A home theatre room on a budget DIY

[powerav]

28 minutes ago, blybo said:

You never tried the Exposure integrated you had with a good quality DAC.

It was a Creek Evo 2 and a highly regarded allo boss dac and it sounded great but very inconvenient, that’s all.

 

oh and I am deeply sorry I don’t do exactly what you say messiah. 

This is where Stereonet can get a creepy and like some weird religious cult.

 

[Satanica]

22 minutes ago, powerav said:

This is where Stereonet can get a creepy and like some weird religious cult.

To be fair that's an audiophile thing in general.

[jamiebosco]

20 hours ago, powerav said:

No we’re talking, what a dramatic difference.

Thanks to Peter from DeepHz audio for some great advice and service.

 

Mate that great to hear (pun intended)

The DSPeaker Anti-Modes are very capable units for evening out the bass region, I've seen some impressive "before and after" REW measurements on various forums through the years

[powerav]

25 minutes ago, jamiebosco said:

Mate that great to hear (pun intended)

The DSPeaker Anti-Modes are very capable units for evening out the bass region, I've seen some impressive "before and after" REW measurements on various forums through the years

Very easy to use as well, no computers or programs involved.

[blybo]

1 hour ago, powerav said:

It was a Creek Evo 2 and a highly regarded allo boss dac and it sounded great but very inconvenient, that’s all.

 

oh and I am deeply sorry I don’t do exactly what you say messiah. 

This is where Stereonet can get a creepy and like some weird religious cult.

 

Sorry I struggle to keep up

 

 

I do not claim the expert tag. I've never told you what to buy, only suggested system architecture likely to give the results you were after with the odd recommendation of what has worked for me. I still consider myself a novice (especially with 2ch gear) but have come quite a way on my journey which is now close to 30 years long.

 

You are not going to get ultimate convenience in 2ch unless you have a fully analogue system or integrated with built in DAC... as I now have btw... Having said that, I was happy to forgo chasing ultimate SQ for the convenience of an all in 1 box.

 

You have taken cheap shots at several members here over the last 12 months because their sound (as in correct) advise doesn't fit with you moving the goal posts every 2 weeks. I've lost count of the number of times you've told us you've now got the sound you were chasing, only list the same item in the classifieds a week later.

Edited October 28, 2017 by blybo

[powerav]

I apologise to you @blybo for buying lots of different pieces of equipment so I can have first hand experience on what I may find to entertain my senses and be a bit of fun with.

Its been a very enjoyable journey and yes I know I throw a lot of crazy and off the cuff comments out there but I see it as brainstorming where some ideas I may dismiss or some do eventually sink in.

While most here see the funny side to it and can tell me straight without coming off as being rude there are only a few that are extremely serious and seem to be fanboys to certain bits of equipment or technology when someone else does not share the same enthusiasm.

Of course who knows what tomorrow brings as everything may change again.

[powerav]

27 minutes ago, blybo said:

I was happy to forgo chasing ultimate SQ for the convenience of an all in 1 box.

That’s exactly what I have done so really we are like 2 peas in a pod, all the other systems were great by the way but really for what was only very minor 1 or 2 percent improvements it was more of a hassle and I stopped actually listening to the music I enjoy, I was listen to the same 1 or 2 songs over and over again trying to pick which is better, that ain’t fun.

[blybo]

15 minutes ago, powerav said:

I apologise to you @blybo for buying lots of different pieces of equipment so I can have first hand experience on what I may find to entertain my senses and be a bit of fun with.

Its been a very enjoyable journey and yes I know I throw a lot of crazy and off the cuff comments out there but I see it as brainstorming where some ideas I may dismiss or some do eventually sink in.

While most here see the funny side to it and can tell me straight without coming off as being rude there are only a few that are extremely serious and seem to be fanboys to certain bits of equipment or technology when someone else does not share the same enthusiasm.

Of course who knows what tomorrow brings as everything may change again.

I find it distasteful to criticise gear like Elektra power amps for example because you ordered a really odd 3ch specification and then couldn't get your money back when you sold it. He is a 1 man show building and selling an excellent product and doesn't deserve criticism for your poor choices. I also find it distasteful to see members buying equipment (grey import?) from places like Grays online or factory refurbished gear and then flipping it for profit in the classifieds.

 

If you don't want to follow advice that's fine, but don't crap on those that give it if it doesn't met your ever changing goals.

Edited October 28, 2017 by blybo

[powerav]

2 minutes ago, blybo said:

I find it distasteful to criticise gear like Elektra power amps for example because you ordered a really odd 3ch specification and then couldn't get your money back when you sold it.

