Page 1 of 1
OTop8 for home theater?
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:20 am
by BANNING
I am in the process of building a home theater system and am looking at building 3 OmniTop8's for L/C/R. I've long noted that any actual movie theater I've been to use pro sound speakers for audio and have wondered why this isn't more common for home theater. Is there some downside I am not considering? Room is 15x27 with 9' ceiling. 2 THTLP's. Current speakers are Hsu Research HB-1 MK2 front and rear plus HC-1 MK2 center for a 5.2 system. Also looking at Wedgehorn 8's for rear channels. The Hsu Research speakers are decent, but do not come close to keeping up with the THT's. Thank you in advance for any advise. Also of note, I was originally considering building a 3rd DR280 (have 2 now) for LCR. I mention this only as insight into my level of sanity.
Re: OTop8 for home theater?
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:55 am
by Bill Fitzmaurice
Theaters use pro-sound PA speakers because the rooms they're playing to are very large. The first widely used large venue pro-sound PA speakers were theatrical speakers, Altec VOT A7s to be precise. If your room has 50 or more seats then by all means use pro-sound speakers.
Re: OTop8 for home theater?
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2021 9:52 am
by Bruce Weldy
BANNING wrote: ↑Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:20 am
I am in the process of building a home theater system and am looking at building 3 OmniTop8's for L/C/R. I've long noted that any actual movie theater I've been to use pro sound speakers for audio and have wondered why this isn't more common for home theater. Is there some downside I am not considering? Room is 15x27 with 9' ceiling. 2 THTLP's. Current speakers are Hsu Research HB-1 MK2 front and rear plus HC-1 MK2 center for a 5.2 system. Also looking at Wedgehorn 8's for rear channels. The Hsu Research speakers are decent, but do not come close to keeping up with the THT's. Thank you in advance for any advise. Also of note, I was originally considering building a 3rd DR280 (have 2 now) for LCR. I mention this only as insight into my level of sanity.
Those are huge boxes for that small of a space. And you'll never be able to open 'em up. Nothing is worse than a high-powered speaker throttled down to almost nothing. Look at the TLHA or the SLA or SLA Pro short version. Plenty of speaker for that small a room.
Re: OTop8 for home theater?
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2021 9:54 am
by Bruce Weldy
Bill Fitzmaurice wrote: ↑Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:55 am
Theaters use pro-sound PA speakers because the rooms they're playing to are very large. The first widely used large venue pro-sound PA speakers were theatrical speakers, Altec VOT A7s to be precise. If your room has 50 or more seats then by all means use pro-sound speakers.
First real paying band I was in had Voice of the Theater A7s with a Gauss horn on top. We played some really big places with those handling vocals only. Retired 'em in 1979 to get a real system with everything miked up.
Re: OTop8 for home theater?
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2021 4:19 pm
by Seth
How frequently do your DR's get used?
Re: OTop8 for home theater?
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2021 5:34 pm
by BANNING
Whenever I am working in the garage. 2 DR 280's plus a T48 is my garage system. As crazy as it seems as a garage system, I built them because I am intrigued with the design and loved the challenge.
Re: OTop8 for home theater?
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2021 6:16 pm
by Seth
Ah. Well... what I was thinking doesn't make sense then. Was gonna recommend you build 2 more DR's, so you'd have 4 to gig with, then try 3 in the home theater to see what you think. But, 2 being overkill for a garage system already, 4 wouldn't make any sense at all. Completely bonkers, waste of time and resources.
I hear ya, about the DR design. I'm intrigued and fascinated too
It seems as though you'd like to have horns for all the HT speaker positions. If that's the case, I get it. Sometimes a guy just wants what a guy wants, even though it may be against the grain.
I'll be interested to hear which route you choose.
Re: OTop8 for home theater?
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2021 6:25 pm
by jimbo7
BANNING wrote: ↑Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:20 am
1. I am in the process of building a home theater system and am looking at building 3 OmniTop8's for L/C/R
2. I've long noted that any actual movie theater I've been to use pro sound speakers for audio and have wondered why this isn't more common for home theater. Is there some downside I am not considering?
3. looking at Wedgehorn 8's for rear channels.
4. I was originally considering building a 3rd DR280 (have 2 now) for LCR.
1. Terrible idea. Way too much speaker for watching TV
2. If all homes had pro speakers, then nobody would ever pay $12 for popcorn again
3. NO!
4. ............no..........at least wait for a cure for deafness first
Bruce Weldy wrote: ↑Thu Dec 09, 2021 9:54 amRetired 'em in 1979 to get a real system with everything miked up.
How old are you? I keed I keed
Re: OTop8 for home theater?
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2021 6:49 pm
by BANNING
It seems as though you'd like to have horns for all the HT speaker positions. If that's the case, I get it. Sometimes a guy just wants what a guy wants, even though it may be against the grain
.
My current Hsu Research LCR & rears are all horn loaded tweeters. I had originally purchased the Klipsch 5.0 system from Costco because it seemed like an amazing deal and is high efficiency with all horn loaded tweeters as well, but I was not at all pleased with the sound. Nothing like Klipsch speakers I had heard in the past. I am a huge fan of high efficiency and horn loading for a home theater because I believe the huge amount of headroom in spl gives more life like dynamics, which to me is much more important for movies (and music for that matter) than ruler flat frequency response of typical "audiophile" type speakers that tend to sound antiseptic and synthetic.
Re: OTop8 for home theater?
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:26 pm
by Bruce Weldy
jimbo7 wrote: ↑Thu Dec 09, 2021 6:25 pm
Bruce Weldy wrote: ↑Thu Dec 09, 2021 9:54 amRetired 'em in 1979 to get a real system with everything miked up.
How old are you?
Take dirt, then add a few years.....
Re: OTop8 for home theater?
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2021 10:31 pm
by Bill Fitzmaurice
I'm a fan of high sensitivity as well, that's why I designed the SLA and TLAH, which are at least 6dB more sensitive than than anything Best Buy has to offer, without overpowering the room in both SPL and physical size. If you want to make OTop 8s for home theater and your significant other will let you get away with it by all means do so. BTW, most audiophile speakers don't have flat response, no matter what the price. Wilson frequency plots are almost as ugly as their speakers. You can get perfect in room response with OTop 8s, all it takes is DSP.
Re: OTop8 for home theater?
Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2021 3:12 am
by Seth
Was gonna say, given the size of traditional home stereo speakers up until the late 90's (Pioneer CS-77(or 88), anything from Klipsh, or really anything else from that era), the OTop8's are a treat, size wise.
Shoot. Remember when this was cool? It wasn't that long ago. Or, maybe it was and I'm just in denial. (very possible)
Re: OTop8 for home theater?
Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2021 9:12 am
by ACUA
I have had both my pro audio rig and my new Tlah rig set up in my home. My personal opinion, the Tlah is the better solution. They fit the room better and appear to need less DSP than my otop12 cabs. Perhaps if the melded piezo array was used I would think otherwise. I do not for a second regret the rig just built. I need to build my table tuba to complete the system .
Re: OTop8 for home theater?
Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2021 9:14 am
by ACUA
Seth wrote: ↑Fri Dec 10, 2021 3:12 am
Was gonna say, given the size of traditional home stereo speakers up until the late 90's (Pioneer CS-77(or 88), anything from Klipsh, or really anything else from that era), the OTop8's are a treat, size wise.
Shoot. Remember when this was cool? It wasn't that long ago. Or, maybe it was and I'm just in denial. (very possible)
I still think it’s cool today!!!
Re: OTop8 for home theater?
Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2021 10:10 am
by Chris_Allen
ACUA wrote: ↑Fri Dec 10, 2021 9:12 am
I have had both my pro audio rig and my new Tlah rig set up in my home. My personal opinion, the Tlah is the better solution. They fit the room better and appear to need less DSP than my otop12 cabs. Perhaps if the melded piezo array was used I would think otherwise. I do not for a second regret the rig just built. I need to build my table tuba to complete the system .
Have you got space for an additional lodger? Asking for a friend....
