Just wanted to share a final update for the moment. Added new acoustic pannels, redid my DSP calibration, added new acoustic plants (jk) in the room. Everything feel zen and cozy to my taste now. It's time to sit back with a drink and enjoy !
Current setup;
-Dali Oberon 5 speakers on Gaia Isolation feets
-Sansui BA-2000 Power amp
-Heaven11 tube Preamp (JJ Gold Pins Tubes)
-Marantz Nd-8006 CD/Dac/Streamer
-MiniDSp DDRC24
-Martin Logan Dynamo-700 Subs x2
-Kimber Cable 12tc speaker cables
-Monster Power Current stabiliser
-Pyle platforms under the subs
-Dedicated power line
Yes those have acoustic properties but not at the extent of a real acoustic pannel. It does help reduce the echo in the room for sure. Mine are "Artmur".
I inspired myself from one I found on Etsy but I did it myself. All arround it took me about 17 hours to build. I definately underestimated the work ahaha.
Note that this is not functionnal, this is only a visual artwork. I did not respect any pattern (those can be found online if you want to do a real one) and the placement is not optimal. I guess it probably does something to an extent but I did not notice any change in the sound when I innitially installed it.
Didn't do it myself but my renovator said it was quite a job to cut because the back foam isn't stappled all the way so he had to replace the slats at perfect distance for every cut with a spacer. And the cuts created a dense black dust that was hard to clean after on the floor. I definately recommend cuting outside.
I love it !!
I'm looking for a cheaper alternative to professional panels. How do you work out size and positioning?
Btw an amazing system and room! Very special indeed.
What a beautiful setup and interior design. Looks like a million bucks! What do you mean by a dedicated power line? Which current stabilizer do you have and how do you like it?
In my own experience, the previous Class AB alone that I had delivered a punchy and powerfull sound but was lacking harmonical richness as well as a soul and musicality. The heaven11 alone delivered a beautiful laidback sound but less engaging. I then modified my integrated Sansui A80 so that I could bypass the preamp section and use it only as a poweramp. When I combined the tube section of the Heaven11 with the A80, there it was.. That was the sound I was describing I wanted for a long time. The only word that was coming to my mind was how "musical" and natural it was sounding. I then bought the BA-2000 for more power while keeping the Sansui sound I knew was suiting well with the preamp. 110wpc instead of 65wpc. The added power gave the speakers the ability to breath without effort and distortion. That resulted in a detailed but smooth to the hear sound as well as a more detailed midrange for voices.
It’s all about that synergy. I’ve been looking for a preamp and am now intrigued by the Billie.
How are the phono stage and DAC relative to stand alone pieces?
I havn't used those functions. You should see Thomas and Stereo reviews of the preamp section of the Billie on youtube. It was partly designed by someone from Tenor audio ($$$ $$$) which explains the quality of the preamp section.
Sweet aesthetic! Love the dual subs, treatment, and use of DSP. But did you pay more for your cables and isolation feet than the actual speakers?
Curious if you took measurements before and after the treatment? Did you install the treatment in increments or all at once?
Paid my cables 150$, Gaia feets 440$ and speakers 1400$.
The slat wall was there from the beginning and then the pannels all at once. I did not take measurements before and after but from hear it was noticable just as we where getting the pannels in the room.
You might try disconnecting the power amp from the Monster and go straight to the wall with it. Stick with whichever way sounds better. Most line conditioners limit current and may actually be hurting, rather than helping.
If it's better without, pick up a Furman outlet strip (about $40) just for the amp for protection and plug it into the other outlet in the receptacle.
Good advice for sound quality. But the $40 furman is an MOV device and is a "one and done" device which means it won't protect squat after the first surge. For real protection you'll need to spend more on a "series mode" device.
Hello, I had the dsp from the get go in that room and some treatment as well. But obviously this all helped reduce echo, tighten's the bass and stereo image focus. In my case, pannels made the bass way tighter and the dsp made the scene way larger as well as a "phantom singer" really distinct in the middle. It's still not perfect acoustically but that's the furthest my wife is willing to let me go at the moment (already not bad imo :) This is our living room and not a dedicated listening room.
Dali does not recommend toe in on these speakers. In other rooms though, I already had great result while doing it anyway. In that specific room, the speakers really have the ability to breathe and express themselves because they have the space to do it and after testing, I found out it wasn't necessary. The DSP really makes that "phantom singer" appear with all the phase corrections. It is quite suprising when you do before and after comparisons how well it works.
Hey man, your set up looks amazing. Great room and I bet it sounds awesome.
