The Greatest Show on Earth!

Kipnis' outer limits theater, or what $6 million will buy.

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.

While the KSS is technically an 8.8-channel audio system, it uses a lot more than eight speakers and eight subwoofers. Kipnis felt that a lone center speaker sounded a tad undernourished compared with the eight Snell THX Cinema & Music Reference towers, so he opted for three Snell LCR-2800 center-channel speakers. The original contingent of eight subs sounded "really good" but, unfortunately, didn't deliver the full earth-moving-under-your-feet effect he wanted. So, he wound up with 16 18-inch Snell subs! To balance the other frequency extreme, and for the ultimate in transient speed and transparency, the Snell speakers' treble has been augmented with MuRata ES103A super tweeters. 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. The speakers are fed by a well-balanced combination of audiophile solid-state and vacuum-tube amplifiers. The KSS is astonishing in the way it delivers power, but with 11,315 very high-quality watts on tap, that's hardly surprising. Not only can it play ungodly loud, the KSS sounds phenomenal while doing so and never hurt my tender ears. The theater is big but far from huge. Its vaulted ceiling ranges from 8 feet high at the rear end to 16 feet at the screen end of the room (which is 26.5 feet wide and 33 feet long). The 18-foot screen fulfilled my IMAX fantasies, and the projector's va-va-voom color and brilliant light were transformational. I just tried to take it all in as I scribbled notes, afraid I might miss some of the juicier details.

AC power conditioning for the KSS is, again, done to the max. Next to the garage, there are two mammoth General Electric 13,800-volt/800-amp step-down transformers; all of the cabling is audiophile-grade wire, and every aspect of performance and presentation is scrutinized, even down to the 40-amp cryogenically treated circuit breakers for each and every component in the system.

How It Came to Be
I first met Kipnis in the early 1990s when he worked for Chesky Records as an engineer/producer. And later in the decade, I followed his exploits when he started his own classical music label, Epiphany Recordings Limited. Hooked on video at an early age, he was the first on his block to buy a laserdisc player in 1980 and went on to amass a huge collection of players and discs. He watched them on one of the very first projectors in the market, the Kloss NovaBeam Model 1, with a 6.5-foot curved silver screen in his Redding, Connecticut, home, where he still resides. The projector's legendary inventor, Henry Kloss, was a neighbor and good friend of Kipnis' parents, so you might say the seeds of the KSS were planted long ago. The man's passions run deep. Kipnis tells me, "I've been watching movies since I was four on really big screens in movie theaters, and three years ago, those experiences inspired me to design a home theater with the absolute best picture and sound."

But it's more than that. Kipnis sees the KSS as a laboratory, an ongoing experiment to advance the state of the art. And it's not just for himself; he's dead serious about selling the KSS to movie-industry professionals and wealthy home theater aficionados. He sees his huge screen as an intrinsic part of the experience. "It's an unprecedented level of immersion that I'm looking for." The mix of brands and models for his customers' KSS systems will be site specific, and he imagines that, unlike his installation, the componentry and speakers will be stealthily deployed. The KSS pictured here is Beta Ciné, so yes, there's an even bigger KSS, the Alpha Ciné, in the planning stages. It's intended for much larger venues, such as screening rooms or perhaps even actual movie theaters. The Gamma Ciné will be a scaled-down KSS for smaller living rooms, bedrooms, or kitchens. The Gamma Ciné will likely utilize rear-projection techniques. (When not in use, the screen will look like a wall, and all of the equipment will live behind the screen.) The philosophy of all three KSS systems is the same—nothing but the best picture and sound. Price estimates will be site specific, but the cost of Kipnis' home system would be in the $6-million range.

Scaling the Heights
Setting up the Sony SRX-R110 digital cinema projector is a demanding job, and Kipnis has invested a lot of time into maximizing its potential, all in an effort to advance the state of the art. He's an Imaging Science Foundation–certified technician and studied with video-tweaking legend Joe Kane.

The Sony projector doesn't have HDMI inputs that are HDCP compliant, but it upscales Blu-ray and HD DVD players' component outputs to its native 4K resolution. So sure, it might look even better if he could use his HD player's digital outputs, but Kipnis feels the picture quality he's getting right now is "far more outstanding and realistic than any other movie theater I've experienced on the planet." 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.

