# recruit's modest AV setup



## recruit

Hello All,

I thought I might as well make my first post here and to introduce myself at the same time, been into this hobby for a good few years now and spent huge amounts of money, but what a great hobby it is :T

here is my humble setup...

46" Samsung 1080p LCD HDTV
Arcam FMJ AV888 Processor
Rotel RMB-1575 5 channel Power amp
3 x M&K S150's LCR
2 x M&K CS29's for surrounds
1 x M&K MX5100SF for sub duties
Cyrus CD8SE
Oppo BDP-83 for BluRay 
4.5tb HTPC 
PCH A110 with 1tb HDD fitted.
Panasonic PT-AE3000 Projector
Beamax 92" Screen

Look forward to chatting to all you other AV holics :wave:


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## tonyvdb

Hi John, Welcome to the Shack,
As per the forum rules you must have 5 posts befor you can post a photo on this site. Use our post padding thread to aceive this faster if you wish.


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## chadcummings

Looking forward to see your pics.

I have been a member for over a year now and spent all of my time reading, researching and spending money. Here soon I will begin posting pics of my theater build and speaker setup.

You have joined a great group of people with a huge wealth of knowledge.

Welcome aboard.


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## recruit

Cheers guys, just figured that out ref to posting of URL's, but have managed to upload them as a couple of attachements for now, will have a good read through some more threads and catch up on some of the other setups here


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## tonyvdb

Looking good!:T


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## Sonnie

Yes... nice setup and welcome to the Shack... :T


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## recruit

tonyvdb said:


> Looking good!:T


cheers, my other half is quite good really and puts up with my habit, but I have a tendancy to change kit fairly often but have slowed down a bit now :whistling:


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## recruit

Sonnie said:


> Yes... nice setup and welcome to the Shack... :T


thanks sonnie


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## Jon Liu

Nice set up! A Xbox 360 user, huh? Me too.

I think you'll be pleased by the Onkyo Pre/Pro. I have the Integra equivalent and it is serving me very well!

Oh, and welcome to The Shack!


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## recruit

Jon Liu said:


> Nice set up! A Xbox 360 user, huh? Me too.
> 
> I think you'll be pleased by the Onkyo Pre/Pro. I have the Integra equivalent and it is serving me very well!
> 
> Oh, and welcome to The Shack!


cheers Jon, yep still like the video games also !

Onkyo make some great kit and give the other brands a good run for there money, looking at getting the PRO Audyssey kit too for the 886...


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## Jon Liu

I thought about the Pro kit for my Integra also... I still do... but I am torn between that and just waiting to get the next upgraded Integra Pre/Pro.


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## recruit

Jon Liu said:


> I thought about the Pro kit for my Integra also... I still do... but I am torn between that and just waiting to get the next upgraded Integra Pre/Pro.


I love what Audyssey can do for the sound, it seems the sensible option and not too costly either, it may not have the full power that the standalone unit has but very close to it.

I have used a BFD and Velodyne SMS1 in the past and also Meridian Room EQ on a G68 that I had but IMO Audyssey really is the best solution to date for accurate room EQ...


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## recruit

Well I ended up changing my mind when going for a new processor, and actually ended up getting the new Arcam AV888, here are a couple of pics of my new unit...just need a new PJ now and thats me done for a while :whistling:


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## Jon Liu

That's a mighty fine looking unit, Recruit!


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## recruit

Jon Liu said:


> That's a mighty fine looking unit, Recruit!


cheers Jon, been running it in all day and a lot more listening is needed !


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## Jon Liu

Still running break-in on the unit? I'm really curious how it sounds. You know, looking at the Arcam unit, I really, REALLY like the look of it. Less IS more for me. I actually don't care for volume knobs on my unit and tons of buttons, like my Integra has. I would love to be able to afford the 888, but that's not likely a possibility right now.


