Reply With QuoteLove those DIY speakers, do they come in kit form or did you make them yourself?
Quite a few members here seem to be into hifi/music and home cinema/films, thought I would start a thread inspired by the recent 'man cave' thread.
What do you use for music/films?
I've been through loads of stuff from big DIY horns with flea powered valve amps, single driver speakers, big commercial stuff like AE2, 104/2s, Tannoy Stirling SE, Rega R9s for example and loads in between.
As of this week, I have a simple system of a Yamaha DVD player, Benchmark DAC1 HDR and some DIY active bookshelf speakers with a sub, nice simple little system that does me for both music and films. Hopefully having a new (to me) Turntable delivered by the end of the week after selling my Gyrodec SE/SME combo a few months back.
Digital System by Robert Seymour, on Flickr
Photo of the room with an earlier system (Sony S9000ES/Bryston B60/Rega R9 with the Gyrodec) although the Ikea rack in the corner is now filled with more vinyl, moved and replaced with the new rack as above.
System by Robert Seymour, on Flickr
Love those DIY speakers, do they come in kit form or did you make them yourself?
They were a custom design from the previous owner, I can't take any credit for the design, all I have done is re-design the DSP crossovers.Originally Posted by glyn696486
Corner of the man cave.
Very nice! do you play the guitars too? I love music but never got very far learning an instrument (Cornet and Piano)Corner of the man cave.
Nice setup you have there. Unfortunately I've no pictures of mine but in the lounge:
Samsung 48" TV (can't remember the model but its about 6 yrs old)
Yamaha v2065 AV amp
Monitor Audio Radius HD270 (fronts) 250 (centre) 90 (rear) RSW-12 subwoofer
Sonos bridge
PS3
In the dining room is my main hi-fi:
Sonos connect
Roksan Kandy K3 amp
Dali Royal Tower floor standing speakers (Bi wired)
JoLida FX tube DAC II
Music is from my NAS drive.
I used to be into hi-fi and AV quite heavily but don't really look at it anymore as it can get very expensive and the law of diminishing returns happens quite quickly. I soon realised that for me I'd be spending thousands for a very small improvement. The only thing I may look at next is a new AV amp and TV but that'll be a while off yet. The valve dac always good for valve rolling which seems to me to be the most cost efficient way of altering my hi-fi sound
Last edited by subseastu; 31st May 2016 at 20:55.
Crappy pic as it was of the chair and not hifi BUT...B&W CM9 speakers, Arcam FMJ seperates, mixture of cabling. I also have a little Marantz MCR603 with some B&W CM1 speakers for my second system.
No dedicated man cave as of yet, but we're on the market and looking for a new house. Her indoors doesn't realise yet...
I'm fortunate to have my own music only man cave; haven't got any pics yet, must get round to taking some and will post them here.
I'm 50/50 between vinyl and streaming (all my CDs are ripped to FLAC and are now in the loft), with an almost SE spec LP12 at the front end. Then a Naim NAC82 and NAXO active crossover via 4x DIY power amps (Avondale NCC200 based) into Naim SL2s. Been through HiCaps, TeddyCaps, DIY Caps, you get the picture! Too be honest it was all getting a bit silly on the Naim upgrade ladder, but a couple of years ago I made a conscious decision to jump off, and I've not looked back since. It's a cliché, but now I listen to the music as opposed to the system.
Here's my humble setup, I've been through loads of different combinations over the years and this is definitely my favourite so far.
Last edited by TT300; 31st May 2016 at 21:36.
I am purely stereo, but have an assortment of Linn DS-based systems, with some Lejonklou amplification.
This is the man cave in my house:
And the gubbins which powers the kitchen:
One incarnation of the system in my London flat:
A much missed bit of kit:
How do you find the 804d's? Considering upgrading my CM's for some 803 diamonds possibly once we move. The older models seem a relative bargain, just wonder how much better they are than a more modern CM9?Here's my humble setup, I've been through loads of different combinations over the years and this is defiantly my favourite so far.
