scooter99 Posted December 1, 2015 Report Share Posted December 1, 2015 Ok guys, I've been thinking about this for a long time, and never really sat down to design it, but after this last weekend, I think I want to start getting serious about it. I don't have a huge room, but it's decent enough sized. My actual living room is about 15 x 20, and I have another room opened to it which is where my computer and electronic (soldering etc) station is at, and when I do work in the house at home I sit there and watch the tv. So that room would make it about 15 x 45-50 off the to of my head. I currently have a Samsung 60" Plasma Smart 3D TV, I have Directv, and I recently purchased a new Samsung blueray dvd player. We have all sound going through a Sony A/V Receiver with sound bar and sub. It's ok, does the job, but I want more. Currently, the Directv box and dvd player are ran into the Sony unit via HDMI only. Then the video signal is ran via HDMI from the Sony unit. To get sound from the TV when it's on Smart TV we use optical toslink from the tv to the Sony unit. We use the Smart TV A LOT for Netflix and movie watching, and Pandora on the weekends when cleaning etc, Now, I've been doing a little bit of thinking and looking at my room and what's available. I don't know that surround is really an option considering the way my room is set up. I'll see if I can get a picture tonight when I get home so you all can see what I'm working with. So this is what I'm thinking of: 2 Large Towers in each corner of the room. I was looking at a couple of designs but what I'm thinking about is a 3 way type design using multiple drivers plus a sub. Or a 3 way using a sub. I was thinking multiple 3.5" or 4" full range drivers, just not sure how many. A couple of 6.5" mid ranges. A pair of 8" subs. 1 Center Module (don't know what to call it). I think with this maybe a pair of 3.5" full range drivers with a single tweeter or a pair of tweeters. As far as how to make it all work, I don't know. I don't want a receiver with a bunch of bells and whistles. I'd like something that I can control sound with. I don't think I even need the HDMI in's and outs. With the minimal components that I have I can run all of the HDMI's to my tv and control the inputs with my universal remote. All sound could go through some kind of receiver via optical toslink from each unit, or just a single optical toslink from the tv since all components would go directly through the tv anyway. As far as amplifiers go, I'm not sure on that one either. I was contemplating going with some Sure Electronic amplifiers. I just have to figure out how to make it all work. I was looking at all Dayton drivers. I think that's all I have for now. I'd love to hear from some of you home theater guru's. This is a little out of my realm. I'm sure this would be a project that would take a pretty good amount of time to complete. I don't have much money to do it all at once, but I'd like to have a plan to know what I'm getting and where to start. Thanks! Facebook Page: S99Creations 2006 F250 Lariat Build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainStryke Posted December 1, 2015 Report Share Posted December 1, 2015 Sounds like a fun project. Are you going to build the tower? I was up at Target and they had a display with a few soundbars, Sony was one of them... and then there was a Vizio soundbar with sub. Man... The Vizio blew away the Sony soundbar, like... The Sony one sounded like a damn alarm clock compared to the Vizio and it was 169 dollars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooter99 Posted December 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2015 Yes I would build the towers. I saw a couple of designs I liked online in my searching. I think this project is going to be crazy. Designing the towers, enclosure spacing, etc. I'm just trying to get some starting points right now. Facebook Page: S99Creations 2006 F250 Lariat Build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmizzle99 Posted December 1, 2015 Report Share Posted December 1, 2015 I used to spend mad coin on HT...I have a $2400 EAD Encore preamp processor collecting dust. I'm use an Onkyo receiver now with Paradigm speakers. Onkyo sounds good. I love Marantz though, I miss the sound of the amps. I've noticed that some TVs won't pass Digital soundtracks out over the optical (my Samsung Smart TV for one) so be sure yours can if you use the TV to switch video. Camaro SS Build Altima build 2.0 Altima build 1.0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainStryke Posted December 1, 2015 Report Share Posted December 1, 2015 Box design looks fun, i've always wanted to build my own tower and slap some nice speakers in it... I've always wondered about this kind of thing but never really researched it. The one thing that looks like a challenge is wiring all of the speakers to a single terminal on each tower and not going below the nominal impedance of your receiver. Are you thinking about messing with passive radiators? I've done some research off a few of these sites: http://speakerplans.com/index.php?id=faq1 http://www.bcae1.com/spboxnew2.htm http://www.diyaudioandvideo.com/Guide/BuildSpeakerBox/ I built my last sub box based off of the info on those sites and it came out really well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triticum Agricolam Posted December 1, 2015 Report Share Posted December 1, 2015 I've dabbled in home audio quite a bit. Here are some things to think about. 1. A 2.1 channel system can work really well. I've built several of them and its what I current use in my home. Center channel speakers are of somewhat contested benefit. From what I've found, whether or not you would benefit from a center channel depends on the layout of your room. If your listening positions are pretty well centered in front of your speakers, you probably don't need a center channel, but if you have listening positions off to the sides, this when when center channels can help, especially with making the dialog clear. 