Dortamur Posted June 26, 2008 Posted June 26, 2008 I've given up finding my dream Home Theatre Unit pre-made, and am toying with the idea of getting a custom unit built. My current unit is an old wide unit not intended as a HT unit - 2 of the thirds are behind sliding doors and the last 1/3 is 3 drawers. It's quite a bit higher than the majority of similar proper HT units, yet we have our Centre speaker sitting on top, and the TV on that, and are comfortable with the TV height. The custom unit I have in mind is of a similar shape & size, but I'd prefer if the TV was a liiittle lower (like it was before we got a big centre speaker ), which means sticking the Centre in the middle top of the unit. It'd also be cleaner, I think, and leave the top of the unit clear (other than the TV). I've seen a similar design in other units, but am wondering how sticking a centre inside a cabinet would affect accoustics, etc... My current centre is the Krix Centrix, with vents forward facing, so I'd imagine any back to the unit wouldn't be an issue (although I'd probably leave it with no backs for ventilation). Would it be better to have a snug fit, or to leave a bit of room around the speaker? Would either make much of a difference to sound quality? (It'd be nice to leave a little room to allow upgrading to a large centre later on). Possibly of more importance: putting the centre in the cabinet would lower the speaker below ear-height. Would it be worth sloping the centre shelf or just getting something to raise the front of the centre slightly, so that it is aiming more at ear-height for the normal listening position?
Dortamur Posted June 30, 2008 Author Posted June 30, 2008 Any opinions? I'm leaning towards a reasonably tight fit around the speaker, but angling it up a bit... On a related but less audio- topic - any tips on cable management? My current unit is a mess of cables sticking out the back and lying all over the place. I'm considering adding in holes between the sections of this unit, and running cables through them, rather than draping them all over the back. I guess the next best thing would be some sort of hooks or runners attached to the back to hold cables. The other idea I'm toying with is to have a half-depth drawer or two in the middle, with shelving in the back half, to hold power boards, and transformers (such as for game consoles). Removing the drawers entirely would give access to power cabling without having to get behind the unit...
The D-Train Posted June 30, 2008 Posted June 30, 2008 Any opinions?I'm leaning towards a reasonably tight fit around the speaker, but angling it up a bit... Thats what ive done and it works fine. Have a look at my sig and clicky on the pictures for an idea.
-geejay- Posted June 30, 2008 Posted June 30, 2008 Any opinions?I'm leaning towards a reasonably tight fit around the speaker, but angling it up a bit... On a related but less audio- topic - any tips on cable management? My current unit is a mess of cables sticking out the back and lying all over the place. I'm considering adding in holes between the sections of this unit, and running cables through them, rather than draping them all over the back. I guess the next best thing would be some sort of hooks or runners attached to the back to hold cables. The other idea I'm toying with is to have a half-depth drawer or two in the middle, with shelving in the back half, to hold power boards, and transformers (such as for game consoles). Removing the drawers entirely would give access to power cabling without having to get behind the unit... All good ideas there Dortmur ! For my office desk, I'm using a half-depth drawer with shelving located behind, it to accomodate power boards & power-packs etc. Works a treat! And like you, I've almost given up on finding a suitable entertainment unit to place the TV on. So my custom build ideas will probably be along similar lines to those which you've described -when I finally get the thing built Looks like great minds think alike after all ! heh heh Cheers geejay
Meld Posted June 30, 2008 Posted June 30, 2008 Why don't you use an old vacuum cleaner hose for your cable tidy?