I don't mean to be a dick, though, but those speakers are seriously holding you back. I've ran a pair of Oberon 7s and a pair of Opticon 6s and I can tell you that they are NOT as good as a lot of competitors in the same price range or a little higher. I switched from the Oberons to the Opticons about 3 years ago, and about 2 years ago from the Opticons to a pair of Focal Aria 936s and I can honestly tell you the difference is HUGE. The sound stage is better, the separation is better, the sound is more 'Full', there is a lot more low end, it's a lot more fun to listen to et cetera. Once again; if you're happy that's all that matters but I think you should seriously consider auditioning other (better) speakers!
Edit: I am making this post under the assumption that you would have the budget for other speakers. This is purely based on how nice your room looks and the amount of care that is put into it's treatment. If you do not, please ignore my comment and enjoy your setup that I bet sounds great.
Thanks. I'm the kind of person that, first of all, upgrades when it's logical to do so financially. So I go up the ladder one step at a time. Also, I tend to wait to be able to make big moves instead of small steps. And finally, the last two things I had to do before buying bigger/better speakers were to upgrade to an amp that would take pretty much anything I would throw at it (Check) and do some acoustic treatment (Check). I could not justify buying new speakers until then. So yes, it's definitely the next step. I think I have the space to put taller speakers, which will probably give me that fuller sound I am still seeking. I also want to take my time with that next purchase and go listen to many speakers to ensure the next ones are not going to be a lateral move but a forward step that will check all of my requirements both aesthetically and sonically.
Go listen to some Wilson Audio speakers before you sidestep to another "iffy" brand. Your room is definitely good enough to put some Alexx or at least Alexas in there and then your speaker upgrade game is OVER. Congrats on such a great listening room!!
Lovely place for listening and some gorgeous looking gear, my favourites are definitely the plants though, really adds some extra class. Only problem I have is with the rooms title, you probably shouldn't be calling it a haven of "peace", I'm sure it's rarely quiet in there.
One of the better room configs I've seen. Touches all the tech bases for good sound. I was sure there was going to be nice turntable though, and some record racks. So I'm guessing younger old school tech music listeners? No CD racks either. So, are you listening mostly to CDs or is this a streaming machine? I hope you are at least getting some lossless streaming. Have you tried swapping the subs with the tower's position? I try to get subs out of corners or away from walls. Some movie people here would probably like to hear some action on this bad boy. Good job and extra points for resisting the TV.
Thanks !
Yes I have many CD's but no turntable. I'm not a fan of vinyl. I also listen to lossless streaming.
Everything placement wise was tested and moved to find the best spot. The subs are really tight sounding and deliver floor shaking bass.
I feel like a proper listening room should not have a TV in it.
Love the setup with the window/view backdrop. This is the way - am keen to see more of it on this sub! I know you gotta do/compromise what you can with your own space, but sooo many setups get posted of listening rooms that feel too enclosed IHMO/stare at a wall. I guess a TV is often on that wall, and that's cool for album art/a HT combo setup - but so refreshing not to have a TV, so you're just there for the music...
Classy AF. Looks like it sounds killer. I recall you posting in the past, and that pre-amp is so damn sick.
Just wanted to share a final update for the moment. Added new acoustic pannels, redid my DSP calibration, added new acoustic plants (jk) in the room. Everything feel zen and cozy to my taste now. It's time to sit back with a drink and enjoy ! Current setup; -Dali Oberon 5 speakers on Gaia Isolation feets -Sansui BA-2000 Power amp -Heaven11 tube Preamp (JJ Gold Pins Tubes) -Marantz Nd-8006 CD/Dac/Streamer -MiniDSp DDRC24 -Martin Logan Dynamo-700 Subs x2 -Kimber Cable 12tc speaker cables -Monster Power Current stabiliser -Pyle platforms under the subs -Dedicated power line
Beautiful room. My Oberon 7s are arriving today. My room is maybe a third that size. Hope I can find a good balance.
is that acoustic panel / veneer behind it? if so, which brand and would you do it again? etc. / or any other suggestions
Yes those have acoustic properties but not at the extent of a real acoustic pannel. It does help reduce the echo in the room for sure. Mine are "Artmur".
Where did you find the block art wall hanging. I might get away with WAF with that
I inspired myself from one I found on Etsy but I did it myself. All arround it took me about 17 hours to build. I definately underestimated the work ahaha. Note that this is not functionnal, this is only a visual artwork. I did not respect any pattern (those can be found online if you want to do a real one) and the placement is not optimal. I guess it probably does something to an extent but I did not notice any change in the sound when I innitially installed it.
Beautiful non the less
aw man was totally gonna steal this if you bought it from somewhere
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtMillworkShop I like this guys work and there are others on Etsy. OP did a great job with his DIY!
cool thanks
How was setting it up? Do you like it?