Get your facts straight buddy, I never did dispute the quality of Elektra amps, they are superbly built. 3 channel amps are extremely common. It’s some people in these and other forums which are now part of this one that tarnish the Elektra brand by distributing the amps themselves for profit, call some hifi stores for clarification of this.

I also did almost make my money back on it by the way.

For the other thing you mentioned I won an item at auction and in sold it for $20 more, gee whiz put me in gaol.

 

[Satanica]

6 hours ago, blybo said:

You never hold to gear long enough to get to know it properly. You never tried the Exposure integrated you had with a good quality DAC.

 

I'm happy that you feel you are finally settled on what you want/need, but please don't try to undermine the hoards of correct advise you've chosen to turn your back on.

My thoughts.

1) If something really makes a worthwhile improvement it should be apparent soon (i.e. 5-10 minutes). The longer it takes to appreciate the improvement something gives, the less worthwhile it is.

2) When we get something new our mind is quite likely to think it's better than what it really is, it's called be human.

3) Who are you to really judge what a good DAC is and isn't in the context of this thread, in regard to what DAC's have been compared? Do have an technical information to illustrate this why one is good and one is inferior?

4) A good amplifier is a good amplifier, regardless of what's connected to it.

5) The "hoards of correct advise" might not be universally accepted as such; that "correct advice" may very well be considered poor and/or irrelevant by others.

6) If anyone posts something about a piece of equipment stating that it makes no or negligible difference to what is currently their reference how can that be undermining anybody?

Edited October 28, 2017 by Satanica

[blybo]

My thoughts.

1) If something really makes a worthwhile improvement it should be apparent soon (i.e. 5-10 minutes). The longer it takes to appreciate the improvement something gives the less worthwhile it is.

2) When we get something new our mind is quite likely to think it's better than what it really is, it's called be human.

3) Who are you to really judge what a good DAC is and isn't? Do have an technical information to illustrate this?

4) A good amplifier is a good amplifier, regardless of what's connected to it.

5) The "hoards of correct advise" might not be universally accepted as such; that "correct advice" may very well be considered poor and/or irrelevant by others.

6) If anyone posts something about a piece of equipment stating that it makes no or negligible difference to what is currently their reference how can that be undermining anybody?

1; improvements may not be sound related but imaging, timing, 3D soundstage and sometimes it takes weeks/months for those to appear. Especially if 1 ignores the best way to set up a device.

 

2; Agreed. Different is not necessarily better and that comes back to answer #1 it takes time.

 

3; I’ve never said I am. But Dacs in av gear might be great technology but tend to be poorly implemented with poorer output stages. Jake of all trades, master of none.

 

4; so why don’t we just connect iPods playing 96kbps MP3’s to our superb amplifiers via headphone jack? I hope you have just worded that poorly.

 

5; True when 1 is not clear in their own mind what they want to achieve. The advice given I believe to be sound, and what any number of Hifi stores or experts would advise, but the OP didn’t really know what he was after or didn’t advise us of some criteria. Nobody said if you buy “this” it will definitely fix your issue

 

6; there were several comments about the Elektra being no better etc etc. and must be crap as nobody wants to buy it. Also criticized the fact it had to go back to manufacturer to have channels added. There have also been many insinuated comments regarding many of us loving Audyssey yet ignoring how often we said it was not designed for music concerts and he should adjust it to suit his taste.

[Satanica]

46 minutes ago, blybo said:

1; improvements may not be sound related but imaging, timing, 3D soundstage and sometimes it takes weeks/months for those to appear. Especially if 1 ignores the best way to set up a device.

How can they not be considered "sound related"? If you hear it then it's sound related.

[powerav]

4 hours ago, blybo said:

If you don't want to follow advice that's fine, 

Let me offer you some advice. I have tried multi sub eq and now that I have a dspeaker 8033 cinema I find it slightly better. Will you accept my advice?

[blybo]

25 minutes ago, Satanica said:

How can they not be considered "sound related"? If you hear it then it's sound related.

Okay, poor choice of words. Tone or frequency related. These changes are almost immediately noticeable.

 

25 minutes ago, powerav said:

Just for the record for someone like myself with extensive electrical and electronics training and experience it is silly that I had to ship it back to manufacture to get channels added, for someone like yourself I can understand 

I wouldn't trust the reputation of "my" product to someone I have no idea as to their expertise or qualifications. I don't blame any manufacturer for only wanting "certified technicians" to touch their gear.

16 minutes ago, powerav said:

Will you accept my advice?