betty boop Posted June 30, 2008 Posted June 30, 2008 I've given up finding my dream Home Theatre Unit pre-made, and am toying with the idea of getting a custom unit built. My current unit is an old wide unit not intended as a HT unit - 2 of the thirds are behind sliding doors and the last 1/3 is 3 drawers. It's quite a bit higher than the majority of similar proper HT units, yet we have our Centre speaker sitting on top, and the TV on that, and are comfortable with the TV height.The custom unit I have in mind is of a similar shape & size, but I'd prefer if the TV was a liiittle lower (like it was before we got a big centre speaker ), which means sticking the Centre in the middle top of the unit. It'd also be cleaner, I think, and leave the top of the unit clear (other than the TV). I've seen a similar design in other units, but am wondering how sticking a centre inside a cabinet would affect accoustics, etc... My current centre is the Krix Centrix, with vents forward facing, so I'd imagine any back to the unit wouldn't be an issue (although I'd probably leave it with no backs for ventilation). Would it be better to have a snug fit, or to leave a bit of room around the speaker? Would either make much of a difference to sound quality? (It'd be nice to leave a little room to allow upgrading to a large centre later on). Possibly of more importance: putting the centre in the cabinet would lower the speaker below ear-height. Would it be worth sloping the centre shelf or just getting something to raise the front of the centre slightly, so that it is aiming more at ear-height for the normal listening position? maybe post a pic or plans for this custom unit. genreally best not to put centres or any speakers inside cabinets. an option is to wall mount the TV if it is a flat panel. that way the centre can end up on top of the cabinet
50mxe20 Posted July 1, 2008 Posted July 1, 2008 Why don't you use an old vacuum cleaner hose for your cable tidy? Does that work OK.I have this theory that the more jumbled up the cables are the less likely one will get crossover interference. Am I being niave?
Shonky* Posted July 1, 2008 Posted July 1, 2008 maybe post a pic or plans for this custom unit. genreally best not to put centres or any speakers inside cabinets. Is that mainly for any rear facing ports?
Dortamur Posted July 1, 2008 Author Posted July 1, 2008 Thats what ive done and it works fine. Have a look at my sig and clicky on the pictures for an idea. Wow, that's even lower down than I was planning! What did you use to lift the front of the speaker? It looks like black rubber stoppers - are they small, or do they run the full depth of the speaker? Is there anything at the back to stop it moving, or is it pretty stable? I'm toying with the idea of glass doors, similar to your unit - do you find them annoying (opening & closing all the time to get at stuff), or do you prefer having them there? What are the advantages of having the glass doors? (Kids? Cats? Dust? WAF?)
Dortamur Posted July 1, 2008 Author Posted July 1, 2008 Placing centre speaker in a cabinet Thanks. Reading now. Pity most of the image attachments are broken. Sounds like having a tighter fit, with some solid surfaces around it, is preferrable, which is along the lines I was thinking.
Dortamur Posted July 1, 2008 Author Posted July 1, 2008 maybe post a pic or plans for this custom unit. genreally best not to put centres or any speakers inside cabinets. I'm still fiddling with some of the layout of the rest of the unit, but I'll try and get a sketch up here later. an option is to wall mount the TV if it is a flat panel. that way the centre can end up on top of the cabinet My current cabinet is quite high, about 70-80cm from ground level, with the centre on top, and my honkin' old CRT sitting directly on top. I also have my AVR plus other bits & pieces (DTV, etc) on top, so it's quite cluttered. The Plan, is for the new cabinet to be slightly lower, with the centre speaker inside, as close to the top, and all the other bits and pieces inside too - and stick a big HDTV flat panel on top. If we keep the top of the unit clear, and not too high, then that makes it easier to go the Projector route years down the track if we want...
50mxe20 Posted July 1, 2008 Posted July 1, 2008 If I had it to do over again I'd get a simple cheap low line cabinet and put nothing but the centre speaker on top of it and then mount the display at a suitable height. I'd put all the gear in a rack/cabinet at the side. If hindsight is worth anything then that's my advice. Cabinets have a high WAF but that's about all.
The D-Train Posted July 1, 2008 Posted July 1, 2008 Wow, that's even lower down than I was planning! What did you use to lift the front of the speaker? It looks like black rubber stoppers - are they small, or do they run the full depth of the speaker? Is there anything at the back to stop it moving, or is it pretty stable? I'm toying with the idea of glass doors, similar to your unit - do you find them annoying (opening & closing all the time to get at stuff), or do you prefer having them there? What are the advantages of having the glass doors? (Kids? Cats? Dust? WAF?) i just got some rubber stops from the local bunnings to angle the speaker up. They are only small and sit at the front. Its a very heavy speaker and definately doesnt move around. The doors are fine. I actually like the idea of being able to hide away the components (even though they do look nice ). Because they are that frosted type little fingers (which I have a couple of sets of) arent a problem at all. They can actually be filthy and you dont notice it. Sometimes I have them open when playing a movie for cooling etc, especially the power amp but that only has one small light and isn't distracting.
