Wette Home Theater 2004 - Page 2

RaceTripper · 06-16-2004, 01:09 PM

I've now had a chance to do some limited viewing since I upgraded my Arcam DV88+ to add the Silicon Image deinterlacer. This upgrade offloads deinterlacing from the default Vaddis Zoran 5 chip that's built-in to the new daughter board with the SiI504 chip. It also adds a second set of component outputs: a progressive set driven by the 504 and an interlaced set driven by the Vaddis 5. This also allows simultaneous progressive and interlaced output from the player (not that I need it for anything right now, but could be useful for a seperate connection via my AVR).

Video quality was already great, but the new deinterlacer really makes a nice improvement. I used LOTR:TTT to sample what's in store for me.

So far, the biggest benefit is improved black levels -- it now has better shadow detail, and video has a much more three dimensional look to it. Colors are also more vibrant while remaining natural in tone. Skin colors look better than they ever have. And the video just seems faster somehow - when I watch scenes with lots of action, the detail is better and more consistant.

Overall I'm really pleased with the upgrade and look forward to enjoying some more DVDs with it.

If anyone has a DV88/89 I can recommend this enhancement.

RaceTripper · 08-04-2004, 09:00 PM

I've just updated my description with some minor tweaks here and there (upgraded cables, DVD collection now in DVDProfiler, etc.).

Also I had a really minor mechanical issue with a RCA connector on my Arcam AVR300. No big deal, but Arcam just swapped it out with a new one for me (great customer service, those Arcam folks). So I changed color and got it in black instead. I'll update the pics later.

I'm now thinking more about trading my front and rear towers for 2 pairs of Dynaudio Audience SE bookshelves (like my sides). The fronts would go on stands, the rears on wall mounts. Why? A friend and I recently compared my (front) 72 and (side) 52SE speakers using direct analog stereo playback of CDs. While the Audience 72 have somewhat deeper bass, the smaller Audience 52SE are clearly superior in every other aspect. They sound much better. But I'm not surpised since they use Contour drivers and xover.

But it'll be a while since I have to take care of some other things first (like roof repair, wife's bday/xmas/anniv., etc.).

Dean

chico76 · 08-26-2004, 05:41 AM

DWETTE, I remember you posing pictures of the rest of your house, with the cool vintage posters and stuff. Could you post them again, or show me where I can find them? I'm always looking for movie-themed things to steal for my own place.

RaceTripper · 08-26-2004, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chico76

DWETTE, I remember you posing pictures of the rest of your house, with the cool vintage posters and stuff. Could you post them again, or show me where I can find them? I'm always looking for movie-themed things to steal for my own place.

Look at the 4th post from the top of this thread. There are 2 links to pics of my dining room with the vintage lithos.

There's also an older thread (separate from this one) of the HT at my previous home. It still has pics that show some artwork, etc. That's all I have to show.

RaceTripper · 09-23-2004, 12:25 PM

Well, I've had some big changes...

1) Samsung replaced my HLM617W with a brand new HL-P6163W. This set is really nice and (so far) solved all the problems I was having with video and PQ problems after a W1 rebuild to fix the color wheel and lip-synch issues. The downside is that it has 2, instead of 3, component inputs. I was using all three (DVD progressive, DVD interlaced, SAT), so now I'll put the Sat back on DVI. Overall, I'm very pleased with the new TV.

2) I solved my center speaker positioning problem. I had a custom 20" x 50" black mica shelf build by ShelfShop in NYC. This is mounted right at the top of the TV cabinet on aluminum Rakks brackets attached to the window frame. I also got Dynaudio's center speaker stand. This stand has spikes underneath and provides wedges on top so I can angle the speaker downward 8 deg. The sound improved dramatically. Dialog is much more clear and detailed, and the tonal and spatial balance with the mains is much better. It's as if I upgraded my speaker. I think the Audience center speaker doesn't like to sit on an enclosed shelf under the TV, like I had it before.

3) DirecTV replaced my aging and problematic SIR-TS160 STB with a brand new SIR-TS360. This STB seems much better than before and doesn't seem to have the problems with DVI that the 160 had, so I'm now using with a DVI connection.

Pictures this weekend...

Iguana Man · 09-23-2004, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwette

Pictures this weekend...

Is it the weekend yet?? Huh, huh?

RaceTripper · 10-01-2004, 02:58 PM

I've now posted new pictures of my system. It shows the new equipment (HL-P6163W DLP, SIR-TS360 STB), and the custom center speaker shelf I built.

