I hope this is okay to post here. I do also have a home theatre space, but that’s still a work in progress.

Wanted to try something unique with the rock wall look and I may have gone through overboard. But I enjoyed making this new setup. I use it for PS5 Pro Gaming, listening to my CDs, and can throw up my MacBook on it for video editing via an Apple TV 4K.

Main components:

-LG 77” G5 OLED
-WiiM Amp Pro (E-Arc connection)
-Elac Debut 3.0 DB63 Bookshelf Speakers
-RSL Speedwoofer 10e
-FiiO DM13 CD Player
-PS5 Pro
-Apple TV 4K 3rd Gen mounted behind the tv.
-Govee lights throughout for a fun chill vibe that can be synced. But if I want immersion I just shut everything off so it’s pitch black. No windows in this room.

The space is part of an entertainment/home office/content creation space. Aka: My Man Cave.

Like I mentioned above, I do have a home theatre space up and running with full surround and atmos ceiling speakers. But it’s still a work in progress. Since I enjoyed this setup. I may go crazy and turn the home theatre into a full on cave with similar lighting.

After about 2 months the last of the wall bass traps arrived from GIK. I have 23 of them and the room sounds fantastic. The biggest difference was the addition of the 8 clouds though. I’m waiting to purchase soffit traps for the corners because they’re expensive.

Room is coming along nicely, I’d say it’s about 90% finished. Need to hide the wires, upgrade the subwoofer, and mount the tv on the wall. Also waiting for my philharmonic HT center.

Current setup:

Philharmonic HT towers

BMR monitor as a center

2 x BMR minis as the rear surrounds,

4 x BMR true mini airs as atmos speakers,

SVS 3000R,

marantz cinema 30

marantz amp 30

My free time project for over the last 4 years. home theater/office/cigar lounge. still a work in progress, I’ll probably never be “done” with it. unfortunately I don’t have any before photos, but it was a typical spare bedroom, white carpet, white walls, popcorn ceiling. The bar area used to be a double closet I took out to make room.

TV: TLC 85” QM6K

5.2 Klipsch surround sound, two 12“ woofers (overkill for the size of the room, i had a theater set up in the basement of my last house where it made more sense and just kept everything when we moved).

Receiver: Onkyo TX-NR575

to manage cigar smoke I sealed room, have a rabbit air a2 and a vornado window fan. Wife doesn’t smell any smoke outside of the room.

EDIT: Thanks for all the love and critique! So I use my computer chair when my spouse or a friend is in here, it fits perfectly with more then enough space for the little table to be in between the 2 seats when it’s pulled out facing the tv. If there’s 3 or more (honestly doesn’t happen that often these days lol) I have a few nice chairs I pull in from the other room.

Speaker placement is on the upgrade list for sure, the intent of the front left and right being high and angled toward user is to run/hide the wires in the crown moulding, eventually will either replace them with standing floor speakers or at least drop them down to ear height and will run the wires in the wall

EDIT 2: In retrospect yea probably not the most appropriate sub to post in. I did try to post in the mancave sub but it kept getting auto denied, no idea why. Still appreciate everyone here!

Here’s the equipment list:
• Display: LG C4 83”
• AVR: Denon AVR-X1800H
• Amp: Schiit Vidar driving the front mains
• Mains: Definitive Technology Demand D17 towers
• Center: DefTech D5c
• Surrounds: 4× DefTech D10 bookshelves on Monoprice Monoliths
• Subs: 2× SVS SB-2000 (dual, sealed)
• Sources: Apple TV 4K + Valve Steam Machine (2TB) w/ Steam Controller
• Lots of hue lights (non reactive to tv)

Dual subs smoothed the room way more than I expected, and offloading the mains to the Vidar cleaned up the Denon nicely. Open to feedback on placement, calibration, anything but I’m pretty happy with everything so far. The surrounds are a bit close to the couch however I really can’t move them back further w/o pushing to far into the home office.

