Diamond Signatures with XTC and XT4's ????

[ljs1228]

Hi Everyone,

I presently am running four XT4's as my fronts and rears along with an XTC for the center and a PV1 Sub. I have just ordered two Signature Diamonds in the wakame finish and am wondering what everyone thinks if I leave the center and rear speakers as they are? Do you think that the XTs will match up okay with the Signature Diamonds? FYI, my Pre/Pro is the Anthem Statement D2 and the Amplifier is the A5 also from Anthem.

Thanks for your input,

ljs1228

[Briz vegas]

Ok - can i resist the temptation to use my "photoshop" skills to invent a signature diamond centre channel. Quick little challenge for you all.

Hop to it lads.

ps. Personally I suspect our new friend with the funny handle is just boasting about his new siggies, and why not ! Photos when they arrive I think

[Briz vegas]

Ok this is my attempt at fixing l-gees compatiblity problem.

yes its thrown together. I got a bit ambitous and went looking for photos of submarines, bins and PVC piping - then I lost interest and kind of threw this together.

[ljs1228]

Loved The attempt for the new Centre Sig 40's. I think that there is a B&W inventor/engineer in your future career plans! And by the way, what necessarily makes you think that ljs1228 is a he??!!! He/I'm not! I wasn't bragging about my purchase (well, just a little), I actually was hoping someone in the forum might tell me I'm not crazy in thinking that the XT's might sound not half bad with the Signature Diamonds.
Thanks for the laugh Siamese. Appreciate it.
ljs1228

[ShadowZA]

Welcome to the club, ljs1228.

My opinion is that the Signature Diamonds will be a mismatch to your XTC centre. The main reasons for this is that the Sig D's have diamond tweeters whilst the XTC has aluminium. They also possibly utilize better electronics in their crossovers.

What would be better is to have 3 Sig D's as front end (L, R & C). You could get away with leaving a pair of XT4's as surrounds. Maybe even use your extra XT4's (which you used as L & R before the Sig D's came along) as rears & have a 7.1 setup.

Hope that helps.

[ljs1228]

Thanks for your message ShadowZA. I have traded in my two front XT4's so I could help with the cost of the Sig 40s. I think I tend to agree with you about the centre channel not matching but I have limited space below my television to have one of the big Diamond B&W Centres. I'm in a 900 Sq Foot Condo so things are not spacious. I barely have enough wall space for the Pioneer Elite 60 incher that is coming as well.
Does anyone have any other Centre channel suggestions. I wish I could have a third Sig40 but expenses won't allow it, at least not right now. :cry:
Take care and thanks for the welcome. I think I'll enjoy being part of the forum. Probably not many women on here either. Someone needs to "Represent"!! :later:
ljs1228

[hifiguymi]

Cool speakers!!

I'd go without a center. I bet you will get better results with a phantom center than using the XTC. Try it both ways, but my money is on no center.

There are a few women that post here and it's great to have another. Welcome to the club.

Eric

[Nolan B]

No centre channel would get my vote.

I think I read somehwere that 80% of all audio comes from the center channel when watching movies. If I had Diamond Signatures I woudnt want them used less then 20% of the time. Good speakers and processing can make a 4.1 sound great. If im not mistaken Kevin D who moderates the Rotel forum here doesnt use a center. Perhaps if he reads this he can chime in.

Curious...what do your girl friends think of your investment? My wife loves the HT we have built, but she is one in a millio in my experience who really care about quality in that regard.

BTW....dont forget to post pictures when its all setup!

[RebelMan]

If im not mistaken Kevin D who moderates the Rotel forum here doesnt use a center. Perhaps if he reads this he can chime in.

Nolan, how could you forget that I too am running a (temporary) phantom center?! LOL

I concur with Eric and Nolan that you would be MUCH better off without a center than a grossly mismatched one. I had to sell my HTM3S when I upgraded my 803S to the 800D because of the huge disparity between the LCR speakers. The only caveat to this is the poor imaging for people listening off axis and you loose some control over dialog manipulation. If that (company) doesn't happen too often then stick with a phantom center for now.

