Big Daddy's Home Theater Thread

[Big Daddy]

I added about 40 pictures to my Gallery. They are all in very low resolution so that they load quickly. You can have as much fun as you want with my gallery. I have a sense of humor and will not get offended.

The HT room is not finished yet. The A/V rack in the gallery is temporary. I am in the process of ordering two high quality Euro racks (6 or 7 shelves each) from Sanus to organize the equipment more professionally. After that, I need to spend a lot of time organizing and hiding the wires.

More pictures of my setup can be viewed in the Upgrading & Building Subwoofers thread.

goodjob.gif

Here is a list of my audio/video equipment as I listed them in the Audio Investment thread.

Construction/Preparation
Construction & Conversion of Home Theater Room.
Large Persian Rug To Cover Wood Floor.
Leather Seats.
Racks to Hold DVD/VHS/CD.
Installation of In-Wall Speakers in Every Room in the house, Including Outdoors by the pool/spa + In-Wall Music System.

Speaker/Subwoofers
Two Definitive Technology Bipolar Super Towers With 15" Built-in Powered Subwoofers.
Martin Logan Center Channel.
Definitive Technology Center Channel.
Two PSB Surround Speakers.
Two Definitive Technology Surround Speakers.
Two Bose 901 Rear Speakers.
Two Polk RTA-15TL Speakers.
Two DIY Horn-Loaded Speakers with Fostex Full-Range Drivers.
Several Bookshelf Speakers around the house.
Two Passive Modified Hsu Cylindrical Subwoofers.
Two Passive 12" DIY Subwoofers.
One Passive 15" DIY Subwoofer.
One Passive 12" Radio Shack Subwoofer.
One Pair of LCY-100K Super Tweeters.
One Zvox Sound Bar Speaker.
Velodyne SMS-1 Subwoofer Equlaizer/Analyzer.

Receivers
One Denon AVR-4308CI Receiver.
One Yamaha DSP-A3090 Receiver.

Blu-ray Players
Oppo BDP-83.
PS3 (Fat).

Amplifiers
One Cinepro 6 Channel Amplifier.
Carver TFM-45 2 Channel Amplifier.
Two Carver M Amplifiers M1.0t.
One Proton D-1200 Amplifier.
One Behringer EP4000 Amplifier.
One Behringer EPX3000 Amplifier.
Two DBX Subwoofer Amplifiers.

Pre-Amps
Two Carver Pre-amps.
One Pyramid Pre-amp.

CD Players/Recorders
One Carver Tube CD Player.
One Rotel CD Player.
One NAD CD Player.
One Yamaha SACD, DVD-A, DVD, CD Player.
One Sony 200 CD Changer.
One Philips Dual Deck CD Recorder.

Old School Recorders
One Pioneer Reel to Reel Player/Recorder.
One Sony ES Cassette Player/Recorder.
One Yamaha Dual Deck Cassette Player/Recorder.

Tuners
One Yamaha Tuner.
One Audio Source Tuner.
One Nad Tuner.
Several FM Antennas.

Laser Disc Players
One Pioneer Laser Disc Player.
One Sony Laser Disc Player.

DVD Players/Recorders[
One Sony DVP-S7000 First Generation DVD player.
One Denon DVD Player.
One Sony 200 DVD Changer.
One Philips DVD Recorder.
One Generic DVD Recorder.
4-5 Generic DVD Players Scattered around the house.

Video Cassette Players
One Mitsubishi S-VHS VCR.
One Mitsubishi VCR.
One Aiwa Multi-Region (NTSC, Pal, Secam) VCR.
One Sanyo Beta VCR.
One Go Video Dual Deck VCR.
One RCA DVD Recorder/VCR Dual Deck.

Turntables
One Marantz Turntable.
One Audio Technica Turntable.
One Sony Turntable.

TV/Monitors
One 73" Mitsubishi Diamond Seris HD DLP TV w Stand.
One 65" Mitsubishi HD TV.
One 40" Vizio TV.
One 15" HD TV.
Several Tube TVs.

Projectors
One Sharp LCD Projector.
One Sony VPL-VW10 Projector.
One Sony VPL_HS20 Projector.
One Epson 1080UB Projector.
Three Projector Screens.

