# Hgoed's hoard



## hgoed (Mar 22, 2010)

Although I think it's a bit unfair to those of us with no "stuff" I have to post here to qualify for the GIK giveaway, which I'm absolutely sure I'll win

Right now I have a computer with an ASUS Essence ST card running stereo to Sennheiser HD600 headphones and a Densen Beat B-100 amp running RA labs speakers. I used to be an audiophile addict, spending money that wasn't really mine and trying to compete with people far better equipped than I (one of which had an actual pipe organ installed in their music room), but I gave most of my stuff away a while back. 

Now I want to build a sonically awesome HT system so my wife can see a little about what I spent so much time researching back before and in grad school.

Stay tuned for updates.


----------



## hgoed (Mar 22, 2010)

OK...now I've got a Mitsubishi 73738 DLP rear projection. I like it. I bought it (revealing that I can be a bit of a crazy person) because it was deeper than a flat screen and that it had a less acoustically reflective front face, allowing me to build an absorptive frame around it and effectively have a sound neutral front wall.

I also have 20 full-range drivers (Mark Audio Alpair 10.2) for which I am trying to make cabinets...but until this point, I've mostly been making scrap wood. Each driver will be powered by it's own class-D amplifier. Nice thing about FR drivers, to me, is that I can add as many channels as I want, and add as much cone area (sound power) as I want and still basically have identical sound signature. I know there are compromises, but they're the ones I've chosen.

I still haven't decided how to feed the audio/video signal, as an HTPC gives me the most flexibility, but power consumption is a really high priority in my household paradigm. 

LF sound will be delivered at this point by two subs, each with 2 CSS SDX-10 subs, powered by IcePower ASP1000 amps. The goal is about 35HZ because the tactile energy will be supplemented by BassKickers installed into my Berklines. I have no idea if this works to any degree of satisfaction, but I'm just fantasizing that it would be a decent starting point. If I need more energy, I've got my eye on the long-awaited SDX-15 MKII. I've ordered a MiniDSP for use as a subEQ, but if that is too much work, I may try an AntiMode.

Unfortunately I've fallen way behind schedule on my building because my fracking day job has gotten in the way.


----------



## hgoed (Mar 22, 2010)

On order...Pioneer Elite SC-55.

For the source, I've gone back to using an HTPC. Actually a full PC, but with Sandy Bridge, I deactivate the external video card when I'm not goofing around with my kid-partner (who knew a 7 year old could be such a techno-geek--I put aside much of my HT build to make him a custom gaming area). The PC runs HDMI into a repeater in the basment (just below the computer room) then back up into the theater/living room. This will feed the SC-55 for video. No special HTPC software is used, 'cause I often have to work in the middle of a movie, so I just like to minimize, do my work thing, then get back to the show. I did try a Panasonic Blu-ray (BD210 or something like that) but I couldn't get any of my ripped MKV files to play from the USB hard drive, regardless of what way I tried to re-encode the files. That went back, which is a pity, because the video quality was great.

Audio will stream off of a NAS in the basement, straight to the receiver.

For control, right now I just use a wireless keyboard/mouse, but I plan on getting an android tablet once the Kal-el based ones become available. Then I'll control the whole house with that.

Speakers are still in progress as I set up a computer game room first . That room has 4 open baffle FR speakers (see above post for drivers) plus a sealed single SDX10 sub which is temporary as I'll be using the driver in the theater room, and it's a bit much for the small computer room anyway (that's an assumption, but I haven't tried that hard to make it work). Those speakers are run from my Xonar card with DIY class D amps. Plenty good enough for a computer room. The HT room will run 9 channels with backs and wides. I'll have to update how the backs and wides add to the experience, because I've never had a chance to critically evaluate the effect of this setup.

I'm going to go ahead with two dual-SDX10 sealed subs as well as a dual-SDX10 tapped horn (see thread in the CSS section). I need some more drivers (and some spare cash) for that, 'though.

Finally, I also plan on ordering an iNuke 1000 to power the buttkickers in my chairs. The power is right, and the purpose-made amps don't seem to be available anywhere. I'll probably move the amp out of it's case.


----------

