Definitive Owners Thread - Page 892

Joe,

Thanks! I saw that tweeter on parts express last night and was going to call Chet about it so you save me a call. Anyhow, I took the two bad tweeters apart and was able to solder the broken/burnt wires back together and they work and sound great!

I'm still going to replace them though as I suck at soldering and don't trust the repair long term.

I still have to find two replacement metal logo pin things, floor spikes, mend the socks a bit and and find a manual, but for $180, I made out! None of these parts are on e-bay, so I hope you guys have some.

Jim

jtokach,
You can give Chet a call he can send you some Definitive logos and spikes more than likely at no charge. I used to have a set of the BP20's and really heard no difference between them and the BP30's there great speakers. Yes you did make out at $180. Somewhere in the room I believe someone said you may use BP10b crossovers than use the aluminum tweeters (but dont quote me) but sounds like from parts express may have your problem solved. As far as socks you may do what im going to do is go to a fabric store such as Joanns fabric and buy some double knit nylon material and have a seamstress make it into a tube for you. Im going to make some for my set of BP3000TL's

Hi JT, you are welcome of course. For that money, you got a great pair of speakers! Best, Joe

Has anyone ceiling mounted a pair of SM 450's? I have a strong pair of rear mounts that I think I could adapt with some lumber attached to the backs. I also considred removing the tops and screwing right into the bare top. Safety is key though and these things weigh a ton.

Jim

Just found this forum while doing a little research tonight. There seems to be quite a bit of great info out here on Definitives. I have a 5 speaker surround system I bought new in 1995 which includes BP 2000's for the mains. They have served me well and I wish to keep them well into the future. Only one problem - The level control on the powered subwoofer of one of my main BP 2000's is shot. I was told I need to replace the whole amp to remedy this situation. So I found one brand new for sale on ebay through waverunner (which I did read about in this forum). Looks like a winner to me, but the listing says this unit is 240 volts. Mine is definitely 120 volts. Anyone know what this is all about? Seems to me the only things that run on 220/240 are things like A/C units and clothes dryers etc. If this unit does require 220 can it be altered to function with standard 120? I'm no electrician, but if anyone is knowledgeable about this sort of thing I would appreciate any info. Thanks to all for a great forum!

Anyone else have BPVX's wall mounted? Do you cross he over or have any absortion behind them? I was playing some music and noticed that they sounded best with a 150hz-200hz crossover. Otherwise midrange clearity was pretty bad. These things can actually put out some decent punchy bass

Mine are wall mounted just using a drywall screw into a stud. About 5' up, x'd over at 60 hz. I've never played them alone, always either 5 or 7.1 but never thought they sounded strained.

I'm confused - if you cross at 150 or 200 how are you getting any bass, let alone good bass?

I was thinking the same thing

Hello GM,
240 volt versions are what the rest of the world uses. We sell those for export. They won't work for domestic voltages, so you need a North American version of that amp. I am glad you are a Definitive owner! Best regards, Joe

Hello Jim,
"Safety is key, and these things weigh a ton". If you wind up with either the speaker or the ceiling drywall needing repair, this won't have been worth it. The other issue is that speakers have a dispersion pattern, and speakers placed closer to ear level will give better performance. So you may not be happy with the sonics if you install them in the ceiling. Many in-ceiling speakers have some type of pivoting tweeter assembly to help with that part. Best regards, Joe

Hey Joe,

Sorry if I wasn't clear, I don't want to mount them in the ceiling, I want to "hang" them from the ceiling.

I currently have small rear surrounds top screwed to swivel mounts, angled downward, about 4' behind the seating area. Each mount is fastened to a ceiling joist (through the drywall). I believe that the mounts are secure (I can hang a lot of my body weight from them), but they probably aren't intended for the weight of the SM 450. Still I think they'd be okay top screwed into the 450, with the laquered top removed.

The alternative would be to mount them on the rear wall using the keyholes (about 13' from the seating area). Would I lose clarity, or the surround effect at that distance?

Looking to see if others have mounted them from the ceiling.

Thanks,

Jim

I am still on the hunt for a new pair of rear surrounds and hight's. The new Studino Monitor series seems to be the way to go for the surround back, and hights. The SM-65's seem like they would fit the bill, but they are out of my price range, plus the fact that they only have 5 & 1/4 inch drivers, which wouldn't match my BP-30's and c/l/r/-2000. The SM-55's do have 6 & 1/2 inch drivers, so I am guessing those would be a better match, I just do not know if I can afford them. I can definitely afford the SM-45's but I doubt they will match up. Here are my questions:

(Please note that my front trio consist of BP-30's and a C/L/R-2000)

1. For hights, and, rear surrounds, how do new SM-55's sound compare to the older Studio Monitor 450's?
2. What is the going rate for a pair of used Studio Monitor 450's?
3. What kind of discount do you think I could regotiate for a new pair of SM-55's?

Hello Everyone

This is my first post in the def tech owners thread, mostly because I just recently became a definitive owner! I know we aren't really supposed to talk about purchase prices so let's just say a few months ago I picked up an as-near-as-makes-no-different free supercube ii. I also put in an order for the new SM65's and finally this morning they arrived!!

Here's a picture of them about 5 minutes ago working through their first few minutes of use sitting on top of Sanus Steel Series stands.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/78599493@N07/7249885118/

and here is my supercube ii in its less than ideal, but wife approved, place under a small table.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/78599493@N07/7249885498/

Can't wait to give them a real workout and get them through their initial break-in period

Tell me that is not the speakers' permanent home

As Joe mentioned the 240v model is not the one you want. I have not seen a 120v BP2000 amp from Baja (other than a TL version) for quiiiiiite some time.

