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The Official Artison Support Thread

33K views 126 replies 56 participants last post by  wenzhang0612 
#1 ·
Hello AVS Forum!


This is the Official Support Thread for Artison speakers. Please use this thread to ask any questions about our speaker products. Cary Christie, the CEO of Artison, and myself will be available to answer your questions.


Cheers,


Matthew LaBruzzo

Manager, Engineering & Customer Service
 
#2 ·
I've been considering the Artison Masterpiece speakers for weeks now and the biggest question I have is regarding the power needed for these speakers. I recently purchased the Denon 2809. Does the Denon provide enough power to truly appreciate these speakers? Would I be better suited with the portraits?


The majority of the reviews I find don't seem to mention what they're using to power the Masterpiece speakers. I simply don't want to end up with a speaker that I can't truly appreciate because I'm not feeding it enough power.


Denon 2809:


AVR-2809CI: 7.1 CH/5.1+2 CH Independent Zone Home Theater Receiver

Power Output; Watts Per Channel: 115

All Channels Rated @ 0.08 THD


Thanks!
 
#3 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by jrh203 /forum/post/16209622


I've been considering the Artison Masterpiece speakers for weeks now and the biggest question I have is regarding the power needed for these speakers. I recently purchased the Denon 2809. Does the Denon provide enough power to truly appreciate these speakers? Would I be better suited with the portraits?


The majority of the reviews I find don't seem to mention what they're using to power the Masterpiece speakers. I simply don't want to end up with a speaker that I can't truly appreciate because I'm not feeding it enough power.


Denon 2809:


AVR-2809CI: 7.1 CH/5.1+2 CH Independent Zone Home Theater Receiver

Power Output; Watts Per Channel: 115

All Channels Rated @ 0.08 THD


Thanks!

PM sent.
 
#4 ·
Still amazed after two years now on the Portraits LCR's and surrounds.

I would like to know the crossover setting for 2.1 music.? Is it the same for 5.1 set to small around 150 Hz? I find the lack a some pepper with concerts and music. I am using a Martin Logan Abyss Sub, Pioneer Elite VSX 84, PDP 6070 and a Pioneer BR disc player.


Also, can I get your opinion on converting the LCR to centers only and adding some towers, if so what do you recommend to match?
 
#5 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Angel L. /forum/post/17836654


Still amazed after two years now on the Portraits LCR's and surrounds.

I would like to know the crossover setting for 2.1 music.? Is it the same for 5.1 set to small around 150 Hz? I find the lack a some pepper with concerts and music. I am using a Martin Logan Abyss Sub, Pioneer Elite VSX 84, PDP 6070 and a Pioneer BR disc player.


Also, can I get your opinion on converting the LCR to centers only and adding some towers, if so what do you recommend to match?

PM Sent.


Thanks,


Matthew
 
#6 ·
I setup and installed my first set of Sketch speakers today and I must say, I'm impressed. They were packaged extremely well, first off. That's the first thing I look at when installing/ purchasing a new product. I feel that if the manufacturer doesn't care how well the gear is packaged and they don't care what condition you receive it in, then they must not care about the product or much else after that.


The speakers themselves are very heavy and solid. I think you could use one as a chock block for a semi. The bracketry is well though out and has plenty of adjustments for getting a precise fit. The grilles are nice and solid. I like the curved feather to them. It makes them look more custom and I'm sure it adds to the manufacturing costs, but it's worth it, IMO.


I'll definately be using more of these in the future. It's some nice gear.
 
#7 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by kwkshift /forum/post/18207995


I setup and installed my first set of Sketch speakers today and I must say, I'm impressed. They were packaged extremely well, first off. That's the first thing I look at when installing/ purchasing a new product. I feel that if the manufacturer doesn't care how well the gear is packaged and they don't care what condition you receive it in, then they must not care about the product or much else after that.


The speakers themselves are very heavy and solid. I think you could use one as a chock block for a semi. The bracketry is well though out and has plenty of adjustments for getting a precise fit. The grilles are nice and solid. I like the curved feather to them. It makes them look more custom and I'm sure it adds to the manufacturing costs, but it's worth it, IMO.


I'll definately be using more of these in the future. It's some nice gear.

Thanks for the support and kind words!


-Matthew
 
#9 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stiege /forum/post/18428482


Hi, I have a question similar to jrh's... I'm running a denon avr 2080ci with psb speakers rated at 6 ohm.


Will I have any issues running those "two" centers parallel with this amp?


I'm considering the sketch model.


