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New 7.2.4 setup, could use advice!


Diktat

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Good evening everyone!

 

I'm currently in the process of setting up a completely new configuration for a home cinema installation, which will actually be my first "real" semi-dedicated setup. I've done a lot of research on my end, and looked up all the different possibilities and configurations, but I am now reaching the point where I'm about to pull the trigger, and I have a few decisions remaining to make that can only be based on experience and expertise... Both of which I currently lack. This is why I'm coming here, to ask for your advice and assistance on finalizing and refining the selection for my future home cinema setup. I apologize in advance for any mistakes, English not being my first language!

 

Background:

 

Currently working abroad, I change countries every 2-3 years, and therefore I was looking into the possibilities of setting up a mobile system, something that can be packed into a shipping container and moved along with me everywhere I go. For the same reasons, I opted for a compromise and not setting up dedicated home cinema rooms, but rather something that could fit in any living room. The dedicated room home cinema will come later, when I return to my home country. The entire system will have to be shipped to the country where I'm currently living, so unfortunately availability is key in order to be able to receive everything at once. It will be very difficult to make supplementary orders or to have additional items if I forget something.

 

The current room where the system will be set up is a bit odd, and forcing me to make some tough choices. Fairly large, we are looking at 8 metres by 6.5 metres (or 26'3 by 21'4), thus making 52 m2 or 560 square feet. However, this is the main living room, and open on two sides, one towards the dining room and the other towards the hallway entrance. The ceiling is quite high, and cathedral-style, slanting noticeably towards the porch. When facing the future screen, it is roughly 8 metres high (26 feet) on the right, and 4 metres high (13 feet) on the left. This making it a bit awkward for atmos solution.

 

The entire setup will be used for most of our entertainment use, and the ration would be the following:

  • 70% movie watching
  • 25% gaming
  • 5% music

 

Initial decisions:

 

Given the situation explained in the previous paragraph, I have opted for the following decisions:

  1. To go with a videoprojector and screen rather than a TV for the full home cinema experience
  2. To go with an UST laser projector and motorized tab-tensioned UST screen for the mobility aspects, and the fact that it is in a living room
  3. To go with a 7.2.4 setup to enjoy something to the fullest extent
  4. No in-wall speakers as everywhere I go I will be in rental houses

 

Initial selections and hesitations:

 

Regarding my initial choices, I went with a few selections, especially in regards to the speaker and projector selection. The ones in red are the ones that I'm still a bit unsure about, but I'd welcome any comments and advice about any of the choices:

 

Video:

  • Projector: Samsung LSP9T
  • Screen: Vividstorm S PRO 120" tab-tensioned floor-rising screen (UST ALR screen)
  • Blu-RayHere I have an odd choice. My initial selection was to be the Panasonic DP-UB9000, but it seems that it is out of stock everywhere... I was advised to get the Panasonic DP-UB820 instead, but would I lose a lot of the functionalities and quality?
  • Streaming/gaming: A PS5 to replace my PS4 Pro, and a Nvidia Shield for streaming purposes.

 

 

Speakers:

  • Front center: Klipsch RC-64
  • Front surround: Klipsch RF7-MKIII
  • SurroundKlipsch RP-502S or Klipsch RP-402S (the 502S are unavailable from my supplier until at least April, so the decision will come down to whether the 402S are already good enough for this system, or whether the 502S will show a noticeable difference.)
  • Rear surround: Klipsch RP-600M (would it be worth going with floorstandings? Or are the 600M already good enough?)
  • SubwooferTwo SVS PB16 Ultras, as the room is quite large.
  • AtmosThe style of the ceiling makes it impossible for me to use reverb or in-ceiling, so I've opted for Four Klipsch RP-500SA in Atmos mode, on front and back walls, angled down. Still a bit unsure about this one

 

 

Support:

 

Here is where I have the most hesitations... On how to power the entire setup, and to make sure adequate support is given to drive the entire system. Here is where a lot of people sink in a lot of money, and without being a complete hi-fi audiophile, I would rather not compromise too much on quality for movies/gaming. So far I have two options, but these are by no means closed off, and I would welcome any proposal to set up the proper support of this system. Would these even be overkill for my system?

