Media room – quad ML sub setup

[JonFo]

The system has been updated since this thread started. It now rocks an LG OLED 65C9, which has seriously cut into the number of hours spent using the projector in the HT. Man, OLED is amazing with Dolby Vision content.

Latest equipment list:
LG 65C9 65" OLED display
Denon X3600H Atmos receiver
Panasonic UB820 UHD player
DirectTV 4K set-top
Apple TV 4K (2021)
NVIDIA ShieldPro 4K set-top
Amazon FireTV 4K set-top
XBox One S game console (Forza series mainly)
Elac UniFi UB5 L/R
Elac UniFi UC52 center (upgraded to v2 to have front ports)
Elac Atmos elevation speakers
Mirage FX surround side speakers
4x MartinLogan Dynamo 300 subs
TP-Link SG108 8-port Ethernet switch (All AV is wired in my home)

Room correction: Audyssey XT32 Pro, with custom curves and post-calibration sub distance tweaks for low group delay and smooth waterfalls.

Headphone System (as this room is used when the spouse wants quiet in the home)
Smyth Realiser A16 Atmos headphone processor, Philips Fidelio X2 headset (alternate headset is Monolith ESL cans, but they are not as comfortable for extended viewing/listening).
The A16 is loaded with a PRIR taken from my head using the HT downstairs, so I 'hear' my own HT rooms acoustics over the headset. Pretty uncanny (pun intended) to hear a big room while sitting in something much smaller. The A16 Atmos is pretty impressive with a customized HRTF.

Funny thing is my headphone-based Atmos system has the highest channel count in the home, as it renders to a 7.1.4 layout

So my 'cheap', quick and dirty media room is evolving into what usually happens to things I'm involved in, it got complex quick.
Still, easy enough to operate to just watch some streaming content.

 

[JonFo]

And the promised measurements. These were taken from the most recent run when I changed out the Center Channel speaker for the v2 UniFi model.

First, the super-smooth low-frequency performance thanks to the quad subs. Note that it is +/- 5dB between 30 and 200Hz with quick decays. Room modes in the bass are well controlled, even with minimal treatments, thanks to placement and phase adjustments.

And the combined response of the three fronts is pretty decent and reflects the slightly rising bass curve I set in the Pro app.

 

[JonFo]

Updated pics of the room. The front now has the new TV on the vertical mount and the latest gear.

A close up of the gear in the rack

 

[JonFo]

Current pic of the rear of the room, where we sort of see the two ML subs next to each seat and the FX surrounds on the side walls.

 

[Brad225]

I'm sure it sounds wonderful but it looks rather plain. No fancy colors or lighting... yet?

The 2 kleenex boxes is a view into movie watching and the softer side of our electrical mastermind.

 

[JonFo]

I'm sure it sounds wonderful but it looks rather plain. No fancy colors or lighting... yet?

Ha, it does have a color LED strip over the rug hanging on the back wall. But I rarely turn it on. I do have extensive lighting upgrades planned when we hang a dark grey rug on the front wall. It will have some lightstrips along the top and vertical edges.

The 2 kleenex boxes is a view into movie watching and the softer side of our electrical mastermind.

Busted, you got that right

 

[JonFo]

I installed a rug on the front wall to enhance both acoustics and visuals.
The dark grey turns black once the lights are out, so the panel seems to float on a dark background when watching content, enhancing the experience.

Acoustically, it also improved the setup, as fewer reflections off the front wall. Atmos bubble is very good in this room. Folks who complain about up-firing Atmos (Dolby elevation) speakers must have very reflective side / front / back walls. When in a room like this, they work quite well.

 

[Rich]

Looks great, Jonathan! But only a 65” OLED? Surprised you didn’t go for an 85”!

 

[Robert D]

Looks great, Jonathan! But only a 65” OLED? Surprised you didn’t go for an 85”!

I wish LG had the 85 inch OLED when I bought mine a few years ago. 77 inch was the largest then.

 

[JonFo]

Looks great, Jonathan! But only a 65” OLED? Surprised you didn’t go for an 85”!

Thanks, and yep, been lazy; the 77" LG C2 is coming later this year.

 

[Brandon Hartwick]

That setup looks great

A while ago I was in a local professional audio shop discussing room treatments. The guy I was talking to actually suggested using carpet and blankets hung on the wall over professional sound treatment if you're not looking to spend buckets full of money. I'll bet that rug behind the TV works just as well as pretty much anything else.