2. If you are going to have a sub, you really don't need a 3-way system. 3-way systems are significantly more complex and expensive than a 2-way systems and once you add a sub in the mix you really aren't gaining anything by using a 3-way system. The vast majority of home theater systems I know of use 2-ways and a sub. 3. I strongly suggest you build a proven design. Designing the crossover for a multi-way speaker is as much art as it is science. I know I sure as hell don't have the knowledge to do it, but I know enough to understand how difficult it is and how much experience it takes to do it well. Also, there are LOTS of really good designs out there to choose from, so there really is no reason to reinvent the wheel. Here are some of my favorite designers: - Paul Carmody - https://sites.google.com/site/undefinition/diy I've built several of Paul's designs and I have been very happy with all of them. His Swope design is specifically designed for home theater use. - Curt Campbell - http://speakerdesignworks.com/index_page_2.html I've only build one of Curt's designs, but it turned out fantastic and I know he is very well respected within the DIY community - DIY Sound Group - http://www.diysoundgroup.com/ Eric sells DIY speaker kits that are very well respected for their performance. He has kits from the modest end of the spectrum all the way up to some very high performance stuff. 4. When it comes to home theater subs, this is the place for all the info: http://www.avsforum.com/forum/155-diy-speakers-subs/ "Nothing prevents people from knowing the truth more than the belief they already know it.""Making bass is easy, making music is the hard part."Builds: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooter99 Posted December 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2015 Thanks for the info and links guys. I really really appreciate it. I'll take a look at the links when I get a moment today. Thank you Triticum, I was originally thinking surround, but really I don't see that as being a viable option for me. SO I think a two way may be the best way to go. I had just always heard, from what I've read anyway, that the center speaker was the most important piece because it centers the sound with the screen and really makes the combination more realistic. But I hear what you're saying. I saw a design out there, I'll have to find it again, that had several little speakers and then it may have had a single sub on the bottom, on the side I think, but it was slightly curved. I think, if I recall correctly, he said he built it that way to spread the sound in more of an all over filling of the room. I don't know. I just know that the design was really nice and sleek. I also saw where a guy was using floor to ceiling towers and they had like 24 3.5" full range speakers in them. I think they were Daytons. I'll have to find that too. He built them in a corner shape, like a diamond where the point goes into the corner and the flat top of the diamond was facing the room with the speakers in them. There's a whole write up on it and the experiment of it and how being in a corner eliminates reflections and all kinds of stuff. I think he used something similar to these: Dayton Audio ND91-4 but again, I'll have to find the article. I wouldn't mind doing something like that, but I'm not sure my wife would like to have floor to ceiling towers in our house. We have vaulted ceilings anyway, so I'll just say 8' tall towers. Again, thanks guys. I'll take a look at some of the links you've provided and see what's up. Facebook Page: S99Creations 2006 F250 Lariat Build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooter99 Posted December 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2015 I used to spend mad coin on HT...I have a $2400 EAD Encore preamp processor collecting dust. I'm use an Onkyo receiver now with Paradigm speakers. Onkyo sounds good. I love Marantz though, I miss the sound of the amps. I've noticed that some TVs won't pass Digital soundtracks out over the optical (my Samsung Smart TV for one) so be sure yours can if you use the TV to switch video. What do you mean by this? Can you clarify for me please? Facebook Page: S99Creations 2006 F250 Lariat Build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooter99 Posted December 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2015 Here's the link to the corner one. https://trueaudio.com/array/ Facebook Page: S99Creations 2006 F250 Lariat Build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triticum Agricolam Posted December 1, 2015 Report Share Posted December 1, 2015 Here's the link to the corner one. https://trueaudio.com/array/ Yup, that's a typical line array. I'm not sure if I buy into all the benefits of putting them in corner like that or not though. Lots of people use line arrays with more standard room placement. That style of speaker certainly has its advantages, and disadvantages. The biggest disadvantage is that guy has a small fortune in all those Dayton ND90's! Line arrays can work very well. BigSausagePizza just built some, you should take a look at his thread: http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/201915-bfm-home-theater-build-line-array-mains-and-20hz-folded-horn-sub-lots-of-pics/ These are the design he built: http://www.billfitzmaurice.com/TLAH.html I'm actually about to start on a pair myself in a couple weeks. "Nothing prevents people from knowing the truth more than the belief they already know it.""Making bass is easy, making music is the hard part."Builds: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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