Whats Your Audio / Home Cinema Setup?

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Ghost C
On top of being THX Certified, and capable of over 120db, I can also give women erm, pleasure with them (This has been tested). Full 5.2, yes, 5.2 surround. 900 total watts. Main reciever is a Sherwood RD-6108. I run the 8" subs off of an RCA STA-3900 that I've had laying around. TV is an RCA 27" which isn't that great, but it gets the job done.

Center channel, 2 7" mid-bass', 2 4.5" mid-ranges

Front speakers, 12" subwoofer, 2 7" mid-ranges

Rear speakers, 7" mid-range

Sub Box 1, 2 8" subs in a bandpass box, 100 watts per sub

Sub Box 2, 1 10" aluminum cone sub, 200 watts

And there you have it, the cost for all of the speakers, built, including the wood to build them, is under $250. They look ghetto, but they perform better than most speakers available for well over a grand.

Ghost,

You can really dress those speakers up if your willing to take them to the next step. You can get door skin laminate in a variety of colors and woods. I made some subs that look like end tables out of High Density partical board. I then laminated the boxes with Oak door skin (the skin is about 2/15" thick). I added some walnut legs and oak corner molding. Sanded and stained, these boxes look great as well as sound awesome! I made those 14 years ago and I still use them in my HT setup.

Keep on keepin' on.
 
2ez2KiLL
Wow, a long time since I've been here at GTP. Anyways, I've gone through an overhaul since the past couple of months. I don't have the money for a full out HT system yet (due to space constraints and money) so I decided to go the 2 channel route.


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EMU-0404 > Lite DAC-AH > Gilmore Lite > Sennheiser HD580



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Odyssey Cyclopes > Odyssey Epiphony

And how's that setup working for ya?

(looking into a 2 channel headphone setup as well)
 
Pako
Ghost,

You can really dress those speakers up if your willing to take them to the next step. You can get door skin laminate in a variety of colors and woods. I made some subs that look like end tables out of High Density partical board. I then laminated the boxes with Oak door skin (the skin is about 2/15" thick). I added some walnut legs and oak corner molding. Sanded and stained, these boxes look great as well as sound awesome! I made those 14 years ago and I still use them in my HT setup.

Keep on keepin' on.

I know, I've got some black marble finish covering for speaker building, I'm just too lazy/busy to put it on. Only boxes I have time to finish are ones for paying customers.
 
I've just completed an overhaul of the living room...

TV: Pioneer PDP-436XDE 43" Plasma screen (was Sony 32" Wega CRT)
Amp: Denon AVR-2805 (was Sony STR-DB940)
DVD: Denon DVD-1920 (was Sony DVD-S725P)
Speakers: Bose Acoustimass 15 (unchanged)
VCR: Some Sony thing (unchanged)
Multichannel TV Receiver: Telewest TV Drive HD-PVR (was Telewest SD)
From time to time: Roku SoundBridge M1000 Network Music Player

I've got the Pioneer on the wall, with the cables behind the plasterboard. Everything else is on a Soundstyle rack.
 
Finally got my new speakers!! So this is my setup as of now. Well at least at home. When I go off to school I'll downsize a bit, but try to keep most of it there.

Speakers: (ixos 14ga. w/ixos banana plugs)
Brand New B&W DM601 S3
B&W DM220i
Receiver:
Nakamichi SR-2A
- possibly going to get an Arcam A75/85 amp
CD Player(s):
Marantz CC4000
Adcom gcd-300


But when I go off to school, I'm planning on bringing the Arcam/Nakamichi, B&W 601s, and the Adcom.
 
