Kali157's Home Theater

[Kali157]

Finally got a chance to post some pictures of my HT that was built thanks to the help of many people from this forum. I was taking update pics of our house for insurance, so I took extra ones of the home theater to share . Anyway, enjoy. I would appreciate any constructive input, for, as many of you know, work on a home theater is never finished .

Update 06/22/2010- After auditioning the Paradigm CC390 and the Aperion Intimus 6C in our home, we chose a new center channel: the Aperion Intimus 6C.

Update 08/06/2010- Auditioned the Aperion 5DB vs the Axiom QS8 v3 and chose the Axiom.
- Added Audio Technica AT-PL120 Turntable... now hooked on vinyl

Update 10/12/2010- Updated Sub to Outlaw LFM-1 Plus. Using Behringer DSP 1124P for sub woofer correction

[SeanMF]

Originally Posted by Kali157

Finally got a chance to post some pictures of my HT that was built thanks to the help of many people from this forum. I was taking update pics of our house for insurance, so I took extra ones of the home theater to share . Anyway, enjoy. I would appreciate any constructive input, for, as many of you know, work on a home theater is never finished .

Looks good...great job!

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Kali157

Finally got a chance to post some pictures of my HT that was built thanks to the help of many people from this forum. I was taking update pics of our house for insurance, so I took extra ones of the home theater to share . Anyway, enjoy. I would appreciate any constructive input, for, as many of you know, work on a home theater is never finished .

Nice !! You have A Beautiful room there with A really nice Home Theater setup in it ! 10 from me ~

[Kali157]

Thanks.

[GBMidge7]

Originally Posted by Kali157

Finally got a chance to post some pictures of my HT that was built thanks to the help of many people from this forum. I was taking update pics of our house for insurance, so I took extra ones of the home theater to share . Anyway, enjoy. I would appreciate any constructive input, for, as many of you know, work on a home theater is never finished .

I love your HT for two main reasons... neatness and style. You have an awesome space, you utilized it very well and made it look exceptionally nice, and there's not a stray wire to be found... awesome job.

[fiddlestyx]

Your room looks awesome, its so neat and organized. And 3 computers running through there, nice! I'm definitely digging that start engine button, nice touch!

[Kali157]

Thanks everyone. Any suggestions for improvement?

In terms of the start button, I originally had a small speaker box that played car revving noises when the button was pressed. It was cool... at first. Several boot ups later it became annoying...

[Kali157]

Updated: Got the Emotiva XPA-3 amp installed and running. Had to change receivers to Onkyo 707 for pre-outs. The Emotiva is very impressive. Low volume sounds remain clear and distinct while high volumes never get shrill or strained. Music and movies sound more accurate. I know I am probably not using the right terms. I usually evaluate new equipment with a very critical eye and with the mind set that I will return it if I am not satisfied (like the Emptek Center speaker). This amp has made a very noticeable, positive difference in our system's sound.

Anyway, thanks to those very knowledgeable people in this forum from which I was able to glean a wealth of information.

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by Kali157

Updated: Got the Emotiva XPA-3 amp installed and running. Had to change receivers to Onkyo 707 for pre-outs. The Emotiva is very impressive. Low volume sounds remain clear and distinct while high volumes never get shrill or strained. Music and movies sound more accurate. I know I am probably not using the right terms. I usually evaluate new equipment with a very critical eye and with the mind set that I will return it if I am not satisfied (like the Emptek Center speaker). This amp has made a very noticeable, positive difference in our system's sound.

Anyway, thanks to those very knowledgeable people in this forum from which I was able to glean a wealth of information.

Congrats Kali!! I think you said it very nicely about your XPA-3. I felt very similar about mine when I got it last month. It really opened up my speakers while improving their clarity.

[ldgibson76]

Hello Kali157.

I just finished viewing your gallery and I also left a comment along with the rating.
All I have to say is Bravo! I'm a big fan of system configuration and concept.
Incorporating the Home theater system with home computer network and the home security is truly an achievement.
You have a very nice layout and the room is tastefully decorated.
Congrats on the addition of the Emotiva XPA-3. Your Emptek Towers must sound better than ever now. Low volume level clarity is so important and it's cool that that was one of the first things you discovered after adding the XPA-3.

