New home theater and three
concerns
February 26, 2004
Hi Wes,
I stumbled upon your great site only recently. Very good of
you to take the time to help home-theater rookies like me.
We're building a new home and will have a modest
home-theater system. The room will be 18' x 18' but open to other rooms. The ceiling is
12' high. For aesthetic and domestic reasons, my fronts will placed in built-in cabinetry
and my surrounds will be in the ceiling. I've chosen the following speakers B&W DM602
S3s in front, B&W LCR60 S3 at center, and B&W CCM 65s for surrounds.
I have three concerns.
(1) I really like the Denon AVR-2803 receiver (7 x 90W),
but I haven't been able to listen to it with B&Ws. Will it be a good match? If not,
any suggestions?
(2) Will my speaker placement compromise the system too
much? The DM602 S3s are classified as bookshelf speakers, but I always see them on stands;
never actually in/on a bookshelf. Even though the CCM 65's tweeter housing pivots for
adjustable off-axis treble response, do you think their height could be a problem? Will
larger ceiling speakers compensate for the height?
(3) Is it better to stick with a B&W subwoofer or can I
go with another brand like SVS or Hsu?
Thanks a lot for your help!
Jim Mittica
One of the dirty little secrets in the audio/video world
is that "bookshelf" loudspeakers rarely sound their best when actually placed on
bookshelves. A few models, such as a few Linn models and Naim's loudspeakers, are actually
designed to be placed near boundaries (or walls, ceilings, and floors as they are known to
non-audiophiles).
But that doesn't mean you can't put 'em on a shelf. The
DM602 S3s are ported in the front, which helps, and you're planning on adding a subwoofer,
which means you can set the crossover point between 80Hz and 100Hz, which should help calm
the near-boundary bass hump that close-to-the-wall placement usually causes.
The whole point of a good home theater is that it's there
to give you a rest from the rest of the world -- not to make life harder. If you have to
give up that last little smidgen of fidelity to ensure domestic tranquility, don't give it
a thought -- unless you enjoy sleeping on the sofa, that is.
On that note, I wouldn't worry too much about the height of
the CCM 65s. The whole point of surround speakers is to disappear, which yours should do
quite nicely -- while still giving you the sense of envelopment you seek. You'll want to
experiment with tweeter orientation, but I suspect you won't need to angle it toward your
listening/viewing spot.
I'd think the Denon would mate pretty well with the
B&Ws, Denon and B&W is a combination I used to sell a lot of back when I worked in
audio sales....Wes Phillips
Neighborly advice
February 18, 2004
Mr. Phillips,
I just read your nicely written article on the Mirage
Omnisat Micros. Since I also live in a Brooklyn brownstone and I am agonizing over
home-theater options, I thought I'd take a chance on troubling you with a couple of
questions. I'm not sure that your average salesperson really understands the implications
of putting home theater in our kind of house. As is probably your situation, my home
theater will be on the rather high-ceilinged middle "parlor" floor. It's in the
rear of the two connected rooms (front and back parlor to the Victorians), and I think
(but I'm not sure) that the two rooms are fairly distinct sonically. By that I mean I'm
gearing everything in and for the back room, and though it opens out into the front
parlor, the surrounds and subs are all in the back room, so I'm assuming that the size and
power of the speakers I need is determined by the dimensions of that small room, not the
combined size -- unless I'm missing the point.
In any case, I already have floorstanding Paradigm
Reference Studio 80s -- much more speaker than I needed for that room, but that's another
story. I'm getting an HDTV (probably a 34" widescreen Sony HDTV) and putting in
surround sound. I've been really impressed with the Yamaha V1400 receiver, and I'm going
to buy that one (I guess). So, that leaves the center and the surrounds. I've been told I
really, really should get a Paradigm center speaker for consistent timbre. Well, friends
tell me it's no big deal, salesmen and reviewers say it is -- so if I accept the advice of
the pros and go Paradigm on the center. That just leaves the satellites. I just saw the
Omnisats (not micros) today, and they sounded good and would fit in that pesky small area
available at the front of the back room before the sliding doors. I assume if I have the
budget for the Omnisats as opposed to the Micros they'd be better. I really need speakers
that will mate well with the system, and will hide well from my mate -- how's that for a
metaphor?
