Post Parasound Pictures Here!

[psychdoc]

Peter,
After seeing your setup I am amazed at the size of your speakers. What the heck are they? Are you actually using the same version of the speaker in your surround setup as well? With all that equipment, did you have to rewire your house? Your electric bill must be off the scale!
Your system must sound amazing (I hope). I can't imagine what you spent on all that gear but it must have cost you a pretty penny. I had to chuckle at the fact that you mentioned that you went to ebay for the Jensen filter, spending only a few dollars instead of the $50 MSRP. I'm guessing you could have afforded a new one :W Overall, the pics look amazing EXCEPT for those chairs!!! Yikes!

[Peter Nielsen]

Peter,
After seeing your setup I am amazed at the size of your speakers. What the heck are they?

Magnetic Planar speakers made by MAGNEPAN in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. The technology is proprietary and was invented by Jim Winey, the president of Magnepan, in the late 60's.

Fronts: Magnepan 20.1
Surrounds: Magnepan 3.6
Rears: Magnepan MC1
Center: Magnepan CC3 (I'm waiting for Magnepan to release the new CC20.1)

Are you actually using the same version of the speaker in your surround setup as well?

No, the 3.6s are 8" shorter, a little narrower, and a lot more affordable than the 20.1s ($4,400 vs $12,000).

With all that equipment, did you have to rewire your house?

Yes, but I would have had to do this anyway. Southern builders don't know or care how to properly wire a house (built 2004). Light and outlets were on the same circuit. I threw in 3 new 20A cicuits. (Two for audio and one for video).

Your electric bill must be off the scale!
Your system must sound amazing (I hope).

Yes, I'm very happy about the sound.

I had to chuckle at the fact that you mentioned that you went to ebay for the Jensen filter, spending only a few dollars instead of the $50 MSRP.

Every dollar saved... (and I like shopping on eBay).

Overall, the pics look amazing EXCEPT for those chairs!!! Yikes!

Yep... They will be replaced by some real theatre seats....

Peter

[AVspec]

smalone, you've got me curious... why all the pro gear in the rack?

I used to work for a Video Teleconferencing company here in PA called VTEL and picked up a lot of my gear for my theater from the company at very substantial savings. :W

Note: I changed my user name to the one I use on most other forums.

-Mark

https://www.digitalvortex.com

[Chris D]

Ah, okay, Mark! Tell you what... new user name... 1st post... how about a banana? :banana:

[boettinger]

New Halo Stack

Well, I decided to eplace the Pioneer with the C2, Couldn't be happier. Thanks to this forum and the great reviews.

[Chris D]

Mmmmmmm... here's a repost of your pic in real size, and a banana for the upgrade: :banana:

[rgt]

Hi everyone,

I'm a newbie to this hobby but I would like to share my setup:

Halo A51 and A21 amps
Halo C1 Controller
Halo T3 Tuner
Kenwood Sovereign DV5900M 403 disc DVD player
Kenwood Sovereign Entre Entertainment Hub
Denon Laser Disc Player
Fujitsu P63XHA40US Plasma
Martin Logan Summit
Martin Logan Descent Sub woofer
Martin Logan Theater i Center
Boston Acoustic VRi595 surrounds
Monster AVS 2000SS Power stabilizer
Monster HTPS 7000SS Power conditioner
Richard Gray RGPC 400 Pro Power generator
IXOS cable and interconnects

[nicholtl]

Nice setup! Do you have fans behind those stacked amps, though?

Nice to see someone else who uses the AVS 2000 in conjunction with the HTPS 7000. While I detest Monster's business practices, those 2 products in particular are wonderful, I think. Besides, I purchased them before all the sueing began...

[rgt]

Nice setup! Do you have fans behind those stacked amps, though?

Nice to see someone else who uses the AVS 2000 in conjunction with the HTPS 7000. While I detest Monster's business practices, those 2 products in particular are wonderful, I think. Besides, I purchased them before all the sueing began...

No I don't. The side of the cabinet have a 9"x15" opening with wire mesh that look just like the front doors for ventilation.


Did you have problems with the Monsters? Why the lawsuit?

