HAL

AV System summary

of Monolith Theater

Introduction
Overview
Features
Theater Room
System Diagram
System setting and comments
Picture and sound impression

Special Source Device for Blu-ray and Audio
Back of the Sound Screen
THX Certified Professional
JDPC DHT specialist Level2
 To be Continued

updated 2011.08.01

Front view of Monolith Theater.  

Introduction

This is a renewal site of “monolith-theater“. I have arrived at this environments that specializes to watch movies, through experience for 30 years of pure-audio and 20 years of hometheater. Recently, defective operation has happened frequently with my consumer audio devices, while overhauling over many years, I tried to replace the system with professional devices. The site was started up as a chronicle because there were various surprises and discoveries in this process as an amateur.
“Get impressed image and sound more than commercial theater!.”Thanks for your visit. (monolith-theater.net)
From Japan.

Overview

The capacity of theater room ,what is originally designed only for a “hometheater” is 250-cubic meter. The interception, absorption and modulation of the sound are elaborately considered there.It has isolated ground and 200V power line,signal line with wiring through hidden floor pit. Screen is a voice penetration type of 200 inches. and front projector is fixed pixel type of ILA. Acoustical instruments are mainly for professional use and tuned by FFT software, “Smaart”. Moreover, wood and goldsmith works of hobby, self-made PC are equipped.Devices are arranged not to come into sight excluding the screen.

Features

1. Special theater room of original design: 250 cubic met
2. ers in volume, floor space 50 square meters, 5 meters in height, 30 seats maximum accommodation number in the first floor and 4 in the second (see figure below).
3. 200-inch(4.7×2.7m,1.78:1),Studiotek 130G3, Microperf X2 THX-Ultra sound screen by Stewart.
4. High-definition(1080p) front projector by Victor DLA-HD750.
5. JBL Professional cinema speakers; three way “ScreenArray” 3632-T (Tri-amplified operation), 4645C, 8340A.
6. Multi amplifier composition with AMCRON (CROWN in U.S.)
7. dbx4800, equalization & loudspeaker management system with bandpass filters, crossover and parametric EQ by “HiQnet” (Harman International) networking and control.
8. Sound tuning with “Smaart” by EAW : audio system measurement, acoustic analysis FFT realtime tool, provides to assess the performance of an entire sound system, a specific part of a system, or a single system component.
9. Cooperation of Lynx AURORA16 as AD/DA front-end processor with dbx4800 and analog signal devices.
10. Control with clock master “MUTEC iClock” for digital devices.
11. Blu-ray reproduction player “PIONEER BDP-LX91″and AV preamp”DENON AVP-A1HD” for consumers.
12. Software decode full high-definition image and multi- channel surround sound by self-made PC.
13. Clean power supply step-down transformer from exclusive use 200 volt.
14. Self made devices: auditorium sofa, power and analog line, 19-inch rack, amplifier rack, acoustic panel and PC etc.
15. Machines were bought by the mail order, and set up for myself.

Theater Room

 

Panoramic view of Monolith Theater

JBL certified logo plate

System Diagram

 

Old Version @2008

Latest Version @2010

2ch Computer Audio @dual wire AES 192kHz

System setting and comments

Summary of setting and  impression of devices
An individual article is explained in this website. Please click the link of device.

	category	device	manufacturer	model	usage	setting and comments by hal@Monolith-Theater.net
	Imaging device	front projector	Victor	DLA-HD100 DLA-HD750	upside-down installation by self-made device	default setting,
		sound screen	Stewart	Studiotek 130 G3,AT2frame microperfX2	wire hung 200inch(1.78:1) remote control	5-meter adjacent attention possible.
	Sound device	speaker	JBL Professional	Screen Array 3632T(x3)	L,C,R/behind screen	3way multi-drive system for professional use of screen cinema. Control hardware and software is dbx DriveRack4800 and HiQnet System Architect (see below) Tuning is not so easy but it has one of the best high-end sound quality Ive ever heard
				4645C(x2)	sub woofer /behind screen	46cm unit for cinema use
				8340A(x6)	surround side/side wall	2 way surround speaker of professional use for theater
				8340A(x2) 8340A(x2)	sorround back sorround height	same as above
		power amplifier	AMCRON	IT4000	Subwoofer drive(stereo)	professional device with built-in DSP and ethernet control
				CTs1200(x3)	3632T(L,C,R)/MF,HF(stereo)	In US, CROWN professional Com-Tech(CTs) series. CTs series is professional equipments. It has high power-density. 8-ohm Dual:600W(CTs1200) ,1250W(Cts3000).and 8-ohm Bridge 3000W(Cts3000)..Damping factor is over 3000.Total harmonic distortion(TDH) at full-rated power, from20Hz-20kHz is under0.1%(CTs1200) and 0.35%(CTs3000).Units driving potential and sound quality is excellent .
				CTs1200	4312(surround back)(stereo)
				CTs3000(x3)	3632T(L,C,R)/ LF(bridge mono)
				CTs3000	8340A(stereo para)
		AD/DA converter	Lynx Studio Technology	AURORA16 with LT-FW expansion interface	simultaneous 16ch AD/DA front-end	Processor designed for recording and mastering studio use.16ch analogue and 24bit AES3/EBU digital I/O,Clock setting up to 192kHz, mixing/routing with external PC control available by Lynx driver. LT-FW is designed to be used with IEEE-1394a FireWire signals. ASIO and multi-channel interleaved audio (7.1ch surround sound) available.
		equalization and loudspeaker management system	dbx professional products	Drive Rack4800(x2)	digital crossover and room equalizer	4 inputs and 8 outputs with both analog and AES/EBU XLR connectivity. Signal routing, parametric EQ and bandpass filters, crossover (Bessel, Butterworth, Linkwitz-Riley) available @96kHz. Control software is HiQnet System Architect by Harman international.This software can simultaneously control AMCRON power via ethernet.(see below)
		HiQnet System Architect	Harman international	ver2.1	control software with Windows PC.	under control devices are AMCRON power amplifier, dbx DriveRack4800. Recommended venue files are in use for JBL Screen Array Cinema speakers., able to set and tune their crossover and bandpath filters of Drive Rack4800.(see above)
		master clock	MUTEC and Rubidium Custom	iClock sync by 10MHz Oscillator	digital sync for Lynx,dbx and HTPC	accuracy<0.1ppm,jitter<1ppm,Synchronization and generation of 36 different Word Clocks rates at the same time. DSD,DXD,SACD mastering,10MHz Rubidium clock input available.
		AV reciever	DENON Integra selector	AVP-A1HD DHC-80.1 order-made	decoder 11ch,2:1 switcher	HDMI inputs and 12XLR balanced outputs(L,C,R, SideA,SideB(RandL) ,Surround back(RandL),SW1,SW2,SW3. Height channel for Dolby Prologic IIz in Integra
		FFT-based sound system measurement, optimization software	(EAW) rational acoustics	SmaartV6,V7	optimization of crossover in 3way screen channel (JBL3632T),parametric EQ for side speakers and total tuning room acoustics	professional tools for optimizing the interaction between sound system and the space. Its very difficult to tune Screen Array System by hearing only. Two-channel RTA,Single channel spectrograph. Frequency response magnitude and coherence measurement available.
	source device	blu-ray disc player	PIONEER	BDP-LX80 BDP-LX91	source for HDMI	system software update available via internet. Separate output of picture and sound signal on bitstream over double HDMI.
	category	device	manufacturer	model	usage	setting and comments by hal@Monolith-Theater.net

