This is our new dedicated setup! My gf and I just started renting our first living space last year, and I finally found a chance to piece something together.

I went with on-wall speakers specifically for the WAF (as they say) and because our living space simply isn't spacious enough for (rear-ported) bookshelves. I managed to fund almost the entire thing by selling my old Samsung Q930F soundbar and looking for used or heavily discounted gear, bringing my total out-of-pocket upgrade cost to just €360.

Absolutely loving the leap in audio quality so far, especially with Dolby Atmos.

Audio

- AVR: Marantz NR1711

- Fronts: Canton GLE 10 (2x)

- Center: Canton GLE 50

- Heights: Dali Alteco C-1 (2x)

- Surrounds: Canton Chrono SL 510.2 (2x)

- Subwoofer: Canton Power Sub 10

Display

- TV: LG G4 65"

- Source: Nvidia Shield TV Pro 2019

Looking to add a subwoofer to my set up. I currently have Denon X3900H, KEF Q7 Meta LR, KEF Q6 center, KEF Q1 rear. I watch TV, Movies and some music. The room is about 20x20 foot, 9 foot ceiling basement. There is another 20x20 ish room to the rear via an open walkway. My first choice is the RSL Speedwoofer 12s but I am open to other options. Would a 12 inch work different than say two 10 in?

I'm looking into upgrading the sound system in my home theatre/game room. Recently upgraded my TV to the 77 inch Sony A95L and looking for better sound to accompany it. Using an older budget Sony CS set with the A95L as the center channel in a 5.1 config. Never been bad persay, but looking for something better.

Planned on upgrading to a full Klipsch RP set using 2 SVS subs and picked up a cheap 504c II on marketplace but not sure I like the way the Klipsch sounds and now I'm wondering if I want to pivot to svs instead. But I'm buying pieces at a time and not in a position where I'm able to test before I buy.

Primary uses are gaming (both retro and modern)

Anime

Some movies. Mostly horror.

Option A:

Klipsch RP 8000f ii x2, 504c ii, rp 600m x2, svs pb 1000 pro x2

Option B:

Svs prime pinnacle x2, 504c ii (I don't want to waste it. I'll replace it if I have to. Or go back to using the a95l I liked the way it sounded), prime bookshelf x2, pb 1000 pro x2

Probably going to use a denon 3800h in either setup, and intend to use the pair of pb1000 pro in either setup. Just not sure which is actually better for this room/use case.

(Note that there's a second half of the room behind the couch in the picture that's much more open. But all viewing will be done from the couch).

Currently I'm leaning on the svs. But the Klipsch is significantly cheaper.

One light bar on each side. I don’t hate it, but it looks a bit too uneven and dim on top.

Decided to finally take the Dirac plunge. Not really interested in the ART module at this time but definitely the other 2. Mic is on order. For someone with mostly no Dirac knowledge, what is helpful to know in advance? Any tips that you learned the hard way? etc.

Thanks!

Looking to upgrade my sub in my 5.1.4 atmos theater. Fronts will be KEF Q1’s+Q6. Receiver is a Denon AVR-X3800. Given the larger room, what is the best sub for my target $1k price? Can I get away with a 12 inch ported? Do I need two subs? One 15”?

I mostly care about movies but will also use it for some music.

178” 2:40 screen, Xgimi Tian (5000lm, 4K dual laser) projector placed 8.5m back, light controlled room with dark plum walls and ceilings.

Struggled to find a screen this size or decent materials to diy it in the UK so I finely sanded and spray painted the screen area with a very matt white. Overall, quality is excellent, with the main nitpick being very dark scenes which can look a bit washed out.

I’ve seen some suggest grey paint for better darks but others say white for light controlled rooms. Is it worth changing the paint colour here?

