craig john's theater - Page 11

Damn that picture always gives me the goosebumps

I have experienced various seat "stimulation" products and each time, I felt it to be a major distraction from the movie. I've heard(felt) the D-Box which is/(was) supposed to be the ultimate implementation of seat actuators since some movies had D-Box information encoded in them. I think I also heard different versions of Butt Kickers.

Since everyone that comes to your theater seems to like them (and goes home and spends their hard earned money to replicate what you have), there must be something about the way you implemented it that is better than what I have heard the 4 or 5 times I have heard it -- or it's just not my cup of tea.

I did get a sample of seat actuators when I put all 4 subs in the rear of my room. The bass was INTENSE but the seat was constantly moving/vibrating in tune with the movie --- didn't like that either!!

But my interest in hearing your system has much much much less to do with having my rear end being massaged by explosions in a movie and more about your listening to your speakers and the implementation of "wides".

All of that aside, I will somehow get up there.
Edited by audioguy - 2/26/13 at 5:29am

First, did you get my address? So, when I put this disk into the player, on the Integra, do I scroll around the surround "modes" until I see Multi on the display? Will there be a menu section on the disk as well that I have to select a listening mode? Then I will be getting almost the same sound quality that you have on your disk. Is that right? If the server works for me, it will work for anybody. I AM the lowest common denominator when it comes to stuff like this . I am assuming Dennis put in my order for the server. He said the wait time is 6-8 weeks. So about a month in a half to two months. Then he will load everything on their for me and set it up. Then he will program the tablet I am getting as well, So that will also take time. I am probably looking at just over 2 months before I have it in my system.

Again, I just have to say it, as I have said it before in many places here. You and Dennis have really helped me elevate my system to a place I really did not think I would be to attain in my room. So for that, I have to say thanks again . Without you guys there is no way my room would sound as good as it does now. Anyway, back to the server. I am really looking forward to having everything at my command and I am really curious to see if getting the DVD racks out of the makes the room seem bigger. So just let me know if you got my info. One more thing. I listened to part of that demo disk. . That about sums it up. It sounded amazing. I was just curious and I put my system in bypass mode(you know me). The total sound, from the highs down to the bass was just insane. I could not believe the bass my speakers were putting out on their own. It was truly mind blowing so thanks for that. It was a great day. Great people to hang out with while listening to a great system. I am sure Dennis will keep you posted and I will keep you updated on the server side of things.

Craig,

I certainly appreciate that insight. I am actually considering getting the studios instead of the Phantoms—I do love direct radiating surrounds, as all my setups have eschewed diffusion (bi-pole and di-pole) in the past, in favor of mono-polar speakers. Believe it or not, I like the concept of localizing surround effects, as makes for precise imaging. I generally test out surround imaging by popping on an Xbox 360 game and standing the character next to a source of persistent sound (could be an in-game power generator, or some other source of noise. I then just move my POV from right to left, and listen to how well my surrounds pan, and—at a 180 degree turn, I listen to see how well the speakers create a phantom (pun intended) 6th channel directly behind me. I hadn’t given much thought to the multi-polar nature of the Phantoms until reading your post, but I do think I’ll be sticking with direct radiation in the Studios.

Interestingly enough, I was looking at my room last night and if I went with the width channels at 60 degrees, they would be placed right in front of each of my Submersives. I may not be able to do the 60 degree location—perhaps around72 degrees will have to suffice, at which point, I could (theoretically) wall-mount each studio (although the amount of hassle involved would be monumental)

LOL, definitely—I will definitely be hosting the next one once the Legacies are up and running. It should be lots of fun 8-)

"Yup! I will get it sent out today ."
Sweet
"Yeah, it's easy to navigate."
I like easy.
"This will be good!"
Indeed. It will be very convenient.
"You're certainly welcome Mike! We have enjoyed the experience and getting to know you!"
I appreciate that. You know it's the same for you.
"Yeah, that demo disc is AMAZING! Every song on it is unique and they all have excellent sound quality. Enjoy!"
I can't wait to listen to the entire disk from start to finish.

Besides what Craig mentioned above, I think the Crowson react faster and seem much quieter.
I only experienced the BK once. It was a few years ago at my friend's house and I believe he had it turned up too much and using too high of a crossover. It also was making some buzzing noises. I thought it was too gimmicky and distracted me from the movie experience. My friend, on the other hand, loved it but he has complained a few times about the Buttkicker bottoming out and making some god awful sounds. He still loved it though. My wife also experienced the Buttkicker at this friend’s house. She originally did not want me to buy the Crowson based off that BK experience. We probably would have enjoyed the BK experience better if it was dialed in more. The Crowsons also require some tweaking but, I think, the end result is awesome.

If it was not for Mike, Matt, and Craig, (THANKS AGAIN GUYS!) I would have based my limited transducer experience on the one, over the top, Buttkicker setup and never would have gotten the Crowson. That would have been a huge mistake on my part.

