The home theater...

[Trunk Monkey]

How about tinting them? I think they'd be nice when finding your spot with a dark movie going.

Yes. They make great ambient lighting. In the photos the lighting off of them is a bit washed out, they aren't quite that bright.

 

[theterminator93]

Got the receiver and banana plugs today. Spent a little time making new cables to connect everything, then calibrated the speakers and popped in a 4K with a good Atmos soundtrack. "Real" theaters have nothing on this kind of sound imagery! I have a feeling gaming with positional audio will be great too.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Got the receiver and banana plugs today. Spent a little time making new cables to connect everything, then calibrated the speakers and popped in a 4K with a good Atmos soundtrack. "Real" theaters have nothing on this kind of sound imagery! I have a feeling gaming with positional audio will be great too.

I know! It's a next level experience! Congratulations and welcome to the world of ATMOS surround!

Which movie did you premier your system with?

I finished watching Masters of The Air last night and then chilled to some amazing acoustical guitar. Here's the segment and the interview if you're interested. I skipped most of the interview and fast forwarded to where he was playing.

 

[theterminator93]

I didn't do a proper watch of anything really, just popped in the first 20 minutes of EOT since I know it has a great sound design. It didn't fail to impress! I need to do a more in-depth analysis of my film library and record which movies have Atmos soundtracks... and buy more!

Pet peeve: the improper "modern" spelling of whoa.

 

[Chingon1]

Yeah. 107, 108, 109. It's not exact but right in that range. I dug up that Car & Driver article from 1993 and they tested it at 106 MPH.

I got the bird up to 115 since I supercharged it and removed the limiter. Then I remembered….. my stock driveshaft won’t be too happy about that for too much longer







Also recently got a sweet deal on this pair of RP280f’s on FB marketplace for $400. Miles ahead of the old Polk audios R50’s they replaced. I think I’m done sound wise, unless I land a sweet deal on a pair of bookshelf’s.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

I got the bird up to 115 since I supercharged it and removed the limiter. Then I remembered….. my stock driveshaft won’t be too happy about that for too much longer




View attachment 13341


Also recently got a sweet deal on this pair of RP280f’s on FB marketplace for $400. Miles ahead of the old Polk audios R50’s they replaced. I think I’m done sound wise, unless I land a sweet deal on a pair of bookshelf’s.

Nice! Yeah, keep it under 120. These cars get squirrely above about 125. Ask me how I know!

Refresh my memory. Do you have side or rear surrounds or just the front stage and subs? And what receiver are you using? Is it DOLBY ATMOS capable? Any external amps?

 

[White Lincoln]

I got the bird up to 115 since I supercharged it and removed the limiter. Then I remembered….. my stock driveshaft won’t be too happy about that for too much longer




View attachment 13341


Also recently got a sweet deal on this pair of RP280f’s on FB marketplace for $400. Miles ahead of the old Polk audios R50’s they replaced. I think I’m done sound wise, unless I land a sweet deal on a pair of bookshelf’s.

Ever thought about making your own book shelf speakers?

 

[Chingon1]

Nice! Yeah, keep it under 120. These cars get squirrely above about 125. Ask me how I know!

Refresh my memory. Do you have side or rear surrounds or just the front stage and subs? And what receiver are you using? Is it DOLBY ATMOS capable? Any external amps?

No surrounds just L/R and the center running an onkyo HT-R420. It’s a pretty old receiver a buddy let me borrow it only has for surround sound 5.1, no external amps because it’s out budget right now but it would be cool down the road. I feel like these Klipsch are pretty efficient tho, they bump with barely the receiver amp on them.

Ever thought about making your own book shelf speakers?

View attachment 13361

I have thought about it, there’s a Dayton audio 7” subwooofer I have my eye on buuuuut at this point, I really dig the copper cones haha so I’d just keep em all klipsch.

 

[theterminator93]

I was wondering when those posts would be moved over here.

New pet peeve:
4K remasters of films where the producers don't go the extra mile to create a DTS:X or Atmos soundtrack.

