# TypeA's theater



## TypeA

This is a photo journal and I will add photos to this same thread as I go, the further in the thread the more current the configuration and gear. 95% complete, currently 5.2...still to come are a pair of Infinity P162 for highs and a pair for rears completing 9.2 (next month or so), 8.5" lcd monitor (next week), and curtains (next month or so). See signature for model numbers. 

Currently














































Center:









Rear:










Left surround:









Right surround:









Projo











P162 Mods:

























































































































































PC350 Mods
























































































Old set-up:


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## makudon007

there is direct sunlight in u room..is that give u problem watching movies in daytime?
and u don't have sound reflectors...on the wall?


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## TypeA

makudon007 said:


> there is direct sunlight in u room..is that give u problem watching movies in daytime?
> and u don't have sound reflectors...on the wall?


No, cheap wallmart roll shades remove almost all light coming from the left and the screen blocks the window on the far end of the room. Room illuminated for the benefit of photos, otherwise Id be posting black blank images . 

As for sound reflectors, having a brown living room was sacrifice enough. I still like to let the screen up and make the system disappear when not in use. If it was a dedicated home theater room and not a modified living room Id probably go all-out with acoustic treatments. Please dont be putting thoughts in my head. As it is I sometimes have to play a movie for the gf just to calm her down.


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## TypeA

Speaker modification work has begun. Starting with the 8 162's but will be doing the pc350 and p362s eventually also. Ill be using two layers of seam tape which should amount to about 1/3" thick, then two layers of quiet brace for a 1" thickness. Additional products used but not pictured is liquid nails for quiet brace security and 91% isopropyl alcohol for surface prep...


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## TypeA

Two layers of the base on the back and one side


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## TypeA

Complete set (two layers)

Far row bottom section. From left to right: Back, bottom, right, left.

Near row top section. Back, top, right, left.


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## ironglen

TypeA said:


> Ill be using two layers of seam tape which should amount to about 1/3" thick, then two layers of quiet brace for a 1" thickness.


This looks like a cool, possibly inexpensive diy speaker improvement, but I've got some questions as I haven't seen anyone do this before:

Is this 'quiet brace' material to reduce resonance via strength (brace) or just damping as a mixed material, or both?
How did you determine how much material was needed to improve the cabinet?
At what point will the material affect the tuning via reduced displacement?
Is the seam tape for adhesion properties or damping?
Where did you get the 'quiet brace' material?


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## TypeA

Both. From what Ive read the drivers in the primus line are excellent, crossovers are fair, and the cabinets are poor. I havent determined the amount of material Ill use, yet, Im still kinda experimenting...

Wanted to go 1/3" thick on the seam tape but that would mean about four layers so Im starting with two layers instead. This seam tape is a cheap equivalent to dynamat. Wanted to go 1" thick on the quiet brace but that looks like it would be too much of a loss in displacement (to my un-trained eye anyway), so Ill be starting with 1/2" (one layer) instead. The quiet brace is roughly equivalent to Owens Corning 703 or 6# mineral wool board. The idea is both these in combination will dampen the cabinet and hopefully will both tighten up and produce more clarity in the mid-range. Mid-bass hump, from what Ive heard, is inherent to the primus line and this should fix that as well. Current thickness is based only on the bookshelf 162s, which Im using in a stereo config in two different rooms. Its very likely Ill go thicker with both the seam tape and quiet brace material in the 362 towers and the pc350 center just because Ill have more room in the cabinet to do so...

Both materials were purchased at home depot. Seam tape is $13 a roll and the quiet brace material is $10 a sheet (4' x 8' x 1/2"). Cause I have 8 162s, a pair of 362's, and a pc350 I did spring for a $30 jig saw addle:


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## ironglen

Thanks TypeA, will you be taking measurements to quantify the differences before treatment and with varying degrees of material? I'd really like to see measures on the effects of this truly inexpensive fix since a ton of us don't have the highest dollar full-range speakers. Additionally, I curious whether your room might influence the mids, then if you treat the speaker, it may very well sound better to you (reducing a peak), but it does so in your environment. If someone else did the same at their listening area, or with a different speaker, it may not actually improve their sound but rather emphasize a shortcoming: does that make sense?


