2. home-theater
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What to upgrade or just leave it alone ?

I have a large, bouncy (tiled floor) great room w/12' ceilings that is used for the home theater (no basement here in Vegas...). I do have heavy drapes along the left wall and an area rug in front of the main listening area, but otherwise it is sheetrock and tile...very large volume as the house has an extremely open floor plan.

I like what I hear from my current budget mid-fi system, but figure I'm missing some opportunities for significantly better sound.

Current system:

-Rotel 1056 receiver
-B&W LCRs up front (all three)
-B&W in ceiling surrounds out back
-Two velodyne SPL-10s (serve as speaker stands for the L&R LCRs)
-Lower end Kimber cable for LCRs
-Sony XBR4 (50")
-Sharp BD20 Blu-ray running HDMI video to Sony and 5.1 audio direct to Rotel (blue jeans cables)
-Directv DVR video via HDMI to Sony and digital audio (Kimber) to Rotel
Dedicated 20A power circuit for all AV equipment

I have limitations on space and asthetics (I've been married 25 years and want to stay that way...) so I can't just put some big honkin' B&W 803's up front or anything like that.

I almost bought an Oppo 83SE but held off for some reason ($ at the time) and now Oppo is putting out a new unit so I figured it was a good time to ask for help from others on my total system.

The system is mainly used for watching TV or movies, and listening to the radio (wife). Not too much critical music listening, though I'd like to spend more time doing just that. Musical tastes run from Rush to Steely Dan to Jim Brickman to Andrea Bocelli to the Beatles and beyond.
A warm sound is preferred.

So, should I get a new blu-ray player or get fancy and get a receiver/processor with a microphone and auto setup type system? Or just forget it and buy a Rolex? =8^O

Given all the compromises inherent in the room situation, maybe just sit back and enjoy what I have...

Thanks for reading all that!
admranger
mechans
3,048 posts
 
Don't buy a Rolex everyone has one. Get something people will really think you have a lot of dough. How about a used Vacheron or a Patek Phillipe.
I would get a better front end in fact I think your thoughts about the Oppo are correct.
I also agree however that you really haven't told us what you want most out of your system. If you are serious about 2 channel critical listening find a space for another system and build a good rig from scratch.
daverz
487 posts
 
I agree with Bob: get some speaker stands for your L & R speakers (what model B&Ws are they, anyway?) This may even improve the aesthetics of the system by reducing "visual mass".

A tube amp, like a Rogue Atlas, might add some fun to two channel listening.
admranger OP
144 posts
 
Thanks for the feedback.

Daverz: The speakers are B&W LCR6-2's up front

http://img.epinions.com/images/opti/0e/64/elec_Home_SpeakersStereoBW_600BW_LCR6_S2-resized200.gif

Thanks for the multisub paper, Bob. I'll have to sit down and read it, look at my room, and see what I can do. I think placing the subs elsewhere in the room would be fine, as long as they were hidden (for the most part) and I have a couple of options there (possibly).

On to my goal(s) for the system since I was not at all clear in my original post: I want the system to reproduce music as realistically as possible, given the constraints of the room. It also has to function as a theater system handling action movies as well as HDTV off the DirecTV DVR.

I have no ability to create a 2-channel listening room (no unused space in the house) so this system has to pull double duty.
lloydc's avatar
lloydc
761 posts
 
taming all those early reflections will be essential. I can not help but think that more and better rugs might help with all those hard surfaces. my monitor is between the stereo speakers, and it helps to throw a quilt over it, when listening to music.
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