nang3 Posted July 1, 2008 Posted July 1, 2008 Ive got my Centre in a cabinet like this - the vent is on the front and its a fairly solid cabinet and i could swear that the centre channel sounds punchier and dialogue slightly more realistic with more depth... not sure if its just my imagination or not tho !! http://members.iinet.net.au/~armstronghome...0room%20015.jpg
Azz123 Posted July 1, 2008 Posted July 1, 2008 This is a cabinet that I've had for some time and it's now been modified to cope with a few upgrades over the years. Old centre channel & KVHX32M31 CRT - PIC chopped a considerable amount out of the height when I got the LCD - PIC That centre was 23cm heigh and 66cm wide - She was a monster!! As the shelf the speaker is sitting on is adjustable, since upgrading the the Dynaudio centre I've been able to lift the shelf to accommodate the Elektra and a HTPC.
Meld Posted July 1, 2008 Posted July 1, 2008 Does that work OK.I have this theory that the more jumbled up the cables are the less likely one will get crossover interference. Am I being niave? Mains cables should be kept separate from speaker leads and audio interconnects. This is one thing I always see in equipment manuals. It wouldn't hurt to keep speaker leads to their own bundle either. But audio interconnects shouldn't interfere with each other due to the low voltages and screen. So maybe use three vacuum cleaner hoses. Ikea does sell some cable tubing that is split to allow cable entry, but it is silver-coloured and not that attractive. I just use cable twists myself, but if the cables are hidden by your furniture then who gives a crap how neat it is, hehe. One thing I make sure of is to keep speaker leads and audio leads well away from power adapters and transformers as they can induce hum sometimes.
the_wonderchild Posted July 1, 2008 Posted July 1, 2008 The vacuum cleaner hose is an idea i never thought of. Quite a good, tidy one too if the tube is ~25mm in daimater. Will have to give that a try, otherwise it is holes in the floorboards for us with the cabling going underground.
simopimo Posted July 2, 2008 Posted July 2, 2008 The vacuum cleaner hose is an idea i never thought of. Quite a good, tidy one too if the tube is ~25mm in daimater. Will have to give that a try, otherwise it is holes in the floorboards for us with the cabling going underground. Check out your local junk shop too (Reject Shop, Tek's, Ronnie's etc). They almost always have split loom tubing which is much the same as the stuff you find at Ikea, but the difference is - it's usually black = less visible.
Dortamur Posted July 3, 2008 Author Posted July 3, 2008 Ok, I've put up a "sketch" of the design so far online: http://dortamur.dorzure.com/HT/ The sizings are based on my current components, although it's hard to judge how much extra room is really necessary to leave around them. The important bit is the spot for the centre - the Krix Centrix is 650x175x400, so a 670x220 space should be pretty tight, without requiring a crowbar for installation. I could possibly drop the height from 220 down to 200 and still get enough lift angle on the front - it's reasonably high up in that design already. I originally was considering making the centre spot big enough to accommodate a larger speaker like the Epicentrix (900x225x360), for possible future upgrades, but that meant either making the unit really wide, or extra-high to fit the A/E spots back in underneath. The drawers as they are there are on the limit if I want to use them to potentially hold DVDs spine up, requiring 14cm. I'd probably have to make the drawers a little higher to fit that in. Another alternative is to go with a single row of drawers and make them 200 high, which would drop areas B & F down from 380 high to 280 high - which should still be enough space to fit 2-3 typical components in. I'm tempted to put doors over B & F -but I really don't like the ideas of doors sitting open while things are in operation. I've seen some units allow you to slide the door back into the Unit - but I'm sure that'd add extra width again for the extra space to slide them in. Unless I went with mini-roller-shutters.