Headphones
3 Sennheisers.
2 Sony.

Satellite
Three DirecTV HD Receivers.
One DirecTV HD-DVR Receiver.

Miscellaneous
Several Audio Racks.
One Monster Power Center.
One APC H15 Power Conditioner.
Two Samson S-Convert Unbalanced <----> Balanced Convertor.
Several Generic Surge Protectors.
Multiple Expensive & Generic Cables.
Over 550 DVDs, 40 Blu-Ray, 200 VHS, 50 Beta, 30 LP, a zillion cassettes & CDs

[Slec]

Great googally! Are you looking to adopt anyone? I've had all my shots and would only need to bring my wife and blu-rays (maybe a few guitars).

[crazyBLUE]

I saw it as you were uploading it ! LOOK'S real good Big Daddy !!

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

I saw it as you were uploading it ! LOOK'S real good Big Daddy !!

Thanks. This is worst than a full-time job. I don't think I have the stamina to rearrange everything after I receive the new A/V racks. That is one reason I have been hesitating about placing the order. Connecting the wires takes a good 24 hours.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Slec

Great googally! Are you looking to adopt anyone? I've had all my shots and would only need to bring my wife and blu-rays (maybe a few guitars).

I plan to order two Sanus 7 shelves audio racks. I will adopt you if you and your wife agree to move all the equipment and connect all the wires. As a bonus, you get to watch any movie you want for a whole week.

[Siri]

Oh Pick me! Ill move everything and do all of the connections! ...can I move it to my house? Lol, awesome stuff!

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Thanks. This is worst than a full-time job. I don't think I have the stamina to rearrange everything after I receive the new A/V racks. That is one reason I have been hesitating about placing the order. Connecting the wires takes a good 24 hours.

I would'nt know were to begin w/that many wire's . Even if I disconnected them all I'd be LOST !!!

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Sirius389

Oh Pick me! Ill move everything and do all of the connections! ...can I move it to my house? Lol, awesome stuff!

I have donated as many old equipment as you see on the list to my relatives and friends. I believe only one relative offered to pay for the nice Pioneer Elite receiver that he took.

[Siri]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

I have donated as many old equipment as you see on the list to my relatives and friends. I believe only one relative offered to pay for the nice Pioneer Elite receiver that he took.

generally, my relatives think that when i offer something, it is free then when i say its not free, they get all


Nice Mitsubishi TV btw!

[blu_world]

lol...storage house!.

...I'm joking!..mad scientist.


holy,there's still VHS around?,i thought everybody has got sick of them being spit out of the VCR with tape everywhere years ago...hehe.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by blu_world

lol...storage house!.

...I'm joking!..mad scientist.

holy,there's still VHS around?,i thought everybody has got sick of them being spit out of the VCR with tape everywhere years ago...hehe.

You have no idea. You haven't even seen the beta player, equalizers, speakers, CD players, Car audio, and other stuff that are in the closests and garage. I once joked that I have more high-end stuff in my house than CC, BB, Amazon, Future Shop, Vann's & Crutchfield combined. A couple of people got upset. I still believe that I beat Ebay in hard-to-find electronic gadgets.

You should see my collection of Beta's, 45's, and Laser Discs. I have the original three Star Wars on Laser Disc and a few gems on Beta. My son watches them occasionally. I feel too guilty to throw them in the garbage and too lazy to oraganize them and sell them for a few cents.

mad scientist

I am the original Phantom of the Opera. Lets play the organ. Organ music, maybe I should buy a few more subwoofers. See what you have done. You are making me spend more money. I will come and get you.

[Slec]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

I plan to order two Sanus 7 shelves audio racks. I will adopt you if you and your wife agree to move all the equipment and connect all the wires. As a bonus, you get to watch any movie you want for a whole week.

Perfect! I love setting gear up, I offer, and do this without offering, whenever I go to someones house. You'd be surprised at how many redundant wires are in peoples systems. Not you though Big Daddy, your knowledge is far beyond mine I'd just have fun rewiring.

