Bravo, this is a work of art and I personally love it. If I had the money I would do the same thing, but with more seats!!!!! It makes me sad to see all the people here that hate on this man for designing his dream system. It is rare in life that any of us get to do something like this, and as for the comment of "Wow...someone has a lot of cash, and needs to be donating it to charity, not spending it on rediculous "entertainment" systems" just because someone has a lot of cash does not mean they need to give it away. I have been looking at this system for over a month and I never get tired of drooling at this system. Once again thank you for putting this together for all of us to see. I would like to see what he does next!
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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)
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COMMENTS
Submitted by JW Baker (not verified) on October 17, 2008 - 3:49am
"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." This is not car audio land. you sound like a reject talking like that here. I'm an admirer of this system for many reasons and I work in the industry. I have installed numerous Hi-Fi systems my self and know what goes into them. Any man with a set up such as this one knows his stuff inside and out. He's not crazy... he's not doing it to piss you off. He's being HAPPY. This is what he wants to do. I hope to work my ass of for 20 more years and build a Hi-Fi system of my own. Let him enjoy it and stop criticizing him because this is not how you would spend your dime.
Submitted by GCharb (not verified) on October 22, 2010 - 6:40am
Okay, this gives the term overkill a new meaning!First of, a normal, 20/20 vision(not wearing glasses) person cannot make a difference between 2k and 4k resolution picture passed 20 feet on a 30 feet high screen, so even his pet pray bird could could not enjoy the quality bonus a 4k projector gives on such a small screen.Still, this is a pretty cool setup, and he obviously enjoys it, so good for him I say!
Submitted by Kipnis Studios (not verified) on September 4, 2008 - 11:34pm
doctronic - Thank you for such kind and wonderful words of praise. It is not always that new ideas are so well understood. much less received positively! I hope you, and all that care about picture and sound fidelity, will join me in appreciating and then defining the next generation of presentation standards. In the end - It is up to US! Cheers = Jeremy R. Kipnis Studio Standard , www.Kipnis-Studios.com
Submitted by Austin Kuipers (not verified) on September 12, 2008 - 6:30pm
David (and others irritated by this extravegance)If you work for your own money shouldn't you be able to spend it on what you want?This idea is also known as "capitalism"In my (and others) opinion, you are simply jealous, perhaps by charity, you meant they should give the money to you?
Submitted by Small Timer (not verified) on September 19, 2008 - 8:01pm
Well, he *is* more or less giving his money to charity in some way. Much more so than having it sit in a fund, stock, or other large non-materialistic investment. I mean, real people make these products. This guy; he has provided for over a hundred families to have homes, children, vacations and jobs.Does a trust anywhere do anything near what this guy does with his generous support of the arts? Think he has *any* bootleg media? Hello, this is capitalism at its finest.
Submitted by Kipnis Studios (not verified) on September 19, 2008 - 8:02pm
My dear readers, please do not be led astray by heinous spamming, as found here listed just above by Justin, of this Dallas based HT BS. Kipnis Studios is devoted entirely to custom and hand-tailored design solutions to the question: "What is the Ultimate Screening Room Experience, for ME?".Curious? Try Calling us for a complete demonstration, and be completely amazed!!!(203) 938 - 3767Cheers -JeremyKipnis-Studios
Submitted by James (not verified) on April 14, 2008 - 5:01pm
@ Michael. You don't understand the world at all. Your comments are very idealistic and it'd be great if that was the case. What about the man who desperately wants to 'build' but can't even afford the basic materials to allow him to do so. You completely skewed what David had to say and took it out of context. I'm certain that David meant he should give money to a worthwhile charity, not to 'parasites'. Or do you consider the third world to be a breeding ground of parasites?
Submitted by Zaphod (not verified) on April 27, 2008 - 9:30pm
Meh, the only thing good about that system is the use of McIntosh amps, second only to Crown. But for all it's flair... it is seriously flawed. 1. The auditorium should be THX shaped, no shelves. 2. All that audio equimpent in front of the speakers will be subject to vibrational wear 3. will introduce buzzing into certain frequencies due to resonance 4. will cause strange enhancement and canncelation nodes to appear in the listening area.Once again, it's a case of too much money, not enough education.
