Home Theater Forum and Systems banner

It's alive!!!

Tags
alive
67K views 193 replies 29 participants last post by  AU26 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello everybody!

After several months of planning and then chasing the right products (within my budget), I am really happy with my HT.

Yes, next item to tackle is to upgrade the screen. But, keep in mind that what I have now is a Samsung 51" Plasma 3D TV purchased less that a year ago. So, my new projector and fixed screen will have to wait until 2013.

Meanwhile, I will enjoy my big sound with tiny screen............:rofl:

************
Updated Pics at Page 4
************



Things keep evolving.....

************
Updated Pics at Page 12
************



Few upgrades to the front stage....

************
Updated Pics at Page 19
************


So, what do you think guys?



View of my HT from my basement walkout door.





Front stage.





Front stage ........... no grills!





View of my HT from the guest room.





Left channel Polk Audio RTi A9 + SVS PB13-Ultra DSP





PS3 Fat Model Upgraded to 500 Gb + Velodyne SMS-1 + Samsung 3D BluRay Player + Emotiva XPA-5





Center Channel Polk Audio CSi A6 + Panamax 5300-EX 11 + Yamaha RX-A1010





DirecTV HR24 + Logitech Revue + Emotiva XPA-2





Right channel Polk Audio RTi A9 + SVS PB13-Ultra DSP





Surround Polk Audio RC80i In-ceiling speakers + Surround Back Polk Audio RC85i In-wall speakers





My babies, I mean my PB13-Ultras on Auralex Great Grammas




:hsd:
 
See less See more
11
#44 ·
When we got my house I told my wife the family room is mine and the rest of the house is hers. My ceiling is dark grey and walls dark red. This is the info I got from another site. Stand at your screen with the lights out, and a nice powerful flashlight. Point the flashlight at different parts of the room, where light from the screen will reflect. Look at the screen, and see how much of that reflected light bounces off walls / ceilings / floor and carpet right back on your screen ( and washes out the picture ). Now you will know what needs to be darkened to improve your picture.
 
#45 ·
Sweet! So, you have license to kill at your family room........man, nothing beats that. Do you have a gallery her or pics to share?

Also, thanks for sharing the information on the flashlight test.......I Google it, but the flashlight test that I found was related with real or fake boobs.............:rofl:

I'll give it a try just for fun, but I can tell you when there is a bright scene on a movie the Panny just illuminate the whole room. Yep, this PJ is a light cannon...........:bigsmile:
 
#47 ·
Nice! Thanks for sharing it! Couple of questions (I hope you don't mind):

Did you paint the whole family room's ceiling on the dark grey? Or, just the area in which you identified light was reflected back to the screen? You mentioned your family room opens to the kitchen, so I'm wondering if you made a paint cut/transition to your kitchen or not.

What do you think of your HSU sub? That sub was on my top 3 list, but at the end I pulled the trigger on a SVS sub. But, I always wondered about how good is the VTF-15H.

Cheers!
 
#49 ·
Thanks! I was scratching my head here wondering if your wife was happily sporting a dark grey color in the ceiling of her kitchen..........but, I assumed the answer was no and you just confirmed that......LOL.

Yeah, I cannot think on a way to paint walls and ceiling on my basement without making the whole room looking darker. So, I'll have to deal with those reflections coming out of the ceiling for a while.

Hey, thanks also for the input on the sub. I never had the chance to demo a HSU subwoofer, so I was only able to read at reviews and comments from owners. But, the deal on the SVS PB12-Plus was really hard to pass and I purchased in a heartbeat. It was a second hand unit, but only used for few months and with a couple of years of warranty left:



But, eventually I found a PB13-Ultra and I decided to upgrade. You know how it is.........this thing never ends........:huh:
 
#50 ·
Just for your info Ricci is doing a full review on the HSU VTF15. He should have it up in a couple of weeks. A few of us chip in at AVS to have the HSU shipped to him for testing. This should end all the debate about the performance of the HSU I hope. :hsd:
 
#53 ·
I run the Panny for several months just the way it came out of the box. Yes, it was that good. But, eventually I purchased a copy of the Disney's World of Wonder (WOW) blu-ray to perform my first level calibration. Things were getting even better.

