Building a system from scratch around Strato V

[Gerald.d]

Hi all -

I'm looking to purchase a Strato V (and 22TB Terra Prime Compact) in the near future. Right now, I'd simply look to hook it up to my existing Samsung TV (can't remember the exact model number, but it's a couple of years old, 65", 4K, and was about $1500), but next year we will be moving into a new house that has a basement, part of which I am considering using to create a (small - around 3m by 5m, and the ceiling is low) home theater room.

I see from the main forums that there are quite a few compatibility issues and challenges with the Strato V right now, and I guess it's safe to assume these will be addressed with firmware updates by the time I build out my room.

What I'm after is advice from those who have a Kaleidescape system as to what they would recommend pairing it up with. My budget is somewhat flexible, but I'm thinking of $5-8k on the display side, Marantz Cinema 30 for the AVR (happy to be guided differently here, but not blow the budget completely), and $10k or so on speakers. So I guess that comes to around the $20-25k ballpark excluding the Kaleidescape bits.

Assume room treatment budget will be dealt with separately.

It's been many many years since I last had 'proper' home cinema kit (I used to have a full Meridian system back in the 2000's) and am completely out of date with the current tech, and I must admit somewhat confused about all the different speaker configurations there are these days.

All advice and suggestions very much appreciated - thanks in advance!

Kind regards,


Gerald.

 

[Rooster]

what speakers are you planning?

 

[Gerald.d]

what speakers are you planning?

Hi - well, that’s primarily what I’m looking for advice on.

I’ve not delved into home theater for a long time - back in the days when 5.1 was pretty much all there was.

Not sure what the best approach is for a small room such as the one I’m planning, so any guidance would be most appreciated.

 

[gadgetman]

I'll offer two suggestions with the important caveat that I am not a pro--only someone who loves movies and tech (and Kaleidescape).

1. Re: Displays: I have a Sony A95L OLED 77" and a Sony X95L Mini-LED 85" and am very impressed with the X95L. The A95L was considered last year by many to be the TV of the year, and Sony did not even update it this year. However, Sony did update the X95L to the Bravia 9, which is purportedly much brighter and a new milestone in Mini-LED. So, I would definitely consider the Bravia 9, which, unlike the X95L in the U.S., comes in different sizes. It is priced now under $5,000 in 85". (Keep in mind that Sony uses Google TV, so you may also want to consider the operating system when you make your choice.)

I did not care about 8K TV's since there is no native content. But, if you are concerned about future-proofing your purchase, you may want to consider 8K alternatives. The price tag will go up.

2. Re: Receivers: In addition to the Marantz Cinema 30, I'd consider the Sony STR-AZ7000ES. Sony plays well with Sony and it's approximately $1,200 less expensive than the Marantz Cinema 30. Some reviewers even ranked the Sony receiver a bit higher than the Marantz.

I don't dare comment on speakers because there are far more options, and the decision is more complex. In addition, the choice of speakers may affect the choice of receiver.

Again, these suggestions come from a layman who just loves really good video and audio. Hopefully, these comments will generate input from experts who know much more than I.

 

[Gerald.d]

Appreciate the detailed response gadgetman.

1 - Bravia 9 is definitely on the shortlist, thanks. Agree with you on 8K, I think not much point given the lack of content.

2 - Thanks for mentioning the Sony, I'll check out some reviews.

Speakers are where I'm at a bit of a loss right now. Not sure how much the small size of the room should be guiding me here - I've got some flexibility on the depth of the room, but the width will be limited to around 10' due to a structural pillar. I'm also quite restricted height-wise, with the ceiling being only about 7'.

Unless I'm missing something, I'm finding it surprisingly challenging to find online reviews of 7.1.2/4 speaker packages.

 

[Rooster]

Hi - well, that’s primarily what I’m looking for advice on.

I’ve not delved into home theater for a long time - back in the days when 5.1 was pretty much all there was.

Not sure what the best approach is for a small room such as the one I’m planning, so any guidance would be most appreciated.

I would post a thread in AVS with your room layout, budget and goals. There’s a latge community which will (usually) give you good design advice and more ideas that you can handle

I’d go with one of these two forums

General Home Theater & Media/Game Rooms

General media room discussion from existing room installations to complete design & build of home theater systems/game rooms.

www.avsforum.com

Speakers

This is the place to ask about speakers and speaker setup. No street price talk or retail links please.

www.avsforum.com

 

[Gerald.d]

Thanks Rooster - I am just getting deep into the weeds on this and watching loads of YouTube videos and reading forum posts.

There is a lot to catch up on!

I will definitely reach out to other channels in due course, but I still very much welcome any suggestions and advice from the community here.

 

[Substance]

For a limited size room, pick the best/largest center speaker you can fit above or below your TV (as close as possible) then pick the rest of the speakers on the same brand/line for the best timbre matching and synergy.