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## TypeA

Only measurements will be with my ears. I would be willing to take measurements but have zero knowledge of how to do so, beyond my 'radio shack spl meter' knowledge. Ultimately Im more motivated by making the most of this brand new 7.2/2.0/2.0 system Ive recently assembled. For all I know Ill do one 162 and decide its not worth the effort. When the time comes Ill do a side-by-side comparison and spend some time with music and dialog to see if I can notice a difference between a 162 with 2 layers of seam and 1 layer of qb and a stock 162. 

However, currently only in the time-consuming process of cutting (and re-cutting and re-cutting and re-cutting) the qb templates for a good fit, a carpenter I aint. Cant use the seam tape templates as a template for the qb as its thicker and fully rigid compared to the seam material. While the seam tape is flexible and thin, the adhesive on the back makes it very unforgiving to misalignment installation mistakes. Simple put, when applying the seam tape its highly advisable to get it aligned right the first time, the adhesive is just that strong! Try as I might it does install with some ridges (and misalignments) as a result of incorrect installation, especially when it comes to the second and final layer. Prepping the surface of the interior of the cabinet with reasonably priced pure rubbing alcohol and heating the seam tape with a hair dryer just prior to install helps ensure it will stay bonded to the cabinet interior (and seems to work really well thus far). 

As for what effect it will have on my particular room, I think youre right it might be a wash depending on the room qualities. I also think this mod will have a greater effect on the bigger 362 and even the center pc350 channel...but time will tell if I can notice a difference in the bookshelves or not...


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## fusionrx

Love the pink curtain  Assume those are disappearing as this becomes a true mancave?


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## TypeA

fusionrx said:


> Love the pink curtain  Assume those are disappearing as this becomes a true mancave?


Yes, those were included free with the rental of the property and were only installed at the behest of a women that wanted some natural light in the room. We've been on the hunt for better window coverings but havent found anything I like yet. She's pretty supportive of anything I want to get, as long as they open when the theater is not in use lol. However, the original 'bachelor pad' configuration was thick blankets, which not only blocked all light but improved the acoustics in the room to boot. They looked much better when the walls were painted brown but couldnt find any shots of that configuration in my archives...


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## tcarcio

Looking good TypeA.....:T


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## TypeA

Thanks tcarcio, I was diggin your gallery earlier as well, cool set-up. These three most recent pics I posted here are from 7 years ago, ahhhhh the memories of how far the room has come since then.


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## tcarcio

Gotta love looking back and seeing the changes we make. Sometimes I look at old pics and laugh because I thought I was happy with what I had. :rofl: Now I know the sickness..:coocoo: :T


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## TypeA

Templates of qb complete


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## TypeA

1st 162 complete Upper:










Lower:









Overall:









Color me pleasantly surprised with this mod. Just one 162 complete with two layers of seam tape and one layer of qb. Treble is less fatiging while no apparent loss of detail was observed, mid-bass is far less resonant and seems deeper too. Sensitivity suffered a little. Based soley on a side-by-side comparison the differnce was readily apparent by my ear. Playback was two channel analog from the panasonic br player to the onkyo at -11db level and 3' listening distance. Stereo pair sitting next to each other with a spread of 6" between them, balance adjusted fully back and forth between the channels to hear the differnce. Test material was Crystal Method's CD titled Vegas, tracks 1-4, one of the most demanding CDs I own and what I consider to be a commanding test for any speaker. I look forward to getting a pair done so I can test stereo performance.


