I'm putting together a new speaker system for my Denon 3805 ... at least the front and B Sur but possibly all the way around. I can hear JVC and Boxwrench now...WHAT??? Indeed, 'tis true. I moved to a much smaller place not long ago and my beastie Mirages are just too big for the room, so much so that even if I set the amp menu to small speakers, the fronts now sound more like a high quality mono system (a bit of an exaggeration, but I think you get my point). I'll be selling them to my nephew with a huge living room and a huge family to put in it. Kindly be patient with me and hear me out; you're all going to think my new plan for which I seek assistance is just plain nuts. For my new fronts, I want to create a new modern version of this ancient system. This is called "The Ensemble" by Cambridge Soundworks which changed for the worse over the years but this is the original which came out in 1987; invented by Henry Kloss, the founder of Advent, it was the grand-daddy of the present satellite systems but [bold]far far better[/bold] than the modern satellite systems which were born of it. I want to creat a new version of this. I had these until a couple of years ago but they could never have handled the power of todays home theater equipment, let alone a Denon 3805. These guys were just unbelievable sounding though not very powerful. Those are [bold]passive subs[/bold] which produced a firm, deep and unbelievably high quality bass without being dominant. This is the main difference between this ensemble set up and the satellite systems later born of it...these were considered "large" speakers...you had the small two way bookshelf/satellite (rather somewhere in between) and that ran to the eight in passive sub seen in the pics ... one [bold]quality[/bold] to each channel as opposed to the new systems that have the satellite, and a power sub handling the lower mid range and bass of the two fronts. With the two way and the passive on each side, your speakers were in fact large (just seperated in two sections). You had these connected to the right and left fronts where were set to large and you connected the powered sub either to LFE or both LFE and Mains as you would with todays systems that have fronts set to large. I'm looking to recreate this sort of set up. For the satellite, I'm going to use the Mirage Omnisat (not the onmisat micro). I've heard these countless times and they'll make your chin drop to your knees because the sound from these little things is so awesome and they've just eliminated the model so I can buy them for peanuts! You should hear these things. Speaker: Specs: Mirage OmnisatPlatinumBlack Details Mirage Omnisat Speakers use Omnipolar technology that utliize natural room reflections to produce a greater sense of realism as well as create a deep, wide and tall soundstage. The main goal of the new OMNISAT series was to provide a product with the most natural, accurate performance and seamless, home theater blending. Power Handling: 150 Watts Impedance: 8 ohm nominal, 4 ohm minimum Tweeter: 1" (25mm) PTH Pure Titanium Hybrid Woofer: 4.5" Polypropylene Titanium Deposit Hybrid cones with butyl surrounds Crossover Points: 2.2 kHz Frequency Response: 70 Hz-20KHz, +/- 3dB System Type: Magnetically Shielded Omnipolar Satellite Room Efficiency: 89 dB Recommended Amplified Power: 10 to 150-watts RMS/Channel Inputs: High Quality 5-way Binding Posts Dimensiona (inches): 8 H x 6-1/4 W x 8 D Weight: 7 lbs. Mirage OmnisatPlatinumBlack Warranty Details 5 Year Limited Warranty More reasons to buy the Mirage OmnisatPlatinumBlack from Vanns.com Free Shipping! No Sales Tax! Vanns.com is a Fully Authorized Dealer (Learn More) The Mirage OmnisatPlatinumBlack is Brand New The Mirage OmnisatPlatinumBlack Ships in a Factory Sealed Box I need help with the second part of this equation guys. Just as as the Ensemble system above had it's satellite and it's passive sub (and damn it was awesome) so too would I like to create something similar and compatible to the Mirage Omnisat but I'm drawing a blank. My Denon puts out 125w (real watts) per channel but certainly never come close to using that. I need either a passive sub or, at most if there is no such thing as a good passive anymore (are good passives a thing of the past?) an active which needn't be all that powerful. What would be a good way to do this? I'll need one for the left and right channels; is there a good way that I can make them ... decent kits perhaps? Please remember that the sub on the two fronts is just making up for the lower end of a "large" speaker and that the real a$$ kicking sub will be connected to the sub's line out as always. So yes, there will be three subs in the front but again, two are just extensions creating a [bold]FULL[/bold] frequency response for R and L as it would be for any large speaker, not a satellite. Initially, until I have this sorted out, I will connect the onmisats and the regular sub which will be fine until I figure out how to do this. Again, this is just a modern version of the antique I showed above. I really would appreciate your input guys....thanks! ... Gerry
