Advice on dedicated home theatre

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Advice on dedicated home theatre

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137 posts

Master Geek

#2514878 30-Jun-2020 08:17

This Audioholics page seems to cover the Harman Subwoofer placement stuff I mentioned
Also if you have R.E.W installed you can simulate the individual & combined response of subs in a virtual room to see how they interact.

https://www.audioholics.com/room-acoustics/optimum-locations-for-subwoofers-in-rectangular-rooms

LostBoyNZ

584 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2515484 1-Jul-2020 08:12

Sorry about the slow reply from me, I really appreciate all your help! I'll reply in full, just I juggle two jobs plus the house planning so can quickly get busy busy.

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LostBoyNZ

584 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2517500 5-Jul-2020 11:24

Thanks, I thought the panels might have cost a lot to import yeah. I'll keep in mind the idea of looking online for the material, and it being more open weave so it's acoustically transparent.

Ah for our screen, sorry I should have clarified, we have a 130" Studiotek 130 16:9 Fixed Screen already (2nd hand), that we'd be putting black fabric over the edges to reduce the size. The screens have a great reputation so I imagine we'll like the screen material (fingers crossed!).

That's correct yes, we already own the Klipsch speakers, and they've done well for a few years now. Ideally I'd love a way to add Atmos to the existing setup. The DIY sound group link you posted there was interesting, I never considered that possiblity. haha I feel like as soon as this room is done I'll already be thinking about what to do in our next house :D

Thanks for the link to the subwoofer location page. It looks like Harman took the publically avaliable room results offline as far as I can tell, but another document I found searching their website came to the conclusion that "Two subwoofers, at opposing wall midpoints, performs very nearly as well as four at the midpoints and gives a much better LF factor"

It sounds like I should start with putting the subwoofers either side of the room, just on the screen side of the door (else you wouldn't be able to get past to the rear seats). Hopefully that's not too far forward. I can experiment with how it goes there vs middle of front and back walls.

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AceVPD

137 posts

Master Geek

#2518125 6-Jul-2020 17:38

Yes 2 subs at side midwall works well. Such a difference compared to 1.

allanf714

19 posts

Geek

#2518137 6-Jul-2020 18:16

LostBoyNZ:

Thanks, I thought the panels might have cost a lot to import yeah. I'll keep in mind the idea of looking online for the material, and it being more open weave so it's acoustically transparent.

Ah for our screen, sorry I should have clarified, we have a 130" Studiotek 130 16:9 Fixed Screen already (2nd hand), that we'd be putting black fabric over the edges to reduce the size. The screens have a great reputation so I imagine we'll like the screen material (fingers crossed!).

That's correct yes, we already own the Klipsch speakers, and they've done well for a few years now. Ideally I'd love a way to add Atmos to the existing setup. The DIY sound group link you posted there was interesting, I never considered that possiblity. haha I feel like as soon as this room is done I'll already be thinking about what to do in our next house :D

Thanks for the link to the subwoofer location page. It looks like Harman took the publically avaliable room results offline as far as I can tell, but another document I found searching their website came to the conclusion that "Two subwoofers, at opposing wall midpoints, performs very nearly as well as four at the midpoints and gives a much better LF factor"

It sounds like I should start with putting the subwoofers either side of the room, just on the screen side of the door (else you wouldn't be able to get past to the rear seats). Hopefully that's not too far forward. I can experiment with how it goes there vs middle of front and back walls.

So, do you already own these subwoofers?

Allan

LostBoyNZ

584 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2518203 6-Jul-2020 20:41

Ah I do yes, I own the subwoofers already. Currently we use one and the other, new, is in storage.

I'd heard that too about 2 subwoofers making a fair difference vs just using one, I'm really looking forward to having it all setup in the room and hearing it :D

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Dingbatt

6756 posts

Uber Geek

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#2518268 7-Jul-2020 07:42

This thread has morphed from being about theatre curtains to general configuration and fittings. Is it worth amending the title to make it more search friendly for HT enthusiasts?

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LostBoyNZ

584 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2518285 7-Jul-2020 08:17

Dingbatt:

This thread has morphed from being about theatre curtains to general configuration and fittings. Is it worth amending the title to make it more search friendly for HT enthusiasts?

Agreed yes, happy to change that. Apologies I don't see the option to edit, is there any trick to changing the subject?

