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Home Theater Done Right: Millercarbon's System

Dual use, should probably be the title. Oh well. Finally posted my system. Someone’s always asking about how to do a dual use system. Well, here’s how its done.
Cinephile or audiophile, movies and music are the two things I have loved for as long as I can remember. I want my music to sound as good as possible, and I want my movies to look and sound as good as possible. Everything is a compromise and yet when it comes to these two the compromises are remarkably few. If any. At least that is what my system shows. Because it is a first-rate audiophile sound system, AND a top level home theater.
Whether music or movies an immersive experience is the goal. To lose yourself in the experience. To be carried away.
Studies show viewers consistently rate video quality higher when sound quality is high. Unfortunately the Home Theater industry has chosen to pursue quantity over quality. Which cannot ever work. No amount of surround speakers will ever make up for poor quality. Everyone knows this perfectly well. Being able to convince anyone otherwise is a testament to marketing.
But that’s not my main point here. Rather it is that everything matters. Seemingly minor little things like cryogenic treatment, HFT, ECT, Total Contact, fuses, cable elevators, etc when added together actually make so much difference it is almost impossible to build a truly good system without them.

Removing those tweaks from my system would lower it down to merely average.

Anyway, the system is posted. Enjoy the pics. I am not that good a photographer but Steve Clarke was busy. Tried to get the tubes go glow- how’d I do?

The system evolves. Here for reference are some pics from 16 years ago. https://www.theanalogdept.com/c_miller.htm
Comments welcome. Enjoy!


millercarbon
ozzy62's avatar
ozzy62
3,430 posts
 
HT experts will tell you that you need to have the left/right speakers set up so that the image is continuous when panned across the stage - to the center speaker - and to the other speaker. Which means they will be flanking the screen somewhat tighter than is optimum for good two channel stereo imaging.

Spread the speakers farther apart and guess what, music sounds better. Video soundstage suffers. It's all a trade off.

I prefer to have a big screen, soundbar and sub in the living room and NO video crap in the listening room. Car crashes and dinosaur stomps need not have the highest in fidelity for me.


erik_squires
16,901 posts
 
Which means they will be flanking the screen somewhat tighter than is optimum for good two channel stereo imaging.


You need a bigger screen. Hahaha. :)
mrdecibel
3,175 posts
 
Miller, I might be missing something here, but, if home theater is part of this package, other than the screen, I do not see it. As far as I can tell, I am with Ozzy on this. This is a 2 channel audio system, not a home theater system.
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon OP
12,531 posts
 
HT experts will tell you that you need to have the left/right speakers set up so that the image is continuous when panned across the stage - to the center speaker - and to the other speaker. 

Right. Experts will tell you. That's the difference. Experts will tell you to do something, you will just go and do it. Me, I will see. What if the experts are wrong? Which they are. You should come and see and hear. Sounds pan and move across the sound stage beautifully. 
Anyway, look at what you just wrote: 
to the center speaker - and to the other speaker.
Is that what you want? The sound to come from the speaker? Really? Isn't it better if it sounds as if there are no speakers at all? As if the sound is part and parcel of the video? It seems to me that is a whole lot better. Everyone who hears it thinks so too.

Spread the speakers farther apart and guess what, music sounds better. Video soundstage suffers. It's all a trade off. 
Tell you what. You come and hear my system, and THEN tell me the sound stage suffers. Steve Clarke, the guy who first photographed my system 16 years ago, when contacted recently and asked if he remembered my system the first word that came to mind was "holographic". That was with these same Talon speakers in the exact same place as today. Only now with all the other improvements it is vastly, unbelievably more holographic. Vastly. Unbelievably.

I really wish you could come and hear it. If you really believe what you're saying, boy would I love to see the shock on your face when you experience just how far off what the experts have told you is from reality.

I prefer to have a big screen, soundbar and sub in the living room and NO video crap in the listening room. Car crashes and dinosaur stomps need not have the highest in fidelity for me.
Okay, so now at last we get down to it: you don't care about audio quality when watching movies. My standards are equally high for both. I simply am not willing to sacrifice quality in one for the other. You are. As are a lot of HT people. Thanks for the opportunity to clarify that.
mrdecibel
3,175 posts
 
Miller, you have much to say about many subjects. The way movie soundtracks are produced, you would need a minimum of 5 discreet channels, not including the subs. You do not have a decoder, a center channel, nor rear channels. You have an elaborate 2 channel system, that YOU seem to be happy with, reproducing home theater soundtracks. The best 2 channel systems, ARE, separate from home theater systems. Just admit it. But, you won't. Because......well....we know.....And, I do not need to hear your system to know the difference between good 2 channel and true, multi channel systems. I am done with this thread. 
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