holtrp

I am torn on upgrading to 4k. First of all, true 4k projectors are stupidly expensive still. I am not completely sold on 'faux k' pixel shifting as it feels like sort of 720p or 1080i all over again (not true HD). Then there is the content side. Redbox and Netflix put all the video stores out of business. UHD blu ray movies when you can find them run $30 each. I guess there is a net service that rents them out to people? 4k isn't really here just yet as far as streaming / games and broadcast. I am thinking about giving it a few more years until prices come down and content is more widely available.

Yeah, I am out of town right now and I don't have any pictures with me. Same problem though. 9' ceilings in the front of the room but only 7.5' in the rear as they get shorter with a heating duct over head. Plus, I had ceiling speakers in my last home for rear surround for a while so I know what they sound like. They were in a coffered ceiling and they were fine, they make noise, but they are no match for a bookshelf that can be pointed towards you. So, I got on the forums and the ebay, found two pairs of reasonably priced ref IV bookshelves and grabbed a pair of these mounts from PE https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-shadow-mount-swmhd-heavy-duty-adjustable-speaker-wall-mount-pair--182-3300?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pla Front height are on the side walls approx ~1' forward of the main L / R channel with the top of the speaker maybe 6" from touching the ceiling. Rear height are as close to the corners as I can get them on the rear and side wall (door) in the same configuration with about 6" of room between the ceiling and top of the speaker.

I've only had my 7.1.4 atmos up and running for about a month. Only watched maybe 2 blurays with actual atmos encoding, but played a ton of games, streamed shows and movies. I haven't even run room correction yet or level matched my subs to the new pre pro and speakers. I am definitely more impressed with Atmos than I was from the jump from 5.1 to 7.1 which I still struggle to notice a difference with. Atmos is much more immersive than 5.1 or 7.1 and it isn't just a gimmicky thing like "WOW! Did you hear that? The sound came all around but from the ceiling! And then it circled those 4 speakers!" To be sure, watch any atmos demo and you're sure to see the most gimmicky gimmicks it has to offer, like the tropical rain forest with the howler monkey coming from the front right height speaker and the birds and wind circling around the room. What I have noticed the most out of Atmos is just how wider and taller the sound stage is now in my room with not only atmos content but with all content. You really feel surrounded by sound and everything is more immersive. I am glad I went with full bookshelf reference speakers opposed to in ceiling or up firing too. I am sorry, but I just can't buy that you will ever get decent sound bouncing it off the ceiling or trying to install what are essentially car stereo speakers in the ceiling without a real enclosure and then aiming them straight down at the floor. Not that you can't get good theater sound out of it, but I would still recommend bookshelves over in ceiling or up firing if you can swing it.

Speaker technology doesn't change... All you are paying for is marketing with new speakers (my opinion). To be clear, I would absolutely spare no expense when it comes to atmos and good amplification. The sad reality is the new reference speakers you buy will be worth 30% what you pay for them retail two years from now and and will be indistigushable from the sound you can get out of 10 year old reference klipsch speakers. Here is about all I can say for atmos and music with maybe 5 hours of total listening time to music on an atmos system. I no longer default to stereo playback music. It sounds better and more natural than anything I have heard before it. Before atmos, any sound field or setting sounded horrible outside of stereo but I have really enjoyed the subtlety atmos brings to music. It seems like the soundstage is just bigger.

I would seriously consider buying used gear. You will get much more for your money on Audiogon, online classifieds and craigslist. You should be able to add multiple subs, a larger screen and / or outboard amps to your setup that way. To my ear, RF-83, RF-7, etc all sound very similar so I am sure that the newer Klipsch stuff is on the same level.

Monoprice is where it is at.

I recently upgraded to a pre/pro with balanced outputs. Oddly enough, it turns out my Emotiva XPA-5 has a terrible hum that is caused by using the balanced inputs so I swapped back over to the trusty old RCA connections. I hate hums in my system and have dealt with my fair share of them over the years. Some of the more uncommon, harder to find sources include, Y splitters, female to female connectors and generally speaking all RCA connections. Sometimes just turning the RCA connector 1/4 will fix the problem. After that I start unplugging components / accessories one at a time.

I think 12 gauge is a code requirement for 20 amp circuits. My place is set up on a single 20 amp circuit. I have two Inukes and 2 Emotivas. I have thrown this breaker only during max SPL demos require hearing protection. I think a single 20 amp and even a single 15 amp is enough for regular use. Where it gets dodgy, is also on this single circuit is more basement lighting, a wall outlet that runs our treadmill, and another outlet that runs all the other AV components. If I ever get around to remodeling the room, I will definitely go for 3 dedicated 20 amp circuits, 2 for amps an one exclusive for components.