The shelf was built using M-rails attached to the window frame, to which I attached 18" aluminum Rakks brackets. I had a custom 20" x 50" x 3/4" black mica shelf made to sit on the brackets. For the center speaker I got the Dynaudio center stand, which has wedges to provide downward angle (choice of 4 deg and 8 deg - currently using 4), and spikes on the bottom to help decouple the speaker from the shelf. It sounds dramatically better than when I had the center sitting in the TV stand. It also looks really nice, keeping the black/silver theme of the TV and equipment.

The TV has a much better picture than the HLM-617W I had previously. DVDs look awesome. My photos do little justice.

Next, I plan to audition Arcam's new HDMI players (Diva DV79, FMJ DV29) to see if I want to upgrade from my DV88+/SiI504.

Dean

RaceTripper · 10-17-2004, 04:18 PM

I did the Arcam DV79 HDMI audition recently. I decided it is not an improvement over my current player. Even though it has HDMI progressive out, it's deinterlacer is not as good as the Silicon Image SiI504 used in my modified DV88+. So I'm going to stand pat on my player, unless I come across a great deal on a b-stock FMJ DV27A (which has the same video section as my player, but much improved audio, plus DVD-A support).

But I found what will be my next upgrade. I spent this weekend auditioning a new Dynaudio sub, the Sub300 (MSRP $1400). Compared to my Sub30A, it's much faster, cleaner, and more detailed & refined. And there is absolutely no hint of boominess whatsoever. It really disppears in the room and enhances the overall soundstage. It also has a nifty remote control with discrete codes for setting phase control (0, 90, 180, 270), level, extended bass (on/off), and crossover (60, 80, 100, Flat), making it much easier to setup. It also has 4 presets you can program, so you can -- for example -- setup a late night mode with ext bass off, or one mode for music and another for movies. The power can be setup to be always on, or for auto on/standby. This is a really great sub. It's a ported design with a long-excursion 10" driver.

My current Sub30A, however, has somewhat deeper response. So I think I will go for the Sub500 (MSRP $1900) to get the best of both worlds: the excellent SQ of the Sub300 and the deeper bass of the Sub30A (the Sub500 actually goes deeper, to 18Hz). The Sub500 also has a 250 Watt amp, compared to the 200 Watt of the Sub300 and the 100 Watt of my Sub30A. The Sub500 is a sealed design with a long-excursion 12" driver. Both 300 and 500 are available in Cherry finish to match my Audience speakers.

Now I just have to sell my Sub30A and come up with some extra money...

RaceTripper · 10-31-2004, 04:56 PM

It's upgrade time...

Just got an ex-demo Arcam Alpha 10P-3 power amplifier.

I'm using this to drive the front (L/C/R) channels. It has about 160 WPC @ 4 ohms, providing a power increase over the AVR300 (100 WPC x 7). And by offloading the front channels from the AVR, it leaves more power available to the surrounds as well. This is good since my Dyns love power.

But that's not the best part. Tha Alpha 10P is a very high quality and very musical power amp, costing almost as much new as my AVR300. Compared to the AVR300 it has much tighter and more refined bass, and the mids are more detailed making center channel dialog more clear. It's also more punchy and dynamic. With this amp the whole system sounds much improved, and integrates with the Sub better (which I didn't expect).

mrkeeling · 10-31-2004, 08:59 PM

Welcome to the club!

RaceTripper · 10-31-2004, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrkeeling

Welcome to the club!

Are you talking about Arcam? I've been a member for a while. This is my fifth piece of Arcam gear, and I still have four of them (Alpha 10 Int., DV88, AVR300, Alpha 10P-3).

My first Arcam was the Alpha 10 Integrated, and I still have that for my LP playback system.

This stuff sound great!

mrkeeling · 10-31-2004, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwette

Are you talking about Arcam?!

No, the “club” is for AVR+PA

Quote:

This stuff sound great!

Yup!

RaceTripper · 11-01-2004, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrkeeling

No, the “club” is for AVR+PA

I see. You made me guess, and I guessed wrong.

The PA definitely makes for a nice improvement.

mrkeeling · 11-01-2004, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwette

The PA definitely makes for a nice improvement.

It sure does.

I know I’m really happy with mine

RaceTripper · 11-05-2004, 09:28 PM

Another mod...

I'm not using my Arcam Alpha 10 Integrated for stereo until I can have some maintenance done on my turntable (needs suspension rebuild).

So I converted it for use as a power amp only. So now I have the following amplifier configuration for my HT:

Alpha 10 Integrated: Front L/R - 170 WPC x 2 @ 4 ohms
Alpha 10P-3 Power Amp: Center , Side Surr. L/R - 170 WPC x 3 @ 4 ohms
AVR300 AV Rcvr: Rear Surr. L/R - 120 WPC x 2 @ 4 ohms

This really kicks butt. Sound quality is terrific: great bass, excellent detail and clarity, very neutral and full-bodied. And I can drive it really loud without clipping...it doesn't even seem loud when it is. For fun I broke out the SPL meter and measured 105-110 db peaks while playing the scene where Gandalf battles the Balrog in DTS ES (from TTT EE).

Wife thinks I'm really nuts...

Dean

Titleist · 11-05-2004, 10:34 PM

"Walrog"??? what kind of a home theater/movie afficianado do you think you are?

Seriously? hearing you with your ARCAM equipment and then saying that just made a little part of me die on the inside.

Kidding, just kidding.

RaceTripper · 11-05-2004, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titleist

"Walrog"??? what kind of a home theater/movie afficianado do you think you are?

Seriously? hearing you with your ARCAM equipment and then saying that just made a little part of me die on the inside.

Kidding, just kidding.

OK, OK, give me a break.

I've corrected it.

Iguana Man · 11-05-2004, 11:59 PM

And Dwette gets the title "Walrog" !!! BWAW-HAW-HAW-HAW-HAW!!!

Good going dude...I think I'm done on the upgrades and low and behold you and MrKeeling start yapping about sound......damn.

Upgrading is not a pleasure, it's a crack pipe in disguise!

Cool setup man.....absolutlely cool!

RaceTripper · 11-06-2004, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iguana Man

Good going dude...I think I'm done on the upgrades and low and behold you and MrKeeling start yapping about sound......damn.

Sound is every bit as important as video in a HT system. Anyone who spends a lot of money on video and shortchanges with cheap audio is missing out on a lot of the enjoyment.

In my HT there's more money invested in the audio than the video, and it's worth it.

Iguana Man · 11-06-2004, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwette

Sound is every bit as important as video in a HT system. Anyone who spends a lot of money on video and shortchanges with cheap audio is missing out on a lot of the enjoyment.

Oh I completely agree....but I am fortunate

to have a square 12'x12' room. Not a whole lot I can do to get it sounding as good as you guys...I guess that's why I've gone the video route over audio in my recent upgrades. But hey....it sounds decent to me, and that's all that matters.

Quote:

In my HT there's more money invested in the audio than the video, and it's worth it.

Yep...you guys suck.

:p

RaceTripper · 11-07-2004, 03:22 PM

Another device added to the mix...

My wife brought home an early XMas present for me. An XBox console. It's a holiday bundle that includes 2 month trial XBox Live, 2 games (NCAA Football 2005 & Top Spin), and Liquid Video Starter Kit (backordered, but doesn't seem a big deal anyway). She also bought 2 extra games: Project Gotham Racing 2 and Midtown Madness 3.

So I went right out and picked up:
XBox HD connection kit
Digital optical (TOSLINK) cable
2 Logitech wireless controllers
Halo (of course)

Believe it or not, this will be the first time for me playing comsole games since the early 80s, when I played Pac Man, etc. after my shifts waiting tables.

Does anyone know if there are any good Formula 1 racing games (not Indy, NASCAR, etc but F1). My wife and I are big FIA F1 fans (in fact, we're Stand A Penthouse ticket holders for the U.S. GP at Indy and go every year).

How are the LOTR and Star Wars games. Any good?

Dean

Iguana Man · 11-07-2004, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwette

Does anyone know if there are any good Formula 1 racing games (not Indy, NASCAR, etc but F1). My wife and I are big FIA F1 fans (in fact, we're Stand A Penthouse ticket holders for the U.S. GP at Indy and go every year).

How are the LOTR and Star Wars games. Any good?

Dean

Dude, you want to try Burnout....trust me, while it ain't F1 stuff, it is...downright fun.

RaceTripper · 11-07-2004, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iguana Man

Dude, you want to try Burnout....trust me, while it ain't F1 stuff, it is...downright fun.

Well, I'm having a blast with Project Gotham 2. I love grand prix style road racing. I've been getting pretty good with it today. Just ran a street race thru a very rainy Barcelona with a VW GTI.

What fun. Reminds me of when I did a performance driving school in my bimmer, which was the most fun I ever had on any weekend that I can remember.

Terence · 12-09-2004, 03:37 AM

I like your set-up nice and clean.

RaceTripper · 12-15-2004, 08:08 PM

I have 2 new additions to the family.

(1)
Arcam Alpha 9P power amplifier.
140 WPC x 2 @ 4 ohm.

I'm usng this to power the rear surrounds. The Arcam AVR300 is now being used only as a 7.1 pre/pro.

(2)
Dynaudio Sub500, Cherry finish
12" long throw driver, sealed enclosure
18-250 Hz +-3db
250 Watt power

06-16-2004, 01:09 PM	#41 (permalink)
RaceTripper Actor Join Date: May 2003	DVD Silicon Image SiI504 upgrade I've now had a chance to do some limited viewing since I upgraded my Arcam DV88+ to add the Silicon Image deinterlacer. This upgrade offloads deinterlacing from the default Vaddis Zoran 5 chip that's built-in to the new daughter board with the SiI504 chip. It also adds a second set of component outputs: a progressive set driven by the 504 and an interlaced set driven by the Vaddis 5. This also allows simultaneous progressive and interlaced output from the player (not that I need it for anything right now, but could be useful for a seperate connection via my AVR). Video quality was already great, but the new deinterlacer really makes a nice improvement. I used LOTR:TTT to sample what's in store for me. So far, the biggest benefit is improved black levels -- it now has better shadow detail, and video has a much more three dimensional look to it. Colors are also more vibrant while remaining natural in tone. Skin colors look better than they ever have. And the video just seems faster somehow - when I watch scenes with lots of action, the detail is better and more consistant. Overall I'm really pleased with the upgrade and look forward to enjoying some more DVDs with it. If anyone has a DV88/89 I can recommend this enhancement. __________________ RaceTripper Racing is life! Anything that happens before or after, is just waiting! -- Steve McQueen

08-04-2004, 09:00 PM	#42 (permalink)
RaceTripper Actor Join Date: May 2003	I've just updated my description with some minor tweaks here and there (upgraded cables, DVD collection now in DVDProfiler, etc.). Also I had a really minor mechanical issue with a RCA connector on my Arcam AVR300. No big deal, but Arcam just swapped it out with a new one for me (great customer service, those Arcam folks). So I changed color and got it in black instead. I'll update the pics later. I'm now thinking more about trading my front and rear towers for 2 pairs of Dynaudio Audience SE bookshelves (like my sides). The fronts would go on stands, the rears on wall mounts. Why? A friend and I recently compared my (front) 72 and (side) 52SE speakers using direct analog stereo playback of CDs. While the Audience 72 have somewhat deeper bass, the smaller Audience 52SE are clearly superior in every other aspect. They sound much better. But I'm not surpised since they use Contour drivers and xover. But it'll be a while since I have to take care of some other things first (like roof repair, wife's bday/xmas/anniv., etc.). Dean __________________ RaceTripper Racing is life! Anything that happens before or after, is just waiting! -- Steve McQueen

08-26-2004, 05:41 AM	#43 (permalink)
chico76 Actor Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: United States	DWETTE, I remember you posing pictures of the rest of your house, with the cool vintage posters and stuff. Could you post them again, or show me where I can find them? I'm always looking for movie-themed things to steal for my own place. __________________ DVD Collection

09-23-2004, 12:25 PM	#45 (permalink)
RaceTripper Actor Join Date: May 2003	Well, I've had some big changes... 1) Samsung replaced my HLM617W with a brand new HL-P6163W. This set is really nice and (so far) solved all the problems I was having with video and PQ problems after a W1 rebuild to fix the color wheel and lip-synch issues. The downside is that it has 2, instead of 3, component inputs. I was using all three (DVD progressive, DVD interlaced, SAT), so now I'll put the Sat back on DVI. Overall, I'm very pleased with the new TV. 2) I solved my center speaker positioning problem. I had a custom 20" x 50" black mica shelf build by ShelfShop in NYC. This is mounted right at the top of the TV cabinet on aluminum Rakks brackets attached to the window frame. I also got Dynaudio's center speaker stand. This stand has spikes underneath and provides wedges on top so I can angle the speaker downward 8 deg. The sound improved dramatically. Dialog is much more clear and detailed, and the tonal and spatial balance with the mains is much better. It's as if I upgraded my speaker. I think the Audience center speaker doesn't like to sit on an enclosed shelf under the TV, like I had it before. 3) DirecTV replaced my aging and problematic SIR-TS160 STB with a brand new SIR-TS360. This STB seems much better than before and doesn't seem to have the problems with DVI that the 160 had, so I'm now using with a DVI connection. Pictures this weekend... __________________ RaceTripper Racing is life! Anything that happens before or after, is just waiting! -- Steve McQueen

