Post your Speaker setup PICS!!!!!!

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Tangent inc. said:
off subject... what is that song... i listen to industrial and ambiant but that song just makes me feel good. i need it.
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Speaking of which.... your little statement there just rang a bell in my head! "Feel Good Inc" is a song on Demon Days also.

... no pun intended, eh?

:)

BTW, Wolf.. that driver has some excursion!

;)
 
haha... thanks man. i watched the clip about 15 time and it just wasnt enough :D i like the Gorillaz but i never jumped on getting an album. im obligated now.

i hope the whole album is feel good
 
My humble little setup haha

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I hate it when people refer to their stuff as 'humble' & 'low end' when it's miles better than what I've got!
 
Decided I wanted a simpler cleaner 2.1 setup today.

After the rewire (Yes I know I have to clean up those cables underneath :) )

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schapman said:
Decided I wanted a simpler cleaner 2.1 setup today.

After the rewire (Yes I know I have to clean up those cables underneath :) )
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Niice! I see you have the 650s... do you prefer listening to your headphones or through your Athenas more?
 
Pinipig523 said:
Niice! I see you have the 650s... do you prefer listening to your headphones or through your Athenas more?
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Depends on what I'm doing. During the day I tend to do speaker listening, and use the headphones at night.

I really like the athena sound, but I badly need an amp upgrade for them. I just know there is a lot more potential in them than my Kenwood receiver can produce.

Now to find an affordable 2 channel amp :)
 
Newly updated system:
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I'll keep you guys posted on the listening chair status... apparently, I ended up deciding to get BOTH the chair and the lcd.

Thanks! :)
 
do...
do you live in a bathroom?

:p


i really dig your poster there
 
Pinipig523 said:
Newly updated system:

I'll keep you guys posted on the listening chair status... apparently, I ended up deciding to get BOTH the chair and the lcd.

Thanks! :)
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Stunning setup!!!! Looks like you retired your Dell 2405. I love that 37" Westinghouse LCD!
 
Yes he lives in a bathroom...best bathroom stereo so far! :p

Much better than a shower radio!


So Pini guess what is brewing down my store rooms of audio...dual TC Sounds subs...I have two Crown XTi 4000 power amps on order to power the beasts. Dually TC-3000 15" .

And I also am pondering the purchase of the most potent Lab Gruppen to power a multi TC Sounds LMS-5400 18" sub.
 
TheEAR said:
Yes he lives in a bathroom...best bathroom stereo so far! :p

Much better than a shower radio!


So Pini guess what is brewing down my store rooms of audio...dual TC Sounds subs...I have two Crown XTi 4000 power amps on order to power the beasts. Dually TC-3000 15" .

And I also am pondering the purchase of the most potent Lab Gruppen to power a multi TC Sounds LMS-5400 18" sub.
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Geezuz Ear... subs for the subhuman! What about the Fathom and the Gotham??
 
odoe said:
do...
do you live in a bathroom?

:p


i really dig your poster there
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Yes.... it is a bathroom!!

Actually, I'm glad there's a cinderblocked front wall... keeps the sound from traveling across to the next guy.

:)

Thanks guys!
 
Pini,

Well I have three Fathom subsdual f113's and one f112,will be adding a second f112.And in november or december...the Gotham comes home.

Subsonics will be sub human,and at the moment I cannot say I am missing any bass. ;)
 
I Was Right You Computer Junkie!!!... haha nice updateman. im glad you followed your gut. im still TVless but im saving for the samy HL-T5087S (2/3rds there)

Tangent inc. said:
i just got a BenQ 22" and i am wishing i would have gone with the westy after my 44" dlp took a crap on itself... could have been a backup and now i have no monitor for my HTPC :mad:

i use my couch for listening and usually lean over and take a nap while im at it.

i would go monitor. you regularly listen in half hour bursts but your pc may be in near constant use.

oh and FPS on a 44" is... well it just is :D im broke though so im going with the flow till a tv comes my way.
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I just read a couple of pages back something about BW 800 series... my dad is actually going to audition some 802Ds tomorrow with some Quad ESL-2905s. I wanted to go with him but unfortunately I still have finals left...

