Daddyjt

Ideally yes on the 9.1, but not necessarily. For most home theater applications, you have what’s called the “base layer” - that’s your 5.1 or 7.1. In 5.1, you have your front L,C,R and 2 surrounds and 1 sub. In 7.1, you have all that plus 2 back surrounds. In both of these configurations, the surrounds (and back surrounds) are often moved high up on the side and back walls - and this is fine, even though optimal position is at ear level for the seated listening positions. The Atmos channels are indicated by a third number added after the subs, that represents the number of Atmos speakers in the setup. For example, I run a 7.4.4 setup - 7 base layer speakers (front 3 plus 2 side surrounds and 2 back surrounds), 4 subs, and 4 in-ceiling Atmos speakers. My 2 side and 2 back surrounds used to be mounted up high, but When I added the in-ceiling Atmos speakers, I move these 4 speakers down to about 18” above ear level to allow for the differentiation between surround and height sounds (this was one of the most impactful upgrades of going to Atmos). One of the hottest debates in home theater right now is whether you are better off with a 7.1 or 5.1.2 setup. The community seems pretty evenly divided, but the downside of 5.1.2 is that you need an Atmos processor and source. Lacking those, 7.1 is the clear winner. it’s funny you mention the auto calibration of Marantz - I too find it an excellent starting point. In fact, Tim and I had this very conversation the other night, and I told him what I do - and it’s exactly what you described Andrew - I let it do it’s thing, then I boost the center about 3db and roll off a little treble to eliminate any sibilance with my Klipsch center which can be a little bright, but more than makes up for that in its clarity. Tuning (and taming) the 4 subs is another thing entirely - it’s a full day job, and maddening to boot - but SO worth it in the end. I have always felt that 70-80 percent of the “wow factor” of a home theater is the audio, and half of that 70-80 percent is tight, deep, and accurate bass…

Most of my HT power is Carver. A 500t MKII runs the L & R, another 500t MKII runs the center (steering mode, not bridged), a Sunfire Theater Grand runs the base layer surrounds (4 speakers x 200 Sunfire watts - overkill I know), and a Parasound Z-12 running 8 of its channels bridged to 4 running the 4 Atmos speakers at 100 watts each. Then there’s the subs - the 2 SVS SB4000 each have a 1,200 watt amp, and the 2 Velodyne DD18 subs each have a 1,250 watt amp. The 4 subs pressurize the room quite well…;-) I am running the Marantz SR6015 receiver as a processor. I didn’t see any reason to move up the line (SR7015 or SR8015), because I didn’t need the 2 extra amp channels (9 vs 11) nor did I need more powerful amp channels, as ALL my amplification is via separate amps. There are a lot of different options for Atmos channels. While ceiling mount is best, high on the front wall is pretty good, and even the “aimed & ceiling reflected” Atmos speakers that sit on top of the front mains present a realistic image.

That’s exactly how I felt about the 2.5….

I was lucky to have @PhilDent stop by last night, and believe it or not, we didn’t even fire up the 2ch system - we spent the evening in the HT demoing a slew of new Atmos material I have acquired. We closed out the listening session with the INXS Live Baby Live 4k Atmos. This was my 4th watch of this concert, and it just doesn’t get old. Tim (with his background) gave me a few insights that I haven’t considered about this concert: first, being shot in ‘92, all the video was shot on FILM (no digital). Second, this appeared to be before the era of in-ear monitors, and he pointed out how refreshing it is to see a concert where no one is holding up a smart phone. And the other thing I noticed on this viewing is just how small and dim the Jumbotrons were back then! seriously, if you have an Atmos setup and you haven’t experienced this one, you're missing out…!

If they are in good shape, that’s a fair price.

Greetings…!

Welcome aboard - lots of Sunfire love in these parts:-)

No worries man - carry on👍

Your 2.5 speakers are interesting, Fernando. The original 2.5 did not have dual binding posts - that was one of the “upgrades” in the 2.5i. It would appear that someone did an “aftermarket” dual binding post mod - the different spacing of the upper and lower posts seems to be further evidence of this. Point being, before you go replacing ferrofluid, it may be worth checking that whomever did the modification wired everything correctly.

There does seem to be a concentration of NHT faithful here, myself included. I know of at least three members with a pair of 3.3…

I have one as well. Came with the handles and screws too - perfect fit…

Reach out to Ed - @sea , as he has the ability to refresh/repair the ribbon tweeters. Also, if you have 4x woofers in each speaker, I don’t think you have Silvers (they have 3x woofers)…

As luck would have it, I just now placed an order with SDE out of England (Thin Lizzy in Atmos), and thought I’d share their message on tariffs -

I do not believe that any of the new (within the last 2 years) tariffs have had any effect on media. I regularly order from SDE out of the UK, and from another outlet in Germany, and have paid zero tariffs. Shipping isn’t cheap (it never has been), but no tariff impact whatsoever.

My son picked this up a couple weeks ago, and all I can say is WOW - I’m fairly certain that this is THE BEST top to bottom concert disc I’ve seen. First off, the pure energy from the band AND the crowd is infectious. Next, the engineers perfectly captured the sound of a stadium concert - then the video editing is fantastic, with a great mix of camera angles. And finally, the material itself… I’ve liked INXS since they hit the scene big in the 80’s - I saw them live in 86, and I have all their recordings. However, I have to admit that watching this show, I didn’t realize how many of their songs I knew - this show is about 90 minutes of hit after hit. give it a spin - it’ll show just what Atmos can do, which is transport you to Wembley Stadium in ‘91 for a spectacular show….

welcome to the site. I have owned a few of the speakers on this list, and listened to a few more. I drove up to Wilson Audio a few years ago and spent the afternoon listening. They were very nice and welcoming, and quite knowledgeable, but… I was thoroughly underwhelmed in the sound of their speakers. Like you, they had been on my “bucket list” for years, and they just did nothing for me. At my peak, I owned over 12 pair of speakers, and used to rotate different ones into my 2ch rig every few weeks. When I acquired my first pair of NHT 2.9, I found that I kept coming back to them after every rotation. When I found the 3.3 pair, I started selling-off speakers. I know just own my 3.3 pair, two pair of 2.9 (one pair get daily use in the family room, the other pair are in case I ever need spare parts), a pair of modded Polk SDA SRS 1.2, and of course my Klipsch RF7 Atmos HT setup. here are a couple of my past NHT related threads, if you’re interested…

Aw man… this one hurts. Beyond a great actor, just an overall great human being… never caught up in Hollywood drama or BS - just a class act. Perhaps my favorite film of his is Lone Wolf Mcquade, but right on its heels would be Forced Vengeance. So many great action films from my childhood:-( Perhaps the most fitting eulogy for Mr Norris are the jokes, so here are a few of my favs: Chuck Norris doesn’t do push-ups, he bench-presses the earth… How many push-ups can Chuck Norris do? All of them… If Chuck Norris had been on the Titanic, the iceberg would have sank in the ocean… The boogeyman checks under his bed at night for Chuck Norris… Chuck Norris doesn’t swim - the water pushes him along out of fear… Rest in peace sir - you will be missed…:-(

Welcome aboard. I am also in UT (Layton area), and happy to help by way I can…

In retrospect I fear that my critique of the Infinity sound may come across as a bit more derogatory than I intended. It was not my intent to disparage the brand or the sound. I can’t stress enough that it was MY TASTE that changed. The Kappa 9 served me well for a number of years, and I derived much pleasure from them. In fact, it caused me significant anguish to part-out my last pair. However, I did take comfort in knowing that the process likely revived/repaired several other pair, allowing them to soldier on. My bafflement at @Sk1Bum looking to move on from his NHTs is probably similar to other’s bafflement at my feelings towards Infinity - but then we all know Dick is a bit crazy, so that explains a lot;-)

There was a time not too long ago (10-12 years) that I was flat out in love with the “Infinity sound”. I had acquired two pair of Kappa 9, and I thought I was set for life. Then, gradually over time, I grew to detest the infinity sound. Both pair of Kappa 9, a pair of Kappa 8 and a pair of Kappa 6 (the 8&6 at friends homes) all sounded hash in the highs, chesty in the mids, and boomy in the bass. i know the speakers didn’t change, but rather my taste changed. I gave one pair of the Kappa 9 to a dear friend, and after several listings (going as low as $800) I parted out the remaining pair for about $1,800 total. at this moment I cannot imagine a better speaker than the 3.3 for 2ch music - it just does everything right…. For me, and for NOW. Will my taste change again? I doubt it, but who knows…

Yes, it is!

I’ve been in a bit of a nostalgia kick lately, mostly because Hollywood isn’t churning out much to be excited about lately. Anyway, I saw one of my childhood favorites as I was scrolling through Prime a couple weeks ago, then I saw a remastered box set in a really cool music/movie store in Portland called Music Millennium (I was in Albany working all week, and when I flew out of Portland Friday I stopped at the closest record store to the airport). When I saw the remastered box set of Capricorn One, I took at as a sign. The film came out in 1978, and stars James Brolin, a very young Hal Holbrook, Elliott Gould and OJ Simpson. The plot is a failed mission to Mars, where the astronauts are forced to fake the video and radio footage. It’s aged beautifully in today’s conspiracy theory world, and the stunts and effects have a wonderful non-CGI realism that I’m loving more and more the older I get. As a bonus, there are a few scenes with the gorgeous Karen Black that are witty and wonderfully playful, that I don’t think would ever be shot the same way today. Unfortunately the video presentation was the only thing remastered (up to 1080p), as the audio is 2ch mono. Honestly, 10 minutes into the film, I didn’t even notice the mono. It’s a 2 disc set, theatrical and extended cut, with some nice extras. This is a fantastic film that feels like it could have been shot 10 years ago, and highly worth your time if you like a good conspiracy thriller…

I get that, and my comment was in no way intended to imply that I believe the depiction to be 100% accurate or all-encompassing. Just like the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan is not 100% what it was like to land on the beach in WWII, Goodfellas is not 100% what it’s like to be in the mob, The Big Lebowski is not a 100% accurate depiction of stoner-life in LA… I do nevertheless enjoy the “peek” into these lives/events, and I think there is at least a kernel of truth to the depictions portrayed in Landman…

Just wrapped up season 2, and Landman is now officially the best TV show I’ve ever seen - better than The Sopranos, Lost, Game Of Thrones, Breaking Bad… All of them. Sheridan definitely has a gift for writing compelling characters and giving them intriguing arcs. I also enjoy the unfiltered look at the oil business. The only thing I hate about Landman is the fact that I have to wait 9 months for season 3:-(

It looks like Oppo’s replacement may finally be here - Marnetar. Everything I’ve read about them is positive. The 8000 uses Burr Brown DACs, and the 9000 uses ESS. Plays every disc format known to man, great build quality… https://magnetar-audio.com/elementor-4530/