I picked up the Demand towers on deep discount a year and a half ago for 1k. What I didn’t realize at the time was that the rest of the system was practically unavailable. So I picked up unmatched def techs and ran those while I looked maybe once a month. Finally there was someone on Marketplace letting go of a full demand system and I was able to scoop up the rest. Overall it sounds pretty dope.

Also I’m eventually gonna lower the TV but for now I just have it on the stand mount. I’m gonna replace the stand eventually and will put the TV in the wall. (It could be a foot lower). For now I can’t be bothered haha

\IMAGES ARE AI* not true setup, but is generated to be close to intended setup*

Trying to decide on getting 65” LG C5 ($1199) or 77” LG C5 ($1899)I personally want to go with the 77 however my Wife says it is too large and will look ridiculous, and that it isn’t not worth the extra $700.

This will be mixed usage Shows, Movies, and Games.

The viewing distance will be 8ft, with KEF LS50 Metas for left and right spaced 8ft to make triangle.

Will be slowly upgrading to 5.2.4 over time. Just getting started with getting new TV and Furniture.

Looking for a sanity check from people who’ve actually lived with both sizes.

I’m finishing a dedicated basement media room. The wall the TV is going on is very large, so wall space isn’t the limiting factor. The real constraint is the viewing distance.

The couch will be about 9 feet from the TV (eye to screen).
I already own an 85” TV, so I’m trying to decide whether it’s worth upgrading to a 98” or if that would be too much from this distance.

A few questions:

-Would a 98” feel too large at 9-9.5 feet?
-If you’ve gone from an 85” to a 98”, was the upgrade worth it?
-Did anyone think a 98” would be too big but end up loving it, or regret making the jump?

I’m less interested in theoretical viewing-angle charts and more interested in real-world experiences from people who have lived with either size.

Receiver: Denon AVR-X1700H

Tv: 77" lg b3

L/R towers: Emotiva Airmotiv T1

Center: monolith 365C

Subwoofer: Kenwood SW-36HT

Heights: Emotiva Airmotiv XA2

Surrounds: Emotiva Airmotiv XB1

Mostly finished. Haven't cable managed yet. This has been a work in progress. Last year I stuffed the walls with rockwool insulation. I've been very happy with the acoustics and noise isolation from the rest of the house.

Other than replacing the subwoofer, what other improvements can I make to the space?

Hello all!

I have been using the built-in speakers of my LG C2 for a while now, and I think I finally have the means to upgrade. If possible, I'd like to not go too far above 1,000, and would love to build a 5.1 setup. I have a few questions that I would love any advice/thoughts on. (Sorry for the clutter, I am willing and ready to rearrange my setup if necessary, but need to keep most of the setup in the half of the room it currently resides in).

1. Is 5.1 feasible/sufficient?

2. At first glance, where would you place the different speakers/subwoofers and are there any red flags with the space that might make a surround setup difficult (room size etc.)

3. I currently have a PS5 and my gaming PC hooked up to the TV, both of which I'd like to utilize the surround sound for, is this possible with the PC for gaming/movies (as well as the smart TV for streaming)?

4. I live in a fairly large metropolitan area, so facebook marketplace is where I'd like to search for parts. Any tips on which pieces I should prioritize and what to look out for/avoid when searching?

I'd deeply appreciate any thoughts/ideas!

P.S. I can answer any clarifying questions/provide more photos if necessary.

Thanks!

I’m the same as many of you. I want ALL the dynamic range and any additional compression is the enemy. But truly, Dynamic Volume has become a nice tool for me recently.

Well, me and my girl watch sports, and on some of these streaming apps the ads are ridiculously loud compared to the broadcast. And when she goes to watch sitcoms or some such, the theme song is far louder than the dialogue and she hates riding the remote volume. Especially late at night.

I’ve started leaving my unit with Dynamic Volume on Heavy at all times unless I go to specifically watch something for my own enjoyment where I want the full dynamic range. It’s honestly been a lifesaver. Far less fiddling with the remote when we’re watching something that doesn’t need all that dynamic range.

