CLS - think shutter

[hakalugi]

So, as my 14 month old and 3 yr old wander around our basement theater, i've actually removed the CLS from service and covered them with plastic and heavy blanket to protect them.

the two B&W's i have in their stead just don't give me the same results (older pair of 602s).

in an effort to get my center channel above our HT screen (106") and off the floor, i actually took a Maggie MC1 (the 46" x 12" ht one) and hung it from the ceiling horizontally, at an angle so it fires down by 30 degrees, landing between front and back rows, we have a 'narrow' room so the lack of lateral dispersion isn't a problem. works fine and is decently airy.

the way those maggies are mounted, is on a hinge concept

where you use the supplied brackets and put one edge of the speaker against a wall/object.

so that got me thinking... what if i removed the electronics module from my CLS and hung them as such:

like shutters, which could be folded back against the wall when not in use (like the MC1).

I'd put some anti-reflection stuff in front of them on teh wall for the first boundry reflection, but when they were deployed, floor standing the room was so narrow they almost against the walls anyways... so my questions are:

1) any problem extending the wiring from the electronics module to the panels?
2) i'd rather not drill into my decent frames, and would prefer to build some frames to house the panels - is the frame width needed to keep sonic quality? (ie: i could use 1" steel frames stronger than the 3-4" of wood now) and they'd be smaller when swung out by 7")
3) i was thinking of new panels, is it a trade-in or just new ones? i could always hang the new ones in home-made/DIY frames and keep the originals under wraps.
thoughts?

 

[nsgarch]

Another molehill-to-mountain project!! Why?

• By the time the kid's 4 mo. old, he'll learn to swing on the hinged panels anyway!
• You won't like the results of having one edge on the wall -- too much bass reinforcement and no chance for a sound field (necessary for imaging.)
• You'd have to support the free edge top and bottom or no transients.
• No, it's not a good idea to extend the umbilical too far. The voltage drop will reduce performance!

Have you considered a kiddy gate or even better, a door!?

 

[jtwrace]

Another molehill-to-mountain project!! Why?

• By the time the kid's 4 mo. old, he'll learn to swing on the hinged panels anyway!
• You won't like the results of having one edge on the wall -- too much bass reinforcement and no chance for a sound field (necessary for imaging.)
• You'd have to support the free edge top and bottom or no transients.
• No, it's not a good idea to extend the umbilical too far. The voltage drop will reduce performance!

Have you considered a kiddy gate or even better, a door!?

I think you left one out. adoption.

 

[C.A.P]

How about a door ! DO NOT HANG THEM ! Acoustically it will be a nightmare and for safety reasons they will be a hazard .

 

[risabet]

I have a three year old who was once a 14 month old and the best advice I can give is train them to leave the equipment alone. That has worked for me with all three of my kids and it is the best way I know of to use the CLSs.

 

[hakalugi]

whoa

i guess i should've left out the kid reference... that was the goal of getting the center off the floor last year (you can't reason with a walking 9 month old, yes at 9 months, both did) - but the kid thing is not the reason for getting the speakers on the wall now (i am comfortable communicating with them and them obeying at this point, hence the swinging thing not as much a concern).

the point is, now that they're grown(ish) i feel i can uncover them and use them again. The hinge thing: it's all about floor space and the WAF (has nothing to do with doors, gates, etc) ie: when not in use: the screen goes up and the speakers fold back and it's a rec room, we're not at the 'dedicated listening room phase' of our life quite yet.

as mentioned: the panels are already at the room's boundry. actually wider than this to fit the 100" screen, right at the walls, as this was taken before the screen/PJ were installed.

so:

1) you'all are saying i'm not getting the most out of them anyways?
2) they will be (are) too bassy in that config? (maybe my old panels counter that as they sounded thin with the sub off away from the walls)
3) when not on a floor (i've thought ceiling ) you loose transients?

instead of $900 for new panels, maybe the $750 for a pair of MC1's is in order as they need teh bass reinforcement of the boundry, made to swing and only 14" wide...

 

[nsgarch]

Gosh, they look just beautiful right there. 'Course I'd get them up on Sound Anchor stands, and in that room, they should probably be about 16 - 18" closer together to make a more solid image and get them further away from the side walls. And though it would make my teeth itch, for the time being, you could fit the Sound Anchor stands with their pro casters, and just push the speakers against the back wall when you want them out of the way (and then they could be behind the screen and far apart when it's rolled down.) Take a look at my system pics. My room is only 12' wide and although I sit rather close at 8', I get great performances.

 

[hakalugi]

hmm

funny, i found that pic from an old post and showed my wife the image and her jaw dropped- that was a few weeks after moving in and the basement wasn't even fully painted yet (and it's a bit more cluttered now )

i need to play with the dimensions, i was actually going from a 106" screen (pull down) to a fixed 92" thanks to a barter, and i need to see how far in they could go (or even fit) with this screen. or like you say, make them movable (to the edge for movie viewing, or brought towards center for 2ch) b/c the screen would be on or very near the wall, no room for behind

thanks. and yes, about 12' wide, like your system so i'll think of those dimensions when in 2ch mode - my sub is in the corner now with one of the B&Ws using it as a stand -- but when the CLSes were still in use, i had to relocate the sub b/c it's blast wave would distort the diaphram (and i tried in the center firing at the front wall, but it would then make the screen wave like a flag in a gale). the downside of a folded horn next to CLS and a screen