Topic: A Tale of Two Setups

[MAtZTER]

My recommendation:

Rotel Pre/pro
Rotel 1075 5ch amp
Dynaudio Audience 52's, center, surrounds (cherry)
Velodyne SPL800 or SPL 1000 2 units. (cherry flavor)

Room finish Cherry veneer. plus acoustics.

Use a projector: Why? so that you can roll up your screen to give way to the acoustic treatments at the back when you are listening to music. Flat panels have a reflective surface, unless you ceiling mount them away from where your stereo "images". 

[Philjonc]

hi Mat,
i was googling the net and i saw this, eto ba yung pre/pro?

http://wiredstate.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18271
 

[MAtZTER]

Yes, sir. Thats a Rotel pre/pro. If only it came to me earlier I would've used it myself.  It doesnt have the latest features, but SQ is the most important. 

funny thing I discovered, most of the time the pre/pro (or receiver used as pre/pro) heats up more than the amp itself, maybe cuz a dedicated amp has enough heat dissipation facilities (heat sinks).

[audiojunkie]

I agree, there's no contest in pre/pro + amps set-up either in Music and HT...
Rotel is one of the respected names in Audio/Video world.

Go for it... 

[Philjonc]

is it mostly used for HT?
so this pre/pro can be either preamp or processor, preamp for 2-channel and processor for HT application, am i right?

[macdon]

thanks for the recommendations! 

hehe napaghahalata ba na brand conscious ako when it comes to gears?

I wouldnt blame you sir - i use the same brands myself

[MAtZTER]

is it mostly used for HT?
so this pre/pro can be either preamp or processor, preamp for 2-channel and processor for HT application, am i right?

HT and music.  Yes. with all its faculties dedicated to the best of both with no compromises. Thats why its as heavy as an entry level receiver. And a new one is as expensive as a high model receiver. So if you arent going tubes/analog, I dont doubt a pre/pro, power amp combo will satisfy.

Theoretically (I may be wrong), the rotel pre/pro should contain the same stuff it has on its 2 channel processor. The 1066 was a 5 star awardee in any magazine.

[flak-jacket]

I wouldnt blame you sir - i use the same brands myself

hehehe apir tayo sir! 

Use a projector: Why? so that you can roll up your screen to give way to the acoustic treatments at the back when you are listening to music. Flat panels have a reflective surface, unless you ceiling mount them away from where your stereo "images". 

sir MAtZ, i already have a big @ss plasma that i intend to wallmount. 

this is turning out to be a very exciting project, i just hope my wallet and bank account would cooperate. 

[synchro_01]

predator,

Instead of a brand new Rotel pre-pro, PM edwin if he can source out a mint Proceed AVP1 from Singapore. IMHO the Rotel pre pro is not the best when it comes to music and there are other better alternatives and in my experience the Rotel amps are not that good when mated to Dynes. The end result is too edgy for my taste although the dynamics are very good.  It is more suited to B&W's. 

[flak-jacket]

synchro_01,

thanks. will keep that in mind. 

btw, i forgot to post this... it's more of 70% HT and 30% Music. some of the stuff i listen to...

Amy Winehouse
Natalie Cole
Diana Krall
Jack Johnson
Michael Buble
Claire Marlo
Kenny G

i want that 30% Music to sound heavenly based on my listening taste. 

[accastil]

if for 70%ht with heavenly sound for audio, go for paradigm/klipsch/jbl for speakers. make use of separate power amps for every channel except maybe the surrounds. u need a decent receiver with pre-outs.

the amp wattage would depend on your room size but this wont really matter for the speaker options ive given you as they are super efficient speakers. for a room no bigger than 15sqm, use a single subwoofer but if your room size would be larger than 25 sqm, use of 2 powerful subwoofers would help produce a very dramatic ht impact.

[flak-jacket]

it looks like i'll be going for a single system which would do well in both HT & Audio, i measured the space of the area where the plasma is located and it's only 8 1/2 ft. wide. i don't want my setup to look cramped, that's one of the reasons why i'll be wall mounting my plasma display.



sorry for the lackluster diagram, sa ms paint ko lang ginawa yan. 

another question, would sound or picture quality suffer if i'll use long speaker & hdmi cables? my components would be placed near the rear right side of my viewing position, near a window with heavy curtains.

