*** THE OFFICIAL HOME THEATER & AUDIO THREAD**

[crazybalhead]

Oho!

Well, your front left and right speakers and your seating position should be in an equilateral triangle. Seating position can be a little further out. This way you will get a convincing stereo effect without a hole in the middle, or if you are too far or the speakers too close the soundstage will be too narrow.

Center should be as close to the height of the front left and right as possible and in an arc with the listening position and front speakers.

This is not always practical, so slightly above or below the front speakers level is fine.

Surrounds should be slightly behind and to the side of the listening area.

Back should be behind the listening position.

The surrounds can be mounted high, or at the same height as the fronts.

But make sure and choose the correct settings when you do place them in their position.

Finally, the system will sound a little more spacious if you say your surrounds are closer than they actually are when setting up your system.

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

there are a ton of articles on this
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-DIIG0LA2A0Z/learn/learningcenter/home/speaker_placement.html

Place your front left and right speakers so the tweeters are at your ear level when you're seated.

5.1 Speaker Placement


7.1 Speaker Placement


"One thing to remember when setting up your speakers is that your room plays a key role in how your system will sound. Your room's shape, layout, and where the speakers are placed in the room are all factors that will affect a home theater system's performance.

* Placing your front speakers next to a wall will slightly increase their bass output. This can improve the sound of smaller, bass-shy satellite speakers, but can muddy the sound of floor-standing speakers. Conversely, bringing speakers out from the wall may lessen their bass response but improve clarity.
* A room with too many reflective surfaces, such as windows and tile, can add harshness to the sound or make it seem too bright. Adding carpets or drapes can help your system sound much more natural.

Unfortunately, there are too many variables in your room to be able to account for them all. That's why most newer receivers come with automatic speaker calibration. This feature uses a microphone to record and measure test tones played through your speakers. The time it takes for the sound to reach the microphone, along with the strength of the sound and other factors, tells your receiver what kind of speakers you have, their placement in relation to your listening position, and how the sound they produce reacts in your particular room. The receiver can then make adjustments to ensure that you get the best sound in your room."

Auto calibration mic





Also check
http://www.crutchfield.com/Learn/learningcenter/home/speakers_roomacoustics.html

[crazybalhead]

Automatic speaker calibration does not work.

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

Automatic speaker calibration does not work.

not perfectly, but it gives you a MUCH better starting point for time delay calibration, volume, reverb and standing wave calculations that you would otherwise have to do yourself

[crazybalhead]

Steups. Trolling fail.

[silent_riot]

Wow, I missed a lot in this thread.

Best budget headphones is the grado sr60 for those who interested. grados tend to be bright and good for dynamic music. I use this everday for the past 5-6 years and they are still holding up.
I got some senn hd650s and those are sweet references, laid back sound, superb bass and they are pretty cheap now (under 400US). They are open backed so not really private listening. I run them fine off my receivers and home cd players, also run them off a tube, but not necessary.

I really wont recommend headphones for reference listening though, because of soundstage, imaging and low end impact issues. The best reference audio imo is from a 2 channel setup.

[silent_riot]

The trend nowadays in the DIY audio market is heading towards better sounding fullranges, so hopefully this will filter down to the HT market. Scanspeak, vifa, fountek and Seas have brought out new lines to fulfilll smooth frequency response over a wide range out of a smaller driver.
They should then be able to use these better (smaller) fullranges for audio reproduction in satellites. So HT can finally get some decent tonal accuracy.

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

^ I'm really stuck on the Grados, but will have to get them later.

I agree that full ranges will be the future but movie mixes rely on low frequency effects (LFE) that can only be reproduced by big subwoofer boxes, so the *.1 might remain in HT setups.

I also agree that HT setups lack tonal accuracy when compared to audiophile grade full ranges and floor standers but I don't think that movie mixes are going to take advantage of such high end audio pieces. IMAX cinemas might be great for movie watching, but they would make for terrible music listening since the audio is set up for movies and movie mixing and for people sitting all about the room which is not unlike a HT setup.

I could be very wrong here.

I hope these "better (smaller) fullranges for audio reproduction" make movies even better, but I still see audiophiles sticking to stereo set ups with big floor standers and never even considering satellites.

On another note, music doesnt sound as good as movies do on my HT setup. It doesnt worry me too much since I watch movies more than I listen to music on it anyway. The caveat is that I listened to an SACD in stereo on my setup and it sounded MUCH better than the 5.1 mix on the same SACD; some instruments on the 5.1 mix felt muted or toned down, perhaps its the studio mix.

[silent_riot]

Yup, size and convenience tend to be primary concerns for HT, but not for hi fi audio, where enclosures make or break the system and hence tend to be overbuilt. I just read through a few more older pages in the thread, good work by sr and baldhead on the review. If there were midrange nulls and voids in the reviewed system it would be caused by the MTM arragement of the satellites and such close placement of the satellites to the wall.

Grados will shine on alternative, rock, rap. They would need lots of break in time so run some pink noise continuously through them for a few days to a week while they're in a drawer or something. They will sound like ass without break in.

And for those who want great 5.1 and great hi-fi, get 2 separate systems.

[ru$$ell]

And for those who want great 5.1 and great hi-fi, get 2 separate systems.

my plan later down the road

i've been living on audiogon's site the past few days

[crazybalhead]

I disagree. I feel a good system supposed to handle HT AND music.

