Definitive Owners Thread - Page 961

You might want to look at the final Audyssey XT32 settings for two-channel. If you want, you can choose "Custom" and set Subwoofer=yes, crossover at whatever setting you have for the regular setting (knowing Audyssey, that would be 40 Hz). Then the subs will always be "on" the way they are for multichannel content.

However, I should point out that you should experiment with a crossover of 60 or 80 Hz to see if the bass is better (meaning deeper and more integrated soundstage) in the 40 to 80 Hz region by having your subs handle it. If you're using standard Audyssey (vs. Pro), you can raise your crossover from the ones that Audyssey set. You just can't lower them from what Audyssey came up with.

FWIW, you'll find a lot of guys on the Audyssey & 4311 threads that run their mains, DefTech BP and Mythos towers included, at 80 Hz crossover. I've seen CS-8080HD crossover ranging from 60 Hz to as high as 90-100 Hz. I did a lot of agonizing, and utimately found that with my ULS-15s, the 90/100 Hz crossovers actually sounded better at the end of the day. YMMV, depending on your room and setup.
Edited by sdrucker - 3/14/13 at 11:07am

The Mythos ST thread seems a little more settled down, probably because most of the initial guys that posted in the beginning are happy with them!

Those are two broad hats you wear, Joe. And there's something to be said for having a broad portfolio of products, so that consumers can move up (hopefully not down) in the line as lifestyle changes, plus it appeals to the broad cross-section of likely consumers. Narrow product niches only work if you have a) high margins or b) low overhead. Meaning we all can't be Seaton Submersive owners

Hello U of A, you make some fine points. But I am a little confused that you must disagree with my thoughts on the powered sub in the center channel. I did not say that the center must be set to large. In fact you're right that if you have a separate sub, you might as well let it handle what it does best - generate deep bass. But I sold as a rep / distributor fo 7 years, and many of the viewers of these posts might be surprised at how many couples simply refuse to buy a sub! In that case, especially if they don't plan to play the system too loud, setting the center channel to large is not such an unreasonable thing to do. What folks want to do with these products really runs the gamut. Again, thank you for your points as they are good ones - best, Joe

IMO that's what makes Definitive so great. There is no perfect setup for everyone. You have so many options to do what works for YOU!

Promonitor 800 or Studio Monitor 350?

I am having trouble deciding between them. I've listened to the promonitor 800's in store and I really liked their sound. I was looking at best buy's clearance department for my local store and I came across the pro studio 350's. The promonitors are $145 each, while the studio 350's are $200 a pair. I understand the 350's are larger and more powerful, and they are an excellent value at this price, but are they a bit much for a living room that is 18x11 feet? Also, my living room/dining room areas are connected in an L-shape and its dimensions are 12x10 feet. Both rooms have 8 foot tall ceilings. My receiver is a Harmon kardon avr1700 @100 watts/channel. I plan to use these in a 2.1 channel setup first, then I will look at some surrounds later on. Thanks in advance.

zodaddy, I have 350s in a smaller room that's open to a larger room. They replaced ProMonitor 1000s, the larger cousin of the 800, which I then used as back-surrounds. The 350 is not even close to being too big for your room; indeed, the dimensions you cite would strike me as perhaps being too big for the 800 if you plan to play anything at all loud. The 1000 is closer to being sonically equivalent to the 350 than the 800 is. I would take a $200 pair of 350's over a $290 pair of 800s in a heartbeat, assuming I had an appropriate placement for them. The 450 for $280/pr shipped from Newegg may be an even better choice.

How would you be using the speakers? By themselves in a 2.0 system? With a subwoofer? As part of a surround system? There is definitely some variance among the speakers mentioned in this post as regards bass extension.
Edited by rdclark - 3/14/13 at 8:48pm

Thanks, I am considering the 450's now. I plan on using them with a subwoofer in a 2.1 speaker setup. I have a Polk psw505 that I really like and I want to use these two with it for the time being. Later on, maybe in a few months, I will upgrade to a 5.1 setup and maybe use these as the surrounds.

The combination of the 350s or the 450s and a decent sub will absolutely rock as a 2.1 system, particularly for music. You might be able to cross the 450s over a little lower and get a bit bigger sound as a result -- and that's what I'd do particularly for loud music -- but I think you'll get fine results with either one, and better than the 800s.

Hi guys quick question on the LFE for the BP200TL.
Does it make a huge difference if I use an RCA cable to the LFE on the BP2002 or is the speaker wire "enough"?

Option 1
Use RCA to the LFE and set Speaker size to Small?
- Does it make a difference if I use both both LFE RCA inputs?