I'm also looking for speakers right now... although somewhat more modest than those (I'm torn between Monitor Audio RS6s and Focal 816Vs... I've yet to have another audition, been too busy).

Those Minis from av123 are inevitable wherever you go... I just couldn't bring myself to buying speakers online... even if they are as good as people say.
 
ChrisII said:
I just read a couple of pages back something about BW 800 series... my dad is actually going to audition some 802Ds tomorrow with some Quad ESL-2905s. I wanted to go with him but unfortunately I still have finals left...

I'm also looking for speakers right now... although somewhat more modest than those (I'm torn between Monitor Audio RS6s and Focal 816Vs... I've yet to have another audition, been too busy).

Those Minis from av123 are inevitable wherever you go... I just couldn't bring myself to buying speakers online... even if they are as good as people say.
Click to expand...

The 802D are good speakers.. the 2905 are ok, but they presented a weirdly short soundstage to me and they dont get loud, period. Limited dynamics, but very coherent.

The 802D can really muscle its way through the music and HT.... a superbly flexible reference speaker. If it wasn't Summits, I'd gladly take the 802D.

BTW, yes, the Minis are extremely popular and a good first step to hi-end audio.

You will like the 816 Focals... I've heard them several times and they have a good reproduction. A little darker than the 918, but good and musical nonetheless.

Enjoy!

:)
 
Nice upgrade Joey! That's quite the monitor. I saw it once in best buy, and it was sweet.
 
Got my new lens, so I decided to take a few pictures. These were some of the last pictures taken with the stock lens.





There were up in my dorm, but I took them back a few weeks ago to make the big move a little eaiser.

I still really love these speakers, and am turned on by the B&W house sound.
 
Pinipig523 said:
The 802D are good speakers.. the 2905 are ok, but they presented a weirdly short soundstage to me and they dont get loud, period. Limited dynamics, but very coherent.

The 802D can really muscle its way through the music and HT.... a superbly flexible reference speaker. If it wasn't Summits, I'd gladly take the 802D.

BTW, yes, the Minis are extremely popular and a good first step to hi-end audio.

You will like the 816 Focals... I've heard them several times and they have a good reproduction. A little darker than the 918, but good and musical nonetheless.

Enjoy!

:)
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So my old man went and listened to Martin Logan Summits, B&W 802Ds and Quad ESL-2905s.

His favorite: The Quads...

He's a big blues and jazz listener, but also likes the Beatles and Pink Floyd. He presently owns some Quad 22Ls. As some of you may know, none of these speakers are cheap: the B&Ws are 16000CDN, the Quads are 13500 and I believe the Summits are around 11000-12000. He's also tried the Sonus Faber Cremonas and the Verity Audio Rienzi's.

The problem is that he already has a system that could be considered as high-end: with the law of diminishing returns kicking in you have to ask yourself: "These speakers are 6x the price of my current ones... do they sound 6x better?" Inevitably the answer is, for the most part, no.

He said the Quad ESLs let him hear stuff he's never heard before on his Norah Jones CD... very crisp, clean sound. THE B&Ws sounded big and tall (which given the sheer size of the speakers isn't suprising)

He didn't like the MLs, compared to the B&Ws... his opinion was that the B&Ws were more precise and overall more dynamic.

Anyway, I'm going to listen with him sometime next week: He still has to try some Wilson Audio Puppies and some Focal 1027s (maybe even some Utopia Altos).

Long post....

**Now I have to get him to upgrade is Yamaha RXV-2500: it's getting a little long in the tooth given the high quality speakers... don't worry, he uses external amplification for the mains (Quad 909), and a clean signal path for the CD (Quad CD-P).

Does he have a Quad Bias? Maybe. I think that the pure electrostatic design is what he really likes though. He also had the chance to try some Final Electrostatics (Chepaer), but looks like he'll be pulling the trigger soon.

I'll have pictures when it's setup.

Chris
 
towert7 said:
Got my new lens, so I decided to take a few pictures. These were some of the last pictures taken with the stock lens.

There were up in my dorm, but I took them back a few weeks ago to make the big move a little eaiser.

