Your theater is beautiful. Love the 9.2 setup! The screen looks like it's mounted pretty high up, is your couch on a riser? I'm actually thinking about putting my couch on a riser for multiple rowed seating (instead of offset). How do you like using an M80 as a center channel?
Yes the screen is up high and at first I was going to build a riser, may still if I permanently add a second row of seats, (I just temporarily do it by dragging a futon from another room right now). The reclining chaise lounges I bought are huge including height so I ended up not needing a riser to get above the speakers. Also the Panny has a vertical adjustment dial so when watching 2.35:1 movies I can easily dial the image down to the bottom of the screen so it not way up there.
I love the M80 center channel. I’ve been using it for about 3 years now and would never have gone back to the VP150. I prefer the horizontal dispersion of a vertical center and having an exact match for the front 3 speakers. I highly suggest you consider using the M22s as your L/C/R so you can have the same three speakers across the front. As mentioned before when paired with a good subwoofer their virtually indistinguishable from the M8s paired with a good sub. However, for 2ch stereo the M80s win handily.
This is the kit I purchased their “products” page has other variations:
http://www.thebuttkicker.com/home_theater/products/bk_lfe_kit.htmA Buttkicker is a tactile transducer (there are other brands too) that attached directly to your seating or a riser the seating is on. They’re hooked up through an amp to your receiver’s LFE output and deliver LFE directly to your seating. Most if not all transducers will run off any amp powerful enough but by using the provided amp I get some advantageous controls one of which is a low pass filter (crossover) that allows me to control what frequencies going to the Buttkicker. I set mine so that only 40Hz and below go to the Buttkicker giving me the deep rumbling LFE w/o most of the musical bass coming through.
Most people have been using a “Y” splitter to run a Buttkicker off the same output as their subwoofer but since my Onkyo is 9.2 (2 adjustable LFE outs) I can calibrate my Buttkicker separately. The Buttkicker goes from 200Hz down to 5Hz with authority. Nice thing is that it allows me to “feel” the LFE w/o having to run the sub hot causing the higher bass frequencies to be to strong. For others reading this they are great for apartments since the LFE is coming directly to your seat and not through the air to be shared with the adjacent rooms.
I actually got this because a local retailer couldn’t move it off his shelf and gave me a sweat deal but I think that these things are hidden gems for anyone who likes action movies or gaming. For about 400.00 USD a Buttkicker will change the entire dynamic of a HT or as one Amazon reviewer put it:
Value - Was going to put this last, but I think I need to put it first. With A/V home theatre, we're constantly battling with diminishing returns for every $ spent. That extra $100-400 will get you another HDMI connection or 20 watts of power or THX certification. So much money is spent on increasing specs that you can't really differentiate (ehem Monster Cables). This Buttkicker is one of those rare times that $400 will get you a huge (noticeable) impact on your home theatre enjoyment. So forego the extra money spent to grab a higher contrast ratio and get this product today.
OK my Buttkicker ad is done now.
In Canada the Epson and Panasonic are the same price so I would probably buy the Epson strictly based on the epic warranty service they provide. They are both excellent projectors. The new Benq W6000 doesn't seem to have kept pace with the advancements of the Epson/Pannys. The Benq W6000 is a great projector and if you want the DLP look it's still the best option in this price range.
I think the Epsion is a better choice than the Panny for most people. There were a few specific features I preferred the Panny for and with a completely blacked out room the lumen difference becomes less important.
Cheers,
Dean
