Hi Guys,
I am in a dilemma renovating my new house currently. I need to decide what cables to lay properly by the
end of this week.
Until now, there is still no news from devialet in regards to their "5.5 immersive theatre".
Hence, I wonder what would all of you suggest if you were in my shoes ? Currently, these are my 2 choices. The floor plan is as attached for both options.
Option 1 - Traditional 5.1.2 Approach for AV in Living Room, Phantoms for Dining & Ambience
- Pros: Atmos Setup, Future Proof
- Cons: Kindof a waste for the Phantoms although I can still put an armchair in front of them for proper stereo. Not able to sync bedroom & baby room music with Phantoms due to lag issue.
Option 2 - Phantoms for AV in Living Room, In Ceilings for Dining & Ambience
- Pros: Phantoms can unleash its full power for both movies and music in living room. Able to sync all multi-room (bedroom, baby room, toilet, dining room)
- Cons: Devialet doesn't release "5.5 immersive theatre" solution. No DTS, Dolby, Atmos ? Not as flexible as traditional approach.
Thank you all. Looking forward to your replies !
(05-Oct-2016, 17:25)Nl88 Wrote: [ -> ]Hi Guys,
I am in a dilemma renovating my new house currently. I need to decide what cables to lay properly by the end of this week.
Until now, there is still no news from devialet in regards to their "5.5 immersive theatre".
Hence, I wonder what would all of you suggest if you were in my shoes ? Currently, these are my 2 choices. The floor plan is as attached for both options.
Option 1 - Traditional 5.1.2 Approach for AV in Living Room, Phantoms for Dining & Ambience
- Pros: Atmos Setup, Future Proof
- Cons: Kindof a waste for the Phantoms although I can still put an armchair in front of them for proper stereo. Not able to sync bedroom & baby room music with Phantoms due to lag issue.
Option 2 - Phantoms for AV in Living Room, In Ceilings for Dining & Ambience- Pros: Phantoms can unleash its full power for both movies and music in living room. Able to sync all multi-room (bedroom, baby room, toilet, dining room)
- Cons: Devialet doesn't release "5.5 immersive theatre" solution. No DTS, Dolby, Atmos ? Not as flexible as traditional approach.
Thank you all. Looking forward to your replies !
In my mind, using the Phantoms in a home theatre isn't worth it. You don't get DTS-HD MA or True HD; you also don't get Dolby Atmos. To me, the Phantoms are best in living rooms, bedrooms, etc. where you want great sound but don't want a bunch of electronics cluttering things up. In a home theatre, go for the most flexible solution that offers you upgrade paths.
use your budget for the best Music @ home and go to the movies for 5/1/2, 5/5, DTS etc etc (+popcorn)
I don't know it's an option but I would put conduit to every point you think you might need a cable in the future. That way you're also ready for whatever comes in 5 years time. Systems change. Cables change. With conduit it's always easier to replace cables.
And go Sonos, not Heos. I installed a Sonos system for my brother a few weeks ago and it's so easy to use, I can't think of anything to improve on usability. It sounds pretty crap though compared to Devialet but I assume so does the Denon system.
I love Phantoms but for movies I wasn't blown away when I visited the Devialet store and heard their 5.1 setup.
Thanks for all the replies.
@DrMaustus: Good advice! Infact it is actually a livingroom/hometheater combo. And although I wouldn't want mess in the living room, but I guess I'll stick to your advice for future upgradability.
@Xander: Thanks for the advice !
@
Pim Van Vliet:I'm avoiding to go the conduit path as I'm trying to conceal every wire. Hence that's why it has to be laid before the whole renovation starts. Great; I'll head for Sonos then. Anyway it's just speakers for toilets & baby's room just for ambience nothing too fancy. Have u tried a sonos link hooked up to the phantoms ? Is there any latency issue ?
@dogbait: wow great "inside info". Seems like I'm now more inclined towards the traditional path ! Thanks mate.
Now, do you guys think that the Devialet phantoms would be enough to power the living/dining/dry kitchen for ambience music in the Option 1 floor plan ? Would it definitely sound better than any in ceiling speakers ?
I know that HT enthusiasts would beg to differ, but I don't really find the immersion that surround formats provide add all that much to my enjoyment of a movie. A big sub (not necessarily that accurate) suffices, but a good film is paramount.
For music, though, hearing every last detail undeniably adds to my enjoyment. You should place the Phantoms where you are likely to listen to music.
I would be hesitant to do/wait for a true Phantom surround setup at this time. We don't even know if Devialet as a company will survive in the long run (of course we want them to succeed), let alone pursue a true cinema package that is "supportable". Based on how long simple bug fixes take, I would not suggest taking the Phantom Cinema plunge at this time.
They are great as traditional audio systems though if that is all you need from them at this time. If you don't have a pair already, that in itself is highly recommended...as well as a separate and conventional home theater system IMHO.
Option 2. Have your Phantoms in front of your usual listening position.
You'd better wait for a little longer, Devialet very likely to announce it within this month. If there is no choice, lay a AES cable for each Phantom to be installed for AV purpose