Welcome to The Machine! (mlmaier84's Happy Place)

mlmaier84

EntrepreNINJA
Premium Supporter
Sep 19, 2013
3,489
Houston, TX USA
Welcome to The Machine!
It's been almost a year in the works, and I FINALLY have it finished!!! Well, it's almost finished. :rofl: The wood flooring has been laid and the walls painted. I've added baseboards and some of my own custom built shelving. Pictures and artwork have been hung, and collectibles all put in their designated places. I have hung the entertainment center on the wall and moved in some bookshelves to house my Steelbook collection. The amaray are split between the entertainment center in The Machine, the entertainment center and bookshelves in my bedroom and some boxes I have scattered randomly across the house.

What I haven't done is hook up some of my components or my surround sound audio system yet. Currently for audio, I'm using a Sony HT-CT150 Sound Bar System. The TV I have setup right now is an Insignia 40" 1080HD LCDTV. Pretty basic equipment, but at the time I bought it, was the best I had ever owned. However, in the next month or so, I'll be getting an all new setup.

I already have all of my speakers, which I very fortunately inherited from my fiance's stepfather. I have a pair of Infinity Primus 250 Tower speakers, a pair of Infinity SL10 bookshelf speakers, an Infinity Primus PC251 center speaker and finally, a Velodyne CHT-10 10" powered subwoofer.

As far as the television goes, I'm stuck between two options:

1.) Sony XBR-65X850B 4K UHD/3D TV
2.) Samsung UN65HU8550 4K UHD/3D TV

As of now, I'm leaning towards the Sony, albeit the Samsung has slightly better critiques/reviews. If anyone has any recommendations/experiences/advice to share, I'd love to hear it!

I was also looking into which Audio/Video Receiver (AVR) to purchase, and came across a few that have interested me. I haven't done as much research on them as I have on the TVs, so again, any recommendations/experiences/advice is as encouraged as it is welcomed! My only stipulations for AVRs are:
1.) Need to have both 3D & 4K pass-thru
2.) Need to be HDCP 2.2 Capable

The one I'm looking at the closest as of now is the Onkyo TX-NR636. I'm not super familiar with Onkyo any more than just knowing of the brand name. It gets pretty good reviews, and it's one of the few that I can find that are HDCP 2.2 capable. One other one that I was looking at before learning about HDCP 2.2 was the Sony STR-DH750. It's a more basic model, but has everything I would need (minus the HDCP 2.2 capability).


When it comes to Blu-Ray players, for me, the choice is an easy one...Sony. I've always had Sony Blu-Ray players (whether 2D or 3D) and I really like them. Their user interface and remotes are basic and straight forward. Their picture is quite nice and anytime I've tried out another brand, I've found myself wanting my Sony. Anyways, the model I'm looking at is the Sony BDP-S6200 (3D/Wi-Fi/4K Upscaling). However (and again), if anyone has any advice (for or against) this model, or any other model for that matter, please feel free to comment!

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Ok, without further adieu, Welcome to THE MACHINE!!!
First of all, I'd like to apologize for the blurriness in some of the pictures. I have installed some LED lighting in the room, and to capture the feeling of that, it required me to lose a bit of resolution in some of the pictures.

I'm going to start off with some pictures of just the four walls of the room, and then I'll get into some more detailed pictures.

BACK WALL (LEFT SIDE):
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BACK WALL (RIGHT SIDE):
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RIGHT WALL:
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FRONT WALL (RIGHT SIDE):
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FRONT WALL (MIDDLE):
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FRONT WALL (LEFT SIDE):

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LEFT WALL:
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The boxes in the closet are a bunch of steelbooks and Funko POP!s I'm getting rid of. So that mess is clearing out little by little.

So, as you can see in some of the pictures, I've installed some shelving around part of the perimeter of the room about a foot and a half down from the ceiling (these are the shelves that my in box Funko POP!s are sitting on). On those shelves is where I've installed the LED strip lights I was referring to earlier. They serve as display lighting for the Funko POP!s as well as offering some ambient light while watching a movie (similar to the strip lights that are in the floor in a movie theater). I went with the 50/50 RGB LED's, which come with about 900,000 different colors (only 30-40 that you can actually tell the difference between) as well as about 5 different functions. One of those functions is the dimmer. So when the family is watching a movie, I can turn on any color light and dim it down, to again, provide some ambient lighting in the room. I really like their addition and I'm glad I invested in them. When I get my new TV, I'm going to install some more LED strip lights on the back of it. The specific kit that I bought to do that with comes with a noise activated controller box. Basically what this will do is while the movie is going, the noise/music from the speakers will activate the lighting. They have several different functions. One of them keeps the same color light and allows the light to fade in and out as the sound changes. Another fades in and out, but also simultaneously changes the color. The reason for doing the lights on the back of the TV is just to add a little more ambiance to the movie watching experience. They make kits specifically for this, but I just bought a basic LED strip light kit and am making my own setup for the back of the TV, rather than paying all the extra money for the TV backlighting kit, which is specifically made for it.