Bi/dipoles will likely need 3 feet or so breath room behind them. Perhaps monopole sealed enclosures are ideal. Your speaker budget is healthy. Most speakers in that price range will sound really good and similar(especially with room correction). Aesthetics and availability (to demo) might determine the right choice.

TV selection is difficult to predict. There may better options by the time you are in the market for one. I would go for the largest OLED or Mini-LED I can afford.

Make sure to budget for comfortable seats. If the basement with low ceiling sounds dull, you may need to install some diffusers on the primaries. Symmetrical rooms are difficult to sound good unfortunately. DIY can save you a lot of money in these.

 

[Gerald.d]

Many thanks Substance - I'm re-thinking the room layout and the amount of space I can devote to the installation. Previously I had thought that the existence of a load bearing column was going to restrict the potential size of the room, and that I would have to work within the boundaries it defined, but I've seen a few photos online now of installations where a column has been incorporated.

Agree with you re the timing of the TV selection - things seem to move a lot faster in that space compared to amps/processors and speakers!

 

[rafaelsmith]

Room treatments > all!

I made the mistake of ignoring treatments.

 

[Gerald.d]

Thanks Rafael - definitely something I have noted from my research so far, and good to have it confirmed.

I’m fortunate that I live in Thailand, so I’m not even bothering to worry about the budget for the room itself. Labour and materials are great value here (and I’m always happy to pay bonuses on top of quotes to those who do great work).

 

[rafaelsmith]

Thanks Rafael - definitely something I have noted from my research so far, and good to have it confirmed.

I’m fortunate that I live in Thailand, so I’m not even bothering to worry about the budget for the room itself. Labour and materials are great value here (and I’m always happy to pay bonuses on top of quotes to those who do great work).

The biggest noticeable improvement after properly treating the room was dialogue....even for Nolan movies

Even my wife commented on what a difference it made to dialogue and she almost never notices anything after ive made a change to the theater

 

[Surge]

Not sure what the best approach is for a small room such as the one I’m planning, so any guidance would be most appreciated.

For a small room and anything other than a dedicated theater with multiple rows of seats, I would avoid a center channel. It makes the sound worse unless you use the same exact speaker as the L/R.
With a modest budget especially, I would put 75% of the $10k into the L and R, then go with Klipsch in wall horns for the rear and overhead. Get a REL sub for about $1k and you’ll have a great system.
If you sit between the front speakers all the dialogue will come from the center, where the TV should be.

 

[cinelife]

I’m fortunate that I live in Thailand, so I’m not even bothering to worry about the budget for the room itself. Labour and materials are great value here (and I’m always happy to pay bonuses on top of quotes to those who do great work).

Curious, where do you live in Thailand?

Jim

 

[MikeKobb]

For a limited size room, pick the best/largest center speaker you can fit above or below your TV (as close as possible) then pick the rest of the speakers on the same brand/line for the best timbre matching and synergy.

I'd like to second this recommendation. I bought my front speakers (Aerial Acoustics) based largely on the quality of the CC5 center. I auditioned at least 10 centers from other brands but so many of them over-emphasized mids.

It may be impractical for the OP's room, but I will also just state my preference for a projection system with an acoustically transparent screen. Having that speaker actually behind the screen really does wonders for making dialog believable.

 

[Gerald.d]

Curious, where do you live in Thailand?

Jim

Koh Samui.

 

[Gerald.d]

I'd like to second this recommendation. I bought my front speakers (Aerial Acoustics) based largely on the quality of the CC5 center. I auditioned at least 10 centers from other brands but so many of them over-emphasized mids.

It may be impractical for the OP's room, but I will also just state my preference for a projection system with an acoustically transparent screen. Having that speaker actually behind the screen really does wonders for making dialog believable.

Thanks Mike - appreciate your input, and your more general support for the forum. Seeing strong contribution from "the mothership" on an independent forum such as this is very encouraging.

I am probably setting out on this journey just a little too early. Although my Kaleidescape system has now been ordered (Strato V and Terra Prime 48TB) - because I simply can't wait to get it hooked up to even just my humble Samsung TV - it's perhaps a little early to be considering other components, especially since here on Koh Samui there is no chance to audition.

However, it's fun to speculate what I will be spending my money on next year, so I continue to research!

RIght now I guess there are two main decisions that will determine which direction I take. First is the display - projection or flat panel? I don't think I'm going to be going above 100", and everything I've read so far leads me to believe that at that size, flat panel is the way to go. Interestingly though, this is how the walls in the basement are constructed -


So I guess in some respects they are almost crying out for a projector, screen, and in-wall speakers...