 

 

Option 1:

  • Marantz 8805 for video (or would the 7706 be better, for HDMI 2.1?)
  • Emotiva XPA-7 Gen3 to power:
    • The RF7 MKIII front surrounds in bi-amp
    • The RC-64 front center also bi-amped
    • One of the surrounds (probably the dipole 502S)
  • Marantz MM8077 to power the remaining 7 channels (one of the two surrounds RP-502S, and four atmos RP-500SA)

 

Option 2:

  • Marantz 8015 home cinema amp for video, as well as to power 4 atmos channels (RP-500SA)
  • Emotiva XPA-7 Gen3 to power the front soundstage in bi-amp (RF-7 MIII and RC-64 MIII)
  • Marantz MM8077 to power the surrounds, and rear surrounds, and keep options open for moving into 9.2.4

 

Power supply:

 

Given the fact that I generally live in areas where power supply is an issue, I alternate regularly between low quality city power and our home's generator, I have a voltage regulator for the house, but in addition I was thinking about something to clean up the power supply. What would be available would be along the lines of the Inakustic AC-3500P, or a Furman.

 

Cabling:

 

Here is where I am at a complete loss, since I haven't finalized the selections of all the configuration, I haven't been able to go with the cabling. I would be happy to hear any and all recommendations on this, I'd like to have proper, quality cables, without pouring thousands of dollars into them if possible.

 

 

Thank you all for reading me so far, I really appreciate all of your time, experience and assistance to help me finalize the selection, so I can make the order as soon as possible.

 

Best regards,

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Welcome, you sure have done your research, and that's a nice list of speakers you have chosen, and should perform well. My concerns with Atmos speaker mounting and placement while moving every couple years. I'm thinking more like a 7.2 HT and using 6 tower speakers, or using RP600s for side and rear surrounds. But then there is cost, 6 RF7llls would be expensive, and the monitors might need stands. If you went with 502s will they mount at your next place? It is optimal to go with 502s and 600m, but not knowing what your next place will be like, I would go for a system that's easily placed into a new setting.

As far as power, your choices are very good, and should power that with no problems. 

Others will be along with projector opinions.

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6 hours ago, Ceptorman said:

Welcome, you sure have done your research, and that's a nice list of speakers you have chosen, and should perform well. My concerns with Atmos speaker mounting and placement while moving every couple years. I'm thinking more like a 7.2 HT and using 6 tower speakers, or using RP600s for side and rear surrounds. But then there is cost, 6 RF7llls would be expensive, and the monitors might need stands. If you went with 502s will they mount at your next place? It is optimal to go with 502s and 600m, but not knowing what your next place will be like, I would go for a system that's easily placed into a new setting.

As far as power, your choices are very good, and should power that with no problems. 

Others will be along with projector opinions.

 

 

Thanks a lot for your thoughtful reply. Yes, going full RF7IIIs all around would be a bit too drastic, and for a usage that is 95% HT and gaming, I feel would be quite overkill.

 

I don't want to compromise too much on quality, so I'd rather take the best I can right now, and find a way to make it workable as I move. The only things I can't really do are the in-ceiling speakers for atmos...

 

Can the 502s dipoles be on stands, or must they absolutely be mounted on the wall? If they can be placed on stands, then I'll lock in the 502s for surrounds and 600m for rear surrounds.

 

Regarding power, what do you think would be best? Going with a Marantz AVR and an external amp for additional power, or a fully separate model? Is Bi-Amping the front soundstage really necessary, or complete overkill?

 

Regarding the processor I was also considering the Emotiva RMC1L, but I don't think it would beat the Marantz 8805.. Thought?

 

Thanks again for your thoughts.

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I have not seen a 502 on a stand. I would go with 4 RP600s for rear and surround, placed on stands. Then whatever speaker you wanted to add for atmos.

Either one of those processors would work well in any HT situation you would want to create, with a multi channel amp, hard to beat, and within the budget.

An AVR with an external amp for the front LCR would work great also, save some money, but would be a slight step down in performance IMO.

With either of these choices, there's no need to bi amp.

