I should probably put this under the "Done for now" section, as for the first time in a long time, I have a matched home audio and home cinema system that I'm happy with. I no longer relentlessly trawl Audiogon and E-Bay for major components. My main challenge now is putting it all in a too-small New York city apartment.
Prior to this setup, my rather messy system comprised a Marantz SR6200 receiver, a Playstation 3, a set of B&W600 series3 speakers and a massive B&W ASW750 subwoofer. Over the past year and a half, I re-built the system. I started by adding the AVR300, which made an astonishing difference to music and movies. I upgraded my front B&W602.5s to the Totem Forests and added the Arcam DV137 as my A/V source. Then I added the Rainmakers to replace my rear B&W601s and sold the subwoofer because it was just too overpowering in my small space. Finally I added the Model-1 Signature Centre channel to replace the B&W LCR60 centre speaker.
I am bi-amping the Forests using the spare 2 rear channels of the AVR300. I have two runs of Kimber 8TC cable going to each speaker. I have a short run of Tara Labs speaker cable going to the Model-1 centre. I have generic white speaker cable going to the rear Rainmakers.
For interconnects, I have Kimber Hero cable between the DVD player and the CD input on the AVR300. I use the Stereo Direct function on the AVR300 when listening to CDs. I have a Monster coaxial cable running between the DVD player and the DVD input on the AVR300.
My PS3 is hooked up to the TV using HDMI and to the AVR300 using optical cable. My cable box is connected to the TV via component cable, but I'm wondering whether to run all my sources through the AVR300 using component cable, or to upgrade to the new AVR600 to take advantage of HDMI switching for the DVD, cable box and PS3.
Power-wise, I use Monster HTS 2500 power centre. All the components run off that.
I'm pretty happy with the system. Musically it's good and movies are excellent. People who come around are always impressed. Even Guitar Hero 3 sounds amazing!
Suggestions, comments and feedback are all welcome.
Great choice on the kit. That's some seriously great equipment. I went with Arcam because they have a reputation for making very musical home theatre equipment. Plus there's a great upgrade path with their power amps and processors. I just came across the Totem line at Stereo Exchange in Manhattan. Then I found out that a mate of mine has the Arros setup with some Rega electronics. A pretty sweet system.
I'd love to hear how the new interconnect works out and how you set it up. If you get the chance to upgrade the speaker cable or add centre and surround speakers for movies or games, that would be interesting.
Wow, I guess I am just catching up to your level of sophistication.
I am actually not using the receiver as a surround system, but as a stereo amp. From my listening, I thought the arcam AVRs did an excellent job, and from the deal I got on the combo, I went ahead with the purchase.
As for the pairing of the totem and arcam, I can say that from what I have read, totem recommends the combo. The place where I bought the totems actually had the AVR 350 hooked up to them. And this was a room designed by totem!
So even though they probably can do better with more $$$, I would have to do some serious listening to make that jump.
Hey there, thanks for the comments and suggestions. This is totally nerdy but great. I'll try to address your points in order.
Yeah, my tiny Brooklyn Heights apartment forces the diagonal placement. If I could mount my TV on the wall, it would make placement easier, but it needs to be on the rack, so it all has to go in the corner. The speakers do form two corners of an equilateral triangle to the middle of my couch, but they are kinda close to the walls and the sweet spot is pretty small. The perils of living in NYC!
I'm bi-wiring and bi-amping the Forests with two runs of Kimber 8TC speaker cable, and using the 2 extra rear surround channels to drive the midrange. I used the setup options on the AVR300 to toggle the rear surrounds to "Bi-Amp L+R". Kimber make great cables, and they're terminated with these screw-ends that expand when you screw them in so that they grip the speaker terminals and can't get pulled out. I don't know anything about the speaker cable you mentioned. I haven't experimented with mass-loading the Forests, but I probably should do. My space is too tiny for boomy bass, loading might tighten it up.
As for interconnects, I have Kimber Hero analogue cable connected between the analogue output of the DV137 and the "CD" input of the AVR300. I use "CD" on the AVR300 with the Stereo Direct option when I'm playing music CDs. I also have a Monster coaxial cable connected from the digital out of the DV137 to the DVD input on the AVR300. I use this for movies. I haven't really had this setup too long to figure out which sounds better, it's pretty close. I guess the idea is that an analogue connection conveys more of the "gradual" components of a sound, while the digital on has to do it via a whole bunch of 1/0/1/0s, which might not be as detailed. You can't use the Stereo Direct option with a digital cable, which is the main reason I do it with the analogue connection. I haven't experimented with SACD via the 5 hookups, but I might do once I get a matching Totem centre channel speaker, around Xmas. I presume Stereo Direct makes a difference, my ears are just not tuned to hear it. I've been wondering if I should upgrade my coaxial cable as my dealer has been touting this "Transparent" cable brand.