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## recruit

Jon Liu said:


> Still running break-in on the unit? I'm really curious how it sounds. You know, looking at the Arcam unit, I really, REALLY like the look of it. Less IS more for me. I actually don't care for volume knobs on my unit and tons of buttons, like my Integra has. I would love to be able to afford the 888, but that's not likely a possibility right now.


Yes it was only taken out of the box on friday, but have been running it more or less constantly since then, with a few hours sleep :rubeyes:

I have just been listening to Roger Waters "The Wall" on SACD and the sound is stunning, it really is a very very nice bit of kit, the bass is so powerful and I have never heard my M&K's sound this good...I am going to put a mini review together and post it here, also had the AVR600 for a couple of weeks but it has gone back as it was only temporary until the AV888 turned up, but will try and give my thoughts on both units


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## Ashmanuk

Fantastic looking sub there recruit "push pull sub" ?? This is the best hobby EVER :sn:


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## recruit

Ashmanuk said:


> Fantastic looking sub there recruit "push pull sub" ?? This is the best hobby EVER :sn:


Yep, Ken Kriesels last and best sub


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## Prof.

Some very nice gear there recruit..I bet it sounds great..l:T


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## recruit

Prof. said:


> Some very nice gear there recruit..I bet it sounds great..l:T


cheers Prof


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## Andysu

recruit said:


> Well I ended up changing my mind when going for a new processor, and actually ended up getting the new Arcam AV888, here are a couple of pics of my new unit...just need a new PJ now and thats me done for a while :whistling:


Wow a nice attachment of XLR supports on the back. Can’t see too clearly what they support but I’m guessing it’s the audio outputs. Would look nice with a few DCX2496 running on it.

I see a Dolby volume logo as that is one of Dolby’s newest. I need not to know this AVP costs a few a bob, I’m not jealous just curious that’s all.:T


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## recruit

Thanks Andy, the XLR are outputs only and are for 7 speakers plus 3 subs.

Dolby Volume is a brilliant addition to the Arcam feature set, and use it mainly for late night listening.


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## Andysu

recruit

Is Dolby Volume a discrete channel with individual user settings or is it all prefixed to the manufactures specification because what I have found on the Dolby website is very sketchy as to what it can offer to the user.

I know it does some form of re-balancing of volume or reduces excessive loudness of loud program content.

I want a fuller demonstration of it. Maybe a youtube video will show what its made of?

Can it make fuller sense out of extremely complex films like Heat (1995)? If the answer is yes then it might get my fullest attention.

Cheers


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## recruit

Hello Andy,

Dolby volume is a very clever post processing which allows you to setup the AV888 to maintain an even balance of volume when using different sources, ie Sky HD transmissions have sometimes varying levels of volume when changing channels, but with DV you can level the gain out so that it stays constant when watching/listening to either movies or normal TV, it also does have a mode which works as if you had a late night listening mode, meaning it can be turned on and reduces excessive volume levels but with the beauty of still maintaining the dynamics that films have, in particular speech is defined so much better and the tonal balance through speakers is kept in tact, it is quite clever tbh and I could not be without it.

There is 2 modes 1 for music and 1 for movies, I think it is better explained on the Dolby website which also has a demo video located  HERE


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## Moonfly

recruit said:


> Yep, Ken Kriesels last and best sub


Should be a good bench mark for testing say a DIY sub up against then 

As ever, your setup looks the bees :T


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## recruit

Cheers Dan :T once your sub is up and running we can compare :whistling:


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## Moonfly

recruit said:


> :whistling:


Lol , at least that leaves scope for a pleasant surprise, or some reserved smugness perhaps. 

Who knows :heehee:


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## recruit

Moonfly said:


> Lol , at least that leaves scope for a pleasant surprise, or some reserved smugness perhaps.
> 
> Who knows :heehee:


It will certainly be interesting to hear what a DIY sub sounds like and especially when replicating an M&K sub, I look forward to it :T


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## twstand

Hey, I'm new here but saw your setup and have a question. Are you at all interested in selling your M&K CS-29? I'm in the USA.


