AVS › AVS Forum › Other Areas of Interest › What's Your System Configuration › Hometheatergeek's obsession
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Hometheatergeek's obsession

post #1 of 397
5/10/09 at 7:59am
Thread Starter 


I have been enjoying this hobby since 1986. I have since bought at least two of each VHS, Laserdiscs. DVD, Blu-ray players and 3 large Rear projection monitors. So I finally decided to post my latest configuration which is as follows:





Video:

Sharp - AQUOS Quattron / 70" Class / LED / 1080p / 240Hz / 3D / HDTV(full array no local dimming)

Panasonic DMP-35K (Bluray)

Sony DVP-S7000 (DVD)

Pioneer Elite CLD-79 (Laserdisc)

Comcast Motorola DCX3400 HD DVR



Darbeevision DVP-5000 Darblet



Audio:

Yamaha RX-V1800 (Dolby® TrueHD + DTS HD)

Denon DR-M10HX (cassette player)

Monster HTS-5000 (Power Conditioner/Surge Protection)

Outlaw Model 750 (165W X 5 Amplifier)



Speakers:

Klipsch Forte II (Bob Crites Crossovers & Titanium Diaphragm upgrades)

Klipsch RC-52 (Center)

Klipsch IW-100 (rear surround)

Klipsch KSB 1.1 (Front effect speakers)



Subwoofers:

Velodyne VA 1012

Hsu ULS-15 Triple Drive (Walnut veneer)



Misc:

Harmony One Universal Remote

JPS Industries In’Ovation credenza (AV/TV stand)



















Left Front sub





Right Front sub





Left side sub





Nearfield sub





Close up of a ULS-15 driver.





Thanks for visiting.


Edited by hometheatergeek - 10/29/12 at 12:15pm
Reply
Reply

AVS Top Picks

post #2 of 397
5/10/09 at 8:12am
Thread Starter 
This last photo is a special plant shelf / reading lights/ rear surround channel holder that I design and had a contractor build.


HT theme quilt to tie everything together.

Reply
Reply
post #3 of 397
5/10/09 at 8:28am
Looking good! Really liking the Klispches.

By the way, where are the HSU subwoofers?
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 397
5/10/09 at 8:53am
Haha, good job.

How does do the subwoofers sound? Did you compare them to anything else?
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 397
5/10/09 at 9:43am
Thread Starter 
I have only own Velodyne before I bought these and one of them, the VA-1012 which is a bass reflex speaker, has never hicupped since 1986 when I bought it.

The reason I bought the Hsu is because of Hsu's reputation of building solid subwoofers and them having it in a walnut version due to being in a family room. The subs are not there when thay aren't suppose to be there, but when a song or soundtrack calls for serious bass these speakers will scare you with their authority. And since they will play a 10 Hz note, they have enough power to comfortably play a 16 Hz note.

So with this dual drive plus both of my Velodyne's I have the really deep notes covered with the Hsu and the midbase slam from the Velo's. The Eagles Farewell Tour never sounded so good and I now believe I am in the cave with Ironman.

Oh and Kain congrats on your Seaton purchase. I'll be looking forward to your review.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 397
5/10/09 at 1:38pm
Very nice set-up there! I'm sure it pounds nicely.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 397
6/9/09 at 11:03am
Thread Starter 
700+ views 6 comments.

Whatsup wit dat?

Any comments, criticism, or any good jokes you heard lately.

j\\k Just sign the book at the door.

In other words BUMP
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 397
6/9/09 at 1:46pm
Nice system. I love the "latest self bought birthday gift". Maybe I should try that for the upcoming Father's Day.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 397
8/8/09 at 7:55am
Looks good!
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 397
8/8/09 at 8:04am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for looking Cory.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 397
8/8/09 at 5:05pm
Yeah I love those Klipsch mains. You're a good man for owning some (somewhat) vintage stuff like that. Nothing beats that horn loaded sound.

I like the plant area you had built. Adds some character to what would otherwise be a fairly tall non-descript wall. Not related but are you concerned at all about having the cable box sit on the receiver like that? Does everything stay fairly cool? Same with the amp on the Monster unit. There doesn't look to be any vertical ventilation. I'm assuming everything stays somewhat cool otherwise you would have probably noticed by now.

All in all a great system and I'm sure you love listening to movies and music on it. Good job.

