7_V said:
Antonio, can I take it from this that you're happy with your AV system? If so, could you give some details of what makes your system a winner?
It's is an area which I have had little experience of but, as it's becoming a huge market, I'm starting to become interested.
Several factors, as usual, help to make my system a winner:
First the "general" hifi rules:
1 - Match the front speakers to the room, including proper placement for stereo music and bass, much easier with smallish speakers/subwoofers...
2 - Get an amplifier that can handle the speakers properly, not easy with some speakers, even with good kit...
3 - Tune for your personal taste with equipment matching + cables/mains/tweaks...
4 - "Treat" the room, I have thick courtains, bookshelves, rugs, pillows, large painting filled with sound insolation, center table made of Rattan because it difracts the sound, carefull furniture distribution, fairly symetrical room, I also had my ceiling treated...
Second surround rules:
1 - All speakers at the same distance from listening position, otherwise time delay may be applied before bass management and you get weird bass from subwoofers, not to mention that surround speakers close to you are a pain, I rather have stereo otherwise...
2 - Match the speakers, the surround have to have identical timbre, everything else is irrelevant, center have to be large, very detailed and a bit less bright than the front, otherwise you will hear two of each singer, also important that the number of ways and xover type be identical, otherwise you will have phase problems...
3 - Cables must have good isolation, there are too many running around, impossible to separate them...
4 - With a good processor use the player as transport only to avoid extra DA and AD conversions...
5 - Rectangular room close to golden ratio, before I had 8m x 4m x 2,7, now 7,3m x 4,4m x 2,7m...
Also:
1 - Two subwoofers close to each front speaker allow for much easier integration...
2 - Lower xover, 60hz or less, also integrates better and sound more coherent than higher frequencies, at least with standard bass management, may be possible to do other way with xover matched to the speakers/subwoofers...
By the way, tomorrow I will have an AV magazine "reviewing my system... :MILD: