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 Post subject: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 19 Apr 2020, 00:15 
Young Padawan
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Moved into a small one bedroom apartment in Laguna Niguel, California on a 15 month lease. Purchasing a house after the 15 months is the plan. The idea is to not cut back on the equipment but minimal spending on the room. Nevertheless I will be modifying some walls and convert one of the closets into my equipment rack (see picture later). Fortunately I already have most of the equipment I ever dreamt of owning. I will be adding a couple more (all audio stuff) and modify the existing gear to function optimally.

i started planning my system with power first. I located the breaker panel and figured out all outlets. Fortunately the wall my TV and audio gear will be leaning has 3 electric outlets within 4 feet to each other. 1 of these comes from a 20A breaker and the other two are in parallel to another 15A breaker. This is great! The power amp and the audio gear will be on the 20A breaker and I will make sure nothing else is plugged into this circuit. This is a very large apartment complex and I would be fooling myself if I thought this 20A breaker is clean still. It needs to be filtered and the new Audioquest Niagara 7000 power conditioner is just for that. Two separate 5A isolation transformers for source devices (one for digital, one for analog) and a high current outlet with power factor correction. You don’t believe in clean power? Try listening to music at late night. If you have a somewhat revealing audio system you will hear that it sounds way better when power is much cleaner while everyone is asleep and your power is less contaminated.

Next, making sure my own equipment not contaminating itself with dirty power. All power cords are upgraded to very well shielded cables. All switching mode power supplies needs to go and gone they are, replaced with very low ripple linear power supplies. I couldn’t touch the power supply for my Sony OLED which is the main evil here with its very dirty switching mode power supply. Well, it is going on its own Audioquest Powerquest 3 power conditioner. This should help with cross contamination significantly.

We are not done yet. Anything that has a connection to outside world should be filtered and cleansed. I don’t have any cable or satellites service. I have ATT gigabit fiber internet. I picked ATT fiber specifically because fiber is immune to electrical noise however fiber converts into copper at the apartment. That is at least 30 feet of cat-6 copper wiring which is technically a 30 feet long FM/AM antenna which will pull all sort of RF/EMI into the system. To solve this, added a new SOtM sNH-10G audiophile. This switch has all of its outputs galvanically isolated and filtered from each other. Furthermore it re-clocks the data for the best timing (jitter reduction). I am very impressed with the change this switch made to the sound.

Here is the equipment list. I am awaiting 20A C-19 plug power cords to come in. Also the cabinet is being re-painted into gloss white to match the rest of the room. I will continue writing here as I make progress with the build. I anticipate it will take me at least a month to get everything in, built and tweaked.

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 Post subject: Re: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 21 Apr 2020, 20:22 
Young Padawan
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Got the Salamander Designs Corsica 237 refinished in gloss white. Awaiting 20A power cords and the TV bracket to arrive. In the mean time, I will figure out a new control system for this complex setup. My URC system is too old. I am doing my research on Control4, Savant and Crestron. It seems Crestron is the only one with complete control drivers for all my components.

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 Post subject: Re: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 22 Apr 2020, 11:19 
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That looks like a nice part of the world 8-)

Wow I wish we had the ability to alter walls and stuff on Australian leases. We generally only run 12 months leases and almost all properties are privately and individually owned, through an agent and most owners treat you like you're lucky to live in THEIR place. 2 gestapo like inspections a year where they take pics of EVERYTHING, then there's another at start of lease and another at end of lease. If they decide to sell you got four weeks to get the f**k out..f***en sucks..
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 Post subject: Re: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 22 Apr 2020, 15:15 
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That's like what we have here, I don't understand how substance was able to alter walls etc.

Looks nice overall.
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 Post subject: Re: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 22 Apr 2020, 21:43 
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forper wrote:
That looks like a nice part of the world 8-)

Wow I wish we had the ability to alter walls and stuff on Australian leases. We generally only run 12 months leases and almost all properties are privately and individually owned, through an agent and most owners treat you like you're lucky to live in THEIR place. 2 gestapo like inspections a year where they take pics of EVERYTHING, then there's another at start of lease and another at end of lease. If they decide to sell you got four weeks to get the f**k out..f***en sucks..


That is harsh.
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 Post subject: Re: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 22 Apr 2020, 21:56 
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I made this passthrough (little one), the big one was already there. To be honest they won’t notice. I bought the exact same brand/make plate. They will think it was already there.

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This is the other side of the wall where the closet is. Video equipment will go in here. There is a power outlet on the other side of the left corner here. I will tap to it and add a power outlet on this side here for the video equipment in the closet. When I move out, I will remove the power outlet and put a blank plate. Again I highly doubt they will notice it. I will have to keep the closet door open when I play anything for air ventilation.

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This is the layout of the apartment. Red arrow pointing to the cabinet behind the tv and speakers. I can technically install another passthrough towards the bedroom and run an HDMI cable to the bedroom side but I don’t like watching TV in bed. My brain is currently programmed to sleep when I put my head on the pillow, I am happy with this programming.
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 Post subject: Re: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 27 Apr 2020, 05:36 
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Made some progress this weekend. Still waiting on the TV bracket. Now I can get to the video source equipment closet behind this wall.

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 Post subject: Re: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 27 Apr 2020, 08:51 
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Nice progress. I really like the layout of your place, looks spacious and energy efficient with that smaller patio yet large apartment. Do agents in America run inspections during your lease or just at the end? When I rented in Japan they left me alone until the end.
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 Post subject: Re: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 27 Apr 2020, 15:34 
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forper wrote:
Nice progress. I really like the layout of your place, looks spacious and energy efficient with that smaller patio yet large apartment. Do agents in America run inspections during your lease or just at the end? When I rented in Japan they left me alone until the end.


We just have someone come in after we're done moving out. Security deposits are a joke in the US, and every single landlord will fight you to keep them.

Atleast that's my experience with the 5 places I've rented from (both landlords and apartment complexes).
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 Post subject: Re: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 27 Apr 2020, 17:59 
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Hey Mate,

Best of luck getting it all together and working just how you want it all to.

Nice big MartinLogan? speakers with all the McIntosh etc. in an apartment? If anyone can make it work you will! Though think I'd find it really quite odd having the centre speaker above the screen rather than below..... Just a case of getting used to it I guess.
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 Post subject: Re: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 27 Apr 2020, 19:41 
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forper wrote:
Nice progress. I really like the layout of your place, looks spacious and energy efficient with that smaller patio yet large apartment. Do agents in America run inspections during your lease or just at the end? When I rented in Japan they left me alone until the end.



Once the lease ends and I move out they will inspect and return my security deposit. The security deposit was like %20 of my monthly rent. If they end up keeping it it won’t be too bad. Most places will take one month’s equivalent as security deposit. Again most places will ask for the first and the last month’s rent up front. So figure 3x the rest for the first month. It really depends on who you rent it from. It was an individual renting his property then it is likely this first, last and security deposit up front scheme. Apartment complexes are little more relax so they do something like $250-500 deposit and first month only but they check your credit score, income and sometimes require references to be eligible to rent from them.

I have been both landlord and tenant. Neither is easy. In the US, rent only makes sense if you need a temporary place like 1-3 years and/or you want a fixed spending. Landlords cover anything that can potentially go wrong such as bad heater, snow plowing etc.. so you know you will pay only the rent and nothing more to upkeep this place. If you own, you could have a very large unexpected bill for some plumbing issue for instance. But still every penny you put into your own house increases its value so its not really a loss but matter of affordability.

Some will buy and sell and never lose any money. I don’t have such insight on houses which might pick up in value in short time. I also don’t shop for bargain or flipper type houses. What works for me usually doesn’t work for most others. I really have to nail it when I buy my house because I will need to be in it for a long time before I break even.
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 Post subject: Re: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 27 Apr 2020, 19:45 
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My thoughts were the same regarding the centre speaker, although I can appreciate that by placing it above the display it does allow for a more optimum straight on viewing angle and much more preferable than having to keep your head angled upwards for the whole duration of a movie. I'm very impressed, looks like a fabulous set up in the making there. :thumbup:


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 Post subject: Re: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 27 Apr 2020, 19:59 
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audioboyz1973 wrote:
Hey Mate,

Best of luck getting it all together and working just how you want it all to.