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## TypeA

7 sets of quiet board material cut and ready for the remaining 162's. After a while I got MUCH better at cutting this stuff with my $30 jig saw, a QB god I am (little g as opposed to big G)! :hail:


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## TypeA

Just added to the home theater today is a remarkable pair of cans, the Sennheiser HD 650. Link to specs are in my signature


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## TypeA

All 8 162s' complete, work has begun on the far more challenging PC350 center


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## TypeA




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## TypeA

PC350 complete:


























Work begins on first 362:


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## TypeA

First P362 mod complete


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## fusionrx

So I have to ask.. All the effort, is it worth the end result??? 

Seems like a lot of work for small gain (diminishing returns as it were...)


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## TypeA

fusionrx said:


> So I have to ask.. All the effort, is it worth the end result???
> 
> Seems like a lot of work for small gain (diminishing returns as it were...)


Materials for all 11 speakers (and counting $50 for tools) was $250. Time invested was about 40 hours. Luckily I work as a defense contractor for the Air Force, 20 of those 40 hours was invested while I was at 'work', fighting boredom while serving in the defense of our great nation. :heehee: So from _my_ perspective neither the effort, nor the money, came remotely close to anything I would consider diminishing returns. Your time and effort could well be of greater value, 'effort' is all relative...

A couple of caveats before my impressions of the results; My home theater background is Bose almost exclusively, and this was a rig _I_ considered the epitome of humps _and_ vast bands of missing frequency. Secondly, Ive not finished the final 362. My current frame of reference is pretty good tho, 75 hours with this unmodified pair (2.0) of high wall-mounted 162s, then about 25 hours with them modified:

















First thing that really strikes you hard is the loss of reflection within the speaker, there seems to be alot of sound interaction with the cabinet in the stock version of these speakers. Unmodified has what I can only describe as a more 'hallow' sound with additional reflections, treble is brighter too. Now was the unmodified speakers bad performers? No, not at all, Im just pointing out the most obvious difference to me was this loss of 'extra' sound coming from the speaker. Another difference is in the perceived frequency response and performance in all bands of the spectrum; highs are not as shrill (a plus, but again, something I never really considered a_ minus_ of the unmodified speaker), mids that are more subdued (is this my 'mid-range hump' Bose background coming to haunt me?), and lows that seem deeper and more crisp.

Make no mistake, this project _was_ time consuming and was very tedious work, not for the faint of heart especially if you have 11 speakers to do. But it was also fun work and the results are readily apparent from the moment you hear them modified. I like what its done to them, it was worth my time and effort. Ill be curious to see what it does in my home theater when the final 362 is complete...

Oh, one more difference, when listening to just the single 362 completed last night, there seemed to be greater and more refined sonic air pressure on my ears. It was an unusual sensation that I dont think Ive ever experienced from a speaker in my home theater before. Last time I felt that sensation was years ago, while standing on the deck of an aircraft carrier and the fighters would spool to full afterburner just before launch, the sonic air pressure was terrific. While, obviously, what I felt last night from the single 362 was nowhere near the effect of being 15 feet from a stationary jet fighter at full afterburner, it was an unusual effect that I dont ever recall experiencing in my theater until last night...


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## TypeA

Ill try to get some brighter shots later in the day when the sun beams through the window, and the speaker wire is still drying, painted expreso. Heres the first shots of the Infinity 162 highs added this morning to front stage, mounted with AM40 brackets. Turned out nice I think...


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## TypeA

Rear 162s installed last night. Not fond of the arraignment, theyre not staying. Im only going to do 7.2 instead (no rears, just 5.2 + front highs). Im half-temped to order another pair of AM40 brackets and mount these 162 rears on the wall below the front highs pictured in the post above (which were mounted this morning), and have 4 162s and a 350 for the front stage (maybe replacing the 350 later with a single 162). THEN move the front left and right 362 towers to a stand-alone 2.0 config in zone 3, rather than use a pair of 162s in a 2.0 config. No room for towers on the second video screen in zone 2, but CAN make the towers work in zone 3 (anyone else have towers in their kitchen/diningroom????). Would YOU keep the towers in zone 1 or would you have 7.2 comprised of all 162s and dual vtf2 mark 3 subs in zone 1 and 362s 2.0 in another room rather than 162s????????? Wall mounting 162s below the highs would look down-right COOL in zone 1, opinions based on my dark shots above????