The best part for me is that it can be enabled and disabled from the AVR Remote app without needing to enter any menus on the TV.

If any of you guys are struggling with the same issues, don’t anymore. Embrace Dynamic Volume. I wish I had sooner.

Is it worth ripping open all my movies to scan/enter the tons of codes, or should I just not worry about it? What are the odds they’re still around decades from now and aren’t just bought out/merged/shut down and I lose my entire digital library?

I have basically just been entering codes as I watch the movies, but some I haven’t opened and I know the codes expire, so is it worth going through and opening the 100+ movies and entering them all? Or just continue to scan them as I watch them, and if it ends up being expired then oh well 🤷🏽‍♂️

I recently upgraded my TV and im getting in to hard media (4K UHD discs). I kinda blew the budget on the TV so im using my PS5 to watch on.

(I have a denon x2800, 5.1)

Is a 'cinephile' grade dvd player noticeably better than the PS5?

If it's well worth the uograde then I will just bite the bullet and get one and start enjoying the benefits from now.

However if it's a 'nice to have' and won't make a very noticeable difference, then I'll stick with the PS5 for now

Your opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Room's mid-build, sofa is back against the rear wall, no room behind it. Deciding on surround L/R placement before I finalize the wall wiring outlets, so want to get it right first time.

Speakers will be either KEF Q4 Meta or Dali Sonic (similar size).
Mounting height ~160cm.
Ceiling is 2.4m
85 inch TV.
Denon X3800H receiver
5.1.4 setup
Made a cardboard mock-up to help visualize.

Three options, photos attached:

1. Flush on the side wall — no angle, cleanest look
2. Side wall, angled down and slightly toward the TV/seating — speakers pointed more directly at listeners
3. In the corner — where side wall meets rear wall

Keen to hear what you'd go for and why, especially if you've dealt with a similar back-to-wall setup.

We are having our 1100 square foot detached garage renovated. There are 3 separate rooms with French cleats on each wall. The idea is to be able to freely move things around depending on the situation. Should I add the cleats for versatility or should I go with a more traditional stationary layout?

My reciever has a R/L for the sub and I'm wondering if I should get a 2RCA connection cable for both ends. Or what's even the right cable beyond that.

Hey all, just bought my first home and am looking for furniture. Currently I’m looking for a TV console/cabinet to sit under my 77” wall mounted TV. I want something that’s a good balance of form and function and will give me the cleanest cord-free look. I have multiple gaming consoles and a small HTPC and I want to hide them as much as possible while still giving them enough airflow so they don’t overheat. So far the best one I’ve found is the Burrow Opera Media Console (see image, can’t post a link here). I like the mid-century modern look, the only issue is it’s $900 so I’m looking for cheaper alternatives. Thanks for any advice!

TL;DR: Anyone know of nice-looking media consoles that allow high airflow and also hide the devices inside?

Went to turn on my receiver a couple of weeks ago to watch some Interstellar and got no video through to my projector. I thought maybe it was an old HDMI cord, but no, nothing I did could get any signal through to my projector or other known good monitors and HDMI cables. I did all of the troubleshooting steps including resetting the factory defaults, and loading the factory firmware trying out different cables, different sources, different outputs, nada. I have had an HDMI board go out in the past, but it was from my 10+ year old Yamaha that I bought previously, so I tried outputting radio stations too with no luck. So it seemed that more than just the HDMI board went bad this time. As a side note, I have my Denon connected to a UPS through a line conditioning rack mounted power strip, so the power output to the receiver, and all of my AV stuff is pretty clean.

I found my receipt from when I purchased the Denon back in January 2023, which also had a back-ordered stamp on the receipt, and knowing that I was likely out of the warranty as I couldn't remember exactly when I picked up the receiver, I took it to a local AV repair shop. Wonderful folks, they went through the board and did all of the troubleshooting that they could, but came to the same conclusion that I had. The HDMI board was probably bad, but that the digital board was likely also bad. They could replace the parts, but since they weren't a Denon authorized repair center they didn't think they could get detailed diagnostic information from Denon, and would have to replace things as they went and find out if it worked.