Looking at my Blu-ray database, I've got 343 titles on standard FHD BD; four titles are 3D and one has an Atmos soundtrack. I'm also up to 74 UHD titles in the library, of which 54 include DTS:X or Atmos. Especially satisfying are the Harry Potter films - excellent sound design.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

No surrounds just L/R and the center running an Onkyo HT-R420. It’s a pretty old receiver a buddy let me borrow it only has for surround sound 5.1, no external amps because it’s out budget right now but it would be cool down the road. I feel like these Klipsch are pretty efficient tho, they bump with barely the receiver amp on them.




I have thought about it, there’s a Dayton audio 7” subwoofer I have my eye on buuuuut at this point, I really dig the copper cones haha so I’d just keep em all Klipsch.

Moving this conversation over to the home theater thread.

Yeah, the Klipsch speakers are really sensitive. I'm loving mine! I just upgraded everything to Klipsch in November of last year.

I have two of the Kilpsch RP-1400 Subs in my home theater. They're amazing! Unfortunately I can't run them too hard because my wife complains.

If you haven't seen it yet, my setup is in post #84 here. Since I took those pictures I moved my CD library to the back wall and turned the subs to fire across the room left to right, instead of front to back. It's better to shoot down the length of the room across the long axis.

I'm still looking for someone to help me install the GR-Research upgrade kit in my RC-64 III center channel. GREG! You need to make a road trip over here and help me out! I could use your electronic expertise!

 

[Trunk Monkey]

I was wondering when those posts would be moved over here.

New pet peeve:
4K remasters of films where the producers don't go the extra mile to create a DTS:X or Atmos soundtrack.

Looking at my Blu-ray database, I've got 343 titles on standard FHD BD; four titles are 3D and one has an Atmos soundtrack. I'm also up to 74 UHD titles in the library, of which 54 include DTS:X or Atmos. Especially satisfying are the Harry Potter films - excellent sound design.

I know! It's a bummer when there's no ATMOS.

For now, the absolute best ATMOS soundtrack I've ever heard is Blade Runner 2049. I'll put it on sometimes and just bask in the glory of the sound. Their sound engineers did a fantastic job with that one.

Was there a 4K remaster you watched recently that had just a 5.1 soundtrack that disappointed you? What was it?

 

[theterminator93]

It popped into my mind because they just announced a new 4K set of the original Airport films from the 70s... plain old 5.1. Oppenheimer is one newer example... I was also hoping to upgrade my BD set of the Dark Knight films to 4k, but they also only have 5.1!

 

[Zep5.0]

I feel like I'm slumming with my sound bar. Standard TV speakers must be some third world stuff to you audiophiles.

I have a Boston Acoustic 5.1 setup downstairs that never gets used... The dog won't go down the stairs

 

[Chingon1]

Moving this conversation over to the home theater thread.

Yeah, the Klipsch speakers are really sensitive. I'm loving mine! I just upgraded everything to Klipsch in November of last year.

I have two of the Kilpsch RP-1400 Subs in my home theater. They're amazing! Unfortunately I can't run them too hard because my wife complains.

If you haven't seen it yet, my setup is in post #84 here. Since I took those pictures I moved my CD library to the back wall and turned the subs to fire across the room left to right, instead of front to back. It's better to shoot down the length of the room across the long axis.

I'm still looking for someone to help me install the GR-Research upgrade kit in my RC-64 III center channel. GREG! You need to make a road trip over here and help me out! I could use your electronic expertise!

I just checked out your post, that’s a clean ass setup! How you liking those 8000f 2’s? Initially I wanted the 1st gen because they are $800 the pair on Crutchfield and I did a good amount of reading and it’s about 50/50 reviews from people saying the gen1 vs gen 2 sound better or the same. Btw….. that RC64 is a fucking BEAST I know it’s sealed but with 4 6.5’s who cares haha. My current RP504c sounds pretty cool no lie but I’m betting that one is in a class of its own. Maybe on day in the future I’d like to grab a set of RF7 towers, dual 10’s power tower must sound rediculous!!

I’m pretty happy with the RP280’s, if I could land a deal on a set of RP600m’s I’d jump on em in a heart beat for the 5.1 surround.

My current onkyo receiver is pretty old but honestly does a decent job, zero complaints. But I do have 2 questions for you fellas.

