JBL Home Cinema small but loud!

[Dolby CP-200]

Well here goes nothing, within this small home cinema, where I have made a few special modifications of my own, but don’t worry, she can make 120dbc! or, just slightly over if I was so inclined.

So have a look have a laugh or too and without any further interruption let the show commence.









The Marantz amplifiers, and the item placed to the right side of it, believe it or not, is a monaural Panasonic VCR, now all VCR’s have a built in audio limiter, now I have simply re-plugged the whole sound system with this in mind, this unit controls the JBL Control 5 Centre channel, it has been very beneficial it has given me flexibility and control over the amount of high dynamic range output from laserdiscs or DVD.

In simple words I can still run the sound system just as loud as before, but without it going too far over the top, the highest peak level I have calibrated the Marantz 1050 and the EQ’s and the pre-amplifier that drives it which is the Yamaha DSP-100, this is an old Dolby Surround decoder that I have adapted for use in the home cinema, the wiring and re-plugging of it will confuse most, but believe me it in know way compromises the sound performance.




The Kenwood KRF-9050D THX select AVR is mostly the heart of all the Dolby Stereo Dolby Digital 5.1 and dts 5.1 decoding, with Lucasfilm THX electronic circuitry to re-EQ the fronts surrounds and a whole lot more, some of which most would now understand.

All the RCA pre-outputs from the Kenwood KRF-X9050D THX select, goes to different parts of audio electronics for special audio processing, that makes this home cinema, well not to special, but it’s all in the mix I say, and with very carefully listening I can take the fronts one step further with very little cost!

The Yamaha DSR-70Pro is a Dolby Surround Pro-Logic matrix processor, which I have adapted for use of the front left and right, that means the left and right outputs from the Kenwood, goes into the DSR-70Pro, and then output to the Ferguson Videostar, Hi-Fi VCR, which has an onboard audio limiter, now like I explained with the first audio limiter the Panasonic, which is used for the centre channel, well the Ferguson, just simply does the left and right stereo.

With all levels set to (0db) on the Kenwood, and via running it at 0db reference level, and via setting the volume on the amplifies and very careful adjustment of the EQ’s, where I aim for an optimum peak level of 85dbA in the centre of the room, not all films tend to peak at 85dbA which is around the mid high to high frequency range!

But sometimes it does peak slightly over at around 88dbA this is acceptable seeing it it’s only for about 1 second, if the levels should exceed this for more than a few seconds, and the sound of the high frequencies becomes too much for taking, then I will make the necessary modifications to the sound system, so far it’s been running like a treat!



The Laserdisc and DVD players, I know the image isn’t all that clear, but starting from top and working it’s way down is.

Cello DR-810 DVD-RW reorder, this mostly use for transferring laserdiscs to DVD-RW for my own personal use.

The SONY DVP-S336 is used with certain DVD feature films and the odd few of DVD-RW optical discs.

The Pioneer DV-525 is mostly used for playing most of the DVD feature films and some of the DVD-RW optical discs.

The Pioneer CLD-1750 Laserdisc player is mostly used at the moment, when needed that is, so laserdisc is still quite alive around here, it’s all in the original Dolby film mixes, where some DVD feature films have been compromised, I bet you didn’t know that! Never sale the laserdiscs!

The Pioneer CLD-2950 Laserdisc player is off line at the present moment pending a new part that supports the Laserdisc securely to the (spindle motor) its a little part very easy to install. Other than that she’s fine.

The Furguson videostar, HI-Fi Stereo VCR, well this is no longer used has a VCR for playback, everything is done via optical disc now! So I have used it for a good general purpose, and that is the onboard audio limiter that she has, this runs the left and right front JBL Control 5. It’s been very careful set-up so that when the levels get really high, I mean really high, doesn’t matter if the level is played at -10dbon the master fader on the Kenwood, what it does mean, it prevents (audio masking) which can really drown out the centre channel, or vice versa, if the left and right are playing softly, and the centre level goes to high in dynamic range, it will never peak over the 0db threshold level.

