Ultimate HT setup?

[exipnos]

Hi there,

If you had the time and money to create the ulitmate HT setup how would you design it? This will be for a dedicated room with large front projection and acoustical transparent screen. This should be optimized for HT so music considerations are not that important.

I've read some stories that the ultra rich people use 7 very capable speakers such as the Wilson X-2 or Von Schweikert VR-11s and they are all triamped.

Some people consider the Linkwitz Orion being one of the best DIY speakers. Would they be suitable for HT. Could you use 7 Orions in a theatre?

There is a lot of talk about line arrays, either boxed like Jim Griffins design or OB like many others. They seem to be very suitable for HT with their big soundstage. But again would you use 7 line arrays if you had them?

If you had 2 rows of seating how many speakers would you use? How many channels? Would 7.1 be enough or would you go 9.2 or something else? Would you divide one surround channel into many speakers to replicate the theatre sound?

Many recommend biamping/triamping your system as a great improvement in sounds. Would you do this for surrounds? What type of amplification?

Subwoofers? Use main speakers, closed, ported, or IB. How many? One very capable or many smaller one?

How about bass management? People say not to run surround speakers full range due to their placement not being optimal for room mode issues. How are the Wilson X-2 people using 7 in their HT?

Correct room dimensions and room treatments will of course be part of the solution. How about DRC. Would that adress all of the room/speaker issues?

Okay back to reality! I don't have the funds for the ultimate solution but I sure would like to know what you would consider the best solution.

Any good ideas?

Cheers,

Exipnos

[Coolin]

Hi there,

youve got too many questions......

Youl have to answer most of those yourself first before any of us can really help you out here......

You will have to hear the different speaker topologies you speak of for yourself and decide to go with one of them.

You will also have alot of reading to do if you want to create the "ultamate home theater"......

[Mark Techer]

That’s a good concept and is exactly what I did. Though right now I am not in a purpose built room, I did have one when I started the construction of my system. I hope to go back to one soon…

AUDIO:

I wanted a THX processed 7.1 system. As I could not build a multi format decoder with multi channel amplification, I had no choice but to buy that (though I did initially create Re-eq using a 3-way electronic crossover, but that’s another story), but I did build the full 7.1 speaker system that is great for both film sound and music…

I chose a combination of VIFA and PEERLESS drivers as I believe that for their price, these Danish made drivers are some of the best in the world.

I have designed my system based closely to that of the THX speaker system – three identical LCR speakers (with Controlled Vertical Directivity), diffuse surrounds (though THX specifies Dipoles, I changed my design to Bipoles are long listening test as I believe that Bipoles represent the best compromise between diffuse and direct radiating speakers) and subwoofers (because the system is bass managed as well as having to reproduce the LFE channel).

The drivers I have used are the -
VIFA XT25SC-30-04 Dual Concentric Super Tweeter (Shielded). A total of 17 units...
VIFA P17SJ-00-08 6.5” Mid-Woofer (Shielded). A total of 14 units...
PEERLESS 830500 XLS 12” Subwoofer. A total of 2 units...
PEERLESS 830548 XLS 12” Passive Radiator. A total of 2 units...

Each LCR has two 6.5” woofers and 3 “ring” tweeters. The crossover is a LR 2nd order with metallized polyprop caps.

Each SUR had two 6.5” woofers and 2 “ring” tweeters. They use a slightly modified version of the crossover used in the LCR speakers.

The SUB is an active/passive combo with two units (each has one active and one passive radiator). A 350W plate amp is built into one unit and the second unit is a slave connected by gold plated binding posts. I have used the same binding post speaker terminal in all speakers.

VIDEO:

One the video side is a 16:9 projector running through a DIY anamorphic lens to allow 21:9, 16:9 and 12:9 (using pass through mode) at the same height. The screen is also DIY made from a PVC material. Unfortunately, it is not a perforated screen, I am not sure of the gain, but it exhibits nice bright whites without hot-spotting.

This system has taken several years to come together, and lot of research (over 6 hours here reading on how to build that lens) but the results have been worth it…

I think DIY is only limited to your skills and can be as good and in some cases better than commercial equivalents…

Mark

[exipnos]

Coolin - Disregard the questions if you want. The issue is how would you design the ultimate HT sound?

[454Casull]

Everything waveguided except deep bass (60Hz and below).

[mrsteve]

What Mr Mark Techer came up with is very close to the high-end THX certified system(s) that M&K have for sale.

What's often overlooked, in theatre sound, is control of sound dispertion...or directivity. Controling early reflections, in other words.
Ways to achieve this include waveguides, horns and arrays.
Mr. Techers' system achieves this control of dispertion with the short line array he made with his tweeters.

I used line arrays to do the same thing for my H.T. setup,
and used waveguides on the tweeters of my "HiFi" (for critical music listening/enjoyment) Orion clones.
My open baffle speakers are great, but not quite up to the task of home theatre...either in terms of control of early ceiling reflections or in efficiency.

If you're feeling adventurous, you might look into researching cardioid speakers....

Oh, and another important design goal for H.T. would be efficiency. The dynamic range of some soundtracks rival that of a live orchestra.

[Coolin]

Originally posted by exipnos
Coolin - Disregard the questions if you want. The issue is how would you design the ultimate HT sound?

Ok Ok. Indeed, waveguided and alot of surface area for the bass.
Or if you have the room something like a lab sub.
Pro drivers or atleast high efficiency for the dynamics.

[azrix]

Awsome topic...

There's two options I can think of that I'd do. I would never be stupid enough to get any Wilson X-2's for a theater. Talk about missing the boat.

First option would be to just build a movie theather, like the kind in multiplexes. I'd probably go with five JBL cinema speakers plus subs and the related Crown amplification. I've been surprised to find out how "cheap" the JBL Cinema speakers are. With the pricing I've been able to find online, they start at about US$800 per speaker with the 3622N and go up to about US$5600 per speaker for the 5674. Compared to the typical pricing for speakers in Stereophile, that's not teribly expensive. You'd need a lot of space for all of that though. If I had the budget for Wilson X-2's, that's what I'd do.

Second and more home friendly setup would be five Gedlee Summas ( http://www.gedlee.com./Summa.htm ) with something simliar to the Almighty Subwoofer ( http://member.newsguy.com/~stigerik/almighty/index.html ) for subs.

[Mark Techer]

If I could have modified that 3-way electronic crossover to the right frequency (1550Hz) and had 6 additional channels of amplification, those LCRs would have been bi-amped...

Mark

[exipnos]

Mark - Do you have a thread or site where you discuss your speakers?

What do you guys think of this system?

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr...8151&read&3&4&