1. Amplification, maybe I’m crazy but I’ve seen plenty of people running DJ amps to power their home theater. Worthwhile mentions include Crown and QSC amps. From what I see they are pretty cheap amps around 200-500x2 channels. Which would be more than enough to power the towers or anything else you throw at them. Only thing would be the heat, they do get kinda hot. Only other option would the the emotiva basx3 or 5 channel and outlaw 5000x.


2. Sound deadning, I see you guys are rocking carpet; would it make sense to buy a carpet to put on the floor between the tv and couch?? I’ve read that does help with acoustics.

2b. Are you guys running any acoustic panels on the walls?? I see them on FB marketplace all the time, do they really help as advertised or snake oil?

Side note, I’m uber jelly of yours guys theaters rooms, that’s a total dream of mine. Besides having a 700whp thunderbird having a room like that would be next level.


Also not to be nosy, but what do you guys do for a living to afford that stuff? I’m currently a delivery driver for a custom lamp company, but planning on hopefully getting my smog check certificate and opening a business in the future.

 

[theterminator93]

1. Amplification, maybe I’m crazy but I’ve seen plenty of people running DJ amps to power their home theater. Worthwhile mentions include Crown and QSC amps. From what I see they are pretty cheap amps around 200-500x2 channels. Which would be more than enough to power the towers or anything else you throw at them. Only thing would be the heat, they do get kinda hot. Only other option would the the emotiva basx3 or 5 channel and outlaw 5000x.

My room is not large enough to justify that kind of power, IMO, so I just use the built-in amplification in my processor. Professional-grade installed amps like the QSC RMX2450 have built-in cooling; I've got a few of them installed at a venue that are well over 20 years old and still running strong.

2. Sound deadning, I see you guys are rocking carpet; would it make sense to buy a carpet to put on the floor between the tv and couch?? I’ve read that does help with acoustics.

Every room is different. Start by researching how to calculate your room's RT60 - the time it takes for the various frequencies in your room to decay by 60 dB. Generally speaking you want 1/2 second or less.

Once you have your room's RT60 as it sits, you will need to determine the amount of area required of varying materials to bring your RT60 down to the target. That could mean hanging curtains or acoustical panels, installing carpet, etc. I made an Excel spreadsheet that showed me the RT60 at a few frequencies in my room and then recalculated it with me plugging in the areas of acoustical panels of varying materials to help me decide which type and how much I needed.



If you use my sheet as an example, you can easily swap out the square footage of your floor for different materials using their established absorptive coefficients.

2b. Are you guys running any acoustic panels on the walls?? I see them on FB marketplace all the time, do they really help as advertised or snake oil?

Yes. As you can see in my RT60 calculations, even with a floor full of heavy 8 lb. padding and pile carpet, my reverb decay time was close to 2/3 of a second. I opted to install 96 square feet of custom-built acoustical panels using Rockboard 60, due to its better absorption in the low-mid range compared to Rockboard 80. This brought my room's RT60 down to an acceptable range of about .43 seconds without any furniture. With the seats in there, it's lower still (I haven't bothered to measure/calculate it, but I'd guess it's around .35).

Aside from the benefit of reducing reverb decay time, the biggest difference is (with proper positioning) that they help a lot with sound directionality. Before I hung mine, sounds from any given speaker channel (e.g. left) generally sounded like they were coming from the left, but it wasn't very precise. Not to say it was bad directionality, but I didn't know what I was missing out on at first. After they went up, the precision and directionality of positional audio went WAY up - meaning it was much easier to spatially orient the location of sounds on the soundstage because of the reduced reflections from the speaker on its way to the listener's ear. This was way more noticeable to me than the reduction in RT60.

Side note, I’m uber jelly of yours guys theaters rooms, that’s a total dream of mine. Besides having a 700whp thunderbird having a room like that would be next level.

Thank you. As you can see by this thread, it's been an interesting and satisfying journey.

Also not to be nosy, but what do you guys do for a living to afford that stuff? I’m currently a delivery driver for a custom lamp company, but planning on hopefully getting my smog check certificate and opening a business in the future.

