Synyrgy Cynyma II ( Pronounced: Lynyrd Skynyrd Too)

[1_sufferin_mind]

New toys! Awesome!

Yup, you know it! Movies were immediately impressive, even with a really rough speaker setup and room tune. But music isn’t pushing the right buttons yet.

Look forward to seeing some pics of those Seaton subs!

Okay, but no laughing. Two dual-15s driven by a 4kW amp shoehorned into the front corners of my old 9x13 room may seem ludicrous, but I’m not a bass head. I value musicality over pyrotechnic demonstrations.

My rough impression of the Seaton F2 pair is that they move out of the way of both movie and music presentations. Lack of clues pointing to mechanical reproduction allow easy suspension of disbelief. LFE soundtracks are delivered with the requisite power and punch, sure. But I’ve just been more engaged in movies lately. Swapping out a single vented 15in sub for two dual sealed ones had nothing to do with it, of course! Anyway, my new subs play bass notes that intertwine with musical lines instead of riding around and beneath them. I mean, bass guitar and kick drum are rendered much more convincingly with their own distinct character. No more Blob o’ Bass! And again of course, the previous poorly-placed sub had nothing to do with that either!

EDIT: That’s more than you bargained for by asking for pics but hey, I’m impressed enough to give them some lip service. I hope I didn’t make them seem magical; they are (after all) designed and tweaked to play very well with others in real rooms. Don’t all speakers have strengths and weaknesses?

 

[1_sufferin_mind]

Birds-Eye view of front stage

Sense of scale

Close up view

Oak Wood Grain

 

[JStewart]

My rough impression of the Seaton F2 pair is that they move out of the way of both movie and music presentations. Lack of clues pointing to mechanical reproduction allow easy suspension of disbelief. LFE soundtracks are delivered with the requisite power and punch, sure. But I’ve just been more engaged in movies lately. Swapping out a single vented 15in sub for two dual sealed ones had nothing to do with it, of course! Anyway, my new subs play bass notes that intertwine with musical lines instead of riding around and beneath them. I mean, bass guitar and kick drum are rendered much more convincingly with their own distinct character.

Sounds like you might need 2 more when you move ‘em to the 11x17’ room.

Nah. I’m just messing with you.

Congrats. Those Seatons are an end game for subs.

 

[1_sufferin_mind]

The aforementioned impressions were made while listening to both multichannel and stereo sources encoded using Dirac Live LE. I’ve since taken advantage of Emotiva’s trade in program and acquired an XMC-2. After brushing up on REW, I decided to revisit multichannel audio over HDMI and got it working only after around six hours of frustratingly annoying Windows Control Panel manipulation and hardware power cycling. But success was due in large part to a guide @AudiocRaver wrote which is available here.

This should make you chuckle: my resultant room correction is far from ideal because I forgot to match relative speaker levels and enter distances! I’ve beem using Dirac so long, I’ve forgotten details like that. A temporary correction made things sound much better, but I’m looking forward to a proper calibration next weekend.

 

[JStewart]

This should make you chuckle: my resultant room correction is far from ideal because I forgot to match relative speaker levels and enter distances!

What Dirac platform? PC?

But success was due in large part to a guide @AudiocRaver wrote which is available here.

Next to @AudiocRaver it says “BANNED” What a joke.

XMC-2. Do tell. How are you finding it?

 

[1_sufferin_mind]

What Dirac platform? PC?

Next to @AudiocRaver it says “BANNED” What a joke.

XMC-2. Do tell. How are you finding it?

I was also shocked to see that title bestowed not only on him, but also on several other esteemed former members. HTS and AV NIRVANA must have an agreement which forbids admins who left HTS for AV NIRVANA from posting there anymore.

I got my XMC-2 through private invitation—the only way to get one right now. Emotiva is contacting everyone IN TURN on their notification list for a chance to trade. They assured me all XMC-1 owners have a chance and can sign up for notification on this webpage.