Nice big MartinLogan? speakers with all the McIntosh etc. in an apartment? If anyone can make it work you will! Though think I'd find it really quite odd having the centre speaker above the screen rather than below..... Just a case of getting used to it I guess.


Thanks man. Bit of an overkill for this place but who says I need to crank it up for good sound. I cared about the main left and right positioning and the center was secondary. I brought the mains forward from the back wall as much as I could and spread them apart as much as I could. Imaging is near perfect now. I kept my subwoofers in storage, neither I have good bass from the mains. I need room treatment to correct this which I won’t and I can’t in this place. So the bass is decent to satisfactory. It doesn’t mean it’s weak though. I have some bass nodes in the room which I need traps for. Room ended up being pretty alive in terms of mids and high. The room is far from geometric that’s probably what helps. Right speaker has the wall closer behind it. I might try a diffuser here or deadening if diffuser doesn’t work well. Center works fine above the display if you tilt it down aiming at your face. Center works best behind the screen at ear level but I will have an OLED display here so that’s not possible. The performance is about the same for above or below the screen, both a bit compromised. I have my turntable and later will have my phono-pre amps below the display so the center had to go above the display.
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 Post subject: Re: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 27 Apr 2020, 22:16 
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substance wrote:
Some will buy and sell and never lose any money. I don’t have such insight on houses which might pick up in value in short time. I also don’t shop for bargain or flipper type houses. What works for me usually doesn’t work for most others. I really have to nail it when I buy my house because I will need to be in it for a long time before I break even.


Smart.
We did the cheap option for other reasons not flipping, only recommend it if you have extra money and stomach for it.
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 Post subject: Re: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 28 Apr 2020, 04:21 
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substance wrote:
Thanks man. Bit of an overkill for this place but who says I need to crank it up for good sound


You're lucky.

So far in 6 months I managed to only get 3 formal management complaints that I'm playing music too loud.

Your neighbors wouldn't talk to you directly in Japan to avoid confrontation so they call management asking them to come complain for them.
I asked which direction was complaining (above, below, side) but he wouldn't let me know.

On the 3rd time I invited the building guy delivering the message to come inside and listen/check the volume I was using.

He agreed that it was quite low... I showed him the speakers spikes and counter-spikes and all my gears, orientation focused on the sofa, sitting away from the walls, no subwoofer, etc.

Haven't had a claim after that.

I just reduced my techno/disco/electro diet, the bumping bass can go quite low and for a long time.

Julien
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 Post subject: Re: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 28 Apr 2020, 08:26 
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Good insights into the rental market in the US. Thanks Substance. Security deposits here are a months rent and yeah you have fight to get them back here too. Very one sided in favor of landlords here. I'm not even allowed to hang a picture without written permission from the owner. In new places you would be very unlikely to get permission. When you move into a place you have to spend days photographing every little thing or the owner will say any existing damage was your fault and take your deposit. Everythings short term here, they have no interest in securing tennants for longer terms or any sense of give and take, it's all take as much as you can NOW.

I've rented 20 -30 places since I was 18 and it doesn't get any easier, you learn agents tricks though and arm yourself with evidence of everything. You also make sure you're there at inspections, things go missing.

When they sell they don't care if you still live there. Waiting until you move out will cost them money!

The worst experiences I've had were when the owners decided to sell some of the places I was in. Open public viewings of my place every saturday morning for sometimes 3 months then I had to move when it sold. Random strangers walking around picking up my stuff. I dealt with it by packing all my s**t into boxes and covering it with a massive tarp in the middle of the apartment. I'd sleep on a bed roll so I could secure everything before open homes.

admin wrote:
substance wrote:
Thanks man. Bit of an overkill for this place but who says I need to crank it up for good sound


You're lucky.