Sound measurement by Smaart with Earthworks M30
and tunig by HiQnet SystemArchitect.
I adjust it in accordance with x-curve for movie and flat response for audio.

DIY-handmade 19 inch racking system Ver1, Ver2

Picture and sound impression

Picture quality

All image qualities are excellent by the impression of tens of blu-ray up to now. The image seen with DLA-HD100 looks more exact than the film. Because of the high resolution and contrast ratio, depth of scene is often real.

Sound quality

Screen Array system create an elegant, delicate, listenable and real voice. The preconception of the professional equipment that secure stable operation, sound volume and the head-room changed completely.

Comparison with consumer products

It might be difficult to surpass this quality by combination of high-end audio devices for consumers, judging from my experiences of household machines as pure -audio. However, the tuning and optimization of professional devices with multi- amp system is extremely difficult. For example, it takes over three days by FFT analyzer “Smaart”, until constant flat characteristic data of the response in frequency is obtained including room acoustic equalizing.

Impression of Screen Array

The dialog seems as if to see the movement of the lip and the throat. It is real to make it think there is an actor in the back of the screen. Each musical instruments are able to be listened lucid separating one by one in the orchestra. Transient characteristic quality such as brass and woodwind instruments is excellent. Response of low frequency is very tight. I think that it is a synergy effect of amplifiers with high density power and damping factor, natural digital devices without coloration, unique mid-range double unit with horn and double woofer of 3632T. The horn in high frequency band is average. It is a preamp of DENON that has colored character most in this system. On the other hand, the reproduction as DAW system via firewire and AES3 digital signals by PC is accurate.

Surround sound

In some movies,I can feel the orchestra instruments how like exists and sings. I can hear the orchestra pit in the theater under of screen. Musical instruments queue up from near to far and right to left.When equipped 8 surround speakers, the surround is so natural that the sound-image moves from center to outside the screen and side to back smoothly. The density of the sound that develops with overhead is high.

Conclusion

I have not experienced such the sense absorbed in stories without feeling the sign of devices. Only the movie exists there.

Special Source Device for Blu-ray and Audio —DIY HTPC—

Universal Digital Transport UDT2010

Features:
● Hand-made rigid aluminum 1U rack mount case.
● Ellegant and luxury aluminum hair line finish with gold-plated bolts.
● Simple front design with signal LEDs and midship mounted optical drive.
● Low system noise by direct CPU cooling with large low-speed fan and 150W DC drive.
● Fast data access by SSD Striping.
● AES 16ch studio quality digital audio interface powered by Lynx Studio Technology and HD audio bitstreaming over HDMI with FullHD 1080p via Intel Corei5 661
●Flexible signal asign and device control of sound system by ”System Architect” on ethernet.

 

 

Back of the Sound Screen

The amplifier and speaker group set up back of the screen.Racking system of speakers and amplifire  is DIY-handmade.

Sound tunig panels back of the screen

 

 THX Certified Professional

 

This Certificate Is Awarded To Me. THX Home Theater Education Program Home Theater 1
Conducted December 9, 2010 Tokyo, Japan. John B. Dahl - Director, Education, THX Ltd.

 
The qualification was acquired in a personal interest,
engaged in none of related business.

JDPC DHT specialist Level2

 I am certificated as digital home theater(DHT) specialist by digital home theater promotion committe(JDPC)
of Japan Audio Society(JAS),May11,2011.

 To be Continued

Target of yearning …..  “Mehr Licht!”

Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Plaza.
The Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre is equipped to project 16, 35 and 70mm film as well as video,
delivering high-end audio through an advanced JBL sound system.