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ShinyChrome

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#2518305 7-Jul-2020 08:46

If you are looking into your room acoustics and sub tuning, it might be worth looking into something like a UMIK-1 and REW. Having hard measurements would be invaluable for fine tuning and testing the effects of acoustic panels, sub placement etc.

You can get it direct from miniDSP or for a bit more through Amazon. I would love to get one, but since I can only do so much in my living room, I thought I'd just wait until I can get a dedicated room.

Also, as Alan posted, DIY Soundgroup is such a rabbit-hole; I have thought long and hard about a LCR HTM-12 setup. Spend a bit of time on the AVS Forums DIY section and you will see a ton of Erich's et al designs pop up.

Once I move to the aforementioned and fabled dedicated room, I plan to go full noise DIY. Even if my woodwork is poos, an acoustic screen and a lot of dark paint will sort that!

allanf714

19 posts

Geek

#2518333 7-Jul-2020 09:51

ShinyChrome:

If you are looking into your room acoustics and sub tuning, it might be worth looking into something like a UMIK-1 and REW. Having hard measurements would be invaluable for fine tuning and testing the effects of acoustic panels, sub placement etc.

You can get it direct from miniDSP or for a bit more through Amazon. I would love to get one, but since I can only do so much in my living room, I thought I'd just wait until I can get a dedicated room.

Also, as Alan posted, DIY Soundgroup is such a rabbit-hole; I have thought long and hard about a LCR HTM-12 setup. Spend a bit of time on the AVS Forums DIY section and you will see a ton of Erich's et al designs pop up.

Once I move to the aforementioned and fabled dedicated room, I plan to go full noise DIY. Even if my woodwork is poos, an acoustic screen and a lot of dark paint will sort that!

I have already had mini-dsp send me a 2x4HD in NZ. Reasonable shipping and no problems. I was also eyeing triple HTM-12's up front! Currently using JTR triple 8's.. .but I like the idea of switching to the SEOS horns up front. I have already built 8x volt 8's for surround duty and 2 pairs of S2000's for different systems. I like their kits :). But, I brought these with me from the US. Has anyone established if Erich will ship to NZ?

Allan

ShinyChrome

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#2518409 7-Jul-2020 10:34

allanf714:

I have already had mini-dsp send me a 2x4HD in NZ. Reasonable shipping and no problems. I was also eyeing triple HTM-12's up front! Currently using JTR triple 8's.. .but I like the idea of switching to the SEOS horns up front. I have already built 8x volt 8's for surround duty and 2 pairs of S2000's for different systems. I like their kits :). But, I brought these with me from the US. Has anyone established if Erich will ship to NZ?

Allan

Good to know. I have always been jealous of our American brethren for their free and easy access to DIYSG and Parts Express. When I bought my PB12-NSD last year, I had thought long and hard about building a sub with using a driver from the Dayton Audio Ultimax family, but SVS's living-room-friendly finish won out. Unfortunately there is SFA in the way of sourcing appropriate parts in NZ, so overseas outfits are about the only option.

I have heard good things about both the Volt and S2000 kits, and more recently been thinking about investigating whether the Helix MTM kit could be fit into a floorstanding enclosure for a 2 channel setup, but then COVID-19 ruined international shipping and now with the move to the new warehouse, everything is out of stock. It might not be cheap, but since he provides free-shipping to the states, you might be able to work it out with a shipping forwarder. I was going to contact him directly when I get a bit more serious about ordering.

Sorry OP for the OT!

Dingbatt

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#2518410 7-Jul-2020 10:38

LostBoyNZ:

Dingbatt:

This thread has morphed from being about theatre curtains to general configuration and fittings. Is it worth amending the title to make it more search friendly for HT enthusiasts?

Agreed yes, happy to change that. Apologies I don't see the option to edit, is there any trick to changing the subject?

I think it requires mod assistance.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

allanf714

19 posts

Geek

#2518434 7-Jul-2020 11:25

ShinyChrome:

allanf714:

I have already had mini-dsp send me a 2x4HD in NZ. Reasonable shipping and no problems. I was also eyeing triple HTM-12's up front! Currently using JTR triple 8's.. .but I like the idea of switching to the SEOS horns up front. I have already built 8x volt 8's for surround duty and 2 pairs of S2000's for different systems. I like their kits :). But, I brought these with me from the US. Has anyone established if Erich will ship to NZ?