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

You have no idea. You haven't even seen the beta player, equalizers, speakers, CD players, Car audio, and other stuff that are in the closets and garage. I once joked that I have more high-end stuff in my house than CC, BB, Amazon, Future Shop, Vann's & Crutchfield combined. A couple of people got upset. I still believe that I beat Ebay in hard-to-find electronic gadgets.

You should see my collection of Beta's, 45's, and Laser Discs. I have the original three Star Wars on Laser Disc and a few gems on Beta. My son watches them occasionally. I feel too guilty to throw them in the garbage and too lazy to organize them and sell them for a few cents.

You ever decide to sell anything, let us know, I'm sure there are plenty on this board who'd be more than happy to buy your gear! I moved about 2 years ago and tipped one of the young movers with an old Rockford Fosgate amp that I hadn't used in 6 or 7 years. It was a beast, and he forced me to take the cash back for moving all my stuff! Can't beat that. I still have some subs, crossovers and receivers sitting around, So I hear ya on that.

[Blu_Ray_Fan]

NICE! How do the 2 center channels play with each other??

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Slec

You'd be surprised at how many redundant wires are in peoples systems.

I don't believe there is any redundant wires. The problem is summarized below:

• I have separate amplifiers powering all speakers.
• I have two Def. Tech Super Towers w 15" powered subwoofers. I have two RCA cables going from the receiver's front pre-outs to the inputs of the Cinepro amp and two sets of wires to the Def. Tech. speakers. The Cinepro amplifier powers the mid-range and the tweeters. At one time, I had them tri-amped. The speakers have to be plugged in for the built-in amps. In addition, I have to run two RCA cables from the receiver to the built-in sub amp.
• There are two center speakers: Martin Logan & Def. Tech. The Martin Logan needs power and has to be plugged in. The center output on the receiver has a Y adapter attached to it. From the Y adapter, two RCA cable go to the Cinepro amp inputs and two sets of speaker wires go to the two center channels.
• There are 4 side surround speakers: One Def. Tech. and one PSB on the right and one Def.Tech. and one PSB on the left. The Denon receiver is one of the few receivers that supports this configuration. The receiver powers the two Def. Techs. So I have two speaker wires (+,-) running to the right and two speaker wires (+,-) to the left. The Proton amplifier drives the PSB speakers. I have two RCA cables going from the receiver's pre-outs to the inputs of the Proton and two sets of speaker wires to the two PSB speakers.
• For the rear surrounds, there are two big Bose 901 speakers. Desipte all the hatred toward Bose on this forum, the 901's are unbelievably powerful and can take almost an unlimited amount of power. They can easily over-power my two front Def. Tech. super towers. The Carver TFM-45 amplifier powers these two. So I have two RCA cables going from the rear pre-outs of the receiver to the inputs of the Carver amp and two sets of speaker wires from the amp to the Bose speakers.
• There are three subwoofers in the room: Two modified 12" Hsu subs on the two sides and one re-built 15" sub in the rear. You should see how I upgraded the subs in my other thread under subwoofer discussion. All three subwoofers are passive and need external power. So I have two Y-cables attached to the LFE output of the receiver. Two RCA cables go to the inputs of the Cinepro amp. From the amp, two sets of speaker wires go to the two Hsu subs. The Carver amp that powers the rear 15" sub is in the back. So I have a long subwoofer cable going from the receiver to the Carver amp in the rear and two sets of speaker wires to the subwoofer.
• I have a projector and a 65" HD TV in that room. a single HDMI cable connects the Epson projector to the receiver's output. The Mitsubishi TV does not have HDMI input. So I have 5 RCA cables (3 components and 2 audio) going from the receiver to the TV.
• The Direct TV receiver needs to be connected to a telephone line. Thank god it has an HDMI output.
• In addition to the above, I have a PS3, Oppo DVD/SACD/DVD-A, S-VHS player, cassete player, etc. connected.
• If there was any more room, I would reconnect the Laser Disc player and 200 CD changer.

I have connected and re-connected this many many times. We have changed houses a few times and we have gone through major construction upgrades. Between writing sticky threads for Blu-ray.com, making subwoofers, and watching Blu-ray movies in my spare time, I am just too tired to worry about the cables.