My wife is an established veterinarian at the area's only 24-hr emergency animal hospital, and I work for an IT managed services firm that specializes in K12 education tech and cybersecurity. I am the manager of the division of network engineers, system admins and software developers. IMO it's as much about properly managing and budgeting as it is about having in the first place. All the stuff for my theater was planned for, saved for, then eventually purchased when the time was right. I must have been waiting to spring for the projector for 6 months before I actually bought it.

 

[White Lincoln]

I have thought about it, there’s a Dayton audio 7” subwooofer I have my eye on buuuuut at this point, I really dig the copper cones haha so I’d just keep em all klipsch.

It was more the fun of making the box, staining / painting the wood and getting all the right components to make a nice speaker set and powered sub that what I enjoyed.

It is a lot of work, so good choice in picking something you can't go wrong with, Klipsch.

 

[Chingon1]

@theterminator93 thank you for the detailed response!

Yea me too, my rooms probably 15x20?? Not enough to justify several hundred watts to be jammed into the speakers haha, specially being mindful of my neighbors since we share a wall.


That Rockboard 60, did you place it inside the walls or inside?? I’m not trying to get too crazy but I’d be down to put some thicker curtains, carpet on the floor. My current curtains are those long single blade types that food open and close, pretty sure they suck for absorption haha. I downloaded a rt60 app called buzzi space for iPhone and it seems pretty easy to use. Gonna try it out today, thank you for the tip!


IT field huh, that’s pretty cool being the top dog in a company. I do have to ask, are you fufilled in your job? As in did you see yourself doing that when you were younger?
I’m not too tech savvy unfortunately I’m more about working with my hands getting a bit dirty to be honest. And you’re totally right, it took me a while to be more disciplined financially and actually set goals and wait for stuff instead of impulse shopping.

 

[Chingon1]

It was more the fun of making the box, staining / painting the wood and getting all the right components to make a nice speaker set and powered sub that what I enjoyed.

It is a lot of work, so good choice in picking something you can't go wrong with, Klipsch.

Didn’t make the crossovers aswell?? If seen calculators online to help design but you really have to match everything correctly to actually get a nice sound out of them. I wanted to do something like these but there a bit expensive on top of calculating the crossover. I threw in the towel haha

 

[dDUBb]

I do have to ask, are you fufilled in your job? As in did you see yourself doing that when you were younger?

Oh yes; my life's ambition was always to become a plumber and here I am .. life goals accomplished.

 

[White Lincoln]

Didn’t make the crossovers aswell?? If seen calculators online to help design but you really have to match everything correctly to actually get a nice sound out of them. I wanted to do something like these but there a bit expensive on top of calculating the crossover. I threw in the towel haha

As mentioned, I do not blame you. That would be a lot of work and calculating speaker ohms, wattage, crossover points, amplification, etc, etc. I have hearing issues now, so sound is not that important anymore. And no, I did not make the crossover, but would have if I was trying to get "that perfect tone" out of a speaker. And honestly, you would spend more money making them than just buying a nice pair. I found that out when I did costs on what I made. Luckily, the wood was scrap wood and I had some of the parts in my cabinet. Otherwise, buy a nice set!

PS: that is one nice video, but luckily I have the tools to make the speaker and if you don't have all the wood working tools, soldering equipment and the likes, "forgetaboutit"

 

[Trunk Monkey]

I just checked out your post, that’s a clean ass setup! How you liking those 8000f 2’s? Initially I wanted the 1st gen because they are $800 the pair on Crutchfield and I did a good amount of reading and it’s about 50/50 reviews from people saying the gen1 vs gen 2 sound better or the same. Btw….. that RC64 is a fucking BEAST I know it’s sealed but with 4 6.5’s who cares haha. My current RP504c sounds pretty cool no lie but I’m betting that one is in a class of its own. Maybe on day in the future I’d like to grab a set of RF7 towers, dual 10’s power tower must sound ridiculous!!

Thanks so much. Yeah, the 8000F II's are great. I love them. This review by Andrew Robbins and his wife Christie, who refuses to go on camera, sold me on them.

Speaking of the RF-7's, I was looking at the even bigger RF-7 III's but couldn't justify the cost / benefit to myself. They're serious overkill for me and probably you too. I took the extra that they would've cost me and put that towards the subs and the RC-64 III.