With a bit of luck, Kipnis will get to play the KSS for the likes of George Lucas, Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg, and Martin Scorsese. And who knows—they each might be so thrilled, they'll buy one on the spot. That would be great, but I wonder out loud, "Would you have done all of this if you didn't hope to turn it into a commercial enterprise? Would you have done it just for yourself?" Without hesitating, Kipnis says, "Just to see what's possible? Yes, I would."

For more information about the Kipnis Studio Standard, please visit www.kipnis-studios.com or call (203) 938-3767.

Partial Equipment List for the Kipnis Studio Standard Beta CinE:

Picture Elements:
Sony SRX-S110 Professional Video Projector
Stewart 18-by-10-foot Snowmatte 1.0 Gain Laboratory-Grade Motion Picture Screen

Players and Sources:
Sony BDP-S1 Blu-ray Player
Sony PlayStation 3 Gaming Console
Toshiba HD-XA1 HD DVD Player
JVC HMDH-5U D-VHS Recorder
SATA Drive (72 HDTV Hours Total)
Mark Levinson N° 51 DVD/CD Media Player
Pioneer HLD-X0 Hi-Vision HDTV MUSE Laserdisc Player

Surround Processing and Decoding:
Theta Digital Generation VIII 32-bit 8x Oversampling Dual Processors (13)

Amplification:
Mark Levinson N° 33h Amplifiers (2)
McIntosh MC-2102 Amplifiers (30)
Crown Macro Reference Gold Amplifiers (3)

Speakers:
Snell 1800 THX Music & Cinema Reference Subwoofers (16)
Snell THX Music & Cinema Reference Towers (8)
MuRata ES103A Super Tweeters (10)
Snell THX Music & Cinema Reference LCR-2800 Center-Channel Speakers (3)

COMMENTS
Rong's picture

At first I was impressed, then I thought to myself, this whole thing had better be powered by solar panels, otherwise watching a single movie would warm up the planet by 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

Naysayer's picture

$6 million worth of A/V equipment, including a 4K Sony projector and he's... upscaling component video outputs? My god, what a waste. That's like flying to Paris on the Concorde so you can eat at McDonalds.

kodiakthejuggler's picture

Hey Naysayer,he's only using the component outputs of his HD DVD and Blu Ray players because that's the best he can do to connect to the projector at the moment, seeing as how there's no HDMI connections on that thing. Anyway, its native resolution is much higher than any home medium can spit out, so there's upgrade options still available.He'll probably do like he says: commission Snell & Wilcox to create an upscaler that will keep the signal in the digital domain. Besides, I'm sure it looks spectacular.

Waldo's picture

Wow! Having read each of the previous comments I'm not sure what I can add. But I'll try:He chose the Snells 'cause Snell worked with Lucas on developing THX. I think they cost much too much for the sound you get (which is awesome!). The Murata's are incredible products. The Stewart Snowmatte is to die for. Amps and other components are truly interchangeable. You could probably get more for less, but specs on the room and the equipment on paper are mind blowing. The picture and sound must be incredible in person.After reading this guys bio, I understand the madness and why he spent the money; though that's not a choice I would make.

Obed's picture

I have to admire his vision and innovation. But he did go way over the top. He just put and extreme amount of money on something that has no returns. And yes, there are better projection options.

Alien's picture

You are all dumb asses. There are acoustical treatments on the walls and you can see them in the pictures. You have not heard, nor can you say for sure, what this system sounds like. You are all jealous idiots. Go make 6 million + and you can do with it as you please. You have no idea if this dude contributes to charity, nor what amount.Get a life - stop judging others - make you own money - stop complaining.

Dan C - Richmond's picture

He chose to spend his money the way he wishes - that's the way it's supposed to be. Good for him! I'll bet it's a wonderful system that sounds and looks fabulous. Way to go.

Shua's picture

To bad he went with Snell - WEGG3 is a far superior speaker.

GravityFields's picture

@Michael @kodiakthejuggler @Alien: My thoughts exactly! I can't wait to spend $6+ million on my dream system.

Mistry's picture

Yep, you're right, if you have the cash and the passion, chase your dreams. This is truly the holy grail of AV setups, and nice to see the only real NEXT generation console there, the PS3. This system rocks. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Richard's picture

Short sighted.How much does a formula 1 car cost? Building this helps everyone here who enjoys home theater. I applaud him for his dream. Also never judge a person regarding whether or not they are giving money to charity unless your first name is Bill and last name is Gates. For all your complaining he could have given 75 million dollars away and kept a few for himself.