[Peter Nielsen]

No I don't. The side of the cabinet have a 9"x15" opening with wire mesh that look just like the front doors for ventilation.

Looks like your C1 is being slowly roasted over your amps there... Not good! 8O Digital electronics should be kept below 85 degrees at all times! (The amps can take much higher temps without damage, although it may shorten the life of some components like wet capacitors).

Peter

[Peter Nielsen]

Why the lawsuit?

I'm guessing that nicholtl is referring to the Monster brand name lawsuits:

Monster fiercely protects its name. Cable products company sues those who use M-word

Now, if you ask me, this is a good reason not to buy any product that carries the M-word :B

Peter

[rgt]

Looks like your C1 is being slowly roasted over your amps there... Not good! 8O Digital electronics should be kept below 85 degrees at all times! (The amps can take much higher temps without damage, although it may shorten the life of some components like wet capacitors).

Peter

I have some concerns about it too but my installer said that it should be okay since the cabinet doors are practically open and the has a wide enough opening on the side. Do you think I shoul install a fan specially since the A51 is right below the C1? How about insulating the bottom of the C1?

[Peter Nielsen]

I think you need to add *something* that circulates/moves the air. Replacing the vent panel between the A51 and C1 with a Cool Stack would be a quick, easy, and quiet solution.

Peter

[Chris D]

Peter, I think M***** is sending you a bill for $2.00 right now for typing the m-word. Good recommendation on the Cool Stack. I haven't ever bought one or come across a product like that in the store--how much do they go for?

rgt, welcome to the Guide and Club Parasound! :banana: I really like the look of your front setup. VERY classy. VERY nice, elegant look. Overall, I like the way you've integrated your Martin Logans in the setup. Do you have any sonic issues though with the ML center channel being encased by your cabinet like that?

I'd have to agree--be very careful boxing equipment in a cabinet like that, especially the Halo stack. One open side (front) and three enclosed sides is just too restrictive to airflow. I think Peter has a good recommendation for air cooling if you leave it in the cabinet.

here's your picture reposted in large size:

[Peter Nielsen]

Good recommendation on the Cool Stack. I haven't ever bought one or come across a product like that in the store--how much do they go for?

You can get them for around $230 on the net. The standard version comes with a 12V trigger, so it should be a perfect match for the Halos.

I wonder if they're available in silver though. Black does not really match with the Halos... :roll:

Peter

[rgt]

I think you need to add *something* that circulates/moves the air. Replacing the vent panel between the A51 and C1 with a Cool Stack would be a quick, easy, and quiet solution.

Peter

Peter,

Thanks for the great idea. You really know a lot of alternatives. I wonder if you can put or hide this behind the existing vent panel.

[rgt]

Peter, I think M***** is sending you a bill for $2.00 right now for typing the m-word. Good recommendation on the Cool Stack. I haven't ever bought one or come across a product like that in the store--how much do they go for?

rgt, welcome to the Guide and Club Parasound! :banana: I really like the look of your front setup. VERY classy. VERY nice, elegant look. Overall, I like the way you've integrated your Martin Logans in the setup. Do you have any sonic issues though with the ML center channel being encased by your cabinet like that?

I'd have to agree--be very careful boxing equipment in a cabinet like that, especially the Halo stack. One open side (front) and three enclosed sides is just too restrictive to airflow. I think Peter has a good recommendation for air cooling if you leave it in the cabinet.

here's your picture reposted in large size:

Chris,

Thanks for the welcome and compliment and also for reposting the picture.

I have no sonic issues with the center channel as you can put this anywhere. Here are some pictures of the vent on the side of my cabinet. Do you think this enough?

[Peter Nielsen]

I have no sonic issues with the center channel as you can put this anywhere.

Eh, not really... While that location (X/Y/Z) is good, the lack of air around the speaker will without doubt cause the center channel to sound "boxed in". The advantages of electrostatic or planar speakers get lost if you cannot provide a lot of space around the speaker.

Sure it will still produce good sound, but a much more moderately priced speaker may sound just as good. You paid a lot for that center, but when boxing it in like that, it can no longer produce the sound you paid for...