I've got my mini hi-fi Sony system hooked up to my laptop for loud music, with the two smallish Sony speakers on my left and right for sweet sound when I'm lookin at GTplanet forums :) :sly:
 
....Full 5.2, yes, 5.2 surround.
You don't have 5.2 with that setup. You still have 5.1, just with 2 subs. I've seen a setup where someone used a Denon 5805 to have dual speakers for all 5 main channels, and then 4 subs, one in each corner. This is not a 10.4 setup. Its still a 5.1, just using 14 speakers for more fill and coverage in this very large room they used. There are 6-channels of sound being played by those 14 speakers. Same with you. You have 5.1, but with 2 subs playing the same channel.

Hilg
 
Right now, the speakers on the front of the TV, used to have surround sound. like 2.1, oh and we turn the "13 tv on in the room next to us on the same channel, so sorta soround :P

From,
Wall51
 
HDTV: Sony Bravia KDL-46XBR2
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A/V Receiver: Sony STR-DE875
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Speaker System: JBL Studio Series
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High-definition Hard Drive Recorder (OTA): Zenith HDR230
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Satellite (DirecTV) High-definition Hard Drive Recorder Receiver: HR20-700
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Satellite (DirecTV) High-definition Receiver: H20
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Headphones: Sennheiser HD595
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Over-the-air (OTA) TV Antenna: Kathrein-Scala PR-TV
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Over-the-air (OTA) TV Antenna: Winegard HD8200P Platinum UHF/VHF Rooftop Antenna
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The stack:

Turntable:

Speaker:

CD and VHS cabinet (not big enough):

Surviving vinyl (I had a couple of boxes in a closet I forgot to save when Hurricane Opal invited St. Andrew Bay into my apartment):

Receiver: Kenwood VR407, 100/ch 5.1, pretty good 100/ch stereo specs, 2 coax and 2 optical digital inputs, but those are fixed to their sources, i.e. Vid2 is coax, Vid3 is optical, can't move them around and really wish I could. Important thing about it was that it was cheap, and I bought it for the 5.1 when I bought my first DVD player about 7 years ago.

TV: Hitachi 43" 4:3 rear-projector HD, 3 composite/S-video inputs, 2 component inputs, A/V monitor out, audio out, two antenna inputs, dual-tuner PIP. Got it as floor demo for <$500. Letterboxes to 16:9 automatically for 1080i. Requires external HD sources, no HD tuner built in.

DVD: Toshiba, don't have the model# handy, single-disc, has HDMI output with upconversion to 720p or 1080i, but my TV doesn't have HDMI in. One thing I absolutely HATE about this player is when you are fast-scanning and press play, the point it resumes is nowhere near what you were looking at during the scan. My previous player died and I HAD to have optical digital (see receiver description above) and this was the only one I found with it for less than 100 bucks at the time. On the plus side, it plays MPEG-2 and Dvix files directly off a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, so my Top Gear downloads don't have to be re-encoded before burning. :sly: A whole series fits on one DVD-ROM.

Laserdisc: Pioneer CLD-D503, ancient player I got on closeout at Sam's Club a hundred years ago or so. Plays both sides, but did not come with AC-3 built in. Added AC-3 with a kit off the Internet, and found an external Nakamichi decoder on eBay.

CD: Even more ancient JVC XL-M407, 6-disc cartridge plus conventional single tray. Indestructible.

VCR: JVC HR-S4500U, S-VHS. Also ancient, also indestructible. Almost never used now. (See PC tuner card below.) Bought it to replace a JVC S-VHS that I believe was the first consumer S-VHS unit offered in the US.

Turntable: Speaking of ancient, a TD 150 MkII AB belt-drive manual turntable, no automatic tone-arm movement. Got it for 25 bucks from a guy who thought the tone arm was broken, when all he'd done was remove the anti-skating weight. He gave me the weight, said he didn't know what it was for. I did not enlighten him. :cool:

Speakers: And incredibly ancient, yet still the best-sounding speakers of the class that I have ever heard, a pair of JBL L-100s, a.k.a. 4311 studio monitor. Cool foam grilles are long gone, replaced with plain acoustic cloth, but all drivers and circuits are still cranking strong. If you've seen the Maxell poster of the "blown-away" guy, this is the speaker in that poster.