Hater's picture

F charity, I want to see video of this! pictures arent enough.

mike u's picture

Ah, the inevitable and annoying "gosh he shoulda donated to charity instead; what a waste" comments (read: I am a low income earner who is incredibly jealous OR I am an unnaturally pretentious person who judges other unreasonably). There are far worse crimes against humanity than building a killer home theater, why don't you all use your time to rail against those? Anyways, who says he doesn't donate to charity? I'd even bet the economic stimulation from that kind of cash outlay is more a efficient use of resources than less scrupulous charities, of which the cynic in me believes there are plenty. I admire this guy's dedication to fully pursue his passion, and as an audio enthusiast myself I certainly admire the beautiful system he's put together. Would love to experience/own something in my lifetime that even *begins* to approach what this must be like.

Calvin Chan's picture

I like how all the audiophiles in this thread know sooooo much more than this guy.

Andy's picture

Concept and possibilities, indeed it might be a tad overkill but that was probably also the aim. The fact that someone actually put this together is extremely cool. About the money it looks like a concept car spend years and millions developing it and probably will never even drive, but putting it together will actually be the lesson. Not about the final product but about the journey to get there...

UCrazyKid's picture

Sweet showroom, I hope he wrote it off in his taxes. If he doesn't sell a system to Lucas, et al. he can write it off again as a business loss! I'm surprised he didn't go custom for that much money rather than limit himself to off the shelf components, etc.

Russ's picture

umm exactly what are all those amps doing in the room? They aren't connected to anything.

bern's picture

Looks crap. Too much going on. It just screams, "Look at me, I'm rich". Less is more.

Mike Lemonade's picture

*Wow...someone has a lot of cash, and needs to be donating it to charity, not spending it on rediculous "entertainment" systems. *Wow...someone needs to go back to school and learn how to "spell".

Movieman's picture

I just like to be there :) thats all

jensen's picture

@Calvin Chan:that's the funny thing with lots of audiophiles - everyone knows everything better than the other one.one of my favourite things about audiophiles is:go to an audio forum, choose some audiophile cabling topic and laugh your ass off.i know some very nice text, but sadly it's in german. it's a physical approach to audiophile cabling and explaining in a very scientific way that all those super-expensive audio-cables are pure bullshit. really hilarious - you can silence lots of cabling threads with that article :)

Lioy's picture

I was impressed until I releazed that he watch simple cartoons on it

Moleman-Z's picture

Look at all the "haters" - Since he wants to sell this system, it's an investment. Like Waldo said, Snell is a good choice because George Lucas worked with them, and when has Lucas been wrong about anything? He probably will buy one from Kipnis because Lucas probably doesn't know many people in the home entertainment arena that could put together a system for him. Also, to whoever said it should have more seating: bad idea if these are in California, because that would just increase the odds of someone being crushed by a subwoofer should an earthquake hit. And yeah, f--- this charity stuff - poor people don't know good home theater! What are you liberals thinking???

Scott Wallace's picture

While I applaud the effort to get maximum performance, I can't help but agree with another post that I hope this guy is using his extreme wealth to better the world in some way and not just on 3-seat 6 million dollar personal home theaters. Using the component output of a first generation Blu-Ray player? That's kinda gross. Why not get the $250,000 Runco SC-1 which does have HDCP compliant digital inputs, uses the professional DMD made exclusively for commercial cinema DLP projectors, and has enough lumens to light up a screen even much bigger than the one he's using. And why in the world would you do a theater of this scale and not do a Cinemascope set-up with variable masking for different aspect ratios? And while the visual layout of the speakers is interesting, there is no way that each speaker position has been optimized. And an add-on tweeter scares me a bit. The speaker is either up to the task or it isn't. Adding on drivers to get more of 'something' is a hack.

Jeremy's picture

You guys don't know what it's like to have 6 mil home theater system, you act like 50k system would practically be just as good, lol

genekeats's picture

All you nitpickers, just read the article. The author was transformed by this room.

