[jebjeb]

With the all the Hi-fi talk over in Kupan789's thread (I didn't want to hijack it), I thought it would be interesting to see what kind of stuff all you guys have in your homes.

I recently went around my house to record everything for insurance purposes and it was quite interesting.

Master Bedroom
- B&W DM600 S3 Speakers mounted on wall (thought about going in-ceiling but it was going to be to much trouble)
- Marantz 2 channel integrated amp (new but not too sure of the model number, listened to it as it fit in my price range and it sounded good)
- Squeezebox (these things rock)

Bathroom
- One single B&W DM602 S3 which is the partner to the one I use for my centre channel in the Home Theatre - more later)
This is a quick bodge job running off the second output on the above Marantz amp. Its fine for a bit of background music when getting ready in the morning or having a romantic bath! Its not actually in the bathroom but on a shelf outside the door to the bathroom.

The other two bedrooms are musicless at the moment except when the TiBook is in one of them (setup as an office) and hooked up to some computer speakers.

Kitchen
- B&W LM1 with built in wall brackets on wall (look good, versatile and good for a kitchen environment)
- Old Sony amp
- 2nd Squeezebox (which I run Synced with the bedroom one a bit)
It is great being able to have music while you cook and eat.

Dinning Room
- Occasionally bring the single speaker used in the bathroom down here for some background music when we have guests. Am planning more for this room.

Living Room
- Currently just my JVC 32" Widescreen TV (not my first choice of TV but my brother was moving back to Australia so I got it cheap )as this room is just for watching the odd show or the news. Would like to get a nice two channel setup in here. This is running off the 2nd zone switching on my surround amp in the basement. I have an Wireless IR sender so I can control it and the satellite box from this room.

Home Theatre
This is where it gets fun
- Three B&W DM602 S3's across the front (I wanted to have matching speakers across the front as the centre is too important for it to be a small or not exactly matched speaker. This meant that I had to buy a whole extra pair but you can see I get a little bit of use out of the speaker left over in the bathroom and Dining room)
- B&W DS6 Dipole surround speakers (absolutely fantastic sound field they produce. Great if you like ambience rather than some sound just being aimed at the side of you head. I actually got these used as they are the earlier model. The new model is pretty much exactly the same except for a swtichable tweeter on the main face that you turn off if you are running in dipole mode anyway.)
- B&W DM601 S2's for Rear surrounds (6th and 7th Channels - These were left over from a previous system)
- Rel Stampede Sub (Such a smooth, tight punch sound - very musical but not as hard hitting as some huge 15" monster. Might have to build myself one of those )
- All Speaker cables at the front are Chord Oddesey 2 which is a fine cable with great sound for the mid-range money. These rest is QED. Everything is terminated with cold welded banana plugs.
- Denon 3803 Surround Amp (A great piece of kit which I am running in 7.1 mode. Does everything I want it to do except a bit of equalisation which I am dealing with using room treatments)
- PS2 connected by S-Video and Optical digital audio
- Sony DVD player. Bought it about 4 years ago and cost me about £400. How times have changed... Connected with Component video and Coax Digital audio
- Cruddy VCR which I have used once or twice. It only deserves composite and come-in-the-box RCA's.
- Sky+ Satellite PVR connected with S-video and Optical digital audio
- All interconnects are QED except for a Chord Coax digital
- Homebuilt HTPC with 660 GB storage for uncompressed DVD rips. In hindsight I should have just got a used G4 tower but it is interesting having a PC. This is connected with a DVI cable to the projector and Coax digital audio to the amp. Am looking for a SATA controller card as I need more HD space.
- My display is a Hitachi TXJ-100 LCD projector. Great machine for a great price. As this was on a HTPC I wanted the res that an LCD in this price range would give me (1280x720) rather than DLP. DLP at this price is not quite there in my opinion for my use anyway, I notice the colour wheel effect. This is connected to the HTPC by DVI and to the unconverted output on the amp by Component.
- My screen is 100" 16x9 MDF with a special screen paint called Screen Goo. It is a two layer light grey coat that improved the contrast from the LCD (which is very good already when the iris is stopped down). This is fixed in place as the room is a dedicated theatre. It is surrounded by black felt tape.
- 4 Reclining chairs to finish it off.

As you can see, I like B&W speakers. Please don't confuse them with B&O as it is the opposite end of the spectrum! They have the sound I like which is quite laid back but with good resolution and a great soundstage.

It kind of scared me when I looked at it all. The good thing is that it is a fairly inexpensive setup. The next step is a very nice 2 channel system. Am looking at a good SACD player (which is still decent with CD), Martin Logan Clarity electrostatic speakers and either Krell, Naim or maybe Moon amplification. Might even look at Mark Levinson.

Anyway, would be interesting to see what you guys are doing, especially for the house wide stuff.

