Refreshed apartment rig!

[Flint]

As I have posted in other threads, I have been working on getting an apartment in Arlington, VA, so make my commutes easier. I finally got one, and not only is it in my limited budget, but it is a stand along "carriage house" behind a larger house which will be three apartment units when the renovation is completed.

Since I have a good place, I started thinking about what I would do for music. As much as my little JBL Bluetooth speaker is great in a hotel room, it cannot hold a candle to a proper rig and would be terribly disappointing as my only audible audio in my new place. For a day I was shopping for new stuff, then I realized my third system is VERY rarely used and would be perfect.

So, after spending the better part of the day digging through my plethora of old boxes I found everything I needed to ship the third system to Arlington to put in my new place. What does it include, you ask?

1 pair SVS Audio MBS-01 speakers (first edition, my preference).
1 Parasound 2 channel preamp (with an analog subwoofer crossover should I want to go that route later)
1 OPPO upscaling DVD player (mainly for CDs)
1 pair Parasound HCA1200 monoblock amps.

I also ordered another of the Bluetooth receivers I currently use in my work office so I can listen to the music on my phone. .

I am thinking I may get a USB hard drive and a small notebook or tablet to play higher quality uncompressed music as good as I get at home. I could copy the music from my network share library and just bring a USB key whenever I add more.

I am stoked. I just need to go ship them now, which will be much cheaper than buying stuff of similar quality.

 

[Zing]

If I were Paul, I'd just give you a :handgestures-thumbup: and move on. But I'll add that I think that's going to be a great home-away-from-home system (though I don't know why you're not incorporating something for a sub).

 

[Botch]

I didn't know SVS made full-range speakers, thought they only did subs. Sounds like a hell of a system! :handgestures-thumbup:

(cool, the image I grabbed from Googlez Imagez is MazerSteven's)

and of course it doesn't work. gah.

 

[Zing]

and of course it doesn't work. gah.

That's because you clicked the URL button instead of the Img button.

Fixed.

 

[Haywood]

As I have posted in other threads, I have been working on getting an apartment in Arlington, VA, so make my commutes easier. I finally got one, and not only is it in my limited budget, but it is a stand along "carriage house" behind a larger house which will be three apartment units when the renovation is completed.

Since I have a good place, I started thinking about what I would do for music. As much as my little JBL Bluetooth speaker is great in a hotel room, it cannot hold a candle to a proper rig and would be terribly disappointing as my only audible audio in my new place. For a day I was shopping for new stuff, then I realized my third system is VERY rarely used and would be perfect.

So, after spending the better part of the day digging through my plethora of old boxes I found everything I needed to ship the third system to Arlington to put in my new place. What does it include, you ask?

1 pair SVS Audio MBS-01 speakers (first edition, my preference).
1 Parasound 2 channel preamp (with an analog subwoofer crossover should I want to go that route later)
1 OPPO upscaling DVD player (mainly for CDs)
1 pair Parasound HCA1200 monoblock amps.

I also ordered another of the Bluetooth receivers I currently use in my work office so I can listen to the music on my phone. .

I am thinking I may get a USB hard drive and a small notebook or tablet to play higher quality uncompressed music as good as I get at home. I could copy the music from my network share library and just bring a USB key whenever I add more.

I am stoked. I just need to go ship them now, which will be much cheaper than buying stuff of similar quality.

Just a thought. Plex Media Server has much better music functionality than it used to and supports a very wide array of codecs. Roku boxes now support AAC, MP3 and FLAC natively with no transcoding. That would be a lot simpler. All you would have to do is install Plex on your media server, buy an $80 Roku box and you'd be good to go.

 

[Botch]

and of course it doesn't work. gah.

That's because you clicked the URL button instead of the Img button.

Fixed.

I had originally clicked the img button, but it protested because it couldn't determine the image size; I get that message every so often. Switched it to a URL, which always works for me. Thanks for fixing, however you did it. :think:

 

[Flint]

Just a thought. Plex Media Server has much better music functionality than it used to and supports a very wide array of codecs. Roku boxes now support AAC, MP3 and FLAC natively with no transcoding. That would be a lot simpler. All you would have to do is install Plex on your media server, buy an $80 Roku box and you'd be good to go.

I know all about Plex.

I won't have a "media server" or NAS or fixed PC in my new apartment. I just want to get my collection from Texas to Virginia and I am not going to deal with my to different ISPs when if I pass some bandwidth limit for streaming content 100% of the time.

 

[PaulyT]

:handgestures-thumbup:

 

[PaulyT]

And, slightly OT, but for Zing:

bscene-buttred:

 

[Wardsweb]

That's going to be a nice setup. Proves the point that you can have good music without breaking the bank.

 

[TKoP]

OK, let me step back and be jealous a little bit -- this is equipment you just had hanging around... and it's not even the ONLY stuff you have sitting in your garage, you had to decide what to pick.

OK, jealous rant over...

First, nice! I remember you were super stoke by the first edition of their crossover and disappointed by their second "improved" version.

But me being me, I now have a few questions:
1) Will you get a sub to round out the bottom end?
2) Will you be able to put up any treatments?
3) If you didn't have anything and had to go buy something new, what would you get?
4) How big will the room be where you're going to set this up?
5) What was your 2nd place speaker?

 

[Batman]

^^ his 2nd place speakers were the AV123s

 

[Flint]

Thanks guys.

TKoP - Yes, this is my 3rd rig that was sitting in my upstairs library area but which has had very little action for some time. Now that my drums are setup in there, I don't think I have turned it on in over a year. When I originally put it in, I used it quite a bit.

1) Will you get a sub to round out the bottom end?
A: Maybe. I don't really know. I love bass, but it doesn't make all the difference in enjoying a good recording most of the time.

2) Will you be able to put up any treatments?
A: Probably not. This is an apartment where I have a 12 month lease, I don't want to have to work to repair any damage I do. I may look into some freestanding stuff over time, but we'll see.

3) If you didn't have anything and had to go buy something new, what would you get?
A: Probably a small Stereo integrated amp and some nice bookshelf speakers, or more likely a pair of moderately sized active monitors and a cheap as dirt used Adcom or NAD preamp from Craigslist. Maybe I'd get lucky and find one of those amazing Yamaha preamps from the 1980s which had a real loudness control!

4) How big will the room be where you're going to set this up?
A: The room is small - the real estate listing says it is 9 x 15 and it is open to the kitchen with is 7 x 12 with a stairwell going up to the second floor. It isn't like I'll need all that power in that tiny place.

5) What was your 2nd place speaker?
A: In my home or in general? In my home it would be my SVS small bookshelf speakers currently used with my Home PC rig in my cave office. If buying new... I am not sure, maybe the Paradigm Reference speakers or something from KEF?

 

[Flint]

I have now shipped my stuff. It wasn't cheap, but it was much less costly than starting over buying new (or even used) stuff. I just hope the FedEx driver can find my place and can leave it on my doorstep. The house in front is under renovation and there are security cameras up, two of which can see my front door, and the owner has agreed to let me look through the footage (which he keeps for two weeks) in case there are problems.

I need to get a security system of some kind in my new place, nothing fancy.

Wheee!!!


Crap! Now I need something to set all this stuff on! There is a large, heavy, solid wood credenza at my office which is being tossed out - maybe someone can help me move it to my place!

 

[Flint]

The gear arrived, as did a really nice (and cheap) faux leather futon I purchased sight-unseen off Amazon. I haven't unboxed the electronics and speakers, yet, but the boxes appear in good shape. One complaint, though, the FedEx driver delivered the many large and heavy boxes to the front door of the main house on this property which is under construction. Despite the address including Apt. #4 (in rear of property) clearly written on it. I need to work on that.

I plan on going out today and buying furniture on which to put my speakers and electronics. I was thinking a side table, credenza, or some mid-height storage solution as this tiny place has no real storage in it.

I did order three TrippLite IsoBar power strips from Amazon and they are here, I also have my Comcast/Xfinity 150Mbps broadband hooked up and working, but only via wired Ethernet until I get a wireless router (I am holding out for the new Google OnHub router to be available). So I can start streaming movies and TV now on one device at a time now.

My employer is giving me an older Panasonic TV, I think they have some plasmas, in the 30" to 45" range, so I will have TV even though I didn't plan on having one at all.

This is good so far... the room is WAY too echo-abundant right now, so after I put in some furniture and curtains, I may need some appropriate furnishing or acoustic panels just to get things under control. The main living room has a hard ceramic tile floor and is otherwise a geometrically perfect rectangle. Not ideal.

It is a small room, so I probably won't need a sub, or if I decide I do need one I can get a smaller one.

Yeah.

 

[Towen7]

IKEA

FWIW, in my home office I have several Lack tables ($10 ea) stacked to make an equipment rack.

 

[Flint]

I got it setup today and it sounds amazing. I.was.listening to the JBL Charge bluetooth speaker for about four hours while I was assembling the furniture, so the transition to the SVS speakers was like night and.day.

 

[Flint]

Here are a couple of photos. The one where the wall is more cream colored is more accurate. The other is using the flash and it made everything more blue.

As you can see, the room is quite small. The door next to the futon is the front door and the kitchen is opposite that.

 

[Deleted member 133]

Small!?

Do you have to go outside to change your mind?



Jeff

ps. It certainly has a certain je ne sais quoi.

 

[Towen7]

The other is using the flash and it made everything more blue.

Try an iPhone.