6 milion bucks, and no iPod. Sheesh. MP3s are the future!

February 14, 2008 6:44 AM

When it comes to home theaters, I thought I'd seen it all. But nothing's come close to this. First, I'm going to try to describe the sheer magnitude of Jeremy Kipnis' theater. His Stewart Snowmatte laboratory-grade screen is the biggest I've ever seen in a home, and in the back of the theater, there's a Sony ultra-high-resolution (4,096-by-2,160) SRX-S110 digital projector. I'm looking everywhere, jotting down questions, and Kipnis sounds almost giddy talking about his theater's capabilities. He refers to his baby, the Kipnis Studio Standard (KSS), as "The Greatest Show on Earth." And from the looks of it, he may be right. I should hope so, it cost six million dollars.
posted by the_very_hungry_caterpillar (120 comments total)

ObStarvingChildrenInAfrica

Also, vacuum tube amps. This should end in a gold-platedly.
posted by DU at 6:48 AM on February 14, 2008

That funky HD MUSE Laserdisc player stuck out for me. An eccentric piece of kit!
posted by The Salaryman at 6:53 AM on February 14, 2008

A home theatre that works out to $2 million per seat? I can't help but wonder just how much better he could have made even a modest corner of the world for that amount of wretched excess.

But that's (obviously) just me.
posted by Mike D at 6:53 AM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

All that effort and expense, and I bet he watches movies with Roman numerals in the titles.
posted by pax digita at 6:55 AM on February 14, 2008

Also, how much does he have to pay for media at that resolution and with what looks like 300 channels? You aren't sticking VHS tapes from Blockbuster in there nohow.
posted by DU at 6:56 AM on February 14, 2008

I thought those boxes on the floor were tweeters at first, but it turns out they're tube amps. And um, good for this guy I guess? I think it's kind of funny that he can't even use the digital output of blue-ray because of DRM restrictions. Haha.
posted by delmoi at 6:56 AM on February 14, 2008

I predict some phasing issues with that setup.
posted by chillmost at 7:00 AM on February 14, 2008

I wonder how much he pays for those popcorn buckets that have the holes pre-cut out of the bottom.
posted by bondcliff at 7:03 AM on February 14, 2008

The intense desire being satisfied here is not the desire to watch films.
posted by WPW at 7:05 AM on February 14, 2008 [8 favorites]

Just think how many Stradivarius violins he could have bought with that money.
posted by chinston at 7:05 AM on February 14, 2008 [5 favorites]

All that effort and expense, and I bet he watches movies with Roman numerals in the titles.

Actually, that would make me like this guy. A lot. Imagine if the first photo looked like this. Respect!
posted by soundofsuburbia at 7:06 AM on February 14, 2008 [7 favorites]

The guy's theater room is as big as my house. Sheesh.
posted by notsnot at 7:06 AM on February 14, 2008

Pfff. Amateur! I'm rockin' this set-up.

And I don't wanna brag. But it ran me over two hundred dollars!
posted by The Deej at 7:09 AM on February 14, 2008

It's bigger than my entire living space.
posted by grouse at 7:10 AM on February 14, 2008

Also, my setup has 5 stars from Amazon. His... not even listed!
posted by The Deej at 7:11 AM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

This guy needs to talk with James Randi.

I especially enjoyed the comment that he equipment doesn't do HDCP so he's relying on analog signals to feed this monstrosity. If I'm spending six-million on my setup, I sure as hell want the highest quality signal that I can get and that does NOT come from the S-VIDEO out on a Blu-ray player.

At what point does it become less about quality of experience and more about the quality of bragging rights? I'd say around $10,000.
posted by ruthsarian at 7:15 AM on February 14, 2008

That's not a room I'd want to make out in. Ergo, what's the point?
posted by desjardins at 7:15 AM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

Isn't there some equation about how far away the screen has to be for your eyes to discern detail in a projector of that resolution? In other words, he's seated himself too close to the screen for the resolution he's paid for?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 7:16 AM on February 14, 2008

it cost six million dollars.

