Kingofgrills Home Theater / Gameroom Project

[kingofgrills]

I am finally opening up a gallery thread for my home theater / gameroom project. This project has been ongoing since I built the house four years ago, so it has been a long work in progress. It's still not complete, so please keep that in mind as you look through the photos. Oh, and I only have a few photos up, but more will be added as I get time.

Here is a list of my components:

Speakers:

Mains: Aura LSM-828M w/Realistic Super Tweeters
Center: Aura LSC-537M w/ Realistic Super Tweeter
Surround: RCA Pro-LX 550
Rear: Aura LSC-537M
Subwoofer: Miller & Kreisel MX-125 Mk. II


Gear:

Sony KDS 50-A2000 Grand Wega SXRD Microdisplay
Yamaha HTR-6080 (RX-V861) 7.1 Ch Natural Sound Receiver
Sony PS3 60 GB (now 320 GB) - Blu-ray, DVD, SACD, CD, media server, and games
Phillips CDR-760 CD Recorder
Toshiba DVR3 DVD Recorder
Comcast HD (Motorola HD DVR)
Logitech Harmony 880 with Blu Wave PS3 adapter

Line Conditioner and Surge Protection:

Whole house surge protector - installed outside at the meter
Monster Reference Power Conditioner 3500 Mk II
Monster Power SW 200 Subwoofer Surge Protector

Cabling:

XLO Electric Reference speaker cables (mains)
Blue Jeans interconnects and component cables
Blue Jeans Belkin subwoofer cables
Monster Cable Ultralink 600 and Monoprice HDMI cables, 8 Ft.


Seating:

Berkline 13175 Home Theater Seats


The room itself is approximately 25' L x 17.5' W, and approximately 1/3 of that space is used as the theater area, with the rest being the gameroom. The eventual plan is to add a wet bar on the opposite area of the room, with a billiard table to go with the existing poker table. Of course none of this can be seen with the current photos that are loaded.

As for the home theater area, during the planning and construction phase I worked with Genesis Home Technologies to map out the room configuration and whole house wiring. The room was setup for a 6.1 channel setup, and that is what I'm currently running. It was also wired for ethernet, along separate HD feeds for cable and satellite.

I am finally finishing up decorating the room, and I'm happy to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I recently painted the room, and hung a movie themed border around the room. There are windows on the left side of the room, so to control light and reduce audible refractions, I hung heavy duty cinema styled blackout curtains. Besides helping performance, they also bring a little old school theater feel to the room.

My final project right now is the addition of an entertainment center to house the TV and all my gear. My wife just gave me the one I wanted as a birthday present, and now I'm in the process of assembling it. There's a sample picture of the unit in the gallery. It's currently white, but I'd like to change the color to better match the warmer tones used throughout the room. If you have any color suggestions, please let me know.

I promise I'll add a lot more photos real soon. I need to download them from the camera.

[talstarone]

Outstanding Set-up.

Love the Area you have for your Home Theater.It looks as if the area was constructed just for that purpose.

I Have To Give It Up in Owning Aura Speakers.I Loved Linaeums and the Velvet touch the Ribbon Tweeter Added to the Highs.I wondered where they had gone.
I am thrilled to see they are still in use.I Imagine with the addition of the Super-Tweeters the Sound Performance is Strictly Amazing.

And I also have to Give a Shout-Out on the MK Subwoofer.Been a Fan of MK since I got into audio and Home Theater in the arly 90's.They build Some Incredible Products.

Then the Rear Bookcases are perfect for storage as well as the 3 Surround Speakers.I am really looking forward to seeing the Entertainment Center When its completed and Loaded down with your System's Components.

Excellent Job So Far.I can Only Imagine the Final Result Will Be Even More Impressive.
Keep us updated as you continue on your Quest to Complete your Awesome Home Theater. Thanks for Sharing!

[kingofgrills]

Originally Posted by talstarone

Outstanding Set-up.

Love the Area you have for your Home Theater.It looks as if the area was constructed just for that purpose.

I Have To Give It Up in Owning Aura Speakers.I Loved Linaeums and the Velvet touch the Ribbon Tweeter Added to the Highs.I wondered where they had gone.
I am thrilled to see they are still in use.I Imagine with the addition of the Super-Tweeters the Sound Performance is Strictly Amazing.

And I also have to Give a Shout-Out on the MK Subwoofer.Been a Fan of MK since I got into audio and Home Theater in the arly 90's.They build Some Incredible Products.

Then the Rear Bookcases are perfect for storage as well as the 3 Surround Speakers.I am really looking forward to seeing the Entertainment Center When its completed and Loaded down with your System's Components.

Excellent Job So Far.I can Only Imagine the Final Result Will Be Even More Impressive.
Keep us updated as you continue on your Quest to Complete your Awesome Home Theater. Thanks for Sharing!