As for the Dirac platform, XMC-2 unit’s are shipping without it until it’s released. Then it will be available as a firmware download. Emotiva claims that will happen next month, but their track record says otherwise. Initial listening for the first week or two prompted me to seek a more powerful solution (REW) than just a couple of pseudo-parametric tone controls.

 

[1_sufferin_mind]

@thrillcat made a wise move away from the XMC-2 for his circumstances. I needed to take advantage of the low entry fee into 4K/UHD and the latest Dirac. Details of my XMC-2’s major issue can be found in Post #20 in this thread.

I’ll contact Emotiva for warranty service and push for a replacement rather than a repair. I believe I’ve earned the red carpet treatment as a loyal follower, lol.

 

[1_sufferin_mind]

On another note:
We’ve closed on the house and are slowly moving in. I’m staying behind with our pack of dogs until the sod gets laid and fence put up. My current theater will be the last room moved and I’ll then need to start populating and tuning the new room.

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

@thrillcat made a wise move away from the XMC-2 for his circumstances. I needed to take advantage of the low entry fee into 4K/UHD and the latest Dirac. Details of my XMC-2’s major issue can be found in Post #20 in this thread.

I’ll contact Emotiva for warranty service and push for a replacement rather than a repair. I believe I’ve earned the red carpet treatment as a loyal follower, lol.

Hmm, somehow I stopped receiving notifications on this thread temporarily. Woke up to a bunch this morning.

Sorry to hear you are having issues with the XMC-2, I'm kinda scared to click over and see what is happening. I would mention, however, that Anthem is having a sale right now, if you were to return the XMC-2 and sell the XMC-1.

 

[JStewart]

It is a shame about the XMC2. It has so much potential. It’s also very surprising considering their experience with the XMC1.
Hope it gets sorted out to your satisfaction.

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

It is a shame about the XMC2. It has so much potential. It’s also very surprising considering their experience with the XMC1.
Hope it gets sorted out to your satisfaction.

In Emotiva's defense, it seems that passing that 11/12-channel point has been a struggle for most companies. The entire crop of 16-channel processors is having a rough go of it right now.

I'm glad I don't see a need past 7.x.4 in the foreseeable future, and was able to go with the Anthem to add immersive audio without all the extra channel counts.

 

[1_sufferin_mind]

Quick Status Update
While I’ve moved the majority of 2ch gear and accessories over to the new place along with my entire music collection, I have yet to tear down and move the HT gear and movies. We are still waiting for our yard to be sodded and fenced before I can move in. There are many chores and tasks to complete right now trying to get the sick relative situated, so there’s not enough time to even unpack.

On the Emotiva XMC-2 front, multiple tech support calls fail to resolve dropped audio/video after sources are switched. After a lot of finger pointing at my source gear, I gave up and debugged further on my own. It seems that the signal(s) can be restored fairly reliably by leaving the source unit off until the XMC-2 “locks on” (or turning it off before). Still inexcusable behavior. The tech also mentioned that the HDMI version setting can be explored as well. The search continues.

EDIT: To Emotiva’s Credit, they immediately routed my support ticket past the helpless desk to a much higher tier, a software team leader. Engineering jargon I used in my support request—along with my not-so-subtle accusation of releasing a beta-class design on an unsuspecting customer base—must have caught their attention.

 

[1_sufferin_mind]

Overdue Status Update
Time slipped away from me once again. All gear and source media have been successfully moved upstairs at the new house. Too successfully! My mind totally glossed over the need to paint the theater before moving gear in, so I had to empty it out again. Here are a few before/after shots to give you an idea how things are shaping up. At this point in our lives it would be wise to start/complete the theater before potentially being forced to move. My deceased sister-in-law left a legacy of debt which may prompt the IRS to come after her stake in the house built for her care. This may be the last chance before my own demise to construct and enjoy a genuine, dedicated , light-controlled theater.

I chose a dark burgundy for the ceiling and front wall, with a slightly lighter brown for the remaining walls, and a dark tan for the doors/trim.

 

[1_sufferin_mind]

Here's a shot of the original theater entrance. It's now blocked by bass traps, a speaker, and subwoofer.

The new entrance passes through the equipment closet...

