Behind the Scenes of Home Audio 3.0

Instead of cluttering up the last post on Home Audio 3.0 with how I built that system, I figured it would be a better strategy to do a separate piece. 

Everyone wants nice equipment, but nobody wants to go and shell out thousands of dollars all at once for it. And you guys know that I've always been a proponent of buying nice used gear and slowly piecing it together over time. In fact, over the course of the last 10+ years of me writing this blog, I've detailed how my own system (v1 to v3) has been built. It's also evident that I don't replace gear all at once, and this version change is no exception.

One continuity are the speakers. I've been using my Bowers and Wilkins DM603/S3, along with LCR600/S3, ASW675 Sub and rears for some time. So there was no money spent on those. That alone is close to half the cost of a system.

Neither did I spend any money on the main amp, a Rotel RB-976. Would I have loved to have replaced it with the amazing RMB-1095 which somebody is selling on Craigslist? You bet, but there's not that much real difference between 150 watts and 200 watts per channel my system.

No money was spent on audio cables of any sort, whether digital, analog, or speaker. That in and of itself is a hidden cost that most people forget. So yes; major changes were made but it's not as simple as going out and buying new gear. 

I can't emphasize enough that it's critical to buy (or trade for) good equipment so it'll last! While on the podium, I'm going to hammer on another point: be patient and use all your resources to search out the good equipment. 

Sure, my experience/knowledge comes in part from working in the industry, but I got that job because I knew things to start with! The information is out there, you just have to expend the time to find it and figure out what works for you. With that out of the way. Here's what I did to create the Version 3.0 system:

• Rotel RP-855 Turntable- I came across this turntable on eBay and noticed that it was a local (Dallas/Ft. Worth) seller. The price was already a decent $200, but he had a "Offer" tag, so I offered him $150. Turntables are notoriously difficult to ship, and most people no longer have the original packing materials. The guy took it and I didn't have to worry about it breaking during transport.
• Rotel RSX-1057 HT Receiver- Another eBay offering with a local seller. High-end receiver/amps are VERY expensive to ship because they are so big and heavy.  The guy wanted $140 and had shipping at $50 (which isn't out of line) for this item. However, the analog jacks for the CD input were bad (I generally use direct digital input for CDs). I offered the guy $100 and he took it. Again, no shipping or damage and I got it pretty WAY cheap for what it is.
• Rotel RDV-1040 DVD Player- Local Craigslist but the seller was in Denton (some distance north of Dallas) for $100. Missing the remote. I offered $75 and they took it. I had to go up there and get it, but it sounds awesome.
• Sum total of $325 for a major upgrade to my system!

What are the Wizard of OZ (behind the curtain) things? Here's a few.

•  When I say, "be patient", that means if it's on eBay now, it'll probably show up again. No need to pay crazy money to ship it. Wait for a local listing so you can just go get it! If the price is too high, let it go.
• Know what you want. I focused on several Rotel models which made it easier to search for and keep track of on eBay because I had done the research and I knew what I wanted and why. What features would help me and what it was going  to sound like married to my system. I already knew that those Rotel pieces would sound great with my speakers. 
• Don't wait and have to do everything at once. When I bought the Rotel amps that are in my system now, I didn't need them. But I knew that they had the ability to bridge into way more powerful amps and in my system of the future, they would be perfect for what I wanted to do.
•  Old equipment to be sold, so I should get some amount of my outlay back. My guess would be almost if not all of it back since I was able to move one of my Rotel amps to running the zone speakers which frees up the QSC commercial amp to be sold. Besides, now it won't sound like a Cessna is revving up for take-off every time I use it!
• Figure out what are good modular parts that can function and bought separately where someday in the future they can go well with the upgraded modules (see above). Case in point, the B&W DM603/S3s that I switched to 2-3 years ago. I learned in the past that Bowers & Wilkins speakers are not a match for certain amps. Over 15 years ago, I bought a sub I didn't need, the B&W ASW675. It was way more sub than I needed for the home we were in and the a/d/s/ L1290 mains I was using at that time. But I got a "Salesman Accommodation" price on it and I figured that someday I might have a bigger house and use smaller speakers. Ta-Da! There ya go!