Submitted by Joey Ceasr (not verified) on August 11, 2008 - 7:43am
$6 million? Surely an installers wet dream. The system is pretty and all but I have seen similar systems by www.copperbox.com at a fraction of the price. But I do like the Submarine ;-)-Joey
Submitted by caemron cage (not verified) on December 22, 2008 - 7:09am
i hate when people who know nothing about audio video make stupid comments like the 1st on on this page were the person says this guys wasted all his money on entertainment rather than give it to chariry well i say FUCK charity this is the way to go everyone charity get a job like everyone else. i love high end audio video thats my hobby and i dont care about price if you do get another hobby like stamp collecting.i wish i could get what this guy has, plus he's an older guy with his wife i think thats cool that hes young at heart props for this sick setup
Submitted by Ben (not verified) on February 8, 2010 - 11:36am
This is an incredible setup no matter how you look at it. Keep the jealous negativity for yourselves. You can see that this rig is all about the equipment. Everything is exposed, no fancy flush mount panels or rose-wood enclosures. When its time for a wiring change he walks to the back of the rack and makes the change. When its time to make a change with the speakers/amps they are right there exposed to do it. It's clear that he's pushing the limits of performance. He's not doing this to wow people that are staring at home theatre. He could spend another huge sum of money on finish work if that were the goal. So, in my opinion based on how he is working with his components, this guy is a gear-head that loves what he does in his HT. He's not a rich dude that hired some over-priced botique store to come in and do all the work so he could look cool to his buddies. I'm feeling the joy right along with him because I identify with his goal. It's impressive, justified, and plain a
Submitted by Jason (not verified) on February 10, 2008 - 9:14pm
why is everyone saying he isnt spending his money right or why not give it to charity?doesnt a person have the right to buy what he wants. especially when he worked so hard to save up for it?even i be pissed is i bought a new tv from bestbuy and have an idiot come up and say, you should of given money to charity instead.its like taking the right to feel good.
Submitted by Kyle (not verified) on February 10, 2008 - 11:07pm
(drooling) Love It! I Love cinema and sound. I love picture quality.I'm a poor college student, and I save my dimes and nickels for high end equipment. My car has thousands invested just for sound and I just recently bought a 3000 projector and a HD flat panel and 5.1. This is my passion my hobby. And i'm pretty sure this guy knows what he's doing being this engineer and all that jazz i think he knows what he's buying and he knows how to place it. For those who say you can't tell the difference in qualities or hear certain frequencies...IT DOESN'T MATTER! You want the best, weather you can hear it or not, weather you can see it or not, just to know it's there. For those of you who don't understand, you never will. Relate it to the "jeep" saying..."It's a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand" Respect Kipnis, respect!
Submitted by PonyX (not verified) on February 11, 2008 - 1:38am
This thing should have been built back in the 80's during the "Age of Excess". I could easily see Robin Leach coming out from behind one of those subs saying: "...and he spent $6 million dollars on the home theater alone!" I just feel that something this costly and wasteful is inappropiate today. It is selfish for us to suck up the planet's resources leaving nothing for the children, not to mention the current Bozo in the White House who is sending us to the poor house! I think we should re-establish the "Debtor's Prison" just for him. The inflated egos that would buy this uber-theater are the same ones that will still be steering Hummers around town when gasoline becomes a boutique fuel at $20 a gallon! Thank God only the Superrich can afford these esoteric energy holes. If the common man were able to do this, we'd all be creating carbon footprints the size of Texas. I agree with one of the posters above that this energy sponge better be powered by photovol
Submitted by Tommy (not verified) on February 11, 2008 - 9:23am
awesome, I hope he gets to sell some systems, just for the fun of it. Ambition and a will to follow thru is what makes mankind move forward, for all you naysayers out there, I got one thing to say; why are u wasting your time reading, if it don't intreague you?
