3db's Great Room Setup.

Completed by upgrade on this system. I swapped out the following;
  1. RX-V1500 AVR for an RX-V1900 for HDMI
  2. Sony SB-S360 BluRay for an Sony XP-800 4K player
  3. PSB Alpha mains for PSB 400 mains
  4. PSB 100c center channel for PSB 200c center channel
  5. PSB Subsonic 5 for a PSB Subsonic 6.
The AVR, speaker, and subwoofer swaps were all done buying used. Here are the pics..
Great6.jpg Great7.jpg Great8.jpg Great9.jpg Great10.jpg
 
You made changes but they seem minor compared to most upgrades I've seen here and you stayed within the same manufacturers. Were you concerned about losing synergy? Adding HDMI with the receiver is a big plus since it adds the upper order surround formats and more power. The sub gives you more power, but only 1Hz lower extension. The PSB 400 reportedly has the same drivers as the Alphas. I couldn't find the manufacturer's specs for them. Did you achieve what you intended for the cost? BTW nice setup, nothing wrong with it. I like all the gear you purchased. I'm just used to seeing big changes on this site.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3db
You made changes but they seem minor compared to most upgrades I've seen here and you stayed within the same manufacturers. Were you concerned about losing synergy? Adding HDMI with the receiver is a big plus since it adds the upper order surround formats and more power. The sub gives you more power, but only 1Hz lower extension. The PSB 400 reportedly has the same drivers as the Alphas. I couldn't find the manufacturer's specs for them. Did you achieve what you intended for the cost? BTW nice setup, nothing wrong with it. I like all the gear you purchased. I'm just used to seeing big changes on this site.

No worries and thanks. :)

The two biggest upgrade was the AVR by adding HDMI capability and multipoint room correction and the Sony 4K player. I trust in Yamaha's build quality and none of these components, the 30 year old cassette deck which has not been serviced since I purchased it 3 years back sees daily use without a hitch.

Here's a report on the 400s; http://www.hifi-classic.net/review/psb-400-119.html .They use the same woofer as the Alphas but they have a much larger cabinet, and produce noticeably deeper bass than the Alphas without distortion or sounding flabby, not that Alphas have flabby bass.

Here are the specs for the 400s
FREQUENCY RANGE
(Anechoic Chamber)
Response 38 - 21KHz
On Axes @0 deg +/-3db 55 - 21KHz
On Axes @0 deg +/-1.5db 60 - 21KHz
On Axes @30 deg +/-1.5db 60 - 21KHz
LF Cutoff -10db 38Hz


The Alphas
Response 50 - 21KHz
On Axes @0 deg +/-3db 68 - 21KHz
LF Cutoff -10db 50Hz


The Subsonic 6 frequency response is a follows.... 25-150Hz (+/-3db) LF Cutoff at -10db is 22Hz
The Subsonic 5 frequency response is a follows.... 30-150Hz (+/-3db) LF Cutoff at -10db is 25Hz

That might not seem like much on paper but I notice a big difference in those 5Hz. I was surprised how much difference there really was.
 
Last edited:
No worries and thanks. :)

The two biggest upgrade was the AVR by adding HDMI capability and multipoint room correction and the Sony 4K player. I trust in Yamaha's build quality and none of these components, the 30 year old cassette deck which has not been serviced since I purchased it 3 years back sees daily use without a hitch.

Here's a report on the 400s; http://www.hifi-classic.net/review/psb-400-119.html .They use the same woofer as the Alphas but they have a much larger cabinet, and produce noticeably deeper bass than the Alphas without distortion or sounding flabby, not that Alphas have flabby bass.

Here are the specs for the 400s
FREQUENCY RANGE
(Anechoic Chamber)
Response 38 - 21KHz
On Axes @0 deg +/-3db 55 - 21KHz
On Axes @0 deg +/-1.5db 60 - 21KHz
On Axes @30 deg +/-1.5db 60 - 21KHz
LF Cutoff -10db 38Hz


The Alphas
Response 50 - 21KHz
On Axes @0 deg +/-3db 68 - 21KHz
LF Cutoff -10db 50Hz


The Subsonic 6 frequency response is a follows.... 25-150Hz (+/-3db) LF Cutoff at -10db is 22Hz
The Subsonic 5 frequency response is a follows.... 30-150Hz (+/-3db) LF Cutoff at -10db is 25Hz

That might not seem like much on paper but I notice a big difference in those 5Hz. I was surprised how much difference there really was.

All that matters is you're happy with the results. I'm a Yamaha fan as well. My first serious surround system was built around a Yamaha R-8 receiver, DSR-100Pro processor, Yamaha laserdisc player, and MX35 2/4ch amp. I've had previous Sony BD players and enjoyed them, but had hand-shake issues when I purchased a new TV (Sony). I opted for the OPPO 203 when I upgraded. Didn't foresee their player manufacturers shutting down. I also had an earlier OPPO 93 and didn't have any issues, so I think I'll be OK. The sub looks pretty beefy. I purchased an SVS PB-2000 a couple of years ago. I'm very happy with it.
 
I bought these stands used for $65.00 I'm going to place my PSB400s on these and swap out the PSB500 when I get bored.

$_35.JPG
 
Nice looking system w/o clutter and fanfare.
I'm likewise a big fan of the older upper-end Yamaha avrs. I have the Yamaha rxv2700 140wpc 7.2avr w/ hdmi. It has just enough processing for my simple 3.0 system w/ plenty of clean power and extra unused channels to bi-amp my front L&R speakers. Those somewhat current hi-end Yamahas are great find for those of us not needing the latest and greatest.
SYSTEM W GRILLS.jpeg
 
I had 1 Yamaha AVR I bought back in 1996, and sold it a few years ago due to HDMI. I now have a Yamaha RX-A2020. They are great AVR's .
I also still have the original speakers I bought,Klipsch RF-25 series and matching speakers for a total of a 9.4 system for my surround. I daisy chained the subs,and the receiver had 2 inputs as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3db
I love Yamaha AVRs I bought the RX-V1900 and RX-V1500 used and the RX-V1800 new. All are in use and have worked flawlessly supply more than enough clean power. I'm on the hunt now for a used RX-A2020 or RX-A3020 or newer to support 4K pass through.
 
I found some used speaker stands for my PSB 400 that worked in my setup so I swapped them in for the PSB 500 ( previous setup). Before doing that , I saved the YPAO configurations for the 500 in Memory 1 and 3 while Memory 2 and 4 have been setup for the PSB 400. That way I can swap the speakers in and out and rely on the AVR's memory settings instead of having to rerun YPAO again.

Great19.jpg Great20.jpg Great21.jpg Great22.jpg
 

Attachments

  • Great19.jpg
    Great19.jpg
    63.8 KB · Views: 17
Back
Top Bottom