Thanks in advance,


Jason

Hi Jason:


This is a question we are often asked. Each individual Center Channel in the DualMono has a higher impedance, ~ 12 Ohm. After the two centers are wired in parallel the impedance of the DualMono will drop to 6 Ohm. This load should present no problems to any high quality AVR or pre/pro & Amp separates system. Basically if your electronics are specified to handle a 6 Ohm load then you should have no concerns.


Thanks,


Matthew
 
#10 ·
So I was looking at the Artison sketch on crutchfield and going thru the screens to determine the grills to match my TV and the site said my TV was too thin. I have a Pioneer PRO-101FD it is wall mounted but not with a low profile mount. Right now the front of the bezel sticks out 4 3/4" from the wall. My wall mount came with up to 1/2" spacers if I need them. Would these still not fit my monitor? The specs on the speakers say they are 4 3/8" deep.
 
#12 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by TG_ONE /forum/post/18452508


So I was looking at the Artison sketch on crutchfield and going thru the screens to determine the grills to match my TV and the site said my TV was too thin. I have a Pioneer PRO-101FD it is wall mounted but not with a low profile mount. Right now the front of the bezel sticks out 4 3/4" from the wall. My wall mount came with up to 1/2" spacers if I need them. Would these still not fit my monitor? The specs on the speakers say they are 4 3/8" deep.

Hi TG ONE:


Any TV that is shallower than 3.5" is will require additional steps to install. The speakers are 4.0" deep. The Crutchfield search engine is built to exclude any of these TV's that don't go together according to the Install Guides. For the Pioneer Pro101FD which is 2.6" deep you will need 0.9" of spacing to get the grille edge and the TV bezel to line up after installation. The correct grille for that TV is the G LCR B 28.5. You can call into Crutchfield and order the Sketch LCR/UMB and the grille model. Your bezel to wall distance will be increased by 0.5" with the addition of the Universal Mounting Bracket (UMB) to the VESA mounting points. The speakers will not run into the wall since the whole assembly will be shifted away from the wall a bit. Let me knwo if you ahve any further questions.


Thanks,


Matthew
 
#13 ·
Hi Matt,


Much like the last question you fielded, I was researching the Portraits and found the speaker's depth (4 5/16" at Crutchfield site) to be problematic for my new plasma display (1.6" deep).

I will be using a Sanus VMPL50 wall mount which, when installed will hold the display 2 3/8" from the wall (combined depth= 3.975"). Can you provide any insight into whether/how the Portraits can be flush-mounted to the bezel? Would it be better to wall mount directly outboard the display?


thanks for your consideration.
 
#14 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sancti Rod /forum/post/18583254


Hi Matt,


Much like the last question you fielded, I was researching the Portraits and found the speaker's depth (4 5/16" at Crutchfield site) to be problematic for my new plasma display (1.6" deep).

I will be using a Sanus VMPL50 wall mount which, when installed will hold the display 2 3/8" from the wall (combined depth= 3.975"). Can you provide any insight into whether/how the Portraits can be flush-mounted to the bezel? Would it be better to wall mount directly outboard the display?


thanks for your consideration.

Hi Sancti Rod:


The current DualMono LCR can be used with a TV set at 1.6" depth or any depth for that matter. Any TV below the 3.5" depth will require additional installation steps as detailed below. The other easy option is our LCR In-Wall speakers which take the same 3 product models, Sketch/Portrait/Masterpiece and put them into the wall next to the TV. If you have your heart set on the "attachable" DualMono LCR there are 2 methods to do this.


1. Surface Mount the LCR speakers directly next to the set and achieve the same attached look. The TV and Sanus would need to be furred out to match the approximate 4.0" depth from the grille edge to the wall. This depends on wire thickness used to get an exact depth.


2. Put 1.9" of blocking between the TV chassis and the Artison UMB mounting system to effectively make the TV a 3.5" deep set. You will need longer length mounting screws to pass through all of this hardware. This will allow the speakers to be attached to the assembly of TV and Sanus and align the grille and TV bezel. I have used wood that is the correct thickness with thru holes drilled for the hardware. There are many other types of materials to use, it depends on what is easiest for you.


Let me know if you need anything else.


-Matthew
 
#15 ·
Has any thought been given to adapting the speakers to independent wall mounting? Attaching them to the sides of the PDP is neat and looks integrated but the combination becomes huge and, to me, overbearing. I much prefer having the speakers mounted some distance apart from the display.
 
