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Does anyone have a 2-channel multipurpose system?


AccessDenied

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I agree with turning everything 90 degrees... let the TV cover part of both of those windows... I wouldn't care but others might.

But seriously, the problem that would bother me the most with your current configuration is that the vaulted ceiling will screw with your imaging pretty bad.  It didn't matter how much absorption I tried.  I had no choice in my room but to orient the speakers and my seating area so that the 1st reflections from the ceiling were equal distances.  Otherwise, it would sound like the vocalist was sliding back and forth on the sound stage.   I don't worry about corners as I pull the speakers out from the walls and try to arrange so that I lessen the booms and nulls on the low end.  

 

Oh and leave the AVR equipment right where you have it... keep the front wall clear of "stuff."  

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22 minutes ago, muel said:

I agree with turning everything 90 degrees... let the TV cover part of both of those windows... I wouldn't care but others might.

But seriously, the problem that would bother me the most with your current configuration is that the vaulted ceiling will screw with your imaging pretty bad.  It didn't matter how much absorption I tried.  I had no choice in my room but to orient the speakers and my seating area so that the 1st reflections from the ceiling were equal distances.  Otherwise, it would sound like the vocalist was sliding back and forth on the sound stage.   I don't worry about corners as I pull the speakers out from the walls and try to arrange so that I lessen the booms and nulls on the low end.  

 

Oh and leave the AVR equipment right where you have it... keep the front wall clear of "stuff."  

 

 

my wife is not so much concerned about audio quality as she is "open-ness and welcoming-ness".

I see where she is coming from though - If we rotated the whole room it would turn everyone away from the central area which is really the large kitchen and walkway through to family room.
It would feel less inclusive.


But again, currently it's sub-optimal for audio...

 

Ahhh what to do?!

I ran the idea by her and she said, "We'll talk about it tonight..."

That means I need a very convincing argument! and a plan to make the room welcoming in the new orientation!

 

 

 

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Well, I said the vaulted ceiling would be bad for your imaging but every room is different.  I was just making a prediction based on my (limited) experience.  When the sound stage is right though... it is wonderful when it sounds like you are there at the performance!

 

Also, I suggest this often to help you get the best set up:  http://getbettersound.com/index.php This is a very cheap upgrade if you follow his advice as much as you can!

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3 minutes ago, muel said:

Well, I said the vaulted ceiling would be bad for your imaging but every room is different.  I was just making a prediction based on my (limited) experience.  When the sound stage is right though... it is wonderful when it sounds like you are there at the performance!

 

Also, I suggest this often to help you get the best set up:  http://getbettersound.com/index.php This is a very cheap upgrade if you follow his advice as much as you can!


https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ic5pi265f6tatjg/AAD47XkjAHhHh2NLf1l6xkVva?dl=0

Here is a link to some photos we took during the home inspection prior to purchase.
We just moved in on Friday last week so photos now would just be a ton of boxes and random stuff! lol

So note, the furniture in the photos are not ours. But their setup was basically how we would do ours, except with a sectional couch rather than two and the TV wall mounted instead of on stand.

 

Also, I placed yellow boxes over the family portraits to preserve as much privacy as possible since the family was willing to let me take the photos in the first place!

 

Thoughts?

 

I might make a separate thread in HT with the photos to gauge an opinion from that crowd of members 

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I still say a short wall next to the doorway. It only needs to be slightly higher than the speakers (if we're talking Chorus IIs or similar). Even extending 2 feet out would help a LOT. Needs to be solid, though, not like the open shelving kind of thing.That would still keep the room orientation the way you want it, and wouldn't block the view, and the windows don't get covered up.

 

Bruce

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4 minutes ago, Marvel said:

I still say a short wall next to the doorway. It only needs to be slightly higher than the speakers (if we're talking Chorus IIs or similar). Even extending 2 feet out would help a LOT. Needs to be solid, though, not like the open shelving kind of thing.That would still keep the room orientation the way you want it, and wouldn't block the view, and the windows don't get covered up.

 

Bruce

 

That's an easy thing to test out too.
I have sheets of ply at the house I can just place one up real fast and see how it affects the sound.

 

I don't have the speakers yet. I'm going this weekend to make a purchase. Either the ChorusII, the RF62ii or Forteii.
I was leaning towards the ChorusII but now my wife likes the look of the RF62ii with the RB-35s.

That's not a bad compromise since she first wanted the Quintets over everything else!
RF62iis are still good speakers, right?
I'd be getting them with an RC62 for $500 total.

 

 

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I am sure they would be fine, although I have never heard them. I have La Scalas and Heresy IIs. The RF-62ii would be more wife friendly, for sure, being less than 10 inches wide. I have heard the Chorus II and really liked the sound.

 

Bruce

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16 hours ago, jimjimbo said:

After looking at the photos,  I am of the opinion that Chorus would be too large for the room (physically and sonically).  I have no experience with the Reference line, so couldn't comment on those.


I was worried about that...

I think I'm going to look into the reference line for now. They would match the RB35s I own already and would likely fit better in the room.

 

Thanks again for all the help!

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What are the actual dimensions of the room, the area for the tv end of the room? I had LaScalas in an 11x20 room and they were fine. Now, mine were turned and on the short wall, but in our previous house I had approx. the same size room and had them in pretty much the same setup you would have. They worked fine, and a Chorus setup would have been better. The Chorus would be rockin', but the Reference would probably be more agreeable to your wife (and still sound good).