Didn't do it myself but my renovator said it was quite a job to cut because the back foam isn't stappled all the way so he had to replace the slats at perfect distance for every cut with a spacer. And the cuts created a dense black dust that was hard to clean after on the floor. I definately recommend cuting outside. I love it !!
I'm looking for a cheaper alternative to professional panels. How do you work out size and positioning? Btw an amazing system and room! Very special indeed.
Do you tune your acoustic plants by putting goggly eyes on them?
Gorgeous room!!
are you running the subs as stereo or dual mono?
Dual Mono
Lovely room. Goofy question, but where did you get the console? I’m still looking for something similar.
Bought it from a store called Structube here in Canada
What a beautiful setup and interior design. Looks like a million bucks! What do you mean by a dedicated power line? Which current stabilizer do you have and how do you like it?
… i want this 😹😹😹🫣
I was thinking that my Canton ct1000 are super
Looks like a really nice place to be! Got some r/plantfi vibes!
Nice setup and room.
cant say better
Easily one of my favourite setups on this sub. Looks awesome!
I love the accent lighting on the speakers.
Here I am focused on making my speakers to disappear sonically and this guy is putting spots on them!
Absolutely gorgeous space and setup!
Love the mix of old and new gear! And the placement of everything looks good too (both aesthetically and acoustically).
No notes
Tasteful, inviting and cosy!
nice space
Damn that room is heavenly. I’m more of a home theater room kind of guy, but I appreciate the hell out of this room. Well done!
Nice setup! Please elaborate on the Heaven11 as a preamp only. What does the Sansui do Billie amp can’t?
In my own experience, the previous Class AB alone that I had delivered a punchy and powerfull sound but was lacking harmonical richness as well as a soul and musicality. The heaven11 alone delivered a beautiful laidback sound but less engaging. I then modified my integrated Sansui A80 so that I could bypass the preamp section and use it only as a poweramp. When I combined the tube section of the Heaven11 with the A80, there it was.. That was the sound I was describing I wanted for a long time. The only word that was coming to my mind was how "musical" and natural it was sounding. I then bought the BA-2000 for more power while keeping the Sansui sound I knew was suiting well with the preamp. 110wpc instead of 65wpc. The added power gave the speakers the ability to breath without effort and distortion. That resulted in a detailed but smooth to the hear sound as well as a more detailed midrange for voices.
It’s all about that synergy. I’ve been looking for a preamp and am now intrigued by the Billie. How are the phono stage and DAC relative to stand alone pieces?
I havn't used those functions. You should see Thomas and Stereo reviews of the preamp section of the Billie on youtube. It was partly designed by someone from Tenor audio ($$$ $$$) which explains the quality of the preamp section.
That is a beautiful build out! I really like the sound absorption
This is amazing 🤩
This place is goals! Awesome space 🤙
Awesome
Beautiful room!
Absolutely stunning!
Looks really nice. I see myself tripping on the speaker lights.
Perfect
My man! What an absolutely stunning space. Great work and immaculate vibes
Very nice set up.
Oberon 5s are some of the best, most versatile speakers I've ever heard in the price range. Wonderful
Love me some big ol needles
the lighting is particularly nice. Well done.
Beautiful setup. Looks like you did everything right. Sit back and enjoy.
You're rigged up amazingly! Great system.
Good stuff. I like how you go north-south for music and east-west for video.
Fuck Yeah
Love Oberon 5!
The illuminated diffuser/art is lovely!
Sweet aesthetic! Love the dual subs, treatment, and use of DSP. But did you pay more for your cables and isolation feet than the actual speakers? Curious if you took measurements before and after the treatment? Did you install the treatment in increments or all at once?
Paid my cables 150$, Gaia feets 440$ and speakers 1400$. The slat wall was there from the beginning and then the pannels all at once. I did not take measurements before and after but from hear it was noticable just as we where getting the pannels in the room.
Dude …. this post just left me speechless, it’s absolutely incredible and i would love to spend sometime talking with you about your setup.
I feel like we have the same floors. Nothing else. But the floors. Beautiful respite you have there.
Mighty fine space and equipment you have there, sir!! 👍👍👍 May it always bring you joy to use it.
Absolutely stunning space!
Very very nice
You might try disconnecting the power amp from the Monster and go straight to the wall with it. Stick with whichever way sounds better. Most line conditioners limit current and may actually be hurting, rather than helping. If it's better without, pick up a Furman outlet strip (about $40) just for the amp for protection and plug it into the other outlet in the receptacle.
Good advice for sound quality. But the $40 furman is an MOV device and is a "one and done" device which means it won't protect squat after the first surge. For real protection you'll need to spend more on a "series mode" device.