I still really love these speakers, and am turned on by the B&W house sound.
Click to expand...

Just out of curiosity, what are you using to drive your speakers? I have the same speakers and am considering 601s as rears for my dorm setup. Receiver? Separates?
 
ChrisII said:
So my old man went and listened to Martin Logan Summits, B&W 802Ds and Quad ESL-2905s.

His favorite: The Quads...

He's a big blues and jazz listener, but also likes the Beatles and Pink Floyd. He presently owns some Quad 22Ls. As some of you may know, none of these speakers are cheap: the B&Ws are 16000CDN, the Quads are 13500 and I believe the Summits are around 11000-12000. He's also tried the Sonus Faber Cremonas and the Verity Audio Rienzi's.

He said the Quad ESLs let him hear stuff he's never heard before on his Norah Jones CD... very crisp, clean sound. THE B&Ws sounded big and tall (which given the sheer size of the speakers isn't suprising)

He didn't like the MLs, compared to the B&Ws... his opinion was that the B&Ws were more precise and overall more dynamic.

Does he have a Quad Bias? Maybe. I think that the pure electrostatic design is what he really likes though. He also had the chance to try some Final Electrostatics (Chepaer), but looks like he'll be pulling the trigger soon.

I'll have pictures when it's setup.

Chris
Click to expand...

Chris,

It's real nice that you have an audiophile father, aside from all the fatherly stuff, you get to bond with him on another aspect of life - audio, which is certainly a good thing.

Where did he listen to all these speakers? Was it all one room? Same equipment?

Remember, when you get to this level you have to be careful to attribute a speaker's deficiencies upstream because all are already resolute to the point that you're listening 50% to the speaker and 50% to the amps/preamps/source. So if he didnt have a favorable Summit audition, I would imagine that the upstreams weren't up to snuff. However, it may just be that he's too much into BW and the Quads being a completely electrostatic speaker and not a hybrid like the Summits are more to his liking. Nothing wrong with that. I'd love to have BW802D here as I sit and listen to Lifehouse in the background, btw.

BUT I will tell you this: I have not heard a superb Summit audition outside my room, except once in Wisconsin (University Audio) which pretty much sealed the deal for me and I had to buy them right then and there. Aside from that dealer, no one can run it the way I do, atleast I havent seen a dealer run it this well. The difficulty is the fact that Summits require tubes somewhere in the system. Whether in the preamp stage or the amplification stage. Once you run tubes in there and keep the SS amplification in Class A based on good topology and design (aka Plinius or Pass Labs).... good god man... it's great! Otherwise, it's too airy and lacks solidity, which is probably what your Dad heard.

Last time I auditioned the Quad 2805, I thought they were anemic in that I couldn't push them and the images just weren't as palpable as on the Summits. They were clear and clean for sure, but I am not particularly keen on those "wow-me" things of a speaker. Soundstage for me was very short and oddly imaged for some reason. It was running on all Naim gear.. probably more expensive than my upstreams. I did get to hear a pair of Amati Anniversario by Sonus Faber and THAT was amazing. Best midbass dynamics I have EVER heard. So superior! But also SO expensive at $27,000.... pretty much a car. Ran on top shelf Naim... valued at about $60,000. Heard BW on Rotel equipment and on Ayre/Classe and I liked what I heard... just like your Dad described them... dynamic and imaged big, but I think the better word is life-sized imaging... 5-6foot tall singers and what not.

Either way, I'm all up for good speakers, so be sure to post pics of your Dad's reference system. He'll probably have better equipment than me so I want to have some audio envy... :)
 
TheAMAZINGNorad said:
Just out of curiosity, what are you using to drive your speakers? I have the same speakers and am considering 601s as rears for my dorm setup. Receiver? Separates?
Click to expand...

I use my computer as source. So it goes:
Audigy 2 ZS Digital coax output > MHdt Labs Paradisea+ DAC > Denon AVR-685 Receiver > Speakers.

The receiver, and to some degree the speakers, are certainly the weakest link in the chain.
 
