Pictures of your B&W Set-up

[stuofsci02]

Wait a second.. In your youtube video you had 801's in there... Those look like 800's in the photo....

[Skyblue]

I think they look like 802 diamonds

[mrciave]

Amazing pics FredFish! And we share the same table...

[mrciave]

Finally the table arrived!

With the arrival of the table, I thought I'd share some pictures with you... Room is still quite empty, very lively, cable routing needs to be done under the main furniture, and so on...

Global view


From the side, including the CDs in the wall


Esoteric SA-50


The Gryphon Diablo


The clean cabling...

[htsteve]

Hi htsteve, thanks for the welcome, the advice is exactly what i needed :T Looking at my upgrades, do you think i should proceed with a stereo amp, sub or center channel? which one will give me a better experience all round?

Remus,

I think my recommendation is the same whether your primary usage is 2 channel or home theater.

Here is the order I would recommend: Stereo amp (best impact on the system), sub (you need a sub for HT, and it can improve 2 channel as well) and then the center channel, where dialog comes out of.



Hope this helps.

[mrciave]

...and the messy one


From the other side


And my latest experiment, MacBook Air into Esoteric via USB. Solid state HD, no moving parts, I bet it'll beat the Esoteric VOSP through the same converter

[pazu]

Hallo Andrea! - Mrciave.

A very beautifull set-up! My congratulations.

:T

[btf1980]

Gone down to 2 channel. Love it!

[mrciave]

btf1980, stuofsci02, Remus,

Even though I love my 802Ds, I cannot stop saying "WOW" when I see the look of CM7-9 speakers. I love them.

And they integrate much better into a living room environment.

(...but I'm not willing to swap...)

[mrciave]

Gone down to 2 channel. Love it!

That's the way. Who needs 76.4 surround sound?

Great setup!

[Remus]

Wow mrciave, your setup is amazing.

@btf1980 The more i see the 802's in action the more im loving em.

[Remus]

Remus,

I think my recommendation is the same whether your primary usage is 2 channel or home theater.

Here is the order I would recommend: Stereo amp (best impact on the system), sub (you need a sub for HT, and it can improve 2 channel as well) and then the center channel, where dialog comes out of.



Hope this helps.

Thanks htsteve, excellent advice. I defintely need to look into into a stereo amp and a sub thereafter. Too bad Emotiva stuff cant be found in SA

[style]

ciao mrciave,

great Finite Elemente, the MacAir is a 11" or 13"?

Itunes ? and the big FABER cable!!! is a Level2 ???? :T :T :T

Very great, I like very much.

Style

[mrciave]

ciao mrciave,

great Finite Elemente, the MacAir is a 11" or 13"?

Itunes ? and the big FABER cable!!! is a Level2 ???? :T :T :T

Very great, I like very much.

Style

Hi Style,

nice to hear you again. Finite Elemente is always nice, and is worth more than component upgrades!!!

11", it's my traveling laptop. But iTunes is open just for show, no experiment yet.

Faber Cable is some old proto level3, not final. Maybe 2.5?

Ciao,

Andrea

[stuofsci02]

btf1980, stuofsci02, Remus,

Even though I love my 802Ds, I cannot stop saying "WOW" when I see the look of CM7-9 speakers. I love them.

And they integrate much better into a living room environment.

(...but I'm not willing to swap...)

mrciave,

The current CM series is quite nice for integrating in with the rest of the room. Of course your 802D are awesome and I can understand not wanting to swap.. :E

Now that I have my big room in the basement (18'W x 23'L) I expect that at some point the 804S will be replaced by something bigger (would love 801D). Of course this will all happen when my money tree starts growing :W

[stuofsci02]

btf1980...

Looks great! Do you pull a chair out into the middle of the room for stereo listening?

[btf1980]

btf1980...

Looks great! Do you pull a chair out into the middle of the room for stereo listening?

There is a chair in the middle of the room. :T

[turnupthemetal]

Updates after redesign

Hi all. Attached are some updates to my lounge room. All of the furniture in the room has been rotated and I am much more pleased with the sound. I think I have the couch positioned nicely enough and while I would prefer a bit more room around the speakers, there is no more space, so you deal with what you've got. I plan to tidy up the wiring along the wall and while I would like to get rid of the coffee table, the room needs to be practical, so... A paint job and new wall hangings are planned, so will post updates when that happens (probably in about 5 years!!).

[htsteve]

turnupthemetal,

Very nice.

