Daddyjt

Dude - do you know how heavy those things are?? I’d have to build a TANK of a stand - x2…. In all seriousness, what benefit would I see (hear)?

Well. If a little (or a lot) is good, then a whole lot more is great. Right? In the case of bass in my HT, the answer is a resounding YES! I had my 2nd Velodyne DD18 just sitting around collecting dust. It got wet in the flood about a year and a half ago, and to be honest I was afraid to plug it in. With some of the proceeds from selling my 2nd pair of Silver 9ts, I sent the plate amp off to EBC in New Jersey. They are reasonable ($400) for plate amp repair/refresh, and do great work. Even if it wasn’t damaged, the amp is getting on past the 30 year old mark, and due for some attention. Well, I got the amp back a couple days ago, so today was the day. Had a bit of a panic and detour that I’ll detail in another thread, but after some ingenuity I got it up and running. I now have a 7.4.4 HT system, with two SVS SB4000 and TWO Velodyne DD18. Don’t get me wrong, the SVS are very nice and stout subs, but the Velodyne DD series…. They are on a whole different level. An 18” Kevlar cone (that’s just about 255sq inches) with a TWO INCH peak to peak excursion, and a 1,500 class D amp… they move some air. By comparison, the SVS uses a 13” driver (133sq inches) with a 1.25” excursion. playing Top Gun Maverick, Lord of the Rings (the underground battle) and Days Of Thunder (all on 4k), I’m in bass heaven. The two Velodyne subs are kind of hidden behind the seating, but they make their presence known when called upon….

Brand new (25 year old) tweeters now installed - pics below, old then new. I tested function just enough to know they work, critical listening later…:-)

No, that’s a Velodyne DD18 in the photo. It’s no longer there, as the 3.3 definitely required NO sub for music. That DD18, along with another, AND 2x SVS SB3000 (4 total subs, giving me a 7.4.4 Atmos) are all in the HT now. It’s flat-out scary the amount of DEEP bass in that room now….

As the saying goes, I told you that story so I can tell you this one… A couple months ago, I start helping Tim diagnose his issue with his 3.3 - a slight “buzz” or distortion at specific frequencies on specific recordings. (This may not have played out exactly as I recall - @PhilDent feel free to correct any of my errors) First step was swapping speaker cables - sound stayed in the same speaker, so that eliminates all the upstream components. To me, it had all the earmarks of a voicecoil rub on the 4” or the 6” driver. So I tell Tim to pull the 4” drivers and swap them to see if it’s the crossover. In the midst of that, one of the drivers becomes damaged - now I’m feeling like a jerk:-( So Tim calls NHT to inquire about a new 4” driver and ends up talking to Antonio. Antonio as it turns out is the guy that engineered and designed the 3.3, and in his words, “the best speaker NHT ever built”. Antonio says yes, they have the 4” drivers for sale. So Tim asks me if he should replace both, and I figure why not. THEN I start thinking that since I love these speakers so much, maybe I want a couple replacement drivers, just in case. THEN I start thinking that TWEETERS are fragile, and maybe I should have a couple of those too. So Tim ends up ordering us each 2x 4” drivers and 2x tweeters - all for $400 ($200 each). fast forward to a couple weeks ago, I decide to install my new tweeters. The ones in my speakers work fine, but they are ugly - a bit faded and - well - just ugly. I figure I’ll install the new ones, and keep the old as backups. As I get to the task, I quickly run into issues - the old tweeters have the terminals together on the bottom of the magnet assembly, and the new tweeters have the terminals on the sides. The tolerance of the cutout is such that the side terminals keep the new tweeters from fitting in the cutout. So now I email Antonio and ask if the tweeters are electrically similar, as I can slightly grind out a bit for the terminals. He says to measure the overall diameter of the tweeters. Shit - the new ones are 1/4” smaller in overall diameter. This means my 3.3 pair were VERY early production, also confirmed by the green/red binding posts. Antonio told me they have none of the larger (older) tweeters. He says the new tweeters are identical electrically, but he says “let me look around and see if I can find any of the old ones”. About a week later, I get an email that he did indeed find a couple. He tested them thoroughly and sent the pair to me for $150. What a stud - I remember a time when service like this was fairly common… Not so much any more. Thank you Antonio and NHT - you guys are a class act.