[macdon]

Home theater dun sa red, tapos separate audio setup dun sa green - ahihihihi   Sorry, didnt mean to complicate your new decision

Perfect na yung sofa for both

[flak-jacket]

Home theater dun sa red, tapos separate audio setup dun sa green - ahihihihi   Sorry, didnt mean to complicate your new decision

Perfect na yung sofa for both

hehe masikip na din yung area dun sa audio components rack area, so dapat dun na din sa malapit sa plasma area yung mga speakers. 

pero sa tingin ko, kasya pa din ang 2 pairs of front L&R speakers (1 for HT including the center speaker and 1 for Audio) dun sa area ng plasma. but...

Flat panels have a reflective surface, unless you ceiling mount them away from where your stereo "images". 

 

[macdon]

hehe masikip na din yung area dun sa audio components rack area, so dapat dun na din sa malapit sa plasma area yung mga speakers. 

Ahh....tama po yung mga audio gurus natin in recommending one set-up for both - makakatipid pa ho kayo Simpler & better
Good luck sir at balitaan nyo po kami

[flak-jacket]

Ahh....tama po yung mga audio gurus natin in recommending one set-up for both - makakatipid pa ho kayo Simpler & better
Good luck sir at balitaan nyo po kami

honestly, i want a separate setup for HT and Audio. 

kaya im not rushing this, ipon muna ng todo for the audio equipment. 

[flak-jacket]

any paradigm-denon combo users here? please post your thoughts and comments on this combo.

[MAtZTER]

Space challenged?

See this idea:

I love to the clean wall hung look of the studio L series!



If you want to use your setup for music: simply wall hang all your 5 JBL studio L speakers connect to your receiver. Then get floorstanders that are popular for music and connect them to speaker B of your receiver for stereo! This way you can keep upgrading your audio speakers w/o worrying about selling your center & surrounds!

[MAtZTER]

honestly, i want a separate setup for HT and Audio. 

kaya im not rushing this, ipon muna ng todo for the audio equipment. 

At 8 1/2 feet, my suggestion is to wall mount speakers (JBL) or use IN-WALL speakers from Atlantic Technologies or Paradigm.

Array them on top of your display to have maximum soundfield effect that will not be disturbed by your audio speakers (in case you place the HT speakers below your display). Tilt them a bit downward to listening position.

Speaker positioning for audio is way more sensitive than for HT. In my setup, When I positioned my speakers for audio, it had a great sweet spot & imaging for music, but for HT, it cannot reach the extreme L&R seats as effectively cuz the speakers were toed in.

If you want to improve your acoustics while listening to music, you may add curtains that covers your flat panel (and wall mounted speakers) that you can close when you are listening to music.

[flak-jacket]

good idea sir MAtZ, will check out those JBL Studio L speakers at mega. 

ok ba ang JBL paired with Denon/Onkyo receivers?

[flak-jacket]

Array them on top of your display to have maximum soundfield effect that will not be disturbed by your audio speakers (in case you place the HT speakers below your display).

if i'll go with the JBL Studio L speakers, would this be a good speaker arrangement?

remember, my videowall area is only 8 1/2 feet wide and i intend to wallmount my 50'' plasma. 






found a good review of the JBL Studio L speakers, click here to read the full review

[MAtZTER]

good idea sir MAtZ, will check out those JBL Studio L speakers at mega. 

ok ba ang JBL paired with Denon/Onkyo receivers?

I guess so, pair it with high model receivers or power amps. One review states that these speakers dip down to 4 ohms. The reviewer above used Denon 4000 series.

Onkyo 8 or 9 series will also do, they are THX ultra 2 certified and are torture tested to 3.2 ohms (before they can get THX ultra spec).

Ask SGT or Archi Audio, they are JBL dealers as well. You might get a better deal from them.

if i'll go with the JBL Studio L speakers, would this be a good speaker arrangement?

remember, my videowall area is only 8 1/2 feet wide and i intend to wallmount my 50'' plasma. 

Ahh, I feel you bro! my frontage is 9ft and I sympathize with your problem  . I know how it feels like to have sleepless nights just figuring out a way to fit everything in that small frontage. 

Your speaker arrangement is ok. but you will have free standing audio speakers that might block the sound path of your center speakers. But I think the effect wont be a major one. Dont forget to put acoustical treatment on the first reflection point of your main speakers.

If you have a high celing, putting 3 fronts side by side above the display, then tilted towards the listening position may also achieve good results, and give space for your free standing  audio speakers.

[MAtZTER]

it looks like i'll be going for a single system which would do well in both HT & Audio, i measured the space of the area where the plasma is located and it's only 8 1/2 ft. wide. i don't want my setup to look cramped, that's one of the reasons why i'll be wall mounting my plasma display.



sorry for the lackluster diagram, sa ms paint ko lang ginawa yan. 

