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'sup with x.2 Home Theater?


CushXR

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Does anybody have a 7.2, 9.2, 10.2, 11.2, etc., home theater system out there? I have a 7.1 receiver and a single (Klipsch) KA-1000-THX amp that drives my dual matching THX subs. But I don't think this actually qualifies as a "true" x.2 system, right?

Sorry for the open ended question but I am replacing my receiver so I'm trying to understand if I should purchase one of the few x.2 capable receiver/pre/pro/amp setups. If these x.2 systems have two discrete sub channels, then I think I'll also need another KA-1000-THX amp, right? Although the need might be immediate since I'm not sure there is even any x.2 content out there yet.

There seems to be very little good information on the web regarding this. Is there even an x.2 industry standard format yet. Of the sparse x.2 info I've seen, some indicates that the two subs are
intended to be left & right while others indicate they are front
& rear.

Also, does anybody even make an x.2 capable preamp/processor component yet?

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Yeah i think you would need another amp. No, there is no .2 content or format out there as i understand it. The .2 receivers can be useful for calibrating the subs separately. I would consider your system a x.2 system right now just because you have 2 subs. You must have some quality bass going right now thumbs up and high five

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I have a 7.1 receiver and a single (Klipsch) KA-1000-THX amp that drives my dual matching THX subs. But I don't think this actually qualifies as a "true" x.2 system, right?

Sure it does. If you are running 2 subs, you have a .2 system. If you had a 7.2 receiver, both sub outputs are the same information, same signal therefore no difference than what you have now.

I'm not sure there is even any x.2 content out there yet.

If you think about it, there probably never will be x.2 content since bass is omnidirectional. So if you had some bass come from the left sub and other bass come from the right sub, if you have your subs calibrated to where they blend in smoothly and not draw attention to themselves, you wouldn't be able to tell where the bass is coming from anyways. [:D]

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I run a 5.2 set-up with a 7.2 onkyo. The only advantage this has over 7.1 with a splitter, is that I can set-up two crossover frequencies. My subs also allow this, so it's really just an extra port. What I like is the extra depth I get with two subs vs one, although I'm sure I could have just bought a more expensive sub.

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Thanks for the info everyone.

Cornfed,Does your Onkyo allow changing the phase of one of the subs vs the other? With stacked subs for instance this seems like it might really help bust up LF standing waves in the room. I went to a Neil Young concert a few weeks ago in the old Fox theater in Detroit. Our seats were on the floor under the first mezzanine with maybe a 7' ceiling. During the first acoustic guitar session it was fine but during the subsequent electric guitar session I was floored by the bass reinforcement in that location. You could really tell when the music crossed a certain freq. threshold. It was like your ears were going to pop. I've noticed similar but milder effects at home while using a test disc and steppign through the frequencies while placing my subs. There were LF "hot spots" all over the room if you walked around.

I also understand the common think that subs are non-directional. This has been my experience too, by & large. But, I'm not sure I buy that entirely. Especially since it depends on how far up in frequency the subs reach. I also wonder if a front to rear or left to right sequence of LFE "thuds" could be perceived as directional if the distance was susbtantial and the time separation was small? For music I wouldn't give it a second thought but for HT special effects I guess I'd have to try it. Has anyone tried any kind of x.2 demo disc?

I'm hesitant to buy nice new equipment without x.2 (or even x.3?) capability if it's really coming across the board in a year or two. But so far, I think I've only seen one pair of separates that actually support it (from Emotiva). Like, even that top dog Denon separates package only appears to be an 11.1 based system (w/o THX certification btw). Although that onemight be configurable be an "x.x" type system in reality (up to 12 discrete channels).

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Most subs have crossover and phase controls so being able to

control the subs from the avr has become less important. Example my older Sony

ES avr had 2 sub outs my new one that costs twice as much only has one. Some of

the new ones that have a bass eq in them for 2 subs can be very useful. But really imo the best tool is a bass eq

system like what I use (sms-1). I run a 5.3 system and getting the bass just

right to me was the hardest part. I noticed parts that would vibrate the room

and sound out of place I wasn’t able to get rid of it tell I got the sms-1. Every

room has that certain bass frequency that needs taming. I think most people

just brush it off like it was the movie or something because not all movies do

it. The first time i ran a bass sweep and looked at the screen I was like wow

what a roller coaster. Below is a pic of what I have now using. (Sms-1)

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Like, even that top dog Denon separates package only appears to be an 11.1 based system (w/o THX certification btw)

FWIW, I don't put too much stock anymore in THX Certification. There are companies that produce gear that would meet or exceed THX standards but choose not to pay the dues to Lucas just to get his stamp of approval.

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