My system Showcase! SolidSqual

SolidSqual
SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
edited March 2007 in Electronics
Hey Guys,

Check out my showcase. Let me know what you think and what I can do to improve. Any suggestions for a good tube preamp around $300-$600?

Thanks,

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=72663
Post edited by SolidSqual on
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Comments

  • Dennis Gardner
    Dennis Gardner Posts: 4,861
    edited March 2007
    Tell the wife she has a nice set of "surrounds";)

    I would rotate the side view photos.
    HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable

    2 Channel Thorens TD 318 Grado ZF1, SACD/CD Marantz 8260, Soundstream/Krell DAC1, Audio Mirror PP1, Odyssey Stratos, ADS L-1290, ICs-DIY Twisted , Speaker-Raymond Cable
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  • reeltrouble1
    reeltrouble1 Posts: 9,312
    edited March 2007
    Dodd elp if you can find one.

    RT1
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  • Fireman32
    Fireman32 Posts: 4,845
    edited March 2007
    Looking good man.
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  • Sherardp
    Sherardp Posts: 8,038
    edited March 2007
    Looking very good, those LSis are still hot in black, that xox360 is sick, how did you get it modded like that in all black. Keep up the excellent work, it just keeps getting better and better with this hobby.
    Shoot the jumper.....................BALLIN.............!!!!!

    Home Theater Pics in the Showcase :cool:

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=73580
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited March 2007
    I painted the 360 with Auto paint and used a dremel to cut the window. There are LED lights inside, but they don't show up in the picture flash.
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  • MikeC78
    MikeC78 Posts: 2,315
    edited March 2007
    Very nice!

    I'm curious how you like those buttkicker's?

    Mike
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited March 2007
    The buttkicker is amazing. It's really good for video games and movies. Mission Impossible 3 was like a roller coaster ride. I highly reocmmend it. Once you get it setup properly, the added effect is something you will bever want to live without. When I first felt it work, I just started hysterically laughing. It's so much more powerful than I expected. The bass impact is stunning.

    As for music, I like to keep it off, or at least at lower volume than movies. If it's too high, the effect is distracting during music.
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  • MattN03
    MattN03 Posts: 558
    edited March 2007
    Looks good-just rotate some of the pics ;)
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  • jwhitakr
    jwhitakr Posts: 568
    edited March 2007
    SolidSqual wrote:
    The buttkicker is amazing. It's really good for video games and movies. Mission Impossible 3 was like a roller coaster ride. I highly reocmmend it. Once you get it setup properly, the added effect is something you will bever want to live without. When I first felt it work, I just started hysterically laughing. It's so much more powerful than I expected. The bass impact is stunning.

    As for music, I like to keep it off, or at least at lower volume than movies. If it's too high, the effect is distracting during music.

    I had the opportunity to test the Buttkicker LFE kit for a few weeks, and I would definitely echo your thoughts on it. It was really quite an experience - especially for HT. The Lord of the Rings movies, especially the battle scenes, really had a new dimension with the Buttkicker hooked up and pounding out vibrations.

    My wife also laughed at the impact when she first experienced...I think it was a "Oh my gosh - I can REALLY feel it!" type of reaction. :)

    The Buttkicker is on my long list of planned HT upgrades...someday...
    My HT
    HDTV: Panasonic PT-61LCX65 61" Rear Proj. LCD
    AVR: Harman Kardon AVR 235
    Video: 80GB PS3, Toshiba HD-XA1 HD DVD
    Fronts: Polk Audio RTi8
    Center: Polk Audio CSi3
    Amp: Emotiva LPA-1
    Surrounds: Polk Audio R150
    Sub: HSU STF-3

    The only true barrier to knowledge is the assumption that you already have it. - C.H. Dodd
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  • jwhitakr
    jwhitakr Posts: 568
    edited March 2007
    Oh yeah, forgot to say ... very nice setup!!!
    My HT
    HDTV: Panasonic PT-61LCX65 61" Rear Proj. LCD
    AVR: Harman Kardon AVR 235
    Video: 80GB PS3, Toshiba HD-XA1 HD DVD
    Fronts: Polk Audio RTi8
    Center: Polk Audio CSi3
    Amp: Emotiva LPA-1
    Surrounds: Polk Audio R150
    Sub: HSU STF-3

    The only true barrier to knowledge is the assumption that you already have it. - C.H. Dodd
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited March 2007
    Thanks for the comments all. I will rotate the pics later tonight.
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  • AndyGwis
    AndyGwis Posts: 3,655
    edited March 2007
    Your wife looks like a real dog.


    Oh, wait, that is a real dog. . . my bad. Everything else is looking great!
    Stereo Rig: Hales Revelation 3, Musical Fidelity CD-Pre 24, Forte Model 3 amp, Lexicon RT-10 SACD, MMF-5 w/speedbox, Forte Model 2 Phono Pre, Cardas Crosslink, APC H15, URC MX-950, Lovan Stand
    Bedroom: Samsung HPR-4252, Toshiba HD-A2, HK 3480, Signal Cable, AQ speaker cable, Totem Dreamcatchers, SVS PB10-NSD, URC MX-850
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  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited March 2007
    judging by the size of those pupils,,your dog was feeling good,,just kidding,, nice setup, have fun and enjoy.:)
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited March 2007
    My dog likes Sam Adams Brown Ale, but he stays away from any of the home grown organic junk.
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  • zombie boy 2000
    zombie boy 2000 Posts: 6,641
    edited March 2007
    SolidSqual wrote:

    Check out my showcase. Let me know what you think and what I can do to improve. Any suggestions for a good tube preamp around $300-$600?

    Audio Mirror T-61
    http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?preatube&1178914939
    I never had it like this where I grew up. But I send my kids here because the fact is you go to one of the best schools in the country: Rushmore. Now, for some of you it doesn't matter. You were born rich and you're going to stay rich. But here's my advice to the rest of you: Take dead aim on the rich boys. Get them in the crosshairs and take them down. Just remember, they can buy anything but they can't buy backbone. Don't let them forget it. Thank you.Herman Blume - Rushmore
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  • cmy330go
    cmy330go Posts: 2,341
    edited March 2007
    More LSi's!!!!! Especially the center channel.

    But nice setup either way. Congrats and enjoy!
    HT
    Mits WD-65737, DirecTV, Oppo DV-970HD, XBOX ONE, Yamaha RX-A1030, Parasound Halo A23, Rotel RB-985, Music Hall MMF-7, Parasound PPH-100, LSi-15, LSi-C, LSi-FX, LSi-7, PSW-1000, Monster HTS2600

    2 CH
    Parasound Halo P3, Parasound Halo A21, Sutherland Ph.D, VPI Classic 3 w/ 3D arm & Soundsmith Aida Cartridge, Arcam CD72T, B&W 802 S3, Monster HTS2500,
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  • AndyGwis
    AndyGwis Posts: 3,655
    edited March 2007
    Someone here (Tex or something) told me he had a nice Cary tube pre he'd be willing to sell.

    Not sure of price, but I'd guess somewhere near your top end. If you're interested, I'll see if I can find the PM with his info.
    Stereo Rig: Hales Revelation 3, Musical Fidelity CD-Pre 24, Forte Model 3 amp, Lexicon RT-10 SACD, MMF-5 w/speedbox, Forte Model 2 Phono Pre, Cardas Crosslink, APC H15, URC MX-950, Lovan Stand
    Bedroom: Samsung HPR-4252, Toshiba HD-A2, HK 3480, Signal Cable, AQ speaker cable, Totem Dreamcatchers, SVS PB10-NSD, URC MX-850
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  • BaggedLancer
    BaggedLancer Posts: 6,371
    edited March 2007
    that 360 looks badass.....love it. I think I'm gonna paint mine this weekend. It's the only thing not black in my system. How did you do the controllers?
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  • del44
    del44 Posts: 686
    edited March 2007
    Wow, sweet setup. I'll bet that A23 really makes those lsi's sing.
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  • Danny Tse
    Danny Tse Posts: 5,206
    edited March 2007
    Wow!! Nice setup!!

    You have a wife AND a gf?? :eek:
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited March 2007
    No I don't have a wife. Just a girlfriend. Check out this link if you want to paint your xbox360 controller black. http://alcaron.blogspot.com/2006/12/noir-360-wireless-controller.html
    The techniques used by this guy are the same ones I used to paint the Xbox360 itself.
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited March 2007
    Make sure when you paint either the controller or the xbox360 itself, that you break the units down into their individual pieces for painting. You don't want to just spray the 360 at once. That would not be good for the inside guts and electronics. The paint described in the link above reacts chemically with the plastic so the color is absorbed and the pieces still fit back together without any difficulty; however, the paint is extremely reactive with anything plastic (most of the xbox360 insides are some kind of plastic) so keep it away from all your electronics while spraying. I built a spray sheild and drying stand out of cardboard box, a screwdriver, and some foil. Do the spray painting in a ventilated area, but avoiud outside as the dust and wind will affect your results.

    This site has some great directions for taking apart the Xbox360: http://www.anandtech.com/systems/showdoc.aspx?i=2610&p=2

    Here's a great tutorial for taking apart the wireless controllers:

    http://www.informit.com/articles/article.asp?p=430626&seqNum=5&rl=1
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  • Sherardp
    Sherardp Posts: 8,038
    edited March 2007
    painting would be a pain in the rear for me, I cant spray paint for jack. What you think about this

    http://secure.llamma.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=700&osCsid=e88c33a0a025a2a8003e683922004e36

    Hey solidsqual what tools you use to take the box apart?
    Shoot the jumper.....................BALLIN.............!!!!!

    Home Theater Pics in the Showcase :cool:

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=73580
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited March 2007
    Absolutely! I bought my talismoon fans and LEDs from Llamma.com. I highly recommend the site.
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