I can't share much more in the way of photos of the space since the property is currently rented out and the tenant has his own belongings in there, but the room is roughly by 25 by 22 feet, with two large pillars that really complicate things, and low ceilings with beams. But, I'm not going to be using it all for the home cinema/theater - probably a space maximum 12-14 feet wide and 15 feet deep.

Very rough layout plan. Blue rectangle outlines the theater room, brown the seating, white squares are the pillars (ignore the "living room" label!). -

(All equipment other than the display and speakers would be kept outside the theater space itself for ease of access and aesthetics.)

Second major decision having done a lot of reading/viewing on the equipment side is the balance of cash to spend on processor/amp/receiver and speakers. If I go with a flat panel and not projection, then I'm anticipating there will be around $18k left for that. And if I go with the Marantz Cinema 30 rather than the separate processor/amp route, then it leaves a lot more left over for the speakers, and the B&W 705 SE Signatures along with the HTM-71 S3 Signature center are feeling like a good option for the front 3.

I will continue to research (it's not like I don't have plenty of time!), and continue to welcome thoughts and advice from the community here. In due course I will reach out to the larger forums.

Meanwhile, can't wait for the Strato V and Terra Prime to arrive in a couple of weeks!

 

[cinelife]

Koh Samui.

Thanks I know it well, beautiful island.

Jim

 

[MikeKobb]

Thanks Mike - appreciate your input, and your more general support for the forum. Seeing strong contribution from "the mothership" on an independent forum such as this is very encouraging.

I am probably setting out on this journey just a little too early. Although my Kaleidescape system has now been ordered (Strato V and Terra Prime 48TB) - because I simply can't wait to get it hooked up to even just my humble Samsung TV - it's perhaps a little early to be considering other components, especially since here on Koh Samui there is no chance to audition.

However, it's fun to speculate what I will be spending my money on next year, so I continue to research!

RIght now I guess there are two main decisions that will determine which direction I take. First is the display - projection or flat panel? I don't think I'm going to be going above 100", and everything I've read so far leads me to believe that at that size, flat panel is the way to go. Interestingly though, this is how the walls in the basement are constructed -
View attachment 5531

So I guess in some respects they are almost crying out for a projector, screen, and in-wall speakers...

I can't share much more in the way of photos of the space since the property is currently rented out and the tenant has his own belongings in there, but the room is roughly by 25 by 22 feet, with two large pillars that really complicate things, and low ceilings with beams. But, I'm not going to be using it all for the home cinema/theater - probably a space maximum 12-14 feet wide and 15 feet deep.

Very rough layout plan. Blue rectangle outlines the theater room, brown the seating, white squares are the pillars (ignore the "living room" label!). -
View attachment 5532
(All equipment other than the display and speakers would be kept outside the theater space itself for ease of access and aesthetics.)

Second major decision having done a lot of reading/viewing on the equipment side is the balance of cash to spend on processor/amp/receiver and speakers. If I go with a flat panel and not projection, then I'm anticipating there will be around $18k left for that. And if I go with the Marantz Cinema 30 rather than the separate processor/amp route, then it leaves a lot more left over for the speakers, and the B&W 705 SE Signatures along with the HTM-71 S3 Signature center are feeling like a good option for the front 3.

I will continue to research (it's not like I don't have plenty of time!), and continue to welcome thoughts and advice from the community here. In due course I will reach out to the larger forums.

Meanwhile, can't wait for the Strato V and Terra Prime to arrive in a couple of weeks!

Those columns do complicate things. From personal experience, I will just say that structural changes can sometimes be less daunting than you might think. When I built my theater, we removed a load-bearing wall and replaced it with a 19' steel I-beam supported on posts buried in the side walls of the theater. I was shocked at how relatively inexpensive that was, in the grand scheme of the project.

Also, you may wish to place your seating slightly off center side-to-side to avoid having a potential bass node right at the center seat. If you're concerned that that may look odd, you can make it appear to be centered by using a stretched-fabric wall with a cavity behind. That also gives you an opportunity to place speakers and/or subwoofers and acoustic treatment behind the fabric out of sight.

Anyway, this may all be beyond the scope of what you want to undertake with this project, but I thought I'd mention it.

 

[Golfx]

Regarding speakers I tend to rely on the speaker reviews by the reviewer, James Larson (@shadyj), over at the website Audioholics. He is honest and receives and compares many speakers each year. He backs up his recommendations with beanch measurements which allows comparisons to other speakers as well. Another speaker reviewer is “Erin’s Audio Corner” who also uses measurements and explains his reasoning.

I use LG OLEDs mainly because I know how their Webos system works and am too old to want to learn Sony’s system. But both are well regarded with the sony slightly edging out the LG G4 on nerd columns.

Once you choose your speakers that choice will dictate the type and quality of your other electronics. But whatever you decide, I advise that subwoofers add the most emotion to movies and two or more even out any room anomalies.

I envy your journey.