I've noticed on Audiogon that people use the Forests with some really quite high-end systems. I actually think the Arcams are doing them a bit of a disservice, and they could thrive with better electronics.
I also noticed that you have the receiver+DVD, what centre and surround speakers are you using? I just hooked the Rainmaker surrounds up last night and played some favourite movie scenes (Master&Commander opening scene - great dynamics, Matrix "Dodge this" circling bullet dodge scene). I'm wondering if I should sell my monster B&W subwoofer since it shakes the walls sometimes and I have no choice but to put it in the corner of the room, which only makes things worse.
Hey, keep the tips, tweaks and suggestions coming. I've been building up through this system through trial and error for a while now. Great to hear how others do it.
Hey Rich, I am pretty sure I am an obsessive geek about this stuff, but to be honest it all started when I bought the arcam equipment. Since then I have been tweaking like crazy, like a grease junky with a beat up 67 Chevelle. I will share with you how far I have pushed the geek-envelop and give you some info I have picked up along the way.
First off, I noticed that you have your speakers on a diagonal like me. And probably like me, its the room that is forcing you to do this. It seems like the traditional set up involves a non-square room with the speakers centered along a wall, 2-4 feet from the back wall, and 1-3 feet from the sides. The distance to the back wall is supposed to tune your bass, further away makes the sound more controlled, but less forceful. Closer makes it less cohesive, but much more boomy. The distance to the side wall is supposed to tune the midrange. Apparently the key to this set up is each speaker being equidistant to each wall. So the distance to the side walls is the same, and distance to the back the same. To illustrate this, think of how your speakers would sound if played outside.
Fortunately I have read some good stuff about diagonal positioning. Apparently this set up is excellent for getting rid of some of the poor side wall acoustics. A quick google finds some good articles.
As an aside, you should read the totem pages about their info on mass loading, bi-wiring/amping, and speaker placement and toe-in.
http://www.totemacoustic.com/support/faq/
One thing I noted from your pictures is that you have those speakers about 4-5 feet apart. Take note of the distance apart recommendations. The key to speaker positioning is equilateral triangles, between your ears and both speakers.
Next, I will tell you what I have done for wiring. I think the avr300 has passive bi-amping capabilities. This is not as good as electronic crossover, but I dont think our receivers support pre-amps. Its better than bi-wiring though.
I used monoprice.com 12AWG speaker wires with banana plugs. I think 12AWG is a good bet, and at the price that monoprice offers them, you really cant loose. I use them for all of my digital cables too. Excellent price and excellent quality.
Now for the interesting stuff. When I first set up the DVD and receiver, I thought digital is better. I therefore used a digi-coax cable to link the two.
However, with SACD and DVDA formats, Arcam is all about analog outs. Also, I was confused about which DAC to use, the receiver or the DVD playerm which is determined by the cables you use. So I emailed them a few questions regarding this. Interestingly enough, they suggest analog cables, but they also say use the Direct mode for everything. This disables the internal digital signal alteration, improving sound allegedly.
On my listening, I think the digital sounds better, but I am using garbage cables at this point. I just bought a pair of blue jeans RCA cables, top notch and reasonably priced. I will find out how much better this sounds in a few weeks.
Anyways, at this point I am in love with the system overall. The voice quality for female vocalists is amazing. I hate Diana krawl, but I just bought 2 of her CDs.
I know this is freaky long, in a bad way, but I wish someone had laid out the info for me 3 weeks ago. Let me know what you think, and if you have any other suggestions.
Hi Yamo! I actually showed my girlfriend your system to prove that I'm not a great big obsessive nerd about these things (she's still not convinced). The Forests were purchased via Audiogon from 'dnwang'. A gentleman and a scholar. I paid $1800 for the Forests and am utterly delighted with my purchase. The Rainmakers will replace my B&W601 rear speakers, with the Totem centre channel soon to follow. No real reason for the Rainmaker replacements apart from general upgrade-itis and another great Audiogon deal ($592 total, I can give you the seller if you're interested). Let me know what you think, I'd love to be able to pick the brains of another Totem+Arcam system owner regarding system setup and tweaks etc...Best, Richard.
Awesome combo. Looks eerily like mine that I posted a few days ago! Any way I can find out what a "great deal" means? Is there any particular reason you feel that the rainmakers are necessary? I have been very happy with the very present tonal bass of my forests.