[Edited for clarity]

[tooki]

You keep a B&W speaker in your bathroom?!? The humidity will destroy it!

Put cheapie speakers in the bathroom, keep the B&Ws for other places.


I have a mini-home theater system myself:

-B&W DM601 S3 front speakers, DM600 S3 rear
-Denon AVR-1905 receiver
-Pioneer DV578A DVD-Video/DVD-Audio/SACD/CD player
-Sony MDS-JB930 MiniDisc deck
-JVC HR-S4600U SVHS VCR

tooki

[AB^2=BCxAC]

(note: edited for being an a*s)

Off topic:

Sounds like something I wish I could do. But before I do, I've got an itch to make my home eco-friendly (off-grid).

Expensive but good (sustainable and eco-friendly) home improvements if you've got money to burn:

- occupancy sensors
- water saving faucets, toilets, dishwashers
- energy efficient windows and insulation, with heat recovery ventilation
- low biocide and low VOC paints
- Induction cooktops (sorry, gas cooks!)
- Solar (photovoltaic energy) panels for electricity and hot water heating
- Daikin Inverter heat pump for central heating
- Certified sustainably managed wood (for dimensional lumber and floors)
- Recycled sheeting and siding
- low-energy and natural lighting (Philips' Energy Savers are good)
- compost system

[kikkoman]

I recently downsized my home theater system which is in my living room. This is what I have now:

Panasonic TH-50PHD7UY 50" plasma monitor
Anthem AM20 preamp/processor
Anthem PVA5 5 channel amplifier
Denon DVD2910 dvd player
LG3100A HD receiver
Klipsch Reference RB-15 bookshelf, RC-25 center, RS-25 surround speakers
SVS PB-10ISD subwoofer

I had a BenQ 8700+ DLP projectior which I sold off to help pay for the plasma. I have not found a use for my old speakers which I have stored in my bonus room: Paradigm Active 40, Active Center, Studio ADP surrounds and a pair of Studio 20s. Also have a Paradigm Servo 15 just doing nothing at the moment.

I don't have whole house audio but I have an Airport Express connected to my home theater system to listen to iTunes. I am thinking of getting another AE for the bedroom.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

You guys got pics?

anywho, here is mine, replaced the rear projection TV with this amazing Samsung DLP in August.

My favorite thing is the Energy Speakers though, they are so rich and loud yet small as they have a powerful sub separate on the floor and not built into every speaker.

http://homepage.mac.com/bitfly/.Pict...c/samsung1.jpg
[no oversize inline images! --tooki]

[jebjeb]

Originally posted by tooki:
You keep a B&W speaker in your bathroom?!? The humidity will destroy it!

Put cheapie speakers in the bathroom, keep the B&Ws for other places.

Sorry mate, should have been clearer! It is on a shelf just outside the door to the bathroom. I just leave the door open when I want to hear it. Am looking a getting either some weatherproof speakers to mount on the wall in there or a Sonance dual mono bathroom speaker (or similar).

[jebjeb]

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
You guys got pics?

As your nice looking setup is so neat I will have to give mine a bit of a clean. Will post pics then.

[kikkoman]

Here's my living room ht setup.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Originally posted by kikkoman:
Here's my living room ht setup.

See that is my problem with Plasma's. Yes they are neat, and you can hang them all the wall, but you still need a big shelf to hold all the stereo equipment, centre and side speakers and wires.

Unless you can embed all of it in the walls somehow it sorta spoils the whole effect.

[kikkoman]

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
See that is my problem with Plasma's. Yes they are neat, and you can hang them all the wall, but you still need a big shelf to hold all the stereo equipment, centre and side speakers and wires.

Unless you can embed all of it in the walls somehow it sorta spoils the whole effect.

It isn't any different than a front projection setup. There is also the added sonic benefit of not having a reflective surface directly between the main speakers. I can also minimize the vertical distance between the main and center speakers. So it is a trade off for potentially better audio performance for aesthetics.

I wasn't going for the "plasma" look. I didn't have a lot of space to work with. A table top TV would not work in this location because there is not enough space to put some distance between the mains and the TV to reduce sound refections from the front of the screen. Moving the speakers forward was not even an option. Choosing a plasma let me "recess" the screen behind the speakers. Here's the setup from another angle.