These speakers date back to the late '70s, and I got the pair used for $200 in 1988 from a guy who was getting a Technics all-in-one unit as an "upgrade" so he could play CDs. :lol:

Rear speakers: A pair of Sonys that came free with the Receiver during a promotion at Circuit City. I don't use a center speaker, as my sofa is directly in front of the TV so centering the location is not necessary. Receiver is in phantom-center mode.

Subwoofer: A JBL 100-watt powered subwoofer that I got cheap when a store called McDuff's closed its doors, 10 or 12 years ago. Got my entertainment center and cabinets, and an 8mm camcorder there too.

TV tuner card in PC: WinTV PVR-250, with hardware MPEG encoding. Driven by Snapstream Beyond TV software to make my PC into a TIVO-like appliance. I have web access to the scheduler, and can stream programs from my PC to wherever I am. I also have a Hauppage Media-MVP at the TV, which plays the recorded files via Ethernet from the computer to S-Video in the TV. Before I got the MediaMPV I would burn recorded shows to a DVD RW disc for TV viewing. The Media MVP allows me to view the recorded program while it's still recording, without having to wait till the end and burn a disc. If I had a slot, I could add another tuner card and the Snapstream software would support recording from multiple tuners simultaneously.




As you can tell, I'm not one to go for the latest and greatest newest toy every year or two, just so I can say I have the latest and greatest (although the tuner-card/MediaMVP setup is pretty cool) and I have a sometimes fair talent for acquisition. What I have works, has plenty of power for the room, and while I would like some features like selecting the source for the digital inputs, until this unit makes smoke instead of sound, it's staying where it is.
 
I have an incredible mish-mash of stuff bought on sale, given to me by my father and/or just got for free.

Magnavox MAS85 Mini Hi-Fi:bought it for $40 at Wal-Mart as it's own element, followed quickly by the PC speakers. Audio runs out of headphone jack into RCA box.

Altec Lansing BX 1021: Bought originally to be used with Genny, later moved out of room to use with other TV, then brought back in and run through MAS85.

Pioneer SX-1100: Given to me by my father to replace Altec Lansing speakers when they were moved out of my room, later used to complement them.

Some old speakers: Speakers given to me when my neighbors moved away. Owned them for a year before I had anything to hook them up to.

RCA 4-pot selector box: Used to run DVD Player and Genny, now supplanted by MAS85 and Playstation.

Sege Genesis II (kicking it up old school) w/ Sega CD and 32X: Bought two years ago for Sega 32X, forced to use Genesis II because Genny III sucks and Genny 1 broke due to overclocking. Sega CD bought last year. Modified to allow RGB and S-Video hook-up, which my TV does not support.

Sony Playstation (under desk): Bought 9/1/95. Replaced PSOne that (literally) melted.

Symphonic NB050 DVD Player: Used sparingly, but it is a good DVD player. Cheap, too.

Sylvania 20 inch CRT television: Supports RCA and RF.

Everything runs into the RCA box, and the audio output is split by twin RCA audio splitters, with one set of audio cords running into the SX-1100 and the other running into the BX 1020. The video output runs under the TV into the video plug on the front. As a result, except for the antennae feed (which is itself just a directional antennae from a CB radio ran into a Sega Genesis RF modulator through an adaptor) no sound comes from the TV itself.

http://www.aseville.com/albums.php?id=285
 
TB
It's not supposed to. TV's are for pretty pictures, not sound. :D

My TV speakers haven't been on in 9 years.

Amen.

I never use my TV speakers, also. They're grossly inaccurate, overly bright and lack proper bass.
 
TV - it connects to a mini stereo system with two speakers and a dedicated subwoofer via AUX cable. More bass response (tons more!) and improved sound than the TV speakers, especially when playing GT4.

