System #238 (Renaissance ESL 15A, Focus ESL C18, Script I, Motion 35XT, Motion 4i)

[JLasher22443]

System #238 (Renaissance ESL 15A, Focus ESL C18, Script i, Motion 4i, Motion 35XT, SVS SB16-Ultra)

1. Member Name: Jason

2. Location: (Virginia, United States.)

3. ML Model(s): (Renaissance ESL 15A, Focus ESL C18 , Script i, 4 Motion 4i's for Dolby Atmos , 2 Motion 35XT's for Rear Surrounds)

4. Year Purchased: (2005 - 2021)

5. Mods/Changes: (None)

6. Associated Electronics:

Sub - SVS SB16-Ultra​

Amp's - Boulder 2160, Anthem MC525, and Anthem MC525 Gen2​

Pre-amp - Audio Research Reference 6SE​

Phono Stage - Boulder 1108​

HT Processor - Trinnov Altitude 16​

BlueRay Player - Panasonic DP-UB9000​

Projector/Screen - Sony VPLVW295ES and 92" Stewart Screen​

Streaming Video - Apple 4k TV​

Streaming Music - dCS Bartok​

Turntable - SME Model 15 w/ 309 Tonearm w/ Hana Umami Red​

Turntable Cabling - Nordost Valhalla 2 Tonearm XLR -> All Nordost Heimdall 2 Boulder 1108 XLR -> REF 6SE XLR -> Boulder 2160​

Streaming Cabling - 2 Channel = Heimdall 2 XLR -> REF 6SE XLR -> Boulder 2160​

Video Streaming Cabling - AudioQuest Vodka HDMI​

HT Interconnect Cabling - Nordost Heimdall 2, AudioQuest Water, Tributaries,​

Speaker Cables - Nordost Heimdall 2​

Power - Nordost QB8 20amp w/ Frey 2 Cord, Shunyata Research Everest 8000T w/ Omega XC Power Cord​

Power Cables - Nordost Blue Heaven, Red Dawn, Heimdall 2, Frey 2​

Racks - Salamander Synergy Quad 20, HRS SXR Rack​

Vinyl Cleaner - Degritter​

Acoustic Treatments - GIK Acoustics, Acoustimac​

Room - 19’ W x 23’ L x 14’ H A-Frame​

Here are few updated photos of the room.

 

[twich54]

Jason, Welcome ! Nice HT set-up !

So.......you want a suggestion or two ???

Try taking your Clairity's out from the wall another foot or two and move them 2-3' (each) closer together. I think you will be amazed at what it does to both your soundstage and imaging !!

 

[JLasher22443]

Thanks for the welcome and the comment!

How will that effect my surround sound with movies? Will it give me that left and right sound as something is moving around me during a movie? If you think it will help I'll give it a try.

Thanks,
Jason

 

[twich54]

with the distances I'm suggeting your HT experience should not be compromised, but I will guarentee you your musical experience WILL improve !

 

[JLasher22443]

I moved them out from the wall 1 foot and it has made them sound much better then before. To move them closer to each other I will have to do some modifications to how I have ran the cables. They are 3' from the back wall now. It sounds like they are making my sub rattle a lot more, does that make sense? I can't wait to upgrade. How about the cinema i does it need a certain distance from the wall?

Jason ML Novice

 

[JLasher22443]

Here is my setup up close. I'm curious if what I have pushing my speakers is enough?

 

[JLasher22443]

Here are my rears.

 

[twich54]

It sounds like they are making my sub rattle a lot more, does that make sense? I can't wait to upgrade. How about the cinema i does it need a certain distance from the wall?

can't tell from your pic, where's your sub ?

making it rattle alot more ??? meaning it was rattling before ?.... NOT RIGHT !

It's possible that you are asking it to perform beyond it's capablities, thus enacting distortion and subsequrnt resonace.

 

[JLasher22443]

can't tell from your pic, where's your sub ?

making it rattle alot more ??? meaning it was rattling before ?.... NOT RIGHT !

It's possible that you are asking it to perform beyond it's capablities, thus enacting distortion and subsequrnt resonace.

If you look at the tower pic it is to the right of it. I have it set up behind the seats. What do you think?

 

[JonFo]

Jason, nice system, congrats.

And since you asked for some constructive feedback, here's my one nugget:

Put an absorptive material behind your center channel. This will totally open up the dialog clarity. You will need to turn up the center two or three dB, but it will be waay cleaner.

The ideal treatment would be a Realtraps.com MiniTrap HF. But you can improve things with just some thick, quilted material hung on the wall behind the speaker.

Cheers,

 

[theWB]

Welcome Jason, Very Nice System.

Agree with Dave on moving your mains further out from the wall and closer together. It won't affect your HT expierence, but will greatly improve your 2 channel listening.
Also agree with Jonathon, treat the wall behind your center or pull it out away from the wall. I have my center mounting on the wall and was so amazed at the improvement after I put Acoustical Foam behind the center, I treated the space behind my Scripti's in the rear as well.

 

[JLasher22443]

Jason, nice system, congrats.

And since you asked for some constructive feedback, here's my one nugget:

Put an absorptive material behind your center channel. This will totally open up the dialog clarity. You will need to turn up the center two or three dB, but it will be waay cleaner.

The ideal treatment would be a Realtraps.com MiniTrap HF. But you can improve things with just some thick, quilted material hung on the wall behind the speaker.