#16 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kal Rubinson /forum/post/18591129


Has any thought been given to adapting the speakers to independent wall mounting? Attaching them to the sides of the PDP is neat and looks integrated but the combination becomes huge and, to me, overbearing. I much prefer having the speakers mounted some distance apart from the display.

Hi Kal:


Thanks for the input. You have touched upon a few different points I would like to comment on.


In regard to an On-Wall product, all of our attachable products from the DualMono LCRs to the SoundBar are capable of being wall-mounted with the included brackets.


The minor drawbacks to mounting the speakers to the wall, away from the TV set, are not only aesthetic but also acoustic. The aesthetic issue is the wall mounting bracket system would be visible from the interior TV side of the speaker which is not particularly ugly but not 100% elegant, as it was intended to be hidden when attached to the set. Cary wanted to stay away from the wall-wart syndrome that the three box LCR solutions brought from the placement of 3 speakers around the TV set. We haven't had a demand for this strict on-wall product to warrant a new grille design and tooling for this application and this also loses one more of the value added features of the height matched grilles. The acoustic issues, as you are probably familiar with, come from the frequency anomaly you will get from the wall bounce refelction and baffle diffraction on that interior edge. The DualMono Centers work best with a pure half space plane (TV or even wall surface) between the two speakers. The rigid placement next to a TV set was considered in the design criteria of the LCR's and we came up with a feature to account for this 3-5' horizontal spacing versus a more conventional L/R spacing. The feature in both the DualMono LCRs as well as the SoundBar of the Stage Tweeter has allowed us to still deliver a wide L/R soundstage through the use of a dipole tweeter that reflects high freq. (6 kHz and up) off of the wall and is interpreted in our brain as a wider placement for L/R channel information.


The apparent widening of the set with the DualMono speakers attached strikes many people differently. My 50" set with Masterpiece LCR and matching grilles doesn't really even get noticed by friends when they see it for the first time. I have been looking at them now for a number of years and it is strange to me to see the TV without them. Your point is still valid, and to each his own. Now in many cases with upgrading from a 4:3 TV to a 16:9, the attached DualMono's may not fit since the TV size is maximized in the upgrade. First would be the Artison SoundBar which has the same attachment capabilities (either on Top or Bottom) and grilles that match the width of the TV set. The other would be the LCR/IW versions of the DualMono attachables. These IW's can be placed apart from the TV set and still offer the same performance of the attachables. The DualMono still works well in this IW scenario since the speakers are mounted flush with the wall plane. The In Wall DualMono LCRs can be widened in horizontal placement to create a naturally wide L/R soundstage without the use of the Stage Tweeter.



Thanks again for the input and interest in the brand. Please let me know if you have any other thoughts on the lineup. We are close to releasing the revision to the DualMono line and we always welcome feedback from the field.


-Matthew
 
#17 ·
Hi Maththew:


I have run out of wall space to put the speakers on this application, thinking of a double center solution I revisited your Masterpiece speakers which were quite a package when I heard them several times in 2004.


Will they fill this room 12w by 45 deep by 8 feet tall?


The subs could be your large in walls flanking the bar, and 4 ceiling mounted surrounds.


The bryston 875 HT 8 x 75 watts at 8 ohms, 4 x 250 watts bridged would be used in the front.








Can the front channels be stacked in pairs or the main pair suffice? This is a fixed sound budget very high profile application of the World's first Digital Cinema 3-D system in Rear Projection .








 
#18 ·

Hi Maththew:


I have run out of wall space to put the speakers on this application, thinking of a double center solution I revisited your Masterpiece speakers which were quite a package when I heard them several times in 2004.


Will they fill this room 12w by 45 deep by 8 feet tall? [ML]: The room size is no problem to fill with enough SPL. In your first drawing you show the front speakers mounted a bit high on the wall for my taste. If possible i would mount the front channels on the centerline of the wall height. At a minimum center the speakers on the image height. I would aim all channel's tweeter directly ahead to maximize throw of the high frequency energy to the rear of the space. The room's very long relative length will be a challenge to consistently image along the entire length. This would be the case with any audio solution for this space. I would expect that the first half of the room will have to be the target listening area for calibrating the audio components and would sound very good. The second half of the space will have compromised imaging and will need to have the additional rear surround pair delayed as to not have it's sound arrive before the front channel information. This may be a tough space to execute a home theater in, especially on a limited audio budget in any case but the above would be my best case.

The subs could be your large in walls flanking the bar, and 4 ceiling mounted surrounds. [ML]: Two of our RCC600 In wall subwoofers running off one RCC600 amplifier will be able to fill a room of this size with no problems. Combined piston area is approximately equivalent to an 18" woofer. Since the room is a long rectangle you may have a room mode setting up on the long dimension, this will be diminished since you will be stimulating the room in multiple locations. For the surrounds i would add a 3rd pair to the room's length to ensure adequate coverage.


The bryston 875 HT 8 x 75 watts at 8 ohms, 4 x 250 watts bridged would be used in the front. [ML]: This is a very nice amp setup my first exposure to this model. The 250 W bridged channels are good enough for the front channels, for the surround channels i would utilize the 75 W/Ch option. Be sure to have high pass filters for the satellite channels especially with the high level of power for the front channels.


Can the front channels be stacked in pairs or the main pair suffice? This is a fixed sound budget very high profile application of the World's first Digital Cinema 3-D system in Rear Projection . [ML]: I am not sure what you mean 'stacked' for the front channels. I expect 1 Pair (DualMono, L & R) of Masterpiece would work fine for the front channels.

Please let me know if you have any other items. Thanks, ML.
 
#19 ·
Hi Matthew, thank you for your prompt response. Let's do it then, I always liked your stuff.


I imagine 40 people packed in this room wearing 3-D glasses is going to get a bit claustrophobic I was hoping that by placing the speakers higher than the center the sound would clear all the way to the back, but I will move it down a bit more.


Will add third pair surrounds too.


Thanks again !
 
#20 ·
I just moved into a new house and I am considering a few options for speakers. I currently have the Bostom VR-M50s for fronts along with the VR-C for a center channel. How do the Sketch in-wall speakers compare to this set up...similar, better, way better, worse? brighter, warmer, same, etc? I know this is somewhat subjective but just trying to get an honest opinion.


Also, my budget is tight but are the portraits a lot better than the sketch? I will probably use them for 50% movies and 50% music.


Thanks


Boston VR-M50 Spec

59-20,000 htz

89 db sensitivity

impedence = 8 ohms

5 1/4" copolymer base unit

1" anodized aluminum dome tweeter
 
#21 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by transplant96 /forum/post/18675105


I just moved into a new house and I am considering a few options for speakers. I currently have the Bostom VR-M50s for fronts along with the VR-C for a center channel. How do the Sketch in-wall speakers compare to this set up...similar, better, way better, worse? brighter, warmer, same, etc? I know this is somewhat subjective but just trying to get an honest opinion.


Also, my budget is tight but are the portraits a lot better than the sketch? I will probably use them for 50% movies and 50% music.


Thanks


Boston VR-M50 Spec

59-20,000 htz

89 db sensitivity

impedence = 8 ohms

5 1/4" copolymer base unit

1" anodized aluminum dome tweeter

Hi,


I do not have any first hand experience with your current gear for a direct comparison to an Artison LCR/IW system. There are also many major differences between the driver complements / system design and product definition, i.e. DualMono LCR vs. separate 3 channel LCR's, and In-Wall vs. Bookshelf speakers, to make an apples to apples comparison. I don't mean to dodge your question but I am afraid I cannot give a real world honest comparison. My judgment may obviously be biased to products that Artison designs and manufactures. I would suggest that you rely upon our third party reviews we have had on our DualMono LCR products as well as first hand knowledge from some of our current customers.


I can advise that the LCR/IW systems were designed as high performance satellite speakers in a DualMono LCR configuration for use with a subwoofer in the multichannel system. I can say to your other questions of Portrait vs. Sketch LCRIW. Based on your 50/50 split of music and movie usage I would recommend the Portrait LCR/IW. The super audio tweeter and Kevlar coned mid-range in the Portrait LCR is a more musical system with better high frequency transient response and a better self-damped but warmer mid-range timbre. We are currently having a significant sale on the LCR/IW product line and this is reflected at all of our current dealers either online or at brick and mortar stores. This may ease the budgetary constrains and even allow for the Masterpiece LCR to be utilized. Please feel free to ask me any other questions related to Artison's product lines.


Thank you for your interest.


-Matthew
 
#22 ·
Thanks for the quick response,


I don't really do any critical listening; mostly music on while I am doing something else or entertaining. Also my room is about 13' wide by 16' long. Given this does the recommendation for the portraits still stand? Obviously they will sound better but I guess I am wondering if it is very noticable in day to day normal volumes. I don't consider myself to have the "golden ear" that some audiophiles have



Also, I need to mount my TV over a fireplace so the bottom of the TV will be about 55" from the floor. Given other restrictions I can mount the speakers no lower than about 57" from floor to bottom of speaker. Does it make sense to mount them upside down so the centers are lower (closer to the bottom of the TV) and the "fronts" are higher? Is this even possible?


Finally I saw the sale price which is what gets these in my budget in the first place so while I could maybe stretch for the portraits I unfortunately can not afford the rear surrounds meaning I need to go with a cheaper option for now. I am looking at the polk rc60i which I can get on sale right now for about $120; these will only be used for rear surrounds during movies. Any idea if these will match close enough. Any other options that might match better in that price range.


Thanks,
 
#23 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by transplant96 /forum/post/18680343


Thanks for the quick response,


I don't really do any critical listening; mostly music on while I am doing something else or entertaining. Also my room is about 13' wide by 16' long. Given this does the recommendation for the portraits still stand? Obviously they will sound better but I guess I am wondering if it is very noticable in day to day normal volumes. I don't consider myself to have the "golden ear" that some audiophiles have



Also, I need to mount my TV over a fireplace so the bottom of the TV will be about 55" from the floor. Given other restrictions I can mount the speakers no lower than about 57" from floor to bottom of speaker. Does it make sense to mount them upside down so the centers are lower (closer to the bottom of the TV) and the "fronts" are higher? Is this even possible?


Finally I saw the sale price which is what gets these in my budget in the first place so while I could maybe stretch for the portraits I unfortunately can not afford the rear surrounds meaning I need to go with a cheaper option for now. I am looking at the polk rc60i which I can get on sale right now for about $120; these will only be used for rear surrounds during movies. Any idea if these will match close enough. Any other options that might match better in that price range.


Thanks,

Hi,


With your additional caveats I would say that the Sketch LCR/IW will probably be sufficient for your needs. It is easy for even the non audio tweak to hear the differences but as you mentioned this may not be the paramount concern in this application. The Sketch LCR is still a great set with 80% of the same design that the other models have.


In regard to the installation of the speakers. This a bit higher than normal since the TV set will be mounted above a fireplace, but not unusual these days. I would leave the orientation as normally recommended with the centers on top, this will help blend better with the on screen action/dialogue. It is possible to swap cabinets for either side and then insert the cabinets "upside down", this will maintain the centers pointing in and the L/R pointing out built in toe angles.


For the surrounds both the Sketch and Portrait have a Silk, or "Textile", tweeter diaphragm material. I would try to find a surround speaker in your budget that works off of the same basic design. This is probably the biggest factor in matching the voicing.


Let me know if you have anything else,


Matthew
 
#24 ·
Hi All,


I'm building my non-dedicated hometheater right now. The projector will throw the image on the screen above the fireplace. The screen may cover part of the fireplace door. There is no space to put a central speaker.


I googled a little bit about speakers without central one and found Artson has a Portrait model which can do this. Lots of applications are for flat TV. I bet it should be good for projector screen too, right?


In addition, I want to have surround speakers and subwoofer, definitely in-wall models are the best choice.


Could you guys recommend some Artson models to me? Thanks.


Lou
 
#26 ·
Heya Matthew!


I have the RCC-600 installed inwall with the speaker enclosure and it is running well. Sounds great so far and I am now in the process of tweaking settings to fine tune the room a bit. I have a quick question on calibration for the sub. I haven't used the EQ yet that is in the RCC-600-SA and I am currently thinking of running that this weekend. With my other gear (Pioneer elite SC-27 and the Triad speakers), I started with the Pioneer MCACC eq to get started.


My question is... should I be running the AMP EQ prior to the MCACC process in the Pioneer, and what additional calibration settings should I be considering? I do have a SPL which I use for speakers, but I wasn't sure how helpful that would be with the sub. Let me know. Thanks!


Mark


PS ==> I actually wrapped the in-wall enclosure box with 3/8" bubble wrap picked up at Staples before placing in the wall. First couple of movies with extremely low LFE didn't even vibrate the wall once. Fantastic product!!!
 
#27 ·
Hi Mark:


I am glad to hear you are enjoying the subwoofer system.


If the EQ built into the AVR does calibrate the subwoofer as well as the satellites that should suffice. Leave the subwoofer amplifier in BYPASS for this application. The only settings you would need to setup are the crossover, phase, and slope of the low pass filter on the rear of the sub amp. You should only need one EQ system operating.


Just set the gain in a position that does not change and then the AVR will take care of the EQ process.


Thanks,


Matthew
 
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