# My living Room System



## dwr (May 13, 2010)

Here is a photo of my living room combination 2 channel and H/T system from the listening/viewing seat. I just built the speaker stands and rack. I am building 2 sonotube subs that will lay on their sides on either side of the rack, the faceplates will match the rack and stands.


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## dwr (May 13, 2010)

Yep it is not a huge room 14 ft wide and 32 ft deep ceiling goes from 10 ft on the left to 8 ft on the right.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

Looks good dwr, you have got some talent in woodworking i see.:sn:


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## dwr (May 13, 2010)

Ok the whole project is done now, here is how the system looks now that the work is completed.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

The boom boom room! Awesome!:T


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## DanTheMan (Oct 12, 2009)

Nice room! Are those Nathans? I'm impressed with all the treatments. You did your homework and I'm sure being rewarded with good grades.

Great job!

Dan


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## dwr (May 13, 2010)

Hi Dan, No those are Abbey 12As they are the first two of the updated Abbeys made with the poly material for the enclosures. I am lucky to live only 20 minutes from Dr Geddes so getting over to his place for any work or anything on the speakers is very easy. I am bringing one of the speakers back to him after he gets back from a well deserved vacation so he can take pictures of it for his website. While he has it there he is going to do frequency sweep tests on it to see how it is performing after breaking in. I have had them know for about a month and am TOTALLY satisfied with their performance.

Dan


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## DanTheMan (Oct 12, 2009)

Wow! New Abbys! You are lucky--or good. I would love to see the FR from your specific pair if you could post them(polars would be better). Ask him for the impulse as well. The previous version of the Abby, before it was the Abby, had an extremely impressive impulse. IOW, those things not only narrow, smooth, even dispersion, but also have very little delayed output. I found that nearly impossible working with pro drivers, but he's made wiser choices. Impressive engineering especially when you consider the efficiency and output capability. Working with compression drivers and high efficiency midwoofers is a whole different ball game than typical HiFi drivers. How he's getting such performance from them is still beyond me. It would take very clever crossover design and a lot of driver testing to find the one with the right characteristics to make it work to the level he has. OK, enough excitement out of me about your speakers. None the less, from a guy who has built similar designs, I have a crazy amount of respect for what it takes to get those speakers to work like they do. If you haven't tried it, you just don't know what an amazing feat he has accomplished.

Surprisingly, they don't look that large in your room. 

Again, the room looks great! I bet movie night is a lot more fun at your house.

Dan


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## dwr (May 13, 2010)

Oh yeah the movies are great I just finished the sono subs and there is a maelstrom x 18" behind that right abbey and a dayton 15" upward firing behind the left abbey, I rented and watched Clash of the Titans the other night good movies and a great test for the system. I will try and get the responses posted for you when I take them back for pics, and I am not anywhere near the technical level as either one of you, the only thing I know is I completely mirror your statements and feelings about Dr Geddes and his design and build, but the most amazing thing to me is the what I consider an unbelievable low price for the quality of sound I am getting from these speakers.


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## DanTheMan (Oct 12, 2009)

Oh, I'm no where near his level of technical expertise. I have just enough to seriously respect what he can do and has done. 

I believe he is using Summa in his own home. Have you heard these and how would you say the Abby compare subjectively? Can you really hear a difference?

Thanks,

Dan


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## dwr (May 13, 2010)

Yes I have heard the Summas in his theater. Can you hear a difference yes, the thing is you have to remember his theater is designed and built from "the ground up" by him and measures fabulously frequency wise. So some of it is the room. The sound I heard in his theater is by far the best I have ever heard in a home based system, now I certainly haven't heard everything out there but I have auditioned some very well respected speakers costing much more than even the Summas. Would I say the difference between the Summas and The Abbey 12As is big enough for ME to justify spending the extra coin for the Summas for MY room......No absolutely not! The Abbey12As are very close to the Summas. My next step is to start measuring the response in my room and get the bass dialed in with the Abbeys.


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## DanTheMan (Oct 12, 2009)

Thanks Dan. That's pretty much what I figured. FWIW, I'd just try to smooth the bass response under 200Hz or so. I bet Dr. Geddes would recommend the same.

Dan


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## dwr (May 13, 2010)

Yep thats exactly what the program is.


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## z06gal (Jun 6, 2010)

Dwr, that looks unreal! I love it! Now you make me want to get some Abbeys. I love the subs. You made them? Excellent, really.

