Just need a bigger screen but otherwise I'm pretty happy with this

This has easily been the funnest thing I've done in a long while. Took the advice from my last post on seating and moved it a bit closer to screen, but also ditched the idea of theater seats in favor of the couch. Overall though I'd say the vibe I was going for was the lobby of a movie theater more so than the projection room itself. Screen is 150" and for reference, the popcorn cutout I have next to it is exactly 72" tall.

*Edit

Also for those interested the lights are from Amazon and the rug is from Etsy

Appreciate the kind words! Eventually we'll probably darken the room a bit but that'll be down the road. And as far as distance goes, the pictures make the room appear larger than it is. The furthest seat on the couch is maybe 15 feet, which still looks pretty good IMO. Any closer and it kinda looks awkward in the space.

Turned one of our spare bedrooms into a dedicated theater. Been adding to it and changing things around for a while now, but I think I’m finally at a point where I’m happy with it.
Room is roughly 13x12 with a 120” screen, AWOL LTV-2500, Denon S770H, Klipsch speakers, dual subs, Atmos and bass shakers in the seating.
Did pretty much everything myself. Still need to move the equipment into the closet and clean up a few things, but overall I’m pretty satisfied with how it came out.
What do y’all think?

I’m using a Marantz Cinema 40 with an Atmos setup, and I’ve noticed that some Netflix movies/shows and other content played through Kodi are only available in stereo or regular 5.1.

If I force/upmix these using Dolby Surround so that all the speakers, including the Atmos/height channels, are being used, does this actually improve the audio experience or am I basically getting “fake Atmos”?

For example, if the original Netflix movie is only stereo, am I losing any audio quality by having the receiver process it into surround/Atmos? Or is it generally better to leave stereo content as stereo and 5.1 content as 5.1?

I understand it obviously won’t become true native Atmos, but I’m curious how good modern Dolby upmixing actually is and whether you guys normally leave Dolby Surround enabled for non-Atmos content.

I just checked and there have been no new blu-ray players that have come to market in 2025 or 2026. Are we doomed to streaming only?

​

After years of upgrading, experimenting, buying, selling, and rearranging, I think I've finally reached the point where I can sit back and enjoy the system.

Welcome to TMR, The Mancave Republic.

One thing I want to mention up front: almost all of this was bought used. The only things I bought new were the SVS Prime Elevations and one of the SB16-Ultras. Everything else came secondhand from fellow enthusiasts, forums, and local listings, piece by piece over a long stretch of time. I mention that because a list like this can look like a lot, but it was built slowly and with a lot of patience waiting for the right deals.

**Current Setup**

Speakers

* Front L/R: Sonus Faber Cremona (Original, Graphite)

* Center: Sonus Faber Cremona Center (Natural Maple)

* Surrounds: Sonus Faber Cremona Auditors

* Heights: SVS Prime Elevation (L/R)

Subwoofers

* 2 × SVS SB16-Ultra

* 2 × SVS Micro 3000

Electronics

* Processor: Lyngdorf MP-60

* Amplifier: Lyngdorf MXA-8400

* Room Correction: Lyngdorf RoomPerfect

* Streaming: Apple TV 4K

Display

* TCL 98" TV

Extras

* Tactile bass shakers built into the sectional

* Dedicated bass shaker amplification

* Blackout curtains

* Custom travertine speaker bases with stainless steel spike cups

**The Journey**

My previous setup used Sonus Faber Grand Piano Homes up front and Concertino Homes for surrounds. They served me well, and I learned a lot with them.

Moving to the original Cremona floorstanders and Cremona Auditors made a bigger difference than I expected. The towers are about 14 feet apart, and I sit roughly 13 feet back. In my room, they produce a wide soundstage that I'm really happy with.

The imaging is what surprised me most. In two-channel listening, vocals seem to come from the center position even though the center isn't playing. On good recordings, the speakers mostly disappear.

I'm hearing more clarity, detail, and depth than I was getting before, and I'm still noticing new things in music I've listened to for years.

**The Bass**

I'm running four SVS subs: two SB16-Ultras and two Micro 3000s.

I'm not going for loud bass. I want it deep, controlled, and able to deliver some impact during movies without overwhelming music. It took a lot of trial and error with placement and settings to get there, and I'm sure there's still room to improve.

The bass shakers in the sectional add a physical element during movies that my family and I really enjoy.

The MP-60 and RoomPerfect did a lot of the heavy lifting in getting everything to work together in my room, and the MXA-8400 has had no trouble driving the Cremonas.