Greg's picture

Face it. This is sick. In a capitalist society one gets the chance to pursue one's dreams. I just hope he splurged on the Logitech Harmony 1000 Remote.:-)

Jim Fuller/AV Systems engineer's picture

I am both an audio systems engineer and have worked in high end audio and video for over 25 years. This guy's system is a statement. It was designed to knock socks off...the author even says it was designed as a 'total immersion' system. So to all the whiners who think high end cables are crap, or those who don't like the system or room look, or those who note the amp placement will alter the soundstage, or those who just want to criticize spelling...you're more entertaining than the article was. Yeah it sucks that some people have that much money and we don't, but in the context of all the systems I've seen and installed over the years, this wretched excess of a system is right up there with the best of them for sheer eye pop, and the bass will probably make little old ladies puke for blocks. (Do you think they removed the cables for the photo shoot?)

roland's picture

The man is wise in not having a 360 for that beauty, it would be a waste to have an obsolete piece of hardware for that powerhouse.about the cost, is HIS money and he got the right to spend it as he please.

dustin's picture

yeah its best to have ps3 for true hd gaming.

KanZ's picture

The PlayStation 3 is the best Console ever made!

BuzzKill's picture

Thank god your clever analogies stopped half way down the page. The comments are much more entertaining when read in the voice of the fat comic store owner from the Simpsons. The guy made a dream happen, when was the last time any of you did that?

Stefan's picture

WOW! Gonna have to visit the US after all I think! ;-)Now all we need are some good movies to come out - movies that not only fullfill the technological specs of this monstrosity, but also have a good book AND good actors, not just effects (yes, George Lucas, I'm looking into YOUR direction, you trout!).Still I would love to watch the Chris Cuningham / Aphex-Twin collection on this thing!

Tekahn's picture

LMAO where ever you go the PS3 fan boys feel the need to justify their over priced toaster ovens.And where the hell is the popcorn maker??????

kirby's picture

"LMAO where ever you go the PS3 fan boys feel the need to justify their over priced toaster ovens. And where the hell is the popcorn maker??????"On the top of the Xcrap360

Daniel's picture

WOW 11,315 Watts! I wonder how much his electric bill is each month...

lightspeed's picture

He's either ignorant of acoustics or he values the "coolness factor" much more than good acoustic principles -- which makes him a showboater and a bit of a poser.Look at the centre speakers (the most important speakers in the system). The first reflection will be smeared by the hard transformer covers of the amps that they're waaay too close to, and he has placed the amps smack in front of the drivers near the direct wave/ first reflection point. This will badly smear transients and distort the subtle nuances of dialogue.Very perplexing. Anyone who truly cared about the sound would have put the amps behind the speakers or off to the side... so one would have to conclude that this setup is driven more by ego and peacock feathers than by a sincere desire for sonic excellence.

Gil's picture

I commend the guy...and I must say to those that think he didnt spend his money wisely "what do you know?" the article is short, I am sure a lot of info was overlooked..he isnt selling a set-up for no reason and it sounds more like a concept and design that is superior to whats out there...its the fullest range system out there, how can you go wrong!

lol's picture

what a waste

Read More Closely's picture

This is not a personal system.It is a DEMO room. Jeez did you all go blind at the sight of the price? He's selling the concept and is probably dealing the brands as well.

Jazrod's picture

bet this sounds no better than my 5.9 million dollar system...

Steve's picture

Even if he did pay for it all, first it's his money, second that money goes to the companies who can do what they like with it. Such as hiring more employees or investing it in capital resources.Why do so many people think money is wasted and disappears when it is spent on something?

jo blo's picture

you woulda saved @ least 4 million dollars if you woulda just bought that $200 hearing aid .....hehe

John Young's picture

I don't understand why he didn't put those speakers on a raised platform, to make them project the sound away from the Mac's. But, it is his money and he can do with it as he pleases, I guess.

chris's picture

I think everyone has missed the point, you keep talking about dead spots and acoustics, and reflections and stuff... That's the whole point behind his system and why he has so many speakers in it... Whenever he found his system lacking something he added more speakers and amplifiers until it sounded the way that he wanted it to... While it may be possible to get a better sounding system, i doubt that it would ever be able to play as loudly and still be clean and clear.