I am trying to determine from those pics how you have your Abbeys positioned? How far in front of the subs, etc are they? Is that what Geddes recommends?


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## dwr (May 13, 2010)

For the subs that I use for 2 channel listening the mains are about 3' out from them. The sono subs are right next to the mains, its the best I could do. And Geddes recommends that you try and keep your subs a fair distance from one and other.


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

I like the little cat treatment on the left side.


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## dwr (May 13, 2010)

Yeah she absorbs the 350Hz and under frequencies!!! We are cat lovers and I have a black cat that lays on the floor right between the speakers and listens when I have the music playing I will get a pic and post it next time he is listening.


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## dwr (May 13, 2010)

Also Z06gal the Abbeys are toed in at 45 degrees and the center of the compression driver is at 41" high, thats how these speakers are designed you listen off axis. It took some getting used to, it certainly is not how I was accustomed to setting up speakers, but the imaging and sound stage are superb! And they will play as loud as you care to listen with extremely low distortion (Zepplin at 101dB at the listening chair sounds just amazing, as does K.D. Lang at 81dB) thats the nice thing they sound great at all volumes! (can you tell I'm about as happy as it gets about these speakers?)


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## DanTheMan (Oct 12, 2009)

Lucky man, lucky man.

Dan


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## z06gal (Jun 6, 2010)

DanTheMan said:


> Lucky man, lucky man.
> 
> Dan



Agree. He has a real talent. I would love to hear it. Of course, then he'd have to come build me one too.


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## dwr (May 13, 2010)

OK folks as promised here is a pic of Louis enjoying the Grateful Dead - Skeletons From The Closet. A little background on Louis, he got his name from his ride home in the car when we rescued him frost bitten paws and all it was 3 days before Christmas and Louis Armstrong came on the XM in the car and was singing Christmas songs and Louis started meowing and didn't stop until Mr Armstrongs' singing did so it was pretty obvious what we should name him, he loves the tunes to this day!


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## z06gal (Jun 6, 2010)

That is a great story dwr. I love my dogs and am stupid about them especially leaving them with somebody. I'm glad you came along for Louis especially given the fact he gets to hear the Abbeys. Tell him I'm jealous. Lol


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## usrsld (Feb 3, 2009)

Nice setup. I like your family picture(s) arrangement.


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## ojojunkie (Jun 23, 2010)

wow! Very Nice! I like those Tube Sub... 

I can see you got great talent in woodworking..


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## fusionrx (Aug 19, 2010)

Are the Abbey's DIY or did you build to spec?


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## dwr (May 13, 2010)

They are designed and built by Dr Earl Geddes....see gedlee.com


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## fusionrx (Aug 19, 2010)

As with any of these built to spec systems I get a little leary of buying before I try it. Does he make the specs available to build yourself (I buy the components, seperatly, not one of his kits?) Wonder if he'd consider that?


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## dwr (May 13, 2010)

Oh yeah I'm sure he would just readily give away all of his proprietary secrets, what planet are you from anyways????


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## fitzwaddle (Aug 25, 2010)

dwr said:


> Also Z06gal the Abbeys are toed in at 45 degrees and the center of the compression driver is at 41" high, thats how these speakers are designed you listen off axis. It took some getting used to, it certainly is not how I was accustomed to setting up speakers, but the imaging and sound stage are superb!


Louis seems to prefer the near field though


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## dwr (May 13, 2010)

And you can try before you buy its called an audition


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## dwr (May 13, 2010)

Yep Brad Lou is a near field kind of guy....LOL


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## fusionrx (Aug 19, 2010)

Several of the speaker manuf. have made available the plans/kits for a fee. I'm not saying give them to me for free, rather, let me pay for plans, buy my own materials, and build from there. 

No need to get upset, I simply wasn't clear enough in my previous email...


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## TypeA (Aug 14, 2010)

dwr said:


> They are designed and built by Dr Earl Geddes....see gedlee.com


Fascinating research video found on gedlee.com. Standing in front of the speakers the listener remarks, "sounds like my head is about to go under water." :unbelievable: 

I started salivating thinking about the implications this research could have for the gaming industry, not just audio...

http://videos.nj.com/star-ledger/2010/09/princeton_university_rocket_sc.html


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## detector19 (Nov 3, 2010)

That setup really rocks the nabers must love it...:hsd:...lol...

Sony KDL46HX701
Sony 32S5100
Sony 120 GB PS3 slim
Sony-BDP-N460
Denon- AVR-591 
Harmony 880


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