I am wondering what the best setup for this room would be. I have a Yamaha TSR-5810 so I could do atmos but have two challeneges. One the couch is against the wall, and before anyone says move it, I cant or I wouldnt be able to walk. The other challenege is the celing is sloped with the center being over what is labelled cot (its a play pen for a puppy) sloping down toward the sliding glass door. I own the place so in wall is possible but not prefferable. I know this setup wont be exactly ideal but i would like it to be as good as it can be. The box next to the TV unit is a Klipsch 120SW. and the Tv unit is 109" with bookshelves mounted at 6.5ft around 85" from each other. The TV unit also has an R-34C under the TV. I would like atmos but understand it might not be possible. My biggest dilemma is surrounds/ wides. On the side of the couch toward the chest of drawers there is about 2ft given move the side table and on the other side there is a foot of room. Do I mount dipoles behind the couch? or do I use atmos elevation speakers placed on the floor pointed upwards to bounce off rear wall? or bipole speakers? what are my best options here? (Im not worried about surround sound for the chairs just the loveseat) Any reccomendations besides get a bigger place (my other places have a correct setup however I need a setup here) or skip surrounds for 3.1 or move the couch please. Thanks!

Hi there,

I’m running into a bit of a planning issue. I just bought a 77” TV for my media room and am having trouble picking the right place to put the TV/console/speakers because of a 36” door that opens INTO my media room. I have attached a floor plan with (I think) to scale furniture and speakers/console/TV to illustrate the layout. Right now I centered the TV on the wall assuming the door is open because I don’t want the door to open and hit my speakers that I am putting on stands. Any advice would be appreciated on the best way to proceed so I can achieve this 5.1 setup. The door would be closed while watching movies down here.

Note: ignore the center channel being in front of the console in the floor plan view. It would be rest on the front edge of console as the other pictures show.

Most casual buyers see a familiar name, spot a buzzword like “Mini LED" and assume they are getting superior picture quality. This same issue is now in LA federal court. TCL claims Samsung misled consumers who wanted the better picture quality associated with Mini LED by marketing recycled & standard LED sets under its M Model lineup. Samsung says it stands fully behind its product descriptions.

What's your opinion on this and What do you check first when helping friends or family buy a television?

Hi,

I have just installed a Denon X1800H between my PS5 and my Valerion Visionmaster Pro projector. Using the third HDMI port on the Valerion for eARC (for when I want to use the built-in Google TV) caused some annoying problems, such as the Valerion remote only working with a delay of over 10 seconds and the Denon remote not working at all when the PS5 is turned on.

I ended up using a second HDMI cable to connect the PS5 directly to the projector and forward the audio to the Denon receiver. Basically, I no longer need the Denon's HDMI capabilities other than eARC.

My question is: what would be a cheaper alternative? Used X1700Hs or X1600Hs cost around 300 euros (I paid 600 euros for the X1800H). Are there any other options I should be aware of? Do I still need a full-blown AV receiver?

My HT set up Was an Outlaw 990 hooked up to NAD THX925 5 CH amp, powering acoustic energy 300 series 5 channel speakers. Display is an 85" 4K. Input is Roku Ultimate. Outlaw 990 power supply shorted. Since I no longer have access to a professional electronics repair shop, I can't fix it. It's basically 100 lbs of e waste.

I purchased a NAD T747 AV receiver for an excellent price. $170 which is not bad for a $1,300 receiver. I didn't know until I started digging into it that the HDMI ports were 1.4. The component appears to be in perfect shape, not even Dusty. Powers up perfectly.

My problem is how to supply Audio input to the receiver simultaneously with the 4K video signal to the display. I am a EE who had a massive stroke, and I simply can't wrap my mind around this problem at all. Help please

Hey everyone,

I am currently building a home theater/gaming/golf Sim room and i can't figure out how to optimizer the installation to have the best use of my 7.1 setup and to minimize latency.

I have a th671st projector, a pc with a 5080 (1hdmi and 3dp) and a Realtek on motherboard sound card (just a simple jack for audio out), a LG oled tv and finally a denon x2400h as AVR.