So far in 6 months I managed to only get 3 formal management complaints that I'm playing music too loud.

Your neighbors wouldn't talk to you directly in Japan to avoid confrontation so they call management asking them to come complain for them.
I asked which direction was complaining (above, below, side) but he wouldn't let me know.

On the 3rd time I invited the building guy delivering the message to come inside and listen/check the volume I was using.

He agreed that it was quite low... I showed him the speakers spikes and counter-spikes and all my gears, orientation focused on the sofa, sitting away from the walls, no subwoofer, etc.

Haven't had a claim after that.

I just reduced my techno/disco/electro diet, the bumping bass can go quite low and for a long time.

Julien


My truck driver neighbor at the Saitama apaato I used to live at didn't have any problem going direct. I used to play my music on a 34 inch TV. Once I played it a little loud midday on a Saturday. Dude pounded on my door and almost broke it down. It was a pretty tough area. Two local yan-kee families used to get drunk and fight outside my window on the street most weekends early AM. The only other visitor I had in a year was some girl wanting to use my mobile because hers was flat. I smelled a scam and told her to go to the conbini and use the payphone and gave her 100 yen.

As you can see this kind of unstable living I've dealt with my whole life is why I can't wait for my parents to die, I inherit and I can finally OWN my own place.
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 Post subject: Re: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 28 Apr 2020, 18:13 
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Kenny G - Esther (Live)
Toto - I will remember
Eagles - Hotel California (Live on MTV, 1994)
Loreena McKennitt - Tango to Evora

My typical demo tracks last night sounded very good. I am happy with the setup so far. Let’s see how the TV will effect the sound once installed. I will surely lose some of the back wall reflections.



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 Post subject: Re: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 29 Apr 2020, 16:14 
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audioboyz1973 wrote:
Hey Forper,

Don't own my own home
Don't own a car (sold old 2nd hand piece of crap because worked hard enough to negotiate a company one)
Not married and no intention with partner of 18 years (marriage 'industry' is a crock off s**t for one thing....)
Guess I'm pretty lucky health-wise.

Some do it tougher than others. Life isn't fair. I have mates who got thrown out of home by bad parents for no good reason. They still don't go round wishing death on them in online forums. No matter how bad your parents were it makes you look bad too.

Apologies to substance for stirring this up.



That’s ok mate. Everyone is bored, tense and ready to get triggered right now. Everyone has their story. I have mine too. I don’t know the situation in Australia. I can not comment. But I am an immigrant in the US. I came here from a poor country and I came with near empty pockets. When people tell me how nice stuff I have, I tell them how much nicer stuff they would have been if I was born in this country. But then what do I know? Everyone has a different life regardless where they were born. Some are more fortunate than others. Maybe being an immigrant I was more motivated more driven. But I can give you an example, college took me 10 years to graduate and not because I was dumb but I never gave up. After I graduated, I realized it was useless and I didn’t need it but maybe I do? Maybe not the knowledge they teach but being able to say I have an engineering degree? Or that decade long suffer made me who I am. No one has the right formula. We try our best. Forper has a solid plan and he knows it’s gonna happen. Ideally you want to love your parents like you do. I respect you for looking after your mother. I left my mother behind some 20 years ago. All I can do now is to call her everyday and tell her to stay home. The rest of my family calls me only when they need money. I stopped answering their calls long ago. I hear you both. Life is complicated. I am sure more will chime in here soon. Sometimes one needs to vent. That is ok. As long as we are respectful to each other and not judging.
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 Post subject: Re: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 30 Apr 2020, 05:28 
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FYI,

Cleaned up the topic and put forper on another temporary ban (3rd one?) to the forum -- no need to explain him why, same reasons as before: language, personal attacks, off-topic posts.

We'll let him cool down for a while.

Julien
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 Post subject: Re: New Place New Home Theater Build Project
PostPosted: 05 May 2020, 19:52 
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Power cables arrived. Awaiting the TV bracket which should arrive later today. Finally will be able to watch something tonight.

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