These are only the 804s but I adore them! To my ears I couldn't hear a difference between these and the diamonds but no doubt to a conisour they would be able to tell the difference. I've personally not put the CM series through their paces so I couldn't really answer but I must say for the money I don't think the 800 series can be beat.
I would give them a try if I were you and if you don't like them I very much doubt you would lose any money in selling them on, they're like a stainless sports Rolex in the hifi world! I've never lost a penny on any of my B&W/Rotel stuff I've sold over the years.
Cheers - I know my local dealer well who'll no doubt have the latest versions. I'll see if anyone on the hifi forum has a pair local to me so I can have a listen
Big fan of home cinema here! 3.5 yr old and 4 month old have caused changes and a scaling down. NAS sat in an extremely geeky 6foot server cabinet in the garage distributes via a lot of CAT6 to every room. Big fan of Plex. TV is 55" curved, bit gimmicky but fits the living room well enough. Next step is I convince the wife that it's not too soon for the kids playroom to be a cinema room...
Been through a couple of Onkyo receivers that both failed with HDMI switches out of warranty. Had the Pioneer VSX for a while now and it is fine for our needs. The Blu Ray player is a dust collector with Paw Patrol streamed continuously.
No more floorstanding AE 7.1 from pre-kid times. Moved to B&W ceiling mounted 5.1. bit gutted about that but still got the boomy old Mordaunt sub for when they're all out.
I'm not much of a listener of music so a few Sonos dotted around the house seem to work fine for us!
Nice to see so many TTs and so much vinyl....
I guess there is a synergy between mechanical watches and turntables, or transcription units, as they were known.
Regards
Gerard
Vienna acoustics Subson subwoofer
Onkyo TX SR-876 AV processor
Home built Media PC
Tweaked Alchemist APD 20 MK11 front Amp
Home made centre speaker, made from two Rourk Dialouge ones and reinforced steel enclosure
DCS Puccini transport
DCS Paganini world clock
Node2 24bit streamer
Neat MFS ultimatum speakers
Definitive technology bipole rear speakers
Panasonic 65inch plasma, can't remember the number
The hifi and AV system share front speakers and front amp, the CD transport acts as the pre amp, I work in electronics so can tweak components rather than buy more
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last edited by adrianw; 31st May 2016 at 22:41.
So at the end of last year I was in a fortunate position to be able to fulfil a dream of mine, something I didn't think i'd be able to afford to achieve until later in life. The wife and I were looking at how best to make the most of the space in our smallish living room and the realisation dawned that a large separates system was making the room look cluttered. I started to get values on all of the HiFi with the intention of selling it to keep the cash for a later time at which i'd be able to buy into another separates system.
Now, ever since I was a small boy i've loved going into the B&O shops in Norwich and Cambridge, never with the intention of buying, but because to me they were like sweet shops! I've always loved the B&O aesthetic and the sound quality of the audio equipment they sell is, to me, fantastic. One evening, not long after selling my separates, I was browsing eBay and I came across a listing for a Bang & Olufsen Beosound 4 with a set of Beolab 6000 speakers. I made the enquiry, found out as much as I could and, upon realising that the asking price for both was about £600 less than if bought from a B&O reseller, I quickly made the transaction. The system had been kept in the spare bedroom, connected to a house-wide system previously owned by one of B&O Manchester's "good customers" who had recently chopped in all of his little-used equipment for up-to-date models. The only signs of use on any of the equipment was the DAB button on the Beosound 4 which led me to believe that this was a very underused system.
6 months later and it's still pride of place in my living room. I'd happily welcome comments saying that it's not as "audiophile" (because it's not) or it's not good value for money (which is subjective) but no other piece of audio equipment i've ever owned has made people "ooh" and "aah" as much as the B&O, and no other piece of audio equipment i've owned has made me want to listen to my entire CD collection from A to Z like this has.
A crappy picture below but it's my pride and joy nonetheless.