Submitted by Humberto (not verified) on February 11, 2008 - 10:24am
I don't think we should judge anybody for the way he or she spends their own money, after all, we all live the "American Dream" any way we like. But I do agree that if one is to spend all that cash in their "dream" home theatre, the screen should be set-up for projection of PANAVISION films as they were intended to be seen in their original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, and not crop the sides to be seen within the 16x9 aspect ratio at 1.85. This is very "non-cinematic", and you might as well have a static huge flat panel TV, rather than front projection.However, if this is the way you prefer to view your films, then enjoy and disregard all these comments!!
Submitted by pr (not verified) on February 11, 2008 - 10:51am
Everyone who ass-umes that he just spent all his money on this, talk out of the darkness of their own heart. for all I know, he may have donated many million$ for all sort of charity, And this is his personal dream. I mean, Bill Gates lives in a 60,0,000$ house. Does this diminish the billions he is giving away? I don't think so. That house is a technological showcase, and so is this system.Anyone that assumes this is not the case, is just saying "this is what I would have done it it were my money, just spend it all on myself". tis how they are able to "see" this behavior in others.
Submitted by Nathan (not verified) on February 11, 2008 - 12:20pm
Capitalism isn't about excess.I don't applaud him for his excess, but it's not my place to tell someone who's rightfully earned their money what to do with it. He's entitled to build a $6 million home theatre, even if I think it's a bad decision.That's the heart of capitalism.If you really want to get technical, capitalism is about maximizing marginal utility... and he is most certainly NOT doing that with this rig. I'd be willing to bet something in the $10,000 range provides far better marginal utility than this.
Submitted by macmvn (not verified) on February 11, 2008 - 2:15pm
The design of this system is stupid.#1 Three center channels. We use a single center channel for a reason, it works. #2 Acoustics - The placement of speakers and the apperant acoustics of this room would give you a high SPL but no imaging or sense of space.#3 Microphonics - What do you think those SPL levels are doing to the tubes in the tube amps?#4 Fuglyness - No need to say any more on this.#5 What is done with the heat that this system gives off? What kind of sound are the fans needed to cool all this equipment?#6 Compensation - You know what Freud would say!#7 Field of vision - There is a reason we stay away from the front row at the theater.#8 What is the hydrocarbon footprint of the monstrosity? #9 Even the most wealthy mentally challenged denizon of the left coast would find this an abomination. #10 How many children are going to bed hungry while you watch and listen to this monstrocity? Looks like you haven't missed any meals lately.
Submitted by Lost (not verified) on February 11, 2008 - 4:00pm
$5M of it was probably what it cost for him to get the utility to run a 13.8KV line to a residence. Plus all the upgrades he would have had to make to his entire house to be code compliant with a service entrance voltage of 13.8KV.I call BS, I see no wires, not even a hint of one in the equipment rack, let alone any way for those amps on the floor to be hooked up, even if they are wired straight into the floor.
Submitted by Nobody Knows (not verified) on February 11, 2008 - 4:19pm
The article clearly states it's a business venture. Sony spent far more than $6 million developing the PS3, yet few of you (ok, maybe the Xbox 360 fanboys would) would call for Sony to donate all of their R&D money to charity. A likely equal few, if any, would forgo buying home theater equipment until every last starving child is fed.As previous posters have observed, the hypocrisy here stinks. You may not be the customer for this particular system but that makes it no less a viable product for the free marketplace than any other luxury good or service you buy for yourselves.
Submitted by Rick (not verified) on February 11, 2008 - 5:15pm
I'm sorry, but I have to agree what a waste of money. As times are so tough for people throughout the world, I find it a bit arrogant of someone to brag on such a venture as this.Yeah, it cool but how much does a man really need?And you know the resale has to be crap on such equipment.
Submitted by the p (not verified) on February 11, 2008 - 8:54pm
nice system guy! absolutely ridiculous and if i had 6-million dollars to spend i'd do the same.i disagree with many of you self-proclaimed 'audiophiles' - or should i say haters - on many levels: that his system could be that great with less money, or that his acoustic environment is bad, etc...etc...that system is the greatest sounding system money can buy.
