rplace Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 I am looking for some ideas on where to place my TT. I know isolating it is a big bonus. But having it close to the rest of my equipment is too. I built my room (it has to function as music and movie room) prior to getting bit by the vinyl bug and now have a 19 rack of equipment that is pretty full to the right of my listening area. The rack is mounted into the wall such that it is accessible via a closet in a sort of alcove area of my mostly rectangular room (not quite a rectangle due to this alcove). I think my options are: 1 Shelf to the left of rack when facing rack Dont like this because it takes up wall space and would be in front of person sitting on seats facing the HT screen. Prone to vibration from Khorn that uses that wall. 2 Inside closet on the wall directly behind the equipment. Good isolation, but cramped and not too easy to access. Plus putting a shelf in there now would mean removing all equipment from racknot impossible, but a pain. 3 Area under the stairs behind listening area Good isolation, has its own area. Bad because I dont know how to get wires from there to equipment rack through walls with pocket door. Also that would be a long run of TT outputs. Is that a problem in itself, extending the phono output? 4 Get rid of current 2 channel amps in favor of multi channel amp freeing up rack space and putting TT on a slide out shelf. Recessed flush with equipment when not in use. Pulled out for using TT. Not a bad solution, but I like my amps and I think the TT would be prone to vibration more then option 2 and 3. Check out my poor line drawing of my room below as well as a shot of the rack and area under the stairs. Not that area under stairs currently has TT stored there. I carefully move that stand and TT over to side of rack and run connections through front of rack into back of Pre/pro when I use it. Not very convenient to say the least. Drawing of roomnot quite to scale Equipment rack Here you can see rack, door handle to closet right of 3rd amp from the top. You can also see pocket (white door far right) door and alcove area Area under stairs This is rear wall left corner when facing the screen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Nice setup ! I think the only good solution is a nice solid stand or platform next to the existing system. Long cable runs of any sort are problematic with a turntable. The other option is like you suggested changing out the amplifiers for something more compact to free up space in the existing rack. Tough one to handle. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Tough situation, seems to me. (1) What are the dimensions of your room? (2) Where is the TV screen? (3) What's on the other side of the wall to the left of your inset rack, and can you inset some of that wall? What is that stand you have the TT on, incidentally, and is it on a solid basement floor? Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted April 26, 2005 Author Share Posted April 26, 2005 NOS Valves, thanks for the kind words...been a long road. I am afraid I will get the vinyl bug bad and be hitting you up for a modded old tube set up. Keep me in mind if you run across an integrated Scott or the like. Larry, I will do my best. 1. 13.5 X 16.75 not an ideal khorn room but I just had to have them before I die. 2. 2 fixed 96 in diagonal Carada screen between the Khorns. There is a projector in the back of the room. 3. The cement foundation of the house. No I cannot inset anything beyond about 4 inches to the left of the rack. The alcove area is actually created by having the foundation of the front porch (fist floor) come out a bit. Most of my wall is only the width of a 2X4 from the basement walls. I got lucky where the foundation is a little bigger I was able to make the equipment closet. Yes to solid basement floor. The stand is a brand called Stand Design just a 4 shelf model with a very solid all welded construction. It has spike feet as well. Currently works pretty well as a TT shelfbut not very practical as it is large, bulky and heavybut very solid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted April 26, 2005 Author Share Posted April 26, 2005 Picture is worth 1000 works right...here are 2K words. Two shots of the front of the room if you are interested Resessed lights on-easy to see speakers...bad for movies Resessed lights off - good for movies. Who says there are black problems with LCD projector...look at that fish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Wonderful setup! I'd forgotten about your 96" screen placement. I don't know if this helps, but the following pic shows a Target wall-mount TT stand just to the left of the bookcase-equipment cabinet. It extends just under 24" from the wall, and one side is screwed directly into a stud. I don't know it Target makes smaller ones. I also have an isolation platform under the TT. To the right of the cabinet are Rega turntable wall stands, with 17" X 17" custom-made platforms under the CDP items, in case that helps. These are in a 9' X 11' room. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Really Nice set up. If you move over the amps or other components can you use the floor molding/ cut out part of the carpet pad to hit the runs of cable? Love the Khorns, color of the room and screen. That picture must look amazing when there are no lights on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Traveler Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 VERY nice, rplace! I wish I had something constructive to say, but I don't. I envy you folks that have enough space to put Klipschorns in a Theater environment. Either this summer or next I am going to start a dedicated theater room and audition Klipschorns along with possibly the "Premier" line if it's out by that time. Thanks for posting pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted April 26, 2005 Author Share Posted April 26, 2005 Larry, I dont think a wall mounted TT stand is going to fly. To the right of my rack is obviously no wall; right in front of the rack, spanning almost the rooms width would be my 4 seats that are on order from the manufacturer (currently using a 3 seat couch). If you are in the seat closet to the rack there will only be 18 inches of space between you and the rack. So, if I mount a TT shelf to the left of the rack it would be pretty much in your face when sitting down. Espically if the shelf is 24 inches from the wall. I am thinking about a used rega p3, new Pro-Ject Xpression 1, new music hall mmf-5 or similar TT. I think those are smaller then what you have (basis ???) on the wall, but not much. All, Is it just not practical to put the TT in the area below the steps? I like the TT being separate, but if long wires are a problem then it is a no go I guess. Ill try and take pix of the inside of the closet tonight and see what you guys think about that. It is already pretty cramped in there. Another idea. TT in the area under the stairs with dedicated tube amp. Problem there, is how to run wires from that area to the Khorns in the front? Not to mention that I would need two sets of wires hooked to the Khorns. There is a double door along that wall and a steel beam running the full length of the house inside that wall so I cant go up and around the doors even if the walls were not finished. That solution would put my TT on hold for a while as I dont see me getting a 2nd set of gear for some time. However an integrated tube amp with phono stage plus at TT would be all that I need to listen to vinyl via 2 channels only, right??? Man, this should not be that hard. Where are the out of the box thinkers? Some recessed platform that lowers from the ceiling to play my LPs and wipe my A$$ for me. Pretty visual for all of you. Jackson/TDK, thanks for the very kind wordsthis has been about 15 years in the dream stage. Nice to finally see it come together. Movies are phenomenal. Music is very, very nice as is on CD/SACD/DVD-A/ripped music via a music server, but ever since I heard Real vinyl over at GaryMDs house I have not been able to sleep. Damn you, Gary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heresy2guy Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 While growing up, a friend's father had his turntable suspended from the ceiling. He had 4 hookes secured into the ceiling to which 4 individual pieces of chains were attached. The chains connected to a nicely cut and stained piece of plywood that acted as a floating tray, on which was the turntable. It did an excellent job at isolating the turntable if I recall correctly. As for the chains, well, I think the guy was probably letting his kinky side show through somewhat. My friend and I stumbled across a home-made tape that his father & mother made and let me tell you...I sat there BUG-eyed while he covered his mouth and tried to keep his dinner down. We were around 14 at the time, freshman in high school. The movie Hellraiser was big around that time too (and there were *lots* of chains in Hellraiser). We later laughed like crazy about the whole turntable/video thing. Amazing what you remember from your youth, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 ---------------- On 4/26/2005 1:44:16 PM rplace wrote: Another idea...TT in the area under the stairs with dedicated tube amp. Problem there, is how to run wires from that area to the Khorns in the front? ...an integrated tube amp with phono stage plus at TT would be all that I need to listen to vinyl via 2 channels only, right??? ---------------- Right. Doesn't a Niles switchbox (I've never even seen one) let you switch between wires to the speakers? Could you get a Scott integrated to put with your TT, run speaker wire up to the ceiling in that under-stair space and over to your other stuff and down, and put the switch there? Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted April 27, 2005 Author Share Posted April 27, 2005 OK, here is the inside of the equipment closet directly behind the equipment rack. The two shelves that stick out the farthest are my pre/pro and DVD player. Between the back edge of the shelf and the wall with the drywall on it is about 22-24 inches. But if you take that bundle of wires into consideration it is more like 16. The wires might be able to be stuffed in between the two shelves, I dont know. At any rate behind that drywall is the foundation of the house so that wall is pretty sturdy. What are the thoughts and pros/cons of putting a shelf on the wall with drywall, directly behind the equipment shelves and putting the TT on it? You dont get to see the turntable and changing LPs becomes a bit more work. I can obviously lose the garbage bag of wires on top of that blue thing to make more room but the blue thing has to stay where it is. Oh, for you interested folks out there that big blue monster is a pump diaphragm for my well it is full of water. I had to re-plumb and re-wire it to move it from the corner where my right khorn is. Comforting isnt it that in the same closet as all of my equipment is a giant tank full of water. No real option to move it anywhere else as that general area is where my well supply enters the house. The rest of the basement was already finished when I started the music room project. Lets all hope