Another OP had posted that he had sent his BP2000 amp to Definitive for repair. Contact Chet via the Definitive website to see if thats still an option.

If its just the level potentiometer thats bad one can easily find a replacement and R&R/solder it in.

Cheers

There's still some bass and mid bass with a 150hz crossover, however when I set it to 250hz, there wasn't much bass at all and it started to sound a little thin. I think a 150hz crossover should provide me with a more consistent sound in the rear. While playing games I noticed voices sounded much different in the rear while panning around, i.e. deeper voice, where as the bp7000sc are a little thinner in the lower mid bass.

i cross mine at 60hz...sound is outstanding. tuff to beat for surround speaker...

My deftech

Hey Jim, I understand better now, thanks. Can you contact the manufacturer of the ceiling mounts, and/or search their web site, to see if the mounts are rated to handle the weight of the SM 450? That's a start. You'll still have the issue of having compromised the integrity of the box on the 450's if you drill into it, which can really affect the bass response. If an air leak occurs, the bass won't sound good. Rear room placement (even 13' back) on the rear wall may make more sense. Best, Joe

Have any pics on how you mounted them?

I was the one who had my BP2000 amp repaired by Def Tech. I worked directly with Chet who is always very helpful. I also spoke directly with the repair technician, Curt who was also very helpful. I am sure if you call Chet they will be able to help you. I bought my BP2000's about 18 months ago and have been looking for a 120v amp ever since without luck. I talked to Chet about getting one and he indicated that they haven't had the amp in production for a long time and the amps for the other powered speakers would not work with the BP2000. I really love the 2000's and am now looking for another set (or a single) at a really good price for parts just in case .

Mine are mounted and x'd over exactly the same. I have tried them x'd at 40/60/80 and prefer them at 60. Never even considered x'ing them at 150-200. I use Audyssey pro calibration and it always gives me 60 as preferred with next being 80, then 90 and 100. I don't think it even gives me 150-200 as an option. Before using pro, I used xt32 with my denon 4311 and it always set them at 40. They seem very capable and crystal clear playing down to 60 so not really sure why you x them so high .

I am helping my sister install a 7.1 speaker system in her den. We have already acquired a used pair of BP30's and CLR2000 for the LCR front. I am trying to decide what to get for side surrounds and where to place them. The room is layed out with the display and front soundstage on a 14' foot wall with no windows or other issues. The left side wall is 14' with a fireplace in the center of the wall, no windows or other obstacles. The back wall is 12' with no windows or obstacles and the right side is open to a much larger area that includes a kitchen, hallway/entrance and a formal dining area. The seating consists of an backwards "L" _| shaped sofa that is 2' off the back wall and begins about 40" from the left side wall and extends out 14' to the right open side. The main 3 seats will be just to the end of the 12' back wall. Speakers on a stand are not an option. So I see only 2 placement options, back wall or ceiling.

Here are the speaker options we are considering:

1. BPVX or BPX placed on back walls at about 5.5' height with the left placed almost at the end of the wall about 12" from the corner and the right at the very outer edge of the back wall which places the speaker 1.5' directly behind the 3rd (or 2nd ) seating position and only 2' at about a 100 degree angle from MLP. Joe or anybody have any thoughts about this placement, is it to close or is it OK?

2. UIW BPZ/A placed in the ceiling with the left side placed near the corner and the right placed somewhere at about 14.5'. (Ceiling is 8')


Joe or anybody have thoughts, suggestions about the placement or which type of speakers would sound best?

Well mine are also 12" or less from the ceiling, so between the wall and the ceiling, I'm sure it's reinforcing the bass a lot. I was almost thinking about putting a bass trap or something behind it, but that seems like too much I guess it depends on what content your listening too, I noticed that Dave Matthews Band is pretty good content for testing. Lots of highs mids and lows

Well I have a few more questions for anyone with an anwser or joe if he sees this.Today I was watching aliens on bluray and I have my 8060 towers and center set full range.I have a pioneer vsx-31 elite reciever rated 80 watts per channel and while messing with volume....I usually listen at -26 to -20 but today I turned it up to -16 to -12 and it really sucked me into the action at these volumes but it seemed that there was slight distortion with voices in certain scenes...not really sure though.......my question is if I was to get an emotiva xpa-5 with a pre-pro....im wanting to do this anyway so im not sucked into buying a new reciever every few years and plus ill have clean,high power per channel also.Will that take care of any such distortion at higher levels?....and a question for joe:can the 8060 towers and center do reference levels given the proper power?.....I won't need to do this just a question.......I just want to be sure not to damage anything by turning the volume up to what I would say is safe levels for speakers of this caliber.

thx

I also cross my bpvx's at 60. I do have them mounted closer to ear level on the sidewalls and so they do get lesss bass re enforcement than u might being close to the ceilng. These pupps really hold their own. I woukd probably avoid crssing them above 80-100 to avoid any sub localization issues. You may be asking your sub to go into un sub-like frequencies.

In the end, your ears shoud be the final judge....

I went and saw the Avengers last weekend. Great movie for sure, it was my firest trip to a theater in years. I watched ghost protocol at home a few days later. To me, the home experience was so much better, not even close. Makes all the time, effort and money spent putting everything together well worth it.

Hi Marty,

Seems like Electronics Expo (authorized deftech dealer) is currently running a private sale on ebay:

SM 55s for $400 a pair (~50% off):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/160806802519

SM 65s for $650 a pair (~40% off):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/160806800508

Please share your impressions if you end up buying them!

I have listened to a pair of 8060s at a friend's house for extended periods above "reference" for extended periods of time. It had no issues like that. sBut I would also expect a pioneer elite, even with 80 rated watts to have no problem hitting reference in most set ups. Any possibility there is something else wrong? Does it make the sounds with a different movie? A different source?