Boston Acoustic Theatre Speaker Quality and PDR 10.... (1 Viewer)

[GrahamJW]

Hi:

I am new on the Forum and find the information here valuable, so I thought I would seek the advice of the speaker gurus. Anyway, I obtain 4 Boston Acoustic Model A70T speakers from a local movie house that went through some renovations and weren't going to use them in the new theatre. I don’t believe you can buy these speakers at any retail outlet store. Here are the Specs from Boston Acoustics on the speakers:

The A70T surround speaker is designed to be used in commercial theaters. It meets Dolby Labs ISO2969 curve.

Specifications:

Low Frequency Cutoff (+- 3dB) 45Hz
Nominal Impedance 6 Ohms
Minimum Impedance 4 Ohms
Sensitivity 90dB/2.83v/meter
Crossover Frequency 2000Hz
8" woofer
1 " ferrofluid cooled tweeter
Recommended Power 15-100 watts
Cabinet Finish matte black
Dimensions 610 x 356 x 203 mm 24x14x8"
Weight 11.8Kg (26 Lbs.)

I am currently using 2 of them for the front mains and 2 of them for the rear surrounds. I also have a Paradigm CC-70 for a centre channel and a Paradigm PDR 10 for a Subwoofer. The receiver is a Sony STR-DE835.

Now I am a newbie to the home theatre seen, so I was wondering if this is a good setup? Is my Subwoofer too small for these speakers? I notice the Boston speakers go down to 45 Hz and I believe the PDR 10 goes to 27 Hz. Should I have a sub that goes lower. I have all the speakers (centre included) set to small on the Sony receiver, and the sub is connected to the receiver sub output using a subwoofer cable. The sub cross over is set at its highest point, so that I am using the receiver cross over. I don't know what the receivers cross over really is because I can't find any place to adjust that. I assume setting the speakers to small initiates some sort of bass management on the Sony receiver.

The room dimensions are 12x40 with an 8 foot ceiling. The viewing area is in a rec-room basement in one end of the room that I may close off to 12x18 in the future. I guess what I am asking, based on the speaker specifications, is this a good setup that will give me some quality sound? I would say that 80% of use is DVD viewing; 20% music listening. Any advice/information would be great. Again, hats off to the people that take care of this forum; it really helps beginners like myself.

 

[GrahamJW]

Does anyone want to comment on this one?.....

 

[Robb Roy]

John,

My guess for the reason you haven't heard anything is that you're talking about some pretty rare speakers. There's a good chance many of us have heard them in theaters, but it's unlikely we knew what they were. Judging speakers by specs alone can be very misleading (they're very subjective). The only advice/opinion with regard to those speakers I could provide is that if you enjoy them, then they're doing their job.

As to the sub, it has less to do with the speakers you're pairing it with (blasphemy to some) and more to do with the room it's in. You say this is for mostly DVD viewing, and there's a fair amount of material below 27Hz in the newer action DVDs. Frankly, that's a pretty large room you've got there, so I'd consider something with a little more "oomph" than what you've got now. Personally, I replaced a 10-inch, 1,000 watt sub with an SVS 20-39PC+ with fantastic results.

-Robb

 

[DarrenAlan]

Second that. PDR-10 is more of a boombox than many people realize.

Just upgraded to an Adire Audio Rava and have been pretty much blown away by the difference. Output is about the same, since the PDR-10 is ported vs. the sealed Rava, but in terms of speed, tautness, clarity and even extension, there is simply no contest.

An amazing unit for $399 plus shipping. And it looks great too.

 

[GrahamJW]

Hi DarrenAlan:

Second that. PDR-10 is more of a boombox than many people realize.

Just wondering what you mean by this....(not enough bass for size etc...). I am a little new to the Home Theatre seen..so I hope no one gets frustrated by my "naiveness". My background is more in computers, and I thought I would expand my hobby into home theatre.....cheers..John

 

[Kenneth Harden]

They are saying it makes a lot of noise without making clean bass - and a higher quality subwoofer would sound much better.

Boombox would mean it is making lots of low-quality 'noise' instead of clean, loud, low (deep bass) sound.

 

[DarrenAlan]

Kenneth is right -- not as accurate, so instead of hearing each individual note, you'll just hear a lot of output around a very narrow frequency range.

