May Austin HTF Meet. (1 Viewer)

[Jonathan DA]

I saw NePlus on AvantGarde's webpage a few months ago and have been meaning to call and schedule and appointment, but never got around to it. Scott, can you give us your impressions of the Duos? How was his room set up?

 

[Scott Oliver]

The room was probably 20' W x 40' D with a about 15' tall cathedral ceiling. The Duos were set up along the short side and had glass sliding doors behind them. Bookshelves running the length of one side and a whole lot of equipment on racks on the otherside. The speakers were probably about 10-12' apart and he had a plant plus sound panels between them. Then they were hooked up to the equipment listed above. I loved the sound. Really no complaints, very natural sounding. But as I said earlier, I don't think my system was any slouch compared to it, and I am guessing my tube pre will close the gap even more. To me the room made as much a difference as any, and comaprisons would be unfair without my system set-up in there as well to benefit from the acoustics. I think I am discovering that I am a sucker for tall ceilings in the 12-18' range, as my favorite demo at Audio Systems also occurred in the space that had the highest ceiling. More height in the ceiling really seems to help add to the illusion of being in a concert hall.

Oh another thing of interest I saw today. I picked up the classifieds of the Statesman for reference on my future ads and under Stereo is an ad for dual VSP Labs amps (400W) and preamp, Magnum Dynalab tuner, and ATC SCM100 speakers for $2K obo. My jaw dropped at this one considering ATC 100's alone cost over $12,000. Heck even the tuner probably retailed for $2k. Unbelievable deal!

 

[Colin Dunn]

Looks like the seller of that gear is getting desperate for cash. Either that, or the ad had a typo, and it was supposed to be $20K for the package...

 

[Scott Oliver]

I don't know but if any one is looking for a good system or just a good pair of speakers, it certainly would be worth a phone call to see if it is just a typo. Or perhaps the speakers are trashed? Actually a band needing a system would be crazy to pass on this stuff. Could you imagine showing up at a show somewhere and get treated to these ATC monitors. Mmm.

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

Back on track, boys. Since I posted a call for votes, here's what I count:

0 votes

The *Parade of HT's* is leading, but we have only 7 votes.
Time to focus and plan - step up to the electronic voting machine!

 

[Scott Oliver]

I am not going to vote for number one yet, primarily because there is not a vinyl rig assembled quite yet worthy of a face-off.

Number 2 would be good in that it could get a lot of folks who have not hosted a meet yet the chance to do so for the first time but it would just be a small dable to test the waters of hosting. So that in the future our potential host sites base number would have increased because they have had a chance to see that it is not such a big deal.

Thus I vote for number 2, with number 1 being potential next meet focus.

Also is Jeff Meinenger still an option to host the next meet or should his place just be a stop on the parade.

Lastly, is anyone interested in making some DIY acoustic treatments. I was thinking maybe we could get a group purchase of all the supllies going (wood, fabric, foam, insulation, rabbit fencing, etc.) to build whatever folks are wanting. Then get together some weekend over the summer and churn them out factory style.

 

[Frederick_Falk]

My vote for A would only be if we did a DIY project as the main theme. I really like the idea of B except for the time it will take to drive between sites won't give us much time to spend at each HT.

What do you think of this as a "Parade of Homes" tour. We start Friday evening at 6 PM at HT site #1 and show a film not to exceed 105 minutes, then drive to HT site #2 and watch a second flick. On Saturday at 10 AM we go to site #3 and watch a third film, break for lunch, meet at site #4 at 2 PM and watch another flick, break for dinner and at 7 PM watch a fifth and final flick at site #5. This will give us plenty of time to drive between sites, talk about each site and actually watch a complete movie at those sites. All setup and tweaking must be done prior to the guests arriving and the host has final say as to which movie is shown at their theater. We would need the five hosts to cooridinate the order of showing and the films to be shown.

If we were to do it this way, then my vote would be for the HT "Parade of Homes" tour. But, if we are going to try and squeeze several sites into just part of a day and not actually sit and watch the entire film, then my vote will still be for "A".