Note that the door/trim color in the picture is not representative of its real-world hue. I'll try to get some better pics once the room is assembled.

 

[JStewart]

Theater colors look great. Colors go good with and make the Revels look like the star of the show they are. Really like the matching colors of the Revels and tube traps too. A sharp looking room it will be!

Carry on.

 

[1_sufferin_mind]

Theater colors look great. Colors go good with and make the Revels look like the star of the show they are. Really like the matching colors of the Revels and tube traps too. A sharp looking room it will be!

Carry on.

Appreciate your enthusiasm! I really would like to tread carefully by asking questions and taking advice... but time is not my friend. And I’d like to give credit to the person/member that suggested the access door to the equipment rack. Many many thanks!

Repurposing the door as an entrance grants me artistic license with the entire front stage. My goal is to resuscitate the hibernating 2ch rig and meld it with the multichannel one for as superb as an audio and video performance as I can muster!

Though the Salons’ multilayer automotive lacquer and brushed aluminum panels are gorgeous, they reflect too much light. The traps originally served the 2ch system at a time when a home theater wasn’t on my radar. It would be easy to hide the traps behind dark AT cloth. Not so much for the Salons. I may be able to construct blackout panels which would temporarily lean against the reflective aluminum for watching TV (mounted to the front wall). None of the surface finishes or colors matter for projection, as an AT screen will drop down in front of it all.

 

[1_sufferin_mind]

Been busy! Hacked up the equipment closet in preparation for installing ventilation between it and the hall. Two AC Infinity AFT-7 intake fans near the floor of the closet will draw cool air in from the hall. And two more exhaust fans near the ceiling will expel heated air out to the hall.

Apologies for the rotated images. I’ve no idea what got lost in the translation. Additional apologies for the ragged edges and crooked rectangles. Though I did mark the wall using a stencil before cutting, It’s the first time I’ve ever used a jigsaw. The last pic shows a good reason to read the manual (or take lessons) before operating dangerous power tools. I have an excellent guardian angel !!

 

[1_sufferin_mind]

Every high performance theater requires world class viewing. My JVC delivers the projection goods, but the plasma display has to go. Can’t accommodate its heat dissipation while retaining light control (forced air cooling via a fan through an open doorway works but puts a crimp in performance!

I but the bullet and upgraded to a 65” OLED. Watching it no longer urges me to add projection. WOW. Just WOW!!

 

[1_sufferin_mind]

The Sherwin Williams flat paint I used on the ceiling and front wall has a visible sheen to it. I thought flat paints did not reflect light! Maybe that’s why there’s so much debate when choosing the “right” black to use?

 

[JStewart]

The Sherwin Williams flat paint I used on the ceiling and front wall has a visible sheen to it. I thought flat paints did not reflect light! Maybe that’s why there’s so much debate when choosing the “right” black to use?

Looks like almost the same color brown I have (maybe why I liked it?) and also a slight sheen in the light. No issue at all with the projector. Looks better than black. Ha, I also have burgundy carpet.

 

[JStewart]

Found a pic of mine.

 

[1_sufferin_mind]

Looks like almost the same color brown I have (maybe why I liked it?) and also a slight sheen in the light. No issue at all with the projector.... <snip>

Hah! A kindred spirit! I should have mentioned that I'll have both a projector (for serious viewing) and a display (for gaming, 4K UHD viewing, and casual viewing). I'm hoping reflection off the ceiling is minimal-to-nonexistent for the projector. But I think it's currently unacceptable for the display. I mounted it only inches from the ceiling in anticipation of needing to clear the line of sight from the MLP past the center channel (more to follow below). Can anyone please recommend the proper finish? Or am I being unrealistic not to expect a ceiling reflection from a displayed white-out scene?