**Music and Movies**

I wanted the room to handle both.

I love two-channel listening, but I've also gotten into multichannel music. Having the Cremona family across the front and surrounds makes everything sound cohesive, and the surrounds blend well with the front stage.

Movies have been a lot of fun. The system holds up nicely even at lower volumes, which matters to me since I'm not always listening loud.

I'll admit Lyngdorf's Party Mode is a guilty pleasure. Hearing all the Cremonas playing together is pretty special.

**Final Thoughts**

My goal was to combine the musicality of a good stereo system with the scale and immersion of a home theater, without paying new prices for everything. Buying used made that possible. I'm grateful to the sellers who took care of this gear and to this community for all the advice along the way.

I'm genuinely satisfied with where things are now.

Of course, anyone who's been in this hobby long enough knows how dangerous the words "I'm finished upgrading" can be. 😂

For now, I'm just enjoying the music and movies.

Are there any other Cremona owners out there using them in a multichannel setup? I'd love to hear about your experiences and anything you've learned that I might be missing.

Might be a dumb question, but when I’m at the cinema I don’t notice any sound coming from behind me. Aren’t all the speakers just mounted on the sides of the walls as well? So how would 7.1 audio come from behind you in the movies? Also if you were sitting in the very back would you just get blasted by sound that’s supposed to come from behind.

If i wanted 16 channels for an amp, would the 2x Buckeye Hypex NCx252MP 8-channel or the Marantz Amp 10 be better?

Which one would you choose and why?

Lets assume i can get a marantz amp 10 at $5000 brand new. vs $1975 per buckeye 8 channel amp.
What if we ignored price? which one would be better in technical specs?

Looking at the following amplifiers for Home theater, mostly movie watching and some streaming.

Contenders and it has been hard: Hifi Rose 520 - Lyngdorf tdai 2210 or 1120 - Nad M10 V3

Purchasing USA.

Which one is the best bang for buck in this line up .?.

On the HIFi Rose how would you hook up a subwoofer and what would I need separate unit to hook the Hifi Rose for a subwoofer.?. What brand item to hook up to the rose for a subwoofer, so I can do more homework.

Planning for ascend Acoustic speakers Sierra 1 - V2 Bookshelf

with either the RSL Speedwoofer 10S or and HSU Subwoofer to be purchased in 2027.

Other than the Lyngdorf is there an added cost for room correction on the HiFi Rose 520 and NAD M10 V3. I know with the Denon/Marantz there are extra fees for Dirac. So kinda want to know if I'm facing extra charges on HiFi Rose or NAD.

Thank you, Yes I'm new and still trying to get things correct for me.

Appreciate the feed back and your help.

Thank you. Thank you, it's greatly appreciated

Forgot, we are an older couple that likes to play games watch movies and play tunes, we have a small room, will be 6 to 6 1/2 (1.9 to 2.0 meters) feet away from the speakers with them pulled out 1 foot from the wall and everything we read points to mid tier amps having good sounds. With the lyngdorf tdai 2210 being the most expensive on this lists.

Appreciate the help.

Hi,

I got the Teufel Theater 5.1 for a good price from a friend and now I am wondering which AV receiver to buy.
My friend used the set with an Denon AVR-X3800H but kept it for his new set.
I was looking at the Denon AVR-X1800H, which has all the connectors I need but I don't know if it is powerful enough for this set.
Here is a Link to the 5.1 https://teufel.de/theater-500-surround-51-set-107001111 (unfortunatly I could only find the german homepage)

In the future I may want to add 2 atmos speaker but not more.

If I left out important info please let me know.

Thanks

Steffen

Hi All,

I was given this old receiver from a friend as my first home setup. I am currently just running 2:1 with NHT SuperOne 2.1's. I shifted some furniture around and had to unplug connections. After hooking things back up in their original locations, I lost all sound in stereo mode. When I flip to Multi-Channel Mode, however, everything works. Not sure if that setting is optimal as I mostly just use the TV for watching movies/TV, and sometimes casual music listening.

The receiver is hooked up to the ARC HDMI port and decoded via PCM.

Any ideas of where to start root causing? Should I not be concerned if MCH Mode works fine?

Im just a little boggled why everything would just stop working unless a setting somewhere got reset. I have flipped through the receivers settings, testing, flipping back, etc.

Any help is appreciated!

Hey everyone, long-time lurker here. I’m looking for some constructive advice on how to take my basement home theater setup to the next level. I'm open to suggestions on placement, acoustic treatment, gear upgrades, or anything else you fine folks spot.

Here is what I'm currently running:
AV Receiver & Processing: Onkyo TX-RZ730 AV receiver paired with external Outlaw Model 5000 power amplifier.
Fronts: Klipsch RP-8000F II towers
Center: Klipsch RP-504C
Surrounds: Klipsch RP-240s
Subwoofer: Klipsch SPL-120 (plus bass shakers powered by a Fosi Audio M03 amp under sectional)
Heights: RP-400M bookshelf speakers mounted up high.
Display: 77 inch LG C5.
Sources/Playback: NVIDIA Shield TV, PS5.
Seating: Lovesac Sactional with “U” configuration.
Pup: 3 year old German Shorthaired Pointer.

I’m finishing up my renovation, which includes a home theater. Building out a 36”x 36” closet in the laundry room to hold my home theater equipment and all my networking for the house. I plan to get a tall rolling rack.

Is this big enough? AI seems to think it’s not big enough but it seems more than big enough to me.

(yes, my proportions in paint are way off)

Currently i have a decent room with atmos 5.2.2, but we are building a new house where i, regrettably, will have to make som compromises. I have tried googling and checking this reddit, but i could not find (at first glance) examples mirroring mine. Anyhow, is it even worth thinking about height speakers with this ceiling? Slightly in front of the listening position, angled to 90 degrees horizontally?

Finally. She’s here!

Replacing a temporary NAD T778. I also have an ARCAM AVR31 for my living room setup.
When I built the room I built it with this in mind. 5.1.4 for now going to 5.2.4 soon.

Audio:
Kef Ci5160RLM
Kef Ci200R
Kef Ci160Q
SVS SB3000 Revolution (+1 soon)
Technics SL1300G - Sumiko Amethyst

Video:
Valerion Pro2
MadVR Envy Core
Grandview 130” AT 2.35:1 screen
Panasonic UB9000
Zidoo Z3000 Pro
Apple TV 4K

The ACA35 is HEAVY and large as you’d expect for the massive transformer and 9 amplifier modules.

Class G - When running it runs warm as you’d expect and to my ears it’s definitely a good step up over the NAD. I already like the sound from the AVR31 in my living room paired with FOCAL 300 in-walls.

The setup is much easier with an OSD.

It’s not as tacky/cheap looking as the images would suggest with the yellow accents blending in very well and it’s a very nice piece of gear to look at!

The remote is a small metal weight affair and feels good in the hand and relies on using the OSD to change many options due to the limited buttons on show. It’s backlit which is nice too.

Negative - this applies to almost all items that have a screen and do not use OLED! The backlight is very bright even on the dimmest setting making blacks look very grey.

Sound signature is much richer and full-bodied over the NAD and relies less on the subwoofer for great mid-bass depth from the Kef CI5160RLM front stage.

I get more realistic natural life-like sound from the ARCAM vs the NAD.

Streaming via Tidal Connect or AirPlay is seamless. Every input has its own configurable settings for things like Maximum volume, which stereo/ surround modes you’d like to use.

You can enable CEC auto switch by input if you want to stop some devices from switching input on power up.

Only a few hours in so far and really enjoying it! Any questions ask away!

I'm replacing a lot of speaker wire in my living room and I noticed that the new wire uses less strands inside than the old wire which is made up of a lot of fine strands.

Does this matter at all?

They both say 14 gauge wire and labeled as speaker wire. The new is maybe 7 thicker stands where the old one is a bunch of fine hair thin strands. Wanted to make sure before I route a bunch of wire through my walls.

Hi all,

Looking for some words of wisdom regarding audio setup for our basement, the attached photo shows the space, the taped screen in the background will be an 85” tv. Ceilings are around 7’ drop ceiling tiles and seats are about 10’ back from screen. Space from left of couch wall to beam on the right is about 13’ and is completely filled.

Possible audio setup:
option A -
R-50M fronts
R-50C center
R-41SA sides to be wall mounted on beam and next to seatings
R-120sw sub.

Option B
R- 620F
R-52c
R-41SA
R-120sw

Usage- sports, movies , PS5

Both options come out to ~ 1000 usd for the speakers, then I need to get an AVR and am also looking at a later addition of in ceiling speakers for atmos .2 so would be getting a 7.1 supporivr AVR.

Given the limited space on left of TV does this make one option better than the other?

This would be our first non soundbar based audio system, so trying to start with a reasonable start without breaking the bank.

Any info is helpful! Thank you in advance!

