Driver_King's Home Theater

[Driver_King]

Currently, I have the most updated pictures of my setup in my gallery. I will keep that more up to date than this thread.

[Driver_King]

Old news:

No pics right now. I just wanted to put one up here. I'm getting in a pair of Polk Audio SDA-2's tomorrow (hopefully). I'm also building a 12" EQHS DIY sub, which I'm about to put another coat of polyurethane on. I don't think I'll be needing a center channel with my SDA's (plus they don't have a matching center anyways and my room is so small it shouldn't matter). I'll have pics soon though...

Big Update: I've had my SDA's for a while now and am still amazed and pleased every time I turn them on. I can only imagine what would happen when I get one of these. I've decided to hold off on getting a center channel as I can put that money elsewhere for better improvements. The SDA's hold their own with dialog and their imaging is off-the-walls realistic. It's hard to find a center channel worthy enough for the SDA's.

Here's my currently old equipment list and according pics (not my pics):

Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR805

Speakers:

Technics SB-4500a's (Fronts)

Update: The Technics, Onkyo center, and Onkyo sub are being used in the living room with my old Onkyo HTIB receiver. I am using my SDA's as my mains now.

Onkyo SKC-550C (Center) (The center channel there)

Realistic Minimus-7 bookshelves (surrounds)

Still currently employed as surrounds until I upgrade them...

Onkyo SKF-550F's (The "tall" front speakers there)

I can't wait to get new back-surrounds to replace these large, obtrusive speakers.

Subwoofer(s):

Elemental Designs A2-300

DIY Sub

Television:

27" Samsung Slimfit HDTV

I am also using my new Sony projector now for movie watching!

Blu-ray player:

60GB Sony Playstation 3

I use Monoprice cables (and other cables of which have many names)

Old Pics:I kept forgetting to post the pics. Here are some more. It is a beauty to look at and is fun to watch and listen to.












EQHS DIY sub pre-finish:






My Polk Audio SDA-2 speakers:

[Driver_King]

Here goes, uh... my money.

• Polk Audio Monitor 5 or Polk Audio Monitor 7 speakers for surrounds- I got Polk Monitor 5jr's now!
• Polk Audio Monitor 4 speakers for back surrounds- check!
• Emotiva 5-channel amp- any amplification will probably help my 805 out.
  
• Two of these for my subs- I plan on building two...

Things to do: (soon hopefully)

• Upgrade the crossovers and tweeters in my SDA's
• Make the subwoofer risers
• Add room treatments
• Make the room more visually appealing
• Install the brackets for my surrounds

[theokbadguy]

If youre looking at building a DIY sub enclosure( and you have a dedicated amplifier for your sub), you may wanna look up the schematics for a DEATH BOX. I use these in my shop (Car audio) and they are SICK, but they perform beautifully in home installs as well. Just a thought if youre interested.

[JJ]

You love your classics, don't you, Kingy?

What is going inside the sub enclosure? The A2-300?!?!

[Driver_King]

Originally Posted by JJxiv1215

You love your classics, don't you, Kingy?

What is going inside the sub enclosure? The A2-300?!?!

If the price is right. The A2-300 can't fit in there. The 13 Kv.2 could though. I'm actually using the EQHS 12" driver I bought off of sounddot.com for $10 in it.

[aramis109]

Hey, I'm not sure if you're doing cartwheels while you're taking your pictures or what, but you are aware you can rotate them so they're right side up, correct?

Over here twisting back and forth trying to get a look at your stuff.

[Driver_King]

I was taking them vertically so you could see how large they are. I'll see if I can fix it.


That sounded bad.

[Driver_King]

I couldn't fix the others. I tried a few times on it and it kept going back to its original orientation.

[Driver_King]

Finished sub! I'll post pics tomorrow. What a difference it makes. Even with my A2-300! The SDA's are even better. Everything is so much better now. I watched a little of Transformers again. My crappy center channel was taken out and I am running a phantom center with my SDA's and am loving it. If I had the space, money, and means of getting a matching center, that would be best. The EQHS sub is great. Elemental Designs knows how to make subs. The box is also awesome I may add.

[SRTCraig]

Polk SDA's

They're something else the SDA's don't you agree? Once you hear the sda's image, nothing else will ever compare. They never sold true sda's hear in New Zealand, only about 5 pairs of SRT's.