BTW....dont forget to post pictures when its all setup!

Pictures are a must... please.

[ljs1228]

Great suggestion on not having the centre channel at all. Thanks. I'll try with and without the XTC but my money is on leaving it out.
Nolan B, to answer your question about what my girlfriends think, some think I'm crazy to spend that kind of money on anything other than clothes, shoes or handbags, but some that do have an appreciation for music and movies think that it's cool I can buy what I want when I want without having to get anyones approval. The only problem that I have is that when I have any dates, I'm not sure if it's me or my Home Theatre system that the guys are more interested in!!!!
Nolan, it sounds like you have a pretty nice wife. Her and I would probably have lots in common.
I'll be sure to post pictures when everything comes in. The Sig Diamonds are going to be another 6-8 weeks, but the Pio Elite 60 incher is going in this Thursday. I'm moving my Elite 50 to the bedroom. So much for sleeping!!! :E
Take care, all
Libbie (ljs1228)

[Nolan B]

Great suggestion on not having the centre channel at all. Thanks. I'll try with and without the XTC but my money is on leaving it out.
Nolan B, to answer your question about what my girlfriends think, some think I'm crazy to spend that kind of money on anything other than clothes, shoes or handbags, but some that do have an appreciation for music and movies think that it's cool I can buy what I want when I want without having to get anyones approval.

I thnk thats cool too and it should always be the case, married or not.

The only problem that I have is that when I have any dates, I'm not sure if it's me or my Home Theatre system that the guys are more interested in!!!!

thats easy...no seeing the bedroom OR HT room until at least the third date. :smootch:

Ill be honest that if I dated a girl who had a system like yours i would say honestly apx 20% (maybe more...I havent heard Singature diamonds yet) of the reason I wanted to come over would play with her toys.

Nolan, it sounds like you have a pretty nice wife. Her and I would probably have lots in common.
I

If you like wine, food, movies, music and animals then im sure you two would be the best of friends. Those 5 things are all she needs to be happy in life.

[ljs1228]

Hey Nolan,

Thanks for your response, I got quite a few laughs when reading it. Of the five things that your wife can't do without, you forgot the sixth.....you.

I've been giving the centre channel issue some further thought. Money and space are both tight but if I could swing it, what would you think about the HTM2D centre channel with the Signature Diamonds? I know that you said that you would prefer a 4.1 system rather than use the XTC centre and I agreed. I'm thinking that since my dealer is giving me 100% back on the XTs that I'm trading in, I could have close to a thousand towards the HTM2D. I'd then have the centre with the Diamond tweeter to match the Sig40s. I suppose the black ash finish would go best with the Wakame of the Signature Diamonds.
Give me any feedback that you feel. I'd appreciate it from anyone and everyone.

Thanks
ljs1228

[Nolan B]

Hey Nolan,

Thanks for your response, I got quite a few laughs when reading it. Of the five things that your wife can't do without, you forgot the sixth.....you.

I've been giving the centre channel issue some further thought. Money and space are both tight but if I could swing it, what would you think about the HTM2D centre channel with the Signature Diamonds? I know that you said that you would prefer a 4.1 system rather than use the XTC centre and I agreed. I'm thinking that since my dealer is giving me 100% back on the XTs that I'm trading in, I could have close to a thousand towards the HTM2D. I'd then have the centre with the Diamond tweeter to match the Sig40s. I suppose the black ash finish would go best with the Wakame of the Signature Diamonds.
Give me any feedback that you feel. I'd appreciate it from anyone and everyone.

Thanks
ljs1228

Im going on guess here because I have never heard the Signature Diamonds, but I am still going going to stay firm with saying with your better off staying with a 4.1 and not usng a centre. Perhaps REBLEMAN who uses a high quality 4.1 could agree/disagree. :amen:

(im being sarcastic he really is someone who seems to do his due diligence and I would personaly take his advice on this ultimately)

Honestly Libbie your signatures are going to create such a beautiful result. IMO mismatching with anything less especially if you mainly watching movies would be a mistake.

