New Zealands hifi and home theatre resource a review from www.audioenz.co.nz

copyright AudioEnz 2001

Upping the DB
A high-value, entry level speaker system by Michael Jones
DB Dynamics Vega home theatre speakers. $1699 speakers I'm used to. ble combination. And the bass had a The sensitivity underdamped quality is rated at 90dB to it, making it hard to which suggests pick the pitch of bass that, if they don't instruments. fall too far below I got out my sound the rated 6 Ohm pressure level meter to impedance, they examine what the bass should be a fairly of the DB Dynamics easy load to drive. The F-38's are not shielded, so don't let them get too close to your TV. The C-55 centre speaker is shielded, of course. It contains one tweeter and two of the white paper cone mid/woofers. The R-15 speakers are designated for surround The speakers are was doing in my room. And blow use. They contain me down if the similar drive units very well made front speakers one 130mm white and finished didn't have one of paper mid/woofer the attest measand the 25mm mylar looking at the urable responses tweeter. I thought that they may come speakers I would from the lower midrange on complete with a keydown that I've hole mount on the have guessed a seen in my room. back to make them higher price From 200Hz easy to place on a down to 40Hz there was nary a differwall. There was none, but I understand ence of more than 4dB at my listening that future production runs may have a position - an excellent response, and one mounting system built-in. showing that a oor-coupled woofer can make great sense. Performance One movie I enjoyed through the DB So how does this home theatre sysDynamics system was Space Cowboys, tem perform? I assessed the system the story of 60+ years old astronauts mainly as a home theatre system, with a sent into space to x a Russian satellite. later short assessment of the front Voices (always the most important speakers playing music. Let's put this in perspective. With the aspect in a movie soundtrack) were clear and discernible. The underdamped last system I reviewed (the Energy eXL nature of the bass probably helped make system) the front speakers alone cost the rocket launch feel more realistic too! more than the entire DB Dynamics system. So one has to expect some comproConclusion mises in performance. My pick is that DB Dynamics will sell On music, the drawbacks of the system became obvious. For example, these plenty of these loudspeakers. They offer an irresistible sense of value combined are not the most detailed of speakers, glossing over plenty of musical informa- with a sound quality that will easily meet market expectations. tion compared to the more audiophile
"$1699, huh? Is that just for the front speakers." "$1699 is for all ve speakers." "%#@*&%!!!" Indeed, the DB Dynamics Vega home theatre package seems like very good value. For that money you get one pair of oorstanding speakers, a centre channel and a small pair of bookshelf speakers for the rear. You may not have heard of DB Dynamics before. They are an Australian company put together by an established audio importer looking for a "high value" range of speakers. And high value is the key to understanding this range. These are not audiophile speakers. Instead they're aimed at a market wanting a complete package with a bit of bass, without spending too much money. In terms of perceived value this range scores. The speakers are very well made and nished - looking at the speakers I would have guessed a higher price. The front baffle is nMy pick is that DB ished in metallic Dynamics will sell silver while theare other surfaces in a grey "wood plenty of these nish". The biggest loudspeakers. speakers are the They offer an fronts. The F-metre irresistible sense standand follows high of value combined today's norm in being narrow but with a sound deep. Under the grille are three quality that will drivers - one mylar easily meet market 25mmtweeter and dome two 130mm expectations mid/woofers. The tweeter is coloured gold while the front midrange drivers are white. On the side is a 200mm paper cone woofer to handle the bass. On the rear are bi-wirable terminals plus a reex port. Interestingly, the biwire terminals are split between the side-ring woofer and the top mid/treAugust 2001