Option 2
Use speaker wire to and set Speaker to Large?

-Brian

Due to placement and speaker height constraints (as it is sitting on the TV's stand) I was trying to get away with a ProCenter 1000 as a center to go with my Mythos 8 L/R and RSS II side surrounds, but I'm fairly underwhelmed by the ProCenter 1000's performance, which can be seen in the REW graph below comparing it with the Mythos 8. It seems that for the ProCenter 1000 in my room the SPL falls off by -6db around 150hz and is not audible at 80hz (the suggested crossover).

pc1000-v-m8.jpg 78k .jpg file

This setup is in a 20x20 room in an open floorplan that is ~8000 cubic feet. Is my room defeating this speaker? Or is the speaker defective? Both speakers have had 10's of hours on them.

Thanks,
Jeff

Sorry Joe I have a habit of posting in the middle of the night with very little sleep and a page back when you were posting on the benefits of the subs in the towers and center I mistook that as also setting the sub in the center as Large which from what I read many people do which to me is a mistake. But you are correct sir and you did not say that so I apologize. But do plead with you to help bring back the BP-30 at least on a limited run. ;-)

Question on center Upgrade.

I am in the process of upgrading my 50" pioneer plasma to a 65" model. The 50 was hung above the fireplace and I was limited to the size of my center as it had to fit on the mantel. Best I could do was a pro 2000. My 65 is being wall mounted with no restrictions underneath, and I have my BP 6b's on the floor. I was thinking of taking advantage of the new real estate and adding a mythos eight and selling the 2000.
What is the consensus on a good match with the 6b's? The new center can either be wall mounted or placed on top of a stand. I appreciate any input the forum can offer, thanks.

Hey Jeff,
Not sure if there may or may not be something wrong with your speaker, and not sure your exact height constraints, but if you decide to go a different route I have a 3 week old ProCenter 2000 for sale I could sell you for $250 shipped Good luck with figuring out your problem, and if you're at all interested PM me!

I think a CLR 2002 would be a better match than the Mythos center. I haven't heard the mythos center, but I would be willing to bet the CLR would match better (since it's the matching speaker) and it's only ~$150 used.

Joe,

I have the perfect product idea that I believe would sell off the shelves to the die hard audiophiles. How about bringing back the large speakers? It could have two 8 1/2" drivers on each side along with the standard aluminum tweeter. Put a subwoofer in there that will go so low that empty glasses in the same room would be a bad idea. I'll buy the first run

I TOTALLY agree!!!! I know a TON of people - not to mention the people on this forum - that absolutely LOVE the sound of the old bigger speakers (i.e. the BP30's, BP7000's) compared to that of the new BP towers. BRING BACK THE BEASTS

If I go with a taller/deep speaker I'll have to mount it above my TV that is already above the fireplace mantel but is 16" from the wall (a chamfered corner). Thinking either a Mythos Eight, Mythos Nine, CS-8040HD or CS-8060HD -- leaning towards the 8060 else Nine, any suggestions?

KJSMITTY whats your opinion here im thinking about buying a used pair of bp7001sc towers to replace a set of my bp3000tl's that I use for surrounds. Than thinking maybe I should just use the 7001's as mains since I have a 7001 as a center and leave the bp3000's as surrounds.
Anyone can chime in

Greetings,
I ran my BP7000s as mains and BP2000s for surrounds for quite awhile and really liked it. The subs/low end is definitely different between the two yet complimented each nicely. Not sure of your config yet I had both left subs connected to one sub/LFE out and the two rights on the other sub/LFE out - thus all acting as one. I too would probably place the three 7001s across the front. The taller 3000s would give your surrounds that tad bit of height as well.

Fun times.

Cheers

Here is a pic of my configuration

James:

Such a sweet setup!

Hey,

I recently purchased BP8080SR speakers to replace my Mythos Gems for rear surrounds. I have a Marantz SR6006 that allows me to move up to 7.1 and my question here is should I keep the Mythos Gems as my rear surrounds or move them to my L/R surround and the BP8080SR as rear surrounds?

Thanks for your help

First, it's worth emphasizing that every room, system, and listener is different, so experimenting -- placing speakers in temporary locations to see what sounds best -- is always going to reveal what works best.

Next, let's clarify terminology. The speaker terminals on your AVR labeled "surround" -- the only surround speakers used in a 5.1 setup -- are intended for what people sometimes call the "side surround" (usually just called "surround") speakers. These are recommended by Dolby, THX, etc. to be located to the sides and perhaps a bit behind the listening position, aimed inward.

The "back surround" terminals are for the additional speakers in a 7.1 system, Located behind the listeners and aimed forward.

