Look mum, no speaker leads!

[Radian]

Problem:- the speakers in our cinema room are not against a wall but sit in front of a 6m wide glazed sliding door unit. The central two sliders are the main way in and out of the building and up until now we've been regularly tripping over the speaker cables lying loose along the floor. Not any more!

 

 

 

So I finally plucked up courage and attacked my aluminium framed sliders with a 20mm drill bit 😱

 

 

Having seen the profile of the aluminium extrusion when I visited the factory that produced them,  it struck me that there was a continuous channel running the entire length. It's been playing on my mind ever since. I did toy with the idea of sticky-backed black trunking but it would have been just too vulnerable on the threshold area. So what if they cost a few thousand quid, it's only a few holes. I finally caved when I drilled the first (test) hole and checked I could pass a conduit draw tape the full length. The 20mm holes I've made also accept standard electrical box grommets and blanking plugs and was reassured by how well the blanking plug disguised the holes if I ever change my mind.

 

Thought I'd share this hack in case it gives anyone else the courage to make use of their frames in a similar fashion. Not that anyone else would  be daft enough to build a cinema room with fully glazed walls like this.

[ProDave]

Are they rear speakers?

[Kelvin]

Tannoy DC3000s. I also have a pair bought new some 30 years ago at a discount as my neighbour worked at the Tannoy factory.
 

During lockdown a local HiFi place had the idea to loan out his demo gear as he figured it might be safer and he might sell some of it. At one point I had £30k of speakers and turntables at home. I was in the market to upgrade  my old Tannoys so compared them directly against some big floor standers from PMC and Fyne Audio. After extensive listening I concluded there was nothing in it and kept my 30 year old speakers. Interestingly the Fyne Audio F702s I had on loan are technically the successor to the DC3000s as a similar design and the Fyne team are ex Tannoy. 

[SteamyTea]

7 hours ago, Kelvin said:

I also have a pair bought new some 30 years ago at a discount as my neighbour worked at the Tannoy factory

An old mat of mine used to work for Tannoy (in Tylers Green), He gave me loads of stuff over the years.

Thankfully I have £50 ears, so all lost on me.

[Nickfromwales]

@Radian  Check with the window profile to make sure that’s not a drainage channel, as you may get water in it if there’s a downpour if so. If that section is purely a threshold you should be good 👍 

 

The super flat speaker wire is another solution. Lay it next to the carpet grippers, and it’s ok to take a bit of traffic if you tape it well. Only prob is you can’t go round bends with it so point-to-point only, or bend it over itself to turn at your own discretion ( strictly no traffic at that point btw ).

 

Biggest regret for my home audio days was selling my Kef Ref 104.2’s. 😑.😥 Kept my Yamaha DSP A2, just too good to punt out at the couple of hundred I’d struggle to sell it for today. Monster power out of that thing!

[Radian]

10 hours ago, ProDave said:

Are they rear speakers?

🙂 I can understand why you might wonder about that but no. Front mains. Have a guess where the projection screen is!

 

9 hours ago, Kelvin said:

Tannoy DC3000s. I also have a pair bought new some 30 years ago at a discount as my neighbour worked at the Tannoy factory.
 

During lockdown a local HiFi place had the idea to loan out his demo gear as he figured it might be safer and he might sell some of it. At one point I had £30k of speakers and turntables at home. I was in the market to upgrade  my old Tannoys so compared them directly against some big floor standers from PMC and Fyne Audio. After extensive listening I concluded there was nothing in it and kept my 30 year old speakers. Interestingly the Fyne Audio F702s I had on loan are technically the successor to the DC3000s as a similar design and the Fyne team are ex Tannoy. 

 

I know, I've yet to be persuaded to change the DC3000's in the intervening years. Got a few other Tannoys around the place but these get the top listening spot switchable between Denon AVRX1700 for movies and equally ancient Musical Fidelity A100 for music. I find that the high sensitivity of most Tannoys is a great match for valve and class A amps.

 

2 hours ago, SteamyTea said:

An old mat of mine used to work for Tannoy (in Tylers Green), He gave me loads of stuff over the years.

Thankfully I have £50 ears, so all lost on me.

 

Get 'em syringed out then. 🙄

 

17 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

Check with the window profile to make sure that’s not a drainage channel, as you may get water in it if there’s a downpour if so. If that section is purely a threshold you should be good 👍 

 

Thanks. No worries, the inner channel has no drainage holes, they're all in the outer one separated by the thermal break:

 

Edited October 28, 2022 by Radian

[Kelvin]

2 hours ago, SteamyTea said:

An old mat of mine used to work for Tannoy (in Tylers Green), He gave me loads of stuff over the years.

Thankfully I have £50 ears, so all lost on me.

We did ‘blind’ testing and even my kids with their young ears couldn’t tell the difference between the various bits of kit. 

[SteamyTea]

5 minutes ago, Kelvin said:

We did ‘blind’ testing and even my kids with their young ears couldn’t tell the difference between the various bits of kit. 

The more buttons an amp has, the better the sound.

I remember an interesting debate about the sound quality advantages of having an S shaped arm on a turntable.

The interesting bit was who did not understand trigonometry.

[joe90]

7 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

The more buttons an amp has, the better the sound.

Well I used to believe that till I changed my sound system (because the house was hit by lightening) and the replacement was a “Denon”, I was quite miffed it had less knobs to play with but when I checked it was a far superior system than the one they replaced.