I have an update on NHT’s customer service, but I realized I’m missing a big piece here, so I’m going to do one of those “I have to tell you this story so I can tell you the next story” things… After my experience with @PhilDent and the 2.5, I started looking for a pair of 2.9. They seem more plentiful now, but back then they were fairly scarce. I found a set in Bozeman MT - about a 5 hour drive from me. I rented a minivan, loaded up the family, and we made a weekend getaway out of it. The speakers were in great shape - they were in a beautiful home that sat on about 10 acres with about 1/4 frontage on the Galatian river. Probably a 5+ million $ spread. Anyway, loaded up the speakers and spent the weekend in Bozeman and came home. prior to finding the pair in MT, Tim had found a pair for me in LA. I shot him some money, and he agreed to hold them until I could make it over to his place. So at this point, I technically had two sets. Long story short, I fell in love with the 2.9 - it was everything the 2.5 was, but more. Up until about 6 months ago, I had more or less decided that the 2.9 would be my “forever speakers” - especially since I have 2 pair, I have spare parts:-) Then the 3.3 pair in Idaho Falls pops up - about a 3 hour drive. Needless to say, THEY are now my forever speakers! I know these photos exist elsewhere on the forum, but in the interest of continuity, I’m inserting them in this thread…

I love scenes in movies that make me physically uncomfortable for the people being portrayed - think the dinner scene in American History X, Joan Cusak at the pay phone in Arlington Road, etc… In Fury, the meal scene was beautifully awkward and uncomfortable - truly great film making….

You can’t go wrong sending gear to @Nahash5150 (Greg). He does exactly what he says he will, and for a very reasonable price. Most importantly though, he understands how the equipment works - he doesn’t just swap parts until it works, he figures out WHY it failed in the first place, and fixes the root cause.

For Kinzel I prefer Time Warp;-). Flight Of The Cosmic Hippo (might) have deeper bass, but there is nothing like the bass hits on Star Trek Next Generation on this disc - truly scary stuff. For soundstage it’s Sandman by America on SACD. For dynamics it’s Private Investigations by Dire Straits SACD. For just WOW its Piece By Piece by Katie Melua.

Found this searching the inter webs. I certainly don’t agree with many on the list (Tracy Chapman, Billie Elish, etc) BUT they DID get a few right - (Private Investigations, The Chain, Flight of the Cosmic Hippo…) https://www.headphonesty.com/2025/03/best-audiophile-songs-test-speakers/?fbclid=IwY2xjawI7DW9leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHR2scdh4F4al5VNEbM-Qjtr9p3xT9iMb2PsVPYyjSRto-oGOxP9NGuwbuA_aem_c-QRHFgd9NJUy1ArtUGq_w

My grandfather: ”Never skimp on your shoes, your mattress or your tires…”

which input are you using? If not phono (CD player or tuner) try a different input (aux 1 or aux2). The rotary source selector switches are a known issue at the age of C1s...

I just started watching “Landman” on Paramount+ while traveling last week. All I can say is WOW. I’m only a couple episodes in, and I am HOOKED. Billy Bob Thorton plays an “actuator” of sorts for one of the many big oil companies in Midland Texas. The show is a fabulous mix of drama, comedy, tragedy and downright touching moments. Throw in a virtual buffet of beautiful vistas and shots, and it’s easily the best thing I’ve seen on TV in the past couple years. Tyler Sheridan seems to somehow be improving his craft with every project he is a part of. Top tier stuff here folks…

That’s sure not a popular truism in todays culture….!

Welcome - TFM 15/6 amps are seeing a fairly large resurgence with the need for many to amplify anywhere from 2-10 surround/Atmos speakers in modern home theaters.