I N T E R I O R

SEASON TICKETS

STORY BY

MICHAEL WADDELL IRA MONTGOMERY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

s witnessed during epic battles on the football eld, one great player cannot achieve excellence by himself. It takes a team of highly skilled players to make
it all come together. Greg Hill learned this valuable lesson during his six years in the NFL, and when the opportunity arose to become partners with David Harwell and create Audio Video Unplugged in Plano, Texas, he brought the same focused, team player mindset to the eld. Hill played in the NFL from 1994 until 2000, including time spent with Kansas City, St. Louis, and Detroit. During those six seasons, he rushed for a very impressive 5000 yards and 19 touchdowns. Although he felt he still had three or four good years of football left in him, he walked away from the game while still in his prime and injury-free in order to try his hand at something else he dearly loved. Working in the audio/video industry is just as fun as scoring a touchdown, Hill says. But it can be just as hard as moving the ball down the eld ninety yards.
While searching for someone to create a theater in his own home a few years ago, Hill met David Harwell, and they struck up a friendship that evolved into forming their own company, Audio Video Unplugged. Harwell, an A/V industry veteran, brings more than 20 years of expertise to the partnership. As partners, we complement each others strengths extremely well, comments Harwell. We both share common goals and do whatever it takes to put big smiles on our customers faces. Harwell has been designing systems for homes of builder and architect Ali Manteghis Axxium Custom Homes for nearly 10 years. Manteghis newest creation is a $1.8 million model home that was entered in the 2002 Dallas Make a Wish Parade of Homes. Hill had also worked with the Make a Wish Foundation during his football years, and he eagerly looked forward to continuing his association with the charity.
Former NFL player Greg Hill and business partner David Harwell create audio/video dream rooms like this designer home in Texas, complete with a Seleco DLP projector, NEC plasmas and distributed audio by Crestron

S e a s o n Ti c k e t s

More than 37,000 people attended this years event, giving the Audio Video Unplugged team a chance to shine in front of a large crowd. Known for his contemporary architectural style, Manteghi incorporates unique wall art into each of his homes. Instead of basic at walls, Manteghi dreams up interesting designs, often also integrating down, up, and accent lighting, and builds them directly into the walls. The designs just come out of his head, says Harwell of Manteghi. It makes each of his homes special. Part of the homes design actually caused one of the few difculties involved with the project. The two sides of the house are 100 percent separated by a glass roof. Because there is no attic space connecting the two sides, it made the pre-wire stage of
Located upstairs, the homes dedicated theater includes a 150-inch Stewart micro-perforated screen and a Seleco HT300 DLP projector. James Loudspeakers are hidden behind the screen, while Sonance THX in-wall speakers provide the rear effects.
Crestron ST-SPL Infrared Splitter Crestron 5 Color Touch Panel Niles 500ma Power Supply Niles Auto A/B Switcher Panamax Powermax 8 Outlet Surge Protector Xantech Infrared Emitter

Master Bedroom- Zone 2

Crestron 5 Color Touch Panel Panasonic 36 Pure Flat HDTV Sonance Symphony Series In-Ceiling Speakers

Master Bathroom

Sonance Symphony Series In-Ceiling Speakers
Crestron 5 Color Touchpanel Panasonic 32 Pure Flat HDTV Sonance Symphony Series In-Ceiling Speakers

Living Room

Crestron 5 Color Touchpanel Crestron Designer Faceplate Sonance Virtuoso Series In-Ceiling Speakers

Guest Bedroom

Sonance Symphony Series In-Wall Speakers Sonance Volume Control

Bedroom House Wide Audio

Compaq Ipaq Digital Music Storage Crestron 12 x 60 Watt Amplier Crestron Connecting Block Crestron 1 Way RF Antenna Crestron Audio Preamp Crestron Rack Mount Kit Crestron Pro2 Control System Processor Crestron St-Tune AM/FM / Uhf / Weatherband Tuner Direct Connect 3 Meter Audio Interconnect Panamax Max1000 Outlet Surge Protector Pioneer PDF-1009 300+1 Changer Sonance Sonamp 1230RMF 12 X 30 Watt Amplier Sony Sat-B65 Satellite Receiver

House Audio Rack

Sonance Symphony Series In-Wall Speakers Sonance Volume Control Sonance Symphony Series In-Ceiling Speakers Sonance Volume Control