Because the back room is only about 11' x 15', I believe
I'd be OK with Mirage's LF-100, rather than the LF-150. Does this overall combo sound
sensible to you? Sorry to impose on your time, but you seem really knowledgeable -- and in
a relevant way!
Overwhelmed in Park Slope
Howdy neighbor!
Actually, I live out in the Free Republic of Bay Ridge, but
that's close enough, I suppose.
As to the question of whether your parlor floor setup
qualifies as one room or two, the answer is that it’s both -- sort of. I think that,
in terms of voicing for the room, you're correct in dealing with the rear parlor as the
system's environment.
You can't really put the surrounds in the front parlor, but
you do have to produce enough overall sound to fill the combined rooms' volume -- which is
generally a bass issue. The Reference Studio 80s certainly don't sound anemic, so you
shouldn't have too much of a problem there, but I suspect you'll do better with the
heftier 150 sub. Of course, placement and blend are everything in subwoofer set-up, but a
bigger driver and more power never hurt.
I think that timbre matching the front speakers is crucial.
This doesn't necessarily mean that you must buy all three front loudspeakers from the same
company, but that's probably the simplest, surest answer.
The Omnisats would make great surrounds -- and they're easy
to mount (hide) on the walls on either side of your pocket doors. And given that extra
acoustic space in the parlor behind them, the larger Omnis probably would be a better
choice (besides, you know you want 'em)....Wes Phillips
Hum
February 16, 2004
Hi Wes,
I'm somewhat green regarding the finer aspects of home
theater, and I learn something new every time I visit your site.
Now for my question. Some time ago I switched from cable to
dish and when everything was finally hooked up to my sound system, I got a low-level hum
when I turned my amp on. Someone recommended attaching one of those three-to-two-prong
converters to the power cord of my amp which worked (the hum is gone), but am I losing any
sound quality in doing this? Even more importantly, is this a fire hazard? The amp is an
ATI AT1506 that is currently driving three Sonus Fabers in front and two Klipsch surrounds
in the back. I'd like to bridge the amp to send more power to the front, but I am a little
hesitant to change anything given the band-aided power cord. All power to my system is
going through a Monster Power surge protector/filter, which had no impact on the hum.
Thanks for any advice you can give.
J.P.
What's probably happening is that there's some
differential between the cable shield and your house's ground plane. By detaching your
system from the AC ground, you stopped the hum, but there is always the potential of a
serious consequence (fire, as you say, or shock). The solution is pretty simple -- install
a Mondial
M.A.G.I.C.....Wes Phillips
Axiom or Polk?
February 13, 2004
Wes,
I am in the hunt for a new system, and I have narrowed my
choices between Polk and Axiom. My room is 17' x 23' and also houses a 60" big-screen
TV and entertainment center. After using both Polk's and Axiom's home-theater wizards, I
wound up with Polk's recommendation of the RTi6, while Axiom suggested using the
M22ti as my L/R front speakers. Polk suggested using the FXi3 as surrounds; Axiom
suggested the QS8s. Center-channels included the Ci3 for Polk and the VP100/150 for
Axiom. Lastly, Polk has the PSW 303/404 and Axiom the EP175.
I do not want to mix and match speakers. I have heard
Polk's products but not Axiom's. They both seem to offer great products and great quality
at very respectable prices. I am a family man who just wants clean listening and to be
able to enjoy great surround sound while watching movies. I noticed that you have reviewed
Axiom's products, so could you please offer me some objective advice between the two
companies' products so that I can make a good investment?
Travis
I've reviewed Polk's LSi
speakers as well as Axiom's M22ti/VP100/QS8/EP175 Epic Grand Master system and I liked 'em
both. As you say, Polk and Axiom both deliver high-quality goods at attractive prices.