I highly suggest that you seal off the irregular portion of the room with a wall (position your HT equipment there), so that the main listening room will have a true rectangular shape for better surround performance. Its still best IMhO to enjoy your setup in a rectangular room than if one area is open to a bigger area.

And bring your sofa forward. the space behind the sofa & 6th & 7th channels will help give a more realistic extended surround action. You can also have 2 rows of sofas (one elevated) if you want, that is, if space is enough.

[flak-jacket]

sir MAtz, you just gave me more reasons to lose sleep for the next few nights! 

[macdon]

sir MAtz, you just gave me more reasons to lose sleep for the next few nights! 

I believe thats one of the most exciting things in our hobby - planning & envisioning the components as well as the decor
Take a pic of your area tapos photoshop mo yung mga proposed gears mo - slowly you'll see how they will look somewhat  

[MAtZTER]

I believe thats one of the most exciting things in our hobby - planning & envisioning the components as well as the decor
Take a pic of your area tapos photoshop mo yung mga proposed gears mo - slowly you'll see how they will look somewhat  

Like this?



ROFL. This was my initial concept of the iMatz Theater years ago. Everything was unfinished then. I just cant help but laugh & recall this photoshop pic when you mentioned it.

sir MAtz, you just gave me more reasons to lose sleep for the next few nights! 

Planning an HT is not limited to just the gears. The room plays a very important factor to your HT enjoyment. Plan it well & it will yield its rewards. Go through it labu-labo... that what you will get, labu-labo din. That was my experience with the HT setup I had on an irregular shaped room before, while waiting for my current HT to finish. 

Thats why the pro installation HT industry is big in the US.

[macdon]

Sir Matt - ang lapit naman manuod nyan! Whahahahaha

[MAtZTER]

Ah, this was the original picture. I was actually just measuring my proportion to the whole place.



Then I proceeded to photoshop my dream HT plan. 

Sabi nga ni Asuncion (Badminton fame) "Do not rest until that dream is yours!"

Dream on guys! With hardwork & saving up, you can achieve your dream HT.

"REACH FOR THE SKY!" - buzz lightyear 

[macdon]

Ah, this was the original picture. I was actually just measuring my proportion to the whole place.



Then I proceeded to photoshop my dream HT plan. 

Sabi nga ni Asuncion (Badminton fame) "Do not rest until that dream is yours!"

Dream on guys! With hardwork & saving up, you can achieve your dream HT.

"REACH FOR THE SKY!" - buzz lightyear 

Ahh - tama sir - need proportion to properly size up your photoshop equiptment

Kaso sir - sana naman humarap kayo sa camera at ngumiti - happy sa HT, diba?  hehehehehehe

Na iscary ako pag may nakikita ako na picture na nakatayo sa harap ng pader......it reminds me of the last scene ng "Blair Witch" project - ahihihihi

[flak-jacket]

I guess so, pair it with high model receivers or power amps. One review states that these speakers dip down to 4 ohms. The reviewer above used Denon 4000 series.

Onkyo 8 or 9 series will also do, they are THX ultra 2 certified and are torture tested to 3.2 ohms (before they can get THX ultra spec).

i asked around for the price of a Denon 4308, 150k ang price tag..

almost double the price of the Denon 3808 which sells for around 80K+

Ask SGT or Archi Audio, they are JBL dealers as well. You might get a better deal from them.

just got a price quote for the JBL Studio L820, LC2, and LC810 from Archi Audio. aabutin ng around 100k for the 5.1 set. 

Ahh, I feel you bro! my frontage is 9ft and I sympathize with your problem  . I know how it feels like to have sleepless nights just figuring out a way to fit everything in that small frontage. 

minsan nga, 3-4am na ako nakakatulog dahil sa kakaisip sa gagawin ko na positioning of the speakers, gears, etc. 

and the bad thing is i usually wake up around 7am on weekdays! 

Your speaker arrangement is ok. but you will have free standing audio speakers that might block the sound path of your center speakers. But I think the effect wont be a major one. Dont forget to put acoustical treatment on the first reflection point of your main speakers.

yup, im carefully planning the acoustical treatments of the room. sana na lang tama yung mga naisip ko na gawin. 

If you have a high celing, putting 3 fronts side by side above the display, then tilted towards the listening position may also achieve good results, and give space for your free standing  audio speakers.

experimentation is the name of the game! 

baka abutin ako ng isang taon before i finally push the trigger on this project. im the kind of person who goes 'full blast' on a project, and through the years i've learned how to be patient and save up for the things i really want. 

for now, im concentrating more on the renovations of the room, habang tumatagal mas gumaganda yung ideas ko thanks to non-stop surfing on the web for room design ideas and stuff related to it.