[petew]

Great setup. The stealth computers are awesome. I'm building a hushbox for my NAS box and "utility" PC this weekend. Any noise is too much for me.

[Kali157]

Thanks for the comments. I am just amazed at the sound difference with vs without an amp. My wife and I did A/B testing with scenes from SPR, Avatar, Toy Story, Wall-E, and Thomas Crowne Affair. Of coarse the rambunctious scenes like the beginning and end of SPR are more detailed and "alive" (my wife's term). But we were just as amazed at the... fullness (dunno if that is the term) and clarity of soft dialogue even at lower volume.

Hats off to my wife for her patience with my numerous "hold on let me switch to amp (or no amp) and replay that scene." The only time she complained was the Omaha beach landing in the beginning of SPR. She said she couldn't watch that scene repeatedly.

oh petew, make sure to post pics of you build. I hate noise too. That is why the computers are in the garage. The ones in our bedrooms are fanless. I am thinking of actually getting my PS3 a more silent fan.

[Kali157]

I updated my gallery for my new addition: the Aperion Intimus 6C. Here is a little review of the speaker I posted on the Aperion Speaker thread:

Well, I just returned a speaker this weekend after my center speaker shoot out btwn the Intimus 6c and Paradigm cc 390. I was supposed to give both 2 weeks since the dealer I got the open box Paradigm gave me two weeks to try it out. Well, unfortunately (or fortunately depends on how you look at it), we did not need 2 weeks. The winner is....

....

..... Trying to build suspense here....

......

The Intimus 6c. Both are very good speakers, but several factors swayed us. First, the Intimus is a VERY close sound match to my Emptek towers. When I played a sweeping sound across my front stage, the transition was quite seemless. It is more of a match than any speaker we have tried including the Polk (well, except the Emptek speaker, which we didnt like). I don't know if this is an effective tool for timber match assessment, but even when I use the calibration tone on my AVR, the sound produced btwn my towers and the Intimus when you move btwn channels is very close.

Second, we just liked the sound of the Intimus better. The Paradigm's sounded a little bright for us. It did play louder at the same volume, but I think that is b/c it maybe easier to drive than the Intimus. The Intimus just needs more juice to run. The sound of the Intimus was very accurate and didn't feel... colored (dunno if that is the word). Music and movies alike sounded very clear and "honest" with the Intimus. Every time we switched back to the Paradigm, there was definitely a difference in sound, and we didn't like it as much. Not that this really matters for a center, but despite having LESS low end drivers, the Intimus can also go lower easier than the Paradigm.

Both have incredible off-axis response. This was one of the main reasons for looking into a new center channel. With the Polk CS20, it sounded the best in a 2 foot wide sweet spot in the middle of the couch (right in a cushion split). There is a VERY noticeable drop outside that spot. With either the Intimus or the Paradigm, the sweet spot is easily the WHOLE couch. With the Intimus, I can even sit on the right side of our side leather couch without a noticeable drop in quality (I unfortunately didn't test the Paradigm that far off axis). My wife thinks the Intimus and the Paradigm are in a COMPLETELY different league than the Polk. I know they are, but in the Polk's defense, I always hog the tiny sweet spot... she always sat off axis to the Polk's very limited range.

Finally the looks. Man, the Intimus 6c is sexy. The Paradigm is more "masculine," like it fits perfectly in a man cave. The Intimus style is significantly more elegant without drawing too much attention to itself. This is especially true with the grills off. I think it is due to the different driver colors and even different shades of black on the face of the Paradigm. I did like how wide the Paradigm was... to me, it matched the TV width better. My wife didn't like that it was almost a foot wider and it took up the entire width of our entertainment rack. In the end, the Intimus's looks more closely matched our style than the Paradigm.

So the Paradigm went back on Sat, and the Aperion Intimus 6c found a new home. Again, I would like to thank my VERY patient wife for sitting through hours of speaker break in (3 straight days) and A/B comparisons. She said I should have been an optometrist. "Is A better, or B? Again A... or B... A one more time... or B... A..."

[croseiv]

Hi Kali157!

Very nice set-up and great photos. Thanks for sharing. 10/10!

[ejusted]

Very nice HT, I love the speakers.