Patio Zone

the project much more time-consuming, explains Harwell. Thanks to some great scaffolding work, we were able to make our way through it. After Audio Video Unpluggeds in-house computer specialist draws each room in AutoCad, the design is tested in the companys design studio. This allows us to get each room acoustically accurate before the on-site work begins, says Harwell. Auralex Acoustics in Florida assists with the acoustical correction for each room, calculating the rooms performance before the building begins. Such intense pre-planning helps to assure that all subsequent steps of the project run smoothly. The homes dedicated theater is located upstairs. Just outside of the theaters entrance, a life-sized statue of Betty Boop greets guests at the concession stand, Felix the Cat passes out tickets, and Marilyn Monroe waits with a bundle of packages. We wanted to create the illusion of having completely left the house, says Hill. Its a fun way to escape.
Meet the partnersGreg Hill and David Harwell of Audio Video Unplugged.
Sonance Symphony Series In-Ceiling Speakers Sonance Volume Control
Niles Weatherproof Volume Control Rockustics Weatherproof Subwoofer Sonance Mariner 100 Black Outdoor Speaker Sonance Soundhenge III Granite Rock Style Enclosure

Cabana

Game Room
Middle Atlantic Hw100 Rack Screws Middle Atlantic Stand Alone Equipment Rack Middle Atlantic Rack Cooling Fan Middle Atlantic Rack Face Middle Atlantic Track 25 Extension Track Middle Atlantic Track 50 Extension Track Middle Atlantic Track Rack Stand Middle Atlantic Rack Vent Panel

Entry Front

Crestron CT-1000 Color Touchpanel Crestron CT/Lc-Wpk Cover Kit Niles Weatherproof Volume Control Panasonic CT-36hxPure Flat HDTV

Concession Area

AVU Bundled Interconnect Crestron Pro Control System Processor Crestron 15-inch Color Touchpanel Marantz DV 6200 Progressive Scan DVD

Exercise Room

Crestron 5-inch Color Touchpanel JVC AV27230 27-inch TV Peerless CPM Ceiling Mount Bracket Sonance Virtuoso Series In-Ceiling Speakers

Concession Patio

Crestron CT-1000 Color Touchpanel JVC AV 27230 27-inch TV Peerless Cpm27 Ceiling Mount Bracket Sonance Asapi TV Amplier Auto Switcher Sonance Volume Control Sonance Virtuoso Series In-Ceiling Speakers Niles Weatherproof Volume Control Sonance Mar1ner 100 White Outdoor Speaker

Theater

Channel Vision Door Bell Pro Video Bullet Camera Color

Family Room

Niles Weatherproof Volume Control Sonance Mariner 100 Outdoor Speaker
Mitsubishi Ws65819 HDTV Upgradeable 65 Marantz Sr-5200 Digital Surround Receiver Panasonic Dvd-Rv32k DVD Player Sonance Cinema.5lcr Thx In Wall LCR Sonance Virtuoso Series In-Ceiling Speakers Energy EXl-SPowered Subwoofer Crestron ST-1550c Touch Panel Remote
NEC MP 42mp2 42-inch Plasma Peerless Plane 42 Articulating Swivel Mount Sonance Symphony Series In-Ceiling Speakers
Stewart Filmscreen SND 150mp Deluxe Screen Seleco HT300 HDTV DLP Projector AVU RBB-25 25ft. RGBHV Interconnect Direct Connect Video Cable Marantz SR9200 THX Ultra Surround Receiver Panasonic DVD-RV32K DVD Player JVC Hm-Dh3000u Digital Super VHS VCR AW Bundled Interconnect
AW Bundled Interconnect RCA DTC-100 HDTV Satellite Receiver James Loudspeakers 8.2 Srg Speaker Triad In-room Bronze Power Sub Powered Subwoofer Triad In-wall Silver Surround Dipole Surrounds James Loudspeakers 10sg Subwoofer Sonance Cinema.Slcr THX In-Wall LCR Speakers Xantech 282-00 Infrared Emitter Panamax Max1000+ 8 Outlet Surge Protector Crestron ST-1550c Touchpanel Remote Lutron GRX-MR3a Lighting Control Middle Atlantic HW100 Rack Screws Middle Atlantic Stand Alone Equipment Rack Atlantic PD -1220c-NS Power Strip Middle Atlantic QFP-2 Rack Cooling Fan Middle Atlantic RSH-4A Rack Face Middle Atlantic Track 25 Extension Track Middle Atlantic rack 50 Extension Track Middle Atlantic Track Rack Stand