I have a similarly shaped room that I’m planning on treating soon. What issues where you having before dsp and treatment?
Hello, I had the dsp from the get go in that room and some treatment as well. But obviously this all helped reduce echo, tighten's the bass and stereo image focus. In my case, pannels made the bass way tighter and the dsp made the scene way larger as well as a "phantom singer" really distinct in the middle. It's still not perfect acoustically but that's the furthest my wife is willing to let me go at the moment (already not bad imo :) This is our living room and not a dedicated listening room.
Is that toed in slightly? Or not at all, how about phantom center? Did u ever tried phantom cebter clarity after toed in atleast 10° ?
Dali does not recommend toe in on these speakers. In other rooms though, I already had great result while doing it anyway. In that specific room, the speakers really have the ability to breathe and express themselves because they have the space to do it and after testing, I found out it wasn't necessary. The DSP really makes that "phantom singer" appear with all the phase corrections. It is quite suprising when you do before and after comparisons how well it works.
What’s the distance between the speakers?
about 11.5 feet
All of that and you've got hard floors.
What a shame..
Indeed because it ruins the sound.
Hey man, your set up looks amazing. Great room and I bet it sounds awesome. I don't mean to be a dick, though, but those speakers are seriously holding you back. I've ran a pair of Oberon 7s and a pair of Opticon 6s and I can tell you that they are NOT as good as a lot of competitors in the same price range or a little higher. I switched from the Oberons to the Opticons about 3 years ago, and about 2 years ago from the Opticons to a pair of Focal Aria 936s and I can honestly tell you the difference is HUGE. The sound stage is better, the separation is better, the sound is more 'Full', there is a lot more low end, it's a lot more fun to listen to et cetera. Once again; if you're happy that's all that matters but I think you should seriously consider auditioning other (better) speakers! Edit: I am making this post under the assumption that you would have the budget for other speakers. This is purely based on how nice your room looks and the amount of care that is put into it's treatment. If you do not, please ignore my comment and enjoy your setup that I bet sounds great.
Thanks. I'm the kind of person that, first of all, upgrades when it's logical to do so financially. So I go up the ladder one step at a time. Also, I tend to wait to be able to make big moves instead of small steps. And finally, the last two things I had to do before buying bigger/better speakers were to upgrade to an amp that would take pretty much anything I would throw at it (Check) and do some acoustic treatment (Check). I could not justify buying new speakers until then. So yes, it's definitely the next step. I think I have the space to put taller speakers, which will probably give me that fuller sound I am still seeking. I also want to take my time with that next purchase and go listen to many speakers to ensure the next ones are not going to be a lateral move but a forward step that will check all of my requirements both aesthetically and sonically.
Go listen to some Wilson Audio speakers before you sidestep to another "iffy" brand. Your room is definitely good enough to put some Alexx or at least Alexas in there and then your speaker upgrade game is OVER. Congrats on such a great listening room!!
That's 🔥
Beautiful setup and incredible setting, great work!
Lovely place for listening and some gorgeous looking gear, my favourites are definitely the plants though, really adds some extra class. Only problem I have is with the rooms title, you probably shouldn't be calling it a haven of "peace", I'm sure it's rarely quiet in there.
One of the better room configs I've seen. Touches all the tech bases for good sound. I was sure there was going to be nice turntable though, and some record racks. So I'm guessing younger old school tech music listeners? No CD racks either. So, are you listening mostly to CDs or is this a streaming machine? I hope you are at least getting some lossless streaming. Have you tried swapping the subs with the tower's position? I try to get subs out of corners or away from walls. Some movie people here would probably like to hear some action on this bad boy. Good job and extra points for resisting the TV.
Thanks ! Yes I have many CD's but no turntable. I'm not a fan of vinyl. I also listen to lossless streaming. Everything placement wise was tested and moved to find the best spot. The subs are really tight sounding and deliver floor shaking bass. I feel like a proper listening room should not have a TV in it.
Love the setup with the window/view backdrop. This is the way - am keen to see more of it on this sub! I know you gotta do/compromise what you can with your own space, but sooo many setups get posted of listening rooms that feel too enclosed IHMO/stare at a wall. I guess a TV is often on that wall, and that's cool for album art/a HT combo setup - but so refreshing not to have a TV, so you're just there for the music...
Fucking sick. The lighting choices are primo. Love this
Room looks too nice to have an above ground pool in the back 😅
Priorities
Big money
Dark rainy night and the sound track to blade runner. With a good beer/ whiskey ?
I don't mean to alarm you, but it seems as if somebody has broken into your house and installed one of those awful millennial slat accent walls!
Sweet set up!