My set up on a dime - Page 4

Thanks I like the cabinet too. We had to air out the house to get rid of the smell from the FIOS Box, but it was great to watch Real Steel and know the Power conditioner did it's job.

It's been a while since I have posted any updates on my system and I have added a new sub, but there is a story with this addition. I was going through Craigslist not looking to upgrade anything, when I came upon a post that said new Klipsch SW-310 for $189.00. When I read the details the post indicated that sub had a bad amp from the start and never worked. I was up for a challange and offered the seller $140.00 and he took it. So I bought the sub home and removed the amp and tested the driver to ensure it worked and it did. I then hooked up a spare sub amp I had and tested the drivers further and again the driver checked out. I called Klipsch to see the cost of repair or replacement. I was told the repair would cost $175 to $ 275 and a new amp was $236. I went for the new amp and it was delivered today. I installed the new amp and the sub is fully functional. The new amp carries a year warrenty. Total investment was $376.00 on a Sub that retails for $1050.00 and is on line for $500.00 maybe i should have just purchased a new sub for the same money I used to purchase and fix this one, but it was fun working on it and it sound sooo much better then my old Polk PSW 110. Off to the attic for the old sub.

The new Sub prior to removing the amp.


inside the sub showing the sub driver and two passive radiators


The old amp after removal. The amp burned out due to the power LED being burned by the hot glue that was used to keep it in place.


The sub in it's new home after the repair

pcweber,
It is alway fun to find treasures like this every once in a while. The new sub is tighter and not as boomy.. I have only had about hour of listening with it after running the Audyssey. The manual says the preferred placement is in a corner, but I think makes it a bit too strong.. I will move it around to see if it lessens it a bit. It is a lot more powerful then the old Polk and really shakes the walls. I like it! JT

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ShadyJ, thank you for the compliment. I haven't thought about making my own sub, but it make sense. I will definitely look at the DIY sub page. Thanks for the suggestion.. JT

Here is a picture of my reduced HT since Sandy came for an unwelcome visit. We have not had power for 6 days.. Well at least we have TV, internet and phone service while my generator is working. Using a 32" LCD with FIOS box!! I feel blessed to have minor damage compared to others!

Thanks for the good wishes. This storm has had a heavy impact on the region and put life into perspective. We still have nearly 1.5 million without power in NJ a week later and thousands are homeless. Gas lines are 2 to 3 hours long. It’s like the early 70s during the gas shortage. But like I said my family has been blessed.

I'm back up and running again! My power was restored tonight just in time for the temperature to go below freezing. Now I hope all who were effected by Sandy are soon up and running and have the support they need.

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Thanks for thinking of me this holiday season.. My Christmas was good and I'm looking forward to the new year and what new Home Theater equipment I can pick up. Hope you had a great Christmas and a happy and healthy New year. JT

Well it didn't take long for me to break the ice on my first upgrade for 2013. I picked up a Panasonic TC-P50UT50 50" Plasma. It fits in the cabinet that I made and it is 20% bigger then the old 46" Plasma that it replaced. Man does it look sweet!!!




Edited by jnnt29 - 1/13/13 at 6:49pm

Thanks, it does.. It was a pre 50 birthday present. I turn the Big 50 in February and the wife went for it!!

Al, it's a sad state of affairs when she settles for the Big screen. It's all good because I have the best wife possible to put up with me and the revolving electronics.


You are so right about that. I am really happy with the picture. Now I have to start working on a bigger screen as Al was talking about. but that's going to take time!!LOL

I have made some minor changes to the system recently. I picked up the Roku player and I am very pleased with it. I signed up for Amazon Prime for the instant streaming and have been putting my digital copies of my movies on Vudu. I guess I'm a little late to the streaming party. Though the quality of the video is not Blu Ray it is still pretty good. I then tackled the spaghetti wire behind my entertainment unit. I don't know when the mess occurred, I guess over time. I made new simple speaker cables with Mono Price in wall 14 gage wire and banana plugs. I then removed the mess of wires coming out of the wall behind the entertainment unit and installed 2-Gang 5.1 Surround Sound Distribution Wall Plate and additional speaker wall plates for zone 2 sound and video. It really looks much better. Though it is not the same quality wiring job as I have seen on a lot of the systems on these pages, it is much more organized. Here are some pictures.

This is bundle of wire coming out of the wall.


Before I re-did the wiring


Preparing the wall for the new data boxes and wall plates



The new plate complete


The spaghetti mess untangled
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Edited by jnnt29 - 2/23/13 at 12:10pm

Thank you kind sir! It's funny after looking at my own pictures I've decided to order more appropriate length cables to clean the back of the cabinet even more. It's crazy how one thing leads to another.

Posted updated pictures of the cleaned up wiring above. I'm looking for thoughts what I could add or update. I have come into some birthday money and I'm looking for suggestions. Thanks in advance. JT

The Sub deal was fun and does sound much better then the old Polk that I just sold two weeks ago.

You know it's funny, I turned 50 and signed up for AARP and now I can't remember the password to get into the site! LOL. I was thinking of a second sub or a power Amp. Either way I have to sell some of my old gear in the attic to fund my AV habit!! Do you think I would benefit from a an external power amp and use my AVR as a Pre/Pro?

The Klipsch speakers are very efficient and I have heard that the added power helps to bring out detail. And I figure the amp would be used for future upgrades. What to do, add a second sub or a power amp? That is the question!

Picked up two open box Blu Ray players at Best Buy last weekend. I replaced my Panny BD-65 with the Panny BDT-310 3D Blu Ray with duel HDMI outputs. It is much faster then the BD-65. I picked up the BDT-310 for $63.00 and the second player was a Panny BD-75 for $24.00 which I sold on Craigslist for $65.00. Slowly building my upgrade fund for then next purchase.