You all kill me!'s picture

What is with all the negativity, can't someone do something nice and have people react positively? The internet brings out the worst in people, so much negativity and dissimulative comments. Guess what people you don't get to vote, could of, should of, I would have blah blah blah... It is a marvel of home entertainment engineering. Get over yourselfs and congratulate them on a job well done!

jo blo's picture

were too jealous that we dont have 6 million to spend on audio/video equipment. Also, since he spent that much, wheres the orgasmatron? ...eeeer o wait i think i remember seeing the roll of tissure paper @ the end of the coffee table. We arent actually negative but jealous we cant do this..hehe...those x rated flicks would be awesome on his system i bet.

Pete Mitchell's picture

Jeezuz, I've seen ghetto home theaters that look better than that mess. Who cares how it sounds when the room looks like shit! To top it all off, he wants to use it as a demo to sell systems based off it? I'd love to call the guy up as a prospective client, walk in, look around, and just bust out laughing hysterically.

Django's picture

Congratulations to Mr. Kipnis. Btw, it's "ridiculous", not "rediculous". Let the man spend his cash in whichever way he wishes. It's his dream, let him chase it. And please, don't tell me know more than a certified sound engineer who has been doing this for over 25 years. You have no idea what you are talking about. This person has had years to perfect his craft. Also, IN HIS OPINION, this is the best system money can buy, AT THIS TIME. It's up to him to decide what sounds best to HIM. Anyway, I would love to hear and feel this system. Congrats, Mr Kipnis. And keep up the good work.

Infinity RS 4b's picture

Did anybody ever think that "in practice" the amps wouldn't be right in front of the speakers? I would hope people would understand that this is just a photo journalistic display of the Whole product. Like any sales ad. Show everything in one picture. Screen, Speakers, Electronics.These folks are breaking ground on a new type of personal theater. Go to the local amc with 10 of your buddies and watch "Cloverfield" with this setup

scott's picture

Put away the HATORAID you bunch of fags, he can spend his money on whatever he wants to spend it on, if you don't like it go earn your own money and give it away. Always some idiots that have to cry b/c they can't afford it, go hug a tree!

Patrick's picture

Oh good Lord, this is rich. Here we have a fellow who spent several million of his own money to build a killer home theater setup. I personally found this interesting. But even more fascinating was the howls of self-righteous indigation from those denizens sitting in their warm homes and at their computers - screaming how can this be?!! Why didn't he just spend his money on bettering humanity? Well, I suppose you ought to ask yourself this question - you denizen of audio video interiors - what have you done today to better the life of some starving kid in Dharfur? Do you contribute any of your money at all to charities? Or do you pass judgement on others as you sit in your easy chair perusing audio-video interior and listen to your favorite tunes on your entertainment system?Maybe you should not worry about the splinter in this fellow's eye and instead concentrate in getting the log out yours.I'd stick around for the flames - but the stench of hypocrisy is too thick - need to surfac

V4's picture

That is awesome! Mr. Kipnis is now a new inspiration for me. Excellent work, it's always happy to see someone fulfilling their dreams. :)(And to hell with all you haters, grow up and get a real job)

ASHRA's picture

The heck with that system, I want that model of Captain Nemo's Nautilus. Way cool!Alright, the system would be nice.

krabapple's picture

It's not a fake, you morons. It was published this month in Home Theater Magazine.I'm not jealous of Mr. Kipnis..I'm laughing at him. He exemplifies audiophile douchebaggery at its finest. Bravo, sir. You've entertained me.And Kipnis IS the guy on the couch; the 'shaggy looking dude' is the article's writer, Steven Guttenberg.

Vat Nor's picture

People:It is a fake system for god's sake. Did you notice the lack of wires or wireless components on the back of the speakers? How about on the back of the amps?It is a stage set.

Alex's picture

You guys are just jelous. This is a fantastic set up.

ivan's picture

Some people spend money buying missiles and weapons.Well done, guy.And at least you have a wife to enjoy it together.

oh lord......'s picture

"when has Lucas been wrong about anything?" so you haven't heard of star wars episodes 1-3?!

Rat's picture

I can't wait till I win the lottery!!!! This is first on my list to get!!! Great job!!! And to all those who are so insanely jealous of someone who has money to spend and puts it into their passion......stop being little kindergarden bitches. If you collect spoons, does he bash you for wasting money on worthless, ugly shit that only hangs on the wall in over priced "spoon hangers"?!!! Buy a life and get over yourselves.