Submitted by Bo Eriksson (not verified) on February 18, 2008 - 9:22am
So... Where is the cables?I first assumed they were routed into channels beneath the floor, but There is nothing on the Amps speaker-terminals. The only hint of any cable is in the closeup of the McIntoch amp.I hate when articles like this removes cables for pictures. The cable-management issues are not unimportant! Especially in a setup like this.And about the setup in general. There is Overkill, six uninvented degrees over that, and then there is this.
Submitted by Andrew (not verified) on January 5, 2009 - 6:37pm
Well good luck to him I say. I have seen/heard something similar. Peter Jackson built a private 250 seat cinema in his post production facility Park Road Post in Wellington. No I don't know the technical details etc... I wasn't allowed to take photos of the interior so guarded in PJ about the design. I bet this guy doesn't have an Oscar on display in the the trophy cabinet in the foyer ;-)If I was going to go all out like this guy I would go all Goldmund. Yes there would be change from $6 million but that's not the point. There is nothing wrong with the pursuit of the absolute best! But if he wants to impress Peter Jackson? Not sure that he's starting out at the right place here.
Submitted by Morgan Talley (not verified) on March 17, 2008 - 1:11am
Some of the posts seem to suggest that the crying out for this man to donate his money to charity are from liberals, well let me tell you, I am a liberal and I couldn't care less wether he donates his money to charity or not, that's not really the issue. All this talk about how he should have spent the money and on what is completely irrelevant. Having read the article, the system is an experiment in excess. Does it work? The gentlemen who wrote the article seems to think so, and unless you're willing to believe he's lying about what he experienced all we can do is take his word for it. Without experiencing the system first hand anything said about the system are just uninformed opinions, and like assholes everyone's got one and most of them stink.
Submitted by Kristine (not verified) on March 31, 2008 - 12:55pm
Awesome! Life is so short, indulge while you can!How does anyone know whether or not he donates to charity, and honestly, what business is it of yours?I say good for him!! What a fabulous "blow your hair back" experience it must be to watch a movie in!
Submitted by Andrew (not verified) on March 31, 2008 - 2:02pm
If anyone actually thinks that is going to sound anything more than a total mishmash of crossed over soundfields then they need help.I thought it was a photoshop job at first since nothing actually seems connected but if that is real and all powered and working at the same time with those things all toed in and crossing over like a rats nest then it's really sad.I'm not jealous. As many of the sane ones here have already pointed out, what he has done is just basically blow a whole wad of cash and could have achieved a better result by spending a fraction of that.Do you honestly think the soundfields from all that moving, criss-crossing air is going to be anything other than a mess?
Submitted by pman uk (not verified) on May 4, 2009 - 8:07am
Lets face it. This system has given the owner a lot of pleasure (I hope). And its up to them what they spend their money on. People can be as high and might about thier lifestyle but dont preach about AV. The responce to this system is fantastic. Its like winning the lottery, everyone would spend their money differently. Personally my ultimate system ideas change monthly(but often based around Krell,Wilson Audio and Runco).
Submitted by doctronic (not verified) on August 31, 2008 - 11:20pm
At the risk of verbal regurgitation, the system is very much overkill - but isn't that the point in the first place? The comments about 'spending it more wisely' need to be taken with a grain of salt - the economic spinoffs readily speak for themselves. The room may also have been set up differently, though the intended visual reaction has obviously been acheived. Would 'A man's reach must exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?' sound appropriate here? This is a great 'pushin' the envelope' demonstration, with electronic sugarplums in mind. Good work, Mr. Kipnis!