I can only tell you that the sound and picture quality is awesome. I have attended many high-end A/V shows. I have listened to $100,000 speakers and $50,000 CD players and amplifiers. Every time we come back, my wife tells me that although they sounded excellent, they were not that much better than ours. I always remind her of the dreaded Law of Diminishing Returns. After all I should know. I have a PhD. in Economics. I am sure a lot of people are going to jump on me now, but I do have a sense of humor.

[crazyBLUE]

Big Daddy ; I'll bet you use more power in one movie showing than I do for A week W/ 1 movie everyday + amp !!!

[fupduk2]

Wire/cable management is a fine art.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Blu_Ray_Fan

NICE! How do the 2 center channels play with each other??

When I bought the Martin Logan, I only had the Def. Tech. center channel. I was looking for something more powerful. I was also fully aware of the so-called timbre matching, but after many years of playing with speakers and tweaking them, I have reached the conclusion that although timbre matching is important, it is a bit over rated. Even two identical speakers from the same comapny do not sound alike in a small home theater room because of interaction with room boundaries, carpets, curtains, furniture, etc. Location in a room is probably as important as the built quality. This is even more important with subwoofers because of the long wavelengths sounds that they output.

Several years ago, I went to a dealer in Orange County, CA and spent several hour with the ML speaker. I was very impressed, but it cost $1,800. I explained to them that I already had a center channel that matched my two front speakers. They agreed that if I did not like the results, I could bring the speaker back. I am sure you know about ML speakers. They weigh like a ton. You need two people to carry the center channel. Anyway, I brought the speaker home and attached it to my system. After a break in period, I was surprised how much it blended with the rest of my system. I am a compulsive tweaker. I have connected them individually. I have tried increasing the level of one more than the other. I have connected them out of phase. I finally settled on the following setup.

Each center speaker is run by a separate channel of the Cinepro amplifier. I used the knobs on the Cinepro and adjusted the level of the two center channels. The Definitive speaker is set about 1 db higher. Then I used the equalizer within the Denon to get the best sounding result for all speakers. It gives me very good results. Typically, when people on this forum complain about the perfomance of their center channel, I want to invite them to my house for a demo.

I also use six surround speakers: four side surrounds (2 on each side), and two rear surrounds. The Denon receiver is one of the few receivers that supports this configuration. They are called A & B. When I run the calibration program, it adjusts the level of each one individually and then again it adjusts the combined A + B level.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by fupduk2

Wire/cable management is a fine art.

Read my post #14. I have been adding, moving, changing houses, building, etc. for over a century now. It is not that easy to worry about wires when you are a compulsive tweaker and change things every day. If I walk into my movie room, I end up tweaking and changing something. How many of you have run the Audyssey program at least 50 times? I also own an SPL meter and end up overriding everything that Audyssey does. It is just part of the fun.

I once invided some pro installers to my house to help me with wire management. They took one look and joked that it looked like pasta. I plan to make the speaker wires on the walls a bit more orderly. I will then get a court issued restraning order against myself that I should not be allowed into the movie room. I am not sure there is much I can do for the cables behind the equipment.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

Big Daddy ; I'll bet you use more power in one movie showing than I do for A week W/ 1 movie everyday + amp !!!

I had electricians built two dedicated 20 amp circuits for my home theater room. I still blow the fuse every once in a while. How do you think I managed to blow the 12" driver on my Hsu subwoofer? You remember the Upgrading Subwoofers thread.

I am not joking. A few months ago, our water/electric bill was around $630. The biggest mistake I made was to buy a nice easy chair recliner for the HT oom. My wife is now using the HT room as a bedroom. Every once in a while, I have to carry her upstairs to the bedroom. This is one of the negatives of making your wife more appreciative of HT.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

I had electricians built two dedicated 20 amp circuits for my home theater room. I still blow the fuse every once in a while. How do you think I managed to blow the 12" driver on my Hsu subwoofer? You remember the Upgrading Subwoofers thread.

I am not joking. A few months ago, our water/electric bill was around $630. The biggest mistake I made was to buy a nice easy chair recliner for the HT oom. My wife is now using the HT room as a bedroom. Every once in a while, I have to carry her upstairs to the bedroom. This is one of the negatives of making your wife more appreciative of HT.

+1 . That's A dedicated husband !!