Recently, I purchased a copy of the Spears & Munsil HD Benchmark and Calibration Disc 2nd Edition:

http://www.amazon.com/Spears-Munsil-Benchmark-Calibration-Edition/dp/B00CKWI13O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373244280&sr=8-1&keywords=munsil+%26+spears

To take the calibration to the next level (my level of course), and once again I noticed an improvement on the Picture Quality. Main thing that made me purchase this second disc is that you can calibrate the projector for 3D material.

So, this is the only calibration done so far. I know there are other tools (HW & SW) to perform pro-level calibration, but I'm just happy with the results that I'm getting from this projector as it is.

:TT
 
#57 ·
Thanks bro!

Have you notice any ghosting with your FP in 3D mode. If seen reports that it has problems with 3D and ghosting. Also how far is your FP to the screen and what is the gain.
The only movie in which I was able to notice a nasty ghosting issue is TinTin. It is the scene when he finds the first scroll. Other than that scene the PJ has been flawless in the 3D dept.

One of the movies that IMO is spectacular in 3D is Prometheus.........yeah, yeah, it is not an Alien movie........yada, yada, yada.......but I like it.............a lot!

:duh:

CR - excellent upgrade and setup!! Very nice color choice and room decor! Feel very welcoming and of course I know its a great experience :)

How is that wall mount for your Panny? May I ask where you got it from??

Thanks a lot for your comment Dark. About your question, the wall mount is pretty cool, simple to install (if you have a stud in the prime location) and with an amazing price at Amazon. Here is an extra pic from the bottom (so you can see that can easily accommodates the whole projector):





Here is the direct link to Amazon (I bet you are going to like the price!):

http://www.amazon.com/OmniMount-ECS...TF8&qid=1373252102&sr=1-1&keywords=omni+shelf


If you need/want additional pics let me know!
 
#60 ·
To the OP, I know you are only using them as height speakers but what are your impressions of the Polk 265-RT's? Have you tried listening to them isolated from the rest of the speakers? Did you do any kind of baffle inside the wall to try to control the airspace behind the speaker?
Thanks!
 
#61 ·
Yes, I tried the 265-RT's as front speakers for a friend. He wasn't sure on buying these speakers to use them as dedicated front speakers, so I tried them myself and let me tell you............they sounded amazing!!!!

I tried them first by themselves and the sound was good, having in consideration that I was comparing them against the RTi A9's (I know, I know......it wasn't fair), but I have to use a reference. Anyway, the sound was good.

Next round, I let the 265-RT's play as fronts, but this time I added one of my subwoofers.......:yikes: That just did the trick............what a nice combination. Bottom line, if you are planning on using these speakers as fronts, you will be happy. But, if you combine them with a decent subwoofer........then you will be amazed on the end results.

Oh yeah, my friend purchased the speakers + the center channel (255C-RT) and he is a happy camper. Here is a video of his room:

http://youtu.be/lVjHXL54J0M


The speakers were installed on a wall that has fiberglass insulation. So, I didn't do anything other than open the holes, run wires and then install them.

If you have other questions let me know!
 
#62 ·
Thanks for the quick reply! I was looking at the Polks or the Intimus 6 LCR to be placed behind a AT screen. I will be using them with at least one sub with a plan on adding an 2nd one in the future.
I am a fan of Polk and have a pair of LSi 9's and LSiC speakers in my living room and just love them so I was leaning toward the Polks.
I love your setup and your friends is off to a great start and very similar to what I am doing in my house. I even considered mounting my projector in the bulkhead but wanted it a bit further back.

Thanks again for your input!
 
#63 ·
My pleasure. I'm personally a Polk fan too. As you noticed at the pics pretty much all speakers are Polk Audio (except for the subs of course). So, if you are familiar with this brand already, then you know they are really good, great prices (specially if you are willing to wait a bit for specials) and with an incredible customer service (pre/post support).

