps for the same dollar amount, I reckon.

[cupofjoe]

Originally Posted by Baron von Kriterium

Full disclosure: I am not a home theatre wiz having never really enjoyed the surround sound. At any rate, here are some of my comments:

For bi-amping: unless you bypass the speakers' internal crossover, you won't gain anything. Well, maybe a little. But not enough to make it worthwhile.

If you want to go the bi-amp route properly, you will need an electronic crossover between pre-amp and amp. You will need more cables (likely XLR). Ideally, your amps should be the exact same to avoid gain issues. More money, in short.

However, if I read you correctly and your main audio source is streaming audio from WWW, then this is way overkill.

I've read that Marantz HTRs sometimes peg their volume to -6dB for iPod/ Apple TV/internet and the like. Dunno if that is true or not or if that is a glitch in a small quantity.

Regardless of the 7007 specs, I'd still get separate amps. I run a tiny Marantz NR1403 but I have two Parasound HCA 1000s driving the fronts and centre (I only use 3.0 in my home theare set-up). Basically, I'm using the NR1403 as a preamp/processor and nothing else. I do not use it for two-channel stereo; I have a separate set-up for that.

If you want loud and thumping bass, get some Crown XLS 1500 amps. You get a lot of power/$$$ with those amps. I don't know what you paid for the 7007, but you could get an NR1403 and a boat load of power amps for the same dollar amount, I reckon.

+1 to this whole post, well stated.

[StrykerSteve]

Originally Posted by StrykerSteve

Thought I'd share the finished product with you all.

http://i.imgur.com/eBHnoZT.jpg

7.1 audio goodness and the receiver/TV are fantastic.

My wife and her Dad surprised me for my birthday this week by putting the finishing touches on the room, including adding some shelving for my movie collection and building a cabinet for the electrical panel that was on the wall.



Tonight, once the kids are in bed, we play Until Dawn!

[DownhillGoat]

Anyone have any experience with Kanto speakers? Was looking at the PSB Alpha 1 (powered speaker) for the computer, but LD has a similar pair of Kantos on sale right now. Curious about sound quality.

[CroFlames]

Hey guys

I want to get my feet wet with this home theater stuff finally. I think I want a plug 'n play system out of the box, with all the components in one box. I don't think I have the expertise (nor the inclination to spend that much) on a system where I need to buy the receiver, woofer, speakers, cables all separately.

Inevitably, the question is what's my budget? Well, I don't know. What should my budget be for an all in one system?

The system will be used for movies and TV, and I suppose some PS4 gaming. I'm not uber competitive on console gaming, so I don't need some next gen stuff or anything. Since the PS4 (and PS3) play blurays, the system doesn't need a bluray player.

So basically if you were starting out, how would you start out? Stay away from the soundbar+woofer systems? Stay away from the Bose 1 speaker + woofer systems?

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

So basically if you were starting out, how would you start out? Stay away from the soundbar+woofer systems? Stay away from the Bose 1 speaker + woofer systems?

A) the nitpickey part. It's a sub-woofer. Not a woofer. The woofers are generally included in the tower or bookshelf speaker.

B) IMO stay away from the Home Theatre in a Box if you actually want sound quality or to be able to upgrade anything down the road. They're cheaper for a reason.

The better way (IMO) to get into it is buy a nice matched system, in which lots of places will have. You can go to Costco or London Drugs and get a receiver speaker combo that will be a step above a HTIB without the hassle because everything is picked for you.

Or, since I hammer these brands all the time, I'd take a look at the Deftech Pro-Cinema. One nice little package, mate it up with a cheap Denon, even a Yamaha or the like, and you've got an infinitely better system than a soundbar or an HTIB.

http://www.definitivetech.com/products/procinema-1000

[CroFlames]

Please excuse my ignorance, I'm just starting out.

Would this be considered a "matched" system instead of a HTiB?

http://www.onkyousa.com/Products/mod...urce=prodClass

Although it all comes in one package, it's got a receiver.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Would this be considered a "matched"
system instead of a HTiB?

Although it all comes in one package, it's got a receiver.

Hey it's all good! That's more like what I was talking about (matched set isn't correct terminology I just wanted to decipher the difference between that and the basic HTIB).