So... bipolar speakers are commonly used as surrounds and mounted on the side walls so that they can provide a diffuse, less directional source consistent with the idea that surround channels in movies are frequently used mostly for "ambience" rather than for specific, locatable sounds. This also emulates the way arrays of multiple surround speakers are used in theaters.

So based on that principle, it would make sense to use your BPs on the sides. Plus, they are perhaps a bit more capable than the Gems and, since the "side" surrounds are the primary surrounds in a system, it makes sense to use them there.

On the other hand, surround music is generally mixed using five identical directional speakers, all aimed right at the listening position. If you listen to much surround music, you might want to use the more conventional Gems as surrounds and the more ambient BPs as back-surround, where they would only come into play when you were using actual 7.1 sources (almost always movies) or 5.1 material in DPLIIx mode.

In the end it will be your needs and preferences, combined with the demands of the room and its layout and acoustics, that inform your choices.

Another update for whoever finds this useful:

I exchanged the ProCenter 1000 at Best Buy for another and found the replacement to have similar (lack of) low end performance ... so I returned it and ordered a CS-8060HD from Crutchfield -- very excited! I was able to get it from Crutchfield for ~28% off by picking up an open box and using gift cards from discover card cashback at a 20% discount.

Now I just have to figure out how to best mount the speaker above my TV. I will need to angle the speaker downward by about 10-15 degrees and the shelf will need to extend to about 16" from the wall to clear the top of the TV to avoid reflections. Any suggestions on an adjustable shelf -- ideally depth from 12-16", height up 3" or so, and up to 15 degree angle?

^^JJ,
Thanks for sharing your efforts with your gear,

The "mental image" I have of your TV above your FP had me thinking about utilizing your existing TV mount to facilitate a speaker mount above the display. How robust is your TV mount and how heavy is your TV? The 8060 center is around 25lbs thus if the combined weight of TV and 8060 would not exceed your mounts capacity a little DIY fabricated center stand might work well.

I would be considering two 90 degree angled brackets that mount up, over and out utilizing the mounting holes and brackets on the back of the display. You would have to devise a way to attach the 8060 to the 90 degree brackets, possibly utilizing the 8060s feet mounts/screw inserts (do they still have these?). Basically the 8060 would be perpendicular to the display thus at the same angle as the TV. I picture the top of your display being several inches away from the wall/FP thus the 8060 could be placed back against the wall helping to position the weight over the TV. The amount of the 8060 hanging out/over the display will probably result in a little flex or "hang" facilitating a better angle to the listener etc.

My goal here would be to minimize the look of a massive shelf and brackets given the setting yet at the same time ensuring the mount was robust and safe. I'm not sure what over the counter speaker stands are out there for this type of configuration but my guess is a custom mount is going to be the best option, functionally and cosmetically. Easy for me to say because I thrive on challenges and DIY projects like this...

Cheers

^^KJ,

Yes I might look into building the VESA mount shelf. The TV is not yet mounted just sitting on its stand but the TV mount I've been looking at (Sanus VXF220) should handle both easily. But if I wall mount the speaker then I can defer TV mount until I replace the 58 with a 65/70 in a year or two..ah, decisions.

I wonder if the bass from the 8060 will be able to shake the mounted TV if they are coupled? I'll crossover at ~60-80 Hz to let the PSA XS15 (also arriving next week) do its job.

Not sure if this is something that could work for you or not, but I ordered this heavy duty one from monoprice and it is mounting my 64in Sammy. (PN64E533). Plus it is about $140 shipped so a little cheaper

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082806&p_id=6517&seq=1&format=2

Got these for the 8040 center and 8060 towers. Cheap ones on Amazon. They look cool though.

So I just added a mac mini to the home theater system. I have loaded a few Apple lossless files and immediately noticeable differences in the mids and the bass thumps a little more. The biggest is the lower end of the more chesty vocals styles. i was playing a 256kbps vs ALAC of the same song. anyway the music just got a little bit better on these DT's! now if i can just figure out how to get PLIIx Music as a listening preset for the mac mini...

Does anyone know the exact depth of the CS-8060HD cabinet base without the knobs? DefTech's specs aren't clear if 12" depth is with or without knobs.

I'm looking for an aimable wall mount to install this weekend ahead of the speaker arrival early next week, such as using a pair of these:

Sanus WMS2

Another option is a CRT mount, although it'd mount to only one stud and the arm would be mounted to the wall 8" off center; the arm pivots and the shelf rotates so I could still center it though:

Sanus VMTV
Edited by jjcook - 3/20/13 at 7:45am

What brand of cables are those? Look nicely built.