Nope, I didn't ask for any advice, but will keep under consideration. I'm very happy with my Audyssey Pro sound calibration in conjunction with professional sub placement in my room by Red Spade Audio.

 

A pity you didn't know to keep your placements closely placed when you did your Audyssey Auto calibrations when you had the DCH-80.3, you'd probably still have it. I often only did 3 points in my auto claibrations that were important to me. You would have known about closely grouping calibration points if you followed the step by step directions from Audyssey that @:) al linked in your thread more than once before giving up.With my pro calibration I don't think any position was more than 80cm from the main listening position, as that's the position I wanted to make right.

[powerav]

you really don’t like it when someone else is happy do you. Look I CAN’T have Audyssey no matter how good it is. All my content is on one source anc as everyone agrees Audyssey is rubbish for music and music concerts so it becomes too much of s pain turning it in and off. IT IS NOT FOR ME.

[blybo]

Don’t worry I’m putting you on ignore

[powerav]

Ok, this will be one of my last post on here and on Stereonet. I may just lurk around in the classifieds and music forums but that's about it.

The "mob' has beaten me down. I'm still at a bit of a loss why but all I can think off is that I gave some honest opinions about some products that "they" believe in. 

Was it the fact I don't like audyssey and someone here has a pro-kit and probably makes some money out of calibrating systems for which is non of my business and I would do the same thing.

Was it that I pm'd some members that when I purchased an Elektra 3 channel amp I received a PM from a member on DTV forum that I got ripped off because I paid close to retail from a retail store and I could've got a 7 channel from this member for less than a 3 channel and if I know anyone else that wants to buy one to send them to him. From that point on I really detested this product.

Was it because I didn't take someones advice because I knew in my heart is wasn't right for me but they just kept on pushing and pushing.

I dunno but who cares now.

Any thanks to the majority that was able to have a laugh or put me straight but still remain respectful on my current crazy journey, this was really just about experiencing as much different pieces of equipment and variations of set ups as possible while I was renting and waiting for our new house to get built so when we move in I would know what I wanted and could concentrate on getting the house set up. Why some people took offence to this I will never know.

[Pops110]

@blybo Why do you feel the need to crap in someone else’s thread. He took your advice and found it wasn’t for him. That’s ok , I don’t understand why you didn’t drop it. 

I think @powerav is nuts  changing gear all the time, but that’s entirely up to him. He has got a good grasp of what he likes, what works and what doesn’t work for HIM.

People like myself have picked up good bargains that were packed well shipped fast and then we can pass along for a good price in the future.

 

Sorry , rant over.

 

Cheers Dave.

[jamiebosco]

On ‎28‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 6:47 PM, powerav said:

you really don’t like it when someone else is happy do you. Look I CAN’T have Audyssey no matter how good it is. All my content is on one source anc as everyone agrees Audyssey is rubbish for music and music concerts so it becomes too much of s pain turning it in and off. IT IS NOT FOR ME.

Personally I hope you don't leave SN over something this trivial, honestly I don't know why you even give a crap about someone on the internet thinks.

I'd have to agree with Dave, I think you're a bit nuts with the frequency/amount of changes you make, it does make for good reading though! And you sound happy now so "all's well that ends well".

 

Not to upset the apple cart, but with your love of MC music/Blu-ray & DVD concerts I'd like to see you "upgrade" your surrounds to some Richter bookshelves, especially if you can buy some from the same series as your fronts, running matching speakers all round was a big improvement in my system.

https://www.lifestylestore.com.au/richter-merlin-bookshelf-speakers.html

 

...and I must correct you...I actually DO like Audyssey room correction for music and especially for Blu-Ray concerts...so it sounds like I'm the odd one out here.

Edited October 30, 2017 by jamiebosco
added link

[darth vader]

Well this is going to hell in a hand basket real quick. I think you all need a drink 

 

@powerav I have to agree, the Integra 60.6 is a great amp, I love mine. It runs rings on my older Pioneer SC-LX.  It bought my Unicorn to life. Before that I thought it was a bit dull. My system is quite similar, except I have Klipsch fronts. I have two 8" down firing subs (I'd like to upgrade them as funds permit) and I've become a fan of twin subs. Its worth the experiment as your receiver can do the trick.

I'm not a fan of extra room correction as my ears cant pick it on HT stuff. For me the self cal the Integra has does just fine.

 

But I will say, my heart is in 2 channel. Thats where I can pick what does sound better for me to my ears. Its no contest, a stand alone 2 ch rig does way better for 2 ch than my Integra can do for 2 ch. Dont get me wrong, the Integra is no slouch and for a HT receiver its the best 2ch performer I've had to date.