Thank you so much for the wonderful comments! I am astounded to see the first comment I received was from someone familiar with my speakers! Typically, I find people aren't familiar with my speakers when I mention them. I live in Portland, Oregon, which is where Linaeum speakers originated. I am absolutely addicted to the detail and naturalness their ribbon tweeters bring, so I use them throughout my home theater room and 2 channel setup in my den (I'll have to post the details and photos in a separate album later). Linaeum sold speakers under their name, as well as licensing out their speakers to be sold through Radio Shack under the Optimus and RCA brands, most famously as the Pro LX-5 dipole bookshelf speaker. Linaeum then was purchased by Aura, and my speakers were the first wave designed by Linaeum and sold under the Aura name.

I am really excited to finally see the end of my project coming along. I've pieced it together carefully over several years, so seeing results is very rewarding. My next project after I finish the entertainment unit is to improve the super tweeters even further with better crossovers and internal vibration dampening. I ordered new Auricap capacitors from Parts Express last week, so I'll be able to start on that project as soon as the entertainment unit is completed.

[SeanMF]

Excellent setup you have. Go Steelers!

[talstarone]

Originally Posted by kingofgrills

Thank you so much for the wonderful comments! I am astounded to see the first comment I received was from someone familiar with my speakers! Typically, I find people aren't familiar with my speakers when I mention them. I live in Portland, Oregon, which is where Linaeum speakers originated. I am absolutely addicted to the detail and naturalness their ribbon tweeters bring, so I use them throughout my home theater room and 2 channel setup in my den (I'll have to post the details and photos in a separate album later). Linaeum sold speakers under their name, as well as licensing out their speakers to be sold through Radio Shack under the Optimus and RCA brands, most famously as the Pro LX-5 dipole bookshelf speaker. Linaeum then was purchased by Aura, and my speakers were the first wave designed by Linaeum and sold under the Aura name.

I am really excited to finally see the end of my project coming along. I've pieced it together carefully over several years, so seeing results is very rewarding. My next project after I finish the entertainment unit is to improve the super tweeters even further with better crossovers and internal vibration dampening. I ordered new Auricap capacitors from Parts Express last week, so I'll be able to start on that project as soon as the entertainment unit is completed.

I remember well when Radio Shack took in Linaeum. They had some wonderful speakers under the Optimus name with those Ribbon tweeters.Now the only time I see Ribbon Tweeters is in The Most Expensive of High-End Speakers.

But it was a Crying Shame when Radio Shack dropped their Speakers.I had wondered for years what had happened to the Ribbon Tweeter Linaeum used to produce.

I wish they were still making them for a reasonably priced Speaker Line.I would be Extremely Tempted to try a Pair for my Audio Only System.
I wish you success in getting the new crossovers and added dampening to the Super Tweeters.

That will be a Wonderful Sounding System when you do get it Finished and Crank those Customized Aura Speakers with an Awesome Blu-Ray in the Player.

[kingofgrills]

Hey there, just wanted to check in and give an update. My wife gave me the wall media center shown in my gallery, and I'm hoping to have it installed by Christmas. I am in the process of changing its color from white to a sort of sage green to better blend in with the warm tones of the room. I haven't taken any pictures of the painting process, but I might do that to document this craziness.

The big news is that I am upgrading my home theater room sub from the M&K V-125, pictured in my gallery, to the M&K MX-125 Mk II sub! Like my V-125, it's an older sub, but it's an incredible performer and it is in fantastic shape. Anyone who knows M&K subs can attest to their accuracy, articulation and bass extension. It weighs 70lbs and has two 12' drivers in a sealed push-pull configuration.

Here's a Sound and Vision subwoofer shootout that features the MX-125 Mk II:

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/spe...ies-page3.html

Here's a newer article on it's big brother, the MX-350THX, which distinguishes itself from the MX-125 by having THX certification and using a larger amplifier. The drivers and cabinetry are the same.

http://www.laaudiofile.com/mksound_s150.html

Here's a pic of my new sub. When it was available for sale it retailed for $1,200, and the MX-350THX currently retails for $2,300. My audio dealer is selling me his for $325.

Merry Christmas to me!

[kingofgrills]

I just picked it up. I'll report more on the sub once I hook it up after work, and add some pictures. In the meantime, here's a link to a photo and the specs. The chart also lists the specs for the V-125 it is replacing.

http://www.dreamhomecinema.com/GEN/P...K%20MX125.html

I can't wait to re-calibrate the system and try it out! I need to think of some good demo scenes to try out.

[talstarone]

Happy New Years, KOG !!!!


May 2010, Bring Even More Upgrades and Additions To Your Already Amazing Components!

[ldgibson76]

Happy New Year KOG!

[kingofgrills]

Happy New Year's talstarone, ldgibson76, and everyone else!