[Mark_NZ]

Hi, I recently upgraded my preamp from the Jeff Rowland Synergy IIi to the new Corus. This resulted in a more detailed, holographic and dynamic sound. Also the bass is more extended and as a result I had to move the 803D loudspeakers a bit further out from the back walls to reduce the now more obvious bass. Mark

Marantz SA11S2 -> Jeff Rowland Corus -> 2xCambridge Audio 840W -> B&W803D

[style]

hi Mark_NZ,

nice setup.

the amplifier are Cambridge azur monoblock??

is a good match with JR as pre and B&W???

thanks for feedback.
style

[Mark_NZ]

the amplifier are Cambridge azur monoblock??
is a good match with JR as pre and B&W???
style

Yes - Cambridge Audio 840W - vertically biamped.
The pre and amps are a good match, and on the whole the amps and 803Ds work very well. The amps are smooth, detailed and drive the 803Ds with great bass authority. The 803Ds are a bit laid back, so an amp with a touch more midrange emphasis might be considered a better match. For the price though, the amps are outstanding value for their performance. :T

[wettou]

Hi, I recently upgraded my preamp from the Jeff Rowland Synergy IIi to the new Corus. This resulted in a more detailed, holographic and dynamic sound. Also the bass is more extended and as a result I had to move the 803D loudspeakers a bit further out from the back walls to reduce the now more obvious bass. Mark

Marantz SA11S2 -> Jeff Rowland Corus -> 2xCambridge Audio 840W -> B&W803D

Sweet :T

[stuofsci02]

After setting up my CM7 down in my newly finished basement last week I couldn't help but bring down some gear and do some listening. Of course not having any furniture or treatment the room was definately lively. I was, however, very happy with good the soundstage is now with such a big room and with the speakers so far off the walls.

Well I couldn't help it anymore so I ripped apart my HT setup upstairs and brought down my two-channel gear and setup a temporary two-channel rig. I also brought the 804s down and my subs.. I am not using the subs, but I wanted to see how they filled the room..

Well here are the pics..

[dukester]

[QUOTE=stuofsci02]After setting up my CM7 down in my newly finished basement last week I couldn't help but bring down some gear and do some listening. Of course not having any furniture or treatment the room was definately lively. I was, however, very happy with good the soundstage is now with such a big room and with the speakers so far off the walls.

Well I couldn't help it anymore so I ripped apart my HT setup upstairs and brought down my two-channel gear and setup a temporary two-channel rig. I also brought the 804s down and my subs.. I am not using the subs, but I wanted to see how they filled the room..

Just looking at your set-up is relaxing...nice :T

[FredfishBelgium]

...















Fred ;^)

[FredfishBelgium]

...







Fred :wink:

[artv4]

Great Lighting And Macro Shots Of Your Gear!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[stuofsci02]

[QUOTE=dukester]

After setting up my CM7 down in my newly finished basement last week I couldn't help but bring down some gear and do some listening. Of course not having any furniture or treatment the room was definately lively. I was, however, very happy with good the soundstage is now with such a big room and with the speakers so far off the walls.

Well I couldn't help it anymore so I ripped apart my HT setup upstairs and brought down my two-channel gear and setup a temporary two-channel rig. I also brought the 804s down and my subs.. I am not using the subs, but I wanted to see how they filled the room..

Just looking at your set-up is relaxing...nice :T

Thanks Dukester

[mrciave]

WOW!

Fred, just a question, are you a millionaire, do you own a shop or what?

For sure you know how to make the best use of your DSLR. A stupid question, to get so much the effect of focus-out of focus do you use high aperture short time or vice versa?

Andrea

[BWzes03]

WOW!

Fred, just a question, are you a millionaire, do you own a shop or what?

For sure you know how to make the best use of your DSLR. A stupid question, to get so much the effect of focus-out of focus do you use high aperture short time or vice versa?

Andrea

While I'm not Fred, I'd say, he's using a Macro lens... That way you get an ultra-thin DOF (Depth-Of-Field). Selecting a Aperture of say, F/2.8, will cause a field of view that is 'in focus' to be really small, when you use close-up focussing. The farther away the object is from the lens will cause the DOF to widen.

Most DSLR lenses come with a DOF table, which will display the length of the Depth-Of Field, in relation to aperture and distance.

[dukester]

[QUOTE=stuofsci02]

[I]

Thanks Dukester

Are you considering acoustical treatments/dedicated circuits?

[stuofsci02]

[QUOTE=dukester]

Are you considering acoustical treatments/dedicated circuits?

Hi Dukester,

I will be doing accoustical treatments once I have the room setup with furniture etc. and I did setup some dedicated circuits over in that area of the room.

I am not sure if you can see in the photos, but there are two banks of 4 outlets. Each bank is on its own 20A breaker, and uses 20A receptacles. I also have 4 duplex receptacles in that area sharing a 15A breaker that is not used for anything else.

Also in the wall to that area I pulled ethernet and phone, as well I ran 12awg speaker cable in the walls to all the 7.1 locations and put banana plug receptacles on the wall, to keep things clean.

Cheers

Stuart

[FredfishBelgium]

Fred, just a question, are you a millionaire, do you own a shop or what?

Hello mrciave

I am not a hardware vendor Hifi but I have very good contact with 5 or 6 Belgian store. Thus it allows me to test and expose my plays on my forum.

