Recommendation For A Decent Sound System.

[RimBlock 0]

Wonder if I should get a receiver first. And now somebody is selling the Emotiva UMC-1, dunno if it fits my needs for a HTS.

I would have thought the Emotiva XPA-3 would have been a better bet from the same place here. Get both and you have 5 channels power amped. 1600 for both plus approx 700 for a yamaha 667 or the like and you could either bi-amp the fronts and power amp the center or have the fronts, center and rears power amped. That is 2.3k gone then you just need to look for a suitable speaker package.

Rb

[Drexter 0]

I would have thought the Emotiva XPA-3 would have been a better bet from the same place here. Get both and you have 5 channels power amped. 1600 for both plus approx 700 for a yamaha 667 or the like and you could either bi-amp the fronts and power amp the center or have the fronts, center and rears power amped. That is 2.3k gone then you just need to look for a suitable speaker package.

Rb

I cannot get UMC-1 and XPA-3 as my AVR right? I will still short of 2 channels if I want 5.1, am I right?

[RimBlock 0]

I cannot get UMC-1 and XPA-3 as my AVR right? I will still short of 2 channels if I want 5.1, am I right?

Correct although the person selling the UMC-1 may also sell his XPA-5 if the price is right at the same time. I have asked about it via PM on XP.

RB

[RimBlock 0]

Correct although the person selling the UMC-1 may also sell his XPA-5 if the price is right at the same time. I have asked about it via PM on XP.

RB

Oh, the UMC-1 has now been sold on XP (not to me). I would guess Drexter has bought it going by the owner of the last post to that thread .

RB

Edited April 20, 2011 by RimBlock

[Drexter 0]

Oh, the UMC-1 has now been sold on XP (not to me). I would guess Drexter has bought it going by the owner of the last post to that thread .

RB

Not by me. LOLx

[RimBlock 0]

Not by me. LOLx

Haha, you just had the last post in the thread before the sale complete. Was a reasonable guess .

The XPA-3 is up for audition Friday so I have chosen to let that one go. Will probably be sold to the first listener.

I now have a new center and sub.

I popped in to KEC yesterday and had an audition of 3 SVS subs. SVS mainly as they were a reasonable size around my budget and I need a reasonable size as my listening area is very open.

The budget I had given was 1.2k-1.3k

So I listened to (in order of listening).....

PC12-NSD (12" sub, 400 Watts - S$1399)

SB12-NSD (12" sub, 400 Watts - S$1250)

PB13-plus (13" sub, 1000 Watts) - S$3+k as reference).

The PC12 is a cylinder sub while the SB is a sealed box and the PB is, you guessed it, a ported box.

Now I love the cylinder subs look. Striking, a talking point and when I saw they had one, I was leaning towards getting it even though it was just outside budget and without even hearing it. It is worth noting the PC and SB both have the new uprated 400 Watt Sledge amp rather than the older 320 Watt versions.

Listening material was;

War of the Worlds, obvious choice, where the pavement cracks and the fighting machine first emerges. Chosen for the very cleaver use of base, from the first rumbles to the cracking to the feet of the fighting machine thumping down to the heat ray blasts (well they were heat rays in the much better Jeff Waynes version).

V for Vendetta, when Evey emerges from captivity and goes to the roof in the thunder storm. Chosen for the rising musical score cumulating in a powerful crescendo mixed with the sounds of the rain and thunderstorm and the burning of V's memory of his fiery escape.

First was the PC12 cylinder with WotW.

My first impression was that the sub was very physical. I could feel the air pressure changes quire acutely and they continued in the scene with so much presence as to almost feel oppressive. Now what I mean by this is that I could feel the pressure change like you do in a thunder storm or airplane (without the ear popping), or a fast lift but it was changing rapidly so it felt like waves of pressure more than of sound. The first rumblings where quite noisy before the pavement starts to crack and overall the whole effect was good for the overly boomy feel.

Next came the SB12 Sealed box with WotW.

The first thing I felt was that the whole scene was noticeably louder. It was clearer with almost no boomy feel to it. It felt a lot more accurate and controlled. The first rumbles started to sound like an underground train hence the cops comment about a subway before the pavement starts cracking. The whole scene seemed fuller, richer, full bodied . There was still some rumble, some force on the body in deep loud scenes but not like you are standing in a pressure chamber and being pummelled. To me this sounded much better.

Lastly the suggestion was to try the 'seriously out of budget' PB13 with WotW to get a feeling for what good bass can sound like.

Well, the surprising thing was that not just the deeper lower end was affected but the vocals had more weight and clarity, the whole scene was a lot more controlled. The rumbles at the beginning actually sounded a lot more subtle, the fain noise of a passing underground train. IT was a lot less 'in your face' than with the SB12 and quite different to the PC12. The sound was fuller with no obvious deep, deep vibrating. There was very little tactile sensation from the scene, it was very much oral. This came as a bit of a surprise. Whilst I like the quality of the sound, I do like to get my chest vibrating now and then from the louder, more bass powerful scenes.

In the test with V for Vendetta, the differences were more subtle. The PC12 was a lot less boomy and didn't seem so much different from the SB12. The scene was a bit low in volume for my liking to be honest so it didn't carry the weight and passion of when it is played high.

The problem I then had was the choice over the cylinder and the sealed box. I love the looks of the cylinder but to me the sealed box sounded better tuned to what I like. I was not sure how my wife would view the cylinder or where it would go but worked out the sealed box could sit in front of my main speakers. The cylinder would have to wait until Saturday for delivery but the SB I could take home right away.

The SB12 won....

After describing the cylinder to my wife, it was clear I made the right decision. I am sure she would have lived with the cylinder but she much prefers the box design and it is more out of the way. Oh and it ws the cheaper one as well .

I also went out and bought the second hand Wharfedale Opus tri-center from the guy over on XP. Managed to agree on a lower than advertised price and took it home. This center speaker is really a beast. Two 6.5" bass cones along with a midrange and a tweeter. Tri-ampable and a big beach cabinet. The unit is in near perfect condition with a couple of pegs on the grill missing (a known issue for this range) and a little corrosion on the back metal plate (but not on the binding posts).

The biggest difference is the presence of the lower end in movies now and the fact that I can crank it up and it does not sound 'loud' but just powerful. There is little distortion to the point that I have to walk away to the kitchens for a drink or something to realise exactly how loud it really is and this is at the levels I would usually have it. The whole set-up clearly fills the downstairs and, if my wife is to be believed, the upstairs even with the door closed .

I need to give WotW a go but also need to run in the woofer and then see about tuning it. I notice there have been a couple of Antimode units on XP recently (one already reserved) which are meant to compensate for the room acoustics and so bring out better sound for the subwoofers. I am tempted but will research a bit more first.

Now to continue looking for a power amp to improve the musical side of things as I suddenly feel this side is now lacking and that the home cinema sounds so good. The rears for the home cinema could also do with an upgrade maybe. They are ok but could be better. The guy is also selling the Opus surrounds on XP but at 1.6k per set I think I will be leaving those alone .

Oh the wonderful world of HiFi and home cinema.

I will put some pics up on my reno thread over the next couple of days although not taken with my expensive camera obviously .

RB

Edited April 21, 2011 by RimBlock

[mars73 0]

Nice. I shortlisted the SB-12NSD and the SPL800i personally as well, but more due to space constraints and also I'm not an addict for apartment shaking bass. Good to see affirmation in your testing

Btw, did some posts get deleted? I can't seem to see some of the posts I put down 2 days ago... Strange.

I'm auditioning the XPA 3, might be the same one you were referring to? Was actually supposed to audition last week but had to change appointment last minute (it's the last piece of my stereo jigsaw).

For the AVR, are you thinking of upgrading. I just saw the specs for the new Onkyo 709. Looks pretty impressive. Extensive connectivity (pre-outs, multi-channel analog ins, networking) Looks like they are really upping the ante on this new line.

[RimBlock 0]

Nice. I shortlisted the SB-12NSD and the SPL800i personally as well, but more due to space constraints and also I'm not an addict for apartment shaking bass. Good to see affirmation in your testing

Btw, did some posts get deleted? I can't seem to see some of the posts I put down 2 days ago... Strange.

I'm auditioning the XPA 3, might be the same one you were referring to? Was actually supposed to audition last week but had to change appointment last minute (it's the last piece of my stereo jigsaw).

For the AVR, are you thinking of upgrading. I just saw the specs for the new Onkyo 709. Looks pretty impressive. Extensive connectivity (pre-outs, multi-channel analog ins, networking) Looks like they are really upping the ante on this new line.

As I have just bought the amp and at an expensive price from Courts (had the seize the wifes moment of weakness before she changed her mind) there is no way I will get anything like what I paid for it back so upgrading it makes very little sense. It does all I want it too, just would like to upgrade the power amp section.

I am so far very happy with the SB12. Not bone rattling at the current levels I have tried it at but the sound is much richer, clearer and detailed, also partly helped by the centre speaker no doubt. The sub is big but not overly so. I think it is still a fairly manageable size. The other sub suggested was the velodyne but that was much smaller and although arguably better with music, I could not see how it would fill the large open space I have.

One point of note is that the PC12 in an open space like my living area with the staircase etc could most likely have lost a lot of the boom. The problem was that I would have to hope it lost enough and take the chance. At 1.4k I was not willing to hope that much . Everyone is different and different people sometimes prefer different sounds. Personally I preferred the SB12 as a pretty good all rounder.

Oh and it is you then sealing away my XPA-3 . Nevemind. I am sure I will find something else appropriate .

RB

[mars73 0]

As I have just bought the amp and at an expensive price from Courts (had the seize the wifes moment of weakness before she changed her mind) there is no way I will get anything like what I paid for it back so upgrading it makes very little sense. It does all I want it too, just would like to upgrade the power amp section.

I am so far very happy with the SB12. Not bone rattling at the current levels I have tried it at but the sound is much richer, clearer and detailed, also partly helped by the centre speaker no doubt. The sub is big but not overly so. I think it is still a fairly manageable size. The other sub suggested was the velodyne but that was much smaller and although arguably better with music, I could not see how it would fill the large open space I have.

One point of note is that the PC12 in an open space like my living area with the staircase etc could most likely have lost a lot of the boom. The problem was that I would have to hope it lost enough and take the chance. At 1.4k I was not willing to hope that much . Everyone is different and different people sometimes prefer different sounds. Personally I preferred the SB12 as a pretty good all rounder.

Oh and it is you then sealing away my XPA-3 . Nevemind. I am sure I will find something else appropriate .

RB

Oops... sorry... You mentioned there was an XPA-5 that someone might be selling too?

The 667 is very good actually at the price point. I was leaning that way myself, but now many places have run out (e.g. KEC). Was also putting more priority on getting my music set up running for now so KIVed that for too long. I figured since I have a Sony HTiB I can live with it until I move house later in the year. Just read somewhere about Audyssey's new LFC thingy, supposed to give strong bass without disturbing neighbours (or wife upstairs) too much. Interesting.

Just got some belden cables from LHS yesterday. Will be collecting my new speakers on Saturday morning. So once I get a power amp it will be happy days!

[RimBlock 0]

Oops... sorry... You mentioned there was an XPA-5 that someone might be selling too?

Yeah, the guy still has not decided if he wants to sell yet . May be a bit out of budget.

I will get a quote from Emotiva and see what that comes in as .

RB

[Drexter 0]

Yeah, the guy still has not decided if he wants to sell yet . May be a bit out of budget.

I will get a quote from Emotiva and see what that comes in as .

RB

Why not order from Emotiva directly? Planning to do so if I want... Hehe.....

[RimBlock 0]

Why not order from Emotiva directly? Planning to do so if I want... Hehe.....

Shipping, import tax and exchange rate will make the US$700 over 1K and would imagine the XPA-5 will be over 1.5k.

Will get a quote and see though.

Still may take a look at the Behringer if I can get a quote from the local distributor.

RB

[Drexter 0]

Nice. I shortlisted the SB-12NSD and the SPL800i personally as well, but more due to space constraints and also I'm not an addict for apartment shaking bass. Good to see affirmation in your testing

Btw, did some posts get deleted? I can't seem to see some of the posts I put down 2 days ago... Strange.

I'm auditioning the XPA 3, might be the same one you were referring to? Was actually supposed to audition last week but had to change appointment last minute (it's the last piece of my stereo jigsaw).

For the AVR, are you thinking of upgrading. I just saw the specs for the new Onkyo 709. Looks pretty impressive. Extensive connectivity (pre-outs, multi-channel analog ins, networking) Looks like they are really upping the ante on this new line.

Ya I think some of my posts were deleted.

[Drexter 0]

Shipping, import tax and exchange rate will make the US$700 over 1K and would imagine the XPA-5 will be over 1.5k.

Will get a quote and see though.

Still may take a look at the Behringer if I can get a quote from the local distributor.

RB

Quote from Emotiva:

UMC-1 $699.00

Freight $81.37 FedEx Economy

Total $780.37

Just have to pay another 7% of GST. They have B-Stock products also. Can save another US$100

[RimBlock 0]

Quote from Emotiva:

UMC-1 $699.00

Freight $81.37 FedEx Economy

Total $780.37

Just have to pay another 7% of GST. They have B-Stock products also. Can save another US$100

Nice. I am after the XPA-3 or 5 though. I would expect transport to SG to be double but still waiting for the US to wake up

Are your prices in US$ or S$ ?. If US then there is the 1.2/1.3 conversion rate .

RB

Edited April 21, 2011 by RimBlock