PC - two Altec Lansing speakers about a metre behind the user. Improved bass response and sound quality compared to my default speakers, but not as much as I want.
 
Amen.

I never use my TV speakers, also. They're grossly inaccurate, overly bright and lack proper bass.

I would think that for a $7000 TV the speakers would be good.

Anyway...

I got this and this (or I will be, just ordered it today :D)...

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...Hooked up to this (or at least it will be)...

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My simple setup. Altec Lansing MX5021 speakers. The sub looks old and tacky because the dog decided to rub its behind on the edge of drawers and wear some of the fabric off. And its covered in dust.



And for private listening, Sennheiser HD555's.



Next addition will be a DIY headphone amp. A Millett Hybrid to be exact. I already have the circuit board and tubes. I'm just too lazy to hunt down all the other parts.
 
My simple setup. Altec Lansing MX5021 speakers. The sub looks old and tacky because the dog decided to rub its behind on the edge of drawers and wear some of the fabric off. And its covered in dust.



And for private listening, Sennheiser HD555's.



Next addition will be a DIY headphone amp. A Millett Hybrid to be exact. I already have the circuit board and tubes. I'm just too lazy to hunt down all the other parts.

Sweet! Good luck with that, man. PLEASE make a topic and post pics of your build progress.
 
Upgraded my dead Acoustic Whatever 5.1 system to a Samsung HT-Q20:


(Click for ridiculously big different angle)



(Again, click for bigger)

500w in total, Component output as well as the standard scart and phono whatever, phono input for normal TV, FM radio and DVD player. All for around £150.

The rest? Laptop, Digifusion Freeview TiVo thing and a PS2 going into a scart splitter, and then a Samsung 710mp LCD TV/Monitor and the sound system I mentioned above.
 
Only recently noticed this thread and thought I would share my set-up with you, its a rather eclectic mix with a few 'vintage' pieces in it.

Rega Planer 3 turntable
Arcam Alpha One CD Player
Musical Fidelity Synthesis Amp
Denon DRS 610 Tape deck
B&W DM601 speakers

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The Synthesis amp is I believe only the second thing that Musical Fidelity made (after the 'Pre-Amp') and is a wonderful sounding amp. I've had this set-up for over a decade now and to be honest currently have no plans to change any of it, sound wise I'd have to shell out a far bit to get a better sound.

My two favorite pieces are easily the amp (well it is hard to argue with a Class A amp) and turntable. I love the simplicity of the Planer 3, from its glass platter to having to switch the belt over to change speeds (the only switch it has is an on/off button).


Regards

Scaff
 
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@Scaff:
Nice setup! 👍 The glass platter is a nice touch.

Thanks, the glass platter on the Rega is nice, always freaks non-hifi people out, most just don't understand why you would need it (then the don't get the point of filling the stands with sand either).

Most of the Rega models have glass platters, in the lower to mid range of turntables I honestly don't think you can go wrong with them (I believe they still bring them into the US as well), wonderful tone-arm as well. As I type this I'm listening to Curtis Mayfield (Move on Up) on it and it sounds wonderful. Just right on a warm evening with a beer as I cook in the next room.

Regards

Scaff
 
That is sexy, Scaff. Once I move into my apartment in a few weeks, I'll have to post an updated picture showing my entertainment area. :D
 
Thanks, the glass platter on the Rega is nice, always freaks non-hifi people out, most just don't understand why you would need it (then the don't get the point of filling the stands with sand either).

Most of the Rega models have glass platters, in the lower to mid range of turntables I honestly don't think you can go wrong with them (I believe they still bring them into the US as well), wonderful tone-arm as well. As I type this I'm listening to Curtis Mayfield (Move on Up) on it and it sounds wonderful. Just right on a warm evening with a beer as I cook in the next room.

Regards

Scaff

So what is the point of the glass platter? I would assume mass, and maybe absolutely flat for all eternity.