Just replaced my Klipsch floorstanders with a pair of Athena WS-100's. A nearby CompUSA was closing, and hidden in the back of the store were a few boxes of 'em on sale for $230, which I thought must have been a helluva deal, even if Best Buy has them on sale for $479.

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As a average-joe listener I have to say that ignorance surely is bliss! Did a comparison between the two, and after listening to the Athena's for a few minutes, going back to the Klipsch sounded awful. (Muddy is the only descriptor I can think of ;P) Although to be honest, I'd rather have the Athena's at my computer desk, if only I could figure out a good place to set them. :(
 
Pinipig523 said:
Chris,

It's real nice that you have an audiophile father, aside from all the fatherly stuff, you get to bond with him on another aspect of life - audio, which is certainly a good thing.

Where did he listen to all these speakers? Was it all one room? Same equipment?

Remember, when you get to this level you have to be careful to attribute a speaker's deficiencies upstream because all are already resolute to the point that you're listening 50% to the speaker and 50% to the amps/preamps/source. So if he didnt have a favorable Summit audition, I would imagine that the upstreams weren't up to snuff. However, it may just be that he's too much into BW and the Quads being a completely electrostatic speaker and not a hybrid like the Summits are more to his liking. Nothing wrong with that. I'd love to have BW802D here as I sit and listen to Lifehouse in the background, btw.

BUT I will tell you this: I have not heard a superb Summit audition outside my room, except once in Wisconsin (University Audio) which pretty much sealed the deal for me and I had to buy them right then and there. Aside from that dealer, no one can run it the way I do, atleast I havent seen a dealer run it this well. The difficulty is the fact that Summits require tubes somewhere in the system. Whether in the preamp stage or the amplification stage. Once you run tubes in there and keep the SS amplification in Class A based on good topology and design (aka Plinius or Pass Labs).... good god man... it's great! Otherwise, it's too airy and lacks solidity, which is probably what your Dad heard.

Last time I auditioned the Quad 2805, I thought they were anemic in that I couldn't push them and the images just weren't as palpable as on the Summits. They were clear and clean for sure, but I am not particularly keen on those "wow-me" things of a speaker. Soundstage for me was very short and oddly imaged for some reason. It was running on all Naim gear.. probably more expensive than my upstreams. I did get to hear a pair of Amati Anniversario by Sonus Faber and THAT was amazing. Best midbass dynamics I have EVER heard. So superior! But also SO expensive at $27,000.... pretty much a car. Ran on top shelf Naim... valued at about $60,000. Heard BW on Rotel equipment and on Ayre/Classe and I liked what I heard... just like your Dad described them... dynamic and imaged big, but I think the better word is life-sized imaging... 5-6foot tall singers and what not.

Either way, I'm all up for good speakers, so be sure to post pics of your Dad's reference system. He'll probably have better equipment than me so I want to have some audio envy... :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input, you seem to be the "resident pro" here at HardForums. He's still looking at electronics, but the cost is getting daunting... because it won't be in a "pure" stereo setup he needs to find some great multichannel electronics... Classe was too expensive though :( He's currently looking at Moon and Naim...

He'll probably piece it together as time goes buy, because of new developments in the HD-DVD/BluRay arena, what with HDMI 1.3 and all... I have yet to find a "high-end" manufacuter that fully supports the standard... heck some don't even have HDMI at all.

I won't post again until I have some pictures, of my system or my old man's!

Cheers,

Chris
 
Dad's Home Theater
Furniture isn't all that high end but the "hardware" is awesome.

Definitive Tech BP-10's up front
Definitive Tech Bipolar Surrounds at rear
Paradigm Subwoofer
Definitive Tech Center Channel

The speakers aren't very new (late 90's).

Receiver is an Onkyo TX-SR674, Toshiba A20 HD-DVD Player, Monster Cable Power Filter, etc.

TV is a 42" Samsung DLP HLS4266W (1080i, HDMI, etc).

Pardon the blurry pix, I was kind of in a hurry and I wasn't using flash or tripod.






























