Home theater using ONLY phantom speakers

[pkumar.ie2011]

Hi Phantom Enthusiasts and Gurus,

I have a Pair of Phantom speakers.

My goal is to build Dolby Atmos Home theater using ONLY phantom speakers.

The way I am planning to do it by:
1) Buy more Phantom Speakers
2) Buy an AVR or AV processor with Dolby Atmos decoding and Preouts for each channel and connect one dedicated Phantom speaker to each Prepout channel using analog wire (3.5 mm Jacks).
3) Set the volume of all Phantom Speakers to 80% and the same latency for each Phantom Speaker (using Phantom App)
4) Control the volume of all speakers using the AV processor (or AVR) and do more sync correction using AV processor (or AVR) ONLY if needed.

Is there any problem in the above setup which I not considering? Any suggestion?

Thanks in advance.

[ragwo]

The would be some caveats with your suggested setup. First, only Phantom II supports analogue input. Second; the sound deterioration using an unbalanced signal over a longer distance could be a problem. Third; if you're unlucky, you'll stumble upon latency problems, and the average AVR isn't capable of delaying the picture, only the sound. Fourth: Be sure to get an AVR that mixes the LFE track to all speakers/the speakers you choose. They are surprisingly hard to come by and s movie without the LFE track is dead boring.

Optical direct mode would be an alternative, but only Phantom I and Phantom II Custom supports the option, if I my recollection is right.

I've used the cheapo solution with an AVR, some ADCs and optical connection to the speakers to make a surround system. It was a blast, but I only had 5 Phantom I's. Your best option would probably be the expensive one; a Dante enabled AVR, Dante to optical connectors to Phantom I in optical direct mode, or Phantom II Custom's all the way around.

[pkumar.ie2011]

The would be some caveats with your suggested setup. First, only Phantom II supports analogue input. Second; the sound deterioration using an unbalanced signal over a longer distance could be a problem. Third; if you're unlucky, you'll stumble upon latency problems, and the average AVR isn't capable of delaying the picture, only the sound. Fourth: Be sure to get an AVR that mixes the LFE track to all speakers/the speakers you choose. They are surprisingly hard to come by and s movie without the LFE track is dead boring.

Optical direct mode would be an alternative, but only Phantom I and Phantom II Custom supports the option, if I my recollection is right.

I've used the cheapo solution with an AVR, some ADCs and optical connection to the speakers to make a surround system. It was a blast, but I only had 5 Phantom I's. Your best option would probably be the expensive one; a Dante enabled AVR, Dante to optical connectors to Phantom I in optical direct mode, or Phantom II Custom's all the way around.

Thank you so much @ragwo for the prompt response. The pair I do have is non-custom Phantom II speakers (Sorry i should stated that earlier). Also if I have to add more Phantom speakers, I would prefer to add ONLY non-custom phantom II speakers (as I believe they would be easier to trade it on Marketplace in comparison to Custom Phantom II speakers)

The LFE one is a very good input and thanks for pointing that out. I am aware of the Dante Enabled AVRs but I see the following problems with Dante systems:
1) the Dante AVRs are relatively more expensive
2) I would need a network switch  (and spend $ on it)
3) I would need multiple Digital to Optical coverter (for each Phantom II speaker)

In my solution, i think it could get a system working by just getting an expensive AV processor.

Any thoughts?

[ragwo]

1. They are, but you are spending a fortune on Phantom IIs, so why not go the extra mile if you can afford it?
2. An unmanaged 16 port network switch costs about €50. Synchronization of all the speakers without wired ethernet could be a problem regardless of what signal chain you choose, so I would recommend to wire the speakers.
3. You would, but you could go the optical route instead with an AVR with pre out as you suggest. Good analogue to digital converters are getting cheaper, just take a look at miniDSP PocketADC. Its €55 a piece, and if you pair the speakers one will be enough for two channels. That will reduce the cable clutter too, only one speaker per pair needs wired optical input signal. A bonus; you are getting rid of the long unbalanced signal cables that probably will pick up some noise on the way and make the speakers buzz constantly.

You will find my "low" cost Phantom surround solution in my thread, link is in my signature.

[curban]

I have tried this with some success using a (€100) AD converter. It worked well with a pair of golds. I have since bought an ARCH and will try do the same over a network connection (no wires across the floor). I have wired ethernet on ”both sides of the room”. This allows the Phantoms to be used both in home cinema and for playing music. If it works well, I will get more ARCHes to be able to build a complete system with multiple channels.

[ragwo]

I have tried this with some success using a (€100) AD converter. It worked well with a pair of golds. I have since bought an ARCH and will try do the same over a network connection (no wires across the floor). I have wired ethernet on ”both sides of the room”. This allows the Phantoms to be used both in home cinema and for playing music. If it works well, I will get more ARCHes to be able to build a complete system with multiple channels.

@Lee inseok had a try with several ARCHes and encountered problems, he bought some high quality ADCs instead and sold off his ARCHes. I believe you'll find his posts on the third page of my Phantom Voyage.

[curban]

I have tried this with some success using a (€100) AD converter. It worked well with a pair of golds. I have since bought an ARCH and will try do the same over a network connection (no wires across the floor). I have wired ethernet on ”both sides of the room”. This allows the Phantoms to be used both in home cinema and for playing music. If it works well, I will get more ARCHes to be able to build a complete system with multiple channels.

@Lee inseok had a try with several ARCHes and encountered problems, he bought some high quality ADCs instead and sold off his ARCHes. I believe you'll find his posts on the third page of my Phantom Voyage.

Thanks for letting me know!

[booshtukka]

I’ve got three phantom golds and four phantom II customs, all fed by Dante via an Arvus H1-D. It’s working well but the Arvus isn’t ready for prime time and they seem to be facing some issues as a company.

The https://www.blustream.co.uk/hdmi-switchers-sw42da Blustream SW42DA seems like a cheaper, viable option today.

[curban]

I have tried this with some success using a (€100) AD converter. It worked well with a pair of golds. I have since bought an ARCH and will try do the same over a network connection (no wires across the floor). I have wired ethernet on ”both sides of the room”. This allows the Phantoms to be used both in home cinema and for playing music. If it works well, I will get more ARCHes to be able to build a complete system with multiple channels.

I have tried this using one ARCH now (don't buy them all at once...) and it worked fine. I'll get another ARCH and try the other channels now. The sound, compared to my old setup with "normal" speakers, was unbelievable.