Take my opinion with a grain of salt as I have never lived with your speakers and Im only giving an opinion on what I think would be best. I would also say that your speakers will look beautiful on thier own and a big centre like the HTMD2 would only take away from that. BTW I asked my wife and she agreed.

Curiosly....what are you going to power your speakers with? Perhaps if you are willing to invest further in a center channnel your money would be better spent on a better amp or pro.? If your deaerl is like mine im sure he/she would take your trade in towards anything.

oh and you are right in that i am the 6th my wife cant do with out..actually acording to her the other 5 are boring with ou met. I would agree with that. Im pretty awsome. :later: :dancenana:

[akhter]

Hi Everyone,

I presently am running four XT4's as my fronts and rears along with an XTC for the center and a PV1 Sub. I have just ordered two Signature Diamonds in the wakame finish and am wondering what everyone thinks if I leave the center and rear speakers as they are? Do you think that the XTs will match up okay with the Signature Diamonds? FYI, my Pre/Pro is the Anthem Statement D2 and the Amplifier is the A5 also from Anthem.

Thanks for your input,

ljs1228

I run the XTC with N804, and it matches quite well I think. Mind you, i don't listen to much multi-ch music or sacds, but for movies, XTC is quite good.

Will it match your diamond sigs--no.

[RebelMan]

I love your sarcasm Vancouver. It’s nice to see the lighter side of your personality shine through, I always knew you had it in you!

Unfortunately, Nolan is right about a center-less center being your best bet for your situation. The Signature Diamond’s are in the same unique category as the Nautilus in that they were intended for one thing only… stereo. Unless a full compliment of Signature Diamonds were setup for the front-end, any other speaker you try to pair with will be doing the series a huge disservice. The HTM2D can get by (marginally) with the 802D but I would caution its use in this mix. The timbre of the HTM2D is almost exclusively best paired with the 803D.

To be brutally frank, the Signature Diamonds should not be used for home theater applications because of the severe compromises one will be faced with. If a person intends to make do with a dedicated center speaker regardless then the motives for purchasing the Signature Diamonds in the first place needs to be reassessed. At this level, haphazard planning and decision making should be avoided. If one is truly looking for helpful advice then it is expected that they will be open to a little tough love when necessary.

[Briz vegas]

Severe compromises? I think that depends on the individual's listening preferences.

I run a mismatched center HTM7 with my 804s. For me I can live with the mismatch no worries, but I would hate to give up the 804s for music and music DVDs where they do so well. The only film that screamed mismatch to me was LOTR - on a couple of occasions is ruined the experience as the vocals panned across the front - that is a very rare audio effect in my experience. Jus to give you an idea, some of my recent rentals have been along the lines of Death Proof, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, and Eastern Promises (I just found out that Naomi Watts' parents were on Dark Side of the Moon - dad was the crazy laugh and mum said "cruisin' for a bruisin'" - ain't trivia grand). How about that for variety.

I think ljs1228 should live with the setup for a while and see how it performs with her sort of listening material.

[Aldo]

Severe compromises? I think that depends on the individual's listening preferences.

I run a mismatched center HTM7 with my 804s. For me I can live with the mismatch no worries, but I would hate to give up the 804s for music and music DVDs where they do so well. The only film that screamed mismatch to me was LOTR - on a couple of occasions is ruined the experience as the vocals panned across the front - that is a very rare audio effect in my experience. Jus to give you an idea, some of my recent rentals have been along the lines of Death Proof, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, and Eastern Promises (I just found out that Naomi Watts' parents were on Dark Side of the Moon - dad was the crazy laugh and mum said "cruisin' for a bruisin'" - ain't trivia grand). How about that for variety.

I think ljs1228 should live with the setup for a while and see how it performs with her sort of listening material.

I agree, 99% of the time dialogs came from the center speaker, even though the best is to have identical placed and model speakers most of the time that is just impossible.
I do not have identical speakers and I am really not bothered by any mismatch.

[Nolan B]

I agree, 99% of the time dialogs came from the center speaker, even though the best is to have identical placed and model speakers most of the time that is just impossible.
I do not have identical speakers and I am really not bothered by any mismatch.