 

As a sparky, I'm sure you'd be able to tell someone that thinks they know better where they are going wrong when they plan to either damage or hurt them selfs by shaving down a 15a plug to fit in a 10a socket.

Audio is no life or death matter, at worst you'll hurt your ears, but the same thing applies. Sometimes others experience can help guide you.

This is your thread, I'm glad to see you share your journey. 

 

I hope you dont take my comments as being an ass. I agree with a lot of what you have found. For my part, I've spent easy 2:1 on my 2 channel set up as to my HT set up. While you will get very pleasing results from your gear, it wont give you the bliss you can get from pure 2ch.

 

They are not the same beast. If you get joy from your HT set up, go for it mate, theres nothing wrong with that. 

 

I guess the 2 things are linked, but the name of this forum implies that many here will have a bias to stereo stuff. Cant blame them for that.

[blybo]

[mention=125918]blybo[/mention] Why do you feel the need to crap in someone else’s thread. He took your advice and found it wasn’t for him. That’s ok , I don’t understand why you didn’t drop it. 
 
Cheers Dave.

I don’t wish to go on about this but you’ve asked.

basically I got sucked in by someone who couldn’t listen to the advice that he asked for, and was pretty ungrateful for the effort many put in to try and help. It doesn’t happen often but it really pi55ed me off and I found it difficult to let silly actions go without commenting.

I should have.

the op asked for the advice on gear to improve 2ch but, turns out that’s not what he really wanted. Then wanted a better 5.1 experience and then hated audyssey yet refused to listen to several of us in a separate thread, not just @ Al or myself, about how it needed to be set up properly.

I never went the man, only questioned why he was often only taking half of advice and making decisions on that yet leaving out key steps to get the right results, so didn’t actually have a good grasp of what worked for him as gear sometimes wasn’t set up to its fullest. The op did go the man, sometimes directly, but mostly by making it obvious who we was having a go at but without saying it.

I will not comment again about this and have put the op on my blocked list to stop myself from getting sucked in further.

[powerav]

9 hours ago, blybo said:

the op asked for the advice on gear to improve 2ch but, turns out that’s not what he really wanted.

Wrong, this is what I did want originally as I forked out a fair bit of money and got a Creek evo 2 and Aeries Mini which was awesome and I did thank those that advised to do this. Unfortunately I sold the Creek for a big loss, would of loved to have kept it for a 2 channel only system but funds are tight. Then got a Primare i32 as it was much easier to use but not quiet the same impact as the creek,  i was having trouble with one of my favourite albums with harshness so someone advised me to use AVR with Subwoofer which I did and it did sound better so then the journey began for a better avr and 2 subs.

9 hours ago, blybo said:

Then wanted a better 5.1 experience

No this is wrong as i always had a great 5.1 experience as I have had top end AVR's since 1996.

9 hours ago, blybo said:

only questioned why he was often only taking half of advice and making decisions on that yet leaving out key steps to get the right results, so didn’t actually have a good grasp of what worked for him as gear sometimes wasn’t set up to its fullest

I now have the right results and it is set up to it's fullest as I took advice from @Snoopy8 with regards to 2 subs but i was a bit daunted by the software side of setting them up so i took advice from @jamiebosco it may have been in regards to a DSPeaker 8033 and it worked a treat so yes I do listen to advice and I take a little bit from everyone and then I make my own mind up as I am an adult.

10 hours ago, blybo said:

The op did go the man, sometimes directly,

I don't agree with this but i can show you some very tasty and abusive PM's that I have received if you like.

10 hours ago, blybo said:

I will not comment again about this and have put the op on my blocked list to stop myself from getting sucked in further.

Great because you are not getting the last say on MY thread.

[powerav]

17 hours ago, jamiebosco said:

Not to upset the apple cart, but with your love of MC music/Blu-ray & DVD concerts I'd like to see you "upgrade" your surrounds to some Richter bookshelves, especially if you can buy some from the same series as your fronts, running matching speakers all round was a big improvement in my system.

https://www.lifestylestore.com.au/richter-merlin-bookshelf-speakers.html

Yes I agree and this is the plan but unfortunately you can't get this series 4 speaker anymore, lifestyle store just don't update their webpage. My local store is the owner of Richter that is Audio Junction and they only have the Unicorn centre speakers left in the mk4 version which I am tempted to buy 2 and use them as surrounds.

Excellent advice, thanks.

[Hi-Fi Whipped]

Who's got the popcorn?

[powerav]

Enjoying all the classics all over again, the 2 properly calibrated subs brings even more detail out.