[jebjeb]

Well here are some photos. I only moved in not so long ago and made the big mistake fo not finishing (painting, boxing in etc) the room before I installed the gear. Hopefully I can get it done soon. That gas meter and such is ugly. Not a huge fan of the colour either. I already have all the trunking for the cables. Sounds like I have a job for a free weekend soon.

http://homepage.mac.com/jebjeb/.Pict...765E9411D9.jpg
[no oversize inline images! --tooki]
This is from between the two middle seats. Yes that is a wine rack the centre speaker is sitting on - at least until I can find a proper stand the right height!

http://homepage.mac.com/jebjeb/.Pict...765E9411D9.jpg
A wonky view of the back. Notice the meters on the left that I have boxed in. Just need to finish and paint it now. Definitly need to trunk in those cables. The two back channel speakers are hiding behind the middle seats.

http://homepage.mac.com/jebjeb/.Pict...EE5E9411D9.jpg
Not the best shot as it has been ressed down and hard to show its brightness but it is alright for the occasional bit of surfing in between movies. I normally use my TiBook though. The projector is very bright so I normally run it with the iris half open. This also helps to make the contrast very high.

[jebjeb]

Hope the images are with in the limits. Don't want to get Tookinated! (you do a good job keeping these boards readable mate!)

[The maximum image width is 480 pixels. The full image guidelines are visible at the top of any forum listing. --tooki]

[residentEvil]

i'm still building my HT room and have more work to do (tape, mud, sand, paint, trim; and may change the carpet i put it...not happy with the color for the room. it was left over from the other side of the HT where the bar and pool table is) but here are the current pics:


back wall


front wall


dvd storage


equipment

the only thing equipment wise that will be changing is the screen. this is the one i had for my old loft (120" 4x3) and will be getting a new 16x9 once the room is done. oh, and i may be buying a new projector. it is old. going on 6 years already, one of the first HDTV capable units. features and inputs have changed since then

[storer]

You people have huge sound and vision systems. Here's what I have, laugh all you like:

Lounge:
Kenwood DVD Stereo System - This system is primarily a stereo, but plays the dvds for this room too. Has good sound for it's small size.
NEC 68 CM TV - Tiny, compared to the rest that I see here.
Sharp VCR - Enough said.

Dining/Kitchen:
*Sharp 34cm TV
*Sharp Hi-Fi System - 200w system. Does all I need it to.

Outdoor Area:
DSE Stereo Integrated Amp - a cheapy. 80w per channel.
Digitor Weather Speakers - 60w - 120w.
Digitor CD Player - well, you need an input device.

My Room:
Kenwood HiFi System - 2 x 70w, a powerful little system for a bedroom.

*= A promotion from my parent's business got us this for nothing

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Originally posted by residentEvil:



front wall

That could possibly be the worst dog bed placement in the history of the world.

[storer]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
That could possibly be the worst dog bed placement in the history of the world.

Agreed. Dogs have sensitive hearing, you know.

[residentEvil]

and what is worse, it isn't used for sleeping. all the the little s hit does is hump it.

[residentEvil]

Originally posted by storer:
Agreed. Dogs have sensitive hearing, you know.

it isn't used, don't worry, that is just were the bed ended up.

[storer]

Originally posted by residentEvil:
it isn't used, don't worry, that is just were the bed ended up.

I'm no animal activist.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Originally posted by residentEvil:
it isn't used, don't worry, that is just were the bed ended up.

Is that a cat bed on top of the Sub-woofer?? You are freaking me out man!

[jebjeb]

Originally posted by residentEvil:
i'm still building my HT room and have more work to do (tape, mud, sand, paint, trim; and may change the carpet i put it...not happy with the color for the room. it was left over from the other side of the HT where the bar and pool table is) but here are the current pics:

Looks like it is going to be a nice setup mate! Is it in your basement? Mine is in my basement which is a damn good thing. A whole lot of London is terraced housing and my place is no different. A street of about 15 houses all joined together. It is pretty well insulated but I still like the fact that my setup is "underground" and I can crank the volume up at whatever time I want. I checked to see if my neighbours can hear anything and they can't which is cool. I prefer to be considerate with these things as it would annoy the hell out of me if next door was listening to a movie loud and I was trying to sleep/relax.

[residentEvil]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
Is that a cat bed on top of the Sub-woofer?? You are freaking me out man!

no, it isn't.

[residentEvil]

Originally posted by jebjeb:
Looks like it is going to be a nice setup mate! Is it in your basement? Mine is in my basement which is a damn good thing. A whole lot of London is terraced housing and my place is no different. A street of about 15 houses all joined together. It is pretty well insulated but I still like the fact that my setup is "underground" and I can crank the volume up at whatever time I want. I checked to see if my neighbours can hear anything and they can't which is cool. I prefer to be considerate with these things as it would annoy the hell out of me if next door was listening to a movie loud and I was trying to sleep/relax.

yup, in the basement. haven't done any acoustical treatments yet as i will need to address one of the walls (concrete). couldn't put up a wall there as i did on the rest of basement exterior walls as that wall has a lot of the plumbing as well as the kitchen drain and pipes in the theater. i know, not the best looking thing to have a drain pipe going down a wall but it can't be moved. i've gotten over it. it will painted and blend in once finished.