Looks like somebody finally bought those $9000 speaker cables.
posted by Afroblanco at 7:16 AM on February 14, 2008

I don't know. I'd rather hang out and watch a movie at The Shalimar Theatre.
posted by JBennett at 7:17 AM on February 14, 2008

I especially enjoyed the comment that he equipment doesn't do HDCP so he's relying on analog signals to feed this monstrosity.

At $6m I'm sure he has the budget to buy customized debugging gear from Sony etc. to either turn off HDCP or strip it from the signal.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 7:19 AM on February 14, 2008

It's a nice looking system, but there are two glaring problem:

1) It looks like there isn't enough space behind the giant speaker for him to get to his records.

2) His wife is ugly.
posted by fuq at 7:20 AM on February 14, 2008 [4 favorites]

At what point does it become less about quality of experience and more about the quality of bragging rights? I'd say around $10,000.

I'd say about $1000. We're talking about a TV here.
posted by DU at 7:21 AM on February 14, 2008

Pfff. Amateur! I'm rockin' this set-up.

And I don't wanna brag. But it ran me over two hundred dollars!

Here's the pollomacho home theatre. Nothing but awesome. Coming in at $5 from a yard $ale.
posted by Pollomacho at 7:22 AM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

the Kipnis Studio Standard

Groan. He can KSS my Abrupt Snark Submission.
posted by CynicalKnight at 7:22 AM on February 14, 2008 [2 favorites]

You know, this guy could just go to the theater...might be cheaper.

I bet he becomes sterile and develops massive tumors from all the electricity in that room. Not that I hope that happens, I'm just saying. And after they lower his corpulent, tumorous bulk into its misshapen grave, I hope he leaves that cool-ass Nautilus model from his coffee table to me.
posted by Pecinpah at 7:23 AM on February 14, 2008

Silly rich guy, all he had to do was go down to the locate movie theater and shell out 10 bucks. but instead he oped to spend more money than I will probably make in my lifetime!
posted by Mastercheddaar at 7:24 AM on February 14, 2008

Ack! Glass table, right in front of the seats! Bounce-up reflections into the viewer's eyes from the light of the screen!

Money over substance, indeed.
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 7:28 AM on February 14, 2008

I dont understand by geeks with money get treated like shit by everyone. When a rich guy buys a mansion or a fast car its suddenly a sexy investment and theyre on the cover all the magazines. People applaud his business smarts and style. When a nerd decides "Fuck it, I'm making a dream theater or whatever" suddenly everyone is all about wishing him testicle cancer and pointing out the folly of materialism.

Hell, I'm sure he gives to charity more than anyone here and I'd rather see someone do something crazy with their money than produce "old money" trust-fund grandkids who will never know what its like to not have 7 figures sitting in the bank. The way I see it, he's not stealing from charity, he's stealing from his grandkids, and that's ok with me.
posted by damn dirty ape at 7:31 AM on February 14, 2008 [7 favorites]

So the power draw of this guys power amplifiers is like 18 KW so having them on for one hour is like around 64 000 Btu or the energy content of about 3 liters of pure ethanol or 60 liters of beer.

I don't mind the thing costing more than small countries. That's ok. It's just a hobby after all. I do mind the fact that just by having it turned on the guy is wasting more energy/booze than I can afford to drink. NOT FAIR!

The fact that the tubes in that amplifier are sorta communist makes the whole thing even more hurting.
posted by uandt at 7:32 AM on February 14, 2008

Here's his remote.
posted by The Deej at 7:32 AM on February 14, 2008

Here is his website. Evidently he is a music and film producer (or else there is another Jeremy Kipnis running around out there), so it makes sense for him to have high-end AV equipment. It seems a bit over the top to me, but I agree with damn dirty ape that hey, it's his money, let him have some fun with it.
posted by TedW at 7:40 AM on February 14, 2008

Eh, you can get a pretty good home theater experience for $2-3k. You could do it for under $1000 with low-end stuff (used, 800x600 projector + home-theater-in-a-box). My projector was around $1500, the 5.1 surround another $1500 -- overkill, in my current dwelling, as I can barely turn the sound up without shaking the neighbors. I shoot it straight on my wall for a 10 foot screen -- great for movies, video games, and amazing for HDTV.

