Most ridiculous home theater ever? You decide. - Page 5

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No need to go on the offensive. It's kinda obvious that they took the cables away just for the pictures and no one is doubting the system actually works. That is slightly odd though, since if he is using super exotic cables, why would you exclude them from the pictures? Surely a great slithering mesh of cable exotica will only add to the 'wow factor', which leads me to think that he uses really crappy cabling

As for the 6mil cost, it's probably 6 mil give or take a few hundred thousand. They'd call a 5.7M system a 6M system just for the impact factor, but who the heck really cares. As for construction, it really doesn't cost a few million to build a room, not even a very big one.

For such a large system, he probably had to incorporate a totally separate power source. Don't forget the extra-quiet air conditioning and heating system...

Speak for yourself, I am doubting that. I don't think anyone would remove cables of their rig just for pics. Removing and reattaching all those cables, and then testing everything properly would be a MAJOR work. And the setup is suspicious in the first place, even for practical and safety reasons. The system could certainly work in any setup imaginable, but I am doubting that the setup is used as shown. The guy is an ISF-certified technician, it is absolutely absurd that the guy would have all that ring of fire of lights from the tubes glowing around him when watching movies.

As controversial as Stereophile's (sister site of AV Interiors) reviews may be, they wouldn't lie about something like this. I am not cynical enough to think that they did all this just to get a bunch of audiophiles to salivate.

I also don't see why the cabling wouldn't work out. Tube amps don't blow up either so this system isn't that unsafe.


OK here are the full specifications:

The Acoustic Space:

2250 Sq/Ft. Custom Designed, Two-Story Concert Hall with Vaulted Ceiling & Balcony - 1″ Solid Maple Flooring on 4″ tall Pine studs - 12″ spacing, sitting on a solid 16″ reinforced concrete foundation, itself isolated on 4 - 156′ solid steel girders all the way down to bedrock. Features non-parallel walls, ceiling, and floor, with dedicated installed noise isolation system, and acoustic treatments designed to supersede ANSI, SMPTE, AMPAS and AES/EBU noise specifications for professional movie theaters, mixing stages, and anechoic test chambers.
Seating for 3-6 (Arizona Leather Curved Couch & Director’s Chair) or up to 24 (Premium Leather Theatrical Recliners).

Projectors:

Sony SRX-R-110 - 4k (4096 x 2160p) 3-chip SXRD Cine Alta 10,000 ANSI Lumen Theater Projector (short throw Fujinon zoom lens: 1.56-1.90) - Main Projector
Sony Qualia 004 - 1920 x 1080p 3-chip SXRD 2,000 ANSI Lumen Home Theater Projector (short throw Zeiss zoom Lens: 1.43-1.86) - Background Projector

Components (video):
Sony LMT-100 4k Media Block - DCM D-Cinema, X’ Y’ Color Space (Professional Cinema Media Server)
4 - Apple 2.33 GHz MacBook Pros (4k & 2k Digital Media Server)
Sony BDP-S1 Blu-Ray Disc Player
Samsung BDP-1000 Blu-Ray Disc Player
Sony PlayStation 3 Blu-Ray Disc Player
Toshiba HD-A35 HD-DVD Player
Toshiba HD-XA1 HD-DVD Player
JVC HM-DH5U D-VHS Recorder
JVC HM-DH400U D-VHS Recorder
Scientific Atlanta 8300HD Cable DVR (72 hours HD recording via Maxtor 300 Gb External SATA drive)
Pioneer HLD-X0 MUSE Hi-Vision HD LaserVideo Disc player
Sony HIL-C2EX MUSE Hi-Vision HD LaserVideo Disc player
Sony MSC-4000 MUSE Hi-Vision HD Decoder
Mark Levinson No. 51 DVD Media Player
Lumagen Radiance XD HDTV Processor
Gefen 6 x 2 HDMI Switcher

Components (audio):
Theta Casablanca III (c) - 8.8 Digital Surround Sound Processor (All digital In/Out - no video switching!) - 12 Separate Decoding Algorithms
13 - Theta Generation VIII (b) - Twin Channel 8x Oversampling Extreme Balanced Digital to Analog Convertors
ELP Laser Turntable - Plays LPs, 45s, & 78s using five lasers to read the grooves - all analog line-level playback
ELP CEDAR DeNoiser - 192 kHz Analog to Digital Converter with Selectable Surface Noise Reduction
Logitech SlimServer Transporter - 96 kHz / 24-bit Digital Audio Music Server (ultra low jitter = 18 picoseconds RMS @ AES/EBU Output)