You could say that my version 3.0 system is built on version 1.0 bones.

Home Audio 2.1 Real-World Whole House Audio and Tweaking

I can't help it..... I'm a tweaker. I can't leave things alone. In the last Blog-Post on Home Audio, I talked about finally getting out my other Griffin TuneDock from the closet and putting it to use in the downstairs system that's hooked up to the 5 pairs of in-ceiling speakers. Don't get me wrong, it was great! I've used it a lot and other people have been suitably impressed by the set-up. Then, my over-active thought processes got started and I decided that in the main system upstairs, I didn't like having to turn on the monitor just to use the iPod. I wanted something simpler that just connected the iPod directly to the system AND that it would be even better if that dock worked directly with my Onkyo/Integra equipment. ...... which then started a drawn out search for just the right one. Apparently, Onkyo made a number of them and the majority weren't simple. They were elaborate affairs that were often designed to work through Onkyo's own multi-zone systems. 

However; my labors eventually bore fruit in the form of the DS-A2X iPod Dock. All it does is to connect to the iPod, take it's signal and send it as a simple line-level source to a receiver..... any receiver. You don't have to connect it to a monitor to see it's menu. It has no menu. You just interact directly with the iPod or use the supplied remote to do the same thing. Given that the main system upstairs rarely, if ever will be used to distribute audio, I didn't need it's functions to be routed through a 48" TV! 

Then, that simplicity hit me. I didn't need my home audio to be more powerful and feature-ladened.... I wanted it to be simple and to only do what it needed to, not everything possible!

Although, most people (men pretty much) dream of having this in their house, experience and fiscal reality have gotten me to the point where I have a better grasp of needs vs. wants. My reality is this: 

• I have 9 zones of audio that are equipped with speakers. 
• Two of those zones are actually set up for discreet home theaters with preexisting speakers. Therefore, those 2 can be eliminated as they are run by the home theater systems in that location.
• Of the 7 other zones, 5 are located in what could be considered "public space", meaning areas of the house where non-family would typically wander when a gathering occurs.
• All of these above 5 zones are downstairs and wired to the same location which is the downstairs living room. 
• The two upstairs zones are: the Master Bedroom and Master Bathroom and they are wired to the upstairs Game Room/Home Theater. 

So, what can I conclude from all this?

An earlier form of me would have come up with some version of this solution.....

 Requiring something akin to this equipment.....

However, the more grown up me came up with something different:

• I really had 2 zones..... not 9.
• An upstair, largely for family movie watching.
• And a downstairs, that can serve as a home theater, but often a space where guest will typically congregate when we have people over. 
• It would be nice if the 2 talked to each other (actually, only the bottom to the top), but it really wasn't necessary.
• The 2 peripheral zones upstairs only come into play really when the family is using it as a home theater (eg. run to the bathroom during a movie), so the functionality of them ever needing to interact with the system downstairs is virtually zero.

So, here is what has come into being as our whole house A/V system:

• Downstairs- A simple surround system based off of an inexpensive Onkyo TX-SR303 receiver that serves that purpose. The "living room" areas that it resides in have the B&W LM-1 speakers mounted on the walls and a B&W ASW-300 sub.  It also serves as a source selector for all the 5 other zones downstairs as well. Each of these zones are run through the Niles RSL-6 speakers selector and QSC GX-3 amp that I discussed in the last post.
• Upstairs- This is the home of our main home theater which is run by an Integra DTR-6.3 receiver powering KEF "Uni-Q" main & center channel speakers and another set of B&W LM-1s in the surround channels, plus a B&W ASW-675 sub. Through the tape-loop (just like downstairs), the receiver sends a line-level signal to an old Sony STR-AV770 which powers the 2 remaining zones. As you can imagine, it probably won't be powered on much and if that receiver hadn't cost $25, I probably wouldn't bother with it at all!