I hate going to the theater anymore -- screw the $10. I literally would RATHER watch movies at my place, even if it was free at the theater, and even for big crazy epic movies such as LOTR. I can pause/rewind the movie if I like, drink a beer, get a pizza, make out with my girl, whatever. And if you're sneaky, you can get most movies before they even hit the theaters.
posted by LordSludge at 7:42 AM on February 14, 2008

To my way of thinking, damn dirty ape, its not the fact that this guy shelled out a lot of money to buy a needlessly huge system that makes him a dope, its that he shelled out so much money to buy a needlessly huge system that sucks that makes him a dope. Nothing about this 'home theater' is stylish or smart; it's just an obsessively compiled bunch of components that he hasn't spent the time to arrange properly.

And his wife is ugly.
posted by Pecinpah at 7:45 AM on February 14, 2008

So the power draw of this guys power amplifiers is like 18 KW so having them on for one hour is like around 64 000 Btu or the energy content of about 3 liters of pure ethanol or 60 liters of beer.

Too bad this guy is mentally ill, because now he'll never be fit to stand trial as the root cause of global warming.
posted by tommasz at 7:45 AM on February 14, 2008

Some of the best films ever made were on 16mm black and white film with no sound. But I don't suppose he watches those.
posted by Pastabagel at 7:46 AM on February 14, 2008

When a rich guy buys a mansion or a fast car its suddenly a sexy investment and theyre on the cover all the magazines.

No, those people are also morons. They're just more popular morons.

And those grapes were probably sour anyway.
posted by GuyZero at 7:48 AM on February 14, 2008

>And his wife is ugly.

Classy!
posted by damn dirty ape at 7:51 AM on February 14, 2008

He must really know what he's doing with all those loudspeakers. Even if it's Dolby THX-1138.1 or whatever the kids call it these days, that seems like an awful lot of tweeters. I've always learnt that the first rule of audio reproduction is using the smallest number of loudspeakers (or microphones, for that matter) that is practical. Maybe it's tuned for a sweet spot on that couch or something, but reach over for your popcorn and it must be comb-filter phasing hell.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 7:52 AM on February 14, 2008

Yeah, my previous comment was post-pretty picture peeking and pre-RTFA, of course.

Thus, from the deepest deep bass (10 hertz) up to the extreme high-frequency range (100 kilohertz), the KSS is the most full-range system I've ever heard—and felt.

I see. I bet this is a danceable system, too.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 7:54 AM on February 14, 2008

I can't wait to hook my iPod to it! Sweeeeet!
posted by fungible at 8:01 AM on February 14, 2008

Too bad this guy is mentally ill, because now he'll never be fit to stand trial as the root cause of global warming.

No, tommasz, that would be Thomas Midgley.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 8:01 AM on February 14, 2008

Pressing the question about keeping the KSS' video all digital, he admits that he's also considering commissioning a custom-built scaler from Silicon Optix or Snell & Wilcox. The ultimate goal is to produce a picture that's an open window to the world.

Hey, you know what else produces a picture that's an open window to the world? A window.
posted by pardonyou? at 8:03 AM on February 14, 2008 [2 favorites]

Just think how many Stradivarius violins he could have bought with that money.

Just think how many sacks of ten he could have bought with that money.
posted by fusinski at 8:06 AM on February 14, 2008

No, those people are also morons. They're just more popular morons.

I assume you wear nothing but burlap sacks while living in a one room economy studio apartment with no car or television?
posted by Justinian at 8:08 AM on February 14, 2008

So where is the money spent in there? Even if components are $20k, it would take dozens to get to $6 million.

I mean, the price of an IMAX theater is surely less than $6 million.
posted by smackfu at 8:08 AM on February 14, 2008

And his wife is ugly.

Stay classy, Metafilter!
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 8:14 AM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

Just think how many sacks of ten he could have bought with that money.

I would have gone for twenties.