 
My Computer Audio

Klipsch ProMedia 2.1's --> X-Fi XtremeMusic

Nothing impressive but it gets the job done well enough. I may start to invest into some serious audio in the near future. Sub is in the back corner behind the desk/monitor. Sounds great back there.












 
towert7 said:
I use my computer as source. So it goes:
Audigy 2 ZS Digital coax output > MHdt Labs Paradisea+ DAC > Denon AVR-685 Receiver > Speakers.

The receiver, and to some degree the speakers, are certainly the weakest link in the chain.
Click to expand...

Hey Drew...

How do you like the Paradisea DAC? A local audiophile was thinking of getting one...
 
NickS said:
Dad's Home Theater


NickS said:
My Computer Audio

Klipsch ProMedia 2.1's --> X-Fi XtremeMusic
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Nick...

You guys got some pretty good stuff there. And dont be humble about your Promedia 2.1s. They MORE than get the job done, my friend. Those are pretty much the same as what got me started into this craphole of a money blackhole (had the 4.1 from my gf, who still is around to put up with me and my hobby :))!

Deftechs... I respect very much for HT. I didn't think much of them until I actually auditioned them and I was very impressed with what I heard and how they easy they were to drive with your run-of-the-mill receiver.
 
ChrisII said:
Thanks for the input, you seem to be the "resident pro" here at HardForums. He's still looking at electronics, but the cost is getting daunting... because it won't be in a "pure" stereo setup he needs to find some great multichannel electronics... Classe was too expensive though :( He's currently looking at Moon and Naim...

He'll probably piece it together as time goes buy, because of new developments in the HD-DVD/BluRay arena, what with HDMI 1.3 and all... I have yet to find a "high-end" manufacuter that fully supports the standard... heck some don't even have HDMI at all.

I won't post again until I have some pictures, of my system or my old man's!

Cheers,

Chris
Click to expand...

Though Classe is expensive, you gotta watch yourself with Naim... that company's line gets real expensive reeeeal quick! Moon's pretty up there too!

There's no such thing as a cheap upstream combination if you want to do it right, unless you go Audiogon.

I look forward to your next post... and your pics! :cool:
 
Pinipig523 said:
Hey Drew...

How do you like the Paradisea DAC? A local audiophile was thinking of getting one...
Click to expand...

I can't compare it to anything really (I'm limited in high end equipment experience). It's a certain upgrade over their Constantine+ Dac, that's for sure, but how it would compare to something like your DAC I simply don't know.

I do know that the build quality is great, and the person (people) who developed it paid a lot of attention to detail, not only in the physical design but in the electronics. For example, it has a built in start up timer that mutes the signal while the tube warms up so the tube doesnt run out of it's electron supply and cause tube breakage. Other things like running the tube at lower voltages... etc.

It's very easy to tweak the sound. The big thing is the socketed tube. There are quite a lot of different types which are easy to find, and *most* are on the cheaper side of less than 20$. That's always nice. They also have a socketed opamp, so that even allows for more tweaking. It's not a balanced source though like your DAC is.
It's also worth pointing out that the dac does not use a full tube stage, but rather a tube buffer stage. So, it's like a hybrid, and you get a balance between the NOS sound and a full Tube sound. There are some tubes though that have been reported to make it sound VERY tuby.

I find their DAC's to be very smooth and non fatiguing. They don't suffer from that digital harshness. This is the main reason I like them! Soundstage and positioning are quite nice. All this is noticed by me with my headphones. I would imagine the soundstage and positioning would be even more noticible with speakers.

Bottom line, I'd pay 600$ for it again in a heart beat, and the people who develop it are very nice and friendly (their english is fairly good to boot). It would be on my shortlist of DAC's to consider for the 500-2000$ range.

Sorry to your friend this wasn't more helpful.
 
this is an update of my system of sorts... i thought i had pics of everything in place but i dont i no longer have a TV so next update will be when my sammy ledDLP arrives.

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my center above my PC while testing loop

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my Mains on desk before i got my DLP

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Rears

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PB12/NSD Sub behind couch

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God rest her soul

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cheap pioneer mains and center

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PC Rears
 
I was bored today and I'm relatively new to the [H], so I looked around and found this thread. I must say, you guys have some really high end components.

Just thought I'd pop in with my gear...
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