Does this mean that I'm done!?! No more audio in this Blog space? Oh, there'll be a few things I'm sure. Just of the top of my head, I can see myself examining adding another sub in the main system to even out the bass up there. I might even go with a set of separates in it as well since I have a partially working Rotel RSP-1098 Pre-amp processor and a Rotel RB-976 Amp out in the garage. Plus I've always kind of seen the Dual 510 turntable as a temporary solution for my vinyl needs. So, you see, there are potentially some so big changes, but I wouldn't say any of it is eminent. These days, I'm just happily enjoying our fully working whole-house audio system as it is!

Home Audio 2.0

 

Most people would be pretty happy with these two pieces of home audio/theater equipment. I should know: I used to sell them back in a previous life. OK, let's rewind. Twelve-thirteen years ago, before we moved to the Metro-plex (Dallas/Ft. Worth) and started (for my wife), restarted (for me) our teaching careers..... we lived in Lubbock. I worked in IT, and as almost a hobby, I also worked part time in a home audio/theater store there. I loved it! Every other weekend and a couple of nights a week, I got to talk audio with people and they even paid me! A couple of the brands (among others) we sold, were Denon and B&W (Bowers and Wilkins). The Denon AVR-3802 was near the top of their line and an excellent piece. The B&W ASW 600 was a mid-line piece, but a great deal for the money.

Fast forward a decade + and you might remember; last summer, this happened! We moved to another house. Well, along with it came 2 sets, not pieces of equipment...... 2 Denon AVR-3802s, 2 ASW 600s, 2 sets (5 per) B&W LM1 Satellite speakers mounted in 2 living spaces........ and 7 sets of in-ceiling speakers! The subs and receivers were just piled in a closet. My suspicion was that they and/or the ceiling speakers had not been used for some time. The models were current when I was selling it more than 10 years before, so it was probably bought when the house was built in 2003 by the original owner. We'll just say that the 2nd owner from whom we bought the house didn't didn't strike me as the type of people who would have cared about whole home audio.

I, like most people should have been pretty darned pleased, right? Yes and No. Yes, these were excellent pieces of equipment, but I didn't need them! I already had 2 home theater receivers that I was already happy with and not planning on replacing. They have pretty much the same capabilities and built to the same standard. ..... But what about driving those 7 pairs of ceiling speakers? Well, that's not really a job for a receiver, .... any receiver. I'm not going to get into impedance and load here, but lets just go with the simple explanation that driving more than 2 pairs of speakers is not a really good idea. Driving four or more pairs from the same amp will kill an amp in short order. It may not be today, or even next month, but it's coming! To do this, what's needed is a beefy "stand-alone" amp and an impedance matching speaker selector with protection circuitry. So, over the course of the last month, I sold both receivers and both subs. Why would I sell 2 perfectly good B&W subs!?!

To buy something smaller of course! Back when I was selling them, I loved B&W subs and sold lots of them.... but I tended to not sell as many of the ASW600s. ??? Something the matter with that model? B&W as a brand is a fraud? Ah..... No. Let me diverge and go on a little sub theory according to the Frugal Propellerhead. Unlike many (probably most) people, I don't like more bass, I like bass just fine, but I want it to be fast!!! 