Granted, I would only have gotten half as many.
posted by LordSludge at 8:19 AM on February 14, 2008

For $6 million, he could have built a stage and hired actors to act out the movies for him. Much more fun, especially the part where you get to demean the actors and smoke cigars lit with $100 bills.
posted by Pollomacho at 8:21 AM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

Meanwhile, the poor continue to go hungry ...
posted by New Frontier at 8:24 AM on February 14, 2008

Yeah, it's just priceless that he watches stuff over component because his jillion-dollar projector with a resolution far higher than any of his sources doesn't take hdmi. That's like building an airplane where the fuselage can take 20g turns but the wings fall off at 10g. Tool.

I like how he's cleverly arranged things so that in order to watch a movie, you have to also stare at the blue glow from the amplifier displays. Because Casablanca just isn't Casablanca without a bunch of needles twiddling back and forth bathed in blue glare underneath it.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:24 AM on February 14, 2008

Well, it certainly is nicer than my home theater, a 26 inch CRT style television and my old college stereo. However, ever since I became addicted to MetaFilter I hardly ever watch television anymore.
posted by caddis at 8:28 AM on February 14, 2008

I dont understand by geeks with money get treated like shit by everyone. When a rich guy buys a mansion or a fast car its suddenly a sexy investment and theyre on the cover all the magazines. People applaud his business smarts and style.

You and I are reading very different magazines.
posted by phearlez at 8:30 AM on February 14, 2008

It's kind of silly.
I did like how all the breakers were "cryogenically treated." I mean, fuck, why didn't I get in the way of that guy's money? You know, since he's just throwin' it around like a jack-ass.
Also, it doesn't look like a comfortable place to hang out.
posted by From Bklyn at 8:32 AM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

Man, the "wife's ugly" crowd are obnoxious and stupid. I guess the lesson is supposed to be that spending six mil on a home theater is idiotic, but buying (?!?) a pretty wife is a good investment?

They look pretty happy to me.
posted by OmieWise at 8:39 AM on February 14, 2008 [3 favorites]

...and I'd rather see someone do something crazy with their money....

At that, I flashed on an old Woody Allen quip about "backing a whaling expedition in Cincinnati."
posted by pax digita at 8:40 AM on February 14, 2008

Here's me in the midst of my home theatre system.

Having a projector in the home rules, and is worth the investment. Oh your television is how big? Nice. Mine's a wall.
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 8:42 AM on February 14, 2008

Here's what strikes me about it:

It's a selfish, crowded arrangement with a lot of hard surfaces and nearly all of the media storage is blocked.

I say "selfish" because dude put a smallish couch in the middle of all that sound and fury and made the rest of the room layout insufficient to appreciate the full experience.

Sure, he can spend his money how he likes. Doesn't mean other folks can't shake their heads at the profligate waste on something very few will ever experience which doesn't enrich any part of society, culture, or Earth in general...

...other than the folks he bought components from, eh?

As to those claiming he "probably" gives to charity: maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. That's not the point, though, really.

We're looking at an energy crisis, and he's running custom transformers to keep his rig going. That's going to sting folks having to watch every light they leave on and every drop of fuel they consume.

We're looking at a recession, and he's putting money on a mix of forward tech and outdated components that cost more than a community clinic would need to keep running for a decade.

Yeah, folks are going to be snippy and hypercritical about that. Good on 'em for seeing the disparity! I can only hope it'll help folks resist hypocrisy with their own expendable funds.

BTW: his wife isn't ugly. She's a regular person. I'm glad he doesn't have a trophy wife to go with his trophy system. Definitely a point in his favour.
posted by batmonkey at 8:44 AM on February 14, 2008 [2 favorites]

but buying (?!?) a pretty wife is a good investment?

No way dude, do you have any idea how fast those things depreciate?
posted by bondcliff at 8:48 AM on February 14, 2008

First off, a big piece of that money went to building the staging platform itself.

Second...

I should hope so, it cost six million dollars.

Correction: it cost him six million dollars. Which he is trying to recoup by generating as much publicity as possible (thanks, MetaFilter!)