Imagine a standup bass player going up and down the scale. With a quality sub, you'll hear each and every note very distinctly. While the PDR-10 is not "one notey" in the classic definition of the word -- that is, bass output primarily limited to the narrow frequency band usually around where the port is tuned -- it's nowhere near the Rava in pitch definition. Each note is very distinct and clear.

[NOTE: GROSS GENERALIZATION FOLLOWS] The bass of ported subs is usually -- I say "usually," as there are exceptions with quality units, and SVS appears to be one -- a little slower and "looser" than that of sealed subs. That is, a bass note may overhang a little longer than it did in the original recorded performance. The quickness, speed, or "tautness" of a sealed sub, although a trade-off for the higher output of a ported one, is often superior and this is definitely the case for the Rava.

 

[GrahamJW]

Thanks for the information...
I will have to keep these points in mind in the future if/when I do a subwoofer upgrade. When I bought the PDR 10 I wasn't even aware that there were different types of subwoofers: "ported" and "sealed" and that they handled bass frequencies differently. I will definately keep this in mind for the next subwoofer purchase (hopefully sometime in the future.
Does having a ported vs sealed subwoofer matter in DVD movies?
...You can still tell I am a "green horn" at this, but hopefully, I can get armed with some useful knowledge from this forum.
Cheers..John

 

[DarrenAlan]

Some people prefer a ported sub for movies because a) they have higher output and b) the LFE (low frequency effects) in movies are more like explosions, trains going by, thunder, etc. in which great clarity and speed aren't as important as, say, string bass, timpani, or organ music.

I found my PDR-10 fine for movies, but a little sluggish on music.

 

[GrahamJW]

Hi DarrenAlan:

Thanks for the additional information. Most of my listening is movies (DVD viewing). I would say I use my system about 15% of the time for music. So I should be okay with the PDR 10 (I think). I actually haven't listen to much music since I have had the PDR 10 in my setup. I will have to give it a try and find out how it is.

As a side note: The PDR 12 was about $153 more and it sometime goes through my mind if I should have gotten that one (I got the PDR 10 for $347 Canadian); I couldn't audition the 12 as they would have had to order it, and I wasn't sure if the extra money would have been worth it..I know the PDR 12 goes deeper, but I am not sure if it goes $153 more deeper. Purhaps some people have compared the 2 and give me an idea of their thoughts.

Cheers..John

 

[DarrenAlan]

I doubt it would make that much of a difference.

Here are two things I did that tightened up the bass a little on the PDR-10:

1) Spikes
http://www.audioc.com/accessories/MountsSpikes.htm

2) A little more stuffing (about half what came in the package)
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd..._ID=5687&DID=7


As always YMMV.

 

[GrahamJW]

I doubt it would make that much of a difference.

Hi DarrenAlan:

By the above quote I take it you mean the bass difference between the PDR 10 and PDR 12?

I did visit the 2 websites you mentioned. How much of the acousta-stuf polyfill did you stuff into the PDR 10? I have heard of the spikes and I was actually considering them also By tightening up the bass would this be beneficial in movie tracks (LFE sound)?

Cheers..John

 

[DarrenAlan]

As my post read:

(about half what came in the package)

Half of the one-pound package, loose.

Tighter bass is tighter bass, whether for movies or music. Those plastic feet on the PDR-10 (well, at least the older ones, they may have replaced them) are pure crap.

What kind of flooring -- carpet over cement slab, wood, vinyl/linoleum? If it's something the spikes could harm, you'll need acorn nuts or discs under them.

 

[GrahamJW]

Hi DarrenAlan:

The home theatre is in a basment rec room, so the sub is sitting on low pile carpet which is on top of a cement floor.

Cheers..John

 

[DarrenAlan]

That's PERFECT for spikes! You'll really couple the sub to the floor. That should tighten up the bass a noticeable amount. You might want to consider lining the cabinet walls with Dynamat or some other vibration dampening material too.

Saw your questions on the Speaker Asylum. Glad their answers were consistent with mine! Whew (wiping brow).

 

[GrahamJW]

Hi DarrenAlan:

I think I will give those spikes a try and see what happens. Yea, I posted the same question over at Speaker Asylum also. Never hurts to see what other forums say also. The replies over there seem indicate that there is negligible differences between the PDR 10 and PDR 12 (much the same as you mentioned), and that if I upgrade, to save for something of better quality. I wanted to find out as I never really had the chance to listen to a PDR 12 and it was going through my mind if there was a significant difference between the 2.

Cheers..John