50mxe20 Posted July 3, 2008 Posted July 3, 2008 (edited) Ok, I've put up a "sketch" of the design so far online: http://dortamur.dorzure.com/HT/ The sizings are based on my current components, although it's hard to judge how much extra room is really necessary to leave around them. I'm tempted to put doors over B & F -but I really don't like the ideas of doors sitting open while things are in operation. I've seen some units allow you to slide the door back into the Unit - but I'm sure that'd add extra width again for the extra space to slide them in. Unless I went with mini-roller-shutters. I actually have a Marantz amp that is wider than 45 cm. I know it's uncommon but it happens. Wrt doors, one can use material instead of wood or glass. And I believe it is possible to get an RF device so that remotes work through closed doors. Think about a fan though if closing doors. If custom building, consider shelves that slide out. Sure makes wiring a lot easier. Brooksy (hope he doesn't mind me mentioning it) had a custom unit made that has shelves that slide out and one can just about sit on them. Very strong. But pricey I suspect. ------- I've said if before. Even though i have a beautiful expensive jarrah cabinet, I am no longer a strong proponent of cabinets. I have completely changed my mind about installing centre speakers in them (even though I still do). Needs and requirements change. If you are prepared to rebuild down the track when the need arises, so be it, but take heed of the warning! Edited July 3, 2008 by Lyle
Dortamur Posted July 3, 2008 Author Posted July 3, 2008 I actually have a Marantz amp that is wider than 45 cm. I know it's uncommon but it happens. How wide is it? I tried to look up dimensions of possible future upgrades, and include capacity for those too. I couldn't find any spec on the dimensions of an Elektra Theatron 7 Amp though. Wrt doors, one can use material instead of wood or glass. And I believe it is possible to get an RF device so that remotes work through closed doors. Think about a fan though if closing doors. All I can picture in my mind is these little plush curtains. Ooh! Could get remote electric draw-strings! I do think that, when in use, I'd like doors open, and keeping them closed when not in use to offer a bit of protection against dust/cats/kids. If custom building, consider shelves that slide out. Sure makes wiring a lot easier. Brooksy (hope he doesn't mind me mentioning it) had a custom unit made that has shelves that slide out and one can just about sit on them. Very strong. If the back is open, I don't mind too much poking around the back - although having a unit that is easier to pull away from the wall would be good. It should also make cable-arrangement neater if the components are in their final resting place when cables are connected. If you are prepared to rebuild down the track when the need arises, so be it, but take heed of the warning! Yeah, that's why I'm not too fussed about accommodating a bigger Centre at this stage. It'll probably be a good few years down the track, and by then, I can put the Centre on top, or I may be ready for a different unit altogether. If I get a unit now that's fairly flexible, I'm sure I can find a friend or family member later down the track to take it off my hands - or shift it to the family room (or bedroom). I have a friend whose Dad is a cabinetmaker, so I'm hoping he can build me something decent without breaking the bank.
50mxe20 Posted July 3, 2008 Posted July 3, 2008 How wide is it? I tried to look up dimensions of possible future upgrades, and include capacity for those too.I couldn't find any spec on the dimensions of an Elektra Theatron 7 Amp though. About 1 cm wider. It has side flanges that were removable so I was able to make it fit.Re The Elektra See Len Wallis http://www.lenwallisaudio.com/products/details.php?pid=575 Dimensions (HxWxD): 160, 445, 370mm
Dortamur Posted July 3, 2008 Author Posted July 3, 2008 Re The ElektraSee Len Wallis http://www.lenwallisaudio.com/products/details.php?pid=575 Dimensions (HxWxD): 160, 445, 370mm Thanks. So a very tight fit for a 450 width space. It's not hugely high though... Are there any side vents/heatsinks, or is it top/back?
50mxe20 Posted July 3, 2008 Posted July 3, 2008 Thanks. So a very tight fit for a 450 width space. It's not hugely high though...Are there any side vents/heatsinks, or is it top/back? It was squeezy in mine. (45 cm).I had cut out the back panel but not sanded off the edges and of course I had to go back and do this to get it to fit. Vents are all on the top. no side issues to worry about. And it runs amazingly cool.
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