My Final Reciever/Speaker Setup - I'm liking it!

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I figured I'd post a picture and summary of my final audio setup, since I was able to get it all moved into its final resting place in the basement this weekend. I posted a couple threads here on receivers and speakers, and got some great practical advice so I wanted to say thanks to everyone who contributed! The pic's a bit grainy, cell phone camera wasn't liking the basement even though it's decently lit, but so be it.

Here's what I've got. Polk Monitor 70's ($300), Polk CS2 ($99), Yamaha RX-675 ($370). And then I had to buy a new TV stand ($299), since the CS2 is massive and my wife wasn't down with hanging the speaker or the TV on the wall. So I had to find a stand that would fit the speaker, which was a real pain! I know that putting a rear ported center speaker in a TV stand isn't ideal, but some battles you have to concede. Getting the sound system was victory enough.
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So far, I’m really liking what I hear. My basement is massive and not an ideal environment at all, but in the couple hours I had it running last night I had no complaints. I did have it temporarily set up in a different room over the last couple weeks and was able to get the sound tweaked to where I like it. That seems to have carried over OK to the new location, but I did have to pop the volume up about 5db to get to where I thought the sound levels were about the same. I suppose that’s the larger room. I'd like to have the speakers spread out a bit further, but I'm blocked in by the door to the furnace room and a fireplace on the other side.

I got the CS2 last week on a New Egg Black November Sale and just hitched it up yesterday, so it probably needs some time to break in. It needs to remain in the TV stand for the near term, so are there any tips/techniques I should use to reduce the negative impacts of its location? It’s set on large, and I have dialogue lift turned up one notch. I could take the back out of that section of the stand, if it would be beneficial. It didn’t sound “boomy” last night, which is what I was warned about with this placement, but we were just watching football and TV.

So far, so good I think. I know it’s not an audiophile grade system, but I think I got some good value for my money. I’ll do surrounds and a sub someday, but I may actually focus on getting the second zone going upstairs first. But before that, I’ve got a 65” TV on my shopping list. Probably a Samsung LED, but I keep circling back to the Panasonic Plasmas too. Fingers crossed for a good Black Friday or Christmas deal!


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Get some Sorbothane or MoPads for underneath the center speaker. They'll help dampen vibrations the CS2 creates in the cabinet (which can contribute to muddy sound) and actually assist with aiming it at your ears. If the CS2 is rear-ported (IIRC, it is), make sure there is adequate clearance behind it or you'll get some unwanted noise artifacts. Do not set it to large, as it is not a full-range speaker.

I think acoustically your room will be fine -- I see non-perpendicular walls which is actually a good thing. You should consider moving the M70s a bit; the rule is to create an equilateral triangle with your seating position. That means you will need to actually point the speakers inwards. It's not too difficult to accomplish this with a tape measure and a friend to assist. See below for an example of ideal positioning (not always possible, but try to get close). Also, I assume you are using carpet spikes on the M70s.

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My advice would be to add a good subwoofer in the near future.

I don't know what your viewing distance is, but be sure to buy the appropriately-sized set.
 
Go for a Samsung Plasma if you want a new TV. I got my 43" for only $400 about a year ago and I love it so far. I think they still make larger sizes, too, if that's what you're after. For the price, I think it's the best. No motion blur is great for any moving scenes/video games/etc.
 
As for sound I think the environment is probably more a limiting factor than the quality of the speakers. The sweet spot on a pair of speakers six feet apart isn't very big. For volume those should get it done, unless you want a sub for movies at some point. I also have Polk Monitors in our rec room and I'm very happy with them, especially for the price. I wouldn't buy better speakers without first building some bass traps, hanging some acoustic panels, and cleaning up some of the ambient noise in our basement. It looks like you have carpet, that's a huge benefit in a basement especially if it has a low ceiling.

If you google baffle step you'll see one of the problems with putting that center flush, it would be preferable if you could sneak it out an inch (or even less) from the front of the console. You may or may not need to remove the back for the port, I wouldn't want to see the white wall through the hole so I might leave it as is for now. You could also set that center to "small" which would re-route the sort of frequencies that go to the center that would use the port.

65" tv will finish it off nicely. Definitely get the biggest thing you can.
 
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I'll snag some of those. I did notice that the center didn't have anything under it and it liked to slide around. I'd made a mental note to see what I could do about that. I'll also get it change to "small" - I'd wondered about that.

I am going to keep scanning on deals for subs. I haven't done much research on them yet, but do have a spot in mind where I can place one.