 

[Nils Luehrmann]

For me personally, I prefer our bi-monthly meets to be film free. Because they happen infrequently, and because there is such a wealth of information within our group, I prefer it when we use these meets to discus HT, design/build/install/calibrate each other's HTs, and demo current or even upcoming technologies.

Also, trying to pick films that everyone will enjoy investing 100 or so minutes on will be difficult to say the least. If their is a parade of HT, I'd prefer if it was set-up such that a 30 minute DVD highlight selection is used, and then taken around to each HT such that we can all see how each HT design impacts the same material and as such perhaps offering insight to each host on ways that they might be able to improve their set-up. After each demo we can also spend time discussing on possible ways to help our fellow members improve their HT systems and offering a helping hand should they request it.

I love watching movies as much as the next guy (which is obvious by the vast number of "Movie Nights" that I have hosted), but when we have these large meetings, I'd hate to spend two hours watching a film when I could be interacting with all my fellow HT enthusiasts and being a part of improving each other's HT experience.

But that's just me and my $.02 (I'd offer $100 in opinions - but Dr. J is now in position of it...)

 

[Frederick_Falk]

After giving my suggestion some more thought, and playing devil's advocate, I can see several problems with it. If we were to play en entire movie at each site, trying to keep everyone interested in the movie selections (especially having it over a day and a half) would be extremely difficult. Not only that, but most of the HT sites are not able to seat more than 6 to 8 people comfortably. Most would have to sit out on the edges which would greatly dimish their viewing pleasure.

Therefore, I recend my first proposal and we will leave the viewing of entire movies to the "Austin Movie Nights" and I really like Nils idea of showing a sampler disk at each house and then having members comment on how to make each of the HT better. I would also recommend that we use one of those Dobly Digital or dts sampler disks that has excerts from several movies like U-571, Saving Private Ryan, The Haunted House, Lost in Space, etc. that will put the HT through its paces.

This would also make comparing the different HT sites more enjoyable for the participants and would also give us an idea of the strenghs and weaknesses of the different video technologies used in each.

 

[Jeff Meininger]

I'm still happy to host a meet. I think there are a few problems that I'll need to overcome, though.

1. Seating. The couch seats 3, maybe 4. There are 2 low-slung beach chairs that can go in front of the couch. I think we could fit 4 more chairs right behind the couch, but there is no riser. From what I remember about HTF meet turnout, 10 seats isn't going to be quite enough, and with the extra seats in place, there is very little "standing room" left (compared to Colin's room, anyway).

2. I'm on my first version of the first crossover design for my first-ever full-range project. I think they sound quite nice, but most of you guys are actually used to having good speakers. Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE a serious and brutally honest critique of my speakers to learn what areas I should try to improve upon. Maybe they're ready to be put in the ring for a "commercial vs. DIY" bout, but then again, maybe they're not.

3. My setup is of "mere mortal" caliber. No separate pre/pro and amp, no high-end CD player (I use the DVD player: Panny XP30), no acoustic treatments, etc. If we're going to be doing CD vs. Vinyl or something like that with high-end equipment, you guys are going to have to bring it with you.


Given some time and folding chairs, I can probably figure out how to fit more people in the room. Given some time and assistance from Mark and Jonathan, I can probably work up XO version 1.1 and feel less shy about sticking my neck out.


Edit: oh yeah, I'm supposed to actually cast my vote. I vote for the parade of home theaters with the "demo disc" idea. Partly because this will buy me more time for items #1 and #2 above, but mostly because I want to see everyone's HT!

If geography permits, it might be a good idea to tour the 100%-daylight-controlled theaters and theaters with daylight-tolerant display devices first so that we can get an early start on what will probably take quite some time to finish. People will not be impressed with my HT if they see it in the daylight, and I suspect I'm not the only one with this problem. I imagine that family commitments and circadian rhythms will keep people from being able to keep the meet going too late into the night, so a late-start isn't going to solve that problem.


Just to be clear, if the non-parade meet idea wins the vote, I'm still happy to host!

