System #203 (Vantage)

[Brian_74]

Macallan,
The phantom center works pretty well. I get a good bridge of sound between the two speakers. I just got a new sectional couch and ottoman, and I can notice a difference with the ottoman because it is between me and the TV. My dialogue is not quite as clear. I do want to get a center for my setup because we watch a LOT of movies and I just feel that adding a center like the Motif is going to improve the dynamics for movies.

So consider what you've got in your room and how that might affect the phantom operation. Also you might want to post a thread in the main discussion. There are several members that swear by phantom mode!

 

[Brian_74]

Got some spikes!

I just received my 1.5" spikes from OregonDV. Great value, nice solid feel. I put those babies on and wow! The soundstage is noticeably deeper and the bass is tighter. I'm using the cups now to protect my tile, but these spikes are a lot less sharp than the ones ML ships with the speaker. Highly recommended if you're looking for a nice sound/aesthetics improvement for not much $$. Sorry for the cruddy pics!

 

[Kaboomnash]

Brian, excellent setup! I like the look of a nice clean system and yours is very well done.

Lee

 

[FISH_MAN]

well done

that's why I like the new ml design better they really almost fit any decor
and location. the vantage sure sounds sweet after it has time to break in.

 

[Brian_74]

I just finished "tidying" up my cables and fabricating a custom back for the credenza. I used TechFlex F6 braided wire sleeve to bundle as many cables as possible. Still looks a little messy though. There's just too many cables!

The JSP didn't have enough air circulation and the cutouts were too small. It was a pain trying to get all the wires in. Now I have cutouts exactly where I need them and the exact size I wanted. I made the back out of 1/4" MDF, sprayed with a textured paint and the topped with flat black.

For ventilation, I installed two ultra quiet PC fans with an AC power supply to run them. The fans are triggered when I power up the system. I'm happy with the results. I hope these pictures turn out. I had to shrink them way down from 8 mega-pixels.

 

[sleepysurf]

Very nice! Are you still planning to get a dedicated center? I have the Motif, and it's superb.

 

[Brian_74]

Very nice! Are you still planning to get a dedicated center? I have the Motif, and it's superb.

YEAH! I really, really want to get one still. Hoping someday soon it will happen.

 

[tsmooth]

A used Motif is selling on this website as we speak...

 

[stevenic]

Brian... What diameters & lengths did you go with on the F6 Sleeving? Do you like it?

You've got me thinking about doing something similar to clean up my wiring. I have all my gear in a closet but I still have a good size bundle of cables coming into my room via a 2" pass through. Unfortunatly, the cables can be seen due to where I had to cut the pass through so the F6 Sleeving looks like it might do a good job of making this more presentable...

I'm assuming you bundled power and signal into seperate sleeves as well...

-steve

 

[Brian_74]

Brian... What diameters & lengths did you go with on the F6 Sleeving? Do you like it?

You've got me thinking about doing something similar to clean up my wiring. I have all my gear in a closet but I still have a good size bundle of cables coming into my room via a 2" pass through. Unfortunatly, the cables can be seen due to where I had to cut the pass through so the F6 Sleeving looks like it might do a good job of making this more presentable...

I'm assuming you bundled power and signal into seperate sleeves as well...

-steve

Hi Steve,
I bought 5 sizes of flex. 1/8", 1/4", 1/2", 3/4", and 1" You'll have to choose lengths based on how long your runs are. The 1/4" fits a standard ML power cable perfectly. The 1/2" fits a pair of interconnects well. The 3/4" and 1" were the ones I used most. I could easily fit 6-7 cables into the 1" flex. I believe I purchased 25' of 1/2", 10' of 3/4" and 1", and 10' of 1/4". I bought the 1/8" to wrap the small gauge wires powering my cooling fans. That's about all it's good for. The flex is very easy to work with--no special tools needed but a sharp pair of scissors.. The flex closes itself and doesn't fray or anything. I recommend the F6 split braid because some others require heat to shrink the tubing, and then it can't really be re-used. I'd recommend some nice black plastic cable ties to wrap the ends and on the 1" and 3/4" spread them about every 18-24" to help hold the flex in place. When you get that many cables bundled together, the flex tends to buckle a bit when you coil the bundle. The ties help eliminate that. Even if you don't have any cables to bundle, it kinda dresses up the appearance, so I wrapped my power cords for my Vantage.

You'll probably have cables that are different lengths, but yet you want to bundle them together for some distance. Easy thing to do is just branch the longer cables off at some point and then wrap them separately in a smaller flex. That way you have a minimal look.

You are right on in assuming I wrapped power and signals separately.

 

[Brian_74]

Long overdue system update and photo!

Things have changed quite a bit since I first bought my Vantages nearly 5 years ago to the date. I thought it was time for an updated photo and description.

New Additions since 2007:
ML Stage Center (Aug 2009)
ML Helos 20 mounted as surrounds (Oct 2010)
ML Depth-i (Apr 2012)
Cary Cinema 12 mated with Cinema 7.125 (replaces Sunfire TGA 5200 Amplifier and H/K AVR acting as pre) (May 2012)
Velodyne SMS-1 for sub integration and EQ (Apr 2012)
Pioneer Elite 151-FD 60" Display (replaces my Pioneer 50" which went upstairs) (Jan 2009)
WD Live TV Hub for FLAC playback, internet radio, etc.
Universal remote using iPad2 running iRule

Associated Electronics:

Cary Cinema 7.125 Amplifier
Cary Cinema 12 Processor
Belkin PF60 PureAV Power Conditioner
Velodyne SMS-1
Oppo DV981 universal player
Panasonic BD-35K blu ray
Signalcable Ultra Series Bi-wire cables
Signalcable Analog 2 IC's with Eichman Bullets

Comments:
Listening room / great room is 22.5' long by 19' wide with openings in the front and rear left side. Floor is stone tile with large area rug in front. Setup is along a 12' wall. Current setup has the Vantages set at 92" apart. Placement is 29" from front wall to front of the ESL panel. I have them set at factory rake angle, but replaced the ML spikes with some purchased from Oregon DV. They are approx 1.5" tall and 1.25" in diameter at base. Main listening position is 10' from the center channel. The right speaker is located 41" from the side wall and the left speaker is 82" from the nearest side wall (not visible in photo). The Depth-i is located behind the listening position approx 12' from the front wall and 2 feet from the right wall. I would love to get more space behind the mains, but my couch placement is limited due to windows on the right wall. Max I could go would be 38". And yes, I use blue tape to make sure nobody changes my speaker positioning

Future upgrades:

1. Bass traps and rear absorption. I borrowed some GIK 242 from a buddy and the sound was better. However, I will probably go with Real Traps HF Mini since many forum members feel they outperform the GIK in the critical panel frequencies.
2. New bluray and universal player. Still undecided on this. Perhaps an Oppo BDP-95, perhaps something more exotic like a Cary CD 303T or 306 tube SACD player.
3. New speaker cables. I am currently demoing some Kimber 8TC and Clear Day silver shotgun.
4. Balanced interconnects from processor to amp. Will be silver as well.

 

[edwinr]

Nice system Brian-74. Regarding the bluray players, an Oppo BPD-95 is a good option. But also consider the Cambridge Audio751BD. I believe the Oppo and Cambridge Audio have similar internals, with the Cambridge Audio being a little less expensive.