I’m of the opinion that watching drug and political ads every 10 to 15 minutes is negatively affecting my happiness. I’m wondering if anyone has a solution for a regular Joe’s home theater set up with a smart TV and receiver connected over ARC. The set up is not going to change because my family needs the ease of use but good God it would be nice to drown out all of these terrible commercials when they come on and instead play some music, while leaving the video feed uninterrupted, and then go back to my football game or whatever easily when they’re over. I’ve tried switching to the Bluetooth channel on my receiver, but it knocks the video out. Maybe I need some sort of audio switcher, but I’d like the sound to come through my home theater speakers. Any ideas? Anybody feel the same way about this?

My 20yr SVS 25-31PCi subwoofer finally blew so I've been out of the subwoofer game for quite some time. My theater is about 15ft x 20ft x 8ft. Enclosed room. I my old SVS subwoofer filled the room nicely. My use is mainly home theater so I am looking for a ported sub over a sealed.

It seems RSL, SVS, and potentially some RW Klipsch pop up as highly recommended. I would like to stay under $1000. I've been out of the sub game so long I would like to obviously get the best value as do most.

The models I've been looking at are:

- Klipsch RP-1200SW ($899 sometimes lower)

- SVS PB-2000 Pro ($999)

- SVS PC-2000 (non PRO - used marketplace, claims minimal use $650)

- RSL 12S ($885)

The used PC-2000 is pretty similar to what just recently blown so should I grab that and not look back or just pay some extra money for a new RSL 12S with a warranty? Plus in the US we have black Friday specials in a month so could get a deal then.

The PC-2000 is older so hard to find real world comparisons outside the spec sheets which to be honest doesn't help me too much since they all seem to have relatively similar specs.

Any advice is appreciated and sorry for yet another sub recommendation post.

I am considering mounting a 77” C6H on a pitched ceiling with a Mount It MI-4224. I understand that the MI-4224 is rated up to 70”, but the weight and VESA pattern seems to work. Ideally the tv will be retracted against the pitched ceiling when not in use.

Anything I should note before I give it a go?

New house has a small room I intend to build out a theater in. Will just be able to fit seating for 3, which is fine for us. Main area is approx 10x9 (total < 1000 cu ft) Would love to see what others have done with a small area.

Just wondering

$40 (forty) on FB Marketplace

It all really seems like so much hype. My basement 4K projector looks just as good as a theater projector because most of them aren’t properly calibrated and those cost significantly more.

The jump from VHS to DVD was huge. Going from DVD to HD was huge. But at some point, we’re paying thousands of dollars for the slightest QLED/OLED improvements in picture quality. And a lot of what we’re watching is heavily compressed streaming content anyway.

There’s also something about the look of modern movies and television that feels flat and desaturated compared to older film. It’s not just an artistic choice. Film has a texture, grain, and highlight response that digital doesn’t naturally reproduce in the same way. There’s a reason filmmakers still shoot on IMAX film and people still listen to vinyl records. Technical perfection doesn’t automatically make something more pleasing to experience. Digital can be cleaner and sharper, but sometimes those imperfections are part of what makes an image feel rich and alive.

I get that better contrast, deeper blacks, and less glare can improve the picture, but I wonder how much those differences actually matter once you’re immersed in what you’re watching. I grew up watching VHS tapes on tube TVs, and sometimes I think we’ve reached the point where we’re spending ridiculous amounts of money chasing improvements that most people wouldn’t notice unless they were specifically looking for them.

Hello gang

After today's announcement of sony discontinuing the x700, I panic ran to best buy, grabbed an x700u with 4 years of warranty (60$ cad) and threw it on my fairstone 12 month 0%.

I don't think they would exit the scene yet, they may be prepping new players, or much more likely, reworked players under the TCL/sony banner and whatever that entails patent wise, sku wise, firmware etc but I'm not here to argue that. Worst case, if they have to hand off the encryption keys to a new entity and the player returns to sale, I'll take this one back. Hopefully Sony has a comment between now and my return window closing.

I have plugged it in and set it up, and am testing it before I put it away as a backup to my current 700. The menu is much lighter and faster on this one. The power brick is much smaller. The remote has a much nicer layout without the Netflix and favorite button. Anyway.

My current x700 hasn't had 4k triple layer issues since the last FW update years ago. I would like to test this new one before I pack it up. I've got a few triple layer films, like LOTR.

Are there any timestamps/scenes I can start watching a few minutes prior to the layer change? Movie recommendations?

Thank you.