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

If a vinyl rig can be assembled, I still like *A*. Question: is there no interest in the commercial speaker versus DIY speaker "sound-off" and a little building or a topic seminar (I really enjoyed the acoustic treatment seminar led by the phantom Scott)?

For *B*, I'm concerned about the drive time also. A few guys (Frederick, Jonathan and Colin) live pretty far from a central area. If we do this, I would suggest we limit the HT's to three, maybe four. Taking up a Friday night and most of the day Saturday might be asking too much of some of the married and "overcommited" guys. I also agree that we shouldn't show complete movies at each HT.

Scott Oliver: I hosted the first acoustic treatment construction meet, and would be happy to do it again (yes, I'll buy a non-possessed electric staple gun ) That would probably be a limited interest topic, so I agree that it should be a special get-together instead of a regular "meet".

 

[Scott Oliver]

See Jeff's reasons one through three are reasons why I think a mini-meet (Parade of HT's) at a few people's pads who have not hosted yet could be a good tension easer.

I think once someone sees say Colin's set-up then they get it in their head that their system needs to be up to that kind of level to host, which I think we all agree isn't the case whatsoever.

As long as the host is willing to put up with us in their house, and willing to hear about potential weaknesses of their set-up then I think they are qualified to host. And this is where I think the Parade of Homes can work it's magic to make the potential host see that you don't have to have a gargantuan space, nor a high dollar set-up, and that hosting isn't such a big deal.

I am just thinking that we need a greater pool of resources when it comes to finding a host site for a meet or movie night, and the parade could go a long way towards that end.

BTW, I got my new preamp in yesterday, have not had a chance to hook it up yet however. The fact that I don't have a source to connect it to other than my analog outs on my DVD player, TV, or VCR (Yuck!) is a major problem right now. I am hoping to make it to Whetstone Audio today however.

 

[mike_frontier]

Scott,

I hear you about your last comment on Quote" I think once someone sees say Colin's set-up then they get it in their head that their system needs to be up to that kind of level to host, which I think we all agree isn't the case whatsoever." End of quote.

I myself maybe should do an movie get together here quickly. I am not picky or anything like that, but I might be afraid that screendoor might be an issue with you all if you were to see my PJ in action which SD is not even really there for me at 10' Back watching an 94" image.
I think I need to get my head out of my a$$ and stop reading AVS forums. I think I just learned that AVS is all about being picky which I am not or even near being the best.

I love to host a movie night but not until the wife gets back to work which will be in 2 more weeks.

I might need a few pointers from you all on what I should add to configure my equipment.

BTW... I tried using AVIA and that software dvd confuses the heck out of me,, which I am probably aware that you guys know it like the ring on your finger .

As long as you guys are comfortable sitting in an living room that is 15x24 you are more then welcome to come.
I do live out in Leander so it might be a long ride for many of you in south Austin. I am about 15 minutes from Nils Pad.

As for movies I kinda chilled on buying them for the past month or so. I figure Tuesday new dvd release were killing my wallet .
But I have about 200+ dvds to choose from and some I have yet to watch or taken the shrink wrap off,,, but I can post a little later on a set time when we can do an Movie night at my crib.

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As for an dvd movie I am thinking about picking up an movie called "28 Days Later" (2002) from Region2.
It will be release on 5-19-03. I hear the Brits love this movie from what some of out clients here at work that lives in UK says about it .
So I will have to grab it.
If any of you are interested in checking this one out I can host a movie night for this show
Here are additional info on it if interested:

28 Days Later (2002)


Review: In this film from director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland, a powerful virus is unleashed on the British public following a raid on a primate research facility by animal rights activists. Transmitted in a drop of blood and devastating within seconds, the virus locks those infected into a permanent state of murderous rage. Within 28 days the country is overwhelmed and a handful of survivors begin their attempts to salvage a future, little realising that the deadly virus is not the only thing that threatens them...

ACTORS: Cillian Murphy ; Brendan Gleeson ; Christophe Eccleston ; David Schneider ; Naomie Harris
SCREEN: Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic
LANGUAGES: English - Dolby Digital (5.1)
DURATION: 1 hour and 47 minutes (approx)

To get more additional info click here:
http://amazon.imdb.com/Title?0289043
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Let me know?