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

^ the solution I am thinking of is to replace the wall mounted front stage with a pair of decent full range floor standers and a good quality center channel. That way when you want to listen to audio you just use the floorstanders, which is what the receiver will use in stereo mode anyway.

music is often not mixed for a center channel.

the thing is I hardly listen to music on my system.
I would love to have these
http://www.definitivetech.com/Products/products.aspx?path=On-Wall/Shelf/Stand%20Speakers&productid=Mythos%20XTR-50

but I can't help to think that these would sound 10x better
http://www.definitivetech.com/Products/products.aspx?path=Home%20Theater%20Speaker%20Systems|Floor-Standing%20Systems&productid=Mythos%20STS&hometheater=1

[silent_riot]

I disagree. I feel a good system supposed to handle HT AND music.

Good on both fronts, sure....but great in both aspects, definitely no.
A good system can do both well, but not great, at least I've never come across one, especially for bass.

Duane 3NE 2NR, stereo music can be mixed to the center channel via prologic II decoding, even thought it isnt meant to.

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

^ yup it can be mixed into the center channel using a myriad of sound processing modes offered on most receivers, but i'd rather not post process audio. I cringe when I see ppl using "concert hall" or even "aural surround" for tracks. I rather play it in the format it's coming from the source in (stereo, DTS, DTS HD MA, Dolby TrueHD etc) only. I wanna hear what the producer wanted me to hear.

I'd like to audition some floor standers in my HT setup. CBH yuh volunteering?

[crazybalhead]

The house in a mess but yuh could come takes a listen.

Have a new magazine with a review on the mythos and GASP a few pages well on Iphone apps for HT.

[33 hertz]

Looking to build a 2.1 starter system with these components. What do you guys think?

[crazybalhead]

Those are infinity primus speakers 33hz?

[silent_riot]

Looks like it, they got some decent reviews:

http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/605infinity/

[SR]

live dvd concerts are recorded in 5.1 and take into consideration the "audiophile"





i have found lots of ht systems now starting to sound more harsh on the mids than in the past

but then again i look for tonal accuracy in sound reproduction


glass breaking should sound like glass breaking and not a tinny nasally sound

[crazybalhead]

Looks like it, they got some decent reviews:

http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/605infinity/

I have the primus 160 and center channel, they are above average, but not great. Heard the sub demoed and it was awful.


I ended upm using the 160's as surrounds.

[16 cycles]

never bought into the surround sound - audio formats keep changing - remember when the best of the sliced bread was dolby A and B (IIRC)

i've stuck to the 2.1 - amp and powered sub - no disappointments yet...enjoy both music and HT

acurus DIA150
Polk Audio tsi500
velodyne hgs18
sony ps3
sony 42" xbr-9

recently swapped the polk audio towers for a pair of psb monitors - yet to listen attentively.

thinking of getting some psb towers later on

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

The house in a mess but yuh could come takes a listen.

Have a new magazine with a review on the mythos and GASP a few pages well on Iphone apps for HT.

I'd like to audition some floor standers in my HT setup. CBH yuh volunteering?

yeah ah boldface

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

never bought into the surround sound - audio formats keep changing - remember when the best of the sliced bread was dolby A and B (IIRC)

i've stuck to the 2.1 - amp and powered sub - no disappointments yet...enjoy both music and HT

yeah but you are missing out on alot of the environment that the directors and producers are creating in the movies. The formats have changed as Dolby, Dolby Pro Logic II and even Dolby Digital has given way to Dolby TrueHD with lossless audio however its really up to the receiver to handle the audio, they all work on a standard 5.1 system.

Which PSBs you got?

[ru$$ell]

Looking to build a 2.1 starter system with these components. What do you guys think?

heard the towers already,their not bad,and should be decent enough for a starter system as CBH said,but stay away from that sub(yes,as CBH said as well,their horrible)

[crazybalhead]

The house in a mess but yuh could come takes a listen.

Have a new magazine with a review on the mythos and GASP a few pages well on Iphone apps for HT.

I'd like to audition some floor standers in my HT setup. CBH yuh volunteering?

yeah ah boldface

Or horrr!!!

We'll see nah.

[33 hertz]

Looking to build a 2.1 starter system with these components. What do you guys think?

Yup the primus 362. Getting them for $2000, is this a good price or can i get something better for that budget? I am an car audio sq man so i am not too sure what the prices on HT is like.

Looking at spending around 8k for receiver, sub and a pair of 3 way fronts. Room is 12*12 and will mostly be used for music with the occasional movie.

[X_Factor]

anyone of u all ever considered carpeting the walls n stuff?
provided that u hav a TV room
why im asking, next yr i'll be building downstairs to move in and wanna have a really good TV room and studying to do the carpet thing etc

[ru$$ell]

anyone of u all ever considered carpeting the walls n stuff?
provided that u hav a TV room
why im asking, next yr i'll be building downstairs to move in and wanna have a really good TV room and studying to do the carpet thing etc

carpeting? i think you mean sound padding your wall.

[X_Factor]

its the stuff u see in those movie theaters n stuff, i believe its mainly used for sound reflections etc
or is it a specific type of material they use?

[ru$$ell]

you mean this?



its called studio foam

(waits for duane to come give you a detailed run down on it,yea,i'm to lazy to type right now)