Also, it sounds like you are confusing the center with the subwoofer. The placement of the CENTER channel is often critical. It's the SUBWOOFER that can be placed virtually anywhere...

Peter

[Peter Nielsen]

I wonder if you can put or hide this behind the existing vent panel.

No, the whole point would be to catch the air before it rises and reaches the C1.

An alternative would be for you to install a divider/shelf between the C1 and A51 and install two fans in the existing vent (one fan would blow into the upper compartment that holds the C1 and the other would blow into the lower compartment with the amps).

Peter

[rgt]

Eh, not really... While that location (X/Y/Z) is good, the lack of air around the speaker will without doubt cause the center channel to sound "boxed in". The advantages of electrostatic or planar speakers get lost if you cannot provide a lot of space around the speaker.

Sure it will still produce good sound, but a much more moderately priced speaker may sound just as good. You paid a lot for that center, but when boxing it in like that, it can no longer produce the sound you paid for...

Also, it sounds like you are confusing the center with the subwoofer. The placement of the CENTER channel is often critical. It's the SUBWOOFER that can be placed virtually anywhere...

Peter

Peter,

Here's a flyer that one Martin Logan owner sent me when the same concerns were raised about my center placement.

[Peter Nielsen]

Here's a flyer that one Martin Logan owner sent me when the same concerns were raised about my center placement.

I trust my own ears more than I trust marketing people :B

Did you try to place the Theatre i in a different location, for instance outside the cabinetry? Speaker placement makes an amazing difference...

If you can't hear a difference, then the speaker is probably fine where it is right now...

Peter

[rgt]

I trust my own ears more than I trust marketing people :B

Did you try to place the Theatre i in a different location, for instance outside the cabinetry? Speaker placement makes an amazing difference...

If you can't hear a difference, then the speaker is probably fine where it is right now...

Peter

I agree. I did not try any other speaker placement. Maybe one of these days. Too much trouble trying to reroute the wirings. But when I do, I will surely let you know.

rgt

[Chris D]

Actually, that flyer to me looks like it's saying that the WAF tip (Wife Acceptance Factor for those who don't know) is to buy a big diamond for her when you buy your speakers, and she'll be happy. See the fine print at the bottom. It does NOT seem to be an official company stance that you can put your center channel speaker anywhere and be fine with it.

Quite the contrary--the center channel is the MOST critical speaker as far as placement. Since it contains virtually all dialog, higher frequencies, and is used more than any other channel in a surround setup, you need to have it close to the video display and sounding good.

rgt, none of this is criticism, you can do as you like, and you have a nice setup. Mostly, these are (unsolicited) suggestions for improvement.

Like Peter said, speakers should be in open air and ideally not contained in a box or cabinet. Yes, the majority of the sound goes straight out from the speaker to the air. But it also goes around the speaker, impacting and resonating anything right around it. I wouldn't be surprised if you were to move it to the mantel right below the TV, that you found the sound to be much cleaner and open, missing some muddy sound caused by the surrounding cabinet.

Again, though, this is ideal theory. You can do as you like, and of course sometimes we need to make compromises due to aesthetics, WAF, room size/shape, or whatever.

[Peter Nielsen]

Actually, that flyer to me looks like it's saying that the WAF tip

DOOOOH! Now I feel stupid ops:. MAN, I didn't get the joke!!! : I did find it extremely hard to believe and accept that that flyer was for real -- and it was from Martin Logan of all companies! I did, however, not have the time to research it in depth to find out what they *really* mean... Your find explains it all, though :B Chris, excellent work noticing and pointing out that fine print :T

Peter

P.S. For those that didn't get it, that flyer is a very clever tech geek joke! As Chris says, essentially it tries to point out that the placement of the center speaker is so critical that it's worth bribing the wife with a huge diamond in order to get the speaker placed where it sounds the best...

[rgt]

rgt, none of this is criticism, you can do as you like, and you have a nice setup. Mostly, these are (unsolicited) suggestions for improvement.

Chris,

I did not notice the fine print too!

I don't see it as criticism. It's more of an education for me being new to this hobby. Please feel free to give your opinions.

rgt

[Micke.H]

A52




So nice this amp. :T




Rotel rsp 1068 Pioneer dvd 668 and Usher cp-6371 ht setup :T

[Chris D]

Oh yeah, Micke. Post pictures of your whole equipment stack, if you like!

