My Scope (CIH) Theater Room

[jhoffs_cb7]

unreal...
i wish to have somthing like this

[darwin316]

Originally Posted by seigneur_rayden

Brain!!! Your HT has always been my #1 favorite. It is the best on this forum. Just so clean, clean, clean. Your pics have been my desktop for many months since I first saw them.
Keep it up. May you find the time, money and life to continue on the upgrade road.

I completely agree on this statement

[SquidPuppet]

I guess that would work for watching re-runs of old sit-coms, but I can't see how you could really enjoy an actual motion picture on such an inadequate set-up.

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by RayEdwards

I did take some photos and updated my gallery w/the new shots. Nothing compared to yours, but a major improvement.

Thanks mang!

Nicely done! On a couple of your pics, you should play around with the white balance a bit. In this pic:



the incandescent lamp and reflection off the wall is giving everything an orange cast. If you white balance off of one of the white DVD cases in your cabinet, it should correct that orange cast.

That's the great thing about digital photography (particularly DSLR's)-- you can experiment with shooting and post techniques, and get instant feedback. All for free!

Originally Posted by Got2LoveGadgets

I have got to stop looking at your photos I dont think I will ever have a home cinema that good

Thanks for the compliment, but I would bet that you could come up with something similarly impressive on a reasonable budget. Front projection systems are not as expensive as you might think-- many great projectors can be had for not too much more (and sometimes less) than a good sized flat panel, and like it or not, screen real estate is what makes theaters impressive. Very good audio can be had for reasonable prices (see the many threads here about it), and most the the decor I did in my room is reasonably affordable. For instance, the velvet sheeting I put up in the front on the room was somewhere about $300, although it looks much more expensive now that it's up. Projector screens, acoustic treatments, risers, etc can all be DIY'd for reasonable prices.

Just imagine it, budget it, do a little research/googling, throw in a little elbow grease, and make it happen!

Originally Posted by seigneur_rayden

Brain!!! Your HT has always been my #1 favorite. It is the best on this forum. Just so clean, clean, clean. Your pics have been my desktop for many months since I first saw them.
Keep it up. May you find the time, money and life to continue on the upgrade road.

Thank you very much! I'm very flattered. As with everyone's theater room, upgrades are always on my mind. Actually, I may have one coming up very shortly...

Originally Posted by Dave_6

As Ive said in your gallery comments, just an amazing setup! It really is one of the nicest Ive seen on here and on AVS!

Have you watched The Dark Knight Blu-ray yet? If so, how did you handle the IMAX scenes with your scope setup?

Thanks!

With TDK, I watched it once and swapped between 2.40:1 and 1.85:1 during those scenes I knew were in IMAX (prologue, Hong Kong jump, Lower Wacker chase scene), and watched it again strictly in 2.40:1. The IMAX framing was such that you couldn't tell part of the image was missing when in scope, although you could tell the difference in image quality between the IMAX footage and anamorphic 35mm. If/when I re-screen it, I will likely just stick with constant 2.40:1.

Originally Posted by darwin316

I completely agree on this statement

Thank you very much! Your system is beautifully done as well!

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I guess that would work for watching re-runs of old sit-coms, but I can't see how you could really enjoy an actual motion picture on such an inadequate set-up.

Yes, I just have to struggle through it at times...

[HAMP]

Originally Posted by Brain Sturgeon

If you white balance off of one of the white DVD cases in your cabinet, it should correct that orange cast.

That's the great thing about digital photography (particularly DSLR's)-- you can experiment with shooting and post techniques, and get instant feedback. All for free!

How do you do that? The way you say it, you have me thinking about the camera guy pointing his camera at a white source. Once he points at a white source, does he hit a setting on the camera or what? I have not a clue.

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by HAMP

How do you do that? The way you say it, you have me thinking about the camera guy pointing his camera at a white source. Once he points at a white source, does he hit a setting on the camera or what? I have not a clue.

You can either white balance in your camera (check your manual if this is available-- if you can, you activate the white balance mode and then shoot something white such as a sheet of paper in the lighting that you are planning your shot) or in post processing by using a photo editor such as Adobe's Lightroom or Apple's Aperture. Once in the editor, it's pretty easy. You just select the white balance tool and select an item that is white in the picture to correct the white balance.