I've auditioned a lot of expensive speakers, got home and thought, yeah they were close but the imaging just wasn't quite there.......

[Driver_King]

Yes, they are amazing! The Twister Score Soundtrack sounds phenomenal of the SDA's. Arm in Arm: Shy Child remix I believe it is called (from GTA 4) is a great song to test your speakers with. I also have all of the songs from Need for Speed 2. They are also great songs to test your system with.

[SRTCraig]

Hmm. The problem i had was that i got introduced to HT with an accidental audition of the SRT's.

It was 10ish years ago and i wandered into a store that had them set up. I was truly taken, newly married, a baby on the way, mortgage, blah blah blah. Wife said NO, at 20k then i couldn't blame her really. I chased the SDA sound for a long time, owning several Polk models, until i found my SRT's in march of this year. I did get them for a steal $800usd on craigslist, shipping them 9000miles was reasonable enough price wise, worth every penny now they're sorted though.

[Driver_King]

You got the whole system for $800? I would pay $1000 easy for that if that was the case. In a few years, I may be making a large dedicated home theater room.

[SRTCraig]

lol

I got the stereo pair and control center. I was pretty wrapped, thought i was getting scammed for a while. It compounded things trying to do it from half a world away. I had them shipped from NY to a friend in Miami, and he got them on a boat home for me.

Do you have your SDA's separate from the HT? What have you got running them?

[Driver_King]

No, they are my HT. My 805 is only powering them right now. I need to find a good deal on an older amp before I go separates and properly power them. First, I'll be working on upgrading them. Then, I'll go separates. Then, I may upgrade my surrounds. Maybe later on if I find a proper center, I'll get one. Later, I'd upgrade the center. Before I get the center, I'd get a new TV with a new entertainment center. Then, I don't know. I won't be doing any room treatments or proper wire hiding (in-wall). My room is just too small to be doing that as far as improvements there would go. I'd have better results with a bigger room. Any suggestions?

[SRTCraig]

I have my Denon powering the SDA array and the NAD doing the stereo array.

The SRT's are a little different to SDA's as the control center does all the bass management etc. I have the denon hooked into the control center passing the sda signal and the 218 feeding direct to the stereo array on the mains.
I'm pretty sure you could add an external amp and biamp them, feeding the receiver to the SDA array and bigger power amp to the stereo array. I've run the stereo array on its own without the SDA array running and the imaging and sounstage are back to any run of the mill speaker.....

SDA's need room from what i've read and the amount is model dependent. FWIW i have a 24db reduction an bass when listening to music. I need to reduce the movie mode bass level aswell, but love that pounding ya get

[Driver_King]

They aren't biampable though. I have them about 5 feet apart. That's about how far I can have them until the door gets in the way.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Driver_King

No, they are my HT. My 805 is only powering them right now. I need to find a good deal on an older amp before I go separates and properly power them. First, I'll be working on upgrading them. Then, I'll go separates. Then, I may upgrade my surrounds. Maybe later on if I find a proper center, I'll get one. Later, I'd upgrade the center. Before I get the center, I'd get a new TV with a new entertainment center. Then, I don't know. I won't be doing any room treatments or proper wire hiding (in-wall). My room is just too small to be doing that as far as improvements there would go. I'd have better results with a bigger room. Any suggestions?

You will be broke in a short time. Find the closest Social Security office to apply for welfare.

P.S. Find a good and powerful two-channel amp (200w+++++) to drive the SDAs and let your 805 power the rest of your speakers.

[SRTCraig]

Originally Posted by Driver_King

They aren't biampable though. I have them about 5 feet apart. That's about how far I can have them until the door gets in the way.

Well thats a surprise! The crossovers in them must do all the cancellation.

To get the most out of them imaging wise you need to have the triangle thing happening, with no toe-in (as strange as it sounds). If they're 5 feet apart the best imaging will be about 5 feet from the speakers. In saying that though i am a little further back than the optimum. I also have the problem of one placed near a wall and the other at the opening to the dining room. Mine sound really good so much so that another SRT owner here commented that set-up was one of the best he'd heard.... so different things can work with them if the basic no toe-in thing is adhered to.

Just out of curiosity, how bigger soundstage do the REAL sda's create? The SRT's extend so high and so wide i scratch my head in amazement sometimes.