Home Theater Nearing Completion

Larry Chanin

Hi All,

Although these things are never really completely finished, I'm getting pretty close to declaring my new home theater done.

It's a 7.1 channel configuration and all the speakers are Polk Audio except for the subwoofers.

What remains to be done is to complete the wet bar/snack area and install the third subwoofer which is in transit.

If you're interested in what it looks like I've updated a new home theater web site. It has concept drawings and some photos

Click on the link in my signature.

Larry

Tour2ma

Nice site... and looks like it will be a helluva HT...

Choice of the CRS's as centers struck me as both odd and, TBH, a waste of a nice pair of speakers. Did you alter the x-overs to engage all their drivers?

bknauss

Sick... simply sick...

Too bad you're not near MD, I think I would invite myself over for movie night every night.

Larry Chanin

Originally posted by Tour2ma
Nice site... and looks like it will be a helluva HT...

Choice of the CRS's as centers struck me as both odd and, TBH, a waste of a nice pair of speakers. Did you alter the x-overs to engage all their drivers?

Hi,

Thanks.

I used to have a CS500i as a single center and it worked OK. However, as a number of the Club members reported, this center is not a perfect match with SDA's. On the other hand the CRS+'s have the exact same tweeters and mid-range drivers as my SDA-1C's. Now my front speaker array have a perfect timbre match.

I understand your comment about this arrangement wasting the SDA effect of the CRS's, but in the bigger scheme of things of pursuing a high-end theater, the other alternative to perfect timbre would have been to replace the SDA-1C's.

Raife gave me some advice about modifying the CRS's, and one of these days I might try it. Apparently all you have to do is wire the SDA drivers in parallel with the stereo drivers. Of course you would then have to be sure your amplifiers could handle a 3 ohm load.

Larry

Larry Chanin

Originally posted by bknauss
Sick... simply sick...

Too bad you're not near MD, I think I would invite myself over for movie night every night.

Hi,

Thanks...I think.:D

Well, actually I'm a Washington, D.C. area transplant. Before we moved to Sarasota, Florida we were in Fairfax county, not too far from Rockville.

Larry

dorokusai

Very nice, it's all coming together eh? The best part....all that Parasound.

Tour2ma

Yup... and the Parasounds might even like a crack at a 3 ohm center...

Larry,
Understand the voice matching... and thanks for not taking my CRS comment wrong. I must of tried wording that a half dozen ways in an attempt not to offend.

If you do the CRS mod's and wire them in series, you're back up to 6-ohm... just a thought...

And here's another... My daughter lives in Alexandria, VA. Next time I visit her, perhaps we can hook up for a little demo and a shop talk...

When you planing to tell us what sub in in the mail?

dorokusai

He doesn't live in the area anymore....read closer to the screen next time.

RuSsMaN

Remember Tour, all his speakers are behind panels, you won't be able to get up in the middle of a demo and move them around.

You CAN however stand in front of the screen and bob your head up and down, while the rest of the room snickers.

Cheers,
Russ

Larry Chanin

Originally posted by dorokusai
Very nice, it's all coming together eh? The best part....all that Parasound.

Hi Mark,

Yes, I'm very fond of my Parasounds, but I'm surprised that a fellow SDA-1C owner would say they were the "best part" of the setup.

Larry

gatemplin

Wow, that theater looks friggin awesome!

However you wire the drivers, if you do, make sure that the total impedance the crossover sees is exactly the same. If it is different the crossover point shifts up or down leaving a gap or creating a hump right in the most sensitive range of frequencies.

Also a lower impedance will cause the midranges to play louder than the tweets, and vice versa.

Larry Chanin

Originally posted by Tour2ma
Yup... and the Parasounds might even like a crack at a 3 ohm center...

Larry,
Understand the voice matching... and thanks for not taking my CRS comment wrong. I must of tried wording that a half dozen ways in an attempt not to offend.

