Wow laserfanhld-gb! Thats what I call a Home Cinema!

Thanks odotb3, it took a while to get here....from 1992 to be exact and an original part of that first system still remains a part of the above, that being a Panasonic NVFS 88 S-VHS VCR still going strong after 28 years!

Very nice setup. Are those Focal Arias and Rel sub? What’s your screen? It seems to have full motion masking. That’s pretty cool.

That is one hell of a home cinema set-up.

Thanks for posting the pictures.

incredible. That is so pure. It's non-compomising but not just a guy who's gone out with a bunch of money and bought all the latest gear. You've obviously built this up over years and years.

Where/how do you keep your media?

Thanks for your comments substance. Yes the Focal Aria 926; smallest of the range floorstanders, I originally planned to use the much larger 948 version but after auditioning both happily settled on these, the rear speakers have now been replaced by Aria SR900s ousting the last remnant of my former Monitor Audio Gold GS system.

The sub is actually a BK Monolith Plus, but you're not far wrong suggesting Rel as BK apparently built the Stadium, Stentor & Studio etc. models for Rel back in the day, this one is roughly based on the old Rel Studio but utilises a single large driver plus an improved beefed up version of the formers amplifier.

Finally the screen is a Screenline multiformat model, basically consisting of two screens each with their own motor, the top one being of 4:3 ratio while the other behind it is tab tensioned with its aspect ratio determined by whatever you desire by positioning the generous lower black border of the 4:3 screen accordingly.

Many thanks for your comments je280

Many thanks forper. Yes; been through a lot of gear over the years and made lots of mistakes along the way despite doing everything right to the letter, I was never totally satisfied with the results I was achieving (mainly the sound quality) and more than once lost interest and nearly gave up, but I feel over the last year or so I've finally got there so certainly glad I persevered.

This system is now very revealing and is certainly capable of showing what the various formats are capable of (or not) concert LDs with PCM audio running on this system are especially a joy to behold!

LD collection (300 approx.) are stored in Ikea style cabinets along the right side wall, likewise for BD/DVD/SVHS/VHS but at back of room, would really love to add D-VHS but uncertain whether to take the risk investing in the format at this late stage?

Excellent. Thank you for your reply. I have many live music LDs and would to maximise their rendering in sound and vision the way you can. Your journey sounds like mine, my goals and means have been less probably but I dunno, maybe this is my part 1. Maybe I'll get to your level one day.

I've been collecting Japanese HiFi VHS live recordings lately, have you got a lot of HiFi VHS? Can you make them sound as impressive as PCM from LD? I have yet to but there is some quality to VHS HiFi that I can't describe, probably because it's analogue, there are "smoother/rounder" edges to the highs, kinda like a well mastered cassette tape on a good deck. Have yet to get the same recording on LD and VHS HiFi for comparison but it's in my future plans.

Haha even if we may have different musical tastes more importantly it appears our views on sound quality are remarkably similar!

Interesting that you mention the sound quality of VHS Hi-Fi tracks @forper as a few weeks back I decided to run some of my old pre- recorded music vid VHS + home recorded from early 90s TV broadcast S-VHS tapes (video still holds up well on these btw!) also some 25 year old audio only CD recordings made from my first LD player a Pioneer CLD-2950; in fact I was hooked for a whole evening enjoying a type of sound quality that you perfectly describe above, overall I wouldn't say it is on a par with the best LD PCM quality that's available but I'll stick my neck out and say I find it preferable to a lot of the audio (of any type) that DVD offers which to my ears nearly always sounds somehow uninvolving in a way I can't quite put my finger on.

The nearest LD to VHS comparison I could make is probably the 1987 U2 Rattle & Hum movie, the VHS always sounded very good although perhaps a little thin and congested in the mid range on certain tracks whilst others had open mid range with superb drum and impressive bass reproduction. The LD has the option of DD5.1 or PCM audio but comparing the latter to the analog VHS Hi-Fi tracks the LD leaves it standing in nearly all ways and the whole recording just sounds more powerful and consistent throughout by comparison, to my ears at least.