Those Beolab 6000's never ceased to amaze me when I installed them as a B&O dealer.... do not let anyone tell you they are not HiFi. I've sold and installed these speakers to many discerning enthusiasts from orchestra conductors to people with high end kit. I've seen them being made at B&O in Struer.... the quality control was so tight it was almost unbelievable. and the aluminium shaping? only B&O do it that well.
You can drive them with just a pre-amp, they also have some very innovative technology built in them (adaptive bass linearisation) .... great speakers... enjoy them.
Who's the ugly git in the centre if the photo?So at the end of last year I was in a fortunate position to be able to fulfil a dream of mine, something I didn't think i'd be able to afford to achieve until later in life. The wife and I were looking at how best to make the most of the space in our smallish living room and the realisation dawned that a large separates system was making the room look cluttered. I started to get values on all of the HiFi with the intention of selling it to keep the cash for a later time at which i'd be able to buy into another separates system.
Now, ever since I was a small boy i've loved going into the B&O shops in Norwich and Cambridge, never with the intention of buying, but because to me they were like sweet shops! I've always loved the B&O aesthetic and the sound quality of the audio equipment they sell is, to me, fantastic. One evening, not long after selling my separates, I was browsing eBay and I came across a listing for a Bang & Olufsen Beosound 4 with a set of Beolab 6000 speakers. I made the enquiry, found out as much as I could and, upon realising that the asking price for both was about £600 less than if bought from a B&O reseller, I quickly made the transaction. The system had been kept in the spare bedroom, connected to a house-wide system previously owned by one of B&O Manchester's "good customers" who had recently chopped in all of his little-used equipment for up-to-date models. The only signs of use on any of the equipment was the DAB button on the Beosound 4 which led me to believe that this was a very underused system.
6 months later and it's still pride of place in my living room. I'd happily welcome comments saying that it's not as "audiophile" (because it's not) or it's not good value for money (which is subjective) but no other piece of audio equipment i've ever owned has made people "ooh" and "aah" as much as the B&O, and no other piece of audio equipment i've owned has made me want to listen to my entire CD collection from A to Z like this has.
A crappy picture below but it's my pride and joy nonetheless.
Gaz don't talk about my wife like that! ;-)Who's the ugly git in the centre if the photo?
When I said about them not being audiophile, really I was just referring to the fact that you can add "+/- Bass", "+/- Treble" and "Loudness" through the Beosound 4. However the system has done nothing less than astonish me. Favourite recordings like Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue and Andy McKee's Art Of Motion which I thought I knew really well have proven to reveal more detail than before. They're immersive and while they don't quite have the bass extension of my old Quad speakers, they're more than adequate for our tiny living room.
Definitely feeling like i'm B&O for life ;-)
Blimey, thats very, er, Red!
Nice simple stereo though, I like that.
I am purely stereo, but have an assortment of Linn DS-based systems, with some Lejonklou amplification.
This is the man cave in my house:
And the gubbins which powers the kitchen:
One incarnation of the system in my London flat:
A much missed bit of kit:
Ha yes, it is rather red. It's a small sitting room off the side of my very pale drawing room - great to hide away in on a winter's evening with a bottle of claret and some vinyl!Blimey, thats very, er, Red!
Nice simple stereo though, I like that.
I'm into my AV stuff and currently running the following in the lounge...
TV / Movies: -
Panasonic Plasma - TXP55ST60 (this was one of the last plasmas before they stopped making them in 2014)
Marantz 5.1 NR1504 AVR (soon to be upgraded to a 7.1 Cambridge Audio CXR200)
Q Acoustics 2050i floorstanders (got these direct from the supplier at half the RRP)
Q Acoustics 2000c centre
Cambridge Audio Minx rears
Sony BDPS5500 Blu-ray (great bit of kit for £65, awesome sound and picture plus Netflix etc... and only the size of a Yellow Pages)
Logitech Harmony Ultimate remote
Music: -
Cambridge Audio CXN Streamer (for Spotify, IR and streaming duties)
Cambridge Audio CXA60 amplifier
Cambridge Audio CP1 phono stage
Project Debut Carbon turntable
Cambridge Audio Ultra speaker cable (got it free from Richer Sounds, horrible and bright when first installed but now loosening up nicely)
AKG K702 headphones
I also gave a Beresford speaker switch which allows me to use the floor standers in either a 5.0 setup (TV / Movies) or 2.0 (streaming / vinyl).