Cheers,

Thanks Jon,

I will definitely try that out. I still have a lot to do to this system to make it great so thanks for the ideas. I will be looking into that today. You mentioned the db levels for the center; what is a good level? Also, I just purchased the Depth i last night from Tweeter and plan on installing it tonight. I got it as a floor model for $1500; seemed like a good deal. I hooked it up temp last night and it sounded good, but I would like some advice from the club on placement and db level from my receiver for best performance. With only one Depth i is it better up in front of the room behind my fronts or in the rear behind the seats? Also, how do you figure out the proper levels of db for each speaker? I tried using the auto tune mic that came with the RX-V2700 and it just didn't seem right it put the left front as negative and the right as positive; any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[DTB300]

Put an absorptive material behind your center channel. This will totally open up the dialog clarity. You will need to turn up the center two or three dB, but it will be waay cleaner. The ideal treatment would be a Realtraps.com MiniTrap HF. But you can improve things with just some thick, quilted material hung on the wall behind the speaker.

JonFo makes a good point about the center channel and some absorption behind it. A Real Trap Mini has some of the best high end absorption around and will also absorb some of the low end too. A GIK Acoustics 242 panel will not absorb quite as much high end as the RT but is also a possibility. Another way is some Auralex 2"-4" wedge which you can get at a Guitar Center (2" 2'x4' panel will run $18-$20) and is a cheap way to absorb some of the high end - but the Auralex will do NOTHING for the low end. As suggested you can try out some home stuff behind to see what a difference it can make.

I will definitely try that out. I still have a lot to do to this system to make it great so thanks for the ideas. I will be looking into that today.

Jason...Man what a great room you have for your setup!!! Wish I had that kind of space for my rig.

As you have heard from most folks here, moving your speakers around a bit forward, backward, sideways, and tilt, as much as your cabling will allow, will give you different sound to consider. With the sub, most will probably say to put it up front, but again move it around and see where you like it best and where it seems to perform the best.

In the long run you will find there are better alternatives to the Yammy receiver, but the Yammy is a great place to start now as you can upgrade later on. BTW, is that a BDI rack?

I see you are around Fredericksburg. I am up in Silver Spring, and you are more than welcome to come up one Saturday for some music and ML discussions. We might even be able to get Erik (Eknudson) and Dave (Twitch) to join us with enough notice for everyones schedule.

I will also be having the 2nd Annual ML Get Together for MD/DC/VA/PA/DE at my place, probably in April or May. Keep an eye on the forum for news.

Dan

 

[JLasher22443]

JonFo makes a good point about the center channel and some absorption behind it. A Real Trap Mini has some of the best high end absorption around and will also absorb some of the low end too. A GIK Acoustics 242 panel will not absorb quite as much high end as the RT but is also a possibility. Another way is some Auralex 2"-4" wedge which you can get at a Guitar Center (2" 2'x4' panel will run $18-$20) and is a cheap way to absorb some of the high end - but the Auralex will do NOTHING for the low end. As suggested you can try out some home stuff behind to see what a difference it can make.


Jason...Man what a great room you have for your setup!!! Wish I had that kind of space for my rig.

As you have heard from most folks here, moving your speakers around a bit forward, backward, sideways, and tilt, as much as your cabling will allow, will give you different sound to consider. With the sub, most will probably say to put it up front, but again move it around and see where you like it best and where it seems to perform the best.

In the long run you will find there are better alternatives to the Yammy receiver, but the Yammy is a great place to start now as you can upgrade later on. BTW, is that a BDI rack?

I see you are around Fredericksburg. I am up in Silver Spring, and you are more than welcome to come up one Saturday for some music and ML discussions. We might even be able to get Erik (Eknudson) and Dave (Twitch) to join us with enough notice for everyones schedule.

I will also be having the 2nd Annual ML Get Together for MD/DC/VA/PA/DE at my place, probably in April or May. Keep an eye on the forum for news.

Dan

Thanks Dan for your comments,

Thanks for the invite and I will definitely keep an eye out for the 2nd Annual ML get together. My office is in Laurel, MD and I work in DC. So I might hold you to that invite.

Today I have been online looking at the Mini Traps and the Tri-corners for my room per Jon’s suggestion. They appear to be a good investment for my room and I plan on saving the cash for them. Or, maybe I’ll tell the wife that she won’t have to put cotton in her ears every time I watch a movie and she is in the other room if I just purchase these bass traps.

About the sub; should I put it behind one of my fronts or should I set it up next to the center? By looking at the Martin Logan website they show it set up with two in the room one in each corner. If I am only using one should it be placed in the center of the room or just pick a front corner?

 

[JLasher22443]

PS. Yes Dan it is a BDI rack. I got it at Tweeter.

 

[JLasher22443]

My new Depth i setup.

I moved my Claritys out from the wall 3'-6".

 

[JLasher22443]

I have changed the spaceing between the Clarity's and moved them closer together. Also tried the Depth i in many different places in the room and it ended up back to the first spot in right corner. Here are a few new pics.

 

[JLasher22443]

 

[JLasher22443]

Added a few updates to the system and thought I should share. The above pictures are way behind so here are a few updated versions of the room.

The new front Montis Speakers along with the addition of a new rack, MC452 and Integra DHC 80.3..

Added the Projector into the ceiling.

Afterwards darkened out the windows with DIY Foam Inserts.

 

[JLasher22443]

Next I got the EFX's for side surrounds so I can now run 7.1.

Now I'm in discussions with GIK Acoustics to get the room sounding better. Can't wait to see what they have in mind for this room so I can get this room sounding great.