There is a very good balance of sound presentation around here, and you would really never be able to tell the difference, except you’ll here more of what you didn’t hear before!



The sub bass that you see placed on top of her, is the Eltax A-12R, this used for extending the lowest frequencies from the fronts and the surrounds or split-surrounds. The levels are balanced via the Realistic audio mixer, with certain low pass outputs from the Yamaha DSR-70Pro the Yamaha DSP-100 the Pioneer VSP-200 which is also used for controlling the surrounds, whether I’m running monaural-surrounds split-surrounds or centre back surround with height surround overhead!



This is a rather tight angle image showing the back surrounds and the height surrounds.

[Dolby CP-200]

Laserdisc and DVD optical software, this is an awesome assembly of feature films that really rock the living daylights out of this home cinema!



Continued, as you can see the whole bookshelf is chocker block full!, I must now have slightly close to 1000 DVD titles, and that’s really nothing compared to how many films there are worldwide, which somewhere in the region of 4.5 million!

[Dolby CP-200]

[Dolby CP-200]

[BoSoxMole]

Damn, nice speaker set up.

But if you spent ALL that money into receivers and speakers, why don't you spend some on a nice HDTV?

[Iguana Man]

When did this (what center is that?) get swapped out?

That's a boatload of speakers man...in a small room no less. You must have really put some effort into calibrating via all those eq's. Wow....I'm dumbfounded.

[Dolby CP-200]

Iguana Man

The JBL MR Centre is placed underneath the SONY, I don’t think you can see it clearly in the other pictures, you should hold on, here’s a picture, look towards the middle left hand side, and you can just make it out in the dark shadowing of the imaging.



Last night I was doing a Da Vinci Code dialogue test with chapter 2 and 3, between Tom Hanks and Jean Reno, the level of the ADR mix was really warm with good frequency response and range within the room, I tested it with the JBL Control 5 that I always keep active within my home cinema, but I wanted to test it with the JBL HT-1F, there was a little less mid range within the loudspeaker, this is partly down to the design and the passive X over network, but still it was quite impressive, only wished I had two more for a three-screen array.

You see I brought this JBL HT-1F a few years back from a home cinema dealer, but they only had two of them, and I said I’ll pick the other one up in a few weeks, the buggers sold it didn’t they , oh well first come fist served.

[Dolby CP-200]

Here are a few more pictures from last year’s collection.

[Iguana Man]

Good God man! I'll bet you can leave the heat completely off in that room even during the dead of winter.

[Dolby CP-200]

Iguana Man

Well there’s a thought that’s eluded me! It’s most all turned off at the moment, just one Marantz 1050 stereo amp front for the JBL Control 5 left and right, one EQ one Yamaha DSR-70Pro one Kenwood KRF-X9050D THX select and one Ferguson videostar running, but not as we know it Jim! It’s just acting as an audio limier for the stereo fronts, and I have Classic FM on the radio today, giving my ears a break from yesterdays Poseidon, which had peaks up to 110dbc! At 0db!

So today it’s playing at -32db quietly!

[Dolby CP-200]

The JBL Control 1 wintertime surround array project 2 2007!



Well I’ve decided too start early with the surround rather than doing this in the summertime so here it goes for tonight’s project if I can get these two installed for the height surround array which will consist of x10 JBL Control 1 with x4 for each section of the ceiling and finally ending up with just x2 towards the front.



I’ll start of with wall plugging the ceiling and hope they stay up LOL, as it would be quite a bump on the head!

So far the array of just x8 is warm sounding and changes in the soundtrack on Apollo 13 where it cuts from mission control to the command module really changes the size of the surrounds it’s if the sound closes in all around me.

Again starting at just £49.98 for the JBL Control 1 this is one surround project that leaves my friends crawling in the dust!