Aldo you have extreemly high quality L and R speakers....what center do you use?

[Aldo]

Aldo you have extreemly high quality L and R speakers....what center do you use?

HTM1D
Before that I had a pair of 800s (non diamond) and the HTM1D.

[ljs1228]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the input. Listen, when I first got into something other than HTIB, it was with the Paradigm Cinema 220's across the front with two ADPs for rears that ran off the Denon 2807. (Those have since moved on to the bedroom) At that time, my taste was 80/20 movies to music, but since joining the B&W family with the quad XT4's, I've found that percentage has completely flipped around. Hence, the reason for upgrading to the Signature Diamonds, that, and the fact that since my XTs are less than a year old, the dealer will still give me 100% value on my trade in. 8)

I have already asked the dealer to keep an eye out for a "gently" used amplifier for me so I can maybe get a bigger upgrade jump out of it than if it were new.

Maybe the best, as was suggested, in regards to a centre channel, is just to
live with the new speakers for awhile and see how the 4.1 sounds to me when I am watching Movies. I have no doubt how the 2.1 music will sound! ;x(

I love the commaraderie (sp?) that exists in this forum. It's nice to see. And the smarts of all you guys (and gals) doesn't hurt either!!

Ciao for now
Libbie (ljs1228)

[ShadowZA]

Libbie, I have always been more interested in music than movies but as I've upgraded over the years the passion for critical music listening has only increased. My wife & daughter seemed to have joined me in that music listening takes preference over movies. I didn't influence them at all ... (he says with a wink and a wry smile). Add to this my feel (call it a hunch) that we are only lately (over the last few years) experiencing decent setups in recording studios that enable really good sounding stuff to be put to CD. Also, Bob Stuart from Meridian has just released Version 2 of their 808 Signature Reference CD Player (808 V2). This seems to indicate that their is much life, need and hope for good quality stereo recordings AND the good old redbook CD (which is still champion imho).

Now, couple to this your beautiful pair of Signature Diamonds. One word: "Bliss!"

If I were in your shoes, considering your space & finances, I would probably also stick to 4.1 sound until such time as I could manage another plan (be it another Sig D or alternative centre to tide you over). You might also want to bear in mind the future possibilities of music in 5.1 format too. Who knows exactly what the future will bring. One thing for certain is that your Sig D's should give you the very best in musical enjoyment.

A warning though: What I have found is that the more great recordings we listen to ... the less inclined we are to listen to the mediocre ones.

This hobby does not have an ending but it does feel great to enjoy the "here & now".

Good luck & enjoy the music.

[RebelMan]

Severe compromises? I think that depends on the individual's listening preferences.

Mostly one's budget.

With a pair of Signature Diamonds and the HTM2D the compromises are severe. The original poster would be better of without a dedicated center or a less expensive system designed for HT applications.

I live by a pretty simple concept (missed by others): Do it right or not at all.

[iiaudio]

I live by a pretty simple concept (missed by others): Do it right or not at all.

Couldn't have been said better!!

[kmcheng]

Mostly one's budget.

With a pair of Signature Diamonds and the HTM2D the compromises are severe. The original poster would be better of without a dedicated center or a less expensive system designed for HT applications.

I think Libbie also mentioned space constraints. I know that, at least for me, physical constraints play a large part in determining what I can get.

I now run my front using 805S as L-R and without a dedicated center. I tried using M-1, XTC and CMC as a center because I could not fit an HTM4S in. None gave me a satisfactory result, even when I was just watching TV. The 805S are simply "too good", so I switched to a L-R setup without a center.

Libbie has the signature diamonds, which is several notches above my 805S. Therefore, I simply could not see how anything other than another signature diamond could serve justice to her setup.

Also, chances are that better amplification will be acquired some time in the future for the signature diamonds. If the inferior center (e.g. XTC) stays on inferior amplification, then the mismatch would even more apparent.

Since it is difficult to do the center "right" in Libbie's case, maybe the best alternative is "not at all".