I bought my M60/VP150/QS8 setup with an SVS 20-39PCi one year ago and have loved every minute. I've had an SACD player for about 6 months that I've been loving and have recently begun to buy DVD-Audio discs (even though I could only play the DD or DTS tracks). I've been using a 32" analog TV all this time. I decided it was time to upgrade a few things.

The Denon DVD-2900 has arrived. The Mitsubishi WT-42311 HDTV will be delivered tomorrow and Bright House Networks (formerly Time Warner) will be here Friday to drop of the hi-def cable box. I think it's going to be a fun weekend...

I'll post pictures of the completed setup within the next week.

David

I spent the morning yesterday adding the Denon DVD-2900 to the rack and rewiring everything. The TV was delivered at noon, so I spent the rest of the day calibrating the Denon and Mitsubishi. The hi-def box was installed this morning. Everything looks and sounds incredible.

I also purchased a set of component cables from Blue Jeans Cable. They are well worth the price IMO. I can't say how much of a difference they make since I just added the Denon and Mitsubishi, but I don't think you could go wrong since they cost about the same as something from Radio Shack or Best Buy.

I'll post pictures this weekend and give a more indepth impression of the new equipment after I've had time to play.

David

Sounds like you're going to have one SWEET setup! Once I've finished my speaker purchases, and get a new TV, I'll be seriously considering that Denon 2900. Hopefully though by then Rotel will have come out with a uni-player. I'd love to be able to keep as much of my gear Rotel as possible. Why oh why did they make their latest DVD player DVD-A only? No SACD? Grrrr....

I feel your pain, spiff. I'm running a Denon DVD-3800. DVD-A only makes me want to cry.

On a high note, my copy of Carmina Burma in DVD-A finally shipped!

My heart bleeds purple puss for you. Try just plain vanilla CDs. :-)

I finally have a little time for a quick update. The Mitsubishi 42" widescreen HDTV was delivered last Thursday and the hi-def cable box was set up last Friday. I spent the day Thursday calibrating the Denon DVD-2900 and DVD input of the Mitsubishi. I dropped the contrast and brightness on the TV immediately, did a quick convergence and then used Avia to calibrate. I've also done a 64-point convergence and re-calibrated since then (thanks again Mike!). I am VERY impressed with everything. The progressive scan DVD image using the Blue Jeans component cables is incredible. I'm seeing deatils in movies that I've never noticed before. As great as the DVD images are, hi-def images are even better. The images on Discovery HD are incredible! SACD through the Denon is a least as good as the Sony 222ES I was using, but redbook CD performance is noticably better to me. This is also my first DVD-Audio player, so I'm finally hearing the hi-res layer on the discs I own and can tell the improvement over the DD or DTS that I was listening to before. Before anyone asks why I bought a 42" instead of a larger RPTV or projector, it was because:

1. My fiance wanted to keep the gorgeous entertainment center that she had built and I want to keep her
2. I can't control light in the great room.
3. We only sit 6-7 feet away. Anything bigger would have been like sitting in the front at a movie theater.

I'll add some more comments later. I'm still learning how to use the digital camera and take decent pictures, but here are a few for now:

The old setup with 32" TV.

The entertainment center doors closed on old setup.

I removed the TV stand and doors from the entertainment center to accomodate the TV. You can see the Axiom M60ti fronts and VP150 center with the Mitsubishi in the new setup.

I'll be adding acoustic sound dampening material to the center channel box and building a false front that will be covered with speaker grill cloth. It will cover all but the Mitsubishi screen.

Here's the Axiom QS8 left surround

Here's the Axiom QS8 right surround

The SVS 20-39PCi is in the corner behind the silk tree!

The Pioneer Laserdisc Player, Onkyo TX-DS696 Receiver and Denon DVD-2900 with hi-def cable box
Components.

The DVD Racks.

Here is where the DVD goes while we're watching a movie.

Since the racks were getting full, I moved the animation DVDs (below is the 400 disc CD changer.)

We have some Indiana Jones decorations (hat, whip and framed laser discs) with a movie clapboard on top of the right side of the entertainment center.

We have some instruments (saxaphone, flute, violin and trumpet) on the top left of the entertainment center.

Here are a couple of screen images from the sweet spot of the Superbit version of Legends Of The Fall:

Pic 1
Pic 2

David

I'd be dying to test the SVS limits. Something tells me that purple thing on the glass table could/would rattle with the right movie!! Nice pics...

We move the table when watching movies, but the SVS does indeed rattle things. I gave a demo to a friend that likes it loud and the SVS shook a couple of bottles of potpourri off the kitchen plant shelf!

Nice set up Dave. I have a question for ya. How did you run your wires to your QS8's? I didn't see them in the pictures so I figured they must be in the wall. If so, did you run the wires before or after the wall construction? I am trying to put my surrounds on the wall but I have to find a good way to do it that will pass the WAF.

J

Thanks jcole! The speaker wire is in the wall. I have a friend in the carpet business that helped me. Here's what was done:

- pulled back the carpet, ran the wire under the carpet
- restretched the carpet
- pulled off the base boards
- cut a hole in the wall behind the baseboards
- cut a hole in the wall at speaker height
- used a "fish tape" to pull the speaker wire through the wall
- ran speaker wire on top of plant shelf for left surround
- hung right surround speaker over hole
- put the baseboards back to cover holes
- patched drywall over plant shelf

It sounds complicated, but it was really pretty easy. You could even contact a local carpet company to restretch the carpet. They should do it for a nominal cost. You can buy a "fish tape" at your local home improvement store (Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.)

David

Nice setup! I couldn't tell from the pic, but do you have your VP150 tilted down at all? It seems waaaaay up there.

Yes, the VP150 is angled down using rubber door stops. It also hangs over the front of the shelf. I've done as much as I can to reduce the effect the entertainment center has on the sound, but placing the acoustic material around the VP150 should make a difference too.

Damn!!! I should've used David's method for in-wall wiring for the final vertical run to my QS8s. It sounds fairly easy... I used the Cordmate II on-wall raceways. It is nice and all (with the horizontal runs virtually invisible), but the vertical part in the middle of the back wall is so painfully visible. And I don't think I can peal off the laceways without damaging the drywall finish.

If it's anything like my walls, the running wire part through the walls is not as easy as it sounds....a little something called insulation kept getting in the way, even with the fish tape.

I do like the SVS placement though...the plant does a good job of hiding it.

Nice looking setup there Davehead! I too was concerned about having a center channel way up there. I will be purchasing an Axiom system in the next couple weeks, and was concerned about having a center channel speaker way up there. I have an entertainment center similar to yours, where I have to put the center channel speaker about 7 foot in the air...Here's a pic of my entertainment center:

http://home.comcast.net/~david.eversole/ent.jpg

I was planning on sticking a VP150 where the DVDs are located. Does it sound ok way up there?

Thanks!

It'll sound fine as long as you angle it down towards the listening positions.

Cannibal,

JBZNGOWEST is correct. It will sound fine if you angle it down toward your listening position. A couple of inxpensive rubber door stops work really well for this. You can play around with the positioning to get the optimum angle and sound. Mine sounds great!

David

Sweet! Thanks guys!