Finally,

His wife is ugly.

If you asked your wife if you could spend 6 million dollars of your shared wealth (plus a few loans, most likely) just so you could build the "Ultimate" of whatever geek fantasy you might be entertaining in the deep-dark parts of your reptilian Geek Brain, just on the prospect--the hope, really--that somebody might actually be rich and crazy enough to buy it from you, and you might actually be able to make a career out of assembling such fantasies for the ultra-rich, and she, ugly mistress of the realm that she may be, said "Sure thing, honey!"... well, I don't care how hard she got hit with the ugly stick--that instantly transforms her into Her Royal Majesty Queen Dead-Sexy Goddess of Geekdom.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 8:51 AM on February 14, 2008 [2 favorites]

That set-up is akin to too much cosmetic surgery.
posted by hojoki at 9:00 AM on February 14, 2008

I'm bored at work, so I read the whole article. He's trying to sell the thing. It's partially a product demo for a business where they'll produce more as home theaters.

America, fuck yeah, I guess
posted by dosterm at 9:02 AM on February 14, 2008

Correction: it cost him six million dollars.

Nope. It cost six million dollars, or it cost him six million dollars, or it cost them six million dollars, or it cost them and their bank six million dollars, or whatever.

It's my post, I'll phrase it how I like (nah nah nah-nah nah). I will entertain no civil disobedience on this one - back to your Crass LPs and museli NOW.
posted by the_very_hungry_caterpillar at 9:03 AM on February 14, 2008

I bet American Idol sounds awesome on that.
posted by Mr_Zero at 9:09 AM on February 14, 2008

Ah, there's nothing quite like settling down for a nice movie and having the feeling that a bunch of midget robots are closing in on you...
posted by troybob at 9:14 AM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

where are all the cables? i guess for 6 mil you can buy secret wireless transmission line? I call shananegins.
posted by spish at 9:15 AM on February 14, 2008

He'll recoup it all by overcharging for popcorn.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 9:16 AM on February 14, 2008

Wow, the 'ugly wife' comment hits a sore spot, evidently.

Though obnoxious and stupid I may be, I wasn't trying to dehumanize this man or his wife. Rather, I was commenting on this comment (I thought it was humorous for it's being somewhat juvenile and absurd and felt that at least a few of the good people of Metafilterland might find the same humor in it that I did. I was sorely mistaken, obviously).

Note to self: it's OK to slam a guy for building a multi-million dollar home theater because it's wasteful. It's not OK to slam his wife because she was cool enough to let him build a multi-million dollar home theater.
posted by Pecinpah at 9:16 AM on February 14, 2008

I'm guessing 1 million for the AV and 5 million for the 1/32 scale working replica of the Nautilus submarine crafted in gold and sheathed in copper to give it that worn look.
posted by HappyHippo at 9:18 AM on February 14, 2008

What? no 360?
posted by sir_rubixalot at 9:24 AM on February 14, 2008

All that AV power and only 5 people that REALLY like each other can watch...
posted by Samizdata at 9:25 AM on February 14, 2008

Oh, fuck! It's Valentine's Day! Now I get it!
posted by Pecinpah at 9:27 AM on February 14, 2008

What doesn't make sense to me is taking all those ultra-sensitive tube amps and setting them in front of speakers? Doesn't the designer know what vibrations can do to those things?

I believe the remark about the ugly wife was intended as sarcasm and some of you seem to be a bit resistant to that sort of thing.
posted by Ber at 9:29 AM on February 14, 2008

Wow, this is silly.

I mean, I could have built him a perfectly enjoyable home theater for, oh, say, $5 million.
posted by Western Infidels at 9:33 AM on February 14, 2008

The only purpose I imagine myself building a system like that for would be to crank SunnO))) and brown note the whole neighborhood.
posted by The Straightener at 9:33 AM on February 14, 2008 [4 favorites]

For another $3 mil he could buy some tunes.
posted by Wolfdog at 9:35 AM on February 14, 2008

Metafilter is not resistant to sarcasm. Sarcasm requires the establishment of a context for it; if it doesn't exist in the thread already, you need to create it. You don't really accomplish that by prefacing it with a straightforward opinion.
posted by troybob at 9:35 AM on February 14, 2008

troybob clarified:
"Metafilter is not resistant to sarcasm. Sarcasm requires the establishment of a context for it; if it doesn't exist in the thread already, you need to create it. You don't really accomplish that by prefacing it with a straightforward opinion."