I have a Thorens turntable (see my post in this thread, #70), with a heavy cast aluminum platter. It has two controls: The power knob has 3 positions, 33, 0,and 45 (it moves the belt for me) and there's a cueing knob for the tone arm. Otherwise completely manual, and well enough isolated it actually sits on the speaker. When I got the laserdisc player it had to come out of the cabinet, there was no room. At normal levels, and up to reasonably loud, there's no problem. If I want my ears to ring, though, I have to move it. (It still doesn't feed back, but the tone arm starts dancing, an undesirable effect.) My kitchen is separated from the living room by a 15' counter that serves as a breakfast bar, and I clear a section off that for the turntable at cranking time.

My bass feedback test tracks were Rick Wakeman's "Merlin the Magician," from The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer's "Lucky Man."
 
So what is the point of the glass platter? I would assume mass, and maybe absolutely flat for all eternity.
Your have pretty much hit the nail on the head as far as the point of a glass platter, mass and flatness, the latter being an important factor in ensuring stability. However don't discount the fact that it does look bloody cool. :)

Of course some companies do go a bit mad with it, such as the Clearaudio master reference..

masterref.jpg


...:crazy:


I have a Thorens turntable (see my post in this thread, #70), with a heavy cast aluminum platter. It has two controls: The power knob has 3 positions, 33, 0,and 45 (it moves the belt for me) and there's a cueing knob for the tone arm. Otherwise completely manual, and well enough isolated it actually sits on the speaker. When I got the laserdisc player it had to come out of the cabinet, there was no room. At normal levels, and up to reasonably loud, there's no problem. If I want my ears to ring, though, I have to move it. (It still doesn't feed back, but the tone arm starts dancing, an undesirable effect.) My kitchen is separated from the living room by a 15' counter that serves as a breakfast bar, and I clear a section off that for the turntable at cranking time.
Ah nice Thorens, good stuff. That one looks very similar to the old Garrard desk, particularly the tone-arm (I think Thorens may have used Garrard tonearms).

On of the nice things about the Rega's in the isolation is very good on them, to the point that apparently each of the three 'feet' on the deck are tuned to isolate from different frequency ranges.



That is sexy, Scaff. Once I move into my apartment in a few weeks, I'll have to post an updated picture showing my entertainment area. :D
Thanks, glad you like it. To be honest the wife and I had a move around of a couple of rooms at the weekend. freeing up a nice area to dedicate to the music system and finally get my vinyl out of storage. So I'm a very happy chap.

Regards

Scaff
 
Down Stairs we have:

Arcam Alpha 8 amp
Arcam Alpha 7 CD
Crappy pioneer deck

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Lentek Speakers

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Upstairs I have:

Denon UD-M30 with the standard speakers by Mission and a pair of Grado SR-60's for the more private moments.

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I came across this setup this morning. Talk about amazing.

From what I can tell the speakers look to be WilsonAudio GrandSlams. No close up pictures of the components though :(

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I came across this setup this morning. Talk about amazing.

From what I can tell the speakers look to be WilsonAudio GrandSlams. No close up pictures of the components though :(

ultimate_music_2.jpg

359-450x-ultimate_music_3.jpg

360-450x-ultimate_music_4.jpg

361-450x-ultimate_music_5.jpg

362-450x-ultimate_music_6.jpg

363-450x-ultimate_music_77.jpg

358-450x-ultimate_music_1.jpg

I would kill for a library like that.
 
I came across this setup this morning. Talk about amazing.

From what I can tell the speakers look to be WilsonAudio GrandSlams. No close up pictures of the components though :(

358-450x-ultimate_music_1.jpg
Holy craptacular Batman :eek:

Wonder what a setup like that goes for on eBay....
 
I went to techblog to try and get some specs, but there's no info on this room.... Does anyone know what all those little devices are on the ground that are scattered about?

For the record, if any noob says, "I bet Korn rocks on that system....." I will immediately ban them....




Just kidding...., or am I?
 
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