My Humble Beginnings...

dondoucette

Too Many Projects
I’m not much for TV, haven’t watched a television program in like 10 years.
Theatres annoy me for so many reasons.

I’ve always wanted a comfortable place in my home to watch a movie, for years I had a 55” hitachi and one of those awful HTIAB setups, terrible.

Over the past 5 years I’ve slowly collected items i could use for my theatre.
My first priority was sound, BIG sound, sound I could feel, for me more than 50% of the movie experience has always been that theatre sound.

My budget being very modest I kept an eye out for great used deals, I initially had several different amplifiers then I changed gears and went after one brand of amps.

I started with an Onkyo DHC 9.9, a modest start but I wanted a processor with 7.1 balanced outputs instead of an all in one amplifier, this I believe leads to higher quality sound and less expensive upgrades in the future.

Amplification is provided by one of my favorite commercial amplifier manufacturers, QSC, ISA 500T, 2 QSC CX702 AND 3 QSC USA1310.

The 500T takes care of the center channel connected to two JBL control 1 speakers.
The QSC CX702’s take care of rear and and surround duties, also connected to JBL control 1 speakers.
One QSC USA1310 handles front audio through a pair of Klipsch LSI Industrial LaScalas
The last 2 QSC USA1310’s handle my subs, 2 Electro Voice MTL2, one channel of amplification per 18 inch driver.

As it turns out the control 1’s are not up to the task of the center channel. I’m still looking for a suitable replacement, in the mean time an old pair of BOSE 301’s are giving me my center channel.

Video is pretty low tech at this time, Sharp PG-F317X 3000 Lumens, 2200:1 contrast, 720p on to one of those cheap screens.
Input comes from a SONY BDP-S5500

Along the way there have been a few minor issues, the JBL’s have been a bit of a disappointment, of course part of that is my fault, I picked them up used and they are bit small for the task I have given them considering they are only rated at 150 watts and the 500T is 200+ watts. I may add an additional pair of LaScalas for the center channel.

The Onkyo is a bit of a bear to set up in fact I’m still struggling, it’s usable but needs some further setup.

The screen and projector are obviously the weakest link. The screen will be first order of business, this will take some time as these darn things are expensive. I suspect a little gain from a good screen will improve my experience greatly.

I am also looking forward to a better projector, I don’t think for my purposes anything above 1080P will be required, it would be nice to be able to audition before buying. Part of my research will include taking the cost of replacement bulbs into account.

This whole project has been about keeping it simple as best as possible, keeping it inexpensive and no matter what enjoy the whole process.

The best part has been the concerts I have been watching on a 100 inch screen.

Eventually seating, paint, acoustic treatment will all be part of my future plans, it is worth the effort, I am really enjoying the process and the fruits of my labour.

Thanks for reading this far.


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Look into DIY screens. I don't use one myself, but my understanding is that good material to build your own isn't that expensive.
 
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