SUPPLIERS OF HIGH-END AUDIO VISUAL EQUIPMENT SINCE 1989
INSTALLATION - FEATURED INSTALLATIONS - MEYER HOME THEATRE
This client wanted to upgrade his 8 year old existing system – mainly the loudspeakers to be able to cope with the demands of 7.1 playback. The existing system was a high resolution high end speaker package in the traditional sense. The decision that needed to be made was if he was going to consider a conventional high-end speaker package from Wilson Audio or other similar manufacturers or alternatively to investigate other options. We arranged for him to visit one of our other Meyer installations to evaluate first hand the performance and get feedback from the user. As they say in the movies – the rest is history. Once you have had the opportunity to experience the performance of these speakers it is neigh impossible to ignore the desire to own them. A word of warning – do not consider them if you are looking for something that sounds cute! You need space to accommodate them (you do not take a Ferrari for a spin in a parking lot and then comment on the performance!) They deliver high fidelity sound on a truly grand scale with absolute real live dynamics!
After all it is MeyerSound that powers performances by Celine Dion, Metallica, Andre Rui, The Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall - the list just does not end!! Locally you can experience them in a permanent install at The Lyric Theater - GoldReefCity as well as the Teatro Monte Casino. The Meyer X-10T in this system is the first pair in Southern Africa to be installed in a private home theater.
The front line-up, no Photoshop trickery. All cabling is routed underground and in custom cable channels.
The client wanted his setup to be clean and uncluttered – his previous system occupied the entire front floor space (9 pieces). 3 x mono power amplifiers , 1 x subwoofer amplifier , 2 subwoofers, a centre channel and a pair of left and right main front speakers were all removed and replaced by three units.
Equipment
The systems’ main sources are the very latest Marantz BD8002 Blu-Ray player ,Mark Levinson No31.5 drive and Multi Choice HD decoder. All sources are optimally connected via highest quality digital, mains and video cabling. Kimber Select Silver/Copper for analog feeds, Kimber Select Silver for Digital both AES/EBU and SPDIF. The Marantz Blu-Ray player performs well out of the box but will reward the user with superb audio and picture if the extensive setup options are optimized. The Mark Levinson No31.5 CD drive is connected to the Reference Mark Levinson No30.6 which in turn feeds directly to the Reference No32 pre-amplifier to deliver a "DSP free signal path” for pure stereo playback. It is a mind-blowing experience to hear the Meyer X-10T monitors presenting the source material with studio reproduction precision.
Centre channel
Finding a suitable matched centre channel to integrate with the Meyer X-10T main front loudspeakers required a bit of analyzing of the Meyer product range. Firstly it had to voice match and secondly keep up with the prodigious output of the X-10T's. From the M-Series range of speakers we selected the Ultra Compact Tri-Amplified Meyer MELODIE (1275 watt RMS). This proved the most suitable but needed some dressing up to match the walnut finish of the main speakers. This was done by removing the Quick Fly rigging hardware and replacing the metal work with solid profile cut timber as well as a custom designed and built stand with offset correction for the projection of the horn in relation to the listening position.
Fully adjustable, custom-built stand with ‘bolt-on’ MELODIE on top.
Main speakers
They look so simple and unassuming but beware - these are not for beginners! The X-10T’s are utterly revealing - that is why they are in the mastering suite at Abbey Road and other world-class recording studio's. Monstrously powerful - bi amplified totalling 1820 watt RMS per speaker capable of delivering 136dB @1m across a operating frequency of 18Hz to 20kHz. (Free field 23Hz - 17 kHz +/- 2dB deviation.)In the words of Meyer "Whether used for professional monitoring or personal pleasure, the X-10T offers prodigious output power, astounding clarity, unequalled depth of field and pinpoint imaging across a wide sweet spot".
Special custom machined, fully adjustable spikes were made for the Meyer X10-T. They anchor the speakers well to clean-up the low frequencies and allow for small amounts of tilt during fine tuning. This is a must for these beasts as they do not stop dancing on the carpet.
A close-up of the custom-made spike showing the Teflon washer coupling with the synthetic base plate on the X-10T.
LFE
Bass or more specifically LFE in AV is such a critical component that will either compliment the overall performance or destroy all the hard work attempting to achieve linearity and seamless integration. The mighty X-800 sub is the weapon of choice to fire in tandem with the X-10T main fronts. Dual 18" drivers powered by a total of 1240 watt capable of delivering 136 dB SPL. All is managed by a Lexicon MC-12HD processor - this fully balanced Logic-7 pre-processor offers unparalleled setup flexibility combined with the most simplified of configuration procedures. The Tilt EQ ability of the Lexicon is a blessing for older or badly recorded CD's and DVD's making them more listenable in a very revealing system.
Cable management
Dressing cables inside the equipment room. Audio and video intersect at 90 degrees - mains were treated extensively. A dedicated circuit for AV protected by a Transector Alpha series 3 phase surge suppressor feeding 3 pure sine wave AVR UPS units that are balanced to power the entire system with ample headroom for dynamic passages not to suffocate an 8.5 kilowatt system.
The next step is some updating of the acoustic installation that was done 8 years ago to fully compliment the system. More on that later...