Submitted by Devji (not verified) on September 27, 2010 - 6:56am
if anybody knows where i can find this man let me know, please. all i want is to smoke a J and jam COD MW2 with those THX speakers making it real 4 me-and whoever else wants to come. Please Jeremy, i'm a nice guy i promise. my mom makes a mean spicy chicken n chocolate eclairs. I'll bring em, just let me play, let me play Jeremy, please let me play = )email's devanpatel1987@hotmail.com
Submitted by Guy (not verified) on April 4, 2008 - 9:29pm
I doubt anyone he mentioned would spend 6million on this, they have better things to do with their money. But maybe he will find a sucker to make an investment. Also, I notice some people complaining about the comments that judged his system without even hearing it. Well I hate to break it to you but there are people who are experts (and are actually pushing state of the art every day) and then there are people who name drop/have a load of money (who are just trying to get over their midlife crisis). I would make the smart move and call up an expert before I brag about it on the internet.
Submitted by Kipnis Studios (not verified) on August 30, 2008 - 6:55pm
I think a person with a bit more intelligence and better upbringing might have said something nice - - - instead of the previous post! Please, if you have nothing positive to say, I beg you, stop bashing. It is counterproductive and completely off the point of my mission. At least read the article in full before posting - Is everyone just looking at the pictures? Jeremy R. Kipnis
Submitted by Ugly American (not verified) on February 8, 2008 - 9:45pm
Is this the part where I point out that the Blu-ray player he's using down-reses the output when you don't use HDMI?Or that the projector that he's using is not an even multiple of the Blu-ray resolution?I mean, other people already pointed out that putting the amps in front of the speakers interferes with imaging.This is an example of just how poor studio execs are. As you can see, he's barely scraping by and for him to pay the actual songwriter 9 whole cents a song is clearly unreasonable, eh?
Submitted by Henry (not verified) on February 8, 2008 - 11:48pm
@ Michael. Stop quoting Bioshock. Maybe he should be donating some money to charity if he has so much of it. That's not Capitalism, it's called being a good person. I'm glad we don't all live by your video game ideals. "A man builds, a parasite asks; "Wheres my share?", yeah, okay. That kind of thinking worked out great for Rapture didn't it??
Submitted by JT (not verified) on February 9, 2008 - 12:15am
Wow, skimming through the commments there's a lot of jealousy here. I think the system is F awesome and if I had more than enough cash to see my right I would indulge in my hobby also. Stop all the whining and give they guy some credit for allowing us to view his system. I bit it sounds better than most could ever imagine.
Submitted by Aunty Thrax (not verified) on February 9, 2008 - 12:39am
I'm sorry, but as much as I love music and higher quality audio and video, I could not justify spending that much money on it. There's a case of diminishing returns here, where I'm sure he could have spent a lot less and noticed a nominal difference in sound quality.Whether I'm jealous or not is irrelevant though - this is just ridiculous.
Submitted by mocca (not verified) on February 9, 2008 - 1:33am
I would be interested in knowing how loud Mr Kipnis listens to his movies/music.I see the necessity of multiple subwoofers and of a good speaker array and good amps, but it sounds to me as though this theatre was based a bit too much on volume.I hate when I go to a theatre and the volume is too loud. I'd really be interested in a dB meassurement and sitting position.And is there really much video quality to be gained using a 4k projector with a LaserDisc-Player or a DVD-Player? Even for the cheap HD players the projector sounds slightly overkill.But I do envy Mr Kipnis for his astonishing theatre. I would just like to experience it myself and see whether all this is without the aforementioned issues.
Submitted by SB (not verified) on February 9, 2008 - 3:11am
First thing, I think he has the right to spend his money on whatever he wants so stop whining. Second thing, the room is very well designed & for those people who know nothing about acoustics have a second look. He has acoustic foam around the whole room, but most importantly the book shelf. The book shelf is basically a huge diffuser, scattering the reflected sounds in all different directions thus removing room nodes and antinodes.
Submitted by Michael Klier (not verified) on February 9, 2008 - 3:38am
Hmmm ... I am an engineer/producer too. Can someone please tell me where to work to earn that much money (I know I should have been born 30 years earlier).From an audiophile point of view: I bet that system makes you literally shit your pants while watching Star Wars Clone Wars.From an engineer point of view: No one sitting in this room without above average knowledge about that stuff will ever appreciate the system in all its details the same way as the owner! This is a chapell, not a home theater, and it's fscking impressing but IMHO it's overkill. (I am wondering how close this setup follows the THX standards).From a earthling point of view: You should never expect every single person living on this planet to be as rational as yerself, especially when the person is very rich.PS: If you buy very expensive cables, be sure that they point to Mekka when you install them, otherwise they will not work!