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## TypeA

Better shots of the new high channels, plus the wiring is complete in these shots. See two posts above for further details.


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## TypeA

Pair of berkline recliners added today, power recline but no buttkickers (tho might add them later)


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## Prof.

Nice :T


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## TypeA

Couldnt edit original post, heres recent as of 1/1/2011. First time viewers check page one for complete library


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## TypeA

Added to gear today is a DAC and desktop amp for the Sennheiser HD650 cans


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## rmalak

I must say Kudos on the great work!! I used to live in PC quite a while ago. Miss it a lot.:sn:


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## TypeA

Thanks, however room changed again this weekend; two new 10x13 pictures went on the end wall behind the screen, plus two new matching 8x10 frames below that, 4x6 pictures on left wall were replaced with 8x10s framed with the frames pictured on the floor, plus the pair of 5x7 pictures sitting on the speakers went away completely. Added two dark brown curtains on the end of the tan ones, lighting (two 15' rope lights) was affixed to the window casing behind the screen (but hidden by the curtain) and the rope light affixed to the back of the screen casing was replaced to temp match all back-lighting for all three ropes. Replaced acoustic research sub rca cables with monoprice 15 and 25 foot cables (still trying to figure out a buzzing sound Im getting from my subs). So lots of final touch things (pics lighting and cabling), and some trouble shooting, Ill get pics up of the final config within the next week....


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## TypeA

Added to the theater today is a Howard Miller Fallsworth grandfather clock, $600 used on craigslist. Interior lighting is a little bright even with just a 25 watt bulb, think Ill add a rheostat in the near future...


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## TypeA

Updated photos of clock in post above, others were just too blurry.


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## Prof.

Very nice old clock..
Won't the tick..tock..tick..tock annoy you in the theatre!?


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## TypeA

This house is not very big, there wasnt any other place it would look so at home. Its quieter than you may think, even the chimes are soft. However since the sides are glass Im much more concerned with light pollution, a rheostat will easy solve that tho...


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## TypeA

This freaked me out when I first saw it, the twin vtf2 mark 3 subs doing their thing:


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## mechman

Nice setup! :T


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## Prof.

Spooky!!! :rofl:


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## TypeA

New function items recently added to zone 1 include: Audiovox PVS21090 9" lcd display (plus three elbow rca and one coax adapters) replacing Artec T28A 7" lcd display, 15' rope light added along baseboard (right side of room only and plug-in rheostat added), dual Lutron dimmer switches (one with ir support for overhead light, Infinity P362 speaker in zone 3 can be seen in the background), and new Onkyo TX_NR3007 duplicate remote for zone 2. New cosmetic items include dual 10x13 picture frames behind screen, 2' high "Jubilation Elephant" from seventh avenue.com, replaced curtains with cafe and mocha faux suede

















































A couple of screen shots with my bulb at 2000+ hours of use. 106" display...


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## TypeA

Added to the theater today is a 19" Hitachi led replacing the 9" audio vox (pictured above), much more readable yet no panel overhang of the Hsu sub. Sadly 1080p is not yet available in a panel this small but complete pandora music info is clearly readable from across the room, 9" was just too small for such a feat...


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## TypeA

Added to the theater today is an Emotiva XPA-5 5 channel amplifier. This install is only temporary and a 7 shelf custom component rack is currently under construction...


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## TypeA

Added to the theater today is a Marantz SR8002. $700 on craigslist, pretty good price for a $2k receiver. The Onkyo 3007 is currently in the shop but it is likely to be permanently replaced with this Marantz.


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## TypeA

Added to the theater today is a Salamander Designs A5/B component rack and Emotiva UPA-2 two channel amplifier for driving Infinity P162 speakers in zone 2. This new amp is seen one shelf up from the bottom (the bottom shelf containing the XPA-5 for zone 1). Notice on that same shelf that room has been reserved for a second UPA-2 for zone 3, that will be added when finances permit.