Here is an attempt at white balancing the photo above:



Unfortunately, editing JPG in post doesn't work as well as editing RAW. The orange cast is improved, but I had to push the tint towards cyan and drop the color temperature very cool to get it in the right vicinity. This has left a green cast to the incandescent light and the wall color is likely off. The light and adjacent wall are also overexposed, which I could not correct. On top of that, the image quality is degraded after a couple of decode/encode cycles for the JPG. But, this shows the gist of the technique-- simple really, and a very effective tool to improve your photos.

Now, you'll have to ask Ray which picture is closer to his real wall color...

[tantheman]

Amazing set up!

I have a 120" display screen as well but no where as elaborate.

Tan

[eyekyu]

holy...
thats amazing

[Dust]

In one word.... STUNNING! I really appreciate the clean setup and I even like how the current setup showcases the beautiful gear you have. My current house has a great room, so I'm unable to have a dedicated space for my HT. However, either in the next house or an addition to this one will. Your setup has inspired me.

[ixlegitballinxl]

just noticed you have a thread!

your photo's of your ht look amazing.. must be those "L" lenses ah? lol

I also took some new pics, dropped the crappy ones

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by tantheman

Amazing set up!

I have a 120" display screen as well but no where as elaborate.

Tan

Originally Posted by eyekyu

holy...
thats amazing

Originally Posted by Dust

In one word.... STUNNING! I really appreciate the clean setup and I even like how the current setup showcases the beautiful gear you have. My current house has a great room, so I'm unable to have a dedicated space for my HT. However, either in the next house or an addition to this one will. Your setup has inspired me.

Thanks guys-- your comments are much appreciated.

Originally Posted by ixlegitballinxl

just noticed you have a thread!

your photo's of your ht look amazing.. must be those "L" lenses ah? lol

I also took some new pics, dropped the crappy ones

Yup-- the Canon "L"'s are addictive...

Nice photos-- that first one in your gallery has just a smidge of motion. A tripod will help that...

Cheers!

[Brain Sturgeon]

Made a bit of an sub upgrade today-- I posted this in the Subwoofer section as well:

So, in the never ending quest for Home Theater and audio Nirvana, I decided it was time for a sub upgrade.

I previously had a Velodyne DD-18 that I used as an LFE sub, and a B&W 800 ASW that I was using as a mono sub. I was running my mains (802D) full range, and they can effectively get to 35 Hz or so. This worked okay, although the older B&W sub was very much the weak link in the system.

I thought about getting another DD-18 as I really like the built in EQ in the sub. However, the price/performance ratio of this sub has deteriorated since its debut. It's still a great sub, but there are definitely better for the price.

I started looking at the top commercial subs out there (I just don't have the time to do a DIY sub), and these include the Danley DTS-20, eD A7-900, Epik Conquest, Seaton SUBmersives, SVS PB13-ultra, Genelec HTS6, Velodyne DD-1812, and the JL Audio Gotham..

The Danley's form factor wouldn't work in my room as it is, and it doesn't do well in the aesthetics department (basically a long, black box). The big eD, Epik, and Seaton are a little better looking, but not by much-- basically large ported boxes. The SVS is a pretty sub, but a step below these others in performance. I've never heard the Genelec and don't know any dealers in my area. The Velodyne is a bit bigger than I would like, and the price/performance is not great as it is hideously expensive. Which leaves me with the JL, which I had on my radar anyway as I was wow'ed by Gothams in the past.

So, here she is at my front door today:



Just an absolute beast of a box-- every bit of 400#. It took four of us to wrestle this down to my theater while avoiding getting crushed by the thing...



Moving into position:



Almost there:



Final set up:




I'm going to run left and right subs through the Lexicon MC-12 and not run an LFE sub (LFE will just be rolled into the usual sub output). I'm going to run the 802's small (not full range) and cross them over @ 40 Hz, and use the THX 80 Hz crossover for the subs. I did the basic automatic setup and Room EQ through the Lex, and have got a lot more EQ'ing to do the the DD-18 and Gotham. It will be interesting to see if I can get these subs to play nice.