Most of you are aware that sound is made up of waves. The lower the tone, the bigger the wave. So bass waves are the largest, some are huge, as in many feet between the peaks. Therefore, it takes a lot to move the air to create (or recreate) them. So, the bigger the cone, the better chance it has to make that wave. Doesn't that mean, we should all buy 15"/18" coned subs? Good luck with your wife on that one! Remember; it's not just the speaker itself, you'll also need a heck of an enclosure to acoustically match that driver! So, we're all screwed, right? Again, Yes and No. There is another way (actually there are others as well) to move the air, and that's with a smaller cone, but it needs to piston (this is called excursion) in and out more. That's not easy though: in order to do this well, the driver has to be extremely stiff and the amp has to be VERY powerful to control all the movement. Here's the issue. The ASW600 is the smallest and least powerful of all B&W 10" subs from it's generation (150w). My ASW675 which is used in my main HT system, is from the same line, but has a Kevlar/aluminum composite cone AND a 500w amp..... along with a sealed-box "acoustical suspension design. The next model down was the ASW300 with a smaller 8" driver, but an amp almost as powerful at 100w. You might be thinking here that 150 is 50% more powerful than 100. The calculation of audio power isn't linear. To create a descernable difference to human ear, you have to up volume by 3db..... which require double the power from the amp! An 8" driver is significantly smaller and easier to drive for an amp than a 10". The other half is in the listening. To my ear, the ASW300 was much more musical than the ASW600, it's notes reproduced faster and just hit much cleaner. My preference is less, but faster and more musical. So, I sold the 2 ASW600s at $150 apiece and bought an ASW300 at $100 (after shipping). Plus, I sold the 2 Denon receivers at $75 each so, I cleared $350 profit from equipment I didn't need, plus ended up with a sub, I liked better.

But what about the "whole house" audio part with 7 pairs of in-ceiling speakers? I screwed up...

I bought a pair of these things.... Niles HDL-6 speakers selectors. As the model number might indicate, they will handle 6 pairs of speakers each. Problem solved, right? I even got a great deal for them ($50 for the pair)..... ??? See those white things on top of the selector? Yeah, those are the speaker wire connectors and mine didn't come with them. No problem, right..... $6-8 each  on eBay...... I need 14!!! That's more than the price of the box itself! On top of that, when I did finally figure out the original manufacturer of them (Weco), ordered 14 at $1.50 ea, the "pin" size was wrong. It appears that Niles used a special size which is half a millimeter smaller than standard!

Then, lightning struck.... twice..... in a good way! I found a Niles RSL-6, remote controllable 6-pair speaker selector on Craigs List for $30 which I talked the seller down to $25 and has spring bindings for the speaker wire. That's almost $20 less than the cost of buying the connectors alone! 

 

On the same day, I was asking my friend Pat (who still works in the home audio business) what I amp I should target to drive those speakers. His answer was, "I've got something here. I'll send it to you".... that was it. I figured that he was probably busy with an install so I let it go with a "?" as reply. The next day, I found out that he had been given a QSC GX-3 amp for some work he'd done for someone, and that it was on it's way via FEDEX to my house! Apparently, it was sitting around his garage and he didn't want to hassle with selling it, so decided ship it to me. I texted him at the right time! What is it? It's an industrial amp that people use to set up professional sound equipment for performances. If you go into any decent sized pawn shop, you'll find several in the DJ equipment area. This one is rated at 300w X 2 channels.... perfect for driving the 5 pair of in-ceiling speakers downstairs through the selector. Upstairs?

Quite some time ago, I picked up an old Sony "AV" receiver. It's old enough so that the surround sound doesn't even have a center-channel. Yeah; pre Pro-Logic! But it's not considered vintage, so the new age posers who are into retro aren't interested. I was the only bidder on eBay at $25. What about shipping? He was local, so I picked it up from him at the cost of about 2 bucks in gas. It's going to run the 2 speaker zones upstairs through it's own terminals. 

There is one last thing to add to this already too long post. I was finally able to break out my other Griffin TuneCenter iPod dock as well. I've had one in my main system upstairs for several years.

They not only allow the user to run their iPod through your main AV system, but they set up to interact through a graphic interface on a monitor. I picked them up years ago for about $15 each, when Griffin was getting rid of the old iPod 30-pin interface devices when people moved to iPhones with the Lightning connector. Now, I have the ability to run all our music through these devices through the 2 main systems, and by this afternoon..... all over the house, plus porch!