I think the 265-RT will treat you well. My only regret in your configuration................these are beautiful speakers without the grill..........but they will be hidden behind your screen............that I don't like.....but, that is just me........... :coocoo:

Jokes aside, they are really good speakers. So, if you already have a nice subwoofer and eventually you add a second one, then you will be golden.

From a Polk to Polk guy, keep me posted. I would love to read your impressions if you pull the trigger on these bad boys. Oh, one more thing. The 265-RT's were purchased at the Polk eBay store, you might one to touch base with them to see if they have an extra pair available for sale - these ones were not listed at eBay. I asked via the internal message system and I was lucky enough to score a pair!!!

Good luck!
 
#69 ·
Thanks! While the blacks look pretty cool and classy. There is something on the cherry finish that it is just hard to resist.......:bigsmile:

Really, did you see them at the Tampa CL? Wow, well I finally sold them to a local buyer. The size / weight of these puppies pretty much killed any possible deal in which shipping was required.
 
#83 ·
HI cr136124,

I like your home theater system and how you wire them, they are very neat.

Question: Did you route the speaker wires yourself or you have the house pre-wire
before you move in?

Reason I ask this is because my house is also 2 story house and the space between
the ceiling of the first floor and 2nd is very limited and I have no way to route the
wire nicely unless I remove the carpet on the 2nd story and work it from there but I don't
think the wife will allow me to do it cause I have to move a lot of things around and
create dust in the house, you know what I mean.

Any idea you can give from your experiences?

Thanks,

BSDME
 
#86 · (Edited)
Thanks!

Actually the answer to your question is both. Let me explain, we purchased this house when the builder was in the last month of construction. So, I was able to run the wires for the surround speakers (ceiling) and back surround speakers (walls). No drywall at that moment, so running the speaker wires was really easy and that was step number one!

Eventually the builder finished the basement, we moved in and like a year later after that, I decided to upgrade "just" my receiver (down the rabbit hole I went). Well, long story short, I ended up with what you are able to see at this thread. But, the big issue was one of my latest additions "the projector". I knew eventually I'll have to deal with running wires at the room. Lucky me the floor joists run from the front to the back wall, so I knew at least I didn't have to deal with obstructions while fishing the wires. So, to play safe I decided to run a bunch of wires to do the job just once:

Projector Power Cord
12v trigger cable
2 HDMI Cables
Cat5e Cable
2 pairs of speaker wires
2 interconnect (RCA) wires

So, I carefully removed the crown molding at both ends (front and back) and I open a couple of holes that allowed me to fish all the wires at once. I also used 3 pieces of foam insulation to cover wrap the wires to avoid unwanted vibrations on the ceiling drywall. When everything was done, I re-installed the crown molding, re-caulked it and then I finally applied a fresh coat of paint.

Of course, I need to open few holes at the walls to install wall plates but that is piece of cake. Here are some pics of the process:


PICS

Spoiler


















I hope this helps.
 
#88 ·
New updates:

PSA XS30 (3rd subwoofer added to the room)
90-RT's (wide speakers)
F/XiA6's (back surround speakers)
Sections (4 power recliners - wife approved............that's a first!)
Home office moved to the basement (wife keeps the one on the first floor......everybody is happy)

























:bigsmile:
 
#91 ·
Your room is beautiful and I really like your cabinet. It's amazing what nice trim will do for a simple design - great job. I'm envious of that massive screen as my room is too narrow for anything greater than 92". The whole setup is so clean and neat - thanks for the info on your wire routing. :T
 
#92 ·
My pleasure!

It is amazing what you can do with a little bit of imagination! Similar to you, I faced a bit of challenges in my room as I knew from the get go, that this is not going to be a 100% HT room. But, I'm really happy with the end result of this multi-purpose room.

Ha, I even moved my little home office setup from the first floor to the basement. Meanwhile in wifeland, she is very happy with her new home office at the first floor.........:bigsmile:







 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top