10-01-2004, 02:58 PM	#47 (permalink)
RaceTripper Actor Join Date: May 2003	I've now posted new pictures of my system. It shows the new equipment (HL-P6163W DLP, SIR-TS360 STB), and the custom center speaker shelf I built. The shelf was built using M-rails attached to the window frame, to which I attached 18" aluminum Rakks brackets. I had a custom 20" x 50" x 3/4" black mica shelf made to sit on the brackets. For the center speaker I got the Dynaudio center stand, which has wedges to provide downward angle (choice of 4 deg and 8 deg - currently using 4), and spikes on the bottom to help decouple the speaker from the shelf. It sounds dramatically better than when I had the center sitting in the TV stand. It also looks really nice, keeping the black/silver theme of the TV and equipment. The TV has a much better picture than the HLM-617W I had previously. DVDs look awesome. My photos do little justice. Next, I plan to audition Arcam's new HDMI players (Diva DV79, FMJ DV29) to see if I want to upgrade from my DV88+/SiI504. Dean __________________ RaceTripper Racing is life! Anything that happens before or after, is just waiting! -- Steve McQueen Last edited by RaceTripper : 10-01-2004 at 05:21 PM.

10-17-2004, 04:18 PM	#48 (permalink)
RaceTripper Actor Join Date: May 2003	I did the Arcam DV79 HDMI audition recently. I decided it is not an improvement over my current player. Even though it has HDMI progressive out, it's deinterlacer is not as good as the Silicon Image SiI504 used in my modified DV88+. So I'm going to stand pat on my player, unless I come across a great deal on a b-stock FMJ DV27A (which has the same video section as my player, but much improved audio, plus DVD-A support). But I found what will be my next upgrade. I spent this weekend auditioning a new Dynaudio sub, the Sub300 (MSRP $1400). Compared to my Sub30A, it's much faster, cleaner, and more detailed & refined. And there is absolutely no hint of boominess whatsoever. It really disppears in the room and enhances the overall soundstage. It also has a nifty remote control with discrete codes for setting phase control (0, 90, 180, 270), level, extended bass (on/off), and crossover (60, 80, 100, Flat), making it much easier to setup. It also has 4 presets you can program, so you can -- for example -- setup a late night mode with ext bass off, or one mode for music and another for movies. The power can be setup to be always on, or for auto on/standby. This is a really great sub. It's a ported design with a long-excursion 10" driver. My current Sub30A, however, has somewhat deeper response. So I think I will go for the Sub500 (MSRP $1900) to get the best of both worlds: the excellent SQ of the Sub300 and the deeper bass of the Sub30A (the Sub500 actually goes deeper, to 18Hz). The Sub500 also has a 250 Watt amp, compared to the 200 Watt of the Sub300 and the 100 Watt of my Sub30A. The Sub500 is a sealed design with a long-excursion 12" driver. Both 300 and 500 are available in Cherry finish to match my Audience speakers. Now I just have to sell my Sub30A and come up with some extra money... __________________ RaceTripper Racing is life! Anything that happens before or after, is just waiting! -- Steve McQueen

10-31-2004, 04:56 PM	#49 (permalink)
RaceTripper Actor Join Date: May 2003	It's upgrade time... Just got an ex-demo Arcam Alpha 10P-3 power amplifier. I'm using this to drive the front (L/C/R) channels. It has about 160 WPC @ 4 ohms, providing a power increase over the AVR300 (100 WPC x 7). And by offloading the front channels from the AVR, it leaves more power available to the surrounds as well. This is good since my Dyns love power. But that's not the best part. Tha Alpha 10P is a very high quality and very musical power amp, costing almost as much new as my AVR300. Compared to the AVR300 it has much tighter and more refined bass, and the mids are more detailed making center channel dialog more clear. It's also more punchy and dynamic. With this amp the whole system sounds much improved, and integrates with the Sub better (which I didn't expect). __________________ RaceTripper Racing is life! Anything that happens before or after, is just waiting! -- Steve McQueen

10-31-2004, 08:59 PM	#50 (permalink)
mrkeeling Actor Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: 49°15'56"N/123°8'4"W	Welcome to the club! __________________ My DVD, DVD-a and SACD Collection HT:Pioneer Elite DV45A--Outlaw ICBM--Arcam DiVa AVR200--Arcam DiVa P85/3--Arcam Diva P85--Infinity IL30 fronts, C25 centre, OWS-1 surrounds, IL100 sub--Ultralink speaker wire--Outlaw interconnects--Panamax MAX4400 surge suppressor--home made power cables--Pany TH-42PWD8UK