[Chris D]

New Parasound models, new posts to this thread. (this is one of our most popular threads here in Club Parasound, viewed over 7,300 times)

C-1002 in-wall subwoofer:



C-1002 with the screen on:



Zhd HDMI switcher:



Zhd rear panel:



Picture of Zhd rear connection to New Classic 7100 controller via RS-232:



Zbreeze cooling fan:



Zbreeze rear panel:



Underside of Zbreeze unit, showing the three fans:



Zpre2, half-rack pre-amp:



Zpre2 rear panel:



New Classic D200 DVD player:



Another D200 picture:

[Chris D]

Preview pictures of the upcoming D3 Halo DVD player:

[slayer]

[slayer]

Not sure how to post a pic.

[bhuskins]

Slayer's rack...



here you go

[Chris D]

(Randy, I edited your post to display the pic... all you had to do is add a [/IMG] at the end of the url string) I guess it's the same as Brent fixed for ya!

[slayer]

Thanks. Sorry it ended up getting posted twice.
And I thought I got all those finger prints!

[Eric242]

Hi there!

After reading this forum for a few month I registered today and decided to post pics of my Parasound stuff.

A few month ago I bought a P3/A23 for 2 channel listening and decided to buy a new A/V Receiver for multichannel. Unfortunatelly I couldn´t resist a very good price for an A52 and had to buy it. Owning just an almost 7 year old H/K Receiver without any preouts, I had to buy a pre to finaly use the A52. My first choice was a C2 but unfortunatelly I just couldnt afford it and so I bought a Rotel RSP-1068.

Maybe now would be a good time to replace the P3 and 1068 with a C2 due to the fact that Parasound has no distribution in germany any more and some shops might want to get rid of Parasound stuff. Anyway, I still keep my eyes open for a c2.







Right now I have a much too small room, that´s why everything has to be set up this tight. Even my Schroers & Schroers stand need´s to be on top of a crappy piece of nordic ikea wood

Greetings from Germany
Eric

[nicholtl]

Some nice gear there, Eric.

[kfr01]

That has to be the nicest gear in the smallest room I've ever seen. :-)

[Chris D]

Hey, Eric, welcome to the Guide and Club Parasound! :banana: Yeah, nice stuff. Don't worry... I had to use IKEA stuff too when I lived in Deutchland.

[slayer]

I think a 65" HDTV will fit though;>)

[Eric242]

Hey, Eric, welcome to the Guide and Club Parasound! :banana:

Thank you Chris!

....when I lived in Deutchland.

Oh, you lived in germany? Where exactly did you live back then? I´m from Bad Kreuznach, maybe you heard of it - we had an US Army division here for about 50 Years.

I think a 65" HDTV will fit though;>)

I´d make room for that... :-)

[Chris D]

Ah, I was stationed at Ramstein AB by Kaiserslautern from 1999 to 2002. Had a great time. Sure, I know Bad Kreuznach! Been there once or twice, actually.

[psychdoc]

Always great to see my fellow military parasound fans posting, sounds like you were part of the 1AD. I was also in Germany. I lived in Wiesbaden... I loved it! I came back to the states way too fast. Enjoy it while you can and make sure you travel as much as possible.

[Eric242]

Actually I am german and not part of the us military, so I guess I have to enjoy it until the (my) end :-) Wiesbaden is definitly a very nice city (Bad Kreuznach is about 45km west of it and about 75km north of Kaiserslautern), I visit it 3-4 times a year. Quite nice to meet some US people at the guide that lived "around the corner" in germany. What a small globe that is.... But I guess we should get back to the next set of Parasound pics.

Eric

[sikoniko]

Im working on my room, and will update again next week, as I am adding another parasound piece later this week, but figured I'd post my rack as is.

Currently I have an HCA750 for my back speakers. I'll probably replace it, as I need 4 channels, not 2, but it qualifies me for this forum for the time being!

[bhuskins]

Now that's a 1st...No sheet rock, but the gear is in...you gotta love this hobby!

Brent Huskins
Media Design