[ctviggen]

Are open baffle speakers strictly for two channel systems?  If not, what would you use for a center channel?  What about surrounds? 

[JohninCR]

HT is where OB's shine even more, because dialogue is so much more natural sounding than with boxes.  I prefer a phantom center with my large screen, but there's no reason an OB speaker can't go there.  Dipole surrounds are already marketed to the HT crowd, so there is some additional advantage there, although I don't know exactly what it is.  In addition to more natural sound, the inherent greater directionality of dipoles make them better suited for HT.  The limitation is with the LFE channel, because getting high output in the bottom octave with open alignments is tough, plus even if you achieve it the physical impact isn't the same.

[markC]

Infinate Baffle bass, (when possible), blends very well with open baffle. Just ask me!

[Bob in St. Louis]

Bob - NO.....OB is NOT strictly for two channel! 

Center - I don't use a center anymore (despite my pics). The two channel guys have gotten me away from the center channel. It took me a while to believe them, but now I do. I haven't had the center wired in months. And yes, I watch a lot of movies (Netflix customer).

Mains/surrounds - When I watch a movie it's in 4.1 (4.2 technically, actually). The 15" OB's are the R.L. front mains. My surrounds are crap. When Hawthorne releases the 10" coaxials, THOSE will be my rear surrounds.

LFE - My LFE's for "regular movies" are the Hawthorne Augies. These are the ".1" ---If I'm watching something like a "War of the Worlds" type movie, I'll turn on the dual 15" ported sub That is the ".2" (just for that extra kick )
Depending on how much of a basshead you are, a simple pair of OB's could be your subs. However, if you like the room to shake you'd need more.

O.B.H.T.  aa Now we're talkin'

Bob

[Andy G]

Funny you should mention that.  The LR of my HT system are hybrid OB  mid line array with vented bass. The rears are also OB mid with vented bass. Subs are not OB though.. no room really.   I think need a bigger house 
http://users.tpg.com.au/users/gradds/ARGOS/pokey%20HT%20system.htm

[Bob in St. Louis]

Nice Andy !   
(I know what you mean about a bigger house  ) 

Bob

[ctviggen]

Thanks for the replies.  I'm thinking of two infinite baffle subs on the front, underneath an acoustically transparent screen, with a center channel behind the screen.  Now, I'd have to buy a different house to implement this system, so it'll never happen.  I've tried the no-center-channel thing before, but not with open baffle speakers.  I liked having a center better on my system, but perhaps that would change with open baffle.  I guess I could also have some open baffle surrounds, but I was hoping (again, with this mythical new house) to have the surrounds built into the walls.

[Bob in St. Louis]

You could build this into the wall:
http://blog.stereophile.com/ces2007/010907bgsub/

Bob

p.s. It really needs bigger drivers. (IMO)

[DanTheMan]

Ctviggen, I've always wanted an all in wall home theater, but my understanding is that it just won't image well.  Even if it's just the surrounds.

And listen to you guys!  Wanting bigger houses!  While I'm just wanting a house.   All I ask for in a house is a place that has a large enough theater room to hold all my speakers and one Giant projector screen.

BTW Bob, are you going to buy 10" SIs for surrounds?  I was thinking that maybe you should wait for the Sterling Silver SIs, use them for mains and then take your regular SIs and use them for surrounds.  (Man, I hate to call the SIs "regular".  It seems to be an insult.  They are anything but regular.  IF they were regular, I'd've sold mine by now) 

[ctviggen]

Ctviggen, I've always wanted an all in wall home theater, but my understanding is that it just won't image well.  Even if it's just the surrounds.

And listen to you guys!  Wanting bigger houses!  While I'm just wanting a house.   All I ask for in a house is a place that has a large enough theater room to hold all my speakers and one Giant projector screen.

Well, I wouldn't feel too bad if the surrounds were out, but I'm still wondering about the center channel. Some people (even if they do the work themselves) have a killer looking system where they took a basement and made it into a very nice home theater.  I'm not sure I'd go to the extent that they do, but I think having the center (should you use one) behind a screen would have to be better than having it under/above a screen (and I mean an 8-10 foot wide, 16x9 screen; not a paltry 57 inch 16x9 screen as I have now!).  But then I don't know.

[Bob in St. Louis]

Bob, my screen is 5.5' high, 10' wide. I HAD the center and front mains behind the screen material. Didn't work for me. I didn't have 'sonically transparent' material (strike 1) and the mains were about 9.5' apart when the listening position was almost twice that (strike 2) and the center channel being a few feet from either front channel (strike 3) just didn't work. No soundstage, muddy, messy, lacked clarity.
Dan, great idea on the SSI / SI swap. Very nice idea !   aa


Bob

[JohninCR]

I don't understand the appeal of widescreen, the image is much smaller.  When I get a movie in 16:9, I play it through my computer and lop off the sides for my 6.75' x 9' screen .  The image is so much larger, and I find that my eyes don't dart around left and right nearly as much.  I don't notice that I'm missing anything with the cropped image.  The only exceptions are with movies containing wide panoramic views such as Braveheart, and I just watch them with the puny wide format.

[ctviggen]

I love widescreen, even on a 13 inch TV.  You lose too much when they crop the picture.