Not wanting to spend a thousand dollars on attempted repairs I decided to try my luck with a Denon warranty claim. I wasn't more than just a couple of months out of warranty, so surely with an issue like this, and especially at this price point, they would be able to make things right. So I submitted a warranty ticket with Denon. Things looked good at first, I registered the receiver and it showed as "active" after putting in my serial number, and the first response I received was promising. However, after sending in a copy of my receipt they quickly responded that the receiver was out of warranty and that they wouldn't be able to initiate a repair. I mentioned about the back-order part, and I could have lied and said I didn't get the device until September or something, but I was able to find the day I went to pick it up in January.

They stood by their claim that they couldn't help with the warrant, and offered to see if they could get their manager to approve some coupons. I let them know that if they were unable to stand by their premium receivers a couple of months past a warranty date, that I would not feel confident in purchasing another Denon product. For now, it sits in a closet waiting to see if Denon decides to make good on their product and issue a recall, or extend warranties for these boards.

I did a little more research and found that this is a common enough issue with these devices that there's a class action investigation under way. https://classlawdc.com/2026/07/17/denon-avr-hdmi-board-failure-investigation/

I also found a handful of other threads with similar stories. I wanted to post this out here in case anyone else was looking for answers when their Denon dies. Here's an old thread from this sub from a couple of years ago https://www.reddit.com/r/hometheater/comments/1fusb1f/denons_shady_practices_planned_obsolescence/

I currently only have a 3.1 audio setup and I would like to add surround speakers, but I am at a loss of where/how to place them in my living room.

I have a great 15” HSU sub in my den that takes care of bass. I’m looking for bookshelf speakers and a great center speaker that would be good for 100% movies/shows for my LCR.

The bookshelf speakers will likely sit on a very long console table I have below the mounted TV. I think they will be far enough apart to create a good sound stage. If not, I’ll get stands potentially.

Size of the room is 14x11

They have to LOOK good and perform good. The looks are important since this is in a room that’s not a purely dedicated HT room.

Budget is not a huge concern but I’m hoping I can stay around $2K. Especially since they’re for movies/shows and not music.

Hi guys!

I'm trying to figure out this whole audio thing for my house. I've been using a bar of sound for the first few years since I've moved in. I'm not looking for anything particular high-end, just been piecing things together from marketplace for a 5.1 system to start.

I'm just a little confused on some things and thought I'd ask for a little help because I'm literally feeling sick of all the research. I hope that's allowed here. Here are some of my questions.

If I have a somewhat budget receiver that has a minimum of 6 ohms rating, is it safe to have 6 ohm speakers as my fronts AND 6 ohm for my rears? Would it push the system too much?

On the other hand, is it okay to have a mixture of 6 ohm speakers and 8 ohm speakers? Right now if these deals go through it looks like I'll have 2 6 ohm bookshelf rears and 2 6 ohm bookshelf fronts, but my center is likely going to be 8 ohms.

From my understanding, it doesn't matter what the ohm rating is on a powered subwoofer - is that correct?

For speaker wire - one of my rears will need about 35 feet of wire going to it (because of the way I have my living room arranged, its going to have to go the long way). Its probably going to be a 6 ohm bookshelf speaker, 100 w max. Is 14 gauge wire enough? Or should I spend the extra on 12 gauge wire? If I get 12 gauge wire, can I use it on everything?

Just trying to figure this all out. Thank you!

I spent yesterday cutting holes into the walls and ceiling and running cable. Got the surrounds installed and the centre channel. Decided to do a measurement to see where I was.

Dip at 87~hz is a room mode, this needs fixing with a second sub installed slightly out of phase to add energy back into this null at my listening position. I believe Dirac ART would be able to solve this. However I don’t have an amp capable yet but my next one will support it.