Don't buy home audio from Crutchfield. They're insanely expensive. You can do better shopping elsewhere. I bought my Klipsch speakers, except for my center channel, from Amazon.

As the center channel is the cornerstone/anchor of a good home theater I went ahead and splurged on that one. I bought my RC-64 III as B-stock from SoundSeller out of Wisconsin for a good price. As B-stock, I did have to replace one of the 6.5's but I was able to source that from The Speaker Exchange out of Florida for just under $100 shipped to my door. The speaker was in OEM packaging from the factory and the cabinet was immaculate!

I really, really need to get an external AMP for that center channel, it take a LOT of power to drive that behemoth. I've been looking at the Emotiva and the Monoprice Monolith Amps. I've also been drooling over some Audio Control hardware, like the Pantages G4, although the AC stuff is next level price range.

I also looked at the RP-504C II. That would've been my second choice. It's a very good speaker. You're 504C is a great speaker! Don't discount what you have.

These guys do a great comparison between the two.

I’m pretty happy with the RP280’s, if I could land a deal on a set of RP600m’s I’d jump on em in a heart beat for the 5.1 surround.

My current Onkyo receiver is pretty old but honestly does a decent job, zero complaints. But I do have 2 questions for you fellas.

1. Amplification, maybe I’m crazy but I’ve seen plenty of people running DJ amps to power their home theater. Worthwhile mentions include Crown and QSC amps. From what I see they are pretty cheap amps around 200-500x2 channels. Which would be more than enough to power the towers or anything else you throw at them. Only thing would be the heat, they do get kinda hot. Only other option would the the Emotiva basx3 or 5 channel and outlaw 5000x.

As far as amplification, look at the Emotiva or Monoprice Amps. Those would be my recommendation. Amps have come a long ways over the years and you can get a solid amp without having to spend a fortune.

2. Sound deadening, I see you guys are rocking carpet; would it make sense to buy a carpet to put on the floor between the TV and couch?? I’ve read that does help with acoustics.

2b. Are you guys running any acoustic panels on the walls?? I see them on FB marketplace all the time, do they really help as advertised or snake oil?

Side note, I’m uber jelly of yours guys theaters rooms, that’s a total dream of mine. Besides having a 700whp Thunderbird having a room like that would be next level.

Yes, I have a carpeted room and I have added sound treatments to the walls. I built the panels myself with Rockwool. I've had issues figuring out how to hang them but that's a story for another day. I did a lot of research into it and just settled on dropping some panels around the room at various typical reflection points. My bonus room has an odd configuration and I really had to do some research to figure out how best to treat it and arrange everything.

Acoustic panels and room sound treatment are not snake oil. It's a great way to get much more enjoyment out of your system by taming the room that it's in.

For the windows, fortunately I was able to source some heavy drapes for the windows from a high end home store years ago for a good price before everything went to shit with the pandemic closing so many stores, everything moving online and now tariffs jacking prices up.

I'm still adding and hanging panels. I've had a hard time finding acoustic fabric for a good price to wrap them in. If you just want to buy ready made panels a few at a time until you can fill your room GIK Acoustics makes the best panels you can buy IMHO. They'll also help design your room treatment for free.

Thanks so much. Just like our cars, everyone has different resources and ability to afford a great build. I've been told and often repeat that you're car can be as fast as your pockets are deep. We all do the best we can with what we have and what we can afford. This is true for everything in life.

Also not to be nosy, but what do you guys do for a living to afford that stuff? I’m currently a delivery driver for a custom lamp company, but planning on hopefully getting my smog check certificate and opening a business in the future.

I'm in my early 50's now and have been blessed to land in a great career that has given me the opportunity to have many nice things. It's taken me a lifetime to get to where I am now that I can afford these things. I didn't buy all that stuff until just November of last year. Like Brandon, "All the stuff for my theater was planned for, saved for, then eventually purchased when the time was right." It just so happened that the right time for both of us happened to land pretty close together. As you can see, Brandon and I both went different routes with our home theaters. I look forward to seeing where your journey takes you to.

