Video Sources

Theta Voyager CD/DVD/LD
Sony DSS SAS-AD2
Mitsubishi HS-U62 S-VHS VCR
Hitachi VT-751 S-VHS VCR

Display

Dwin HD-500 CRT projector
Dwin TranScanner variable line multiplier (set to 750 lines)
Stewart StudioTek 130 screen (4:3, 1.3 gain, 10" diagonal)
Crestron SmarTouch ST 1500-C touchscreeen and controller

Preamps/Processors

Theta Casablanca with Dolby Digital, DTS, and Circle Surround
Camelot Dragon (jitter reduction for Sony DSS)

Power Amps

Bryston 7B monoblocks (5)

Equipment Racks

Michael Green Deep Clampracks: 54" tall (1); 48" tall (3)
Michael Green Deluxe Justarack Tuning Boards (5)

Speakers & Stands

Aerial Acoustics 10Ts (4; front and surround)
Aerial Acoustics CC3 (center)
Sound Anchor custom stands for Aerial speakers(5)
Bright Star Custom Big Rock 10" high base for center speaker
Osiris Giza Mk.II speaker stands for surround Aerial 10Ts (2)
Vandersteen 2Wq subwoofers (5) with custom marble slabs (20 pounds each) on top

Cables

Belden 1694A digital cable with 75 ohm King connectors (for Dwin CRT)

Transparent Cabling: Ultra XL AES/EBU (1 pair 2M and 1.5 pair 1.5M) for Bryston amplifiers; Ultra XL single-ended interconnects (3 pairs 2M) for VCRs and Cable TV; Ultra XL Bicable 25' lengths speaker cable (2.5 pairs); Reference AES/EBU Digital Cable (Camelot Dragon to Theta Casablanca); PDL Premium Digital Cables (4) for Sony DSS to Camelot Dragon (1.5M), Voyager Coaxial (1M), Voyager LD Dolby Digital (1.5M), and Voyager DVD Dolby Digital Downmix (1.5M); Premium S-VHS cable (1M and 2M); Premium Component Video Cable. Theta 2M Single Mode Cable (1)14-2 AWG copper cables to connect each Bryston amplifier to each Vandersteen 2Wq subwoofer (5)

Power Conditioners & Power Cords

VansEvers power conditioners and power cords: The Unlimiter with 20 amp IEC connector (10); No. 400-1 Reference power cord No.1 (extended frequency response) (5); Double Pandora Tuneable power cord (2); and No. 202 standard power cord (10)

API power conditioners and power cords: Power Wedge Ultra 111 (600 watt isolated balanced power video outlet); Power Wedge Ultra 116 (one 150 watt and five 120 watt isolated and balanced outlets); Power Wedge Ultra 115 (one 300 watt and four 120 watt isolated and balanced outlets); Power Enhancer (1); Power Link power cords 311-6 (1) and 313-6 (5) Audioprism Noise Sniffer (1) and Quietline AC filters (3 sets of 8 each)

Bybee filters: Quantum Line Charger Filters (8); Ultra Quantum Speaker Filters (5 pairs); Interconnect Filters Single-Ended (3 pairs) and Interconnect Filters Balanced (6 pairs) Combak Enacom filters: Speaker filters (3 pairs); AC filters (7 sets of 3)

Versalab Wood Blocks (2)
Mondial Magic Splitter (1)
Winegard DSS surge protector (1)

Vibration Isolation and/or Damping

Bright Star Little Rock 1 (2), 2 (1) and 3 (3)
Bright Star Air Mass 2 (10)
Townshend Seismic Sinks 2EHD (1), 2STD (3), CD Sink (5)
Acoustics Symposium (aluminum foam) platforms:

Ultra Custom platforms (19" X 16") (3); Ultra platforms (5); Super platforms (1); Jumbo Symposium Couplers (2" X 7/8" X ¾") (1 set of 3 couplers); Regular Symposium Couplers (1" X 7/8" X ¾") (5 sets); Symposium Rollerblocks (4 sets of 4 each, of which 2 have tungsten carbide ball, rest have steel ball) DH Jumbo Cones (3) Fastpoints 1.5" (1 set of 3) Audiopoints (2 sets of 3) Threaded Audiopoints for Aerial 10T and CC3 Sound Anchors stands (5 sets of 4) and Vandersteen subwoofers (5 sets of 3); Michael Green Cable Grounds (8 sets of 8 each); Shakti Stone (1) Cardas Caps (for unused analog audio/composite video/coaxial digital inputs of Theta Casablanca)

Room Treatment

Michael Green Products:

Acoustical Crown Molding: 5" (black) placed on bevel at wall/ceiling seams; Pressure Zone Controllers (PZCs) (black): Mini Corner Controllers placed at ceiling corners over ACM joints (4); Wall Mount Controllers: 36", one at each of four wall corners, two on each side wall (8); Mini Echo Controllers: one centered above the screen at the wall/ceiling seam, one centered above the back cabinets' wetbar at the back wall/ceiling seam, one placed on the ceiling above each Aerial Acoustics 10T speaker on the ceiling (6)

Other Items

Billy Bags Amp Stands (4) (used as mobile end tables)
Billy Bags Pro 100 Custom DVD & CD Rack
Classic Lifestyles Leather Recliners, upgraded seat cushions, Black (6)

Special Dedicated Room Construction:

Home theater dimensions are 18 feet 3-inches wide, 25 feet long and 11 feet, 11 inches in height. This is #3 on the Louden scale of best acoustical audio dimensions, to lessen the room node interaction at low bass frequencies as much as possible.

The room was added east of the master bedroom. A hallway and bathroom are between the master bedroom and the home theater. The theater's cement foundation has seams between the theater and the hallway/bathroom, and also between the hallway/bathroom and master bedroom for vibration control.

Double Masonite doors with wood and rubber seals around them, lead from the master bedroom to the hallway and from the hallway to the theater. Double 2-inch x 4-inch stud walls, with 1-inch air space in between are between the master bedroom and the hallway/bathroom.

At the rear of the home theater, flat black cabinets with a wetbar in the middle are 20 inches deep with 2-inch x 6-inch stud wall in back of the cabinets. There is blown in cellulose insulation for all of the walls, which seeps into and perfectly seals all nooks and crannies, except the ceiling insulation is BAT. USG Acoustical Sealant was used on all of the stud surfaces to minimize vibrations. Sound board, followed by gyp board was installed on all of the walls and ceiling for the entire addition.

The air conditioning return is at the rear of the theater underneath the cabinets and is roughly about more than 10 feet long and 4-inches in height. The air conditioning is whisper quiet thanks to oversized insulated air ducts with gentle turns, and the air return is located in the attic above the bathroom, with a separate air conditioning unit outside the room, so that the air conditioning is self-contained and totally separate from the rest of the home.

For this additional room, the local code provides for two four feet wide x 5 feet high windows. These windows are seven feet from the front video screen wall, just behind the front speakers. The windows consist of one double pane outside and a single pane inside. Each pane is on a separate wood insulated frame to minimize vibrations and maximize soundproofing. Remote controlled Draper Lightblock shades ensure that the room remains completely dark for video.

The home has a 400 amp electrical service. Prior to the new theater addition, that service was split to two 200 amp panel boxes, one at the east and one at the west side of the home. With the new addition, the east 200 amp service panel box has a new 100 amp circuit breaker which feeds the new panel box for the 19 dedicated audio only 20 amp circuits using 10 gauge wire, for the theater. The room lighting, the dedicated 20 amp ceiling outlet for the CRT projector, and the room air conditioning 30 amp circuit run into the pre-existing east panel box. The 19 audio circuits lead to their own new panel box outside, all the same electrical phase. Every even circuit in the panel box is skipped because, typically the panel box has each circuit the opposing phase, which doubles the AC power noise. 4 gauge copper wire runs from the panel box to an 8-foot copper ground rod, and then 4 gauge copper wire back to the pre-existing lead to the house ground, to which the other two electrical panel boxes are connected. The audio electrical outlets are Hubbell 20 amp, one grade lower than hospital grade, as Michael Green advised. His company tested outlets and found that the Hubbell hospital grade outlets actually had too much copper and rolled off the high frequencies.

The rooms colors are optimized for CRT front projection, black carpet over cement foundation, black ceiling and black side walls from the front screen wall out seven feet to the edge of the windows, the remainder of the room is dark gray. Three black art deco style theater lights on each side wall. Lutron Grafik Eye 3000 lighting.

A black, remote controlled whisper quiet ceiling fan centered about two-thirds into the room from the front screen wall.

Two rows of three chairs each, black leather, Classic Lifestyles recliners with upgraded cushions. Firm, flexible and most comfortable for many hours of viewing pleasure at a time. Have lumbar support built-in. You can nearly fully recline, or you can sit up with your shoulders pretty much at the top of the chair, to hear absolutely all the sound. Also, I use four Billy Bags amp stands as mobile end tables.

System Set Up and Tweaking:

18 Audioprism Quietline Filters (a small shunt filter which plugs into an unused outlet) were plugged in various noisy outlets around the home, and 6 Quietline Filters were plugged into unused dedicated outlets in the audio video room. Transparent cabling with network boxes include a low pass filter to prevent transmission of ultrasonic frequencies which could modulate the music signal and thereby induce noise within the audible bandwith. Speaker cables rest on Michael Green Cable Grounds.

API Power Wedge Ultra balanced power conditioners for analog and digital sources, VansEvers Unlimiters for amplifiers, and audiophile power cords by API and VansEvers, not only provide spike and surge protection for components, but most importantly filter and condition the AC power from the wall and isolate each component from electrical noise generated by other components as well.

Each of 5 Bryston 7B mono amplifiers (500 watts into 8 ohms, 800 watts into 4 ohms) rest on it's own Acoustics Symposium Ultra Platform which has an outer layer of aluminum and an inside layer of foam. The excess vibrational energy from the amplifier goes through the upper aluminum layer of the Symposium Ultra Platform and then travels into the foam layer where it is dissipated as heat. There is a set of three aluminum Symposium Couplers (1" X 7/8" X ¾") below the platforms; then on the bottom are Bright Star Air Mass 2s. These are basically inner tube isolation platforms that dissipate much of the vibrational energy (especially low bass) from the floor and even so it doesn't go up into the component and effect the audio signal. For each Bryston amplifier, there is a VansEvers No. 400-1 Reference Power Cord No.l power cord to a VansEvers Unlimiter power conditioner, with then a VansEvers No. 202 Standard power cord to the wall outlet. VansEvers No. 202 Standard power cords are also used from each VansEvers Unlimiter power conditioner,used for each Vandersteen 2Wq subwoofer, to the wall outlet. VansEvers Double Pandora Tuneable power cords are used for the Theta Voyager and for the Camelot Dragon (jitter reduction for Sony DSS). The VansEvers Unlimiter are placed two per each of 3 Townshend CD Sinks, with one of the CD Sinks in an equipment rack, and two of the CD Sinks each on a Deluxe Justarack Tuning Board, which sits on large brass Audiopoints on the floor.

Each of 4 Aerial Acoustics 10T full range floorstanding speakers for front and surround is on custom Sound Anchors stand. Room Tunes Audiopoints brass cones were substituted for spikes on the bottom of the Sound Anchors stands. The surround speakers are on Osiris Giza Mk II platforms so they are elevated an additional 6-inches height over the last row of recliners. The Aerial Acoustics CC3 center speaker has a Bright Star Little Rock 1 on top to weigh it down and rests on a custom Bright Star Big Rock sand filled base 10-inches high, which is elevated by two DH Jumbo Cones in the very front below the center speaker, on top of a custom Sound Anchors stand. The rear of the center speaker is two feet out from the screen wall behind it. The front and surround Aerial 10Ts are at 2,4,8 and 10 o'clock, equidistant - about twelve feet from each other end to end. The Aerial 10Ts each face the opposite 10T at a 45 degree angle on the clock face. Each angled Aerial 10T has its outer edge two feet from the side wall. The Michael Green Pressure Zone Controllers are individually adjusted for absorption vs. reflection as appropriate, to provide an outstanding phantom center image in stereo, a well defined center channel for video, and outstanding side and three dimensional and holographic imaging. Bybee Ultra speaker filters are used on all five Aerial Acoustics speakers as are Combak Enacom speaker filters.

Each of 5 Vandersteen 2Wq subwoofers has a twenty pound marble slab on top to weigh it down, and has its own 300-watt amplifier and adjustable "Q" (the lower the setting, the more musical, the higher the setting, the more home theater boom ) and sensitivity controls (to match sensitivity of main speakers) and the subs are located in the rooms four corners. The fifth is a foot to the left from the center speaker and against the wall.

Each subwoofer is on Audiopoints instead of spikes. Each subwoofer has its own VansEvers Unlimiter power conditioner, which is on top of a Bright Star Air Mass 2, which is on top of a Room Tunes Deluxe Justarack Tuning Board, which sits on large brass Audiopoints on the floor; except that the left surround subwoofer Unlimiter sits on the same Justarack as the Unlimiter for the right surround Aerial 10T.

Each subwoofer has three downward firing 8" woofers. Each subwoofer connects to its corresponding Bryston 7B amplifier by 14-2 guage copper wire. Each subwoofer amp has a high input impedance and simply samples the output of the corresponding Bryston amplifier and does not affect the load that the Bryston amplifier is driving. Each subwoofer's internal 300 watt amplifier then first restores the original contour from the already high pass filtered signal (which was done by the Casablanca digitally prior to digital to analog conversion), then low pass filters the signal, and then amplifies the signal by 300 watts. The Theta Casablanca's digital high pass filter is set at 60Hz 6Db for all speakers as this is the proper midrange bass blend. The two Vandersteen 2Wq subwoofers have their 14-2 AWG copper cable connected inversely to reverse phase.

Single Mode (Theta's proprietary digital optical connection using a single fixed laser frequency) is used for CD/LD/DVD digital audio. The Theta Voyageur CD/LD/DVD has Jitter Jail (RAM buffer to virtually eliminate any jitter).

The Theta Casablanca has 3 Audiopoints on top, with Bright Star Little Rock 3 on top of the Audiopoints. Immediately below the Casablanca are two sets, 3 each, of Symposium Rollerblocks, doubled up, with the tungsten carbide ball sandwiched inbetween the Rollerblocks. Below the Rollerblocks is an Acoustics Symposium Ultra platform. Below the Ultra platform is a set of 3 Regular Symposium Couplers, then a Bright Star Air Mass 2. Cardas shorting plugs are placed into unused inputs of the Theta Casablanca.

The Theta Voyager has a Bright Star Little Rock 2 on top. Immediately below the Voyager are two sets, 3 each, of Symposium Rollerblocks, doubled up, with the tungsten carbide ball sandwiched inbetween the Rollerblocks. Below the Rollerblocks is an Acoustics Symposium Ultra platform. Below the Ultra platform is a set of 3 Jumbo Symposium Couplers, then a Townshend Seismic Sink 2EHD, which rests on a set of 3 Fastpoint 1.5" cones. A Bybee Quantum Charger Filter plugs into the IEC power input for the Theta Casablanca and Voyager, Dwin Transcanner, Dwin HD-500 CRT Projector, the Camelot Dragon (Sony DSS jitter reduction) and into each of the Power Wedge Ultras 11, 115 and 116. A Versalab Wood Block plugs into the Bybee Quantum Charger Filter for both the Dwin Transcanner and the Dwin HD-500 CRT Projector. API Power Link power cords are used for the Dwin Transcanner and HD-500 CRT Projector and for each of three API Power Wedge Ultras. The Dwin Transcanner sits on top of an Acoustics Symposium Super platform, which rests on a Townshend Seismic Sink 2STD.

Bybee Interconnect Filters Balanced are used on each end of the Transparent Ultra XL AES/EBU interconnects from Theta Casablanca to each Brystom amplifier. Bybee Interconnect Filters Single Ended are used on each end of the Transparent Premium Digital Cable (coaxial) from Sony DSS to Camelot Dragon (for Sony DSS jitter reduction), and on each end of the Transparent Ultra XL single-ended interconnects for each S-VHS VCR to the Theta Casablanca, and for DSS audio recording from the Casablanca to the Hitachi S-VHS VCR.

The Sony DSS has MSB modified coaxial digital audio out. The DSS receiver has two Bright Star Little Rock 3s on top of it to weigh it down and rests on top of a set of 3 Regular Symposium Couplers on an Acoustics Symposium Super platform; which is on top of a set of 3 Regular Symposium Couplers; which is on top of a Townshend Seismic Sink 2STD, which rests of a set of 3 Audiopoints 1". A Weingard module plugged into the wall outlet grounds the digital satellite signal.

There are two S-VHS VCRs: the Hitachi VT-751A rests on a Townshend Seismic Sink 2STD connected by Transparent Ultra XL interconnects with Bybee interconnect filters, and a Mitsubishi HS-U62 on a Townshend CD Sink. A Mondial Magic splitter connection eliminates any ground loop problem for the cable connection to the VCRs.

The Dwin HD-500 CRT projector has no internal cooling fan so the theater is completely quiet. The Dwin Transcanner variable line multiplier, on an Acoustics Symposium Ultra platform which rests on a Townshend Seismic Sink 2STD, is set to 750 scan lines. The screen is a Stewart Studiotech 1.3 gain, 4:3 aspect ratio, 100-inch diagonal fixed.

The Dwin CRT projector and the Dwin Transcanner are both hooked up to a Bybee Quantum Line Charger Filter, then a Versalab Wood Block, then an API Power Link 313-6 power cord to a balanced power Power Wedge Ultra, with its IEC connected to a Bybee Quantum Charger Filter and then another API Power Link power cord to the dedicated 20 amp wall outlet. An API Power Enhancer plugs into the API Power Wedge Ultra 111, with a 600 watt isolated outlet for a video CRT projector, for the Dwin CRT.

Various Room Tunes Pressure Zone acoustical controllers are used: Five-inch acoustical crown moldings are placed on the bevel at the wall and ceiling seam, to eliminate slap echoes. Over the acoustical crown molding at the four ceiling corners are mini corner controllers. The ceiling corner controllers basically shove all that sound which collects in the high corners of the room back into the room. Each controller has an adjustable brass tuning knob in the front, which can be turned the adjust reflection vs. absorption. Room Tunes 36-inch wall mounts were used at each of the four wall corners, and with two placed at each side wall. They are centered on the side walls (about 1/3 and then 2/3 along the length of the 25-foot walls) with the bottom of the wall mounts 51-inches from the floor. Six Room Tunes Mini Echo Controllers, one centered above the screen at the front wall/ceiling seam, one centered above the back cabinets/wetbar at the back wall/ ceiling seam and one placed above each Aerial Acoustics 10T on the ceiling, also help to acoustically control the sound.

My Audio Video History:

I started out in my basement with an Eiki and then a Sharp LCD projector with a 4:3 aspect ratio Draper 4 gain 95" diagonal screen, with in wall Polk speakers, a Polk subwoofer and a Denon receiver. On laserdiscs, I would always have to turn the sound up and down, up and down, as the sound level at different scenes seemed to vary so much.

After a few years and what I thought were constant sinus headaches, I added a Toshiba 35" Cinema Series tv downstairs. I found myself watching the tv, not the LCD, because I realized that the Sharp LCD picture was poor color, hard on the eyes with motion artifacts, and it was much more pleasing to watch a smaller but quality picture. My headaches went away, too. Then I changed the LCD screen to a fixed, curved 13 gain VuTech 60: 4:3 aspect ration diagonal. I then watched the LCD a lot, as the picture was very bright even if the colors were not all that accurate. If someone sat off to the side of the screen, the picture would lose a lot of its brightness and colors would shift some. And the Sharp LCD had to rest on a table next to my listening position so the picture would bounce back with the correct brightness from the curved screen, and that LCD fan was nothing but noisy. I had subscribed to Widescreen Review for several years, but I had always glossed over the audio stuff. I started to read the audio stuff, expecially the articles by Peter Moncrief (a noted audiophile with a subscription newsletter) on "Home Theater - Doing It Right".

Mr. Moncrief experimented with speakers and mini-monitors to deter mine best placement and use for home theater and had many findings which then contradicted conventional wisdom. He mentioned that the vast majority of speakers do not image well, and that imaging was most important, not bass impact, and that mini-monitors image the best for the $$$$. He mentioned outstanding mini-monitors in different price ranges to include Artemis, Wilson Watt, and Spica TC-60 as the economical mini-monitor; and he set up a system using Watts for front and surround and a Spica TC-60 for center channel. He concluded that direct radiators could provide the best surround imaging as well, and that your selection of surround speakers should be similar to that of front speakers, based on imaging and system matching. He mentioned that imaging should come first, that you would enjoy your home theater without deep bass, but that if you wanted that deep bass you should add a musical subwoofer without bass overhang.

Widescreen Review editor Richard Hardesty added an addendum to these articles, based on is experience, discussing the components of an ideal home theater, including 25 Hz capability in each 5 speaker vector, by use of subwoofers for each vector if you could.

At the time, I was just getting interested in better home theater. I bought five Spica TC-60 mini-monitors down my basement, on custom sand-filled stands, angling the rear speakers about 45 degrees against the interior of the back wall, which was a few feet behind the listening/viewing position. To my Denon receiver, I added a Parasound 1206 multichannel amplifier with Kimber PBJ interconnects. I used Kimber 4TC/8TC speaker cable for all speakers. I ended up replacing the Denon with a Citation 7.0 surround processor with 6-Axis mode (which I luved) and Theta Generation VA DAC,and then I replaced the interconnects with Transparent Super single- ended. I upgraded my old Pioneer Elite CLD-D92 LD to the Pioneer CLD-D704, added two Vandersteen 2w subwoofers, a Power Wedge 116 Mk II power conditioner, a few DH cones for the bottom of components and Bright Star Little Rock 1s for the top of components to weigh them down, and I rocked and rolled.

I really loved my basement system. I thought that my sound was about as good, and sometimes even better, than the local dealers' setups, even though theirs were at times mucho more expensive. I attributed this to system setup, that I had wonderful imaging and equal quality in all five vectors and tight, musical subwoofers. I felt that the surround nature of my system was better than the local dealers, but I came to realize my system's dynamic limitations, especially jacking up the loudness playing "Twister". But I was 95% enthralled with my gear and sound, and really wasn't planning any more changes - until:

Summer 1996 Building Bug:

One evening summer 1996, my wife said that why don't I get all my stuff and wires out of her basement and build a new room onto our home for all my gear. I laughed and said that it would be too expensive. A few hours later, after a friend and I had surveyed our lot, I told my wife that she had a great idea, we had room to build a dedicated room onto the house, so what does my wife say, that she "was just kidding". I wasn't.

In September I was referred by Gary at Esoteric Audio to Bender, then President of the Az Audiophile Society, as an Architectural Draftsman. contributed some excellent relatively economical ideas for the room, including using 2 X 6 studs; not using a false wood floor to enhance bass, as it would add colored vibrations to the audio; not using concrete or similar block walls, at not only costs more, but too stiff, would hold too much bass in the room; using sound board at all interior surfaces in addition to gyp board; and I had room for a large bathroom and hallway between the master bedroom and the audio video room, to make the addition a fully functional mother-in-law facility for resale purposes, and as a buffer to shelter from the sound of the room.

Room plans were complete in early November 1996 and a local side lot variance was obtained. Fortunately, my Law Office neighbor and good friends, Ririe Construction Company (Troy Smith, Owner, and John Nielsen) had a letdown in their commercial construction business at the time and agreed to General Contract the addition. I spent endless hours researching room acoustics and construction and discussing this with both John and Troy so I could ensure that the room would be optimized for audio and video without any of the normal compromises given for spousal accepatance factor or interior decorator preferences. Troy and John personally framed the addition.

Also, close to the close of construction, I brought in Loren Roetman, then a private audio video contractor (now Sales Director for Dennis Sage Home Entertainment in Phoenix), and Loren had some wonderful ideas resulting in deco side theater lights, he greatly asisted me in finding and getting a great deal on six Classic Leather Recliners, and he initially obtained for me much of my new gear including Aerial Acoustics speakers, Bryston amps, etc.

Closing Thoughts:

I approached my system and room from a professional and quality standpoint. The cost for building the room itself was about what the room adds to the cost of my home in appraisal value - but only because I had friends skilled in construction who served as General Contractor. I suspect that most contractors would have charged me a lot more and that some of them would not have worked with me very well for what I desired for my audio video room addition. I know my equipment, tweaks and accessories are not cheap; and that most can't afford this much; but I am most happy with the way everything turned out, and maybe others can learn from my experience so that in their own way, they can improve their system and room, too.

My theater is not for 20 people. Six adults are very comfortable and small kids can sit on the floor or rest in bean bags. The sound is outstanding wherever you sit. If you sit in the back row, on either end close to the surround Aerial Acoustics 10T speaker, you can sometimes localize some sounds to that speaker. It's a small price to pay for outstanding sound and imaging in general.

The sound is three dimensional and holographic, with breathtaking clear vocals. I don't believe wall mounted surround speakers could come close to this sonic nirvana! I just love my Theta Casablanca Circle Surround. It adds an entirely new dimension to stereo music CDs and cable, DSS and laserdisc stereo and surround sound. Sort of like the Citation 7.0 6-axis mode and Lexicon similar mode, but at a higher end audio level. It really needs to be heard to be believed!

You should set a budget and then try to design a complete system that you reasonably can afford. And remember that tweaks and accessories may or may not work for you, depending on system fidelity (a tweak could make a system too revealing of its shortcomings and in that sense actually degrade your perception of the sound quality), or a tweak just may not work well in your system context. I have found that my various audio tweaks have increased system quietness - that black background that you don't really hear but you do; separation of voicing and instruments; expansion of soundsage and surround nature of the experience; sound is gentler and softer even at high volume levels and so much less fatiguing; clarity and resolution of bass; and most importantly for music, that you are there feeling.

Video tweaks have substantially improved contrast and shadow detail and color fidelity - the picture is so much more natural looking and filmlike. But I found that I needed to get my geometry settings right and internally focus the CRT lenses correctly to realize these improvements.

If you have improper CRT setup, no tweaks will help you. In closing, spend what you can afford, try to design and integrate your system and its components and any tweaks reasonably, and enjoy yourself.

Steve Bruzonsky

My Dream Theater Pics