I'm at about 12 feet, so I'm going to be on the small end of "appropriate" with a 65 incher, based on the calculators I've used. I'm currently viewing a 40" TV from that distance, so anything's going to be an improvement.
 
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Originally Posted By: TWG1572
I'll snag some of those. I did notice that the center didn't have anything under it and it liked to slide around. I'd made a mental note to see what I could do about that.

I am going to keep scanning on deals for subs. I haven't done much research on them yet, but do have a spot in mind where I can place one.

I'm at about 12 feet, so I'm going to be on the small end of "appropriate" with a 65 incher, based on the calculators I've used. I'm currently viewing a 40" TV from that distance, so anything's going to be an improvement.



Be careful with Sorbothane on wood -- it can damage the finish. You'll need the coated version, or just use MoPads which are special foam.

Sub placement is very tricky. People tend to just stick it wherever there's room, which can be a nightmare with strange peaks/valleys. I also see them jammed right up against the wall, which again muddies the sound. Ideal wall-to-port distance for a sub is 1.5x the diameter of the woofer. My 12" sub, for example, has over 18" of clearance to the nearest wall.

For 12', a 70" might be more appropriate, especially with 1080p content. You'd be surprised how close you can sit. I have a 50" and sit about 7' away, which is fine even with 720p.
 
Originally Posted By: TWG1572
I did have it temporarily set up in a different room over the last couple weeks and was able to get the sound tweaked to where I like it. That seems to have carried over OK to the new location, but I did have to pop the volume up about 5db to get to where I thought the sound levels were about the same.

The whole point of room calibration such as YPAO or Audyssey is that it is room-specific. If I were you, I would re-do it all now that you have it set up at its final destination.

Quote:

I got the CS2 last week on a New Egg Black November Sale and just hitched it up yesterday, so it probably needs some time to break in. It needs to remain in the TV stand for the near term, so are there any tips/techniques I should use to reduce the negative impacts of its location?

Yeah, that's a really inferior location for a center channel. I would at least push it out a bit towards the front so that the front of the speaker sticks out a little in front of the front face of the cabinet. Also, try pointing it upwards a little so that it faces the listeners' ear level and avoids direct bounce of frequencies against the back wall.

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It’s set on large,

Normally, it should be set to small and then have the YPAO choose its proper crossover frequency. A center speaker, even if sizable, cannot reproduce bass-heavy content accurately and it will just distort the dialog. But in the end, set it up so that it sounds good to YOU.

Other than that, looks good. Needs a bigger screen and a sub.
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Originally Posted By: TWG1572
I'm at about 12 feet, so I'm going to be on the small end of "appropriate" with a 65 incher, based on the calculators I've used.

Any possibility of setting up a projector screen instead? That would allow you to go above 65" easily.
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Pete is right. The calibrations are completely invalid if you move or change anything. Re-run the calibration.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: TWG1572
I'm at about 12 feet, so I'm going to be on the small end of "appropriate" with a 65 incher, based on the calculators I've used.

Any possibility of setting up a projector screen instead? That would allow you to go above 65" easily.
smile.gif



Do consider a projector. 115" at 11 feet is awesome.
 
Yup. I did the calibrations right away when I got it set up. I had to send the kids out of the house because they were stomping on the ceiling so much... I was afraid that would mess with the results.
 
Originally Posted By: TWG1572
Yup. I did the calibrations right away when I got it set up. I had to send the kids out of the house because they were stomping on the ceiling so much... I was afraid that would mess with the results.


I waited until the house was empty to run the Audyssey calibration setup. Turned off the refrigerator and HVAC, unplugged the phone, and put a muzzle on the dog. The quieter the better...
 
I just posted in another thread, but as far as TV's go, Micro Center has the 55LA7400 (LG 55") for $899 which I just bought, as it's second from the top in their lineup, and not only is it $2k less than MSRP, but it is one of the absolute best televisions I've ever calibrated, and I can only think of one LCD TV that had better blacks, but this set has significantly better whites. After calibration, delta E is 0.7, Gamma is 2.201, static actual contrast ratio of just over 6000:1, and the color presentation is just incredible.
Prior to calibration, it was actually the best out of the box TV I've seen, with a dE of 1.4, Gamma at 2.22, and contrast ratio of 5,011.

The 60" model uses full array LED backlight local dimming, and set to "low" or "medium", is the only full array fast enough that I can't see it occurring, but the benefits are plainly visible. &
 
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