Allan

Good to know. I have always been jealous of our American brethren for their free and easy access to DIYSG and Parts Express. When I bought my PB12-NSD last year, I had thought long and hard about building a sub with using a driver from the Dayton Audio Ultimax family, but SVS's living-room-friendly finish won out. Unfortunately there is SFA in the way of sourcing appropriate parts in NZ, so overseas outfits are about the only option.

I have heard good things about both the Volt and S2000 kits, and more recently been thinking about investigating whether the Helix MTM kit could be fit into a floorstanding enclosure for a 2 channel setup, but then COVID-19 ruined international shipping and now with the move to the new warehouse, everything is out of stock. It might not be cheap, but since he provides free-shipping to the states, you might be able to work it out with a shipping forwarder. I was going to contact him directly when I get a bit more serious about ordering.

Sorry OP for the OT!

I have also admired that kit as I have always wanted a Jeff Bagby design. I'm sure that the Helix could be made into a floorstander and probably extend the LF response a bit. The problem with modifying this kit is that the designer is no longer around to advise! Consider the Solstice from PE. https://www.parts-express.com/solstice-mltl-reference-tower-speaker-kit--300-708

A Jeff Bagby designed (music focused) floorstander from a company that definitely ships to NZ. They will likely sell you the drivers + crossover components and give you the plans so that you can build your own cabinet (in order to keep the shipping reasonable). On your SVS subs: I will also point out that you paid a hefty penalty when you purchased your SV sub here. It looks like PE charges about 75USD for shipping on their 18" drivers. That makes the VBSS and Marty family of subwoofers a very real possibility for us here in NZ. Absolutely no better ease/bang-for-your-buck subwoofers than those. Then again, WAF is a different issue altogether.

Allan

LostBoyNZ

584 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2518884 8-Jul-2020 08:16

Thanks very much for the links to UMIK-1, that seems like the way to go.

I imagine I can use YouShop or MyUS etc to order it from minidsp.com with a US address, and have it reshipped on to NZ.

Dingbatt: I'll ask a mod if they can please change the topic title.

No worries at all regarding talking about the speaker kits, it's interesting to read :)

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ShinyChrome

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#2518915 8-Jul-2020 08:41

allanf714:

I have also admired that kit as I have always wanted a Jeff Bagby design. I'm sure that the Helix could be made into a floorstander and probably extend the LF response a bit. The problem with modifying this kit is that the designer is no longer around to advise! Consider the Solstice from PE. https://www.parts-express.com/solstice-mltl-reference-tower-speaker-kit--300-708

A Jeff Bagby designed (music focused) floorstander from a company that definitely ships to NZ. They will likely sell you the drivers + crossover components and give you the plans so that you can build your own cabinet (in order to keep the shipping reasonable). On your SVS subs: I will also point out that you paid a hefty penalty when you purchased your SV sub here. It looks like PE charges about 75USD for shipping on their 18" drivers. That makes the VBSS and Marty family of subwoofers a very real possibility for us here in NZ. Absolutely no better ease/bang-for-your-buck subwoofers than those. Then again, WAF is a different issue altogether.

Allan

Ahhh man, that sucks to hear! That guy did some great work in his time.

Thanks for the link, looks like a bunch of high quality components and look pretty to boot. Well, probably not the latter with my wood working-skills... Wow, I didn't know PE ships directly here, I always assumed I would have to use a shipping forwarder like YouShop.

Don't I know it, the price we pay for SAF... although I got a bit of a deal with some Soundpath feet thrown in, it's still not quite $499USD in the States. Probably the first and last time I buy a COTS sub, bar some ridiculous sale. In saying that, I had been tempted by the Rythmik FV15HP's on TradeMe recently, but then again, you can just buy a kit from Rythmik and DIY as well for a lot less.

I would love to have the room to do some Marty's, and you are right, the bang-for-buck factor is off the charts compared to an equivalent SVS et all sub here if you aren't afraid to spin a saw in anger and be happy with a YMMV fit-and-finish.

LostBoyNZ:

Thanks very much for the links to UMIK-1, that seems like the way to go.

I imagine I can use YouShop or MyUS etc to order it from minidsp.com with a US address, and have it reshipped on to NZ.

Allan can probably give you a definitive answer, but when I looked, they would ship directly.

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