[JRNII]

Should one go with the x-static or the Hobbs for home theater use?

[corndog71]

Depends on your room.  X-Statiks should be at least 3’ from front wall. 

The NX series will outperform the X series due to the better tweeters but the latter are no slouches.  Both will outperform commercial speakers at the same price points.

Either way you will get fatigue free, detailed, and expansive sound.  They’re also easy to drive with virtually any amplifier. 

[Vince in TX]

Yes.   

X-Static and X-Voce (heavily upgraded with Skiing Ninja crossovers)
2x Double Trouble subs
4x X-On Wall

Sounds fantastic!   Of course, I have them augmented with a pair of sealed SVS SB-2000 subs (one front and one back) and four Bowers & Wilkins in-ceiling speakers for ATMOS, and Soundshakers in the seats.   

[BrandonB]

I have read several people on the forum using the NX-Ottica's for HT and they say it's great.  It beets the surround systems because they are able to use a high end DAC and the NX-Otica's are great speakers.  A few have gotten the center channel NX-ottica but I haven't heard much about how it sounds.   The NX-Center  is the coolest center channel I have seen.  To use the center channel I assume you need a surround AVR.  Is any of the AVR's out there good enough for the NX-Series?   

[Glady86]

I have read several people on the forum using the NX-Ottica's for HT and they say it's great.  It beets the surround systems because they are able to use a high end DAC and the NX-Otica's are great speakers.  A few have gotten the center channel NX-ottica but I haven't heard much about how it sounds.   The NX-Center  is the coolest center channel I have seen.  To use the center channel I assume you need a surround AVR.  Is any of the AVR's out there good enough for the NX-Series?

I use mine for music and tv/movies. I found I don’t need a center channel or surround speakers to enjoy surround affects. The phantom affects as well as dynamics are great with the NX Otica.

[Huskerbryce]

I have read several people on the forum using the NX-Ottica's for HT and they say it's great.  It beets the surround systems because they are able to use a high end DAC and the NX-Otica's are great speakers.  A few have gotten the center channel NX-ottica but I haven't heard much about how it sounds.   The NX-Center  is the coolest center channel I have seen.  To use the center channel I assume you need a surround AVR.  Is any of the AVR's out there good enough for the NX-Series?

I use the NX-Otica fronts with the NX-Center.  I have had many AVRs.  Yamaha, BK reference, Marantz, and currently the new Emotiva RMC-1+.  The NX-Center is the most amazing center speaker I have ever heard.  It totally disappears in the screen.   Dynamic, nearly full range…mine plays flat to 48hz.  No system ive ever owned performed at this level.  The RMC-1+ has some bugs but sounds great for the price point.  Hopefully in the coming months, some software updates fix some minor but (can be) serious glitches.  Ive never been happier with how my system sounds with the NX-series on both music and home theater.

[WGH]

Is any of the AVR's out there good enough for the NX-Series?

I don't have any experience or recommendation for an AVR. What I can recommend is the Anthem AVM 70 Surround Processor currently retailing for $4000. I use an AVM 60 (the previous model) that I bought new in 2019, after 6 years it works and sounds perfect with zero bugs or glitches.

Anthem AVM 70



The Anthem AVM 60, AVM 70, and the MRX 1140 all use a toroidal transformers, my processor is dead silent. The AVM 60 and AVM 70 are processors only, you have to supply your own amps. I use a Van Alstine Vision SET 400 for the L&R speakers, a Van Alstine 3-channel Insight 240 (120 watts each channel) for the center and surrounds, and a pair of used stereo and 6-channel Adcom amps for the rear and Atmos channels for a system total of 1740 class AB high current watts.

Anthem processors have a smooth, very clear non-fatiguing sound no matter the volume and never, ever a hint of sharpness. The sound quality completely obliterated my old Outlaw 975 processor. The Anthem processor's sound is the opposite of analytical with a sound quality is close to a state-of-the-art movie theater except you get to control the loudness. The center channel volume can be controlled using the remote which is very helpful with bad mixes. If you hear a flaw or distortion it is in the source material and not in the electronics.

The Anthem ARC room correction fine tunes each speaker to sound more alike resulting in an immersive experience without one speaker overpowering the others. I always fine tune the frequency response and loudness after calibration, the software gets the sound close but human ears are the best. The Anthem ARC software is very versatile.




I use the Salk Veracity HT2C center speaker which uses the Seas Excel W18 drivers and RAAL ribbon tweeter in a sealed cabinet, these are the exact same drivers as in my Salk HT2-TL speakers so the tone across the three front speakers is seamless. The Seas and RAAL drivers are also very revealing and don't like harsh or overly analytical sounding electronics at all.

I had two REL subs for a little while: a G2 Gibraltar (far right) and a new G1 MkII. I connected both as an experiment. The sound was visceral but I discovered you can have to much bass. I sold the G2 to a friend and it blends seamlessly with his Magnepan 2.7i speakers.