The good news is that they pop up frequently for right around $300. I know that the mini-DSP is capable of the same thing (I have one on the shelf), but the build quality, user interface, and rack presence (looks) all tilt heavily in the SMS-1’s favor.

yea, I can certainly pressurize the room, lol. I was playing the Titanic 4k disc last night, during the sinking - the groans and creeks were awe inspiring, and a bit scary…

I currently have the subs set to LFE+main, but I am going to switch back to just LFE, and set the fronts to LARGE and see what happens. It really bothers me to have the mains (RF7) set to small - especially as efficient as they are (101db) and the fact that they are being driven by a 500t MKII. My surrounds and back surrounds are Klipsch RR 500SA (I had RS7 x4, but 2 of them were damaged in the flood, so I went with 4x of the 500SA). The 4 ceiling speakers are Klipsch 8” in walls - not sure the model. All surrounds are running off a Parasound Z-12. 8 channels are bridged to 4 @ 100w for the surrounds and back surrounds, the other 4 channels are pushing 50w to each of the 4 ceiling Atmos speakers (Parasound watts are much like Carver watts - you get more than the number implies, lol). The other 500t MKII is running the center in “power steering” mode.

The old one was too wide to accommodate the dual subs up front, so I had to make a new one. 3/4” oak plywood stained black with 5/8” threaded rod supports. The center channel tweeter is EXACTLY the same height as the mains (I’ve learned that this is one of the most important elements of a cohesive front stage).

The rebuild of my HT after the flood of 2023 was just recently completed a couple months ago. As I was rebuilding it anyway, I decided it was a good time to transition to a 4K Atmos 7.2.4 setup, from my previous 1080p 7.1 setup. As part of this change, virtually all of my components changed - in fact, only my trusty Oppo 105D made the cut to the new system (playing FLAC and DVDA, which the 4k Atmos Panasonic won’t play). I also pulled the Velodyne DD18, and added 2x SVS SB4000 subs. This is where the headaches started. Headache #1 - In order to get the Marantz SR6015 receiver to apply the Audyssey calibration to the subs correctly, the main speakers must be set to “small” - even though my RF7 mains are more than capable of playing down to 40hz. Headache #2 - Integrating two subs is a royal PITA. do you tune them together or separate? Do you make adjustments in the Marantz, or in the EQ suite of each sub via the mobile App? Headache #3 - what frequencies do you boost for the “punch” of movies, and then how do you restore some sense of fidelity for music listening? As a solution to all of these headaches, I purchased a Velodyne SMS-1 on the local classifieds. Anyone that has used one of Velodyne’s DD series subs has experienced the electronic tuning interface. It’s a brilliant system that feeds a sweep tone (and on-screen GUI) into an input of your pre/receiver, then utilizes a microphone to measure the sweep tone, displays the results on screen and allows a plethora of adjustments via an 8 band parametric EQ. The SMS-1 takes this electronics suite and puts it in a stand-alone component that goes in the equipment rack (mine is on top of the power conditioner on the left). Well…. Even with the SMS-1, I wasn’t getting anywhere near the bass response I wanted. My frequency graph looked more like a hockey player smile than anything resembling a straight line, and I had no “punch” or “impact”. So I decided to move my Velodyne DD18 into the room (back left corner), bringing me to 3 subs in a 17’ X 13’ room. The DD18 has its own electronics suite, so I just fed it from one of the “through” outputs of the SMS-1. I set the DD18 low pass at 45hz - just looking for it to fill in the lowest of the Lows. I was still not getting what I wanted, when it hit me - phasing. I have the Klipsch RF7 mains playing down to 60hz, the SVS pair playing up to 80hz, and the DD18 playing below 45hz. So I switched the SVS pair 180 degrees out of phase. Boom - everything fell into place. I now have a VERY flat bass curve. I “think” that the SVS pair is now cancelling out any overlap they have with the RF7 mains, and the DD18 is cancelling out its overlap with the SVS pair. another benefit of the SMS-1 is SIX (6) presets. So for movies, I have a couple settings with various bumps at 40hz, 50hz and 60hz, and for music a couple that are pretty flat. heres the curve (I didn’t take a shot of the pre-phase shift, but trust me - it was BAD…

If we are going to chat about “limited series” shows, I’d be remiss if I did not mention HBO’s spectacular series Chernobyl. It’s only five (5) episodes, which is a shame, as I could have watched 10 or more. I remember when the Chernobyl disaster happened - I was in high school. I also remember joking about it with my friends at the time. After watching this impeccably created documentary-drama, I have to admit that I feel like an ass for joking about this horrific event. the entire series is a master class - from the depiction of the initial explosion, to the political ramifications, to the depiction of death by radiation sickness (that will haunt me for the rest of my days), to the second-by-second breakdown in the final episode of what happened that night to lead to the explosion… All of the performances are fantastic, but Stellan Skarsgard flat-out steals the show. He portrays Boris Shcherbina, and his character arc is off the charts - from the ignorant party line bureaucrat to the most touching end scene - he’s excellent. I can’t recommend this series highly enough…

Ok, so maybe not quite stellar, BUT… Considering how BAD most 80’s hair metal is recorded (if you’re even a passing fan of the genre, you know exactly what I mean), the “Rock Candy” remaster of Ratt’s Out Of the Cellar was a blast to listen to! The worst thing about almost all hair-metal recordings is the drums - flat, no attack, and all the cymbals melt together in a sort of white noise hiss. Not so with this remaster of Out Of the Cellar - tight snare and toms, punchy bass and the cymbals - just wow! A bit of sibilance on the lead vocals, but all in all this album leaves me wondering why all hair metal can’t sound so good! As for “Rock Candy” mixes, I’d never heard of them before - but I will certainly be seeking out more… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HHIN9OW?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

I pulled the crossovers on my first pair of 2.9, and I did not notice any caps even remotely bulging. As the crossovers are rather complex, I did not tackle a rebuild at this time. As for the surrounds, they are are rubber (not foam), so breakdown is not a concern. Indeed, the only immediate issue is the foam diffraction strips. @PhilDent, your issue sounds like a potential electrical connection issue in one of the drivers. Swap L&R speaker wires and begin the isolation process. Give me a call when you have time….

Welcome!

It occurs to me that NHT (Now Hear This) speakers have quite a following here amongst the Carver faithful. There is certainly quite a bit of NHT information and opinion/experience scattered about the pages of The Carversite. Hoping to start a topic here to consolidate some of this lore and foster discussion. My own NHT journey started with a lowly pair of 2.5 (2nd from the left in the group photo below). I think Tim ( @PhilDent ) was with me for the “Great Speaker Shootout” of 2019. These lowly little NHTs with a 1” tweeter, 6.5” mid and 8” ported side-firing woofer Flat-out beat Infinity Kappa 9, Polk SDA SRS 1.2 (fully modded), Legacy Focus 20/20, Polk LS70, Klipsch RF7, B&W 805, and Carver ALIII. We were stunned. I mean really, it was difficult (to say the least) to believe. This particular, and my first pair of NHT speakers happened upon me by chance. I was picking up a Carver M500t that was advertised on the local classifieds in Missoula MT. When I showed up to buy the amplifier, I learned from the woman selling it that it was part of her husband’s system - sadly he had just passed away. I was buying the amplifier for $300. She asked if I was interested in the rest of the gear - an AMC preamp, Sony 5-disc cd carousel, and the NHT 2.5 pair. I said “sure - how much? “ She said “just take it all”, as she was moving to a retirement home, and had no need of any of it, as the home forbade anything other than counter-top radios. She even had all the boxes (including the speaker boxes). As I loaded up and drove away, conscious struck, and I hit the ATM for an addition $200 and took it to her. She teared-up and said she was going to miss sitting and listening to music with her husband, and thanked me profusely for the additional funds. I like to think that my “good deed” helped lay the groundwork for my happy relationship with NHT speakers. More to come….