S C Brpwm's picture

It's only a lot of money if you ain't got it. Wish it were my system, but I'll have to put up with my 20 year old Carver amplification and Silver series ribbon speakers. Heck, I can't hear anything above 8000 cycles anymore.

summi's picture

its all about d feel.....:)

Andrew French's picture

Impressive. But i'm shocked at the volume of negative comments. So what if you can get great sound for less, that wasn't their dream, if money is no object, then why not? And why presume they don't do their bit for charity, for all we know they may donate millions already.

DANR's picture

No Linn stuff?!?Man, he needs to get Linn stuff in there.The submarine spoils it, and he needs a footrest. Simple.You could go to the cinema a million times on that budget mind you...

Lucian's picture

subwoofer ideas: place/bury all the subwoofers inside cone (whatever shape most potent) pits built right into the floor.. or actually build the subwoofers into the floor itself.. or subwoofers custom/specifically made for drag-n-drop into the floor.. or half the subwoofers below ground level and the other half above ground level.. immersive bass or just idiotic ideas? :) if i'd the money something i'd definitely experiment with :D

Karks's picture

Just appreciate it when someone goes further to see what we can do with what we have. So much wouldn't happen if we all drove a people's car and shopped at the corner shop.

James Hollingsworth's picture

No matter what you say it is over the top way cool. It may have things that some including me would change, but my hat is off to someone who is so dedicated to a home theater.Six million to him may be like $6k to some or even $600.00 to others. Get over the money issue and invite me over to listen to this system.Congratulations on taking it to another level.

Ajay's picture

Awesome system, I am impressed. Jealous ppl who talk of charity should themselves give away all their money to charity first then talk of donating.

R Bell's picture

Now. If there were only any movies worth watching on a 6,0,000 theatre.I am instersted though. How did he come up with 16 subwoofers. Why not 20 or 10.

Pwnstar's picture

I think I just soiled myself too....What was this blog about? :PYeah I agree this is a bit of an over kill it looks way to overdone, overpriced, over everything but I wouldn't say no if I got an invite to watch a movie there :D

Zep's picture

Please Mr K, think of the poor people that out there in the world that needs the money more than you do. It's a waste because all that expensive hardware does not do justice with your poorly acoustic treatment room.

Chris's picture

There are many of you that are complaining that this is over the top, or you could do this instead, etc. Of course it is. He just pushed the bar higher for what to expect with an elite Home Theater. Just look at who this is. He has worked with some of the premier names in the buisness. This is just like what Formula 1 does for the average car. That Toyota Scion may now look like an F1 car, but there is technology that has trickled down directly from that F1 car.

SurSound's picture

I am in the Home Entertainment Business myself. I feel that alot of childish and unnecessary comments are being made about this Elite Home Entertainment system. He set the benchmark in Home Entertainment. I would love to be able to actually experience this system face-to-face. How he spends or does not spend money is none of our business. This is about a system that will make your heart skip a few beats. Respect to you and to all those who helped get this where it is.

David's picture

This isn't the best system in the world. He could improve in a LOT of areas and probably would have saved money in the long run.What decibels is this system going to be playing the content at? 190dB?For the size room, he wouldn't need anything more than a bunch of either Meridian DPS8000's, some Meridian Digital subs, Meridian 800 processor/DVD player, some MIT Reference cabling, Richard Gray Power Conditioning/Battery Backup and some nice room treatment/seating and it would probably sound better than this pile..... if he didn't want to use Meridian DSP8000's, he could replace them with a full Wilson Audio speaker system using some Halcro, Krell, or McIntosh !K power amps. I wouldn't have chosen Snell or the lower end McIntosh amps or the Theta processor. Just my opinion.

David's picture

What is the temperature of the room when he has everything powered? 200 degrees? He doesn't need that many power amps and speakers to get high quality sound at a decent level. This is just overkill.....kepnis didn't even buy the top end McIntosh power amps. What happened? did he run out of money? Where's the cables? Power conditioning? Did he have a lapse in memory to purchase the stuff to make it work?I would have created a state of the art theater to seat at least 25 or 30 people and had better sound quality for a lot less money and would have less headaches...