The Next pictures I'm going to post are just more detailed pictures of what you've already seen. Some close up shots of my shelves, Funko Collection (amongst other collectibles) and my artwork (Mostly Mondo, but some other stuff as well).

A.) MORE DETAILED PICS OF THE SHELVING:
1.) BOOKSHELVES:
RIGHT BOOKSHELF:
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My HULK Shrine

LEFT BOOKSHELF:
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2.) PERIMETER SHELVING:
PERIMETER SHELF ABOVE TV IN BETWEEN TWO BOOKSHELVES:
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PERIMETER SHELVING ON BACK AND LEFT WALLS:
BACK WALL:
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LEFT WALL:
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3.) 2 STANDALONE SHELVES:
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The Breaking Bad stuff went on the empty shelf under the X-men shelf (See above pic)

B.) ARTWORK:
1.) MONDO PRINTS (BY ARTIST):
JASON EDMISTON:
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WE BUY YOUR KIDS:
WE BUY YOUR KIDS IS A PAIR OF ARTISTS. I HAD THE DISTINCT PLEASURE OF MEETING SONNY AT MONDOCON. THEIR ARTWORK IS LIKE NONE I'VE EVER SEEN, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, I REALLY LIKED IT!

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MIKE SAPUTO:
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2.) OTHER ARTWORK (BY ARTIST):
JOCK:
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"THE JOKER" (TAKEN FROM THE COVER OF DETECTIVE COMICS #880) - PRINTED ON TRADITIONAL POSTER

ARTIST UNKNOWN:
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"DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY" - PRINTED ON SILK.

OK FOLKS, WELL THAT IS PRETTY MUCH IT. ANY QUESTIONS/COMMENTS PLEASE POST BELOW!!!

THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME OUT TO COME VISIT mlmaier84's "THE MACHINE" !!!
 
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Epic, Mathew...epic! Love your layout of your mancave. I guess Ennis is gonna have a fieldday playing with all figures and shiny things! :)
 
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Epic, Mathew...epic! Love your layout of your mancave. I guess Ennis is gonna have a fieldday playing with all figures and shiny things! :)
I spy with my little eye: Pretty AWESOME looking room dude!!!! :thumbs: :thumbs: :thumbs:

Hopefully one day i get started on mine :D
@Hooch @Asopp @Flash

Thanks you guys! I'm really proud of it and all the work and time it took to get it done! I just can't wait to get my new TV, Receiver, 4K media player & Blu-Ray player, hook all the speakers up and take everything for a test drive!!!

And yes Erik, he's already eyeing EVERYTHING! He really likes it when I turn the lights off and turn on the LED's to flash so they flash through 7 different colors. Anytime he's crying and we can't get him to stop, we take him in there and turn them on. 90% of the time it calms him down.
 
Awesome room buddy! What an amazing collection of items. Do you ever leave that room? I think I'd want to spend a lot of time in there!

Your ideas on equipment are very compelling. I had an Onkyo receiver for awhile, a few years ago. I thought very highly of it, but in my case, it needed to be paired with the right speakers to tame the brightness. I ended up having to sacrifice sonic detail in the midrange, in order to avoid an overly strident front end. I didn't even realize how much was missing until I demo'd a Denon receiver. I was able to completely readjust the potentiometers on the speakers with the Denon, and I reclaimed tons of detail in the process.

That being said, I think this may have been attributed as much to my setup and sonic proclivities as to the Onkyo. It's a great time to be in the home theater equipment market because there is so much really good, reasonably priced stuff from which to choose. Onkyo receivers tend to provide lots of great features/specs at a very fair price.

I'm sure both of the TVs you are considering will be fine. Is there any connectivity/compatibility advantage to sticking with Sony for both the TV and Blu-Ray player?
 