For me, what did it was the subtlety of the system. It just felt like a natural extension of the soundtrack. At least in my system. it seems to grab the last bit of grunt that's on the disk. The Tron grid scene, it just has that extra "shake" if you will. Not like it's going to shake you out of your chair, but you get every last bit of that movie with the Crowson. Not that I felt like I missing anything with the SubMersive HP. But with the Crowson, you just get that extra, not over the top extra though, that makes you smile just a bit more. Experiencing it at Craig's house again was a real treat since his is setup different then mine. Not that I don't, but Craig really has them dialed in really good. But again, I really like how it is setup in my room. It's a wow factor addition for sure.

Wonderful set-up. When I see Brolicbeast and MikeDuke drooling, I know the set-up is something special. Maybe someday I will have the resources and knowledge to build something comparable. Very well done.

When you take the entire package, meaning audio, video, and the room(seats), it's really hard not to say great things about Craig's system. I know Matt is excited to get his Legacy speakers. When he does, his system will also have some major drool factor. Not that it doesn't now, but I have a feeling that the new speakers will take that up a notch. Me, I think I have really good sound with a small screen. Oh well, what can you do . Since I had to compromise on the picture size, I refuse to compromise on the sound. But Craig's setup everything setup right. In the right proportions. His sound and picture go hand in hand.

Hold up just a sec. I wrote that reply without talking a look at your system first. Are you kidding me? You hope to someday build something comparable. Um... I hate to say this, but you are already there. You have NAD gear, which I know is top notch. You have 7 JTR speakers and 2 JTR S2's. You have 4 automatic reclining chairs. And you have a 110" screen. I will say it again, you are there. The ONLY things I might suggest is if your preamp does not have XT32 maybe you should think about getting one that does like an Integra. Yea, Craig may have more power but your speakers are really sensitive as well so I am sure the NAD amp can make them sing. And he has a larger screen . Like 110" isn't big enough. The only other thing I would recommend you look into are room treatments. They will make a world of difference and you will hear what your gear really sounds like. In fact, I would do that regardless of any of my other comments. If you are not sure where to start with treatments, as I said many times, I would look into, and contact GIK treatments. They will really help you out. But enough about not being there. You are closer then you think.

You know--a room designed from the ground up is a reflection of it's designer, and your room is quite drool inducing visually. Although I haven't ever heard JTR's offerings, the firm's reputation among the enthusiast community is purely positive, which leads me to believe it's audibly drool-inducing as well. I'd love to hear JTR's Noesis' horn-loaded compression driver in an a/b test with the Triad Platinum horn-loaded silk dome tweeters. Epic!

Craig, ive been thinking about this all day....I'll probably try to rig an old receiver to pull amp-passthrough duty so I can test this week or next.

I appreciate the kinds words Mike. I don’t want to threadjack Craiq’s thread so I will keep it short. I think on the L/C/R speaker front, projector front and room treatment front Craiq has the upper hand. I love my new room and am very blessed to able to have put it together. Seeing Craiq’s room, for example, gives me something to look forward to as I know there is room for improvement for me.

I won't thread jack either except to say that Craig's room is one of the rooms I look to for inspiration.

I've been wanting to demo the plats for awhile. I've heard a system comprising of Gold LCRs+ Silver LCRs for surrounds and loved em. Do you think they will do well for an 18x24 room?

When is the last time you tired D-Box? Also, did you know to can tweak it? You an adjust the motion and vibrations to almost infinite levels. At one point Crowson even wanted to be able to use D-Box codes for their vibrations due to the fact that they are more intelligently coded vs just running off the bass track. Hope I am not out of place here. I am a D-Box owner, and at one point I thought they sounded so gimmicky but now I don't enjoy movies nearly as much without it.

I do want to point out that I am not the biggest fan of the theater implementation of D-Box, but then again, I don't like going to the theater much anyway.

Great setup btw.

I had a DBox demo at a NYC audio show, and it was not to my taste either. We saw a Shrek demo, and were tossed about as Shrek rode in a runaway carriage and a horse. Most of the action lined up with what was happening on screen, but the program missed some obvious bumps in the action, which took me out of the moment. I also thought it was set too high, just to make the point of what it could do, but again, i found it more distracting than anything else. I much prefer the Crowson experience, where you feel exactly what is on the bass track, instead of a contrived DBox motion program. An especially after looking at the price difference, Crowson wins in my book.

Thank you both for describing your experiences. Your time is much appreciated. My 1st experience was with Iron Man 1 (1st fight scene) I have been sold every since. I don't want to derail your thread any further.

Going back on track, would love to hear the Triad Plats. They seem to fit the bill for my next upgrade.

Hmm sounds good! I'll definitely contact Paul Scarpelli to see what he thinks. He always seems to give out really solid advice!

On the side note I was looking at the crownson tranducers and was really interested in them till I saw the price. DAMN!

Hey Craig john Ive been doing catch up and read that your GTG was a success. Ive read great things about your theatre which is awesome. I would love to come to the States one day and catch up with all you guys. Take care mate talk to you soon.

Thank you Craig. My son (5yr old )wants to go to lego land in the States, apparently we've been told its amazing.