Not looking to upgrade anything yet but there's always "something better out there". Have recently switched from Marantz kit to CA and they do make some lovely stuff at reasonable prices. Plus Richer Sounds do a good discount on it.
The other half is forever moaning about stuff being bought, but then when we watch a film she appreciates the sound quality and clarity.
Only in a one bed apartment at the moment but looking at buying elsewhere soon. Trouble is trying to find a perfectly symmetrical front room for AV kit and speaker placement :)
Although one thing I won't be doing is laying laminate along with a leather sofa and bare walls as the sound quality was truly terrible initially. Far better now after the introduction of deap pile rugs and cushions.
My Music and Cinema Set up
Panasonic Pro Series 58" Plasma
Arcam AVR750 Amp Processor
Arcam BDP300 BluRay/DVD/CD Player
Arcam rBlink Bluetooth receiver for Streaming from Tidal
PMC PB1i Fronts
PMC CB1i Centre Speaker
PMC DBi1 Rears
SVS-PC12 Plus Subwoofer
Anti-Mode Subwoofer EQ Box
Went out with a 5k budget and look what happened.
Last edited by Vanguard; 1st June 2016 at 10:16.
That looks gorgeous Vanguard, you have great taste :)
I am strictly a 2ch music lover, no HT. This is my setup with active ADAM speakers. There has been one change since I took these pics, the Bent TVC pre-amp has been replaced with an Audio Research Reference 40 pre.
How did those speakers pass the wife test?
Thank you, your actives look like they could move enough air to dry your washing in front of them
+1, impressive size sir!Thank you, your actives look like they could move enough air to dry your washing in front of them
She got to pick the curtains and mirror in return?
Unlikely. More likely is she doesn't know the room exists and the door is hidden behind bookshelves.
So, how is your neighbour getting on with his PTSD treatment?
She gave in decades agoI owned stacked Quads when we met and despite the few large speakers that followed they are all considered an improvement over the 'doors'
We certainly didn't pick the curtains! Those were carefully selected last century I believe.
There is some great looking - and probably great sounding - kit on here. I'm not fortunate enough (well, worked hard enough) to get a whole man cave. But I do have a man side of the living room;
Sony 55" UHD TV
Sony STR-DN1050 amp/receiver
Mission 790 stereo/bookshelve speakers
Mission 79C centre speaker
BK Electronics Gemini II active sub
Mordaunt Short Alumni II rear speakers.
PS4/PS3/Sky+HD and a Western Digital 2TB My Cloud which houses my high resolution music and CDs ripped to FLAC.
And on the other side of the room is my "library" area.
There really are some great looking set up's here gentleman. One thing that strikes me is that the majority seem to go for a BIG set up.
I am just in the process of purchasing a new house and so have started to think about a new set up for the lounge. My man cave will be the study and so a nice set of head phones will be suffice in there. Therefore has anyone gone for a more subtle approach to there install? If I can I will have everything with the exception of speakers hidden away. Any suggestions chaps?
If you want streaming, Sonos is very easy to use and setup, can easily be hidden in a cupboard and all controlled by tour phone. Both my Dad and Brother use Sonos stuff and its juse so simple.
Our main set-up is in a lovely cabinet which sits underneath the tv. We use an infra red relay system to control the equipment with the doors closed. So on a daily basis there's no need to open the doors. Therefore you can only see the speakers. It's not a smaller set up per se, but it is subtle and hidden away.
Also use a Logitech Harmony remote to keep all the remotes out of the way too.