Early impressions in my system: The output of the Gotham is absolutely ungodly. It just smokes the DD-18, which in not a slouch in any way. This poses the problem of having to turn down the output of the Gotham, which I am doing with the Lex. Even so, I may have to reduce the gain of the Gotham manually on the sub itself to get it just right.

In very limited listening, the bass is incredibly palpable and crisp although I need to work on matching them with the 802D's a bit better as it feels a little too forward right now. I had thought about going with two Gothams, but I'm glad I started with one as it is getting close to overwhelming the room at this point. I'll see how it is once I get the subs a little better dialed in-- I may or may not like how it matches with the Velodyne.

Anyways, fun stuff...

[saprano]

Sturge your setup is flawless, there's really nothing more that can be said, its just wow. i remember when you first joined and you posted your setup in the HT pics thread, everbody went nuts haha remember that?

You really give (and im sure everyone else) me something to aspire to.

Also what camera are you using? your pictures always come out perfect. im actually looking to buy one, what is the best affordable digital camera you would recommend?

Is that a power conditioner i see in the third pic? whats your take on them?
sorry for all the questions.

Friends call me the Grand Inquisitor

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by saprano

Sturge your setup is flawless, there's really nothing more that can be said, its just wow. i remember when you first joined and you posted your setup in the HT pics thread, everbody went nuts haha remember that?

You really give (and im sure everyone else) me something to aspire to.

Also what camera are you using? your pictures always come out perfect. im actually looking to buy one, what is the best affordable digital camera you would recommend?

Thanks Saprano--

I use a Canon 1D Mark III with a variety of lenses. The ones above were made with a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS lens, with the lens stopped down to f/4, ISO 640, about 1/10 sec exposure, hand held (didn't feel like setting up the tripod).

I am a big fan of DSLRs and favor Canon, although Nikon also makes some great gear. Canon's Rebel XSi or a used 30D would be a great starter DSLR. Nikon's D40, D60, and D90 are also excellent "starter" DSLR's. I would probably stick with one of these two brands as you will have a better selection of lenses and accessories than most others. My brother uses a Rebel XSi and my dad a D200; and both are enjoyable, flexible cameras that take excellent photos.

Is that a power conditioner i see in the third pic? whats your take on them?
sorry for all the questions.

Friends call me the Grand Inquisitor

No, that's actually the passive network on my speaker cable: Transparent Cable Ultra MM biwire. They are used to reject noise. See http://transparentcable.com/design/a...tID=1&modCAT=1 for their cable theory.

I do use a Monster HTPS7000 power conditioner, and I am a strong believer that they do protect your equipment as well as reject noise.

[jhoffs_cb7]

jl audio *drool*
how hard does that baby pound?

[Brain Sturgeon]

Some more pics:

[Brain Sturgeon]

Originally Posted by jhoffs_cb7

jl audio *drool*
how hard does that baby pound?

-->

Very impressive so far.

[Rob J in WNY]

I'm going to jump in on this amazing thread!

Talk about a "lights-out" HT! You and only one other person on here got a "10" rating from me (and the other for completely different reasons). I'm certainly no expert, but I've not seen quite the attention to detail as yours has, and, at least equally, I especially enjoy the fact that you also know how to talk about everything you've done and know.

I can't imagine your excitement when you get new media to show on it. You must feel like a kid in a candy store! Superb job. A thing of inspiration. Thank you for sharing it with everyone!

- Rob J

[Hammie]

Oh, the days when I had dual 15" JL Audio subs in my car. 500w pumping into each one. A thing of beauty.

Your Gotham is just ungodly. Almost as beautiful as the B&W's.

[ambientcafe]

In my best Darth Vader baritone: 'IMPRESSIVE!' That's the best thing about this HT gallery/thread....most or all of the setups were put together by the owners....some with the input of professionals perhaps....there's a palpable sense of the do-it-yourselfer pride and passion. This is in contrast to all those extravagant multi-room themed setups featured in publications such as 'Electronic House', 'Audio/Video Interiors', etc. where most of the systems were installed by paid professionals....it's just not the same....although Theo Kalomirakis, the Godfather of home theater, did plant the seed so many years ago....