This is my setup from my old house, it took about 3 years to collect everything, build panels, REW measure everything, fiddling, adjusting, listening, repeat. 

Unfortunately having been on the move for the last few years everything was in storage, now having settled again I've come to remember what a mission it was, what was required, and how as a tenant it's often not possible to get it the way you want it. I'm considering ditching HT altogether and going for a simpler stereo setup.

 

 

Edited March 19, 20214 yr by reactor_au

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Edited March 22, 20214 yr by Bunno77
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On 19/03/2021 at 8:09 PM, Bunno77 said:

I don't miss surround at all, many others have ditched it too
Best of luck

After unpacking things after 3years, its like meeting up with a long lost friend; you still get a long but it's like a lifetime ago and people have moved on. I am (or was) a real movie nut, 400 blu-ray discs and I've watched most of them 4/5 times, many just to experience the dynamic sound experience. I'm just not sure if I have actually moved on. 

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Edited March 22, 20214 yr by Bunno77
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5 hours ago, reactor_au said:

After unpacking things after 3years, its like meeting up with a long lost friend; you still get a long but it's like a lifetime ago and people have moved on. I am (or was) a real movie nut, 400 blu-ray discs and I've watched most of them 4/5 times, many just to experience the dynamic sound experience. I'm just not sure if I have actually moved on. 

I would guess if you give up home cinema you will be getting back into before you know it, if you have that enjoyment of surround sound it won't just go.

 

I have a simple enough home cinema set up with my 2 channel running right next to it. I do have a Pre with a HT bypass but I don't use it at the moment, i may again in the future.

 

I find you don't need much with HT to get a really enjoyable experience, then all my tweaking and messing around happens in the 2 channel arena.

 

I have even used Kef eggs with a simple cheap Denon and the result was fantastic, better than some large setups i have had, (actually wish I didn't sell them for the Dali's i now have)

 

I don't know how someone could not miss HT, the Melodic hypnotic sound of Captain Adama's voice through the Centre channel, The sound of the Earth falling from above as Beatrice gets buried, The power of the Millennium Falcon as it does a forward roll to take out a Tie fighter, Knebworth coming alive as Robbie Williams belts out Come Undone, the rain and the instrument playing in the fight scene from Hero and the impact of a full scale brass band playing when they come on in Fleetwood Macs The Dance.

 

Just to mention a few.

 

If you don't miss that, then you have never heard belted out properly in the privacy your own home. 

20 hours ago, Bunno77 said:

Haha nothing wrong with that. 

 

On the upside you can keep everything and still get far better music performance by adding and preamp with ht bypass to that very nice Rotel of yours. 

The Yamaha Aventage does a decent job in direct mode, its difficult to justify a lot of things in hifi- the law of diminishing returns is getting ever worse.

 

18 hours ago, russell66 said:

I would guess if you give up home cinema you will be getting back into before you know it, if you have that enjoyment of surround sound it won't just go.

 

I have a simple enough home cinema set up with my 2 channel running right next to it. I do have a Pre with a HT bypass but I don't use it at the moment, i may again in the future.

 

I find you don't need much with HT to get a really enjoyable experience, then all my tweaking and messing around happens in the 2 channel arena.

 

I have even used Kef eggs with a simple cheap Denon and the result was fantastic, better than some large setups i have had, (actually wish I didn't sell them for the Dali's i now have)

 

I don't know how someone could not miss HT, the Melodic hypnotic sound of Captain Adama's voice through the Centre channel, The sound of the Earth falling from above as Beatrice gets buried, The power of the Millennium Falcon as it does a forward roll to take out a Tie fighter, Knebworth coming alive as Robbie Williams belts out Come Undone, the rain and the instrument playing in the fight scene from Hero and the impact of a full scale brass band playing when they come on in Fleetwood Macs The Dance.

 

Just to mention a few.

 

If you don't miss that, then you have never heard belted out properly in the privacy your own home. 

Very true, I used to brag to mates about staying home to watch the latest blockbuster in comfort. My biggest issue really is that I'm renting and the landlord would eat my bond for breakfast if I had to start putting up room treatment, running cables, and shaking the foundations. Its a bit of a cry-laugh situation.

@reactor_au  I am all for room treatment ... and whoa you certainly have a lot on those side and rear walls.  I cannot comment whether this is optimal but did you ever consider the ceiling too? 

Edited March 22, 20214 yr by MrC
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On 22/03/2021 at 12:49 PM, MrC said:

@reactor_au  I am all for room treatment ... and whoa you certainly have a lot on those side and rear walls.  I cannot comment whether this is optimal but did you ever consider the ceiling too? 

Hi MrC, yes I did consider it but I felt the ceiling was a lot of work for not the most improvement. I wouldn't bother with the whole ceiling though, probably just the corners where the wall meets the ceiling. In order of importance; first reflection points, then DSP, then bass traps and diffusers. 
I wish I still had the before and after measurements from that setup to share.

Many people find that the ceiling actually contributes more than it appears.

6 minutes ago, MrC said:

Many people find that the ceiling actually contributes more than it appears.

Any hard surface will contribute as it is reflective, but speakers are quite directional so first reflection points I think have the most impact. If you don't have any flutter-echo in the room then I think there is sufficient treatment for a traditional stereo-7.1 setup, if you have atmos speakers in the ceiling or upward facing atmos speakers then you may have first reflection points in the vertical plane as well though.