96" of cinematic goodness. XTZ speakers, two subs, a tactile sub, Etc. Just right to avoid the general public at the multiplex.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Years ago I used to be into hifi equipment but sold it all when I bought my first house. I still miss it - Fully loaded Linn LP12, Roksan Atessa CD, Audiolab amps.... But with a young family convenience is the key these days. Therefore all CDs are ripped and streamed via Sonos, all DVDs and Blurays are ripped into Plex for streaming to all the smart TVs and tablets.
I did just buy a projector for the living room though, and it completely transforms the movie watching experience. Watching movies with the picture 2.5 metres on the diagonal when you are only about 4 metres away and the sound through the soundbar and subwoofer does a pretty good job of replicating the cinema-going experience.
Just picked up a Niam MuSo, it's a one box streaming speaker and sounds crisp and clear with a good depth of base. Sounds great to me especially with Tidal lossless tracks.
Have a Nakamichi SoundSpace 5 in the kitchen and a SoundSpace 3 in the bedroom which are still look great and going strong after 16 years!
I wonder if the Naim will last as long?
My set up is two channel only:-
KEF LS50 speakers
MARANTZ PM17SE SIG. amplifier
MUSICAL FIDELITY X-RAY CD
SONOS CONNECT (streams FLAC and other music from my Netgear NAS)
TECHNICS & PROJECT turntables.
I made a wall to house both my 65" Panasonic Plasma, and Centre, Left & Right speakers.
All three Front speaker are Millar & Kriestel IW-150s; similar to http://mkloudspeakers.com/products-i...er/Product/182 (M&K have changed their name to MK)
Rear Left & rear Right are M&K M4 Tripolar (they have speakers on each side as well as the front to disperse and wrap the sound, connecting the rear the front sound stage, and to fill the rear.
Subwoofer; I use a Ultimate Subwoofer Company DIY copy, which consists of an 18" Fi driver in a sealed box, in conjunction with a Behringer iNuke 3,000 watt amp/dsp.
AVR is a Denon 4311, which decodes HD sounds and also automatically configures the sound with room correction via a plug in microphone & sound tests. It also has Audyssey xt32, which corrects low listening levels (for lost bass etc, as music & film are recorded & supposed to be listened to at "reference" level (ie v loud).
I use a Pioneer player mostly for BD & SACD.
Only pics I have with me at moment;
Fake wall in the making
Wall housing 65" plasma & front left, centre & right M&K IW-150
IW-150
Just about see the Rear Right M&K M4T in the corner, - the 18" subwoofer lives below that...
From left to right; SVS 20-39PCi, DIY USC 18" FI driver (sealed), Original USC with 15" FI driver (sealed), SVS PC12 NSD. I have sold everything apart from the 18" sealed Fi which is now wood veneered and looks like furniture. Most subwoofers are either good at achieving depth (ported subs), or a tight punch/slam (sealed), but it's difficult to achieve both, - this is why I went for a big 18" driver with a lot of power (for depth), but the sealed box still gives control, so it's very tight also, so still remains musical and rhythmical
Very happy with my system, I have had a lot of different equipment before over the years, but I am finally satisfied with the sound and don't feel that I need to upgrade. M&K deliver a very detailed, precise sound - which is my preference.
My only gripe is the front centre, - on occasion I find the US accents within some movies hard to understand, - I think this is exacerbated by their tendency to mumble, but I am sure that I could improve upon things here somehow... any tips on that - very welcome :)
Last edited by PJdB; 2nd June 2016 at 12:16.
Very nice, I like M&K stuff, I couldnt find a Center with enough projection, the room is 38 feet long, I also wanted to position it directly under the TV, that is why I ended up designing my own, fourtunatly I have the contacts to make this practicle
My system went through 2 stages
1. Pre kids
Marantz KI Signature CD player
Biamped Rotel power amps, later switching to a Pathos Logos integrated
Hybrid electrostatic speakers (Cadence Anina)
DIY Sub
Marantz receiver, Jamo bipole surround speakers
2. Post kids
Artcoustic Front and Centre speakers and Panasonic plasma - all recessed into a frame / false wall
In ceiling surround speakers
Marantz receiver
Synology NAS
WD TV Live media player
Harmony RF remote
All the kit behind closed doors and no wires in sight
I'm lucky enough to have a dedicated cinema room with a ceiling mounted projector and 110 inch retractable screen. Really does take watching films at home to a new level. And sport and gaming as well.