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So I've put some further thought and research into this, and I'm reaching a point where I'm already pushing the budget 

 

Here's what I have for now:

 

Speakers:

 

  • Center: Klipsch RC-64 Mk III
  • Front surround: Klipsch RF-7 Mk III
  • Surround: Klipsch RP-502S (if they work on stands.... I need to confirm)
  • Rear surround: Klipsch RP-600M
  • Elevation: Klipsch RP-500SA (x4)
  • Subwoofers: SVS PB16 Ultra (x2)

 

Equipment:

 

  • Processor: Marantz 8805. I've refined the choice down to this, and to lose the HDMI 2.1 for now. Really sad for a processor of this size, but I'm not losing hope to upgrade it later on.
  • Amps: I'll go short and sweet, and start with a simple Emotiva XPA-11 Gen3. It should suffice to power the entire system all the way around, and I'll see if I need anything else down the road.
  • 4K player: Panasonic DP UB9000 (if I manage to find it in stock somewhere)
  • PS5
  • Nvidia Shield Pro
  • Furman Elite 16 power conditionner

 

I think by now the choice is pretty settled, and the budget already quite a bit higher than I initially thought (mainly due to the crazy upgrade on the double subs, and the flagship processor/amp).

 

The only thing I need to finish, is the cabling, and the selection of the stands for the surrounds.

 

What do you guys think?

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7 hours ago, Diktat said:

 

 

So I've put some further thought and research into this, and I'm reaching a point where I'm already pushing the budget 

 

Here's what I have for now:

 

Speakers:

 

  • Center: Klipsch RC-64 Mk III
  • Front surround: Klipsch RF-7 Mk III
  • Surround: Klipsch RP-502S (if they work on stands.... I need to confirm)
  • Rear surround: Klipsch RP-600M
  • Elevation: Klipsch RP-500SA (x4)
  • Subwoofers: SVS PB16 Ultra (x2)

 

Equipment:

 

  • Processor: Marantz 8805. I've refined the choice down to this, and to lose the HDMI 2.1 for now. Really sad for a processor of this size, but I'm not losing hope to upgrade it later on.
  • Amps: I'll go short and sweet, and start with a simple Emotiva XPA-11 Gen3. It should suffice to power the entire system all the way around, and I'll see if I need anything else down the road.
  • 4K player: Panasonic DP UB9000 (if I manage to find it in stock somewhere)
  • PS5
  • Nvidia Shield Pro
  • Furman Elite 16 power conditionner

 

I think by now the choice is pretty settled, and the budget already quite a bit higher than I initially thought (mainly due to the crazy upgrade on the double subs, and the flagship processor/amp).

 

The only thing I need to finish, is the cabling, and the selection of the stands for the surrounds.

 

What do you guys think?

Sounds like a solid system for sure, and nothing to update in a while. Not sure where you're located, are there Klipsch dealers there, shipping? 

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23 hours ago, Ceptorman said:

Sounds like a solid system for sure, and nothing to update in a while. Not sure where you're located, are there Klipsch dealers there, shipping? 

 

No, there are not... Part of it I have to air freight from Europe, and part of it land transport from South Africa 😕

 

Quite the hassle...

 

Do you think the Emotiva XPA-11 will have enough oomph to power the whole system well?

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37 minutes ago, Diktat said:

 

No, there are not... Part of it I have to air freight from Europe, and part of it land transport from South Africa 😕

 

Quite the hassle...

 

Do you think the Emotiva XPA-11 will have enough oomph to power the whole system well?

I asked about your purchase because there's a Klipsch dealer on this forum, he takes good care of everyone.

I am a fan of Emotiva, have an XPA-2 gen2 and it does well. 

That X-11 should be fine, LCRx300wpc, four 2x60wpc amps. It say's currently unavailable on their website. 

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The Emotiva is unavailable in South Africa, but I found it through my French dealer, which still has a couple in stock.. That one will be air freighted.

 

Overall definitely paying more than I should, but I don't want a year for availability on everything to clear up after Covid, and getting the gear to my location is definitely problematic...

 

Overall do you have any comments on the system in general? Anything you see that could be changed/upgraded for better HT usage?

 

Edit - There is also the possibility of using a Marantz SR8015 av processor instead of the AV8805, but still backing it up with an Emotiva amp for powering up the front soundstage (possibly an Emotiva XPA-3)... I would gain HDMI 2.1 capability, but would I lose in terms of power to the surrounds/atmos? Or overall quality?