No problem. For anyone who knows anything about SDA's its a natural reaction to question my reasoning. For the longest time I was trying to figure out how to use the CRS+'s for surround back speakers since my Lexicon processor delivers stereo on those channels. But it turned out to be logistically too problematic for this home theater application.

If you do the CRS mod's and wire them in series, you're back up to 6-ohm... just a thought...

Aside from amplifier rating considerations I've wondered whether there are any pro and cons of wiring one way or the other.

And here's another... My daughter lives in Alexandria, VA. Next time I visit her, perhaps we can hook up for a little demo and a shop talk...

I'd enjoy getting together with you as well as the other Club Polk enthusiasts, but like Mark pointed out I'm no longer in the Washington, D.C. area. It's Sarasota, Florida now.

When you planing to tell us what sub in in the mail?

It's a Sunfire Solitaire 10. I'm trying to match up with the other surround subwoofer that I have. It's a Carver Knight Shadow. The Carver apparently has been discontinued. It's an 11" cube that is almost identical to the smaller Sunfire Architectural that was also discontinued. The Sunfire Solitaire is also a 11" cube and it replaces the Architectural. As I mention on my web site, I'll be putting these smaller subwoofers inside the columns that conceal my side surrounds.

Larry

bknauss

Originally posted by Larry Chanin
Hi,

Thanks...I think.:D

Well, actually I'm a Washington, D.C. area transplant. Before we moved to Sarasota, Florida we were in Fairfax county, not too far from Rockville.

Larry

Funny... I was living in Reston not too long ago. Its nice not living with the assumed-mother-in-law anymore though

Larry Chanin

Originally posted by gatemplin
Wow, that theater looks friggin awesome!

However you wire the drivers, if you do, make sure that the total impedance the crossover sees is exactly the same. If it is different the crossover point shifts up or down leaving a gap or creating a hump right in the most sensitive range of frequencies.

Also a lower impedance will cause the midranges to play louder than the tweets, and vice versa.

Hi,

Thanks for the compliment.

Wouldn't either series or parallel wiring of the SDA drivers result in the same impedance being presented to the crossover? As I understand it only the SDA drivers would be involved in the rewiring since the second tweeter is not an SDA driver and is already wired for normal playing.

Thanks.

Larry

gatemplin

Originally posted by Larry Chanin


Wouldn't either series or parallel wiring of the SDA drivers result in the same impedance being presented to the crossover? As I understand it only the SDA drivers would be involved in the rewiring since the second tweeter is not an SDA driver and is already wired for normal playing.

Sorry, I dont know how a SDA crossover works. I would need a diagram of the crossover. Ken Swauger would be able to answer your crossover questions. I was just letting you know, if you didn't already, that changing the impedance will change the way the crossover works.

Tour2ma

Originally posted by dorokusai
He doesn't live in the area anymore....read closer to the screen next time.

You mean Sarasota isn't close to Alexandria???
DOH... yeah "transplant" and "Florida" were kinda key words there...
(walks away muttering, "I wonder if it's too late to get my Evelyn Woods' money back?")

Originally posted by RuSsMaN
You CAN however stand in front of the screen and bob your head up and down, while the rest of the room snickers.

Is that what that noise was? I thought it was either an extended SDA field or the surrounds kicking in...

VR3

An AMAZING theater! Awesome!

I bet it sounds awesome in there, I dont think you mentioned it - what sub are you using with the surrounds??

Larry Chanin

Originally posted by Vr3MxStyler2k3
An AMAZING theater! Awesome!

I bet it sounds awesome in there, I dont think you mentioned it - what sub are you using with the surrounds??

Hi,

Thanks very much.

I don't have a golden ear, but it sounds great to me.

I've been running some acoustic analysis software and sometimes too much information might not be a good thing. :rolleyes:

The problem with a home theater arrangement where the speaker and seating locations are pretty much locked in, is that you don't have much flexibility in adjusting locations to minimize room modes. Also you don't have a simple "sweet spot" to deal with, but rather a "sweet area".

