Upgrading To Better Speakers!

[Big Daddy]

I just realized that Homer Skins also owns the Earthquake Supernova subwoofer.

[mdabb]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

I just realized that Homer Skins also owns the Earthquake Supernova subwoofer.

........... and he also loves bass !!!!! I couldn't imagine running multiple subs, especially the Supernova's. Over the weekend my son and I watched SW episode two (I know) and in the opening scenes there is some extreme low end. I am very glad the sub has a remote as everything in the house was vibrating, I wasn't prepared for that.

[MacDaddyOJack]

Originally Posted by mdabb

........... and he also loves bass !!!!! I couldn't imagine running multiple subs, especially the Supernova's. Over the weekend my son and I watched SW episode two (I know) and in the opening scenes there is some extreme low end. I am very glad the sub has a remote as everything in the house was vibrating, I wasn't prepared for that.

I watched the new Indy movie over the weekend despite all the reviews.....it wasn't that bad though.

Anyways, there is a new THX demo in before the movie starts and it s wonderful!! It caught me off-guard since I had never seen the demo before, it will be lovely with that earthquake sub. Be sure to give it a shot

[kingofgrills]

Originally Posted by mdabb

IBesides that the wife has zero interest in what I get. I doubt she ever even enters my new room.

Ooohhh, I needs a room like that one...

Great gear mdabb. It's apparent you put some thought into it. I love Dali's with their ribbon hybrid tweeters. The Helicon 800's have a fantastic upper frequency range. How do SACDs sound with the Dali's in your setup? Are you running analog outs from your SACD player? Have you been able to try straight DSD? I never have, but I'm curious about the sound differences.

Again, great gear choices. Enjoy!

[mdabb]

Originally Posted by kingofgrills

Ooohhh, I needs a room like that one...

Great gear mdabb. It's apparent you put some thought into it. I love Dali's with their ribbon hybrid tweeters. The Helicon 800's have a fantastic upper frequency range. How do SACDs sound with the Dali's in your setup? Are you running analog outs from your SACD player? Have you been able to try straight DSD? I never have, but I'm curious about the sound differences.

Again, great gear choices. Enjoy!

Thanks for the kind words!!!

No DSD for me as my pre does not do any conversion, strictly analog. The only SACD I've tried so far is NIN, Downward Spiral and it is awesome!!! Very much "in" the music experience.

The sound is influenced by the components and room itself as there are no tone controls or equalizer adjustments to make on equipment. I can swap tubes in my pre or make room adjustments but that's it. That might sound scary to some but it's something to hear in person to fully understand.

I have let my AVR (Onkyo TX-SR875) do the processing before and it was pretty decent but not the kind of magic that comes from ModWright LS36.5, Pass Labs X150.5, and Dali Helicon 800s combination. It's not an insult towards the AVR but in the end it's not fair to judge one against the other.

If you are a music lover and desire that kind of magic there is only a few roads that will lead you there. I'm sure you already know that though.

[mdabb]

Originally Posted by MacDaddyOJack

I watched the new Indy movie over the weekend despite all the reviews.....it wasn't that bad though.

Anyways, there is a new THX demo in before the movie starts and it s wonderful!! It caught me off-guard since I had never seen the demo before, it will be lovely with that earthquake sub. Be sure to give it a shot

Got that movie also but have only watched parts of it so I will keep an ear out for that when I sit down and watch it. I can't judge the movie from what I've seen but it's not the Indy I'm used too.

Usually there are great movies and music out when the country is going through rough times. Where did it all go???

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by mdabb

........... and he also loves bass !!!!! I couldn't imagine running multiple subs, especially the Supernova's. Over the weekend my son and I watched SW episode two (I know) and in the opening scenes there is some extreme low end. I am very glad the sub has a remote as everything in the house was vibrating, I wasn't prepared for that.

It sounds like your subwoofer may need a little bit of tweaking as far as its position and adjustments levels are concerned.

As far as two subs are concerned, they do a better job of smoothing out the bass across the room. These are some quotes from my thread on A Guide to Subwoofers: Part II. There are more explanations in the thread.

Part I of the Guide discusses the different types of subwoofers and how to place them and adjust the level, phase, etc. Part II is much longer and is completely devoted to standing waves and multiple subs. I have experience with subwoofers since early 1980s and I know that they are the most difficult of all the speakers to manage.

Quotes from Part II:
"The location of your subwoofer in the room creates the standing wave modes. And the modes are what determine whether your listening position gets great bass or poor bass. If your chair or sofa happens to be located in one of the troughs of the standing waves, you are not going to hear much deep bass. But if you get up and walk a few feet back, or to the left, or to the right, chances are you will hit one of the peaks and the bass will be very strong, perhaps too much of a good thing. An equalizer will solve some problems, primarily those related to peaks."

"With some care in placement of a single subwoofer and the listening location, one listener can experience fairly smooth and deep bass in a rectangular room. Unfortunately, other listeners seated elsewhere in the same room will hear different bass response, which may be significantly irregular. Trying to reduce some of the largest peaks (too much bass) at one or two frequencies is possible with careful placement and equalization for one location and one listener. But attempting to apply equalization for multiple locations is usually ineffective. There are far too many problems in a small home theater room that cannot be solved with one subwoofer. Using two subwoofers is preferable as you will get a better bass performance and will have less of a problem with standing waves, since the bass will originate from two locations."

"In most circumstances two subwoofers will perform better than one. While you might assume this is for added SPL, the greatest benefit will actually be smoother bass response. Two subwoofers are easier to place and result in a flatter frequency response and creation of a much larger “sweet spot” for everyone in the room to hear smoother and more consistent bass."

Warning: Reading the threads mentioned above may cost you a few thousand dollars as you may get tempted to buy another Earthquake Supernova. The writer assumes no responsibility.

[mdabb]

I haven't calibrated the sub yet and have only watched parts of a few movies. Can't ever seem to find the right time and when I do I don't feel like doing anything. I plan on maybe doing it this weekend though. As for placement I have only two options, on either side of my towers. I'm not worried about having everything perfect at this point in time.

I also know the benefits of two subs, I was only commenting on the potential for having some serious low end. I myself don't crave two subs and really one great one is more than enough for me. Even with one, two + subs there is always going to be that part of any room that influenced by certain frequencies and result in that extra bass.

Seriously I'm the only person in my family who even cares about home theater and music. They would be happy watching a DVD on a regular TV and the sound through the TV.

When I move, my dedicated room will most likely have just one couch or a few chairs. It's not me being mean it's reality. The room will be set up for music listening and movies second. A dedicated home theater would only get used a few times a month in my house, where as I listen to music every chance I get.

I still appreciate the help none the less!!!