Submitted by FunnyWorld (not verified) on February 9, 2008 - 3:42am
That "Playstation viral marketing" is part of the article, as it's used in the "Greatest Show on Earth"... :-) I don't know how it is playing GT5 with that screen, but that table doesn't seem rough enough to attach a steering wheel. Of course it should be a wireless Bugatti Veyron real one (including pedals) with circuitry developed in cooperation with VAG group and tested by Bourdais. If that includes some well-known centerfold "pit girls" then I would think about paying 10 $ a minute... LOL
Submitted by Steviebone (not verified) on February 9, 2008 - 3:45am
LMAO... a perfect demonstration of western ignorance and indulgence.. all that money and yet a total lack of acoustical design at all... and putting foam on the walls don't count friend... diffusing bookcases?: what a crock.. aesthetics? never seen such a COLD room for any amount of money... whoever he paid to consult is laughing all the way to the bank... a cost of 6 mil? I doubt it... acoustical coupling? look it up... putting the amps out front is just stupid.. has to destroy the spread... simple physics...my opinion: he HAD to make sure all the amps were out front so he could SEE where his money went...I'm sure it looks and sounds great... but 6 mil? he's an absolute moron with more money than brains and the fact that he wants us all to see it speaks volumes... I bet he drives a custom hummerand no, I have absolutely NO envy of this man... just stating to me what is painfully obvious... but then the world is full of stupid shit... we're an unevolved selfish species
Submitted by justin (not verified) on February 9, 2008 - 7:02am
he's ``...considering commissioning a custom-built scaler from Silicon Optix or Snell & Wilcox.'' That's cool!!! The converter alone could spawn a new market/business.With guys like this pushing the envelope of what's possible- the rest of us will benefit from the trickle down.Without having folks push and improve quality- our society would be left with only the low end stuff wal-mart and target are willing to sell at rock bottom prices.Even though I'm years away from having a mere 50k theater- I'm glad we have folks pushing the high end further. When I get my 50k theater- it will be better because of the passion from guys like Kipnis.Keep up the good work Kipnis!!! I wish you continues success in your business ventures as your passion pushes A/V to further heights.
Submitted by Carl (not verified) on February 9, 2008 - 8:20am
Curious...how do you people know the guy didn't give 12 million to charities the day before he started building this thing? He has 6 million for a system, I would bet that is not ALL of his money, and I would bet he has a LOT more. Maybe this is his one main extravagance, and the rest of his life is very unassuming to his being a millionaire (billionaire).
Submitted by Alan (not verified) on February 9, 2008 - 10:08am
It's his money - lesson to those who think he needs to "donate it" or do something else:Earn your own God Damn money and donate it and quit telling other people what to do with there's you fascist pigs.Maybe you'd feel better if the government controlled everybody's money including yours you ignorant and stupid morons saturated with your college professors liberal ideas of utopia where a very few get to control everybody's lives.Congratulations on building your dream system Mr. Kipnis - you have earned it - all of it. Good for you! I hope that it becomes a commercial success so others may enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Submitted by Jessie Sammler (not verified) on February 9, 2008 - 10:32am
Since when is a Theta Gen. VIII a surround sound processor? Why doesn't the equipment list mention the Theta Casablanca surround processor that's clearly visible in the photo of the projectors and equipment racks? What happened to his cables? Is is possible that they were all removed (either in reality or in PhotoShop) to make for cleaner-looking pictures?
Submitted by Scot (not verified) on February 9, 2008 - 1:26pm
Overkill? Just a tad, maybe. I'm reminded of the Flanders & Swann song:"All the highest notes, neither sharp nor flat.The ear can't hear as high as that!Still, I ought to please any passing batWith my high fidelity."Actually the Nautilus model is the coolest thing in the room. At least it was probably worth the money!
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