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## TypeA

Pic in post above replaced with a better quality one


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## TypeA

Added to theater today is a Vizio 19" LED model M190VA, this panel replaced the Hitachi 19" (pictured above) for about half the price. It also has a lower profile than the Hitachi. 

Also added today are new speakers (new to me anyway). The rear channels, a pair of av123 RS250MKlls, are awaiting wall brackets for install so they are not pictured yet. However, this new front stage includes a pair of av123 RS1000 towers, with the Ninja cross-over upgrade, and a av123 RSC200 center channel installed on a av123 stand. I lost about 4" of picture size when installing these towers, as my room is just not wide enough, but Im still in excess of a 100"+ display. Hopefully my next theater room will be greater than 10' wide....

As always, forgive the darkness and overall lame quality of this pic, its impossible to get a good pic in a room so dark. These speakers were a considerable upgrade, in every regard, over my previous Infinity 162/250 system.


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## TypeA

Added to the theater today is a URC-R40 remote for zone 1, replacing the included Marantz SR8002 zone 1 remote. Seriously considered the Logitech Harmony 650 until reading about its long-term poor build quality and out-right defective battery compartment. _Also_ added to the theater today is a URC-WR7 for zone 3 (Marantz SR8002 did not include a zone 3 remote)


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## gorb

Very nice upgrades. I did like that hanging center speaker you had before though


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## Alex2507

I just took a quick look through the thread. I missed what exactly happened to the 362's. I was a little surprised to see them replaced by 162's. What happened? Glad you like the AV123 speakers.


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## TypeA

Alex2507 said:


> I just took a quick look through the thread. I missed what exactly happened to the 362's. I was a little surprised to see them replaced by 162's. What happened? Glad you like the AV123 speakers.


The 362s were moved into zone 3 (the kitchen) as a stand-alone stereo pair with no sub. If it werent for a big desk in my zone 2 the 362s would be serving duty as a stand-alone stereo pair for that zone, _it_ has a big screen just like zone 1 and is used for movies and tv viewing on a regular basis. It may sound funny but I liked the look of all four 162s for my front stage when I replaced the 362s. Performance wise youd be surprised how good the 162s perform crossed-over at 80 hz like they were in zone 1, and now the 362s see full range in zone 3 all the time. Eventually they will be in zone 2 when I get a smaller desk and towers will fit in that room.


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## TypeA

Added to the theater today is a Monster Cable SS4 4 way multi speaker selector. This speaker selector will be powered with an Emotiva UPA-2 two channel amp and connected speakers will be a pair of Infinity Primus P162s in zone 2 and P362s in zone 3.


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## TypeA

Added to the theater today are custom speaker stands for my rear channel av123 RS250 MK2 speakers. Overall stand design was lifted from Salamander Designs and their "Archetype" component stands (I own the Archetype 5.0 component stand myself). I made these new stands myself out of standard 3/4" plywood cut to the exact dimensions of the speaker end caps, then painted with 5 coats of gloss black and 2 coats of polyurethane (steel wool used between each coat). Legs are 5/8" all-thread painted with three coats of RustOleum. My first ever experience working with wood and they turned out pretty good, spent about $75 in materials.


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## ALMFamily

Nice looking stands Ty - great job! :T


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## TypeA

Thanks Joe, pics dont do them justice and Im quite proud of them considering my rookiness with wood  

Ill be posting some substantial updates to my threater layout as Ive just recently moved from a 700 sq.ft. to a 2000 sq.ft. home, came complete with a football-field-sized yard to mow. My main theater room, the girlfriend calls it her "living room" for some strange reason, went from 10'x20' to 15'x19' so Ill be posting pics of my new room and other two zones as I get things reestablished, stay tuned. Ill start a new thread in the construction area, found here :cunning:


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## Prof.

That's a very dedicated finish you've done to those stands and you can see the quality in the finished article..Well done! :clap: :T


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