it does not have problems for many, many years H2Guy, Thanks for sharing. I am sure that was a fun "find" at 14. I think about the TT from ceiling option. Steel cables and a way to raise/lower it in the area of my projector would be a thought. Plus I have a way to get wires from the projector area to my equipment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted April 27, 2005 Share Posted April 27, 2005 Larry is right! If you can use a dedicated tube amp with the TT, you can use a Niles switchbox and have only one set of speaker cables to the Khorns. It's what I use in my upstairs system. Seems that may be your best bet and the sound should improve significantly with a nice Scott or similiar tube setup that has a good phono section. You'd have the best of both worlds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piranha Posted April 27, 2005 Share Posted April 27, 2005 I see you like Carver . Nice setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted April 27, 2005 Share Posted April 27, 2005 ---------------- On 4/26/2005 5:00:02 PM heresy2guy wrote: While growing up, a friend's father had his turntable suspended from the ceiling. He had 4 hookes secured into the ceiling to which 4 individual pieces of chains were attached. The chains connected to a nicely cut and stained piece of plywood that acted as a floating tray, on which was the turntable. It did an excellent job at isolating the turntable if I recall correctly...... ---------------- i had used the ceiling mount many years ago in an apartment that had very "wobbly" floors.... but rather than using chain, i used 80 lb test fishing line doubled up on each corner of the platform... the line was more adjustable than a chain link and also helped absorb any vibrations from the floor above me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted April 27, 2005 Share Posted April 27, 2005 You'll also need storage for your LPs. Ask Gary! Could those could go on shelves above the TT in the under-stairs closet? Seems to me that would keep the LP paraphernalia all together and out of sight. Although Needle Doctor offers a variety of wall-mount racks from Target and others, 19" to 20" seems to be the usual depth from the wall. The Rega rack, which by itself only has 3 cups for the Rega TT feet, could bring that down to 17" or 18" if you had a platform made for it. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEvan Posted April 27, 2005 Share Posted April 27, 2005 Since those Carvers run rather cool, why not place them in the closet behind the equipment rack? Then you should be able to free up enough space to reconfigure things there to accomodate a tt. The closet strikes me as a good place for a tt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted April 27, 2005 Share Posted April 27, 2005 ---------------- On 4/26/2005 12:29:56 PM rplace wrote: Picture is worth 1000 works right...here are 2K words. Two shots of the front of the room if you are interested Resessed lights on-easy to see speakers...bad for movies Resessed lights off - good for movies. Who says there are black problems with LCD projector...look at that fish! ---------------- That is incredible !! I'll tell you one option you have is to setup a completely different system with Niles switch box for your analog setup. You could place this setup in another space all together like under the stairs. All you would have to do is route speaker cables from the second system to the switch box located at your main system. Of course I would suggest an all tube setup for your analog 2 channel enjoyment. I do however think a little Scott integrated would maybe fall short on the impact end compared to your HT setup so you may have to moive up the ladder a little further with this rig. Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitece Posted April 27, 2005 Share Posted April 27, 2005 Great set-up, Rich. Just a thought but maybe you could re-locate the X-box. I've seen X-Box component cables in excess of 12'. You could slide the power equipment down a rack and use the top as a pullot shelf for your turntable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted April 27, 2005 Author Share Posted April 27, 2005 All excellent points guys. I do like the TT in the area under the stairs and switch box idea. Having one run of wire to the khorns seems better then my original idea of two separate runs. However, wires from the TT/integrated amp back to the main area concerns me now that the room is finished and I have a doorway to span. This still looks like a great long range goal. NOS what do you suggest for tube set up in your line of thinking. Give me a ball park bankroll I need (several hundred, several thousand, etc.) no firm prices just an idea of what I should be thinking. For the short term, I think moving the amps and x-box is a pretty good idea. That lets me keep my Carver stuff that I am in no rush to dump and free up some spacethey do run cool. If I am looking at a 300-500 TT for starters will it work decent putting it in the actual rack? I should be able to isolate it well enough dont you think? Down the road I might want to upgrade the TT when I make the leap to tube power and stuff it all under the stairs. By moving amps to the closed I am not preventing that from happening down the road. BTW, the x-box gets very little use now that I have a great place to watch movies and listen to music. The stair area does seem like a good place to store LPs as well. Thanks again for the praise on the roomit has been a long, interesting and fun journey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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