 

[Frederick_Falk]

Mike,

If you live in Leander, then you are more than 30 minutes from Nils place. As far as hosting a movie night, just go for it and set a date and put the invite out and I am sure there are several that would like to come over (me included) to check out your digs. Be assured that there is not one HT in our group that is as elaborate as some of the HT you see in AV Interiors or the other HT mags. However, several of our group has spent a lot of time, effort and money to make our HT the best they can be in our limited budgets. As far as specialists, we certainly have our share with Nils being the resident guru in video (both the source and the projection thereof), Jonathan (and associates) are the speaker gurus, Hank is the DIY guru (especially when it comes to laminates) and of course I am the attic mole guru (second to none) when it comes to wiring. That said, each of our group have different strengths in different areas and we are always willing to help a fellow HT enthusiast to make the most out of his/her HT.

The first meet I attended was one that I hosted and I have hosted two more since then AND I only have a 36" direct view TV but everyone made me feel right at home and several members have helped me get the best possible picture from my set which will have to make due until I can build my own dedicated HT room (which I hope to start on by year end or first of next year).

So, by all means, please host a movie night OR add yourself to the "Parade of Homes" HT tour host list. We look forward to seeing all that you have accomplished.

 

[Nils Luehrmann]

I'm one of those who is not interested in resurrecting the vinyl vs digital debate. Instead, I really like the idea that Dr. J had of building a DIY 6500D bulb!


Scott & Frederick made some excellent points. I think an HT tour would be a great opportunity for those who have not yet hosted a Movie Night. And I agree that none of us should be apprehensive to open our HT systems to fellow members just because one or more members might have a better system.

I wont speak for everyone, but for me, I don't think in terms of who has a better system - rather I think in terms of understanding that each HT enthusiast does their best to put together as good a system as possible within their limitations (budget, time, space, patience, spouse approval, etc) and as such I enjoy every HT system I have seen as I appreciate how each was put together under those circumstances. In fact I am more often impressed with someone's 'el cheapo' DIY HT system than someone's $100,000 professionally designed and installed system.

As to Scott's comment:

As long as the host is willing to put up with us in their house, and willing to hear about potential weaknesses of their set-up then I think they are qualified to host.

I'd only add that I would hope that no one discusses potential weaknesses unless they can also offer reasonable solutions to help improve them. Constructive criticism can be very beneficial, but let's face it, all HT systems have flaws and many of them likely are already known by the owner and can't be addressed due to those limiting factors as mentioned earlier.

My feeling, and certainly hope, for this group is that we are here to not only share our mutual fondness for HT, but to also 'lend a hand', such that we can all maximize our enjoyment by helping each other put together HT systems that best meet each of our needs and limitations.
(Hmmm... sounds like a candidate for our HT group's possible future mission statement?)


Mike,

Count me in on one of those interested in your screening of '28 Days After'. It was shown at this year's Sundance festival and got excellent reviews. Last I heard it is supposed to get a general release to US theaters in late June and if it proves popular then I suspect the region 1 DVD will not show up until Fall, so getting the region 2 DVD sounds like a great idea!

I certainly hope '28 Days After' is as good as many have said it is. Considering the quality of Danny Boyle's recent films he will need this movie to be both a critical and commercial success.

Boyle is a bit of an enigma. He got into film late in life, but with both his freshman, 'Shallow Grave', and sophomore 'Trainspotting' films becoming surprise hits he was labeled one of the hottest new directors from the UK. Since then, he has made one bad film after the other, but perhaps with '28 Days After' Boyle is be back in top form.

 

[Jonathan DA]

I'd like to see 28 Days After as well, schedule permiting.

I agree with those who said not to be afraid of opening up your HT. The first time I invited everyone over the aspect ratio and convergence were so far off on my Barco that my eyes hurt by the time we finished Dracula. I had a great time regardless.