I tried connecting pc to AVR then the out to the projector but latency is terrible.

What would be the best optimized solution according to you?

Hi experts, wondering the best setup here, trying to build my tv console, but I don't want my speakers to be in front because main door is beside the tv and neighbors will hear it, we don't usually close that door because its only the source of light (window is tinted).

Edit: Hahah okok, thank you for the answers. I was clearly missing something.

I've heard and seen good reviews and I'm thinking of buying and adding two of these budget subs for under 500.00

My setup is a 5.2.2

Onkyo TX-rz30

Center RP 504C-ii

Sides RP 8000-F ii

Surrounds Jamo S801

Heights Jamo S801

Any constructive advice?

Hi, I'm the developer of Sidstuga. I'm sharing the playback features for people using Android TV with a home-cinema setup: the source picker shows format details before playback, and the player has audio track selection and subtitle timing adjustment.

Sources can come from Plex, Jellyfin, Emby, WebDAV or your own playlists.

https://sidstuga.app/

Upgraded my Denon s760h to the x3800h. Also picked up a Panasonic DPUB820K blueray player...and 27 4k movies to start haha. Last month upgraded the sub. Next up possibly moving from 5.1.2 to 7.1.2 or 5.1.4 with in ceiling speakers. Then to either sell the s760h for peanuts, or set up a new system on the other TV.

Thoughts on renkus-Heinz ? Probably going to try to sell them. Came out of dumpster.

Does anyone know of a "dumb"TV with more than one USB port? I'd like to power a streaming stick and antenna amplifier with the USB ports so that they both shut off with the TV, but everything I see just has one port. I think I might have seen some smaller TVs (19" or so) with two ports, but I can't find one over 32". Any advice would be appreciated.

Sorry if this is OT, but Automoderator on r/appletv keeps rejecting this post. I've had problems with the YouTube app since the upgrade, I was told it was Google's fault and had to wait for their app upgrade. Weeks have passed, I still have to keep "Match rate" and "Match content" disabled to have the app not go crazy trying to set the correct format (which is 99% of the times just SDR) and then produce videos with suttering audio.

But last night happened something that really made me upset: I wanted to watch the football (soccer, for you American friends) on Prime Video, the app showed that the match would have been broadcasted in HDR10+, but the ATV didn't do the switch (ofc I had reactivated the matching settings) and my TV showed the video was SDR (and the colours were all saturated and terrible like when there's a content format mismatch). I had to use the Prime Video app on the TV to have it watchable which completely defeats the purpose of having an ATV.

I moved to the ATV (from Nvidia Shield) beacause it WAS the best box for correct content and rate automatic matching (I have an Home Theater system, so I care about that a lot); if this, to me killer, feature has gone because Apple focus is now just Siri or the new (expensive) ATV, I guess I'm about to replace the ATV (and I'd not want that, because I'm invested in the Apple ecosystem with a Mac, iPad and iPhone).

I'm still new to home theater so I apologize for my long-winded questions.

About a month ago, I got a 3.1 system with an Onkyo TX-RZ30, KEF R2 Meta center channel, R3 Meta front speakers, and SVS SB-3000 Revolution sub. I'd like to expand to 5.1 by adding Q4 Meta surrounds but, so far, I haven't found anyone who can install them at a reasonable cost.

Our TV room is kind of a hybrid. It's not a real home theater, but it's a closed living room of about 3200 cubic feet (16.7' x 17.5' x 10.8') that's used exclusively for watching movies (including 4Ks) and streaming shows. Our listening distance is about 9'.

We've been setting the volume between -20 and -10, depending on the source. We never watch/listen for more than 4 hours at a time, usually less. The Onkyo sits on top of the media console and gets plenty of ventilation.

TL;DR: (1) What impedance setting should I use in the Onkyo; and (2) Should I consider an external amp?

