This setup probably has as mu
7/3/11
I have made some changes to my bedroom setup. The
biggest change was adding a Denon 3808CI receiver to the
setup. I got the receiver a couple years ago for my
main system, but it spent 8 of those months in the shop for
repair. I had to send it off twice (thankfully I
bought a warranty) and they finally replaced it with a
refurbished unit. Because of the long repair time, I
bought a 4311CI for the living room the second time it
broke.... I know, I know, I bought another Denon receiver
after all the problems with the 3808CI. In fairness,
my Denon 3300 has been going strong for ten years or more,
so I think I may have just got a lemon. If my 4311CI
breaks in the next 3 years, I will be done with the Denon
brand. I guess we will see.
Since I made several changes to the main system, I
was able to also make changes to my bedroom setup, since it
mainly gets "hand me downs" from the main system.
Since the 4311 has an HD Tuner and the 3808ci doesn't, I
moved my Sony HD Tuner to the bedroom. Also, my second
Sony Vaio Digital Living System has had nothing but
problems, so I moved it from my main system into the
bedroom. Since the main system is usually occupied,
moving it to bedroom gives me more time to mess with it.
I will mainly use it for streaming music from MOG and maybe
using it to surf the web, so if it does completely die, it
won't be a huge issue.
I never really used my JVC HD VCR in the living room, so
I moved it to the bedroom, too. I like having a VCR
hooked up even if it never gets used. I might want to
screen one of our old home videos, look at one of the Disney
movies we have on VCR, or even watch one of the DVHS tapes I
bought while waiting for HDTV to hit the scene. I am
not saying I will do any of that, but the option is there if
I do. :)
Finally, I moved my home theater equipment stand into the
bedroom. I wanted a sleeker look for the living room
and I liked the stand more than the one I used to have in
the bedroom. I found out this stand is bigger than my
old one, so I did not have the room for one my speaker
stands. I have one of my speakers on the equipment
stand now, but I may search to see if I can find a speaker
stand with a smaller footprint to give it a more symmetrical
look than having one speaker on a speaker stand and one on
the equipment stand.
8/7/10 Nothing changed other than the way I have it
setup. I have the Little Dot Dac_1 feeding my Denon
receiver, so I can take advantage of the higher quality DAC
built into the Little Dot.
The Dac_1 is also feeding the Little Dot MKIII headphone
amp. The MKIII has RCA outs going to the Super T-amp /
Electrostatic headphone setup.
As a result of these changes, I got rid of the Pinnacle
Speakers that I had stacked on top of the NHT speakers.
I think it looks better and sounds better, too. I
initially tried to feed the Denon receiver directly from the
MKIII, but there was static, so it was not a good blend.
7/18/10 - As I mentioned in my 7/4/10 update, I have made some
changes to the bedside setup. The X-can V3 setup
(pictured below) has been moved the living room to make room
for a Little Dot MKIII headphone amp/preamp and Little Dot
DAC_1. I mainly wanted to go with an all tube amp
because I currently own non-tube (SS) and tube hybrid
headphone amps. Also, I figured that the warmer tube
sound would be better for listening while laying in bed.
The sound quality is amazing. I have tried out the
setup with Audio Technica
ATH-AD700 and AKG K701 headphones. 
The setup above includes:
Source:
Airport Express - this connects wirelessly to iTunes running on a computer in a
separate room and plays back any of my Apple Lossless files over its digital
output. It also connects with a program called Airfoil that runs on a
computer to play any audio program that my computer is playing (Rhapsody).
Remote: I use an iPad to control the songs
that iTunes is feeding to the Airport Express. I use Apple's "Remote" app
to manage the entire collection. In addition, the iPad can connect
directly with the host computer via the "Logmein" app to manually take over the
computer and play any source with Airfoil.
Second Source: In addition to using the iPad
as a remote, I also use it as a source. The camera kit that you can buy as
an accessory to the iPad adds a digital out via USB to the iPad. With this
adapter, the iPad can send out an untouched digital signal via USB. You
can then use it with a DAC that has a USB input or send it to a converter that
will take the USB digital signal and send it out via coax or optical. An
app called Jukefly can tap into your iTunes collection over the web and send it
out in 256kbps. You can also plays songs you have stored on the iPad, play
Rhapsody, Pandora, or any other music source (at least all I have tried) with
this method.
DAC (Digital to Analog Converter): Little
Dot DAC_1 - I use this to convert the digital signal from the two sources
above to analog. It has a few different settings for deciding the
bit-rate, maximum sampling frequency, and how the DAC's digital filter operates.