Oh btw I love the dual sub action going on.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 397
8/9/09 at 6:26am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for leaving a comment Pcweber. The credenza has good air flow from the back openings creating a chimney effect. The cable box is rented from that evil empire Comcast, so if I kill it, I'll just get another one. The amp is on top of the monster power conditioner because the Monster does not produce heat. I will typically play movie and music around 88 db to 94 db and it is just warm inside the credenza. And actually there are four subs in the room now that I bought the ULS-15 Dual Drive from Hsu.

Did you ever get around to installing your rear surround channels?
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 397
8/9/09 at 7:18am
I know I've already said it, but nice set up there. Looks like it should pump decently for sure.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 397
8/9/09 at 3:54pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks again croseiv. Your system is no slouch either. How are you enjoying the new AMP? I told you it would make a big difference.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 397
8/9/09 at 4:39pm
Hello htgeek,

I have to say, nice lineup. I like the Outlaw... Hey, I've always wanted to ask this, as I've never had a chance to look at a laserdisc picture: how does it compare to the bluray?

Great job again, the place looks cozy and inviting!

Peace, out.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 397
8/9/09 at 9:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hometheatergeek View Post

Thanks for leaving a comment Pcweber. The credenza has good air flow from the back openings creating a chimney effect. The cable box is rented from that evil empire Comcast, so if I kill it, I'll just get another one. The amp is on top of the monster power conditioner because the Monster does not produce heat. I will typically play movie and music around 88 db to 94 db and it is just warm inside the credenza. And actually there are four subs in the room now that I bought the ULS-15 Dual Drive from Hsu.

Did you ever get around to installing your rear surround channels?

Hey,

Yeah I'm sure it gets warm but good to know it doesn't get too hot. As for the surrounds, jeez I've been slacking with the updates. No I have not because frankly I need to invest money in other areas right now so it'll have to wait awhile. It'll get done eventually though lol. I need to update my thread.

Four subs though?! Yikes, must sound really filled out and powerful without too much boominess. I hope to go multi-sub one day.
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 397
8/10/09 at 5:02am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ddgtr View Post

Hello htgeek,

I have to say, nice lineup. I like the Outlaw... Hey, I've always wanted to ask this, as I've never had a chance to look at a laserdisc picture: how does it compare to the bluray?

Great job again, the place looks cozy and inviting!

Peace, out.

Thanks for looking and leaving a comment ddgtr. Back in 1992 Laserdisc was the "best that can be had" for picture and sound. VHS had 240 lines of resolution and it was 425 lines of resolution for the Laserdisc. Almost double the resolution. DVD came along and it was 500 lines of resolution. I did not even upgrade to DVD for at least 18 months. But of course there is no comparsion to Bluray with 1080 lines of resolution. I do have the player hook up to the Yamaha AVR which upconverts to 1080 and it helps some. The reason I keep it in the system, is because I have at least 60 laserdisc in my collection and I refuse to double dip and give the movie industries any more money unless the Bluray price is super low. I found Stargate and The Fifth Element for less than 10 dollars so yes I did double dip on those.
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 397
8/10/09 at 6:48pm
Hi Hometheatregeek very nice setup. Your Outlaw poweramp is looks nice can i ask what sound characteristic do you get with the Outlaw? I've never seen one here in Australia.

How Do find the heat issues regading your components?

I have a suggestion especially for your Yamaha I use a Antec Veris Av cooler which work great.




It keep it cool and releases the hot air from the back.By looking at it you have an opening at your back of the cabinet which is good.Ive done the same with mine. The Comcast Motorola HD DVR can sit on top of the cooler which in turns it sits on top of the Yamaha.You can also set one of the outlaw but that means you have to move you outlaw poweramp.
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 397
8/10/09 at 9:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hometheatergeek View Post

Thanks for looking and leaving a comment ddgtr. Back in 1992 Laserdisc was the "best that can be had" for picture and sound. VHS had 240 lines of resolution and it was 425 lines of resolution for the Laserdisc. Almost double the resolution. DVD came along and it was 500 lines of resolution. I did not even upgrade to DVD for at least 18 months. But of course there is no comparsion to Bluray with 1080 lines of resolution. I do have the player hook up to the Yamaha AVR which upconverts to 1080 and it helps some. The reason I keep it in the system, is because I have at least 60 laserdisc in my collection and I refuse to double dip and give the movie industries any more money unless the Bluray price is super low. I found Stargate and The Fifth Element for less than 10 dollars so yes I did double dip on those.


Thanks, I never got a laserdisc player and to me, just the name "laserdisc" still has some sort of high end resonance to it... I hear you about not wanting to give the movie industry more money, I am sooo mad they're holding back on releasing one of my favorite movies LOTR on bluray just so that they can sell more of the regular dvds... Of course when they do release it they'll have the theater version and a year later they'll come up with the director's cut... Oh well...

Thanks for posting in my thread. Over 100 lp's from the 80's?? It is me who wishes you lived closer... I'm 40 and I grew up with that genre and although my collection is pretty broad, I still love music from back then. It's really, really cool that you were a DJ too, I bet you have tons of stories to tell!!

Yeah, Foobar2000 can also be configured to be used as a mixer. There are plugins for a wide variety of applications and the cool part is that they're pretty easy to install. It is indeed an amazing piece of software that developers are constantly improving. I'm still a novice when it comes to it, but I'd be happy to help in any way I can if you do decide to give it a try.

That is a pretty nice cooler that Frank recommended above. I don't know how hot the Yamaha's get, but I can put my Onkyo anytime up against a Home Depot shop heater... I actually have 2 Onkyo receivers, the 805 and an eight or nine year old one which has been really good to me despite the heat it puts out. My 2 ch amp also runs really hot, but because my config is pretty open that is not an issue...

Cheers,
Dan
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 397
8/11/09 at 5:00am
Thread Starter 
Franin,

Thanks for stopping by and leaving some good advice along with Ddgtr.

There really isn't a heat issue in my case. Since I am only using the Yamaha AVR as a processor it is only idling along. The built in amps on the Yamaha are being bypassed except when I turn on Zone 2 and all other signals are sent to the Outlaw. The DVR actually puts out more heat then the AVR and that's why I have it on top.

The Outlaw Amp, which is located in the middle section of the credenza, has the grills in the doors which is normally for a center channel. But I do not like the sound of a center channel behind doors, so there is plenty of air flow front and back for the amp.

I purchased the Outlaw, I think, back in 2000 or so. It was rated back then at being equal to a 2,000 dollar amp which sold Internet direct for around 1,100 dollars for a 5 X 165 watt amplifier. You would think that it might be bright on my old Klipsch speakers but thats not the case at all. I had an older Yamaha AVR, at the time, which only had 90 watts a channel and the Forte II speakers, which have a 12" front firing woofer and a 15" passive on the back really needed the extra power to get those speakers singing.
Reply
Reply
post #21 of 397
8/11/09 at 5:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hometheatergeek View Post

Franin,

Thanks for stopping by and leaving some good advice along with Ddgtr.

There really isn't a heat issue in my case. Since I am only using the Yamaha AVR as a processor it is only idling along. The built in amps on the Yamaha are being bypassed except when I turn on Zone 2 and all other signals are sent to the Outlaw. The DVR actually puts out more heat then the AVR and that's why I have it on top.

The Outlaw Amp, which is located in the middle section of the credenza, has the grills in the doors which is normally for a center channel. But I do not like the sound of a center channel behind doors, so there is plenty of air flow front and back for the amp.

I purchased the Outlaw, I think, back in 2000 or so. It was rated back then at being equal to a 2,000 dollar amp which sold Internet direct for around 1,100 dollars for a 5 X 165 watt amplifier. You would think that it might be bright on my old Klipsch speakers but thats not the case at all. I had an older Yamaha AVR, at the time, which only had 90 watts a channel and the Forte II speakers, which have a 12" front firing woofer and a 15" passive on the back really needed the extra power to get those speakers singing.


Would you say the Outlaw delivers a warm type of sound?
Reply
Reply
post #22 of 397
8/11/09 at 5:18am
Thread Starter 
No I guess I would have to say a neutral sounding amp.

One of my next upgrades that I am contemplating is maybe getting a tube amp for the main speakers. That is what is usually recommended for the older Klipsch speakers. However, I recently did a crossover upgrade for the Forte II from Bob Crites at http://www.critesspeakers.com/crossovers.html and they made a huge improvement in making the speakers less bright. These crossovers are actually better then the original ones that came from Klipsch. So a tube amp can wait for now.
Reply
Reply
post #23 of 397
8/11/09 at 5:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hometheatergeek View Post

No I guess I would have to say a neutral sounding amp.

