Genelec home theater setup - Forum

Hi..

3. My recommendation is Mogami cable. Because Mogami is no #1 brand in professional cables and is made in Japan.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GoldAES25

Vovox also can be a great option ( made in Switzerland)

http://www.vovox.ch/en/professional-aud ... ced-cable/

Thank you sound phobia for your response! I appreciate it. I'll check out those cables.

Anyone else have any thoughts on the other questions?

I just purchased a used Genelec home theater system and would love your advice.

I am planning to use three HT208B for my LCR speakers, four AIW25 in-walls for surrounds and rear channels, and two HTS4B subwoofers. The retailer is also selling 4 more of the same in-walls and mentioned I can use them in-ceiling for Dolby Atmos to have a 7.2.4 system.

The speakers will be connected to a Marantz 7702 preamp through balanced XLR cables.

1. Would using the in-walls as in-ceilings be an issue?
No, many in-walls are installed as in ceilings, most people prefer the rectangular format over the round.

2. To save space in my future equipment rack, will there be major ventilation issues if I have all in-wall 8 amp modules in a single rack mount?
Genelec make a rack mount adapter for exactly this purpose, google search RAM2-405, i would recommend at least 1 free RU both above and below the RAM2-405.

3. What respectable brand XLR cables/specifications do you recommend? The LCR speakers will be 25-30’ cable away from the preamp. The retailer is recommending Audioquest cables.
We also recommend Mogami, don't forget that your in-wall speakers require 4 core speaker cable to each speaker.

Thanks!

Thank you Steve for your response.

For my 8 in-walls, the retailer is providing me with two sets of RAM2-405s. They recommended using both with 4 amp modules installed in each to prevent ventilation issues. My only concern with that is taking additional RU's. If I can have them all in a single RAM2-405 with a RU above/below, that would help me out.

Would you recommend getting 1 or 2 rackmount fan trays to keep them cool?

Also, if I decided not to go with an equipment rack and went with a traditional media cabinet, any suggestions/ideas on placement of the RAM2-405 to make it esthetically pleasing? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks again.

I don't know if high ambient temperatures are an issue as i don't know what country and area you are from, if your equipment location is ventilated and reasonably cool, i wouldn't be worried about only using 1 rack module. Fan cooling would be nice, just remember to make sure that they are drawing the air in the correct way. Don't forget that as these are rear and side channels, the work load is no where near what the LCR's are....

If this is a projection based system, i'd simply hide the amp modules somewhere off to the sides of the screen, if perforated screen, just make sure that the LED's are not visible. I'm not a big fan of putting them in normal joinery, particularly 8 of them!!!

It is difficult to provide specific advice when so little is known about your system design.... I'd also recommend you consider Auro3D placement of the sides and rears instead of ATMOS... I've only heard very positive reports on AURO's setup....

Thank you again for your thoughtful response Steve, I appreciate it.

I live in North America (California) so its not too hot here... just want to ensure the longevity of the amps' lifetime by not overheating. Good point about the work load of the in-wall speakers.

I have a fixed projector screen, not acoustically transparent so my setup will be L-sub-C-sub-R below the screen.

Do you recommend the LCR speakers & subs to be connected to in-wall power conditioners (ie Panamax MIW-POWER-PRO-PFP)? I want to have a clean setup without too much distraction and was planning on installing 3-4 of these.

Please excuse all the 'simple' questions, I'm new to this. Can't wait to get started with this project!

EDIT: Also if you have any suggestions of speaker stands for the LCR speakers, please let me know. My projector screen will be mounted ~30in (0.8m) above the ground and would like the speakers to be below the screen. Considering the speakers are 15.5in in length, the stands would have to be tiny...

Sounds like you are in for fun times

I am a big believer in not putting speakers close to the floor, it is one of the densest and biggest reflecting surfaces in your room, so the effect it has on your frequency response is considerable. Genelec usually recommend that the acoustic axis of the speaker is about 1.2M from the floor, this usually puts it right where your screen is!! 99% of my designs use microperf screens and i am a big believer in them, if you can't use a perf screen, then is there the opportunity to place the speakers above your screen???? Does your room exist now or are you building? If it is a current room, before you build anything, take your HT208's into your space and simply play stereo (simple, piano/guitar vocal) track and have a listen, then temporarily get them up higher, don't obsess about what they sit on for the short term, just get them up, as a last resort simply get 2 friends or family members to hold them above their heads and listen... You should hear massive differences in detail, this will then give you enough information to make an informed decision about where the speakers need to be installed.

I would also suggest that you place both subwoofers next to each other, this will provide acoustic coupling and will give you extra output, there are many discussions about subwoofers and their placement, in my experience, 1 large sub or multiple coupled subs provide what i listen for. I usually have them just of the front wall centre line.

Sounds like you are in for fun times

I am a big believer in not putting speakers close to the floor, it is one of the densest and biggest reflecting surfaces in your room, so the effect it has on your frequency response is considerable. Genelec usually recommend that the acoustic axis of the speaker is about 1.2M from the floor, this usually puts it right where your screen is!! 99% of my designs use microperf screens and i am a big believer in them, if you can't use a perf screen, then is there the opportunity to place the speakers above your screen???? Does your room exist now or are you building? If it is a current room, before you build anything, take your HT208's into your space and simply play stereo (simple, piano/guitar vocal) track and have a listen, then temporarily get them up higher, don't obsess about what they sit on for the short term, just get them up, as a last resort simply get 2 friends or family members to hold them above their heads and listen... You should hear massive differences in detail, this will then give you enough information to make an informed decision about where the speakers need to be installed.

I would also suggest that you place both subwoofers next to each other, this will provide acoustic coupling and will give you extra output, there are many discussions about subwoofers and their placement, in my experience, 1 large sub or multiple coupled subs provide what i listen for. I usually have them just of the front wall centre line.

Thanks again for your input. If I need to place it 1.2M above the ground, then I would definitively run into issues with my screen! I currently have a non-acoustically transparent screen but can consider getting one... I rather not though just so I don't have to change too much of my current setup. But first, I will definitely play around with the placement of the speakers and see how they sound. Worse comes to worse, I can temporarily lay the HT208s on their slide so they won't interfere with the screen. I know it isn't ideal but would that significantly degrade the sound quality?

I should be getting the speakers sometime next week and will definitely update you all.

I finally have the HT208s set up and played The Eagles: Farewell Live From Melbourne Blu Ray and I was blown away! Incredible clean sound, great reproduction, I'm very happy. Next will be setting up the in-walls.

Does anyone have any recommendations for 4 core speaker cables for the in-walls? What gauge would you recommend? I was looking at these: http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=4038

If you have any other recommendations, please let me know. Thanks!!