Amen.
posted by batmonkey at 9:47 AM on February 14, 2008

but buying (?!?) a pretty wife is a good investment?

No way dude, do you have any idea how fast those things depreciate?

Those...things? What the fuck. Also - no one gives a shit if you think the wife is ugly.
posted by agregoli at 10:00 AM on February 14, 2008 [2 favorites]

All that for Ratatouille? Really?
posted by boo_radley at 10:02 AM on February 14, 2008

Did I read he has a Playstation 3 hooked up to that. He plays videogames on that thing?
posted by dios at 10:18 AM on February 14, 2008

ruthsarian: "This guy needs to talk with James Randi.

I especially enjoyed the comment that he equipment doesn't do HDCP so he's relying on analog signals to feed this monstrosity. If I'm spending six-million on my setup, I sure as hell want the highest quality signal that I can get and that does NOT come from the S-VIDEO out on a Blu-ray player.

At what point does it become less about quality of experience and more about the quality of bragging rights? I'd say around $10,000."

Then he's likely using component connections, which are analog but HD-capable.
posted by aerotive at 10:28 AM on February 14, 2008

I don't mind the intense amount of AV-geekery going on there, but I find it hard to get excited over anyone who just throws together a bunch of components. Now, these guys are crazy in the best way possible.
posted by suckerpunch at 10:28 AM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

Did I read he has a Playstation 3 hooked up to that. He plays videogames on that thing?

Apparently it is currently the "most-featured" Blu-Ray player, in that its internal software can be updated, while most other players cannot. He probably uses it for playing BD movies.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:29 AM on February 14, 2008

Then he's likely using component connections, which are analog but HD-capable.

Unless he is converting HDMI to component, he's probably using HDMI with HDCP stripped or disabled, somehow. While component is HD-capable, a lot of the devices on his shelf will downconvert to 480i or 480p unless they are directly using HDMI connections (his JVC HD player, for example, will downgrade to 480p with component output). With a projector like his on a screen that size, 480p would look quite grainy.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:36 AM on February 14, 2008

This thread sucks.
posted by ninjew at 11:07 AM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

Yeah, but it sounds great doing it.
posted by InfidelZombie at 11:09 AM on February 14, 2008

A home theatre that works out to $2 million per seat? I can't help but wonder just how much better he could have made even a modest corner of the world for that amount of wretched excess.

Well, actually he did make a modest corner of the world better. After all, after he paid taxes on his money, he had to buy all of these things from other people (and pay sales taxes on top of the cost). And those people paid people to make those things. And in order to make the things, they had to buy materials from other people ... and so on, and so on. And everybody paid taxes at every step of the way.

Forgive me for waving the Black Flag of Capitalism, but most of the time, the "wretched excesses" of others mean somewhere, somebody got paid something, and they took that money and did whatever it is they do with it -- braces for the kids, new shoes, etc. We can talk about what they got paid and whether it's fair. But that's a different conversation entirely.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:15 AM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

I have pulled this story out in a similar thread, but I have a friend who installs high-end home theaters. he told me he was putting a $70,000 theater in a guy's home. I alsked him, what's the difference between a $50,000 system and a $70,000 system, and he told me: twenty thousand dollars.
posted by Bookhouse at 11:26 AM on February 14, 2008

I'd just like to say that if I had six million dollars, I would start my own production company and make my own movies.

I already have a screenplay. Christ, why are creative people always so poor?
posted by Avenger at 11:28 AM on February 14, 2008

I'm quite impressed with the submarine model [20,000 Leagues Under the Sea] rather than than the 40-amp cryogenically treated circuit breakers for each and every component in the system of which I know squat.

Honestly¿ Wicked./ C'mon haters.

Thanks too, suckerpunch for the Royal Device link ./ WOW. Freakin' drool.
I just wanna hear it....
posted by alicesshoe at 11:29 AM on February 14, 2008

A number of things went through my head when I first saw this article a week ago. The first was this.

The second was wondering what kind of DSP he's using to prevent the massive amount of phasing problems you are going to encounter with a setup like that. I'm sure it's extremely loud, but the phasing has to be shite packing that many drivers into such a tiny space.

The third thing was what would I do with $6 million for a home theater experience. This is amateur stuff for the amount of money spent. 10 Hz? Ha! Try flat down to 1 Hz. Want to avoid all of those nasty combing effects from your wildly dispersed mini-tweeter arrays? Go for an open baffle line source that has the added benefit of ignoring room modes. For $6 million you could hire Siegfried Linkwitz to design your speakers for you.

The system is nice and geeky and all, but it's like watching someone buy a Ferrari and insist on gluing stuffed animals all over it.
posted by ryoshu at 11:38 AM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

I actually have a large sound stage with full Klieg lighting and I hire the original actors to come and reprise their roles for me live.

Then I kill them and eat them. I have considered making their bones into polo mallets with which I knock their skulls into my gold plated swimming pool. But that would be decadent.
posted by tkchrist at 11:55 AM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

That place creeps me out. It looks like all the components watch you during the movie. And he doesn't have room for any friends who might drop by? "Let's watch movies in turns! I go first."
posted by user92371 at 11:58 AM on February 14, 2008

1. I will gladly build anyone who can pay a system better than that for $5.5 million. I will need cash up front.

2. For $6 million, why didn't he build himself a half-man half-robot crime fighter?
posted by The World Famous at 12:05 PM on February 14, 2008

Uther Bentrazor: that's an incredible picture. I'm getting a projector ASAP.
posted by Curry at 12:24 PM on February 14, 2008

His website looks like the theater system. Inelegant would be a kind way of phrasing it...butt-ugly and overwrought would be more accurate.

I can't begrudge anyone for spending lavish amounts on their hobbies; I'm sure I could spend an inordinate amount on a recording setup myself. But I'd drop a couple of bills in order to do it with some style. Different strokes, I guess.

And yeah, it looks like the phasing is simply hellish.
posted by malocchio at 12:25 PM on February 14, 2008

Then I kill them and eat them.

That's fine for nouveaux-riche tripe like you.

I pay other actors to kill and eat the first set of actors. And then I pay a third set of actors to masturbate furiously as the second actors eat the first actors' remains. I just lay there on the observation couch oozing ennui so deep and fierce that the military pays me to bottle it as an anti-morale agent.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 12:36 PM on February 14, 2008 [2 favorites]

This seems more like a proof-of-concept that he wants to sell to customers, rather than the setup he built just for his own use.

Me? I have a $1500 42" EDTV (plasma), a $100 DVD player/recorder, a standard-def DirecTiVo, and a $450 set of Bose cubes-plus-subwoofer speakers. I can't really see needing more than that.
posted by mrbill at 12:54 PM on February 14, 2008

Ah, there's nothing quite like settling down for a nice movie and having the feeling that a bunch of midget robots are closing in on you...

That's what I thought too, and I like robots. I'd find that setup rather distracting, myself.

However, to each his own.
posted by Zinger at 1:05 PM on February 14, 2008

What an ugly looking room. I've also got a projector at home, hooked up to some cheap speakers. I spent less than $800 for evertything and I'll be I enjoy it more because I'm not constantly obsessing about how it could sound better if I just spent extra for gold plated power connectors (or some such nonsense)

You know the best part about a projector vs tv? In the summer you can carry your projector outside and have drive-in movie night in your back yard.
posted by Eddie Mars at 1:19 PM on February 14, 2008

Avenger writes "I'd just like to say that if I had six million dollars, I would start my own production company and make my own movies."

You would be considered low-budget, if you didn't have investors to contribute.
posted by krinklyfig at 1:21 PM on February 14, 2008

You know the best part about a projector vs tv? In the summer you can carry your projector outside and have drive-in movie night in your back yard.