As to which you should buy, that's impossible for me to
say, since that comes down to your taste. Yes, I know it's impossible for you to judge the
Axioms without hearing them, but it's equally impossible for me to guess which you'd
prefer without knowing you -- and even then I'd stand a pretty good chance of getting it
wrong. That's the thing about individual taste -- it really is individual.
Leaving preference aside, both companies are
engineering-based and treat their customers well. I suspect that either of the systems you
are considering would make you very happy.
By the way, Axiom offers a 30-day trial period for its
speakers, which means you have very little risk ordering them by mail (although you will
have to pay return shipping and brokerage fees, if you return them), which takes some of
the uncertainty out of the equation..
Hope this helps....Wes Phillips
Athena
February 11, 2004
Wes,
Great review of the Athena Micra system. The speakers look perfect for
my new house. I downloaded the owner's manual from Athena's website and noticed that the
speakers use spring clips for connections. Any problem with 12-gauge wire? How did the
speakers sound with music?
Penn
Twelve gauge is a tight fit, so I generally crimp a pin
connector onto the end of thick speaker cables when using spring clips. If you use enough
pressure, you fuse an extremely tight seal between the cable and connector.
I thought the Micros sounded great with music -- once you
get that crucial balance between speaker, subwoofer, and room right.
Of course, that's always the tricky part, but when it all
clicks, that reminds us of what we love about this hobby....Wes Phillips
Raising tower speakers
February 3, 2004
Dear Wes,
I was searching the Internet for information on placement
of speakers for my surround-sound system. I came across your website and the first article to
catch my attention was the one about your grand-jury service. It caught my attention
not because that is what I was attempting to learn about, but because I was impressed with
your observations from a layperson's viewpoint. I am a judge in Virginia (for the past
three years). Prior to that, I was a prosecutor for 20 years, serving five as a federal
prosecutor. I was impressed with the understanding you gleaned of the true importance of a
grand jury to our justice system and why, contrary to the cynical views expressed by some
who actually work within our justice system, citizen jurors, in fact, perform a valuable
role. Congratulations!
Now, my question about speakers. I have a pair of
Definitive Technology tower speakers with 8" woofers as my front speakers. In the new
room I am configuring, a couch sits close enough to the right speaker that I feel I need
to raise it off of the ground approximately 18 to 24 inches. I've searched sites for info
on placing towers on stands and have found nothing definitive (no pun intended) on the
subject. Do you have a view or guidance that you can offer? Is it bad to put towers on
stands?
Chuck
Thanks for the kind words about that essay. I grew up in
Virginia and all of my Charlottesville schoolin' in reading, writing, and Thomas Jefferson
was just a drop in the bucket compared to the education in democracy that my grand jury
experience gave me.
Now about those speakers of yours -- I assume you're
concerned that the sofa's arm is blocking the tweeter, absorbing its output and muffling
its output. That's a valid concern, but raising the speaker could affect other aspects of
the sound.
Most competent speaker designers calculate bass balance on
the assumption that they know the height of the woofer off the floor. Raising the speaker
on a stand will change that balance.
Raising just one speaker will also affect lateral sound
dispersion, of course. It's as important to have all three front speakers in the same
plane as it is to have them equidistant from your listening (viewing) position.
The easy answer (easy for me) is to move the sofa -- but I
don't have your room, your system, or your décor. If the answer was that simple, you sure
wouldn't be writing me. So I assume that option is out.
If you elevate the speaker affected by the sofa, you should
elevate all three front speakers. Individual stands will almost certainly change the bass,
but this might not be too big a deal if you're also using a subwoofer for the deep bass.
If you do raise your DefTechs, play around with the sub/main balance.
If you're handy, you might consider installing a
speaker-elevating platform along the front of the room. It too will alter the woofer/floor
interface, but probably less than individual stands. If you do, use lots of bracing, gobs
of glue, and tons of screws to connect everything together -- and consider using MDF
rather than plywood.
Whatever you decide, the main thing is to have fun with
your home theater. Your day job requires your concentration and attention to the minutest
detail -- when you get home, you deserve to let your guard down and enjoy yourself. If
"experts" like me start interfering with your ability to do that, just ignore
us....Wes Phillips
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