I've also invested well and reaped the dividends of that. I've been working as a Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) inspector since I got out of the military in the early 2000's. I also have my American Welding Society, Certified Welding Inspector (AWS CWI) certification, which is a big one to have in my industry. I currently work for a company that specializes in power plant work. We are the original equipment manufacture of their turbines and generators and provide maintenance, repair, replacement, upgrade and inspection services on the units at power plants all over the country and around the world. It's a financially rewarding job but I do sacrifice a lot of time away from home to do it. Those here who have know me for years can attest to that. I've met with many members here over the years in my travels. I don't call myself the traveling Trunk Monkey for nothing!

We all have to find our nitch/niche in life and build on that. Best wishes with your journey and your plans. If you'd like to discuss more just PM me.

 

[theterminator93]

That Rockboard 60, did you place it inside the walls or inside?? I’m not trying to get too crazy but I’d be down to put some thicker curtains, carpet on the floor. My current curtains are those long single blade types that food open and close, pretty sure they suck for absorption haha. I downloaded a rt60 app called buzzi space for iPhone and it seems pretty easy to use. Gonna try it out today, thank you for the tip!

This is the rough guide I used to build the acoustical panels: https://acousticsfreq.com/how-to-build-your-own-acoustic-panels/3/

There are some pics of the room with them installed back in posts 29 and 31.

IT field huh, that’s pretty cool being the top dog in a company. I do have to ask, are you fufilled in your job? As in did you see yourself doing that when you were younger?

It has its ups and downs, but overall I'm satisfied. I get to decide when and where to go (or whether to go anywhere at all), who to bring in, what to be used etc. Years ago I had some ideas for what I'd probably be doing at this point in my life - but I wouldn't have anticipated something related to management.

 

[Chingon1]

@Trunk Monkey I also seen that video you posted, I do like how they have the double port now over the 1st gen’s. That lil copper ring does look pretty slick aswell!! I’m not hating on my 504c but there’s just something about “bigger is better” haha that RC64 is a behemoth! How’s the bass on it?? Mine gets down for running it off the receiver power, pretty surprised actually. How much power do you plan on pushing to them?? RMS the 504c says 150 but peak it says 600 so I’m assuming I can safely push 300RMS to it, which is not gonna happen because that much power is expensive. I do wanna get that emotive 3 channel atleast and run the front stage and surrounds off the receiver.

Thanks for the link!! I’m gonna def be looking to sound deaden my living room, I know the big windows I have here aren’t doing me any favors.

That’s pretty sweet brolio, so that means you can spot bad welds from a mile away haha, do be in power plant work I’m assuming they have to do a rediculous amounts of background checks to verify you right?? I doubt they’ll let anybody be there all Willy nilly.

Thank you for the kind words! Best wishes you you and your loved ones! I’ll be sure to reach out if I have anymore Q’s home audio related. Thanks!


@theterminator93 the you for the link! I found a couple places online that show how to DIY panels aswell and them seem pretty easy to make, the biggest part is making them aesthetically pleasing. My living room have grey floors and white walls so it’s gotta match haha.

How much of a difference did you notice after all the panels?? I need to buy a balloon tomorrow and do that RT 60 test soon.

I’m glad to hear that, most people work a job they hate, and go home to a life they reject. Best wishes in your career brolio, I know computer jobs can be very stressful but highly rewarding! As for me management jobs seem TTOOOUUGGGHHH having to deal with people, deadlines and higher up, my respect haha

 

[Chingon1]

As mentioned, I do not blame you. That would be a lot of work and calculating speaker ohms, wattage, crossover points, amplification, etc, etc. I have hearing issues now, so sound is not that important anymore. And no, I did not make the crossover, but would have if I was trying to get "that perfect tone" out of a speaker. And honestly, you would spend more money making them than just buying a nice pair. I found that out when I did costs on what I made. Luckily, the wood was scrap wood and I had some of the parts in my cabinet. Otherwise, buy a nice set!

PS: that is one nice video, but luckily I have the tools to make the speaker and if you don't have all the wood working tools, soldering equipment and the likes, "forgetaboutit"

I like all things DIY but this was an area I didn’t trust myself to do specially considering how expensive speaker components can be and the drawbacks of your mess something up. Maybe in the future with a decent amount of research I’d be down.