Fred

[FredfishBelgium]

While I'm not Fred, I'd say, he's using a Macro lens... That way you get an ultra-thin DOF (Depth-Of-Field). Selecting a Aperture of say, F/2.8, will cause a field of view that is 'in focus' to be really small, when you use close-up focussing. The farther away the object is from the lens will cause the DOF to widen.

Most DSLR lenses come with a DOF table, which will display the length of the Depth-Of Field, in relation to aperture and distance.

Thanks BWzes03 ! :T

[emig5m]

Temp room #2....

Moved my system into another temp room I just remodeled. I really need to find a TV/Center speaker stand combo that can accommodate my 50" plasma and the behemoth HTM3S. I've been using that crappy makeshift stand that was an old aquarium stand and I hate it but every time I go to a store with my measurements for the center channel I just can't seem to find anything that can fit the TV on top and center speaker below while being able to angle the speaker up at the same time. I might just have to brush up on my carpenter skills and make something custom.



I'll be clearing and cleaning out the main room over the winter to get ready for a remodel then finally my B&W's will have their final resting ground, lol. I need to look through this thread again to get some ideas for the main room. The temp room I'm in now I thought I had made a drastic mistake with the Exorcist puke green once I painted the room (hey, it looked easy on the eye on the color sample, lol) but I really like how the walls totally disappear into what seems like an infinite black hole when the lights are out and a movie is playing. I really wanted to do some wood grain laminate on the walls in the main room, but that stuff is $150+ a sheet?! Gulp.... That could get real pricey and real veneer is even more expensive, lol. Might just have to tough it out with paint..... Or maybe even a type of fabric? Need to look through this thread again to get some ideas. I definitely like a dark room for home theater. I can't wait to have the final room done.

[stuofsci02]

emig5m,

If you can wall mount your plasma that will free up the top of a rack for the HTM3s. This will open up your possibilities for type of rack you want. It would also raise your HTM3s up which for course would be better.

Cheers,

Stuart

[emig5m]

emig5m,

If you can wall mount your plasma that will free up the top of a rack for the HTM3s. This will open up your possibilities for type of rack you want. It would also raise your HTM3s up which for course would be better.

Cheers,

Stuart

Unfortunately, I always seem to wind up with a window directly behind the display - kinda hard to mount the display to a window, heh. The main room I could wall mount if I put my front end on one of the two walls that doesn't have windows, but then I would have two doorways in opposite corners where one of the front mains would go and I kinda want to keep speaker distances from walls equal between the front two mains not to mention keeping the main listening position/sweet spot perfectly centered. Wall mounting would be nice, but then I have to deal with speakers being unequal distance from the side walls and the seating position wouldn't be centered.

I'll figure something out when the time comes..... I do see that there are TV stands/racks now that have a back mount to mount the TV up and off the top shelf, but that brings me to another thing I really despise, "looking up" at the display. I like my displays eye height. I probably should get a 60 incher too. If I mount directly to the wall and the seating distance is going to be further then I've been used to, the 50 incher probably isn't going to be big enough for me. I actually have about 70 days to bring back the 50" for return/exchange. If I can get my butt into gear and get the room remodeled (and furnished) I'll swap the 50" for the 60", heh. :B

[wettou]

B&W 802 Diamond, Dartzeel cth-8550, Esoteric x03se, Mit Shotgun MA speaker, Transparent Cable Reference RCA

Cool, too bad you have that table with the glass top in front, all these reflections must not be good for the sound

[stuofsci02]

Yep.. I know what you mean.. The stands that have the post up the back that you can mount the TV to.

[Remus]

Remus,

First of all, welcome to the forum! :T

I like your setup. A nice clean look to it. Good gear.

I also echo what the others have said about the toe in.

I have another suggestion. B&W tower speakers love current. The more, the better. While the specs on your receiver are pretty good, there is only so much power that can be packed into a single chassis, let alon having to share the power with the center and surrounds.

I would suggest getting at least a 2 channel amp to drive the CM9's. You should notice a significant jump in sound quality. Dynamics, soundstage, bass (depth and quality), etc. Pretty much everything will improve.

Below are some thoughts to consider. I have no personal experience with them, but many forum memebers have with good results. Price performance is quite good.

A nice stereo amp: http://emotiva.com/upa2.shtm

A more robust amp, one that will allow you to grow your speakers without needing a new amp:

http://emotiva.com/xpa2.shtm

Hope this helps.

Happy New Year Guys!!

So i decided to go with your advice htsteve and pull the trigger on 2 x Emotiva UPA-1 monoblocks, with the sale they were having im lucky to get them in time. I will be sure to set em up and post a pic soon

Thanks for all the advice guys.

[htsteve]

Cool. Those will definitely help the mains.

[BdoUK]

Finally took delivery of my CM9s this weekend! Thankfully I'm off for MLK day tomorrow, so I have an extra day to enjoy these beauties!

[kmak]

nice! :T

I like your monitor too, same as mine

[dukester]

Congrats BdoUK! Piano blk always look so damn clean! Enjoy breakin'em in!