@gerry1........ WHAT??? ) This plan of your's is just plain nuts! ) Just kidding! Starting to play and have some fun, huh? I've never used them myself, but some of the guys at one of the HT forums, like the kits and parts from these folks: http://www.partsexpress.com/ They have links on their main page, to their DIY speaker and sub stuff. You might want to check into what they have. Sorry you feel like you need to get rid of your big speakers. Just keeping the volume lower, isn't enough? You know you'll miss them, once they're gone! Since you joined the HT forums, you could ask this question there too. Some of those guys are a lot smarter than me, when it comes to this kind of thing. Besides, I haven't seen you there in months. See what they have to say about it.......... Good luck! Enjoy yourself. )
@JVC ... maybe it is LOL! Even past the grave, I can hear my mom complaining "Men! Always spending money on **foolishness". (Actually, my parents spoke french and mom used the term **"cochonnerie" a french farming expression for certain things in pig-slop that the pigs would rather kick around and play instead of eating LOL!). Actually, it won't be wasted if I don't like it. I'm replacing my Surround B speakers which, when set in denon's "Music Mode" sound really awesome. So, if my plan for the fronts don't work, I've got a good use for them which is how this plan first started. I'll try my little plan in the front and, if i'm not pleased, I'll stick with the original which I know is awesome as I've already tried the speakers for that purpose!
Hi JVC! Well, I'm in this up to my neck. As always, I started small and ended up huge LOL! I'll explain what I've done at a later time but I think you'll find it interesting. I'm looking rather closely at two up converting JVC VHS decks and a couple of different DVD recorders in addition to the speakers. (That will teach me to pay off my credit cards early LOL!). YOu once wrote about Harmony remotes; I wanted to ask if you had a particular favorite. Thanks JVC ... how are you doing, you ok?? Ready for turkey week? I took the week out of work so I'm buying some new toys to keep myself busy LOL! Fortunately, my family agreed many many years ago that we don't do the Christmas presents thing so every year at this time, I use my Christmas bonus at work to buy presents for myself ... I refuse to do something sensible like pay bills LOL! Actually, I do this twice a year: christmas bonus and then income tax return which I use either to buy neat presents for myself or for vacation. Hope you are well!! ... Gerry
Hey gerry...... Ok here. Just the usual back problems, which I've learned to live with, along with taking pain pills from now on. Don't remember if I told you, but I applied for disability. They said it would take 3-5 months to hear anything. The Harmony remotes are great. I don't have a particular favorite. I just got the one I could afford. ) They all [bold]do[/bold] about the same thing. The Harmony 880, has a nice color screen, and the buttons are a little different, but folks that have it, love it. When I got mine (model 628), the 880 was $250. I think they're a lot cheaper now. Looking forward to next Thursday! I'd like to deep fry the turkey again this year, but can't afford it. Haven't fried one in three years. It is definately my preferred way of cooking and eating one! That much peanut oil costs too much for us right now. I hope you have a good Thanksgiving! Don't know if you've heard or read about this. Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving) sales are being advertised already. Wal Mart is supposed to have a 42" HD Plasma tv (don't know the brand) for sale, for $998. Very good price, no matter what brand it is, especially with it being an HD set. Supposed to have a Compaq computer for $399 also. The sale is from 5am to 11am. Those plasmas will sell out quick, I think..... Looking forward to hearing what you're doing, with starting small and ending up huge. ) Later....