I’ll replace the exciting height surrounds where there frequency response power handling is a little on the poor side. But they have severed very well since November 2005 where they was installed for Star Wars episode 3 Revenge of the Sith.

Well I have a new set now and by towards the end of the night I should have the height surrounds really starting to take there place wit some very cool sounding effects overhead!



I’ll start in a few hours from now.

[Dolby CP-200]

Well firstly I measured the distance from the coving that goes around the sides of the ceiling from the inside. I have calculated around 26” from the edge of the coving to the first position of the JBL Control 1 height surround and 26” from the back wall this will hopeful place them in position where I can keep adding and adding on more until I reach the required number of x10 height surrounds.









The tools for the mission

[tomdkat]

Dude, your sub is BIGGER than your TV!

Any plans on upgrading your TV in the future?

Peace...

[Dolby CP-200]

I took the liberty to have a look inside the new JBL Control 1 has this does differ from the earlier models, it appears to be lighter in weight. So I hope it stays put!



Note the difference between this bass mid driver from a later JBL Control 1



I hate heights! What I mean is I’m not too comfortable with heights even at 2ft 2” off the floor I’m terrified. But just think what it’s going to sound like with a matching JBL Control1 surround array and with the heights the timbre matching of sounds will be awesome…

…I will have to patch up the ceiling due to some plaster braking away no big deal a tub of filler does amazing things these days. Cabling will be eventually tidied up with cable ducting fitted to the ceiling as well along the corners and down to each JBL Control 1 surround speaker.

Well here’s what I’ve been up to in the last 2 hours plus!

I had to remove the existing height surround one by one.

Then fit the mounting bracket to the ceiling with x4 screws that I hope bit into the wood that is behind it.

I must say it took 36 minutes alone to fit just x1 JBL Control to the ceiling, god I hope this holds, the site of it makes my skin crawl.

Anyway fitting it was scary for me as I hate heights, getting the (mould nut) was little orchard to attach due to the angle I was in. A small hole is fitted around the (mould nut) with where a pole can be fitted and thus turning it around to tighten it up is made easy.

Step by step I attached the parts to the JBL Control 1 for height surround installation.







Getting close and now wow, the sight of it make me feel dizzy when looking at the picture. Well I said I was going to install height surrounds via a matching array of JBL Control 1 and now that is a reality it’s possible and there it is.



Well I’ve have had a 30 minute break it’s back to work for the next JBL Control 1, which is going to present a tighter difficulty as you will see from the pictures in the next post in the next hour or so.









At present I’m running the height surround with just x1 JBL Control 1 in position it sounds awesome with Superman Returns chapters 10 though to 12 startlingly realistic truly breathtaking!

[Pirate]

So, you're not getting a new TV?

[Dolby CP-200]

piratehunter


Happy New Year too you.

LOL

Na mate, no need only video projector will do the last part of the show with perfection and with the fronts behind the screen and inside a THX baffle wall, yeah it’s all good stuff.

I was going to post the last part of the pictures but I have been on some six different forums sites posting and I’m knackered now mate, the two JBL height surrounds are now up and running only x8 more to go for the height surrounds and it sounds like I’m in the Empire Leicester square at London, it’s awesome!

So expect the next batch of pictures and text tomorrow afternoon UK time. Or you can look around you might find the other sites that I posted on, but for the meantime I’m getting some sleep this whole thing was exhausting it really was.

[Pirate]

Originally Posted by Dolby CP-200

piratehunter
Na mate, no need only video projector will do the last part of the show with perfection and with the fronts behind the screen and inside a THX baffle wall, yeah it’s all good stuff.

Is that something you're planning on?

[Dolby CP-200]

piratehunter

A video projector yes, if I won a plasma TV I will sale on ebay just enough to get cash for a video projector and I will still keep the SONY CRT.

All good things come to those who wait and I have waited so very long and I can be very patient.

Oh well here I might as well post the rest now and get some sleep and dream about height surrounds.





With airplane sequence in chapters 10 though to 12 where wind and music and with Superman’s speed racing against incredible odds looking upwards and from side to side and back as well it was a mad scene that was delivered with precision.

















This angle was kinder tight to get as well as the tightening up of the (mould nut).

Wow during chapter 35 where Superman throws out one mighty piece of rock the levels on the four-channel array JBL Control 1 surrounds really heightens the scene with the choir and has his body hits the ground a very soft boom reverbs around the room.

Wow during chapter 35 where Superman throws out one mighty piece of rock the levels on the four-channel array JBL Control 1 surrounds really heightens the scene with the choir and has his body hits the ground a very soft boom reverbs around the room.

So far the JBL Control surround array has cost £240.90 UK not bad going considering I’m using x10 and most you spend or rather overlook the surround array and with a mere x4 surrounds costing far more over what I have thought out and installed is very doable.

Wow the Superman end credits theme is about to role, and I’m going to some calibration now and enjoy a few more than a few films with some Superfast tests!

Star Wars episode 3 Revenge of the Sith is around we to the side of me and above me does this get any better.

[chlngr1970]

You should post specs...speakers, placement, processor, and amps used in this project. If you did, and I missed it, direct me to that post pls...

j

[Dolby CP-200]

chlngr1970

It’s real easy believe me just get yourself a Dolby Pro-Logic processor or AVR and add it onto the surround outputs on your AVR, like I said it is really easy to set this up it may look difficult unless you didn’t have any help it can be very exhausting.

So do you what to install height surrounds as well? You do realise it is a matrix process similar to the cinema version where the Dolby SA-10 does the decoding and then the signals are amplified also you’ll need equalisers for the surround array.

Oh if you look though the previous posts on this thread look for the (Pioneer VSP-200) which is placed on top of the Kenwood KRF-X9050D THX select AVR.

This unit as internal amplification for the centre and surround output only, the there are pre-outputs for the left and right front and centre with a low pass output for sub bass frequencies which I also use. The outputs for the fronts are used for sidewall surrounds the centre front is now used for centre back surround and surround is used for height surrounds.

Anyway I’m off now mate I’m really shattered goodnight.

[Sycho]

You do realize that the height channel was only used once in a on off mix for We Were Soldiers right? The mix is not on the DVD. No DVD out there has height information encoded into. You will just end up with a mess of sound by a confused Pro Logic decoder.

[Dolby CP-200]

Sycho

I was told different that the mix was contained on the DVD just as Dolby Stereo soundtracks where thought not to have contained the surround mix. But that is simple mixing I do understand how the process works I did music and recoding coarse many years ago.

If I where to play around with a Dolby Stereo soundtrack on my SONY DVP-S336 DVD player via down-mixing the Dolby Stereo signal where the (surround mix) wouldn’t end up being heard at the back along with some cross-talk sounds from the fronts. Yes I do know how this all works.

So far it’s been quite convincing with adding extra dimension


http://www.dolby.com/assets/pdf/pres..._Soundelux.pdf

http://www.smartdev.com/overhead.html

http://www.dolby.com/assets/pdf/news...letter2002.pdf

http://www.smartdev.com/pdf/sonic_boom.pdf

[Pirate]

Dolby, unless I misread, those links all seem to deal with the cinema's ability to have an over-head channel. So far, as Sycho noted, there are no DVDs that can produce this unless you're forcing the sound.

[chlngr1970]

Sounds like he is producing the sounds similar to when people would use a pro logic receiver to produce a 6.1 effect from a dolby digital receiver...

j

[Sycho]

Originally Posted by chlngr1970

Sounds like he is producing the sounds similar to when people would use a pro logic receiver to produce a 6.1 effect from a dolby digital receiver...

j

yes and no. He is try to do what they did for a one off We Were Soldiers, where they piped the the surround Lt and Rt into a Pro Logic decoder, then the center was the surround back, and the surround was the height and left and right were the sides. Again, there was only one mix ever done like that, and it was only a demo and it is not on the DVD.