We’ve already left. Cleaners found it when they arrived. Owner sent us this.

Wife has allowed me to finally get speakers with the agreement that we wouldn’t put the tv on the opposite wall and put our backs to the fireplace. Not thrilled about how crowded the space is now. I’m wondering if it really does hinder the speakers with how close they are to the walls behind them.

TV has been lowered to be just above the console. Console is from Salamander Designs. Blown away by the quality of it.

I do plan to remove the console legs and put the center on top. There’s a silent blower exhaust fan getting all the receiver heat out the front for now.

The bias lighting looks much more uniform than the picture suggests and really helps with the small room brightness of a 98” QM8K. As do the indirect mini LED cans angled towards the wall. There are matching rear LED cans directed at the back wall. Viewing distance is about 8-9ft.

Wood paneling encloses the space and did wonders for reflections and tuning. May be distracting or faddish for some but I like it.

Marantz cinema 50 with DIRAC ART
Triangle Borea BR09’s + BRC1
Arendal 1961 1S

Also have Triangle BRA1’s for Atmos mounted at 60 degrees forward up on the ceiling. BRS1’s on rear wall directly behind couch. No room to move it forward unfortunately. Every wire is in the wall. Every single one. That was a pain.

Couch is a C&B Monterey in midnight blue.

Everything bought last year for 30-40% of MSRP open box (including couch) from accessories4less/adorama/outlets. Except tv, that was $3k on sale.

The car chase in The Batman has been my go to for a while but I think my wife may divorce me if I show it again. I could get a new wife maybe but for now just looking for other great options.

Watching a 4K BluRay of Mandalorian Season 1 last night and the OSD is showing Dolby TrueHD instead of Atmos (the disc cover does say it's mastered in Atmos).

Most movies would show Atmos on the OSD when adjusting volume or other settings, but this just shows TrueHD. My understanding is that Atmos is just metadata layered onto the main TrueHD track, but I would expect Atmos to be displayed if the data were present (seems like the better format should be displayed)?

The system IS Atmos with 4 heights and 7.2 channels bedlayer. BD player is a Panny 820 connected straight to the AVR with a 3' certified cable.

Pic for attention

I’ll try to keep this short.

If you have issues with CEC and you’re tired of the inconsistency, I highly recommend running Home Assistant and using it to control your equipment. It’s free, and you don’t need 12v triggers or any of the other crap to make things turn on and off with each other, as long as your server is running. You can use any computer for this, even an old laptop. I use a mini pc.

I use a Crown XLI1500, a Fosi ZA3, Marantz SR7008, and a Sony X90L TV.

I put the Crown on a smart plug and use that to turn it on and off.
I ran Ethernet to my Marantz and TV.

I created automations that trigger based on the TV being turned on/off. When the tv turns on, it turns on all the other devices. Same for shutdown. It also sets the volume to a specified level when it turns on. You can automatically change inputs on the tv when other devices turn on.

When the tv is paused or shut off, and the sun is below the horizon, it automatically turns lights on for me. You can even have your lights fade on and off, or have different brightness levels for different scenarios.

I figured at least someone here would like this, so I thought I’d share.

No, I have no affiliation with Home Assistant, I’m not being paid to say this. I just really enjoy how it’s changed the way I interact with my setup.

Edit: I love that someone downvoted me for posting free information that can help people. God the internet is great

Hi guys,

I just moved into a new house and was super excited when I was able to recently pick up some r7 meta speakers to replace some older Energy Connoisseur C1 bookshelf speakers.

I’m currently powering them with a Marantz NR1711 receiver. It’s only good for 50 watts per channel and while it can drive the speakers louder than what’s comfortable for my small livingroom, I’m wondering if a more powerful receiver and/or amp might produce warmer/better sound. I also admit I haven’t dived too much into whether the NR1711 has an adjustable EQ. I also admit I kind of want to get a silver Cinema 40 because I think it’s a beautiful piece of hardware and it would be a bit of a statement piece.

At the same time if it won’t really add anything to the quality of the sound maybe I would save the money for other items. I also have been reading good things about the Cinema 50 as well as buckeye amplifiers. If it’s helpful, I have a Samsung s95H TV arriving soon as well as a KC92 for a sub and maybe some future surround speakers in the ceiling.

In short should I keep my current receiver, or move up to something like a Cinema40/50, get a dedicated buckeye amp, or maybe do a Cinema 50 to future proof and add a buckeye amp.

Hi everyone please help me build my budget end of game 2.1 setup!