My LFE subwoofer is a Velodyne Digital Drive 15. As I describe on my web site, it has an 8-band digital parametric equalizer built into it. I also have a Behringer digital parametric and graphic equalizer on the main channels, and a multi-channel Audio Control graphic equalizer on all the other channels. So with all this equalization I can adjust the frequency response at a single "sweet spot" to within one or two dB. The problem is there are seven other seats in the theater which may not benefit from the equalization based on the sweet spot measured location.

Oh well, its a hobby and tweaking is what its all about.

Larry

Larry Chanin

Oh by the way...

Although I'm not one of those home theater enthusiasts who goes in for naming their theater and putting it up on a marque out front, my wife came up with a name which may hit too close to home.

larryland

VR3

Very cool man! Sounds awesome!

Heck the sweetspot is where YOU sit, you paid for it! You should get the ultimate enjoyment!

the Velo DD series is an amazing series! Awesome lil subs!

But I was more curious what you were running on the surrounds!

Again, amazing looking theater!

Larry Chanin

Originally posted by Vr3MxStyler2k3

the Velo DD series is an amazing series! Awesome lil subs!

But I was more curious what you were running on the surrounds!

Hi,

I mentioned earlier that I have a Carver Shadow Knight currently on one side surround and I'll be installing a Sunfire Solitaire 10 in a few days when it arrives.

Larry

VR3

Awesome! Full range surrounds makes a tremendous difference dont they? Adds alot of impact to movies that is otherwise missing!

bknauss

Originally posted by Vr3MxStyler2k3
Awesome! Full range surrounds makes a tremendous difference dont they? Adds alot of impact to movies that is otherwise missing!

Amen to that brother! Any fronts without powered subs are considered crap by me now... well, not always crap... but it definitely helps. I've saved my bank account for several weeks now because the RT3000Ps have a nice low end I'm kind of upset that I'm missing all of the LFE info though...

Larry Chanin

Originally posted by Vr3MxStyler2k3
Awesome! Full range surrounds makes a tremendous difference dont they? Adds alot of impact to movies that is otherwise missing!

Hi,

My main reason for the full range side surrounds is so I can try out my Lexicon processor's Bass Enhance feature. He's an excerpt from a FAQ describing it.

Lexicon’s Bass Enhance feature (an effect parameter implemented in the Logic 7™, Music Logic, Music Surround, and TV Matrix effects) represents a radical departure from conventional approaches to bass management. Bass Enhance is designed to overcome the artificial quality in traditional loudspeaker reproduction of monophonic bass—the sense of bass originating from the “center of the head” that prevents even the best home systems from achieving the realistic presence of a live musical performance. Bass Enhance attempts to create a greater sense of spatial envelopment and externalized bass that seems to emanate from all around, as in a live venue. To achieve this, the effect utilizes redirected lateral (side-originating) low frequency (LF) information, routing phase-shifted LF to the side speakers.

To use this feature requires side surrounds that have a low frequency response that is lower than 50 hz.

For a more complete explanation refer to the entire FAQ.
Lexicon Bass Enhance FAQ By Philip Brandes

Larry

DarqueKnight

Originally posted by Tour2ma
If you do the CRS mod's and wire them in series, you're back up to 6-ohm... just a thought...

When I was using a pair of CRS+'s for centers, I was using a stereo amp to drive the pair. If Larry is using a mono amp or one channel of a stereo amp for the pair, then this is something to consider.

Larry Chanin

Well, with the installation of the last subwoofer and the wet bar, I'm declaring my home theater "officially" completed.

As I mentioned in my original posting these things are never really done. I'll probably experiment with building some Helmholtz Resonator type bass traps to go behind the false wall. I'll also probably do a little better job closing in the open spaces in my equipment rack, but the theater is essentially done.

I've updated some of the photos on my web site and the Polk Audio showcase.