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## recruit

Hi Terry and welcome to the Shack :T

But NO I am not considering selling my CS29's as they are too good to replace with anything else :whistling:


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## twstand

Thanks for replying. It's hard to come by these speakers any more. Am I nuts for seeking a purchase across the big pond? Do you have any suggestions on tracking some down?


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## recruit

twstand said:


> Thanks for replying. It's hard to come by these speakers any more. Am I nuts for seeking a purchase across the big pond? Do you have any suggestions on tracking some down?


They are very hard to come by now a days and people who do have them tend to hang on to them, keep an eye on ebay I suppose


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## recruit

Thought I would move this here now as I have finally got my PJ the Panasonic PT-AE3000 installed, pics on the first page :bigsmile:


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## gott

very nice setup


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## recruit

gott said:


> very nice setup


Thanks Grady


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## recruit

Well out with the old and in with the new and I have gone for a ProAc Response front end, here are some pics....still have not decided on what sub to go for but the D28's go so low already :yikes:

Edit: sorry about the quality of the pics but taken with my blackberry, and it really does not do them justice as they are beautiful!


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## Moonfly

I'll bet music has been taken to a whole new level now. I hope to compare the M&K sub to mine soon, so thanks to your change, I'll get to do a pretty rare comparison Ive looked forward to for some time :T

Nice setup, well done.


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## recruit

Cheers Dan :T

I look forward to your comparison which will be great to read up once finished, Asif is a lovely chap and it took him forever to get to my place last night, I think he arrived sometime around midnight and then had to drive all the way back :yikes:


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## Moonfly

Yeah that guy loves impulsive AV exploits . He actually phoned me tonight about a half hour ago. His initial impression is that they are incredibly similar. He reckons the DIY is a touch cleaner perhaps really low down, but the MK has a slight bit of more upper bass prowess.

He might not thank me for saying this, but I think I'm a little more SQ focused and pick up on finer details a little more. I reckon our opinions may differ a little in some areas, but one thing is for sure, he's mightily impressed wit the MK sub, as well all have been with all the ones we have tried.

What have you replaced the sub with?


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## recruit

I'm currently sub less and not decided on one yet but the ProAc's go incredibly low for my needs and sounds amazing with music, only watched a couple of movies and you really do find it handles low frequencies very well indeed.


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## Moonfly

Well given those speakers, my advice would be to consider the DIY route. I get the feeling you dont have any faith in the DIY builds being able to compare to commercial designs, but IMO, now you have highly capable speakers, I would take a look at a ported low tuned sub. Besides the obvious savings, it really is possible to build amazing subs yourself :T

Shame you couldnt have heard any of our builds to give you an idea of what can be done.


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## recruit

I have Temporarily ordered a BK XXLS400 to tied me over until I have the right funds for what I really want


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## Moonfly

Come on now  . . . . . . . . . . which is?

You planning on spending on a B&W or Paradigm effort?


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## recruit

I'm currently borrowing a top of the range CD player from Marantz and boy does the music sound sweet!


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## recruit

Moonfly said:


> Come on now  . . . . . . . . . . which is?
> 
> You planning on spending on a B&W or Paradigm effort?


Lol! not too far away :devil:


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## Moonfly

Oh I hate guessing games 

Boy what a DIY'er could do on that kind of budget. Each to their own I suppose.


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## gperkins_1973

Recruit 

That's one fine clean set up you have there matey. Looks very impressive. I am definitely feeling the pro ac's as they are great speakers. I love to know how they compare to my old spendor S9e's.

I take it you are using the rotel to power them babies. I had a Quad 909 and two Quad 99 mono blocks to run my pair of S9e's and that was night and day difference to running them off a receiver.