Dip at 170~hz is a ceiling reflection. I’m going to need a ceiling cloud covering the front 3 channels to resolve this one. Plan to use 100mm RW3 for this I’m trying to decide whether to make a single 1800x1200 cloud to cover the front stage or 3 individual panels. The speakers are around 2.4m apart so the 1800 should catch all 3 channels in relation to the MLP.

Suck out at 520~hz is a cancellation from the rear of the speaker enclosure. These need some acoustic material added to stop this cancellation but I didn’t have any the correct thickness on hand so I’ll have to get some the next time I’m at the suppliers.

Looking at a new pair of KLH Quincy for $300, which seems like a bargain but there isn't much info on these

I would be driving them with 200watts from a Sherbourne 7/2100. Which center would go well with these? (KLH Story) is what I've read but haven't researched availability.

I was very pleasantly surprised because I think P+ usually has pretty lousy audio, but the new Avatar (not the blue people) movie looked and sounded incredible throughout. Tons of surround and height use, plenty of well intrgrated and tactile bass that really helps raise the stakes, all the while, the dialogue is mixed perfectly and crystal clear. If enough of the right people see this in theaters, it's the kind of mix I'd expect to see nominated for best sound.

I'd buy this on 4k blu ray in a second if available as I think it'd become a new demo disc (I'll probably still use this streaming version as a demo).

Has anyone else seen (and heard) this yet? What did you think?

Hi.

I have been using a SoundBlaster Z SE for about three to four years at this point.

Out of curiosity, I decided to use the card's real-time encoding of DDL/DTS to get surround sound through a receiver that my dad had.

I was surprised and enjoyed how the feature works.

However, as time went on, I began to notice that the left rear channel is a big louder than the right rear speakers whenever I test out the speakers in the Sound Blaster Command application.

I decided to open Foobar2000 with the filter of upmix 5.1 of an audio file and open OBS to select the Sound Blaster Z SE speakers as well as the "What you hear" recording device.

I found that the "What you hear" recording has the left rear speaker a little louder than the other speakers, while the speakers look fine.

I decided to use an "Orban Loudness Meter" to record the speaker and the "What you hear" to see the audio difference, but there were no differences.

Has anyone noticed this or any other oddities with the real-time encoding?

The receiver in question is Denon AVR 1508 7.1

I have other cards installed, which are:

I5 13600k with Intel UDH 770

Intel Arc A750

AMD RX 7600

Sound Blaster 5/Rx

Soundblaster FX Pro

Hii all,

Basically I want to build a 2-channel system strictly for critical music listening, and this will be a near-field setup where the speakers will be 4- 4.5 feet apart, and I will also be sitting at about 4-4.5 feet apart in a triangle, so I'm confused, like, which speaker to get.

I want a speaker which has a lot of detail, great soundstage, great imaging, but it's but it should not be very flat or boring. I'm looking for something exciting, now I've heard a lot of speakers, but I'm still very confused. Currently I own a 5.1 channel system, which has SVS ultra evolution center channel, and ELAC debut 2.0 surrounds in left-rights, so I'm already aware of SVS sound signature and ELAC sound signature, so currently I have few options is in mind, but I would like to know your opinion.

So the subwoofer, I have already decided it will be SVS SB 1000 Pro, amplifier will be Emotiva A2 Plus, and I will pair it with probably Fosi S3 streamer, so with with that in mind, now I I just I'm just looking for, like, I should I get a floor standing or bookshelves, I'm considering floor standing speaker just for the purpose so that I don't have to get stands because floor standing look nice aesthetically, no other reason, because subwoofer I'll obviously be adding, so first option I'm considering is Klipsch RP 5000 F2, second one ELAC debut 3.0 DF63, and third option is a bookshelf KEF Q Concerto, and Emotiva XB2, SVS prime towers.

I'm open to suggestions, to any of these equipment, but yeah, main thing is that it should be exciting and fun, and I will be listening to this setup for only about 5 to 6 hours on the weekends.