My recent purchase was Marantz 7703, retails $2200 but I got it for $1500 off the intered-nets. Klipsch forum garage sale page, AVS forum classified, Emotiva Emporium, Audiogon, eBay and Craigslist are all good places to look for the really good, can't pass up deals. Even some companies and Amazon have pretty steep discounts on this stuff from time to time. I would say pick maybe 3 different models you are interested in and then price watch and shop around for the next 6 months until you find one at least 30-40% off base retail price. With CyberMonday, the holidays coming up, you should be able to find something.

So sorry to hear about this. I can't imagine what you and your family are going through. So glad that everyone is ok though. Hopefully your insurance business will be handled in a timely and satisfactory manner. I can only assume that your neighbor's insurance policy will be doing the heavy lifting on reimburse, but your own homeowners insurance should also not have much room to skate as this was truly a no fault of your own incident. Best wishes.

I have been very pleased with iNukes. Spend an extra $10 and do the 5 minute fan upgrade so they don't sound like a hair dryer. http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/subwoofer-amps-high-pass-filters/82690-inuke-nu6000-fan-mod-w-lots-pics.html As for woodworking skillz, I had absolutely zero experience. The most challenging part is getting straight cuts on MDF. And using a router with a circle jig. https://www.infinitytools.com/blog/2016/12/01/how-to-cut-perfect-circles-using-your-router-with-jasper-circle-guides/ I can assure you though it is certainly nothing worth getting intimidated about, its probably still 101 level woodworking stuff, especially if you don't really care about rounded corners and high-gloss piano black finish. All in for my current setup: 4 18" dayton HO's $1000 8 sheets of MDF - $400 (the stuff at my local lumber yard was better than the stuff at HD and Lowes, but I could have saved ~$50. 8 sheets will get you 4 full sized marty sub cabinets and enough left over for all the internal bracing 2 iNuke 6000 DSP - $800 - $820 with two quieter fans Glue, screws, 2 queen sized foam mattress toppers for lining, silicon, wood filler, spray on adhesive, duratex or rattlecan - $100 -$300 Wiring / Speakon Connectors - $50 Tools - Brad nailer, air compressor, router, orbital sander, sawhorses, skilsaw, straight edge, tape measure ?? This is variable because I bought some stuff at pawnshops, yard sales and you could probably rent all this stuff for a few weeks for a $100 if you didn't want to buy it. But still, that is right around $3000 even on the high end, but still way under the price of one new JL F113 and more comparable to the price of one SVS PB16 Ultra. Plenty of ways to save too. Stereo integrity has 18's on sale for $160, you might not want or need 4 refrigerator sized cabinets in your room, so you could go with 2 or step down to a marty cube or mini marty design. My opinion - best money and time you'll spend in home theater.

http://www.avsforum.com/forum/155-diy-speakers-subs/1648673-martysub-faq.html This should get you started. It is a total rabbit hole but I am way more satisfied with DIY than I was with commercial subs.

I can't speak to Klipsch vs Polk. I will say though, the best bang for your buck in subwoofers will be DIY 18" subs over anything sold commercially.

I am mid Atmos upgrade. I just upgraded to a Marantz 7703 and have the front height speakers installed. I went with RB-61's mounted to the sidewall. I am going to have my rear height speakers here in a few weeks (RB-51). As for timbre / level matching, I think it is somewhat important to keep your system stocked with similar components. Not critical though. I wasn't interested in ceiling mounts at this point, These Dayton mounts are perfect for small to mid sized bookshelf speakers if you want to go that direction. https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-shadow-mount-swmhd-heavy-duty-adjustable-speaker-wall-mount-pair--182-3300#! As for Atmos, I am impressed so far. I haven't done in depth calibration, but I watched 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' and the effect of Atmos is certainly noticeable. The front sound stage is huge. I expect the surround will be equally impressive once I get that up and running.

