Grimani Systems CEDIA 2018 Show Report

What happened this time?! EQ With a Healthy Side of Hum. So I was on this job site the other day, with the classic set of challenges. The client had bought a high-end 2-channel system from the integrator: Wilson Duette speakers, Linn preamp, Moon/SimAudio power amplifier. After it was all up and running, the client complained there was "not enough bass". So, the integrator sold him a couple of JL Audio subwoofers and asked me to come along and make the whole thing work - setting crossovers, time-aligning the speakers, balancing levels, equalizing the response, and voicing. We used a trusty Ashly ne4400 DSP audio processor; it’s a pro-grade digital audio processor with EQ, crossover, delay, level - the works. When I got to the location, things were a far sight worse than just "not enough bass". The installation of the EQ hadn't gone quite right; they had no audio signal, but a *lot* of hum. Client was steamed. So in I dove. In cases like this, there...

Calibrate it All! Is it worth doing a specialty audio calibration in areas of a residence outside the dedicated theater? Absolutely!  Getting the spectral balance, bass management, and time synchronization of audio systems tuned for each and every environment is a pretty simple and cost effective way to upgrade the sonic experience. You can get good dialog clarity, smooth bass, and a reasonably good spatial rendition with an hour or two spent in every space. You do need to have some digital EQ functionality in the system, and that is getting pretty easy these days. I am not talking about auto-EQ, which I contend still doesn’t work right (unfortunately). I mean some number of bands of EQ for each channel that you can adjust while monitoring an analyzer application running on a laptop. That function is available in a number of multichannel amps (Sonance, Ashly, Powersoft, to name a few), in a number of receivers and decoders, and of course, as stand-along EQ devices placed b...

In Deep Thank you for reading the high level article, now we will go into a detailed explanation of this project. This blog expands on the details from the " Home Theater Has Come Out of the Cave " article. The integration firm responsible for building this masterpiece is  Audio Images  of Tustin California. Our designs and engineering is only as good as the implementation and AudioImages came through on every detail. The Room Shell The physical issues that needed to be dealt with to accomplish these goals dictated a few design solutions: Sound Isolation The room had to be decoupled from the Great Room that is located directly above it. This prevents the sound leakage from disturbing the adults. Decoupling loosely means to build resilient wall and floor-ceiling structures with little to no connections to the house’s framing structures. The purpose is to limit every contact point that could mechanically transfer sound energy and interfere with daily use ...

Welcome to the Fun Room Light, bright, and inviting. Walls & Ceiling look like drywall Comfortable seating for friends and family. Glass wall visually connects the Fun Room and Courtyard  High Points Think beyond the theater box Great entertainment can be in nearly any space New technology provides more flexibility New design solutions open the door for Interior Designers Overview Good news! With the latest technologies, we can move past the dark and secluded home theaters of the late 20th century! No more man caves isolated from the rest of the house. No more rows of theater seats formally lined up, as if ready for battle with action heroes. Imagine even having a glass wall or window so we can stay connected to the rest of the world? Instead of just a "Home Theater", we want a "Fun Room". But, and this is a big but, can we still have all of this and a great cinematic experience? The answer is Yes , and...