The TV is a 60" Panasonic plasma, colors look very natural. Black and white films like Roma and 2024's Nosferatu have all the subtle shadings of 35mm film.

[BrandonB]

I use the NX-Otica fronts with the NX-Center.  I have had many AVRs.  Yamaha, BK reference, Marantz, and currently the new Emotiva RMC-1+.  The NX-Center is the most amazing center speaker I have ever heard.  It totally disappears in the screen.   Dynamic, nearly full range…mine plays flat to 48hz.  No system ive ever owned performed at this level.  The RMC-1+ has some bugs but sounds great for the price point.  Hopefully in the coming months, some software updates fix some minor but (can be) serious glitches.  Ive never been happier with how my system sounds with the NX-series on both music and home theater.

I would have to guess that it is the best center channel you can get.  With that stand that you can get with it right under a projection screen would be pretty cool. 

[BrandonB]

I don't have any experience or recommendation for an AVR. What I can recommend is the Anthem AVM 70 Surround Processor currently retailing for $4000. I use an AVM 60 (the previous model) that I bought new in 2019, after 6 years it works and sounds perfect with zero bugs or glitches.

On the Anthem do you need a preamp and Does it need to have a HT pass thru?

[WGH]

On the Anthem do you need a preamp and Does it need to have a HT pass thru?

If the Anthem is used just for home theater it doesn't need an additional preamp. The unit has a lot of additional inputs plus a built-in FM radio so it can be used as a full functioning preamp by itself, but I don't recommend it. Why not?

Even though my Anthem is an excellent 11.1 surround processor and is the best I have heard for movies and surround sound, the sound quality for streaming music, CDs and FLAC pales in comparison to my Van Alstine Fet Valve CFR preamp and HoloAudio May KTE DAC. The Anthem doesn't have the clarity and imaging of a high quality stereo preamp and DAC, the sound is pleasant but it won't turn any heads and lacks the WOW! factor. I listen to FM through the Anthem, mostly as background music and the sound is good enough that I haven't rushed out to buy a separate tuner since my Sony FDR-X1HD died (that was a nice tuner).

My setup is dual use: stereo and home theater. The Anthem's L&R line out go into the Fet Valve CFR preamp input #1, the volume is turned up the 12 o'clock which is the unity gain level. The Anthem's remaining line outs go directly into the surround and Atmos amps. The only drawback is I have to remember to lower the AVA preamp's volume before switching inputs, luckily my speakers can handle the blast if I forget. The Fet Valve CFR preamp doesn't have home theater pass thru. The analog outputs from the HoloAudio DAC go into the AVA preamp input #3. The Oppo BDP-103 Blu-ray player, TV, and tower computer use the Anthem's HDMI inputs.

Since the Panasonic plasma is a dumb TV, I use a tower computer to store ripped movies that are played using VLC Media Player. I also use the computer to stream YouTube videos, nature and documentaries that are on PBS, and stream internet radio and podcasts.

The Netflix app on the computer works perfectly streaming to the Anthem over HDMI. I get all the programs that stream in Dolby Atmos surround. The Anthem tricks the app into thinking I have a 2160p TV. The Panasonic is only 1080p which won't get Atmos. Netflix used to limit the audio bandwidth on 1080p TVs.

[Tyson]

If it's going to be a combo of 2 channel and HT in the same system, my advice would be to do it in stages.  Start with getting a killer 2 channel DAC and Preamp and run things in stereo for a while.  You might decide that's all you need.  But if you want more, adding a HT processor that has a 2 channel bypass option is the next step.  Then something like the Anthem WGH recommends would be a very good investment. 

[WGH]

And then there is Trinnov if you want to skip over all the usual suspects like Yamaha, Marantz, NAD, the Emotiva RMC-1+ and even the Anthem processors.
https://www.trinnov.com/

The technology has moved on since I mentioned Trinnov in a couple of posts a few years ago:

$300,000 11.4.6 dts-X: PRO Demo w/ TRINNOV Audio Altitude 32 & TRIAD Speakers at CEDIA 2019
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=184579.msg1937008#msg1937008
I use Triad speakers for my surround and Atmos speakers. Triad is pretty much an unknown name in audio circles because they specialize in high end custom home theater sound, the speakers were only sold through a professional installer network although a few retail stores are opening. I bought mine on eBay. Triad speakers won't work for everyone, besides being very expensive their efficiency is only 84 dB, they need more power than an affordable audio video receiver can supply. Power is not a problem since I use 4 separate amps. Triad speakers never get strident or shouty no matter the volume.

Trinnov 3-D microphone, DIRAC Live and Active Acoustics System that uses a double bass array layout with 16 subwoofers to achieve a decay time below 100 milliseconds
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=184870.msg1939802#msg1939802


The home theater aficionados are really nuts.