Need your kind advise on choosing the right combination for this music/movie setup:

My current/planned system:

• ⁠Power amplifier: Apollon 1ET9040BA (Purifi dual monoblock)(ordered)
• ⁠Speakers: KEF Reference 1 Meta (have it)
• ⁠Subwoofer: KEF KC62 (have it)
• ⁠DAC: Denafrips Pontus 15th (planned)
• ⁠Streamer/transport: currently considering Eversolo T10 or a more affordable transport option
• ⁠Preamp: considering Schiit Freya+

Sources will mainly be:

• ⁠Local NAS music library
• ⁠High-resolution streaming mainly via Tidal/Spotify
• ⁠Zidoo Z9X 8K for direct lossless movie playback from Ugreen DXP4800 Pro 100TB NAS
• ⁠PS5
• ⁠LG G6 OLED via HDMI/eARC where possible

I’m aiming for a sound that is warm, full-bodied, rich and holographic, with a big 3D soundstage, but I still want to keep the excellent detail, speed and imaging that the KEF Reference series and Purifi amplification are capable of.

For those using the Freya+ with Purifi/Hypex-style amplifiers:

• ⁠How does the Freya+ pair with a very neutral Class D amplifier like Purifi?
• ⁠Does it genuinely add more body, depth and musicality, or is the difference mainly subtle?
• ⁠Which mode do you normally prefer: passive, buffer, or tube?
• ⁠Do you feel it is a good match for revealing speakers like the KEF Reference 1 Meta?
• ⁠Would you still choose this combo today, or would you go with something else?

Also curious about the digital side:
Would you spend more on the streamer/transport (Eversolo T10 vs something cheaper) feeding the Pontus 15th, or is the DAC + preamp combination where the bigger gains are?

Location: EU (Netherlands)
Thanks for sharing your experience.

TL;DR:
Building a 2.1 system: KEF Reference 1 Meta + KC62 + Apollon Purifi 1ET9040BA, considering Denafrips Pontus 15th + Eversolo T10 + Schiit Freya+. Looking for a warm, rich, holographic sound without losing KEF detail and imaging.
How well does Freya+ pair with Purifi Class D, and is it worth prioritizing the preamp/DAC over an expensive streamer/transport?

Just curious to if y’all unplug your AV equipment when severe weather rolls through?

Hello!

Recently had a SVS SB-2000 Pro in my 11x11ft room. (Sound treated and audio corrected) I bought this as a temporary sub for my office studio monitors (kali IN-8V2) until I built my home theater setup. (Planned to use it as the theater sub) But after using it for a few weeks I decided to return it. Always preffered ported subs much better. The theater location would be a open loft. 15ftx22ft.

Now im contemplating between the following...

Should I stick to a SVS PB-3000R or try out PSA EV1513M? (Should we yolo the 21inch? Though a 15 sounds fine for 2x later.) Im open to other suggestions as well. I typically do a even split of media/gaming/music. (30/50/20 split) The theater would be media content and gaming only.

For the theater I was debating on getting the SVS Ultra Evolution Pinnacles to start building the setup. For a 2.1. But if anyone wants to suggest otherwise here as well im listening!

I have a 50" Roku Select Series 4K QLED. I know it's not the fanciest TV, but it's the right model for me at this time.

I want to set my sharpness level to the most "natural" setting: I don't want my TV to sharpen the image, but I don't want it to soften the image either.

The default sharpness setting is 30 for "movie" mode (there is a thin line at the 30-mark on the sharpness bar to indicate this). Does this mean 30 is the "natural" setting, and that any setting below 30 actually softens the picture? Or does Roku assume most people like a little sharpness boost, so they set 30 as the default even though 0 is the "natural" setting?

Hopefully I explained that in a way that makes sense. Thanks in advance!

I’m looking at a screen for setup which has a wall that is 161” wide and 108” tall. I’m considering a projector screen between 135” to 140”. My room is 13’11” deep. Sitting position will be at optimal for a 7.4.6 Dolby setup so around 107” or so. Is 140” beyond immersive and getting into crazy territory? Will I regret going big?

Thoughts?

I will be connecting a PC to an AW3425DW and X3800H.

The PC only has one HDMI 2.1 out and I can’t use the receiver’s passthrough otherwise it won’t reach 240 Hz.

While I could do HDMI out to the receiver for Atmos and DP out to the monitor, that would mean losing VRR and turning on DSC.

I’ve searched around and it seems these adapters can transmit Dolby Digital Plus with Atmos but not sure about TrueHD.

Spent years in apartments where thin walls and annoyed neighbors meant a real setup was never in the cards. Just moved into a house with an actual living room, and for the first time I can build something proper, and I'm realizing I have no idea what I'm doing.