 

Regarding Power Conditioners (due to awful power in Africa), I was thinking the Furman Elite 16.. Thoughts? Anything better?

 

Thanks again!

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The system you put together is really top notch, it will excel at both HT and 2 channel if you wanted. Have you researched the Emo processor (I'm sure you have) I've heard good things about their future updating on their gear. I'm wondering if the Emo pre and amp combo might work better together, or the Marantz processor with one of their amps? 

Would your French dealer have any suggestions or input? Is he partial to one brand, service, warranty? 

I assume you're dealing with different power sources, 240 volt? I assume the Furman can handle that.

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That's awesome to hear! I did research a bit the Emotiva processors, but there are countless bugs and issued being raised.. I know people have been saying it's improving, but apparently it's still not up to snuff.. Lots of improvements coming, but mostly still waiting. The main issues were the 1500$ of the Emotiva RMC 1L, and my preference for Audyssey rather than Dirac... As I'm getting back into this, and would much prefer enjoyment and utilization over ultra-optimization and academic tests, I'm moved towards a more plug-and-play solution :D

 

On the other hand, I've heard quite a bit of negativity on Marantz amps, with low power outputs... From all that I've collected (perhaps erroneously), Marantz wins over in the processor, but Emotiva wins hands down for the amps. Maybe wrongly...

 

Regarding the dealers, it's quite varied :D the South African dealer wants me to put two Marantz 8077's in order to bi-amp the front soundstage, which sounds a bit overkill to me :D The French one is pretty okay with  the selection, but would actually advise me to go with a Marantz 8015 receiver, and support it with an Emotiva XPA-3 for the front soundstage only, saying the receiver is good enough for all the rest... Basically one solution seems overkill, and one seems a bit underwhelming since it's not really a 'separate" proc / amps system... I kind of chose a middle ground. What do you think? Would the 8015 receive + XPA3 be fine? Would I see a noticeable difference with the 8805 + XPA-11?

 

Yes, working in 240, fluctuating. Is this the better option for a power conditioner, or are there better choices for such a system?

 

Thanks again,

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I think your original list was a good one, Marantz pre with the Emo XPA-11.

Using an AVR and powering just the front LCR would work also, as long as you're not in a huge room, or listen to above normal volume. Even a good AVR might be all you need, but at least knowing you have enough power for many different situations is nice.

Someone that knows more about power conditioners will be along. I assume all you need is a plug in version? Is dealing with varying power sources a concern, or have you done this a while? 

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The room is quite large, and also has two very large open access to neighboring rooms, without doors... That's one of the main reasons to go for the PB-16 Ultras! I'm scared lower subs would not be able to be felt as well.

 

Would going with an AVR + amp for front soundstage produce any other issues than under powered surrounds? It would be a sizable savings, but I really don't want to compromise too much on quality!

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I doubt there would be any issues, most AVRs are quite capable. You could start with an AVR, if it didn't keep up then add an amp. What about a lower level HT processor? Isn't that Marantz 5k? If I was only concerned with HT, I would spend that on a HT pre instead of an AVR.

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Nah, I'm not looking to sacrifice too much quality just to save 5% of the overall budget... Given my difficult situation, getting any replacements in would be a nightmare, not to mention that the cost would be prohibitive.. I'd rather just finish it once and for all.

 

If going the separates route with a dedicated processor and amp(s) is the way to go, showing definite improvements over a one-box AVR solution, then I'll just go for that 😃

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In that case, it isn't even a question in my mind, and I'll definitely go for separates if the difference is that obvious... Thanks a lot for your help :)

 

However, where i am, the XPA-11 is definitely not 2k USD, and the P16 Utra's are almost double the US cost :D Anyways... Cost of living I guess!

 

On the other hand, now that I've finalized the 'big' stuff, I need to finish the cabling selections. Just to make sure I don't forget anything, I need:

 

- XLR cables for receiver to amp

- Speaker cables for all the 11 speakers

- Specific HDMI for: receiver to TV, receiver to projector, ps4 to receiver, nvidia shield to receiver

 

Anything I'm missing?

 

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