2. home-theater
  3. 145839-121268

Intervention... I need help...

First, I realize that I should have asked for help long before my most recent purchase (Pair of McIntosh MC601's and XRT28's), but that's just me. Spontaneous and compulsive to a fault. And not rich or stupid by any means.

So now I have a pile of stuff and I need to figure out what to use in a setup for both music and theater in a room that isn't designed for either. The 18' x 20' room has a 12' flat ceiling, pretty much all windows on one side, open arches on the other side, and another 15' of depth beyond the back wall. The front (video) wall is stone to 8 feet high.

Here's some of what I have... 

Amps:
(2) McIntosh MC601
(1) McIntosh MC452
(1) Mark Levinson 332.5
(2) Monster Power Signature Series MPA 2250
(1) Monster Power Signature Series MPA 3250
(1) Carver Cinema Grand

Preamps/Controllers:
(1) McIntosh MX135
(1) Onkyo TX-RZ3100
(1) Yamaha RX-V3300

Media Players
(1) McIntosh MVP851
(1) Yamaha CDR-D651

Power Conditioners/Protection
(2) Monster Power Signature Series AVS 2000

Speakers:
(2) Bowers and Wilkins 802D
(2) Wilson Audio CUB
(2) McIntosh XRT28
(2) Martin Logan Odyssey
(2) Martin Logan Theos
(2) Martin Logan SL3
(2) Martin Logan Sequel II
(2) Martin Logan Aeon i
(1) Martin Logan Stage
(1) Pinnacle Gold Classic
(1) Bowers and Wilkins HTM61
(2) Bowers and Wilkins 685
(2) Carver AL-III Plus
(2) Newtronics Temperance

Subs:
(1) SVS PB16-Ultra
(1) SVS PC13-Ultra
(1) HSU VTF-15H
(1) SVS PB12-NSD

I also have the wiring handled. Transparent Audio Musicwave Ultra Biwires, Hi-grade balanced cables, Toslink, and such.

I appreciate any advice (other than advising me to quit spending money on things I don't understand) anyone will share. Matching amps and speakers, using multiple fronts, running parallel or series, location, sound treatments, etc. 

Please explain why you feel the way you do.

When I'm all done, I will start selling the leftovers.

Thanks in advance for paying it forward.

Jim
audioscmaudio
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
PM me. I will give you my address. Ship everything to me. I will ship back stuff that actually sounds good. Use the transit time to meditate on the futility of asking random people for advice based on lists of stuff.
audioscmaudio OP
6 posts
 
I’m my own worst critic... so your sarcasm is not helpful.

I’m hoping that there are other enthusiasts here who actually want to help a fellow enthusiast who’s not too proud to ask. I’ve been in love with audio for most of my 50+ years, and I know that I’m always happy to share my experiences and hope they benefit someone else.

I'm basically asking... with what you know about any of these components, if you had them all, what would you use, and how would you configure them? What tools would you use adjust the environment or the components?
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Title: Intervention..... I need help

Its what we call a Freudian slip: unintentionally revealing.
soix
9,456 posts
 
Spontaneous and compulsive to a fault.
Yeah, I'd say that's a pretty fair assessment. 

And not rich or stupid by any means.
Well, these are more relative.  Just by the sheer amount of gear you've amassed I'd say you'd skew more to the well-heeled end of the spectrum.  As far as stupid, I'd rather say it seems like you have a scorching case of audio ADHD, and you seriously need to take a breath and a step back and assess the big picture of what you're really looking to accomplish here.  

Taken in that light, is your priority home theater, multichannel music, or serious 2-channel music listening?  Before doing or recommending anything further, we need to get these things straight.  To cut to the chase, it seems that you've thrown a bunch of darts at the board without really knowing where the dartboard was first.  Once we know where your priorities lie in the above three major areas, then we can ask what performance qualities for those priorities are most important to you.  Then we can go forward from there with some greater focus and clarity.  Until then, this is just an irreconcilable mess of stuff where you're just gonna get an incredible mishmash of random recommendations based on incomplete and uninformed recommendations.

I feel like a therapist here, but let's just take a step back and look at your ultimate big-picture goals before diving even deeper into the audio weeds.  We'll get there.  Let's just take some smaller steps first.  The good news is that once you focus us on more of the specifics of what you're really looking for at the end all of this, you're gonna get lots of well-informed and productive recommendations here.  Just beware, the quality and effectiveness of the recommendations you get here will completely rely on how honest and focused you are about what you specifically are looking for in the end.  That said, go for it!  You've got lots of willing (and free) help here. 

More to discover