[badidea]

Originally posted by residentEvil:

equipment

Is that an AVR3000? Looks like my own setup!

[residentEvil]

Originally posted by badidea:
Is that an AVR3000? Looks like my own setup!

nope, the older AVR520. couple years old now, i guess.

[badidea]

Originally posted by residentEvil:
nope, the older AVR520. couple years old now, i guess.

I googled it because I never heard of the 520 before (maybe US-EUR differences). Since the 520 is a 7.1 reciever it seems to be even newer than mine - looks exactly the same though!

[jebjeb]

Originally posted by residentEvil:
yup, in the basement. haven't done any acoustical treatments yet as i will need to address one of the walls (concrete). couldn't put up a wall there as i did on the rest of basement exterior walls as that wall has a lot of the plumbing as well as the kitchen drain and pipes in the theater. i know, not the best looking thing to have a drain pipe going down a wall but it can't be moved. i've gotten over it. it will painted and blend in once finished.

You do learn to live with things, don't you. Just above and behind my screen is the mains gas meter and pipe. I have been meaning to curtain the whole front wall and cover it up but just haven't got around to it.

I like the built-in equipment rack. Keeps everything neat. I am looking at maybe closing in the bay in the room and making it in to a closed equipment rack and storage closet. Would look a lot neater but I also think it would make the room look quite a bit smaller. I might just enclose the bottom 2 or 3 feet of the bay which would keep the size but still hide everything away

[jebjeb]

Originally posted by jebjeb:
Hope the images are with in the limits. Don't want to get Tookinated! (you do a good job keeping these boards readable mate!)

[The maximum image width is 480 pixels. The full image guidelines are visible at the top of any forum listing. --tooki]

Doh! I read the size restrictions the wrong way around! I thought it was 480 high... thats why I did them as 600x400. Sorry!

[Link]

Eh, my 'home theater' is just a cinema display and klipsch 5.1s Let the laughs begin.

[olePigeon]

I have a Kenwood something or anothers amp, 100w per channel. 2 120 watt giant speaker towers (about 4 feet tall), 53" projection TV (NEVER AGAIN!), center, 2 rears, and 32" (36? Don't remember) sub.

I got the super speakers real cheap because the corners were busted. I glued, tacked, puddies, then painted. Look good as new and sound awesome. Neighbours think so too.

Never get a rear projection TV. They suck. You have to get them serviced like every 6 months cuz the auto-focus doesn't always work. When I start work again I'm gonna get a projector.

[olePigeon]

Almost forgot. I have a Toshiba DVD player. It's not a great player, but it's fallen off my TV three times onto cement when I was moving, and it still works. So I think I'll probably get another Toshiba.

I'm also finally converting my CDs to MP3 cuz I'm getting an AirPort Express so I can finally play my music off my nifty stereo. $70 for APE. I love having friends who work at Apple.

[residentEvil]

theater update!

drywall is now finished. ceiling (as seen already above) was done in black when i painted the builtins. started with black coat on all the walls and finished off with a sponge job of deep red. i removed the blue shaded carpet (which was leftover from the pool table room anyway) and put down a new pattern style: with reds, blacks, tans and some highlights...the pattern was called fall leaf. working on the drapes right now that will frame the projection screen. sewing on the hooks/eyes onto the drapes is slow going, i'm not good with a needle. no trim on the bottom has been installed yet, as that will get done when the pool table room gets it's trim.

moved the recliners back in, the gear and the speakers. will take some photos tonight and post. just tired; been on my knees cutting the carpet to fit and just want to relax for a while.

[osxpinot]

Sounds takky but it could be cool.

Post some pics, I'm interested in seeing.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Hope you moved that dog bed.

[residentEvil]

of course it is takky just be glad i didn't gold leaf anything!

only took photos of the equipment again and then a wall/floor detail (that also shows a wall jack with component video, left/right audio for game systems and another sub connect, in case i want to move the sub later as well a switched A/C outlet that is connected to my Panamax power protection) that shows the wall and floor colors pretty good. will take more once the drapes are done for around the screen.





edit: Panamax even

[osxpinot]

Where are the smoke machines and laser lights?

[residentEvil]

hahaha. i have a circuit though, caped with a wall plate right now, for that takky rope lighting if i ever wanted too. would that work?

and of course, still need to do the trim, hence the white gap at the bottom of the wall next to the carpet edge. that will be done in the next month or so (as i slowly work on finishing the pool table/bar room). only want to hall into the basement the miter saw/air compressor/tools once.

[osxpinot]

It'd be really hot if you sprayed the trim in a black laquer. Do you have any plans for the ceiling? Perhaps faux tin painted black?

[residentEvil]

nope, ceiling is done. it has all been 'blacked out' and everything exposed. joists, pipes, duct work, etc. all painted black, but exposed and visible. the trim will be all semi gloss black in the theater.