Quick question, which do you like better? The Lenovo keyboard/mouse, or the dinuvo mini? I have the mini, I've never seen the lenovo before, any good?

[Kali157]

Originally Posted by ejusted

Very nice HT, I love the speakers.


Quick question, which do you like better? The Lenovo keyboard/mouse, or the dinuvo mini? I have the mini, I've never seen the lenovo before, any good?

I like the Lenovo better, specifically in terms of of the mouse option. I like the trackball of the Lenovo significantly better than the track pad of the Mini. In a hand held application, track balls are more accurate and responsive. The mini does have back light while the Lenovo doesn't, but I don't really look down anymore typing since I am used to both layouts. Hope that helps.

Thanks for all the comments.

[lucv13]

very nice...

[Kali157]

Originally Posted by croseiv

Hi Kali157!

Very nice set-up and great photos. Thanks for sharing. 10/10!

Hey, thanks for the rating. To everyone, any thoughts or suggestions to better my HT would be appreciated.

croseiv, I see from your gallery that you have a penchant for taking electronics apart. Someone after my own heart. In my gallery in the pic of my Emotiva amp in the garage, to the left (not shown) is a table and to the left of that is a storage rack. That rack (and most times that table) is full of electronics that I have taken apart, spliced, and used for other projects. My wife keeps "encouraging" me to clean up/throw away those parts stating that it looks like an electronics graveyard. I dunno... feels cozy to me

[Kali157]

I have been in search for new banana plugs lately since my monoprice plugs were becoming unreliable. The springs on the MP plugs were constantly becoming loose which in turn loosens the contacts btwn equipment. But the worst issue was the plugs were actually tripping a fault in my Emotiva amp if it was on and the amp was barely moved (I am talking nudging the amp here). The good people at Aperion suggested "saw type" plugs, aka BFA plugs; but I didn't want to pay $10/pair.

After some searching, I found "Nakamichi" plugs:
http://www.nakamichiplug.com/product-0534E.html

Nakamichi is in quotes b/c I don't think these are made by the Japanese company w/ the same name and logo. For one thing, they ship from a seller in China and are not mentioned on the official Nakamichi site. In other words, these are knock-offs. Anyway, I decided to order them anyway since the site uses Paypal. It took exactly 14 days to arrive from China.

I had two product concerns prior to ordering, but business owner Jinbo Huang never answered my questions directly (though he did respond in a timely manner). My first concern was whether the silver outer jacket was conductive like the Monoprice plugs. Well I tested them with a multimeter and, as the first picture shows, the jackets are NOT conductive. No more ugly shrink wrap!

My other concern was whether these plugs can actually fit a 10 gauge wire or lower. Though it does specify on the site that it can, some forum members at AVS received some "Nakamichi" plugs from an ebay seller that barely fit 12 gauge wire. I was able to fit a 10 gauge wire (center channel) and two 12 gauge wires (to bridge the dual binding posts of my towers).

The plugs themselves are of very good quality. The screw type design do an excellent job securing the plug to a wire. The plugs fit VERY securely into any binding post, even the slightly larger Emotiva posts. These plugs have a larger contact surface w/ the inside of the binding post (contact is made on the ENTIRE plug insert), unlike the MP style plugs where the contact is only of the widest part of the plug. Moreover, the plugs do not loosen over time or repeated plugging and unplugging. Finally, if I touch my amp while it is powered, the "Nakamichi" plugs do not lose contact w/ the binding post. No more faults.

So if you are looking for some banana plugs, I would strongly consider these plugs. At $22.99 shipped for 24 plugs (that is $1.92/pair), that is cheaper than Monoprice, esp when you factor shipping. But more importantly, these "Nakamichi" plugs provide a SIGNIFICANTLY larger and tighter contact between your wire and your binding post. After all, we spend money on buying a lower gauge wire so we can have more copper for signal to travel, why have a plug w/ such a small surface contact? They also come with a non-conductive jacket unlike the alternative. Finally, they just look better.

[4x12]

Kali,

Totally love the 6C dude! That thing is one sexy ***** but its still got a mean freakin look!! My only downside to it is the piano finish. I love the look, but couldn't have that with the cat. I'd be speanding more time cleaning off than anythung else!