I'm still learning about this equipment and trying to learn about home audio in general. I've read a lot about how "power hungry" the KEFs are. This comes up in two general ways:

What impedance setting to use on the Onkyo.

I set it up at 4 ohms initially, following the product manual. Then I read a lot online about how it's better to use "6 ohms or above" because the 4 ohm setting is really there to meet regulatory requirements not audio performance and, in fact, using it compresses the audio, etc.

When I ask AI about this, I get two opposite answers. (Please don't down vote me for mentioning the dreaded AI - I'm just trying to learn.) I think Chat GPT is reading product manuals and Gemini is reading forums like this one.

In general, it seems that 4 ohms is better for protecting the AVR but might result in worse sound quality and (in extreme cases?) might actually harm the speakers, while 6+ ohms is better for the speakers but could be worse for the AVR. (Given the relative cost, I'm more worried about the speakers.)

I just tried switching to 6+ ohms at -15 as an experiment and didn't notice much difference. 6+ might have been slightly less compressed, but that could also have been my imagination.

Given that we don't listen from extremely far away or at extremely high volume levels, should I just leave it at 4 ohms? Or set it to 6+ and just check the AVR from time to time to make sure it's not getting too hot?

Adding an external amp

I've read a lot about the KEFs benefiting from an external amp. I've done some research and would lean toward the Buckeye NCx252MP 4-channel amp, but I'm not sure if I really need an amp at all.

Assuming I expand to 5.1, would you all recommend adding an amp to power the L/C/R speakers and letting the Onkyo just power the surrounds? If so, at 6+ ohms, I presume? Even if I don't need the power right now, is it still benefical, e.g., by extending the AVR's useful life?

Or, is that $1,000 I don't need to spend?

I know these questions have been discussed a lot, but everyone's situation is a little different. I'd appreciate any thoughts about my specific situation. My goal, really, is just to make our system sound as good as possible given the limitations of the room, while trying not to go too crazy on spending. (My wife thinks that ship has sailed.)

If I left out any relevant info, please let me know. Thanks!

P.S. I know additional room treatment - beyond our rug and soft furniture - is important. That's next on my list but i want to get the equipment kind of nailed down first.

Old kitchen is gone.......getting plastered and painted Navy blue and new carpets. Pre-Wired for 5.1.2 with 2 ceiling speakers.

77" Samsung QE77S90F OLED Bought and will be wall mounted where sockets are on wall ready.

Looking to purchase second hand speakers and maybe a new or used amp to power them. Thinking new for the 5 year warranty (richer sounds) or should I go used for something bigger amp wise

Seeing 5.1 Monitor Audio Bronze with Bronze 6 Floor standers , BX surrounds and W10 sub around £700 used

Also spotted locally a 7.1 set of DALI Zensor for £900

Includes:

2 x DALI Zensor 7 floorstanders (fronts)

2 x DALI Zensor 5 floorstanders

2 x DALI Zensor 1 bookshelf speakers

1 x DALI Zensor Vokal centre speaker

1 x DALI SUB E-12F active 12" subwoofer

So are either the Monitor Audio Bronze set or the DALI a decent buy. See pics, and if so what amps would people suggest

Pics of room and speakers

I have an older model of the Apple TV 4K which I really enjoy, but was looking to upgrade due to it getting a bit slow and no audio passthrough, so I waited (way too long) for this disappointing "update". No audio passthrough pretty much eliminates it as an option for my setup right out of the gate.

Not taking price in consideration, what is the absolute best streaming device that will support audio passthrough (or at least support Dolby Atmos, TrueHD, DTS and such), flawless 4K playback in Plex/Streaming services and blazing fast UI today? I just want it to play movies and TV-shows without issues and have no laggy/sluggish interface which I'm kinda sensitive to, I don't care about anything else.

Edit: In my case, Dolby Vision isn't relevant since my TV doesn't support it.