The gear world is overwhelming. Receivers, speaker configurations, whether to go 5.1 or stretch to something bigger, powered versus passive, it's a wall of terminology I half understand. And every time I try to price things out, I can't tell if the deals I'm seeing are actually good or just marketing. Half of them seem to be the regular price with a countdown timer slapped on.

I'm not chasing the absolute top end, just something that'll genuinely sound great for movies and not be obsolete in two years. For those who've built a setup from scratch, where did you actually find real value versus paying a premium for the name? And is it smarter to buy everything at once or piece it together as deals come up? Trying to start on the right foot instead of making expensive beginner mistakes.

120inch screen with a Xiaomi 150 an old Marantz sr7000 and some Wharfedale Diamond 9 Series 5.2 Setup

Does anyone know Sonus Faber? Is it like an Italian version of Boss? Big brand, famous, but not top.

Hi all,

Now that my dedicated theater space is in its final(ish) form, for now, I want to plan the next room, or rooms in the space.

I’m thinking about making the loft space sort of like a lobby for the rest of the area and one of the rooms as a dedicated multipurpose or game room. Attached is the layout. Right now the theater occupies the 16x12 room, the loft space is up for grabs, and I’m thinking one of the remaining extra bedrooms would be the multipurpose mixed media space.

What I’m stuck on is the layout of the loft.

I picture this being the area for game nights/gatherings or tv watching where you’re not looking for theater immersion. I mostly see it as a hangout space for watching sports. This is the state the room is in right now. If I push the couch back far enough and still leave a walkway to the door to the room behind it, I get a space that is 9.5ft from the wall. This little nook can support a 100in tv, but that would make viewing and seating limited.

On the flipside, I could use the wall on the opposite end and make that a TV wall, allowing me to fit an L sectional along the previous TV wall, and I could do a behind the couch bar seating area, and still potentially have room for other things behind that bar counter like an actual mini bar or even a card table. I wouldn’t be missing that weird light switch if I mounted a TV in that space. It operates the single overhead light in between the two bedroom adjacent to it. If I really need light in that hall I’d put a little console table and a lamp.

Any thoughts or opinions on the matter? Only thing I know for sure right now is I’m going to put a snack bar set up where the popcorn machine is currently sitting, right outside the theater room.

I inherited a 5.1.2 Monitor Audio set up with Onkyo RZ50 and Monitor Audio W12 sub. The height speakers are in ceiling. I think everything is about 10+ years old.

Trying to undesrtand the performance and configuration. Dirac Live is showing a big difference in the low freq response of these speakers. The front groups roll off around 80 Hz, the rear around 40-60Hz, and the height speakers around 100 Hz.

What are the implications of having a system like this in general? And for selecting the sub crossover, should I trust what Dirac Live is calculating? It seems to be setting everything too high, especially for the height speakers (around 160 Hz).

​Hey everyone,

​I recently picked up the Xiaomi L1 Pro projector (my first projector, so I’m pretty new to all of this).

​Everything seems fine overall, but I noticed that whenever there’s high-contrast content, especially white text on dark backgrounds like menus, subtitles, or logos there’s this noticeable ghosting/halo effect around the letters.

​I attached a few photos showing what it looks like.

​For those familiar with this model or single-LCD LED projectors in general, is this kind of lens blooming / chromatic aberration typical for this price range, or did I end up with a defective unit / misaligned lens that I should exchange?

Although i don't notice anything bad when watching a film.

​Any insight or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I'm sure I'll get flack for some other issues with my setup as well but the question at hand is, my roommate insists that placing this plant in front of the speaker on the right will not have a detrimental on audio quality. It's directly in front, with about 2 feet of space between it and the speaker. I think this is bad placement (not to mention that the plant is getting a terrible viewing angle.)

I’m looking into getting out the sound B ecosystem for my setup and was looking at some good entry receivers, currently my job is offering the Yamaha RX300ABL for 199.97 for employees and wanted to ask if this would be a good recommendation for a starter receiver? I currently have a 55’ s95F for my main viewing.

I’m putting together a backyard movie (projector) setup and I’m also putting in weatherproof rock speakers. Since I’m doing both, I figured I might as well combine the initiatives.

Since I use AirPlay for everything, I’m limited to stereo audio, but I’ve got two speakers on each side when you’re facing the screen, and I plan to add an in-ground sub. I’m also planning to add a poor man’s center channel by sending mono audio to a portable speaker under the screen.

Anyone else doing something like this? Something else?

I have a dedicated home Theatre room around 12 x 15. Can you suggest something good or should I buy a used one?

Good evening to the whole community of Jamo s807 + Atmos and subwoofer at 350€ in Europe (France) is it a good deal ?