Lovely mate.

ch


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## recruit

Cheers Graham, the ProAcs really are quite special speakers and a bit of a dark horse when it comes to bass output which is very deep and really tight to boot, the dynamics is also one of it's strong points which is so good for music and gives movies that sparkle which I love.

My choice has worked out quite well now and I have lots running in to do before they sound there best, music has certainly gone to another level with the Arcam and Rotel combo working perfectly, the rotel has lots of power that the D28's lap up, very pleased indeed 

I do miss the M&K's as I had them for so long it's taking time to adjust, but the other half has taken a liking to this new set up which is a relief


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## gperkins_1973

I remember looking at rotel amps aswell when I got my spendors. Its a few years back now. I remember they sold a huge 5 channel amp and stereo amp that chucked out something like 2 x 300 watts rms. Great mate.

I am amazed that when you have a tidy setup how neat everything looks. My living room is full of kids toys all the time. 

cheers

Graham


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## recruit

gperkins_1973 said:


> I am amazed that when you have a tidy setup how neat everything looks. My living room is full of kids toys all the time.


Oh don't worry I get that as well


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## recruit

Here is how my system looks atm...


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## Moonfly

Is envy a sin?


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## recruit

Moonfly said:


> Is envy a sin?


Lol! Ill take that as a compliment, the real stars of my set up are the D28's, they are sublime for music and have improved over time, my CD collection has had a serious dust off and are seeing the light of day again


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## Moonfly

If they came in a gloss black finish I would seriously look at them, but veneered finishes are pretty much a no no. My current amplification just wouldnt do them justice though anyway . If you dont mind me asking, how much does a pair of those set one back?


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## recruit

The RRP is £3400 but if you require a special finish then it goes up to £4100.


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## Moonfly

You know, Ive looked at a lot of speakers in the 2-4k region, and trying to find ones in the range is easy, but the differences throughout the range make it incredibly hard to even get a short list. With all the thinks I need to consider, pinning down the perfect pair is so hard. Recent circumstances have put any upgrades on hold for a bit, but even with time to search, finding 'the ones for me' seems almost impossible. One attraction of these though is the simple design, like your paying for product rather than lots of components, and given the size of my room, a good single driver design s also very attractive.


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## recruit

Well I had my heart set on a pair of D38's but my dealer talked me out of it as he knows my room well and although not that small the D38's would most certainly of required more room to breathe, and I am so glad I took his advice as the D28's bass is astonishing for a 2 way floor stander, very deep but tight and punchy also and is not fussy with any kind of music, it just seems to do everything right...I honestly think I prefer them to the Wilson Benesch I owned previously, and that is quite a bold statement as the WB were another 2.5k more :yikes:


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## bambino

Goodness, that is the stuff i use to dream about having. Nice setup, oh, and sure very modest.


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## Moonfly

Hi John,

My room also doesnt need huge speakers, although FS's are a must for me IMO. Ive come to the conclusion I dont need super huge amounts of bass, but I do need very good bass, and for that I think a 2 way design, if very capable, would be the way forward. I was looking at XTZ's divine 100.49 speakers, but decided they are just too big for my room. Given I am happy with my sub, I started looking at bookshelves like the MA PL100's, but I dont honestly think bookshelves would quite deliver.

If I am ever down your way, I would love a sneaky listen


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## recruit

bambino said:


> Goodness, that is the stuff i use to dream about having. Nice setup, oh, and sure very modest.