Speakers:
10 - Snell THX Music & Cinema Reference Tower Loudspeakers (80 - 20,000 Hz) (originally designed by Kevin Voecks for George Lucas and Tomlinson Holman at Skywalker Ranch as the very first THX Certified Loud Speaker System)
16 - Snell THX Sub-1800 (18″ Passive Ported Subwoofer (1 - 80 Hz)
10 - Murata Super Tweeters - 1/2″ Ceramic Composite Dome (20,000 - 102,500 Hz)
3 - Snell THX Music & Cinema Reference LCR-2800 Center Channels (80 - 20,000 Hz)

Amplifiers:
30 - McIntosh MC-2102 Stereo Vacuum Tube Amplifiers (operating in Bridged-Balanced Mode) - 440 Class A Watts Each
3 - Crown Macro Reference Stereo Amplifiers (operating in Bridged-Balanced Mode) - 2,850 Class A Watts Each
2 - Mark Levinson No. 33H Mono-Block Amplifiers - 145 Class A Watts Each
1 - MESA Boogie Baron Stereo Vacuum Tube Amplifier - 660 Watts Each Channel (Projection Booth Monitors)

Screen:
Stewart Snowmatte Laboratory Grade Unity Gain Motion Picture Screen (4-way Automatic Motorized Masking - 18′ x 10.125′)

A/C Power:
2 - General Electric No. 868 Hi Voltage Transformers (13,800 Volts to 240 Volts / 800 Amperes Each - One for the Analog Components, One for the Digital Components) -
2 - Equitech 100 kVA Toroidal Balancing Isolation Transformers (240 Volts to 120 Volts Balanced = +/- 60 Volts) - Unique All Differential Balanced Power Supply System
2 - General Electric 917 Master Power Panel Boards (40 Amp dedicated Circuit Breakers are used for each and every component) - Total AC isolation for each component, beginning from the street power!

Vibration / Isolation:
43 - Solid Tech Rack of Silence (Primary Spring Suspension Component Isolation System) - Amps, D/A, Components, etc.
120 - Solid Tech Feet of Silence (Secondary Band Suspension Isolation System)
120 - Solid Tech Discs of Silence (Secondary Spring Suspension Isolation System)
240 - UltraSonic 45 Tube Dampers (a titanium C-ring holds microphonics absorbing Homopolymer isolation pads against the vacuum tube bulbs)
240 - UltraSonic 9 Tube Dampers (Fiberglass/carbon microfiber sleeves surrounding the pads enable a firm grip on the bulb glass. For continuous use to 525°.F (274°.C)
16 - Auralex Sub Dude Speaker Isolation Stands (Snell M & C Towers & Crossover Arrays)
10 - Auralex Great Gramma Speaker Isolation Stands (Snell Sub-1800 Woofer Arrays)
3 - Auralex Gramma Speaker Isolation Stands (Snell LCR-2800 Center Channel Arrays)

Wiring:
Cardas Neutral Reference (All Balanced, identical lengths for each and every component, Analog - Digital - Power - Control - Video)

Fuses:
30 - Hi-Fi Tuning Gold/Ceramic Fuses (Used in all components requiring a fuse)

Lighting:
38 - Chauvet ColorSplash 200B LED Flood Lights (196 - 1 mm Red, Green, & Blue Computer Controlled & Automated LEDs) - 45 degree flood, 15 watts each, no noise or heat!
27 - Chauvet ColorRain PAR 56 LED Spot Lights (99 - 10 mm Red, Green, & Blue Computer Controlled & Automated LEDs) - 15 degree spot.
1 - Chauvet Show Express Plus - 512+ DMX Channel Computer Controlled Stage Lighting System

Acoustic Treatment:
2400 Sq Feet - Auralex 4″ Acoustic Wedge Foam (applied to all exposed surfaces on the ceiling, walls, and doors) - in Deep Purple, to eliminate screen splash-back and subsequent black level washout and loss of true contrast ratio.

I meant unsafe for people. Imagine after a movie someone tripping over and falling on that ring of fire. And unsafe for the equipment because it's too exposed: someone drinking a scotch or a soda (anything) having a chat with someone after the movie standing there, and then bumping into someone and spilling whatnot on the tubes. The setup as shown is clearly a hazard. But it is also obviously suboptimal, video quality-wise, to have all those tubes around you glowing visibly when you are watching movies. And as already stated earlier, it is also a terrible choice to have those tubes right in front of subwoofers. I seriously doubt the rig is set up and used as shown.