11-05-2004, 09:28 PM	#55 (permalink)
RaceTripper Actor Join Date: May 2003	Another mod... I'm not using my Arcam Alpha 10 Integrated for stereo until I can have some maintenance done on my turntable (needs suspension rebuild). So I converted it for use as a power amp only. So now I have the following amplifier configuration for my HT: Alpha 10 Integrated: Front L/R - 170 WPC x 2 @ 4 ohms Alpha 10P-3 Power Amp: Center , Side Surr. L/R - 170 WPC x 3 @ 4 ohms AVR300 AV Rcvr: Rear Surr. L/R - 120 WPC x 2 @ 4 ohms This really kicks butt. Sound quality is terrific: great bass, excellent detail and clarity, very neutral and full-bodied. And I can drive it really loud without clipping...it doesn't even seem loud when it is. For fun I broke out the SPL meter and measured 105-110 db peaks while playing the scene where Gandalf battles the Balrog in DTS ES (from TTT EE). Wife thinks I'm really nuts... Dean __________________ RaceTripper Racing is life! Anything that happens before or after, is just waiting! -- Steve McQueen Last edited by RaceTripper : 12-15-2004 at 07:59 PM.

11-05-2004, 10:34 PM	#56 (permalink)
Titleist "Wanna buy a Denon?" Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: In the basement, cuz that's where all the bass went.	"Walrog"??? what kind of a home theater/movie afficianado do you think you are? Seriously? hearing you with your ARCAM equipment and then saying that just made a little part of me die on the inside. Kidding, just kidding. __________________ "You know what's interesting? I've only been alive for six weeks, I know nothing of the world beyond this dogs stomach ... and I still find Six Feet Under is pretentious." --My Collection --Titleist's Home Theater--

11-05-2004, 11:59 PM	#58 (permalink)
Iguana Man Ex-BadHumor Man Join Date: May 2002 Location: New Jersey, USA	And Dwette gets the title "Walrog" !!! BWAW-HAW-HAW-HAW-HAW!!! Good going dude...I think I'm done on the upgrades and low and behold you and MrKeeling start yapping about sound......damn. Upgrading is not a pleasure, it's a crack pipe in disguise! Cool setup man.....absolutlely cool! __________________ Get outside and have fun! Nacho Website Focus

11-07-2004, 03:22 PM	#61 (permalink)
RaceTripper Actor Join Date: May 2003	XBox!!! Another device added to the mix... My wife brought home an early XMas present for me. An XBox console. It's a holiday bundle that includes 2 month trial XBox Live, 2 games (NCAA Football 2005 & Top Spin), and Liquid Video Starter Kit (backordered, but doesn't seem a big deal anyway). She also bought 2 extra games: Project Gotham Racing 2 and Midtown Madness 3. So I went right out and picked up: XBox HD connection kit Digital optical (TOSLINK) cable 2 Logitech wireless controllers Halo (of course) Believe it or not, this will be the first time for me playing comsole games since the early 80s, when I played Pac Man, etc. after my shifts waiting tables. Does anyone know if there are any good Formula 1 racing games (not Indy, NASCAR, etc but F1). My wife and I are big FIA F1 fans (in fact, we're Stand A Penthouse ticket holders for the U.S. GP at Indy and go every year). How are the LOTR and Star Wars games. Any good? Dean __________________ RaceTripper Racing is life! Anything that happens before or after, is just waiting! -- Steve McQueen

12-09-2004, 03:37 AM	#64 (permalink)
Terence Actor Join Date: Jan 2004	I like your set-up nice and clean. __________________ Tee "Enjoy Movies & Music" My Home Theater

12-15-2004, 08:08 PM	#65 (permalink)
RaceTripper Actor Join Date: May 2003	I have 2 new additions to the family. (1) Arcam Alpha 9P power amplifier. 140 WPC x 2 @ 4 ohm. I'm usng this to power the rear surrounds. The Arcam AVR300 is now being used only as a 7.1 pre/pro. (2) Dynaudio Sub500, Cherry finish 12" long throw driver, sealed enclosure 18-250 Hz +-3db 250 Watt power __________________ RaceTripper Racing is life! Anything that happens before or after, is just waiting! -- Steve McQueen Last edited by RaceTripper : 12-16-2004 at 03:02 PM.