[SteamyTea]

1 minute ago, joe90 said:

Well I used to believe that till I changed my sound system (because the house was hit by lightening) and the replacement was a “Denon”, I was quite miffed it had less knobs to play with but when I checked it was a far superior system than the one they replaced.

Binatone is German for Amstrad.

[Onoff]

50 minutes ago, Radian said:

Have a guess where the projection screen is!

 

Motorised, comes down in front of the French doors?

[Onoff]

1 hour ago, Nickfromwales said:

Biggest regret for my home audio days was selling my Kef Ref 104.2’s. 😑.😥 Kept my Yamaha DSP A2, just too good to punt out at the couple of hundred I’d struggle to sell it for today. Monster power out of that thing!

 

Technics, Pioneer, Wharfdale here. Ortofon cartridge. Need a man cave to set it back up. Last time I played a "record" I forgot you have to turn them over...

[SteamyTea]

Just now, Onoff said:

Last time I played a "record" I forgot you have to turn them over...

Play them on a slower speed.

 

 

[Radian]

13 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

Motorised, comes down in front of the French doors?

What sort of 'flash git' do you take me for? 😆 

 

Manual. Just grab the little pull cord dangling down from above. Actually if I do see a bargain one come up I might treat myself - if nothing else, to stop tall people bumping into the cord - but there's another sliding patio door on the side of the room which becomes the way in and out when the screen is being used.

 

The nice thing about this arrangement is for when listening to music, I get an nice view of the garden (once the bank behind the wall has been turfed). Also, with the blinds drawn and screen up I can flip the rear projection setting to 'on' and watch from the garden. Only tried this once in the summer but couldn't stop giggling. Putting the speakers on rotating bases would be the icing on the cake 😎

[SteamyTea]

1 hour ago, Radian said:

with the blinds drawn and screen up I can flip the rear projection setting to 'on' and watch from the garden. Only tried this once in the summer but couldn't stop giggling. Putting the speakers on rotating bases would be the icing on the cake

Bluetooth headphones.

 

I used to go and watch the BFI silent movies when they projected then onto the side of the NT. Good night out.

[Radian]

21 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

Bluetooth headphones.

 

But then how will the neighbours hear the soundtrack? 😂

[SteamyTea]

18 minutes ago, Radian said:

 

But then how will the neighbours hear the soundtrack? 😂

By being quiet.

[Onoff]

1 hour ago, Radian said:

 

But then how will the neighbours hear the soundtrack? 😂

 

Bow chicka wow wow...

[ProDave]

4 hours ago, Radian said:

🙂 I can understand why you might wonder about that but no. Front mains. Have a guess where the projection screen is!

That's why I asked. If they are fronts, then it must mean the screen drops down in front of the doors, which must mean you also have a blackout blind over the windows as well?  Not very good if someone needs to leave the room?

[Radian]

On 28/10/2022 at 12:57, ProDave said:

That's why I asked. If they are fronts, then it must mean the screen drops down in front of the doors, which must mean you also have a blackout blind over the windows as well?  Not very good if someone needs to leave the room?

 

There's another sliding patio door around the front. That one is usually the main way in and out. The double one just gets thrown open in the summer to make the room feel more connected with the garden. The idea was to make an indoor/outdoor area that I could use to loiter in front of the computer stuff (i.e. WFH) and which doubles-up as a music/cinema room in the evenings. I basically 'go to work' in this building and by having it separate to the house, create a better work/life balance. Frankly it's totally transformed my life for the better. It may only be a few steps away from the house but it works brilliantly to draw a line between different activities.

 

[PeterW]

On 28/10/2022 at 08:34, Nickfromwales said:

Biggest regret for my home audio days was selling my Kef Ref 104.2’s

Similar here … sold my Mission 753’s when I needed the money … 😭 

 

Now run Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 and 9.5 from a NAD amp and it can still shake the fillings from granny’s teeth… 

[Nickfromwales]

9 hours ago, PeterW said:

Similar here … sold my Mission 753’s when I needed the money … 😭 

Same here. 
Gave my old boss ( AKA Adolf ) the 2-finger salute and decided to sell around £5k of my home cinema kit to get 1st van / tools  and set up on my own. Best bit was, the second his customers knew I’d set up on my own, they started using me instead lol. Nice little starter package, a near-instant customer base! 
 

9 hours ago, PeterW said:

and it can still shake the fillings from granny’s teeth… 

I do miss my Velodyne sub too, that would have knocked her fillings back in  

 

Eyewateringly expensive kit when new……..and now cheaper than shoplifting ( “vintage” now ! ).

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313748513426?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338268676&toolid=10044&customid=EAIaIQobChMInsTBvruH-wIVibPtCh3HYg9ZEAQYASABEgJqmfD_BwE

[Nickfromwales]

11 hours ago, Radian said:

I basically 'go to work' in this building and by having it separate to the house, create a better work/life balance. Frankly it's totally transformed my life for the better. It may only be a few steps away from the house but it works brilliantly to draw a line between different activities.

I did the same, ( less extravagant by an order of magnitude  ), by taking my home office out of the house and relocating into the 6m x 3.7m man-shed that I made at the side of the house ( plot same size as the existing house mirrored at the side, same title etc ) and it’s a kid-free zone when the doors closed. Bliss lol. 
 

Faux pas was not to insulate it, but that’s being rectified this winter for sure before fitting an A2A split A/C unit in there. Got a load of favours banked so a team effort should see that done in a jiffy.