Look at how that room is set-up. I'm betting it's not normally like that. Why? Look at the wall of laser discs. He can't get to ANY of them with all those speakers there. I'm betting things were positioned like that for the photography. And as pointed out, why would you have all those amps IN FRONT of the speakers??? The lack of wiring also further, to me at least, proves this point. That's a major project, not something you just disconnect and reconnect....

You forget actual cost of manufacturing. Small company or not, mark-up on that stuff is RIDICULOUS. Do you really think they're making hardly any money on even 50% off? Mark up to a wholesaler is probably 1000%. If Best Buy employees get cost, what do you think a big time executive/label owner in the industry is going to get who is good friends with an ICON in the audio realm?

Connections...it's all about who you know...do you really think he paid for any of it? Especially somebody in his position, and the fact it's getting this kind of publicity...it's advertising in itself.

yeah man i have to agree too... i dont see the moderation in the setup... "stuff too much and you'll vomit" Anonymous

I used to work for a Snell dealer. I own Snell Type C-V's -$2600 retail and got them for $900 as "b-stock" with a small cabinet imperfection. The Type A-reference towers pictured are all in a custom premium wood (not black oak oak dark oak or walnut - their standard options) They would have retailed for 30% more+ and had to be custom made.

Would Snell or Mac want to give this stuff away when at least half of the audiophile pubic would predictably ridicule the system and products there in?

Why wouldn't they want to give it away? Look at how much publicity this ad has gotten. Good or bad, people are looking at the equipment and doing exactly what people here are doing, looking at the products and see how much each costs, specs, comparisons and whatnot. Heck, people are looking at what stands the guy is using as well as what kind of other crap is in the room.

Their servers are probably getting loaded with traffic (well, in perspective), and as you say, predictably so.

Good or bad, thing is, people are talking...it's doing exactly what they wanted, and they didn't even have to hook the equipment up, lol.

One other odd fact. Snell hasn't made the Reference towers or 2500 18" subs now for at least three or four years. The design of the towers pictured is was introduced in the late 90's and there was another generation that followed before they stopped production around 2004. An article coming out now would not have been subsidized by the manufacturer, nor would it ever to the extent you are congecturing.

is this the actual reference room that he's going to use this system in? or is it just a list of components? there's quite a few areas that i question in choices, i'm thinking he just went for the most expensive gear he could find? regardless, i bet it's still pretty badass home theater, i tell you what i wouldn't mind watching my next movie there...

And speaking of people talking and equipment not hooked up, here's some more.

Check once again this pic, I can only count 15 McIntosh amps in that photo. Assuming there are about 5 of them behind that sub on the bottom-left corner, then there's a total of about 20 amps in the ring of fire. Where are the other McIntosh amps to complete the alleged 30?



Not only there's all the wiring missing, there's also equipment missing in the pics. Both facts strongly suggest (at least to me) that the system isn't at all set up and used as shown in the pic.

Moreover, the extract previously submitted here indicates "Seating for 3-6 (Arizona Leather Curved Couch & Director’s Chair) or up to 24 (Premium Leather Theatrical Recliners)." Definitely you can't have all those amps there if you accommodate all those recliners.


PS. One question for those who can guess distances. How far do you think is that couch from the screen, or let's say from the rear wall? I would say ~20' from the screen, or similarly, ~10' from the rear wall. (The room is 33' long.) Will use this to analyze the adequacy of viewing distance vs. screen size with respect to SMPTE/THX recommendations. More on that later.

I'd probably just throw on some AC/DC music videos and crank it up to eleven...that would be a great way to die.

I'll post a link to this very handy worksheet for computing adequate viewing distances depending on your screen size and resolution:
Home Theater Calculator: Viewing Distance, Screen Size » CarltonBale.com


The SMPTE recommends a field-of-view angle of at least 30º. The optimal field-of-view angle is set at 36º.

The screen here is 18x10 feet, or 247.1" diagonal. For the main seat at 20' away, the field of view is actually 48º+, quite larger than the ideal 36º. But it seems no coincidence that at around 32 feet from the screen, or in other words, at the very back of the room (where you get the smallest possible field of view within that room,) you still get 31º; still larger than the minimum recommended.

So as you can see, if we search deep enough, it's possible to find some thoughtful things in this rig :P

^ lol. Amazing.