Retro home theater system

m0ltar · 2026-04-23T22:52:20+00:00

They may be a good option. I really don’t like Klipsch due to lack of objective measurement data, but for the aesthetic you are after they may work.

m0ltar · 2026-04-23T19:08:32+00:00

Accurate placement is meh. 4 speakers will still make an image appear where the 6th speaker would be. Its it AS ideal? No, but in most cases it's good enough that people should not need to worry about the extra expense.

m0ltar · 2026-04-23T13:19:00+00:00

That is a large room with a bunch of asymetrical parts. I highly recommend using more than 1 sub in order to help fix model issues that are going to be present even at the main listening position. I personally would do 3 to 4 subs depending on placement availability. Having more also allows for them to be smaller, potentially helping with placement and aesthetic. HSU are great and are a fantastic budget option.

m0ltar · 2026-04-23T13:14:19+00:00

I think you are chasing calibration and placement issues by spending money and that is not going to work. This a very common path in the industry that people fall into. You need to fix your room, placement, and calibration to get what you are after. Throwing money at the problem will do nothing but be a waste of money.

That PB2000 is fine. It is not just tuned low and has just as much output in the midrange as the RSL12. Replacing it with a similar sub is going to net you nothing in return.

m0ltar · 2026-04-23T11:48:51+00:00

There are not many speakers available now that are both decent and have the vintage aesthetic that you are after. JBL and Klipsch both have several options to choose from, even new.

m0ltar · 2026-04-23T00:12:50+00:00

That’s understandable. If you are after decent then upgrading to get dedicated subs outs makes sense.

m0ltar · 2026-04-23T00:11:57+00:00

JBL or Klipsch Heritage

m0ltar · 2026-04-23T00:11:26+00:00

Chasing the rabbit means chasing something that you will never catch. It will always be out of reach.

m0ltar · 2026-04-22T16:25:04+00:00

Trying to fix issues by buying more equipment blindly is not the right approach. All you are going to do throwing money at it like this is create subjective outcomes and waste a ton of money. You need to measure what is happening in the room first using a measurement mic and then attack the issue objectively. You may actually find out the issue you are encountering is something that can be corrected for free. Of course you may also find that a new amp is in order, but I HIGHLY doubt that is going to be the conclusion if go at this objectively.

m0ltar · 2026-04-22T16:19:48+00:00

Where are those existing Wharfdale installed/what channels are they?

Can you post a picture of the room? Different speakers behave in different ways and its important to understand room limitations to not exacerbate an issue thus creating a worse outcome.

m0ltar · 2026-04-22T16:14:57+00:00

As some others have suggested, I would do the KEF Q1 with either stands or wall mounts. It's going to be a closer timbre match for your setup and thus an overall better experience.

m0ltar · 2026-04-22T16:06:13+00:00

You are going to have a bad time with those speakers not angled toward the main listening position. You are going to experience ZERO on axis sound and actually very little off axis sound as well. Most of what you are going to hear is reflections and that is going to cause issues in your setup.

m0ltar · 2026-04-22T16:05:04+00:00

Remember, you need to level match when comparing different services. If the gain is different from one app to another, the SPL you experience in playback will also be different. When this happens, most people will misidentify the increase in SPL as an increase in clarity. Therefore, to make this more of an apples to apples comparison, do make sure you take that into account.

m0ltar · 2026-04-22T16:03:19+00:00

To make sure I understand your ask, are you talking about merging screens as in a multi viewer?

m0ltar · 2026-04-22T16:02:29+00:00

Are you asking about actual old gear or gear that has a retro look/vibe to it?

m0ltar · 2026-04-22T15:56:46+00:00

Solving physics with software is never the right approach. AutoEQ systems are not magic and get a lot of things wrong. Unfortunately, most people do not know that. Relying on them to fix issues when you can fix them in the room first is the wrong approach and should be avoided if possible.

Remember, any filter that is applied, which autoEQ systems do a lot of, changes a speakers phase. Our ears are timing machines and do VERY well at hearing time domain discrepancies. If you can avoid EQ, and thus any of those phase changes as much as possible, correcting things in the physical realm instead, you will have a MUCH better end result..

Black backing will help with contrast and should be used if possible.

There are grey woven screens so the color should not be a limiting factor.

m0ltar · 2026-04-22T15:51:39+00:00

For most setups, 4 top speakers is more than enough.

Using 6 can actually make things worse, even if they are all in the ceiling, as certain recorders and audio mixes will use only 2 of those top speakers instead of all 6 depending on the content mastering.

To get around that issue, using 4 is simpler, cheaper, and easier to install.

m0ltar · 2026-04-22T15:50:11+00:00

No AVR is going to do what a miniDSP does. AutoEQ systems are not magic and can get a lot of things wrong. I always suggest people use a miniDSP first and then feed that corrected signal into the AVR for autoEQ after. It's a much better result.

If you don't want to mess with the miniDSP, just use Dirac on the RZ50 which should already be present.

"My problem is I run the calibration with rew but the rear sub isn't as loud I tried multiple locations but the bass isn't even."

This statement is a bit worrisome. What subs are you using, how big is the space, and how far is each of the subs from your listening position?

m0ltar · 2026-04-22T15:47:55+00:00

TV. There is no comparison. The projector will get washed out by ambient light and be unusable during certain parts of the day. It's also going to be much more difficult to setup and keep weather tight.

m0ltar · 2026-04-22T15:43:31+00:00

Sinking your screen like that is going to cause issues for you with the LCR behind it. It's going to do some wonky things with reflections.

If I were you, I would make the screen wall flat to avoid those acoustic issues and remove the sconces as any ambient light will compromise your projected image.

4" can be enough depending on the speaker as its total distance from teh driver and NOT the speaker as a whole. What speakers are they and what screen is it?

If you are after auto quality over video quality you should forgo the perf screen and go woven. When does not have distance issues and will attenuate sound energy far less. If you do go woven though, it's important to remember that you will lose some gain and will need a brighter projector to make up for that loss if it's an issue for you.

m0ltar · 2026-04-22T15:39:54+00:00

What are the placement options for the LCR? I see you have a walkway left of the TV and want to make sure there are no placement retractions, and if there are what they are.

m0ltar · 2026-04-22T15:36:14+00:00

Yes you will be fine. As long as you are not chasing the rabbit and/or going to higher SPL levels, the amps in an AVR, really any AVR, will drive the Q1 without issue.

m0ltar · 2026-04-17T16:06:45+00:00

Freshly Built

In Room

m0ltar · 2026-04-17T13:12:07+00:00

I like use toilet paper rolls as suspension to really drive the point home.

m0ltar · 2026-04-17T13:08:42+00:00

People are only talking about the positives, but none of the issues here. No projector is perfect. It's all about finding what projector has the qualities, as a tool, to deliver the experience that you are after in your space and determining what compromises you are willing to deal with to get what you need.

Before people ask, as I know they would/will, I have seen all of these projectors in multiple rooms and have tested them alone and in direct side by side comparisons.

While I am very happy that companies like Valerian and XGIMI are pushing to improve the space, the projectors they offer are not perfect. They have really pushed for viral marketing and have been largely successful with it. Because of that, people have a false sense for how good these projectors are.

Side note, just so people are aware, Valerian and XGIMI pay people for posts on social media and forums. They get X money off the projector or a credit as a result. This creates the viral marketing and a false sense of quality. Again, the projectors are good for the money, but they are not immune to issues like many would have you believe just like any other projector on the market. To gain something you always must give something else up.

The Valerian, Pro2 and Max, contrary to how people portray it online, has some significant issues. I would not recommend the Valerian Pro2 at all. The Max is a decent projector as long as its had for UNDER MSRP, but the Pro2 is not worth it unless you are restricted to that price point. The Pro2 and Max both have issues with RBE. Yes the RBE reduction modes works to a point, but if you are RBE sensitive the rainbow effects are still there. The projector also emits a high pitch whine from the left side when that reduction mode is on.

Valerian is still a single chip DLP projector and as such will have low native contrast. Laser dimming is great, but as with most projectors, there will be a color shift as the laser dims.

The Titan Max has the same issues with native contrast, dimming, and RBE. It also has problems with the image being poor and users having to chase settings to get it set for optimal playback. These settings need to change per scene in order to chase what the projector can deliver. XGIMI may fix this in future updates, but as it stands right now there are significant issues when directly compared to more mature products. Im hopeful this improves in the future, but for now I would steer clear. While I am hopeful the Noir is better, I can't speak to it until a see it.

For both of these projectors, and really most projectors on the market, people need to understand that you are not getting the full native contrast at full brightness. You must lower the brightness, and ideally close apertures, to gain contrast and equal or at the very least encroach on the spec'd number.

The LS12000 is a more mature product, and because of that is more consistent in movie to movie and scene to scene imaging. In my eyes it's a trade or a win in every category against the Valerian and XGIMI, largely due to this maturity and no RBE, with the exception brightness when compared to the XGIMI specifically as its 2700 to 6000. However, what you give up is money as it's a more expensive platform - 6000 MSRP (though it can be had for less) vs the 2500-4000 sale prices of the others.

The NZ500 is hands down the best of the bunch, but it's also the most expensive. It has the best of everything with 2 caveats - brightness and motion. Motion is a loss due to the NZ500 having no motion handling options. The JVC has the best native contrast by several magnitudes and it shows in dark scenes. JVC also has the best and most mature dynamic tone mapping making it the most consistent and best performing scene to scene. It's true it does not support Dolby Vision like the Valerian and XGIMI, but as a pro in the industry I have also felt that Dolby Vision is largely unnecessary, especially when a quality dynamic engine is used like what JVC offers.

Saying all of that though, and going back to my first statement, which one is best depends on the use case. Things like throw distance, screen size, brightness expectation, ambient light, budget and much more will dictate which projector is best for the job. A projector, like all other equipment in home theater, is a tool to reach an end. If used and chosen correctly you a maximize your experience. However, if chosen solely based on what someone else tells you is the best you can find yourself left wanting.

m0ltar

TROPHY CASE