HeadphoneAmp/Preamp:
Little Dot MKIII - This is a tube amp that works for headphones and as
a preamp for a separate setup. I use it to feed my Super Sonic T-amp
headphone setup and to feed a pair of headphones.
Headphones: Audio Technica
ATH-AD700 - While I plan on using all of my headphones with this
setup when I am in the mood, the main headphones I will be using are the AD700s.
The MKIII amp really brings out the bass in these headphones that are normally
bass shy and enhances their wide soundstage.
Headphone Stand:
This was custom made by my father. It provides plenty of room for
most of my headphones. :-)
Some pics of the bedroom
setup (7/4/10) (some changes coming soon to the bedside
setup)
More major changes for the
bedroom setup (5/28/10):
My Samsung TV croaked. I think it had something to do
with all the dust from a bathroom remodel..... I moved
the Sony Bravia
SXRD KDS-60A3000 60" 1080p Rear Projection HDTV from the
living room into the bedroom. I also got tired of the
less than stellar sound from my cheap Onkyo receiver.
I replaced it with my old Denon AVR3300 that I had laying
around. While I was at it, I moved my NHT SB2 (4
of them) and the 1 NHT LC1 (Center channel) into the bedroom. I also
got a Polk Audio PSW111 Compact 8" 150W Powered Subwoofer
that was small enough to put behind my massage chair.
This setup rocks...which is why I had it in the living room
for so long..
I also moved my T-amp headphone setup back to the area next
to the massage chair and put a V-Can X3 headphone amp and
Beresford DAC on my nightstand to pair with Senn HD580
headphones. It seemed like a waste to have these
headphones just laying around and never getting used. I also have a mount for my iPad which I
use to control an Airport Express that feeds the DAC. I
have a Little Dot DAC & amp on order, so this setup is just
temporary. I will take some new pics sometime next
week.
Changes to the
bedroom system (OLD):
I decided to get a king size bed to fit all
the dogs in the family. Therefore, I was
no longer in a bed that would work with a TV that was
mounted so close to the ceiling. I also had a spare 61
inch 720p HDTV lying around, so I decided to move the LCD to
my office/workout/mancave room. The setup below is the
result of the changes. I am still using the Onkyo
receiver, PS3, Linkplayer, etc...
One of the other changes I made was moving the Electrostat
headphone/T-amp to the nightstand so that I could listen to
music while lying in my new bed. Typically, the Roku
is not sitting on top of the Entech DAC, but I thought it
was easier to see the DAC in the picture this way:
One of the other features I like about the bed is that it
has a Precision Comfort foundation, so I am able to lift the
head of the bed while playing games. It also has a
massage feature and it can lift the feet when I am in the
mood for ultimate relaxation. The bed is a Select
Comfort 7000 series and I fell in love the minute I layed on
it in the store. I have a bad back and this thing is
the best way to manage it.
Below is a shot of the "little girl" resting on my side
of the split-king bed:
Some shots I took of the old
system (most of the stuff is still in use. I mainly
moved the TV to a different room:
As you can see, I was not kidding when I told you this thing
was close to the ceiling (see my Westinghouse remarks in the
section below if you wonder why I have it mounted so high)!
The shot below is Grand Turismo HD. I took it from the
bed. The bed is pretty high, so the fact that the TV
is mounted so high is not much of a problem.
This game was free from Sony of the internet. There are
not very many games out right now that are must buys for my
tastes, so I can envision playing this and other demos until
they release Devil May Cry and Metal Gear Solid on the PS3.
(The "Freeze" button is from the TV because I wanted a
somewhat still shot for posting).
Below is a picture of the web browser. As you can see,
it is pointed to the best site on the web! LOL Some
people have complained that the PS3 font is too small and I
agree that they should have a way to make it bigger.
A shot of a Blu-ray trailer for Underworld - Evolution (sorry
my flash made this a less than stellar pic):
The PS3,
MediaPilot USB keyboard (that works with the PS3), the
Linkplayer,
Sony Sat-T60, cutting board because the Tivo gets
unbelievable hot on the bottom,
TDS202,
Entech Number Cruncher, and
TCC TC754 (phono stage/switchbox)
Super T-amp with HP100 electrostatic headphones. I run
the speaker wires from here, too.
LEAVE ME YOUR
QUESTIONS, CRITIQUES, COMMENTS OR CONCERNS
More about some of the stuff:
