Page 42 - Indulge August/September 2015
P. 42
his man cave bsoluinngd
By Patrick O’Donnell
42 | indulge • august/september 2015 The last time I saw a movie in a theater, I left with “The 800 Series
a headache, a sore backside and a vague sense of Diamond features
lost time. Maybe I saw “Captain America: The Winter tweeters of pure
Soldier,” or maybe I was abducted by aliens. Whatever synthetic diamond…”
happened, it was too long, too loud and I had to get up
halfway through the experience to find the bathroom. All things considered, that spiffy new widescreen
Keep your comments about showing my age to will probably make me think my audio setup sounds
yourself (I probably won’t be able to hear them anyway). like AM radio through a hand-held transistor set. If
My point is, I like to watch movies in the comfort of my I want the best, Hill recommends I upgrade to the
home. I can have an intermission anytime I want, adjust Bowers and Wilkins Diamond Series 800 loudspeakers
the volume, put on closed captioning and make popcorn (which, at around $24,000 a pair, are as pricey as the
with real butter — all without having to shell out the name implies); an HTM Diamond center; two pairs of
price of a Blu-ray Disc for the honor of sitting in a sticky, 805 Diamond rear/side speakers; two DB1 subwoofers
stone-backed chair. hooked to a Rotel RSP1572 preamp/processor; a Rotel
I have a decent setup in my cave. A Kenwood RMB1585 five-channel amplifier, and a Rotel RB1572
receiver/speaker system with Dolby 5.1 surround; two-channel amp for the side speakers. And if you’re
Monster Cable wiring that I took the time to bury in the going with the best speakers, you need the best cables,
walls; a-52 inch wall-mounted Toshiba LCD TV, Samsung too — which will run about $5,000. All told, my dream
Blu-ray player and even a dimmer for the overhead lights. audio system would set me back about $60,000.
But that ain’t nothin’ compared with what I really
want — or so Steve Hill of Artistic Video & Sound in “The 800 Series Diamond features tweeters of pure
Coopersburg tells me. Hill has me drooling over an synthetic diamond … no material is better suited to
85-inch Samsung 85HU8550 LCD. What’s that mumbo reproducing high-frequency signals,” the Bowers and
jumbo mean? Basically, a huge TV that makes my set Wilkins website states.
look like something that should be hanging on a cave
man’s wall. Apparently, diamonds are also a speaker’s best friend.
The industry calls it “4K technology.” It’s a fancy way And at that price, they better be forever — unlike my
of saying “this TV is going to blow your mind.” 5.1 Surround Sound system. The setup Hill recommends
“[The] 4K means it has four times the picture quality uses 7.1 Surround. Another option — which requires
than the high definition you know now,” Hill says. “The a different receiver — is the new kid on the block:
colors are amazing. The depth is phenomenal.” Dolby Atmos. It’s an ultra-swanky format that allows
Make no attempt to control the horizontal or the you to hear the sound from the front, back, sides and …
vertical. You have entered the ultra high definition zone. ceiling. In other words, if you watch a disaster movie,
You’ll have to wait until at least the end of 2015 to you’ll feel like Chicken Little and think the sky really is
realize its full potential, though — 4K Blu-ray players falling. Dolby suggests 11 or more speakers for it to work
aren’t expected to be available until then. properly, and it requires a special receiver.
I’m gonna need a bigger Man Cave.
By Patrick O’Donnell
42 | indulge • august/september 2015 The last time I saw a movie in a theater, I left with “The 800 Series
a headache, a sore backside and a vague sense of Diamond features
lost time. Maybe I saw “Captain America: The Winter tweeters of pure
Soldier,” or maybe I was abducted by aliens. Whatever synthetic diamond…”
happened, it was too long, too loud and I had to get up
halfway through the experience to find the bathroom. All things considered, that spiffy new widescreen
Keep your comments about showing my age to will probably make me think my audio setup sounds
yourself (I probably won’t be able to hear them anyway). like AM radio through a hand-held transistor set. If
My point is, I like to watch movies in the comfort of my I want the best, Hill recommends I upgrade to the
home. I can have an intermission anytime I want, adjust Bowers and Wilkins Diamond Series 800 loudspeakers
the volume, put on closed captioning and make popcorn (which, at around $24,000 a pair, are as pricey as the
with real butter — all without having to shell out the name implies); an HTM Diamond center; two pairs of
price of a Blu-ray Disc for the honor of sitting in a sticky, 805 Diamond rear/side speakers; two DB1 subwoofers
stone-backed chair. hooked to a Rotel RSP1572 preamp/processor; a Rotel
I have a decent setup in my cave. A Kenwood RMB1585 five-channel amplifier, and a Rotel RB1572
receiver/speaker system with Dolby 5.1 surround; two-channel amp for the side speakers. And if you’re
Monster Cable wiring that I took the time to bury in the going with the best speakers, you need the best cables,
walls; a-52 inch wall-mounted Toshiba LCD TV, Samsung too — which will run about $5,000. All told, my dream
Blu-ray player and even a dimmer for the overhead lights. audio system would set me back about $60,000.
But that ain’t nothin’ compared with what I really
want — or so Steve Hill of Artistic Video & Sound in “The 800 Series Diamond features tweeters of pure
Coopersburg tells me. Hill has me drooling over an synthetic diamond … no material is better suited to
85-inch Samsung 85HU8550 LCD. What’s that mumbo reproducing high-frequency signals,” the Bowers and
jumbo mean? Basically, a huge TV that makes my set Wilkins website states.
look like something that should be hanging on a cave
man’s wall. Apparently, diamonds are also a speaker’s best friend.
The industry calls it “4K technology.” It’s a fancy way And at that price, they better be forever — unlike my
of saying “this TV is going to blow your mind.” 5.1 Surround Sound system. The setup Hill recommends
“[The] 4K means it has four times the picture quality uses 7.1 Surround. Another option — which requires
than the high definition you know now,” Hill says. “The a different receiver — is the new kid on the block:
colors are amazing. The depth is phenomenal.” Dolby Atmos. It’s an ultra-swanky format that allows
Make no attempt to control the horizontal or the you to hear the sound from the front, back, sides and …
vertical. You have entered the ultra high definition zone. ceiling. In other words, if you watch a disaster movie,
You’ll have to wait until at least the end of 2015 to you’ll feel like Chicken Little and think the sky really is
realize its full potential, though — 4K Blu-ray players falling. Dolby suggests 11 or more speakers for it to work
aren’t expected to be available until then. properly, and it requires a special receiver.
I’m gonna need a bigger Man Cave.