Basically I would avoid anything that comes with speaker wires that are integrated to the unit, or a bluray/receiver combo.

Another example of what I meant (just picked a random one from Costco)
http://www.costco.ca/Yamaha%c2%ae-RX...100213468.html

[CroFlames]

Oh ok cool. I think I'm on the right track now.

What's a good starting point budget wise? I live in the USA so we are talking US dollars.

I'm no sound snob, so what are some key, must have features that I should look for ?

[Komskies]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Oh ok cool. I think I'm on the right track now.

What's a good starting point budget wise? I live in the USA so we are talking US dollars.

I'm no sound snob, so what are some key, must have features that I should look for ?

I'm in the process of setting up my home theatre right now and after doing tons of research I settled on the Pioneer Andrew Jones bookshelf, floorstanding, and center channel speakers for my 7.1 setup (2 pairs of bookshelf speakers for side and rear, 2 floorstanding for the front speakers, and the center channel), which I will pair with a Klipsch 10" subwoofer that I already own.

Here's a review for the Pioneer speakers that pretty much says it's the best you can get at the $500 price point (these things are literally twice as expensive in Canada).

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/bes...peaker-system/

I'm not sure if you have a Fry's Electronics near you, but I've seen reports of a pair of these bookshelf speakers going on sales for as cheap as $50, and they generally retail for $139 in Canada.

[CroFlames]

Yeah there is a Fry's relatively close by to me. I love that store and there are certainly deals to be had there. The City of Industry Fry's is closest to me in case you see some random deal

[Komskies]

The BenQ HT 1075 projector is on for $899 today on Amazon.ca. It's a highly regarded projector and I've been watching the price for a while, this is the lowest it's been in a year. With the weak Canadian dollar right now I'm not sure I'd expect it to go any lower any time soon.

http://www.amazon.ca/BenQ-HT1075-108...ords=benq+1075

[verda13]

Originally Posted by Komskies

The BenQ HT 1075 projector is on for $899 today on Amazon.ca. It's a highly regarded projector and I've been watching the price for a while, this is the lowest it's been in a year. With the weak Canadian dollar right now I'm not sure I'd expect it to go any lower any time soon.

http://www.amazon.ca/BenQ-HT1075-108...ords=benq+1075

I purchased that projector last Christmas, amazing investment. If anyone has any questions, let me know.

[Komskies]

Originally Posted by verda13

I purchased that projector last Christmas, amazing investment. If anyone has any questions, let me know.

How is yours mounted? I bought the projector last Friday and I need to go with a wall mount. I have a 106" screen so I figure I need about a 12' throw distance.

[verda13]

Originally Posted by Komskies

How is yours mounted? I bought the projector last Friday and I need to go with a wall mount. I have a 106" screen so I figure I need about a 12' throw distance.

I used the Benq ceiling mount. I was developing my basement and installed it (and ran wires) before finishing the ceiling.

The throw distance is adjustable to an extent using the zoom on the lens (which does not affect quality). Mine is 10' away from the screen and I can adjust from 92" - 120"

According to this tool, you can mount from 8'-10" to 11'-7"

[Komskies]

Originally Posted by verda13

I used the Benq ceiling mount. I was developing my basement and installed it (and ran wires) before finishing the ceiling.

The throw distance is adjustable to an extent using the zoom on the lens (which does not affect quality). Mine is 10' away from the screen and I can adjust from 92" - 120"

According to this tool, you can mount from 8'-10" to 11'-7"

I'm setting it up in a 10' wide x 15' long room, and due to a bulkhead have to mount the screen about 13" from the end wall. That means with a max throw of 11'7" I'll need to find a wall mount that can get the lens 28" away from the wall.

I THINK this particular mount would work, but not 100% on that.

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B005...f_rd_i=desktop

[verda13]

Originally Posted by Komskies

I'm setting it up in a 10' wide x 15' long room, and due to a bulkhead have to mount the screen about 13" from the end wall. That means with a max throw of 11'7" I'll need to find a wall mount that can get the lens 28" away from the wall.

I THINK this particular mount would work, but not 100% on that.

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B005...f_rd_i=desktop

That's a tough one, I assume its too late to get a bigger screen? You could install a (deep) shelf to give yourself a way to adjust the location of the projector.