Ron's picture

I have a 36" Sony TV "WEGA" with 2 speakers. After I watch a movie or a game. After it's all said and done, it sounds and fantastic in my memory. Just as clear and crisp as a $6,0,000 system. I don't care who you are, the picture is the same in your head once the movie is done. Even if you watch a movie that is not clear, but happens to be really good your memory has the best up conversion filter and it clears it right up. i'm not an audiophile" nor do i ever care to be one. This type is @#?% is nonsense to me. People are dying in the world, and this guy is worried about how clear the picture and sound is going to be when he watches Star Wars or Shrek. We need a reality check boys and girls.

Anthony's picture

I'd buy a ticket to watch a movie or play a PS3 game in his laboratory!

John Wayne's picture

They will lose all their hearings before dead in ridiation.

Michael Way's picture

This system is a deam and the choice of amplifiers were outstanding nothing sounds cleaner. I have been a stage engineer for 15 years and a home theater installer for the last 8, and while the pleasure i get out of looking at your system it is nothing compared to what it would be like to experience it. I to think I could build such things from scratch but must admire your love for your record collection. When we built our first show room it had a 10.5 surround and we were pushing 110db easy with a clarity of the crack of a perfect gun shot. While I did not have your budget, your layout reminds me of a larger design I have and would like to implement in the Pro Stage style. If interested In building a Pro System of this caliber Drop me a line at www.onewaytec.com

technix's picture

My Infinity 12' Sub and surround is the dopest ive seen or heard, along with my Kenwood 400 watt Surround HEad, and my Samsung50'' wall hung Plasma....i spent $2,500. Wut an asshat top spend 6 mil and only have to worry about tripping over all the lame amps and front speakers...could have mounted the subs in the floor with isobaric bandpass tubes coming out in all directons for the same affect.

AVPhile's picture

He built it as an experiment. And, what an experiment it is. He will sell these systems to all those Wall St. people who have more money than we think they do. If I had money, like real money, I would buy a home theater, but invest my own time and my own money research and try to build something even better. Everything crazy in this world is about passion. PS: To all the guys haterz, aren't we as humans always wanting to have more? Its a general tendency. People who are talking about charity, what percent of your money are you giving away for charity? I am pretty sure this guys is giving away more( at least for tax evasion) than all of us put together.

testidoors's picture

hi,i am new member

Kipnis Studios's picture

Dmytro - The interior design of a KSS system is entirely up to you - the client! It's totally custom work!!! If you want the interior to be identical to the Taj Mahal, then I am only too happy to design a room for you that looks like, feels like, and even is just that, but . . . features ideal acoustics, and total immersion when you desire to listen or view anything of your choice. It's completely up to you! Cheers - Jeremy

Richard's picture

To the folks whining about this guy spending $6M on a home theatre and not charity... how do you know he doesn't already donate to charity?Get over yourselves.

Imant's picture

Many times I see these pictures. Each time I am fascinated! Unreal!

drx's picture

To the people that says its his business regarding what he does with his money:Sure, if he does it quietly and enjoy his system without getting people to posting shit on blogs and flaunt his wealth to our face.But he did, and so we have OUR right of being jealous of his wealth and hate him for his humongous waste and laugh at him for his incompetence.He can showoff, we can criticize.End of the story.

Patrick's picture

That's one hell of a business write off. He will be claiming that on his taxes for years and laughing about it all the way.

Carrie's picture

Lets assume you have $1 billion. (and there are a lot more billionaires now than ever before)You spend $6 million. That is equivalent to .6% of your total wealth. lets say you have $1 million... that'd be a $6000 entertainment system at .6%lets say you have $100,000... $600 entertainment system.Can hardly get a good TV for that.People live to their means. hmm, if this posts twice is because i made a correction with a misplaced desimal point.

Brian's picture

His poor cat -- must be deaf by now.Also, the verbose guy who wrote this thing -- not THE Steve Guttenberg? So this is what happened after "Three Men and a Baby" and that awful remake of "The Poseidon Adventure". The theatre? You'd be in trouble if you had to go to the loo and walk straight into a bank of speakers in the dark. But I have admit--love all the laserdiscs he has and his use of storage. Now all I have to do is find out who Trichine Helfer and Adriana Lima are -- I bet it'll be something rediculous.

David's picture

Wow...someone has a lot of cash, and needs to be donating it to charity, not spending it on rediculous "entertainment" systems.

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