Larry's Home Theater

Larry

zx_toth

Larry,

Beautiful set up. Its really quite inspiring to see such an advanced knowledge of design and attention to detail. It is really awesome to see where my future home theater aspirations can go ... limitless. I am just setting up my first home theatre now and learning the basics.

I have found that the Polk Audio forum to be full of very knowledgable persons, passionate about the home theatre experience. Where is it that you can come across more information re: advanced home theatre set up. Ive found, beyond this forum, information on the internet hit or miss. Any good publications? or resources that can begin to teach a beginner willing to learn about "bi-wiring", "amps and pre-amps", and these other things that go beyond the average joe schmo?

Enjoy the HT Larry!

Zx_toth

---

Panasonic 27" SDTV (Currently saving for new 42" Panasonic HDTV Plasma)
Denon AVR-2807
Fronts: Polk RM7300
Center: Polk RM 7302
Rears: Polk RM6901 x 2
Sub: Velodyne DPS-12
DVD: Sony 5 disc DVD - DVP-NC60P
Microsoft X-Box (Awaiting Sony Playstation 3)

Tour2ma

Lot of good stuff in the banner across the top of every forum page.

Click on "Education" and it'll take you here.

Welcome to the Club...

Larry Chanin

zx_toth wrote:

Larry,

Beautiful set up. Its really quite inspiring to see such an advanced knowledge of design and attention to detail. It is really awesome to see where my future home theater aspirations can go ... limitless. I am just setting up my first home theatre now and learning the basics.

I have found that the Polk Audio forum to be full of very knowledgable persons, passionate about the home theatre experience. Where is it that you can come across more information re: advanced home theatre set up. Ive found, beyond this forum, information on the internet hit or miss. Any good publications? or resources that can begin to teach a beginner willing to learn about "bi-wiring", "amps and pre-amps", and these other things that go beyond the average joe schmo?

Enjoy the HT Larry!

Zx_toth

---

Panasonic 27" SDTV (Currently saving for new 42" Panasonic HDTV Plasma)
Denon AVR-2807
Fronts: Polk RM7300
Center: Polk RM 7302
Rears: Polk RM6901 x 2
Sub: Velodyne DPS-12
DVD: Sony 5 disc DVD - DVP-NC60P
Microsoft X-Box (Awaiting Sony Playstation 3)

Hi,

Thanks very much for the kind words.

There's no question that there are a lot of very knowledgeable people on this forum that can no doubt answer your questions regarding the subjects you mention. It goes without saying that this web site is the authoritative source for all things about Polk Audio speakers.

For other home theater subjects, the AV Sciences forums are also very good resource for a wide spectrum of home theater subjects. You will find that a number of professionals contribute their advice.

Home Theater Builder's Magazine has an irregular publication schedule, but they have useful articles on constructing home theaters and you can buy back issues.

Good luck on your project.

Larry

pearsall001

Congrats on such a magnificent looking room!! Just one small but also huge observation - I didn't see any room treatments on your diagram. They are a must to get your room to perform up to it's potential. And brother you definetely have potential w/ your room & gear. Just food for thought.

Larry Chanin

pearsall001 wrote:

Congrats on such a magnificent looking room!! Just one small but also huge observation - I didn't see any room treatments on your diagram. They are a must to get your room to perform up to it's potential. And brother you definetely have potential w/ your room & gear. Just food for thought.

Hi,

Thanks for the compliment.

If you go to my home page and click on photos link in the upper left of the web page, you'll see photographs and a descriptions of aspects of the theater construction.

Here's an excerpt describing the acoustic treatments.


Acoustic Treatments
The entire front wall, the soffits and the first four feet of front side walls are all covered with one inch of rigid fiberglass. The remainder of the room has fiberglass from the floor up to ear level. One inch of polyester batting is placed above ear level. The fiberglass is used for sound absorption. The polyester batting is less absorbent so it permits more reflection and diffusion of the sound. Fabric is stapled to the furring strips. The plywood fixtures with the circle in the middle permits attaching fabric and anchoring sconces.

Thanks for your interest.

Larry