Here's my train-of-thought and plan-of-attack:
The center was mounted below the display in my previous room with it's tweeter approximately 32" above the floor, but roughly 16" below the mains' tweeters. Many of the more satisfying theaters I've come across online have had their mains and center(s) lined up with tweets/mids in the same plane. I understand the goal is to maintain a cohesive sound stage for the action to move seamlessly across the front wall with voices anchored to their source on the screen. And while the center has to be mounted above or below a display, it can be mounted anywhere behind an AT screen as long as it's close to it's surface. For the best projection experience--which I'm prioritizing over TV--the AT screen thus dictates that the center channel be placed out in the room with the mains. All the front stage speaker baffles should be lined up in the same plane such that the AT screen drops down right in front of them.

I was unable to locate a center stand/pedestal tall enough to raise it significantly higher than its previous perch. Then I started considering a dual-stand approach. I looked for the tallest, most stable monitor stand I could find with a sufficiently large top plate and load rating (my center weighs over 100lbs). After much agonizing over a possible solution, I stopped analyzing and pulled the trigger on a pair of Monoprice Monolith 32" stands. I'll be experimenting to find a safe and elegant way to marry the three of them. The center may not survive a direct hit from a falling person, but I'd like to shield it from harm as much as possible. I may decide to go with a wire cart solution with lockable casters instead. That way I could optimize the center channel location differently for projection than display. Of course, the relocation scheme needs to account for repeatability, so accurate markings are needed. Maybe fixed wheel chalks would work? Here's an example.

 

[1_sufferin_mind]

Yesterday's progress on ventilation for the equipment closet:

• Test-mounting one unit revealed the need to enlarge the ventilation holes. AC Infinity recommends not to allow the fan assembly's body to come into contact with its faceplate's mounting surface (drywall). Doing so invites induced vibrational noise. To help suppress it, I plan to fit the back of the faceplates (which come into contact with drywall) with 1/2" wide x 1/4" thick adhesive neoprene strips. A test run with one of the assemblies running at maximum RPM should help identify any noise issues. I ordered a large quantity of Blu Tack as an alternative or supplemental spot treatment.
• The test also revealed the need to ensure exhaust flows to the next room rather than into the respective wall cavity. Likewise for the intake; it needs to be sourced from the closet rather than the wall cavity. To keep air flowing smoothly from closet to hall and vice-versa, I designed and built short air ducts made out of ThermOpan sheeting (basically 1/8" thick double-clad metal foil over cardboard) and foil tape. Limited project pics also included below).
• One possible hurdle will be to keep the size of the wall opening from growing too large to accommodate fastener holes.

 

[JStewart]

Can anyone please recommend the proper finish? Or am I being unrealistic not to expect a ceiling reflection from a displayed white-out scene?

Hopefully there's a better suggestion than the one I've got. I use this light sucking stuff on top of the center and subs because they're so close to the screen. Would take some effort to make it look good on the ceiling, like a very shallow frame. If you ever consider it then buy a yard and tack it to the ceiling for a test. I think you're still going to see it (or anything else for that matter) but you won't have the glare as in your pic.

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[1_sufferin_mind]

Thanks for the tip, JStewart! I have yet to find a better solution than you suggested.. It seems flat paint is NOT really always flat. I ordered some blackout felt after looking into the issue online. My TV is probably a little too high, but I had to make a judgement call when I had the muscle here to help mount it. I didn't know at the time how high my center channel would sit, or how far back the MLP would be so I played it safe. My company and I tend to recline in our seas most of the time, so neck strain shouldn't become an issue.

The past couple days have seen me stressing over minutia related to accessories. The pair of speaker stands I ordered for the center channel arrived without feet, so I spent the better part of a day learning about and tracking down screw sizes and thread counts. Dayton Audio offers several types of spiked feet that impressed me. I wound up ordering a set of 8 for the stands and a different set of 8 for the subwoofers. The ones for the stands have a split-cone style that allows for precise leveling, which I'll most likely welcome with open arms given that the whole assembly might be a bit unstable. The ones for the subs have threaded bolts and spikes machined from a single piece of metal for strength. They also have a knurled wheel for height adjustment/leveling.

I decided on blackout film rather than shades. The brand I chose is a cut-to-fit style that sticks onto the window with water and is claimed to leave no residue. Coupled with my thermal blackout drapes, I anticipate being able to watch my projector in the middle of a bright sunny day with no issues!