I've been busy finishing up the HT room, including adding the entertainment unit (now painted), the M&K MX 125 Mk. II sub, and upgraded super tweeters with improved internal crossovers. I promise I'll add new pics and impressions soon!

Happy New Year!

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by kingofgrills

Happy New Year's talstarone, ldgibson76, and everyone else!

I've been busy finishing up the HT room, including adding the entertainment unit (now painted), the M&K MX 125 Mk. II sub, and upgraded super tweeters with improved internal crossovers. I promise I'll add new pics and impressions soon!

Happy New Year!

Looking forward to the new pics kingofgrills...the changes sound quite impressive!

[vega2K]

KOGs,

I just wanted to drop in and say that I am now a fellow M&K sub owner! I also got lucky and found an MX-125 locally. I stumbled onto the M&K line and am now a fan of the 2-driver configuration. I am now looking for a matching MX-125.

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by vega2K

KOGs,

I just wanted to drop in and say that I am now a fellow M&K sub owner! I also got lucky and found an MX-125 locally. I stumbled onto the M&K line and am now a fan of the 2-driver configuration. I am now looking for a matching MX-125.

Congrats, but did I miss the pics Vega?

[Beta Man]

Lots of media, and lots of room for media! Love it!

Those aren't your garden variety speakers either...... very well done!

[vega2K]

Originally Posted by Fors*

Congrats, but did I miss the pics Vega?

I added a few pics to my gallery just for you so you can see it here.

I'm sure KOGs is as proud of the new twins as I am.

[Fors*]

Originally Posted by vega2K

I added a few pics to my gallery just for you so you can see it here.

I'm sure KOGs is as proud of the new twins as I am.

Boy, that thing is big and interesting looking......I don't think I have seen that sub before. Congrats on the new addition vega!

[kingofgrills]

Originally Posted by vega2K

KOGs,

I just wanted to drop in and say that I am now a fellow M&K sub owner! I also got lucky and found an MX-125 locally. I stumbled onto the M&K line and am now a fan of the 2-driver configuration. I am now looking for a matching MX-125.

Vega2K, that is awesome! Congratulations! The MX-125 Mk II is my third M&K sub, and I am a huge fan for life. I replaced my M&K V-125 12" sub with the MX, and I couldn't believe the difference it made in my room. The V-125 was highly reviewed regular in M&K's lineup, but the improvement with the MX was immediately noticeable. Even with 2 active drivers, and the lower port, the MX-125 is a completely sealed push/pull sub that eliminates even-order harmonic distortion for cleaner bass throughout the frequency range.

Take care of it, and I think it will treat you well for years to come. Unfortunately, M&K no longer makes the MX-125, but they still make the MX-350THX, which is the THX certified upgraded version. It's available at Abt Electronics for around $1800. The MX-125 Mk II's retail price was $1,200, and it was one of the top subs M&K offered. It's a keeper.

I'm just finishing up the gameroom, and I added a pool table and two sitting chairs last week. All of my camera's memory cards have been full, so I haven't been able to add any pictures. I just got a couple of more cards, so I'll throw some pictures up this week.

Enjoy the sub! I love mine!

[kingofgrills]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Lots of media, and lots of room for media! Love it!

Those aren't your garden variety speakers either...... very well done!

Thanks Beta! I'm wrapping up the room, so I'll add some better photos of the speakers and their ribbon drivers this week.

[Hammie]

Originally Posted by kingofgrills

All of my camera's memory cards have been full, so I haven't been able to add any pictures. I just got a couple of more cards, so I'll throw some pictures up this week.

You know the pictures can be deleted after you download them, right? You don't need to buy new cards like film.

[vega2K]

Originally Posted by kingofgrills

Vega2K, that is awesome! Congratulations! The MX-125 Mk II is my third M&K sub, and I am a huge fan for life. I replaced my M&K V-125 12" sub with the MX, and I couldn't believe the difference it made in my room. The V-125 was highly reviewed regular in M&K's lineup, but the improvement with the MX was immediately noticeable. Even with 2 active drivers, and the lower port, the MX-125 is a completely sealed push/pull sub that eliminates even-order harmonic distortion for cleaner bass throughout the frequency range.

Take care of it, and I think it will treat you well for years to come. Unfortunately, M&K no longer makes the MX-125, but they still make the MX-350THX, which is the THX certified upgraded version. It's available at Abt Electronics for around $1800. The MX-125 Mk II's retail price was $1,200, and it was one of the top subs M&K offered. It's a keeper.

I'm just finishing up the gameroom, and I added a pool table and two sitting chairs last week. All of my camera's memory cards have been full, so I haven't been able to add any pictures. I just got a couple of more cards, so I'll throw some pictures up this week.

Enjoy the sub! I love mine!

This is a thing of beauty: