My Audio/Video Experience - Page 7

Hello everyone.

The cable management saga continues and hopefully ends here..... for a long while, I hope!

After I completed the video side, I really became dissatisfied with the audio side. It didn't look bad, but compared to the video side rack and the how the cables left the rack in a bundled formation, the audio side looked unfinished.
So, behind the system I went.

First, I started with the Denon DVD2910. I replaced the 6 ft HDMI cable with a 8 ft HDMI cable. I then replaced the analog interconnects (two 3 ft pair) coming from the Philips CDR950 with 2 pair of 6 ft interconnects. Doing this allowed me to merge all of the cables leaving the rack into one bundle.
IMO, it now has a more finished look to the area.











Before and After




Well, that's all folks! No more cable management photos! (hold the applause!)
If there are any suggestions of how I can improve on this latest effort, other than the obvious (streamlining the collection of components), please, hip me to it!

My next project will be upgrading the bluray player. Most likely the Sony BDP-S550 or possibly the Samsung BD-P2550! I know, I'm a glutton for punishment, but I dig the HQV/Reon processor!


Regards.

Hello Franin!

Yes there is the new upcoming universal Denon! But, unfortunately I am experiencing a recession! With my current financial situation, if I were in the market for a universal bluray player, the new upcoming universal player from Oppo (BDP-83) would be more prudent for me.

And what's this I hear about you doing a complete makeover on your theater?!
Have you formulated a game plan yet?! Colour scheme, decor, etc,....

Regards.

Hello Dan.

Thanks for the kudos. But now, after scrutinizing the various angles the photos present, the term "finished" is not the proper description. "Neater" would be a more appropriate assessment.
Regardless, that's how it's gonna be for a while!

I thought about the Panny 55 but, upconversion of standard dvd's is very important and although the Panny does an admirable job on standard dvd's, it's price is higher than the Sony 550 and performance is on par. As my pappy used to say, "It's not about the money,..... but it's about the money!"

How are things on the left coast?!

Regards.

Hello devotech.

Thank you for the compliment on the setup. As far as the room is concerned, It's never been referred to as "inviting" before, but I'll take it! Thank you.
I'm in the process of purchasing three new theater chairs. I should have them hopefully by mid-March. My current sitting arrangement is an embarrassment!
I have one black leather recliner and 2 brown Berkline theater chairs without arms. (A love seat w/o the arms) I've never admitted that before on this forum. I've tried to hide them (keeping them out of the photos posted on this thread) since day one of my membership! It looks horrible! But hopefully when the new chairs arrive, the room will actually have some semblance of your description, "inviting". Then I will have truly earned the compliment.

Regards.

Hello Mike.
Thanks for the kudos. I'm glad you were motivated by my efforts on the cable management.
From what I can see, you have only a little more to do. Just a few refinements if that!
I feel you regarding the line up of projects orchestrated by the significant other!
I have to retreat the deck which is a PITA!
Not to mention, the painting of the 1st floor! That's okay though. All of the work I'll do will equate to leniency points toward my next upgrade! The RF63 pkg immediately comes to mind!

Regards.

Hello premiertrussman.

I want to apologize for my late response to your inquiry. Been kind of busy at work. Thank you for the kind words regarding the cable management of my system. I do believe I drove a few posters crazy with my little saga. It truly was an adventure. And you think your wife is critical of your interest in this hobby, I've been deemed "Geek of the Year" in my house! So welcome to the club.
As for the multi-format switcher, I think I have found a couple of possible solutions.....

This one lacks s-video.
http://www.hdtvsupply.com/3x1-hdmi-c...-switcher.html

http://www.hdtvsupply.com/gefen-ext-...aler-plus.html


I've dealt with hdtvsupply.com several times and it's a good outfit and the products that I have purchased has been problem-free and of excellent quality. There's another product that was advertised on AVSForums not long ago, that would flash at the top of the webpage, but I can't recall the manufacturer. Hopefully someone can remember and post it for you.

But check out these two to see if either can be a solution.

Regards.

I'm glad I could be of some assistance. BTW, AVSForums has miraculously restarted flashing that product I mentioned in the previous post. It's called the RixPro Hybrid HD Switchbox. Again, no S-video but, it's truly an interesting piece of technology.

http://www.rixlabs.com/7300/index.html

And I do not think it's $400.00+ either. I believe it's priced at $279.00.

Regards.

Hello Joe.

I apologize for my tardy response to your inquiry about the Marantz MM9000.
So far, I have been satisfied with the performance. Not that my SR9300 lacked sufficient power, cause it doesn't, but I wanted to see if an external amp would improve the performance of my speakers. Klipsch Reference speakers are arguably the most efficient speakers out there and it really doesn't take a lot to drive them. But more power doesn't hurt either. I can say that I do hear a big difference in the rear surround sound stage. I have a 6.1 configuration and I really thought I was missing out on a lot due to the fact that I only have 1 rear speaker. Well, now, it's a completely different experience. The surround channels are more pronounced. When I listen to multi-channel audio (SACD/DVD-A), the sound is more focused and forward, stronger if you will. An example, in the AVR speaker level settings, I had the dB level at +6 for the surrounds and +5 for the rear back. Now that I have the MM9000, the dB levels of the surrounds are at 0 and the rear is set at 0.
I literally had to turn them down. I did in fact calibrate the old fashion way, with my Radio Shack SPL meter. As far as the fronts and center are concerned. The RC35 center channel has been criticized by several owners, describing the performance as underwhelming; at times, undecipherable; and in some instances depending on the soundtrack, muted, etc... I didn't understand until I added the MM9000.
Compared to before, the RC35 Center channel is now the most prominent speaker of the array. The voices are clear and I can decipher every word. I guess power does clean things up a little! Or a lot in my case.
As for the Fronts. There is an improvement, but not an overwhelming improvement. The SR9300 when driving 2 channels is rated at 165 watts per channel. The MM9000 is rated at 170 watts when driving just 2 channels. My RF35's do sound a little stronger in the low end and the imaging is slightly better and the sound stage hasn't changed. It was always decent.

So moral of the story, there has been an overall improvement with the MM9000. I paid $479.00 on eBay.
I believe it's a good value. Whether or not you'll have improvement over your current set of amps is hard to say. I went from AVR amps to a dedicated multi-channel amp. You are considering switching out dual 2 channel amps for a multi-channel amp. A good one mind you, but it is a multi channel type. At the least, you will have a marked improvement in the surround sound performance. It's just something to consider.

I hope this helps.

http://us.marantz.com/c_mm9000.pdf

Regards.

Below are the latest images of the system since adding the XBox 360 Pro and temporarily suspending the cable management project.
I'm using a new camera which has exposed my lack of photography skillz!. I'm clueless when it comes to taking quality images. It has 8.2 megapixels. My last camera had 3.2MP. So forgive my assumption that the quality of the images would be so much better due to the higher number of pixels. I now realize that I have to calibrate the camera to get the best performance.
So if the photos are no better than the previous ones, my bad!
I will work on calibrating the camera and replace these photos with better shots.





Regards.

Hello premiertrussman.

So far the XBox 360 Pro is serving strictly has a gaming system. I haven't indulged the server capabilities yet and really not in a rush to. As a gaming device, it's fine. The graphics are better than the 1st Gen. XBox, but I enjoyed 4 years of problem free functionality with the old model. The 360 Pro has me very leery of it's reliability. I'm sure improvements have been made but there are still new owners having to send their new Xboxes back or get them replaced because of the system crashing RROD!
One day, I will experiment with the server function and hopefully it will be useful. Right now as far as music storage is concerned, I'm still using iTunes via my laptop and the DLO Homedock for iPod operation.
I'm currently looking into several ways to stream music to my main system.
Foobar2000 was brought to my attention by ddgtr. It looks like a very nice application. AppleTV is also an option and lastly, taking advantage of the 360.

Regards.

Hello bmonlycg.

Thank you for the kind words regarding the system and the cable management. That was truly an adventure!

A new bluray player...... well, the Pioneer BDP-51FD has crept up in the running. Right now it's between, The Sony 550, Pioneer 51FD and the Oppo BDP-83. Samsung has fallen out of favor. I just can not go thru another year of wondering if a movie will play all the way thru without functional interruption or if the movie will even play at all. That's what you get with Samsung bluray products. I really dig the HQV processor, but it's just not worth the risk.
But I have to say, my BD-P1200 is hanging in there. Still managing to play everything I insert in the tray. Except, TCON-Prince Caspian. Since I uploaded the 2.5 firmware, that movie will only play. If I pause, stop, fast forward, rewind or attempt to go to the menu during the movie, it's a wrap! Frozen! I have to turn the player off and start the movie over again or navigate to the scene where the player froze and start from there. But, if I attempt any other function, I'm done! That's why I must replace the 1200.
By the way, the Panny DMP-BD55K is a very strong product. It's also worth considering.

Regards.

Thanks Mike. I'm going to check out the Squeezebox later today. And Mike, you can give me suggestions anytime and share ideas about audio/video. I learn so much from you guys in this forum and if I share an idea or give a suggestion, believe me when I tell you, it's most like info that has been passed to me. Your kind words are appreciated.

"The King of New York". Christopher Walken, Laurence Fishburn, Wesley Snipes, and David Caruso!
Tell you another great obscure movie starring Christopher Walken..... "Things to do in Denver when Your Dead". Steve Buscemi, Andy Garcia, Treat Williams and Christopher Lloyd all star in this movie. It's a hard one to find, but it's worth it.



Regards.