Video Distribution System
Channel Vision CVT 2 2-Channel Modulator Pro Video CVC -620wp/S Bullet Camera Color RCA-Dsa8900 Satellite Dish Wineguard CA-7210 UHF /VHF/Fm Antenna
Everything is big in Texas, including this 65-inch Mitsubishi television custom built into the wall of the family room. Sonance in-walls blend unobtrusively in the room for the front and rear surround sound.
Manteghi prefers for his homes to have theaters with very large screens, so Harwell and Hill recommended a Stewart 150-inch micro-perforated lmscreen. Backlighting behind the screen creates the illusion that it is oating and extended from the wall. The screen is paired with a Seleco DLP projection unit. The HT300 HDTV DLP projector is the rst model we received from Seleco, and we felt it would be a natural t with the large Stewart lmscreen, says Harwell. It simply gave us a better video performance than others. It produced enough brightness to ll the large screen and enough contrast to give very good black levels. All of the theaters speakers are hidden. The front stage consists of James Loudspeakers mounted behind the screen. We went with James Loudspeakers because they are both musical and theatrical, Harwell explains. Each speaker can be individually adjusted to its position in the room, which makes them ideal as built-in speakers. They gave us a rich sound on all levels. Two Triad in-wall Silver surround speakers are mounted in the
The master bathroom includes a 42-inch NEC plasma. Mounted on swivel brackets, the television can be pulled out 180 degrees and reected in his or her vanity mirrors.
side walls, and two Sonance THX cinema speakers provide rear effects. Despite mixing speakers from different manufacturers, the timbre matches very well, Harwell continues. The result is a space with incredible audio performance. Also mounted behind the screen is a Triad inroom Bronze subwoofer. Due to size constraints, a second larger James subwoofer had to be placed in the back of the room. Harwell explains, If we had forced it into place in the front of the room, it would have ruined the effect of the oating screen.
All of the homes art, furniture (including the theater seating), rugs, plants, and accessories were provided by Cantoni, a modern furniture store and design studio in Dallas. The theater comfortably seats 12, with three reclining chairs on the front row, a reclining sofa making up the middle row, and a bar along the back. A second surround sound setup is found in the family room. A 65-inch Mitsubishi television is paired with a Marantz digital surround receiver and Sonance THX in-wall left, right, and center chan-

A life-size statue of Betty Boop greets guests headed for popcorn and Skittles. Two 27-inch JVC TVs mounted above the concession stand ensure that moviegoers wont miss any of the action.
nel speakers along with two Sonance in-ceiling Virtuoso Series rear speakers. Sonance speakers are also used throughout the house for the wholehouse audio system. Another very fun touch is found in the master bathroom, where a 42-inch NEC plasma television is mounted on an articulating swivel-mount bracket, allowing the unit to be pulled out from the wall and turned 180-degrees, while reecting
in the his or hers vanity mirrors. Yet another fan favorite during the Parade of Homes was the Rockustics weatherproof subwoofer placed outside near the pool. This was our rst time using the outdoor sub, says Hill. It performed really well and impressed a lot of people. A Crestron automated system controls the homes audio/video, lighting, and security systems. One of the main goals of the project was to make
the system extremely easy for anyone to use, says Hill. In a matter of minutes, anyone can come in and operate the system with ease. Crestron color touch panels are scattered throughout the house, putting control of the system always within a few steps. With such a diverse creative team of skilled talent behind the creation of this wonder, this looks like one of THE teams to watch in years to come.