Thanks bambino :T



Moonfly said:


> Hi John,
> 
> My room also doesnt need huge speakers, although FS's are a must for me IMO. Ive come to the conclusion I dont need super huge amounts of bass, but I do need very good bass, and for that I think a 2 way design, if very capable, would be the way forward. I was looking at XTZ's divine 100.49 speakers, but decided they are just too big for my room. Given I am happy with my sub, I started looking at bookshelves like the MA PL100's, but I dont honestly think bookshelves would quite deliver.
> 
> If I am ever down your way, I would love a sneaky listen


Of course you would always be welcome for a listen and I think that you will be very surprised how low the D28's go


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## recruit

Here is the latest addition to my AV set up and it is superb :wave:


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## Moonfly

All you need now is another one :devil:

Just kidding, congrats matey, it looks very nice indeed :T


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## recruit

Moonfly said:


> All you need now is another one :devil:
> 
> Just kidding, congrats matey, it looks very nice indeed :T


Cheers Dan, no no one is enough, it is only running in atm and takes approx 50 hours to do so but it is already pressurising my room very well indeed, but it is the quality of the bass which is very good and matches my ProAc's perfectly :T


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## gperkins_1973

Recruit,

Looks really nice and I've read nothing but good reviews about it. Have you run any graphs off it to see how it is in your room.

Great colour match. I am so jealous off your Proac speakers.

cheers

Graham


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## recruit

Thanks Graham, the sub blends in very well with the speakers and cabinet, so for once it looks quite tidy :T

Once the sub is run in I will do a review and get some frequency response measurements to show, and also the D28's response too.


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## gperkins_1973

Coolio matey. Look forward to it. I would love to see a graph off the speakers on their own. Be interesting to see how low they go. 

cheers

Graham


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## recruit

gperkins_1973 said:


> Coolio matey. Look forward to it. I would love to see a graph off the speakers on their own. Be interesting to see how low they go.
> 
> cheers
> 
> Graham


Yep, the ProAc's are amazing speakers and go very low in my room for a 2 way speaker, they sound very sweet indeed, it is the stereo imaging also which is so precise and the sound is free from the cabinet almost as if they are wrapping the sound around you, I had the D15's many years a go now and these are a very big step up in performance.


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## gperkins_1973

I'm yet to see a pair off Proac's that has not had a great review. I have to say I really miss my old Spendor S9e's. It's times like these when I wish I was rich. :crying:

cheers

Graham


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## recruit

I wanted the D38's originally but the dealer knows my place and the room sizes and said they would be too much, so I need a bigger room/house to get them 

So I think we all wish we were rich :bigsmile:


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## gperkins_1973

£5000 per pair. Yulks, that would take some saving. And they are 4 ohms so an expensive amp to run them and an extension down to 20hz. I think I have just fainted with excitement. Yep I guess a big room but in saying that I had my spendor S9e's in a room which was only 17' by 10' and they sounded cool.

cheers

Graham


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## recruit

gperkins_1973 said:


> £5000 per pair. Yulks, that would take some saving. And they are 4 ohms so an expensive amp to run them and an extension down to 20hz. I think I have just fainted with excitement. Yep I guess a big room but in saying that I had my spendor S9e's in a room which was only 17' by 10' and they sounded cool.
> 
> cheers
> 
> Graham


I would love to get a listen to the new ST Spendors, especially the ones made out of carbon fibre which look amazing :T


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## gperkins_1973

Totally agree with that matey and the new A range including the A9 and also the new PMC Fact 8's.

Expensive good quality speakers are one thing but its the amplification that really brings them to life. I really couldn't bring myself to spending alot off money on speakers and skimping on the amp. I reckon if you buy a pair off speakers for £3000, you need to factor in a good £1000 for an amp and £100 on speaker cables.

I had two Quad 909's on my S9e's bi-amped and it was awesome. 280 watts rms to each speaker. One day again, one day. I must look for that £113 million lottery ticket. I know I had it somewhere. LOL.

cheers

Graham


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## recruit

I tried to get a demo of the new ST speakers from Spendor when I was considering changing my M&K's but could not for the life of me find a dealership that could get a demo pair, I suppose it is different now and they are more widely available but in the end settled for the ProAc's, I know I made the right choice as they sound sublime and with the new Martin Logan sub the integration is seamless for multichannel use, whether it be film or music.


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## gperkins_1973

You defo have a set up to be proud off matey. Brilliant. :T


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