Chops' Current System Pics ....

chops

chops

Active member
Joined
Mar 26, 2016
Messages
1,527
Location
Winter Haven, FL
Some of these pics were taken within a few days of this post, and some taken today. The full system profile is listed below in my signature. I always shoot for equipment that performs above its price point, and I am quite pleased with this system in its current state. It packs a nice punch and could possibly compete with systems costing 2 to 3 times as much. I know, I've heard some. Not that I'm in competition with anyone. If anything, I'm in competition with the ole' mighty dollar to gain the biggest bang for my buck.

And one upgrade that I think is going to be happening soon is replacing the Ortofon 2M Red cartridge with a Bronze. Hopefully sooner than later.

Anyway, on with some pics...

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And the messy, business end with the little W4S Recovery USB Reclocker hiding back there...
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Mike said:
Very nice! How are you doing the sub integration?


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Thanks Mike.

The Parasound Halo P5 has a built-in analog, fully adjustable crossover. I have the mains crossed over at 60 Hz and the subs crossed over at 70 Hz. Makes for a seamless blend. Plus you can adjust the sub(s) output via a front panel level control on the P5. The subs output is mono, but you could never tell. It works perfectly!
 
Nice. I've always really liked Parasound gear. Well designed. Sounds great.

Have you fiddled much with the crossover points? Seems good, but just curious.


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Mike said:
Nice. I've always really liked Parasound gear. Well designed. Sounds great.

Have you fiddled much with the crossover points? Seems good, but just curious.


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Yeah, the Halo P5 is a great sounding unit. That's why I'm using these old Polk subs. I bought them years ago and only used them for movies because they sucked with music. Horribly sucked. So much so that they sat unused in the closet for the past 4 years! However, running them through the Halo, they're quite musical! I was going to start saving for a pair of REL subs, but have held off for now since these are doing so well.

As for crossover points, I haven't messed with them too much. I first had them both set at around 40 Hz and seemed alright, but was lacking presence and punch, so I raised the mains up to 60 Hz and the subs to 70 Hz. They seem to be pretty good now. And the way this room is laid out, the gain on the left sub is up around a "normal" level and the right one is set rather low, the reason being that the left sub has no corner for reinforcement, just a hallway behind it. The left sub actually puts out the really low bass at the listening seat and the right puts out more of the upper, punchy bass. If you go too far with the gain on the right sub, it just gets boomy and overpowering.

If you have any suggestions for crossover points, I'm all ears. I'm sure it could be fine tuned some more. I just haven't messed with it too much yet. Been too busy buying other goodies and playing with them. LOL
 
Those crossover points sound right for your setup. Any further fine tuning to the role off would be in that range.

Smart setup. :thumbsup:
 
Thanks everyone for your wonderful comments. Either tomorrow or this weekend, I might be tearing it down and redoing all of the wiring. It's a bit of a mess back there.

Steve, WRT the crossover points, I think you're right. I can tweak it a little here and there, but don't think there will be much to gain. It won't hurt to try though. ;)
 
Al M. said:
Beautiful system. I have a monitor/sub combo myself.
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MDP said:
Congrats on a sweet setup :congrats:
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Thanks guys!

Al, for the longest time, I had stuck with fullrange tower speakers, being blinded by the fact that in my situation, they were fullrange enough for me not to need subwoofers in my system. For the most part, this was true. The NHT 2.9's that I still have but am letting my brother use in his HT system, do not need a sub at all, nor did those big Polk RTi12's. Even the Monitor Audio Bronze BR6's don't really need subs when given enough power.

What I had lost in using towers though was the disappearing act of small monitor speakers, producing a good sound stage and better imaging. Now that I have some really decent monitors, I don't think I'll go back to towers. If anything, if I were to upgrade to larger floor standing speakers again, they would be either Maggies or Quad ESL's.
 
chops said:
Thanks guys!

Al, for the longest time, I had stuck with fullrange tower speakers, being blinded by the fact that in my situation, they were fullrange enough for me not to need subwoofers in my system. For the most part, this was true. The NHT 2.9's that I still have but am letting my brother use in his HT system, do not need a sub at all, nor did those big Polk RTi12's. Even the Monitor Audio Bronze BR6's don't really need subs when given enough power.

What I had lost in using towers though was the disappearing act of small monitor speakers, producing a good sound stage and better imaging. Now that I have some really decent monitors, I don't think I'll go back to towers. If anything, if I were to upgrade to larger floor standing speakers again, they would be either Maggies or Quad ESL's.
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Hi chops,

yes, the disappearing act is much harder to accomplish with floor standers, even though under optimal circumstances it can be done with the best of them. Yet also I cannot imagine ever jumping off the monitor train. You have to spend a whole lot of money on floor standers that image as well as monitors, and even then set-up can be a pain, which I personally do not want to subject myself to (if the set-up of large speakers that in principle can image well is just a bit sub-optimal, you still hear the sound emanating from the speakers, rather than having them disappear). I also want to preserve the freedom that I have with monitors/subs to adjust bass output depending on recording; the bass content simply varies too much between recordings (especially with rock and jazz that can be a nuisance). My dream speakers would be Magico Q1, but also these are monitors (my own monitors are Ensemble Reference which I have since 25 years).

Some people think that the soundstage from monitors cannot be large, and that sub integration cannot be seamless, but both these things are not true at all. Many audiophiles just do not have sufficient experience with a monitor/sub set-up to overcome their prejudices through audio reality. And bass can be fantastic through a monitor/sub combo, with lots of weight and punch (from upper through mid to low bass), even on heavy rock.

Can monitors create a soundstage as enormous as large speakers in an optimal room? No. But first, most audiophiles do not have the optimal rooms needed to create that enormous soundstage, and second, the soundstage from monitors can, even though not being the largest possible, be very large indeed.
 
Great post Al. I've lived with most kind of speakers & the monitors with subs are very, very, hard to beat.
 
Well, I did it... I just ordered this little gem! That means the Luxman in the bedroom system will be getting the 2M Red.

.f
 
A little update. The Nakamichi RX-303 is now moved to the bedroom system, and the rest of the gear moved around some cable management done...

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I never been a fan of TV in the music room but your set up looks so good I can live with it [emoji6][emoji1303]


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Thank you, Paul. I know what you mean, but since we live in an apartment, I don't have much of a choice. One day though...
 
Charles, just hang a blanket on the tv when critical listening, does make a difference.
 
bzr said:
Charles, just hang a blanket on the tv when critical listening, does make a difference.
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Kev, the way this room is laid out, I'm not too sure that would make any difference. The right wall where the sliding glass door is, the wall just past that jets out into the room by 3 feet, right along side my listening seat. That puts that wall about 2 feet away from my right ear, yet the left wall is roughly 8 feet away and then opens up into the kitchen/dining area, about another 8 feet away. Not to mention, the vaulted ceiling is 8 feet high on the right and 15 feet high on the left.

I'm amazed I get the sound I get in this room, but I doubt covering up the TV will do any good. Plus, my girlfriend already thinks I'm loony with my stereo habits. If she sees me draping a blanket over the TV, she'll think I lost it! LOL
 
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