Goon's theater

[thxgoon]

Here's what I have in my system in no particular order...

Guts:
Panasonic VCR.. yeah baby!
Denon AVR-5700 Receiver
Panasonic DVDRP-91 dvd player
Parasound Halo A52 amplifier for mains
Behringer 2500 amp for subs

Speakers:
M&K S-5000thx LCR
M&K SS-500thx dipole surround
M&K SS-150thx surround back (kind of..behind the couch same signal as mains)
DIY dual sonosubs - 15TC1000

"TV":
Panasonic PT-AE700 projector
DIY 101" screen

Other:
Monster Power 3600 for the cool amp meter
Monster Z-series cabling around..... I know....
PS2
Motorola dvr hd cable box - love the dvr!
Behringer Feedback Destroyer for the subs
Auralex acoustic room treatments

The Room
Basement of a rental while in school. Shared with 3 other roommates and can't wait to graduate!

sorry for the bad photostitch..


That's it for a while. Eventually I'd like to build a dedicated room and update both the audio and video sides to handle hd-dvd and blue ray. By far the biggest improvement I've made to this system was the addition of the LLT subs. I love them!

[Mike P.]

Looking good, Goon. I can imagine the difference those LLT's made. It must of been fun the first time you fired them up!

[eugovector]

Cinderblocks!! Best speaker stand known to man. I love it.

And I have to say that's about the nicest college setup I've ever seen. Just don't let your Home Theater Loans outgrow your school loans.

What did you DIY your screen out of?

[thxgoon]

Thanks! It really is a lot of fun. Believe it or not I've slowly ammassed all of this stuff over a few years and I don't owe a dime on it. The DIY screen is just the blackout cloth can you buy at just about any fabric store. It is really stretchy and strong. I've been happy with it so far but eventually I'd like to paint it with screen goo or something. And the cinderblocks are awesome. No worries for acoustic resonance or tipovers with the dogs.... seriously I used them as a temp setup after I bought the 50lb S-5000's and have intended to build something real but.......

[allredp]

Help me out with the cinder blocks! Are you serious about their audio properties?

If so, that would be an inelegant solution for my center speaker (though they could be covered with black fabric, couldn't they?

Anyway, great equipment! I'd love to hear what you're hearing (M&K is a long-time favorite of mine--too sad they went under, eh?).

Thanks for any insight on the acoustical properties of cinder blocks!

--Phil

[eugovector]

allredp wrote:

Help me out with the cinder blocks! Are you serious about their audio properties?

If so, that would be an inelegant solution for my center speaker (though they could be covered with black fabric, couldn't they?

Anyway, great equipment! I'd love to hear what you're hearing (M&K is a long-time favorite of mine--too sad they went under, eh?).

Thanks for any insight on the acoustical properties of cinder blocks!

--Phil

My understanding is that cement is non-resonant and obviously very dense. Cinderblocks are a great way to decouple your speakers from your floor, and unlike wood or metal, won't vibrate at certain frequencies.

You've heard of people filling wod or metal stands with sand? That's all a cinderblock is.

[thxgoon]

allredp wrote:

Help me out with the cinder blocks! Are you serious about their audio properties?

If so, that would be an inelegant solution for my center speaker (though they could be covered with black fabric, couldn't they?

Anyway, great equipment! I'd love to hear what you're hearing (M&K is a long-time favorite of mine--too sad they went under, eh?).

Thanks for any insight on the acoustical properties of cinder blocks!

--Phil

Lol! Ya actually the cinder blocks make great speker stands if you don't mind the look of them. When I bought my first speakers I overspent and didn't have money left over for stands so I used cinderblockes wrapped with black sheets. They fit in pretty well with the entertainment center that was flanked with black lights at the time lol! They are cheap, sturdy and yes they don't contribute anything to the sound. However, I did learn a thing or two about the acoustic properties of stands. Stand makers will want you to buy their stands because they are acoustically inert. When I finally did buy stands I noticed a difference in the sound but it was due to the boudary surface of the stands. With the cinder blocks there was a big face under the speaker vs the pole of the new stands. I noticed a 'thinner' but clearer sound. Attributable I'm sure to acoustic refraction under the speaker when on the blocks. This concept was studied in great detail by M&K who made the speakers. In short, I think you will be a-ok with just about any stand but if you can stand (haha) the looks of cinder blocks they are no doubt the best bang for your buck!

[allredp]

Great reply--I appreciate your information.

So, to understand correctly, the larger footprint of the cinder blocks contributes to a less clear, bigger(?) sound? vs. smaller footprint stands produces clearer, thinnner sounds?

The only place I was thinking of using them was for my center channel--what would you think?

The LR are floorstanders and the rest of the surrounds are wall-mounted di-poles.

Thanks for the help!

[MatrixDweller]

In principal if you bind a speaker to something super heavy, it should stop the enclosure from moving (vibrating) as much. This gives the woofer a solid platform to push in and out and not wobble back and forth minutely. Some speakers, like Von Schweikert or Wharfedale, say that filling the base with sand or lead shot will improve the speakers performance.

The added density of the base also helps disapate vibrations from the speaker, and from the floor coming back into the speaker. Spikes can also server that purpose and add to the stands rigidness to stick to the floor and not move.

Concrete is nice and dense, so is hardwood, stone, steel, or tubular steel filled with lead shot or sand. Concete blocks being the least expensive solution.

If you wanted something more appealing and like the concrete idea you buy a bag of premixed cement (with sand and gravel), mix it up and pour it into a mold. You could use a sonotube cut to the right size, a mold made out of wood, or a thick waxed cardboard produce box from a grocery store. After it has cured for a day or so you take the mold off and file down any imperfections. Other option are to get a slab of granite, limestone or marble cut to size, or take some tiles, make a box and fill it with sand or cement.

[eugovector]

Also, painted PVC filled with leadshot or sand would be an inexpensive alternative to cinderblocks, but as I said, $5 in fabric goes a log way as well.