It is tough to explain, but now that I have had my CPAP for awhile and have only not used it a handful of times, I totally recognize that I am not sleeping though the night and waking up 50 times per night. It is amazing how you 'get used' to sleep apnea and even with a severe case of it you don't realize that you are stopping breathing and waking yourself up 50 times per night. Sleep study is pretty straight forward. You go to a clinic to spend the night. They put a bunch of wires on you to monitor you while you sleep. My sleep study lasted 2 hours. Guy came into my room and told me I had 'woke up' something like 35 times. We put on a mask with a low level air pressure. Went back to sleep, tough to get used to the mask. Woke up the next morning and felt like I had slept for days, fully rested. My CPAP came with a modem. Phillips Dreamstation. It sends data back to my doctor and they monitor my usage. They ended up cranking up the air pressure over the first couple weeks (all done remotely by the clinic), but I think this feature is also used by the insurance company to make sure you are using it at least 4 hours per night otherwise they don't pay for it. I honestly can't recommend this treatment enough. If you know you snore or are told you stop breathing when you sleep, make it a priority to get treatment.

Man, you need to do something to make it work. I have been on my CPAP for about a year and a half now and it has been life altering. I have probably not used it maybe 7 days since I got it, those few nights have shown me how terrible my sleep was for years. After having one and getting used to a full nights rest, I couldn't ever go back. The nodding off at the wheel was really scary and what prompted me to finally get treatment, but feeling refreshed and focused is really worth it. Do whatever it takes to use the machine. Sorry I don't have any practical advice about what equipment to use, but your sleep center / doctor should be able to help you find equipment and bed / pillow combination that will work for you. Just remember, the hardest part is to get into a habit, keep trying.

It is all individual taste. I prefer a function over form room. My space is my space entirely to do as I please. Gear out, wires visible doesn't bother me. I am concerned with ideal speaker placement and picture quality for gaming, shows and movies. I am comfortable knowing the next owner can easily use the space for whatever they need. That said, I think a major upgrade will be darker paint, carpet and recessed lighting. I don't think I will black everything out, but it bothers me when a scene with a lot of light comes on and I instantly notice the reflected light off the ceilings, furniture, walls and carpet. I recently found some 1" x 24"x 48" sound panels. Not sure how effective they will be but once I change the fabric they should help with first reflections and also dimming the room.

Good read here: http://www.audioholics.com/loudspeaker-design/surround-speaker-dipole-vs-bipole I have RS-52 for side and rear surrounds in a similar sized room. I have always liked the RS-52 for side surround but am thinking about getting a pair of bookshelves for the rear surround as the rear surrounds have never really impressed me. Just looking at the spec sheets briefly, I think the Pro 180RPW probably is the closest match to the RP-280s. I have never been big on permanent in wall speakers but if you are building a room that will never change, it is probably a good idea.

I don't think you can go wrong with either. My first 5.1 receiver 20 years ago was a Yamaha. A buddy of mine still has it in fact. I don't remember the model number. For the past 10 years I have had a Denon 3808CI which has done everything I could have asked for. I just picked up a used Marantz 7703 for $1500. One thing I like about Denon / Marantz is they have been in my experience very reliable and well supported. I would say shop around and get the one you can find the best deal on. I have decided I don't really care much for Auddesy or room correction software (perhaps XT32 will convince me) so I wouldn't let one or the other sway my decision.

Good video that explains Room EQ Wizard and the subsequent filter adjustments on your DSP. I am happy with iNuke, but I am sure the Crowns are just as good and there are probably videos out there that can help explain the DSP adjustments.

Thanks Johnny - I am sort of particular about having exact matching reference IV series equipment. No Reference II or RB 10's or anything like that.

Looking to pick up another pair of these for my upcoming move to Atmos. Let me know if you are looking to move a pair! And, there is currently a single up on Ebay so if you have a single you want to get rid of, let me know! Thanks!

I can only echo youth and robo here. A separate amp is worth the money invested IMO. The good thing about it, if you buy a used, quality amp (like emotiva) they hold value. It isn't like a receiver that will be out of date and worthless in 10 years. It should be worth what you paid for it or possibly more. Well built, inexpensive amps will never go out of style. I have been hunting another gen 1 XPA 5 for about a month now and the ones that are listed are sold within a few days. As for sound quality, I think going from an on board receiver to outboard amp will give you dramatic results. I think the bigger the drivers in your speakers, the more dramatic the results. Those 8" woofers will really move when properly powered. You'll gain more headroom than you'll ever need.

-20 to -25 is perfect for a full movie in my system. I limited my system to -0 which is pretty much demo mode. I even wear ear muffs below -10 most of the time.

You have three options: 1. More subwoofer 2. MORE subwoofer 3. A lot MOAR Subwoofers! I'd go with #3