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Awesome room buddy! What an amazing collection of items. Do you ever leave that room? I think I'd want to spend a lot of time in there!

Your ideas on equipment are very compelling. I had an Onkyo receiver for awhile, a few years ago. I thought very highly of it, but in my case, it needed to be paired with the right speakers to tame the brightness. I ended up having to sacrifice sonic detail in the midrange, in order to avoid an overly strident front end. I didn't even realize how much was missing until I demo'd a Denon receiver. I was able to completely readjust the potentiometers on the speakers with the Denon, and I reclaimed tons of detail in the process.

That being said, I think this may have been attributed as much to my setup and sonic proclivities as to the Onkyo. It's a great time to be in the home theater equipment market because there is so much really good, reasonably priced stuff from which to choose. Onkyo receivers tend to provide lots of great features/specs at a very fair price.

I'm sure both of the TVs you are considering will be fine. Is there any connectivity/compatibility advantage to sticking with Sony for both the TV and Blu-Ray player?
Thanks Scott! And yes, it's very difficult to make myself get up and walk out sometimes. Hahahaha!!!

A buddy of mine recently bought the same Onkyo I'm considering and said he ended up returning it and going with a Denon. He said that there was nothing wrong with the Onkyo and that it was a great piece of equipment, but for him, it lacked a bit of freedom in its equalizer. With his Denon, it allows him a bit more room to play around than the Onkyo did, which seems to be the same experience you had. My reason for wanting the Onkyo is that it's the only receiver on the market currently, that comes out of the box HDCP 2.2 compatible. I've researched it and there are a few Pioneer's (higher end models) that are soon to have a firmware update to include the HDCP 2.2 capability. I've been told that there are some Marantz receivers that are set to have a firmware update as well. My issue with wanting to make sure I have that capability now is that I don't want to get 6 months down the road and more companies and aspects of home theater, television, etc. transition to 4k and me not be able to use it due to not being 100% 4k ready/capable. I'm not sold on the Onkyo, or even partial to it; but like I said, it's the only one right now that comes with it out of the box. Without taking any test drives, and based solely on what I've read and heard, I think I would like to look more at Denon and/or Marantz (which, from what I've heard, are owned/manufactured by the same company). I just need to do some more researching and see who is definitely working on/planning to release firmware updates to upgrade to HDCP 2.2 capable. @Scott7 - HDCP 2.2 capability to the side, what would you recommend in the $400-700 range?

As far as the TV goes, I think I'm set on the Sony. I've done all the research I think I can do on it, which makes me lean towards the Sony to begin with. I've looked at them both in the store on multiple occasions for extended periods of time. Most recently, I've gone to several different stores and have talked to several different employees in each of the 3 stores to get their insider information, opinions and personal preferences. Out of the 9 people I've talked to, 7 of them prefer the Sony to the Samsung. Which interestingly enough, 3 of them were die hard Samsung fans that originally purchased the Samsung, and ended up returning it, buying the Sony and liking it more. Another interesting fact about that is that all 3 of them were from different stores (point being that they didn't have any influence on each other). Long story short...I'll be going with the Sony

As far as the BD player goes, I'm unsure if there are any advantages to having the Sony paired with a Sony TV. I've always owned Sony BD players, but never a Sony TV. I've always preferred Sony BD players to all others I've tested. I've had some experience outside of Sony, both with an LG (Hated it) & with a Samsung. I definitely preferred the Samsung over the LG, but for me, Sony takes the cake by a mile. However, I did have a very small amount of time to play around on an Oppo that my buddy @Hooch ordered and had me ship to him. That thing was AMAZING!!! The picture quality was ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!!! There are a few reasons I'm trying to force myself to stay away from Oppo though:

1.) Sony $150-200 / Oppo $600+
2.) I'm worried Oppo won't get the HDCP2.2 firmware update and I'll just have to go buy a Sony once 4k discs start showing up. Sony & Oppo $750-800+ LOL
3.) The less I spend on a BD Player, the more I can spend on a TV and receiver. I'm also hoping to pick up Sony's UHD Media player so that I can have access to actual 4k right now. It's a pretty penny, but I think it will be worth it.

@Scott7 - Scott, thank you for all your comments thus far! Please feel free to continue to throw out any advice, personal experience, etc.. Also, if there is ANYONE else reading this that has something to add, it would be much appreciated!!!
 
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Mathew,

I have an Oppo BD player and I love it. It's not even a new one - BDP83, I think - and I just can not think of a good reason to upgrade it. It's an awesome piece of gear.

