The Acoustic Zen Adagio from Robert Lee, mine are in a superbly finished Mappa Burl, provide the sonic flavor, while the Emotiva LMC-1 preamp/processor mated to the Emotiva LPA-1 seven channel amplifier, provide the sonic heart and foundation, of my theater. The Adagio's have reset the bar for speakers under $5K, and the Emotive Ultra-Lite combo will put a healthy scare into theater combos selling for as much as $3500-$4000. No, really! I cannot believe the sonic bang-for-the-buck from both products! I bet you won't either... Both my center channel (the MC-3) and the Subwoofer (FRx-S10) are from Canadian speaker manufacturer Mirage. The rear surrounds are a pair of Optimus LX-4s, with the Linaeum tweeters. They offer surprisingly warm timbre, are vividly detail and their dynamics are surprising for their diminutive size. The make simply wonderful counterparts for the front setup. With the addition of the killer Adagio's, (tas's Sallie Reynolds say's "They're so good, they are difficult to write about."), and the stunning sounding Emotiva gear, I have found this to make a superb second listening room. The over-achieving Emotiva Lite combo (LMC-1/LPA-1) provides the heart of the processing and amplification for the downstairs theater. This "budget" combo has a combined retail price of just $1198, yet it's list of accomplishments reads like products carrying a retail three to four times higher.
The LMC-1 is built around a Crystal Semiconductor based 7.1 Channel Dolby Digital processor which will do Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro-Logic II/IIx, DTS, DTS-ES, and DTS Neo:6 decoding. It features Audiophile-Grade 24-bit/192kHz DAC’s. The unit includes a fully automated external HDMI switcher and it offers automatic up-conversion of S-video and composite video sources to 480i component video. Other features include: Emotiva LMC-1 - Full-time digital down-mix for analog two-channel tape recording and second zone audio output from multi-channel digital sources LPA-1 See what I mean! Just having the automatic up-conversion of S-video and composite video sources to 480i component video is worth the price of admission. Man, this is a grand slam home run.
Broadcast Television is provided via the Hughes HDVR2 DirecTV TiVo Digital Receiver with S-video and digital audio outputs while Hi-Def signals are processed by the DirecTV R-10 receiver and passed via HDMI calbe to the Mitsubishi WD-62527. If you have put off using the digital audio out from your digital TV tuner, be it Echostar or DirecTV, you don't know what you are missing. It is quite a step up from Dolby Pro Logic you are experiencing. DVD's are decoded with a Pioneer DV-525 which has been modified considerably by Dan Wright, of ModWright. Other time shifted playback is accomplished with a JVC HR-S3600U S-VHS machine. Images are provided in remarkable detail and color by either a Mitsubishi VS-50609 (downstairs) or a Mitsubishi WD-62527 (upstairs) high definition monitor. All system cabling is from Harmonic Technology, with Truth-Link Interconnects, Pro-12 Melody speaker cables, Cyber Link Copper digital cables and the Silver Crystal S-Video cables. One exception is the subwoofer cable. Running from the LFE output to the mono line level input on the Mirage is a JPS Labs Superconductor interconnect. Other accessories include a Monster Cable HTS-800 and the wonderful new Quantum Symphony Pro. One word of advice on the Symphony Pro - don't even test drive one if you aren't prepared to buy it. Though what it does is quantifiably small, the things it affects are not - and its effects are indispensable! You will not want to view/listen without it in place. I bought my review sample and got one more sometime shortly thereafter as well. Two together are simply spectacular. Our children love to go down there to experience films like Pirates of the Caribbean or those from Pixar and Disney. Me, I love to show off with the occasional action/adventure, in all its (preferably) DTS sonic splendor! Though Citizen Kane and Casablanca are in high rotation for their historical relevance and sheer story telling power, things like The Fifth Element and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, let the power of home theater shine through. Experiencing action adventure extravaganza's like Pirates of the Caribbean or Master and Commander have my neighbors all envious. And, if you love music, Fleetwood Mac's, The Dance, Talking Head's Stop Making Sense or James Taylor's Live at the Beacon really let you hear why I have such toys! Come on by, and - you bring the popcorn.
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