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45 minutes ago, Marvel said:

What are the actual dimensions of the room, the area for the tv end of the room? I had LaScalas in an 11x20 room and they were fine. Now, mine were turned and on the short wall, but in our previous house I had approx. the same size room and had them in pretty much the same setup you would have. They worked fine, and a Chorus setup would have been better. The Chorus would be rockin', but the Reference would probably be more agreeable to your wife (and still sound good).

 

I can't say for certain the actual size of the TV portion on that room...

We had new carpets put in and he said the entire room was 266 sqft. - I am approx. 14' x 19'.
Minus the entrance which is about 5'. So if we take that back 14' and subtract 70sqft...

The TV portion of the room is probably close to 14'x14', or 196 sqft.

I think my wife wants to keep everything uniform and she really likes the look of the copper on black.

 

I'm picking up an RC62 on Saturday and will "hopefully" be looking at the RF62iis as well if the guy responds...

I think we'll be happy with these if all works out!

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4 minutes ago, AccessDenied said:

I think my wife wants to keep everything uniform and she really likes the look of the copper on black.

 

That's the answer! Very cool, and the Reference models really look nice.

 

Of course, we want pics when you get everything set up.

 

Bruce

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28 minutes ago, Marvel said:

 

That's the answer! Very cool, and the Reference models really look nice.

 

Of course, we want pics when you get everything set up.

 

Bruce


Certainly!

I'm going to try and put the bar at the entrance when you walk into the room to create a pseudo corner for the left tower.
Not sure if it will be tall enough, but it might help a little?

I really just gotta go pick these things up and plug them in! Speculation is only that; the true testament is through our hears!

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The RF-62ii is right at 41 inches (40.6 according to the spec sheet), so that should be fine. I was going to say a small bookcase with a nice back on it (back to the speaker side of the room), would work temporarily. Load it with books to make it dense. :D

 

 

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On 10/4/2016 at 10:12 AM, AccessDenied said:

Can I get by with a 2-channel system here?

Certainly.  I don't know any rooms that wouldn't support 2-channel listening.  In fact, they all will be used for 2-channel at some point, even if a home theater.

 

On 10/4/2016 at 10:12 AM, AccessDenied said:

Chorus II?  I would be listening to music and watching movies/playing games through the same system..

Chorus IIs would work well.  If you like tighter bass, horn-loaded bass is better.

 

On 10/4/2016 at 10:12 AM, AccessDenied said:

...should I relay this post to the HT threads for feedback on adding rears and center to the Chorus IIs?

No need.  Discussing the merits of a surround sound system is good here within the context of two channel.

 

On 10/5/2016 at 9:22 AM, AccessDenied said:

My wife is not so much concerned about audio quality as she is "openness and welcoming-ness"...I see where she is coming from though - If we rotated the whole room it would turn everyone away from the central area which is really the large kitchen and walkway through to family room.  It would feel less inclusive.  But again, currently it's sub-optimal for audio...Ahhh what to do?!

You can leave the placement of the loudspeakers where you have them and simply turn a solid-back bookcase perpendicular to the front wall, back to the loudspeaker, just outside of the left channel loudspeaker to reinforce the bass and midbass imaging.  Fill it with books to add mass and damping.  This has an added advantage of providing a bookcase in the listening area and doesn't detract from the openness and overall aesthetic of the room.  If you don't have a solid-back bookcase of the right dimensions, you can also build a short false wall or bar of right dimensions to backstop the left channel.  It can be decorated to match the existing room decor. 

 

I'd recommend putting some absorbent material on the sidewall and back of the bookcase that backstops the left channel.  This will dramatically improve imaging.  Make sure that the loudspeakers are toed-in to the listening position or a bit further.  This will also dramatically improve imaging.

 

The ceiling bounce may be an issue, even oriented like it is...Muel was right about that part.  You may wind up having to place a bunch of absorption on the each canted ceiling half to control this.  I know a couple of guys that have had to do this to get the first-bounce reflections under control.

 

Chris

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so an update...
I couldn't make the trip to test out the Chorus II's this past weekend - But, I was able to pick up an RC62 from craigslist for $80!
It's in pristine condition... Looks like it was never used.

 

I was skeptical since I couldn't test it, I just met the guy in a parking lot (btw, always pick a spot across from a police station - You can weed out the undesirables that way. It works.)

I got home, plugged it in. Sounds amazing!

 

I just need my new AVR remote to come in so I can calibrate this thing now with my RB-35s.
I have it set to Stereo EXT. since I can barely adjust anything without the remote...


So now I have a 3.0 channel system. It's already sounding amazingly better for movies and tv shows.
When I listen to music I change it back to Stereo and the center cuts out.

I'm thinking my next purchase will be a sub. But my wife really isn't sold on the idea... Some reason she thinks a sub will be obnoxious to the neighbors and it carries some stereotype with them? idk...

 

Maybe something small like this will be a good start for her to hear the difference?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KVQBA/ref=s9_top_hd_bw_bitM_g23_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=3WTVWFK46P2VBC9BWDDP&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=6fc71d99-5362-526e-b48e-9a05897aee91&pf_rd_i=172568

 

 

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I would borrow a sub from a friend or neighbor before you spend anything.  If you can find a medium size unit to demo to your wife, and demo the unit at a moderate gain level, I think you will be doing well.....Putting out $99 for a "trial" is probably not the best use of your funds, IMO.

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