One of my next upgrades that I am contemplating is maybe getting a tube amp for the main speakers. That is what is usually recommended for the older Klipsch speakers. However, I recently did a crossover upgrade for the Forte II from Bob Crites at http://www.critesspeakers.com/crossovers.html and they made a huge improvement in making the speakers less bright. These crossovers are actually better then the original ones that came from Klipsch. So a tube amp can wait for now.

Very Nice mate its always good when you make a huge improvement with out having to change/add the power amp. Cross overs would certainly be not as expensive as what a tube amp will set you back. Do you still have a good collection of laser discs?
Reply
Reply
post #24 of 397
8/11/09 at 6:03am
Thread Starter 
Here is a list of at least 70 of the more popular movies I have on lasersdisc. I might have a couple of other ones.

ABOVE THE LAW
ABYSS, THE
ALIENS
APOCALYPSE NOW
ARRIVAL, THE
BACKDRAFT
BETTLEJUICE
BOUND
BRAVEHEART
BROKEN ARROW
CARLITO'S WAY
CASPER
CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (SPECIAL EDITION)
CONTACT
CRIMSON TIDE
DEMOLITION MAN
DRACULA
EXECUTIVE DECSION
FANTASIA
FIFTH ELEMENT, THE (Also on BluRay)
FRIGHTENERS, THE
FUGITIVE, THE
GODZILLA
HAUNTING, THE
HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, THE
INDEPENDENCE DAY (ID4)
JUNGLE BOOK
JURASSIC PARK, THE LOST WORLD
LAWNMOWER MAN
LETHAL WEAPON 3
LONG KISS GOODNIGHT, THE
MASK
MEN IN BLACK
MICHAEL
MONEY TRAIN
ON DEADLY GROUND
OUTBREAK
POST MAN, THE
PREDATOR
PRIMAL FEAR
RANSOM
ROCKETEER, THE
SE7EN
SHADOW, THE
SPECIES
SPEED
STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT
STAR WARS TRILOGY SPECIAL EDITION
STARGATE (Also on BluRay)
STRANGE DAYS
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY(Also on BluRay Skynet version)
THE ROCK
THELMA AND LOUISE
TOTAL RECALL
TOY STORY (also on DVD)
TRUE LIES
TWISTER
UNDER SIEGE
UNDER SIEGE 2-DARK TERRITORY
USUAL SUSPECTS, THE
WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT



Pink Floyd: Delicate Sound of Thunder
Pink Floyd: Pulse
Fleetwood Mac: The Dance

This list is probably showing my age but I have been enjoying this hobby since 1986. Wow 23 years now. Never realized that until just now.
Reply
Reply
post #25 of 397
8/11/09 at 6:22am
Thread Starter 
And remember these movies were not cheap. I think the average price of the Laserdiscs back then were $35.00 each. So you can see I have over a $2,000 investment in these movies alone.
Reply
Reply
post #26 of 397
8/11/09 at 6:28am
Whoa that's quite a collection. Do you still watch them? Are you still able to acquire the player 2nd hand? Give never watched a movie on laser disc how do they compare to dvd?
Reply
Reply
post #27 of 397
8/11/09 at 6:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hometheatergeek View Post

And remember these movies were not cheap. I think the average price of the Laserdiscs back then were $35.00 each. So you can see I have over a $2,000 investment in these movies alone.

This hobby certainly burns holes in our pockets.
Reply
Reply
post #28 of 397
8/11/09 at 6:49am
Thread Starter 
No I do not watch them right now. But most of these movies are now being shown on some of our High Def channels here in the states. When I upgraded my AVR, last year, I lost the AC3-RF input needed to get Dolby Digital off of the Laserdisc. I need to find an external AC3-RF converter and they are getting harder to find. Or I could put in my older AVR I guess. But yes people do still sell their players on e-bay. There is not much difference between the DVD 500 lines of resolution to the Laserdisc 425 lines of resolution.
Reply
Reply
post #29 of 397
9/7/09 at 6:47am
Thread Starter 
My wife made this HT themed quilt to add to the room. It came out really nice.

Reply
Reply
post #30 of 397
9/7/09 at 7:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hometheatergeek View Post

My wife made this HT themed quilt to add to the room. It came out really nice.


Wow! Now that's what I call a GREAT wife! Very nice.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home

AVS Top Picks

AVS › AVS Forum › Other Areas of Interest › What's Your System Configuration › Hometheatergeek's obsession