I'm away at the minute so couldn't tell you the inner workings of what is powering it but the one thing I love is the Kaleidescape system that's in it.
My wife describes it as a big, video iPod and it's not far off. All dvd's are burnt to a hard drive and blu rays are stored in a jukebox type system so no big racks of dvd's about. Server sends it round the house on cat 5 so the kids have all sorts of films on tap without any streaming.
Will try and take some pics when I'm back if anyone is interested.
Malc
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
^ Yes please Malc, I'm interested ^
Some impressive stuff in this thread.
I've never really got on with home cinema; I prefer the physical and emotional aspects of actually seeing a film (ideally, a film rather than digital projection, but that's another discussion) in the cinema. However, flatscreen tech being as it was, there was a need to upgrade my perfectly adequate 37" Sony with some external speakers. Anything that sits in a living room rather than a dedicated home cinema is bound to be a compromise, but I'm very pleasantly surprised by Sony's sound base. Certainly better looking than Bose or Canton or Yamaha, and with plenty of inputs. There's an annoying lip sync issue that appears to be signal related, which is infuriating, but there we are. As for hifi, I have recently found a Musical Fidelity Merlin (most of previous hifi has been portable, concentrating on in ear 'phones), which I'm very much looking forward to unboxing tonight...
Music system:
Front end is truly analogue with a Denon DP50L turntable, Denon MC cart, Denon AU340 transformer, Triode phono preamp and a Triode 300B amp. Feeds some B&W monitors and a hidden B&W subwoofer. There is also an Onkyo C7030 for CD duties and Apple Airport Express for wireless music streaming.
Home cinema:
A Pioneer Blu-Ray and digital AV Amp, hidden in a cupboard. This also houses an HP server with ECC memory running Linux, supporting a 4-disk ZFS RAIDZ volume. This is used for photos and other media for the avoidance of bit rot.
The server has its 4xGb NICs link aggregated through a Cisco switch. From there hard-wired gigabit ethernet is run to other floors in the house, from where additional switches and Apple Airports or Time Capsules provide wired, wireless and/or automatic backup duties. Music and media can be played anywhere on any device, with additional Apple TVs deployed on the screens elsewhere. There seems to be no bottleneck
The cupboard stuff including the Apple TV4 are remotely controlled with an IR extender and feed a Benq W1070 HD projector. Audio is output via some B&W monitors plus another hidden 600W B&W subwoofer for a 5.1 set up. Screen is about 250cm diagonal (bad iphone shots...):
I do have an 8mm projector, and copies of Star Wars, Enter the Dragon and some others on the original film, but the above system is more convenient.
Paul
Paul - Wow!!!
Now with added TT content in the form of a Rega P9/RB1000 combo!Quite a few members here seem to be into hifi/music and home cinema/films, thought I would start a thread inspired by the recent 'man cave' thread.
What do you use for music/films?
I've been through loads of stuff from big DIY horns with flea powered valve amps, single driver speakers, big commercial stuff like AE2, 104/2s, Tannoy Stirling SE, Rega R9s for example and loads in between.
As of this week, I have a simple system of a Yamaha DVD player, Benchmark DAC1 HDR and some DIY active bookshelf speakers with a sub, nice simple little system that does me for both music and films. Hopefully having a new (to me) Turntable delivered by the end of the week after selling my Gyrodec SE/SME combo a few months back.
Digital System by Robert Seymour, on Flickr
Photo of the room with an earlier system (Sony S9000ES/Bryston B60/Rega R9 with the Gyrodec) although the Ikea rack in the corner is now filled with more vinyl, moved and replaced with the new rack as above.
System by Robert Seymour, on Flickr
Rega P9 by Robert Seymour, on Flickr
System by Robert Seymour, on Flickr
Posting Permissions