No... The best part is projecting porn on the building across the street. Or so I hear.
posted by LordSludge at 2:13 PM on February 14, 2008

Yeah, to reiterate what some others have said, nice system, but the combined parts and their placement don't make a lot of sense. I'm sort of jealous, but only to the extent that I bet I could design a better system for less money, although when would I ever get the chance?
posted by krinklyfig at 3:06 PM on February 14, 2008

...a $450 set of Bose cubes-plus-subwoofer speakers...

Uh-oh; that won't wendell
(Spoken as a proud Bose owner)
posted by TedW at 3:22 PM on February 14, 2008

if he was serious he'd be watching 70mm film projection.
posted by TrialByMedia at 3:41 PM on February 14, 2008

if he was serious he'd be watching 70mm film projection.

If he was serious he'd hire the actors to perform the script live in front of him.

No, wait... if he was really serious, he'd hire a bunch of people to act out the movie for real with himself as the first-person protagonist. Like in The Game.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:05 PM on February 14, 2008

I know folks that design and build ungodly home systems - not just theaters, but entire sound/video/automation systems, for people who have more than $6mil if they really wanted to spend it. The difference is that those systems are designed to disappear into the homes, be ultimately livable, and DO a lot more than this guy's setup. We're looking at the equivalent of a guy that spends $75k pimping out an Accord with an over-the-top stereo, new rims, a motor transplant, and flashy paint with led's on the sides that display the lyrics to his music as he drives by, when he could have bought one amazing BMW/Mercedes/whatever you want that was designed as a whole to be a real car.
posted by pupdog at 4:08 PM on February 14, 2008

If he was serious, none of the components would be visible in the room, nor would any part of his media library, and the room would be acoustically optimized and have seating for more than three people. And he would be peeing in jars and walking around with Kleenex boxes on his feet.
posted by The World Famous at 4:10 PM on February 14, 2008

Nothing's worth six million dollars unless it can fight Bigfoot.
posted by blueberry at 4:23 PM on February 14, 2008

We're looking at the equivalent of a guy that spends $75k pimping out an Accord

I kind of agree. All the components are really great and all, but the room is a far cry from aesthetically pleasing. Put all those Macs in the basement, in the supply air duct to heat the entire home and keep the amps running cool all at once. Oh, and get some proper seating for crying out loud.
posted by caddis at 4:55 PM on February 14, 2008

"What, no 360?"

He wanted a Wii, but even six million bucks can't buy one of those any more.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 4:56 PM on February 14, 2008

Nothing's worth six million dollars unless it can fight Bigfoot.

I accept the job, sir.
posted by The World Famous at 5:02 PM on February 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

Who is that? "That, my friends, is my very esteemed personal ball washer." [nsfw]
posted by edverb at 8:27 PM on February 14, 2008

Metafilter: $75k pimping out an Accord
posted by From Bklyn at 1:15 AM on February 15, 2008

I thought the whole ugly wife comment was a joke, referring to the picture that shows a bulldog-looking dog on the couch.
posted by Richat at 11:41 AM on February 15, 2008

Needs more cow-bell.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 11:59 AM on February 15, 2008

I doubt it, Richet, considering the dog picture is tiny and the husband and wife picture is very clear. Regardless, anyone's opinion on the hotness of his wife is unrelated to the link at hand and sexist and offensive to me. As if she needs any approval whatsoever from men on Metafilter to exist.
posted by agregoli at 1:43 PM on February 15, 2008

But the husband needs Metafilter's approval to spend 6M?
posted by phearlez at 2:47 PM on February 15, 2008

I think the whole thing is sickening. I mean this guy could have donated money to more unfortunate people. He could have split it six ways and six lesser millionaire tubeophiles could have a one million dollar system each. I think of those six guys forced to watch their current simple $10,000 systems and tears come to my eyes. Tears, I tell you! The shame! The outright horror!
posted by Sir BoBoMonkey Pooflinger Esquire III at 8:26 PM on February 15, 2008