A while back I set out to put the best sound possible (at resonable cost) into our small den. Being only 11’ by 11’, there really isn’t room for a bunch of home theater, audio equipment, or speakers. But I still wanted great sound.
Design Targets:
Bill of Materials:
Revel W553L (2)
Dayton Audio SUB-1000L (2)
MiniDSP 2x4HD
Buckeye Hypex 2CH NC252MP Amplifier
Raspberry Pi 4
HiFiBerry Digi+
Dante AVIO 2CH Analog Adapters (2)
Toslink Auto Switcher
Apple TV 4k
Ubiquiti Switch Flex Mini
Leviton Structured Media Enclosure
Lots of cables
There are two doors in the room and a window, limiting the layout options:
Before, TV w/ soundbar:
Let’s cut some holes:
Install the Structured Media Enclosure:
The first iteration used a wireless transmitter. I later switched to Dante over LAN.
You might notice the HVAC vent, the duct goes down the middle of the wall. It means I have to bring any wires out and across behind the TV.
Final wiring:
All buttoned up:
Here is the wiring diagram:
I used MSO to optimize the bass response between 30 and 160hz. Being so small, I had significant room modes and a transition frequency of about 300hz.
It would have helped to have a 3rd or 4th subwoofer, but I didn’t have any place to hide them. This is what the bass region looked like with individual speakers energized:
After MSO, this is the in room measured response at three different seating positions. It is quite flat seat to seat from 30 to 160 hz.
This is the in-room measured response at the main listening position with the optimization applied and without. You can see how ugly the bass region is. Keep in mind, this response was achieved without any room treatments. The floor is concrete and the ceiling is solid wood. There is a very thin rug and a leather couch.
The left speaker participated in the blind listening test here. Obviously the subwoofers and EQ was disabled during the listening test.
Design Targets:
- Slim mount 65’ TV
- In-wall speakers
- 2 hidden subwoofers with MSO optimization
- Zero visible cables
- Zero visible audio/HT equipment
- Automatic input switching between TV and music streaming
Bill of Materials:
Revel W553L (2)
Dayton Audio SUB-1000L (2)
MiniDSP 2x4HD
Buckeye Hypex 2CH NC252MP Amplifier
Raspberry Pi 4
HiFiBerry Digi+
Dante AVIO 2CH Analog Adapters (2)
Toslink Auto Switcher
Apple TV 4k
Ubiquiti Switch Flex Mini
Leviton Structured Media Enclosure
Lots of cables
There are two doors in the room and a window, limiting the layout options:
Before, TV w/ soundbar:
Let’s cut some holes:
Install the Structured Media Enclosure:
The first iteration used a wireless transmitter. I later switched to Dante over LAN.
You might notice the HVAC vent, the duct goes down the middle of the wall. It means I have to bring any wires out and across behind the TV.
Final wiring:
All buttoned up:
Here is the wiring diagram:
I used MSO to optimize the bass response between 30 and 160hz. Being so small, I had significant room modes and a transition frequency of about 300hz.
It would have helped to have a 3rd or 4th subwoofer, but I didn’t have any place to hide them. This is what the bass region looked like with individual speakers energized:
After MSO, this is the in room measured response at three different seating positions. It is quite flat seat to seat from 30 to 160 hz.
This is the in-room measured response at the main listening position with the optimization applied and without. You can see how ugly the bass region is. Keep in mind, this response was achieved without any room treatments. The floor is concrete and the ceiling is solid wood. There is a very thin rug and a leather couch.
The left speaker participated in the blind listening test here. Obviously the subwoofers and EQ was disabled during the listening test.