 

[Jeff Meininger]

I think I started this "scaredy-cat" tangent. Don't get the wrong idea; I'm very (VERY) proud of my DIY-intensive setup and I'm looking forward to showing it off.

My issues (1, 2, and 3) from the previous post are still real issues, though.

1. People need to fit in the room.

2. We've been discussing a "DIY vs. commercial" speaker shootout. I'd be thrilled to have mine "compete", but I certainly wouldn't want my first-try speakers to represent the DIY speaker clan all by themselves. It would have to be a tag-team match with some Mirus speakers there, or someone else's proven work.

3. It's a fact: I lack the equipment for the kind of vinyl vs. cd comparison you guys want to put on. I'm not ashamed of this lack of equipment... I just simply don't have it. So if that comparison is going to happen at a meet I'm hosting, you guys are going to have to bring it.

So I'm not afraid to open my HT up. I'm actually looking forward to the opportunity.

 

[Dave Elliott]

Since Mike lives in Leander, we could hit 3-4 HT's in NW Austin pretty easily. Jeff M (in Cedar Park), Mike F (Leander), and I live out by Frederick about 15mins west in Lago Vista.

My HT is, like Jeff's, nighttime only except for casual TV watching. Blackout blinds work well, but the open floorplan still lets in some light. But it will seat 10-12 comfortably, more off to the sides.

Of course, I'm booked the first few weekends in May.

-Dave

 

[Colin Dunn]

I still like the "HT Parade of Homes" concept. We can plan the order of visits to keep drive time/distances to a minimum.

We could hit all three HTs in Northwest Austin in quick succession, then work our way across town to a couple more. This would work best showing selected demo clips, not an entire film. But I don't think we should "standardize" on the same demo material. Instead, I think each host should pick his own favorite demo scenes. That way it will be much less monotonous. As far as I know, we're not going for a scientific comparison so much as seeing a broad range of different HT installations.

Also, let's decide when we're going to do this. Given a lot of people are busy in early May, I suggest we set the date for May 17 or 31 (May 24 is part of Memorial Day weekend this year).

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Hank - I don't live any further from a "central area" than you do. I'm probably closer to downtown Austin than you are.

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Like Nils, I prefer seeing what real enthusiasts do with HT, rather than a "throw money at the problem" custom-installation job. A lot of the owners of "Audio/Video Interiors" quality custom-installed HTs do nothing but write a fat check.

Most (if not all) of the regulars at the Austin HT Meets would be hard-pressed to spend a tenth as much on home theater as the filthy-rich guys do. Putting a good home theater in a middle-class home, under budget/space/spousal-acceptance restrictions, is much more of a challenge ... and a lot more fun to learn about...

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I'm flattered at the praise my setup has garnered in this thread. Here's what I did to stretch my HT $$$ and get into that setup...

- Research products carefully before buying. Frequent upgrade cycles cost you a lot of money. Believe me, I learned the hard way. Better you save up and get what you really want, rather than stepping up gradually over five upgrade cycles.
- Buy used/refurb items when possible to save money. I got my front speakers for about 1/3 the current model's list price. My pre-pro was also used, also running about a third of the new price. I bought my projector on close-out for about 40% less than the price at introduction a year earlier.
- If you're looking for a house/apartment/condo to rent or buy, consider how home theater will integrate into the living space. It's easiest in a rectangular room, with one of the short walls windowless. That becomes your front screen/speaker wall.
- DIY appropriately to your talents. I'm lousy at DIY, but with the help of some of my fellow enthusiasts, I built a screen. But speaker projects are beyond my patience and skills, so I went with the speakers I liked the best in my price range.

 

[Greg Risley]

Come on confess Colin. You just chatted with the teenager down at Radio Shack and he set you up with that great system. Man if I see another Classe & Magnepan HTIB from Taget it will be to soon.
Colin anyone who has seen and heard your systems will realize the benfit of doing some research and buying wisely. The bang for the buck you have is great, not to mention like all of us its a labor of love, except for Frederick, I think he has some evil plot for being into home theater.
Oh and my vote still goes for the parade of homes idea. I do have a mini so we could car pool.

Greg