Denon makes some really nice stuff in the price range you mentioned. From my experience, they take the learning and technology from their higher-end stuff and carry it through the line. They omit features to differentiate within their range of products. That said, you might not get the HDCP compliance you are looking for in that range. Have you considered a stopgap receiver purchase, to let the 4K market mature a little more? Give it a year and there will be a lot more stuff available, I'm sure. There is "the Bay" of course, but you could also try to score some gear from Audiogon, too. It might be a way of postponing the big purchase until you have more options. 4K has a ways to go...there isn't even all that much content available, at the moment. In a year, we should see more, along with Atmos-enabled soundtracks, too.

Check out the Denon lineup...there is some good stuff in there. Very smooth response, with great imaging and soundstage, all in a package that is somewhat velvety and easy to listen to (IMHO).

Speaking of Marantz, that is the brand of my current pre/pro (preamp/processor). I upgraded to it from the Denon a few years ago and have been very pleased.
 
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Mathew,

I have an Oppo BD player and I love it. It's not even a new one - BDP83, I think - and I just can not think of a good reason to upgrade it. It's an awesome piece of gear.

Denon makes some really nice stuff in the price range you mentioned. From my experience, they take the learning and technology from their higher-end stuff and carry it through the line. They omit features to differentiate within their range of products. That said, you might not get the HDCP compliance you are looking for in that range. Have you considered a stopgap receiver purchase, to let the 4K market mature a little more? Give it a year and there will be a lot more stuff available, I'm sure. There is "the Bay" of course, but you could also try to score some gear from Audiogon, too. It might be a way of postponing the big purchase until you have more options. 4K has a ways to go...there isn't even all that much content available, at the moment. In a year, we should see more, along with Atmos-enabled soundtracks, too.

Check out the Denon lineup...there is some good stuff in there. Very smooth response, with great imaging and soundstage, all in a package that is somewhat velvety and easy to listen to (IMHO).

Speaking of Marantz, that is the brand of my current pre/pro (preamp/processor). I upgraded to it from the Denon a few years ago and have been very pleased.
Speaking of stopgap...the Sony receiver I mentioned (along with the Onkyo) in the OP of the thread would be perfect for that. It has everything I need right now, but nothing crazy or over the top. It also has a very nice price tag attached to it. More than likely, I will go that route. All things considered, it is probably the best way to go at this point with so many things being up in the air. It will provide me with the opportunity to do some more research as well as put aside some more money; and that way, when the time comes, I can look into a higher end range of products.

What is Audiogon? I've never heard of it nor come across it in any of my findings. At least not knowingly.

Thanks again for all the info & advice, buddy!
 
@mlmaier84

Matey my friend, your room is absolutely amazing! We are all amateurs and not worthy! :D.very nicely done.

I know a little man that will have an epic childhood :D
 
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Speaking of stopgap...the Sony receiver I mentioned (along with the Onkyo) in the OP of the thread would be perfect for that. It has everything I need right now, but nothing crazy or over the top. It also has a very nice price tag attached to it. More than likely, I will go that route. All things considered, it is probably the best way to go at this point with so many things being up in the air. It will provide me with the opportunity to do some more research as well as put aside some more money; and that way, when the time comes, I can look into a higher end range of products.

What is Audiogon? I've never heard of it nor come across it in any of my findings. At least not knowingly.

Thanks again for all the info & advice, buddy!
Speaking of stopgap...the Sony receiver I mentioned (along with the Onkyo) in the OP of the thread would be perfect for that. It has everything I need right now, but nothing crazy or over the top. It also has a very nice price tag attached to it. More than likely, I will go that route. All things considered, it is probably the best way to go at this point with so many things being up in the air. It will provide me with the opportunity to do some more research as well as put aside some more money; and that way, when the time comes, I can look into a higher end range of products.

What is Audiogon? I've never heard of it nor come across it in any of my findings. At least not knowingly.

Thanks again for all the info & advice, buddy!
Hey bud,

Sounds like a good plan! I think there are going to be so many more options in another year or so.

Audiogon is an online community for nicer audio gear. They have a nice buy/sell area. You can get some great stuff there. Check it out!
 
your room is even more epic while listening to its own soundtrack :)



I would love to find a way to have that song play every time I open the door to walk in. It would play through it one complete time and only play it the first time I walk in (not if I walk in and out of the room a few times during the same "sitting". The Machine would know all...)
 
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