When you posted the shots of your setup some time ago I was honestly very impressed by your kit and equally by the way you have it configured; it looks aesthetically perfect to my eyes and just the way I would want it e.g. plenty of breathing space around the front L+R speakers all the electronic along one side etc. I appreciate that not everyone has the space to achieve/or desire this but it just looks so right to me if it's possible, I'll bet you get quite satisfactory musical results?

Finally I was really fortunate in that I had already got the main basis of my HT in place before getting married otherwise there's no way I'd be where Iam now, it's all housed in a separate purpose designed building in our garden away from the house so at least I can still sneak in any new purchases (e.g. D-VHS VCR??)
without any wife knowledge (p.s. I seriously doubt it but I hope she doesn't join LDDB forum and read this )

(p.s. I seriously doubt it but I hope she doesn't join LDDB forum and read this )

Yeah so good man, I wish I kept more of my VHS from the '90s, and some of my tapes. I foolishy decided to "upgrade" wholesale to DVD at some point. I wasn't at the level then when I could dub from an LD player though. I had a lot of HiFi tapes though. Your story is a lesson to the youth. Go high end, and go high end early, don't look back! I wish I'd worked harder back then to acquire gear.

Interesting! Thanks for the comparison.



That is kind of you. I am often satisified when I can crank it but that is limited to Saturday nights and not too late as I live in an apartment complex and even then I worry I'll get complaints. I envy the back garden locale! My ideal home would be a farm I feel. No neighbors!!

Well I finally got a nice screen for my projectors. Hopefully I can contribute to this thread after I paint the wall I want to put it on and get things set up. In the meantime I've still got my hd trinitron.

Never thought about a farm but yeah, that sounds even better than a garden building ....I hope one day you'll manage to achieve your ideal location @forper!

Awesome set up GB, thats something special.

Thanks Jake, and in the unlikely event that you're ever passing through this way you'd always be welcome to call in for a demo mate

Video
Panasonic TH-50PX77U Plasma TV
Oppo UDP-203 4K blu-ray player
Toshiba BDX-1250 blu-ray player (modded for all-region)
Runco LJR II Laserdisc Player
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD-DVD Player
JVC HM-DH30000U D-VHS/D-Theatre VCR
Sony SL-HF2100 Super Betamax VCR

Audio
Pioneer Elite VSX-92TXH Receiver
Yamaha APD- RF Demodulator
Pioneer PL-990 Turntable
Onkyo X-N7 Hi-MD/CD Mini Unit
Yamaha KX-W321 Cassette Deck

Speakers
Polk Audio TL-1 Center Channel
Pioneer CS-99A Fronts
Optimus LX-5 Surrounds and Rear Center
Cerwin Vega! LW-15 Subwoofer

Really nice. You cover every major audio and video format except missing DAT from your audio spectrum. That Sony VCR is the HLD-X0 of all tape media players, even D-VHS units don’t compare.

Thanks. Actually thinking of getting a DCC deck too if I can get a decent one

And yeah, the SL-HF2100 is an amazing piece of hardware. Crazy thing is many "Betaphiles" say the SL-HF1000 to be the better VCR with better playback (and much more editing capabilities.)

So maybe the HF1000 is the HLD-X0 of Betamax VCRs while the HF2100 is the X9?

Re-arranged my gear and integrated my new UDP, everything above deck now except for
audio video adaptors/processors. Really satisified with my picture and sound from every
source now and I should be playing more cassettes now I can see my deck.

My only weakness is I'm down to only 1 working single sided LD player, perilously close to
being LD un-enabled..so I'm saving to get some serious LD decks then I'll be totally satisifed,
until the next thing breaks haha. Anyone seen that working HIL-C1 on ebay?
Guy is offering USD$2000, wish I could do it..but gotta save more first..