The Greatest Show on Earth!
Filed Under: $$$   Installer Profiles   Staff Picks   
Posted Tue Feb 5, 2008, 5:07 PM ET — By Steve Guttenberg

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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Reader Comments 

Posted Tue Feb 5, 2008, 1:50 PM — By David

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

Posted Tue Feb 5, 2008, 4:57 PM — By Richard

I would have spent less money on a Meridian Reference Series system and put the rest of the money elsewhere.

Posted Wed Feb 6, 2008, 9:55 AM — By John Doe

Well it's his money, he can do as he wants with it. Though I think that system is major overkill.

Posted Wed Feb 6, 2008, 5:05 PM — By Michael

@ David A man builds, a parasite asks 'Where's my share?' Your comments just make you sound bitter that you don't have that kind of money to spend. This is the spirit of capitalism. I applaud Mr Kipnis.

Posted Wed Feb 6, 2008, 5:15 PM — By Sam Soler

Wireless???

Posted Wed Feb 6, 2008, 5:34 PM — By Spam Digger

No xbox 360? No HTPC? Am I supposed to put my feet up on that glass coffee table? Dude, come on, spend some cash, get a recliner.

Posted Wed Feb 6, 2008, 5:51 PM — By Paul Nicholson

Put the amps in front of the speakers? Isn't that gonna trash the sound stage? Besides, how much source material is available in 8.8 surround. stupid.

Posted Wed Feb 6, 2008, 6:23 PM — By cb

Coolest thing about the room... Nautilus Submarine... What a joke.

Posted Wed Feb 6, 2008, 6:33 PM — By Raptor007

What a waste. You could get a nearly-equivalent experience with a lot less equipment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminishing_returns Also, it's interesting that they opted for a circle of toed-in speakers nowhere near the walls... this really limits the best effect to a very small "sweet spot". If I ever spent anywhere near that much money on a home theater, I'd want to be able to enjoy it with a larger group of friends than one 3-seat couch will accommodate.

Posted Wed Feb 6, 2008, 6:44 PM — By MrSatyre

I have to agree with the majority of posts here: he could have accomplished very much the same results (or even better) with a lot less money, but then I guess that's why some people spend $10K and up on a Rolex when a $400 Seiko looks just as nice and tells time, too. This is like building a skyscraper and plating it in gold. Why bother? I don't think even Donald Trump would throw away that much money on hardware (all of which is very nice, by the way; just too much of it) which could be used to build a better acoustic environment.

Posted Wed Feb 6, 2008, 7:02 PM — By Anthony Dever

from one audiophile to another i give this guy nothing but respect. Its because of people like this guy that new innovative ideas are brought to the table. Testing systems to the limits, making systems better, finding there strengths and weaknesses. It just seems to me that the people leaving negative comments more then likely have not the understanding nor the commitment to love something so much and accomplish there own personal AV Dream. Keep on living the dream Jeremy Kipnis.

Posted Wed Feb 6, 2008, 7:38 PM — By Barry L

I agree 6 mil is overkill for this setup, 50 grand would do hell of a nice setup and have 5,550,000 leftover for other things like 2009 corvettes,16 gb iphones,Intel QX 9650 cpus,9800 GX2 1Gb video cards and ...lol

Posted Wed Feb 6, 2008, 9:17 PM — By David

Totally tasteless - Back wall showing Yuk! Get some curtains! McIntosh Tubes? M'eh - I sold them & Never liked them. I'll keep my Bryston's - B&W's and M&K 5000sub - top of lines for millions less! I agree with above post - Need a place for feet too!

Posted Wed Feb 6, 2008, 10:30 PM — By Terrys_into_HT

I'd love to be Kipnis' neighbor and learn about another persons process, different products and limitations. I'm into quality and yes quality costs money so I'm not surprised at 6M. Sure I cannot afford it, but if someone wants to, let them. I finished my dedicated HT and now I look back and plan to improve parts for the next one I build. Upgrading equipment to top of the line is not for everyone, but when they experience what high-quality products deliver, they are not complaining.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 12:25 AM — By Kodiake

Hey Barry L., $6,000,000 - $50,000 = $5,950,000 LOL

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 12:47 AM — By JBDragon

I love the screen size, but for me it's a lot of overkill to me. The 6 million I really don't have a problem with, but I would have used less money on all the speakers and other stuff, and put more of it into making the room look a lot better, and some really nice Reclining Seats with at least a couple rows of seating. I like the Submarine, but does it really need to be there? I'd want my feet up in my 6M home Theater, siting there for a few hours. That 3 person couch just doesn't cut it for me!!! It just seems so wasteful, So much of everything for 3 people?!?! Myself, I'd have a group of friends and or family there watching "The Matrix" in HD DVD or something. If you have the money spend it. Sure it may seem like a waste, but the Rich BUY all this stuff, Cars, Boats, Homes, and where does it come from? Well it's Made by PEOPLE! All the people to get the Materials to the People who Design, who Build, Who Ship. That's Jobs, lots and Lots of Jobs for y

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 1:08 AM — By Anonymous

Michael, did you really quote "Bioshock" to insult someone LOL

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 10:06 AM — By 1latenite

I was impressed until I releazed he didn't use Pear Anjou Speaker cables!

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 11:19 AM — By frank Zambito

I agree with everyone else...overkill. Plus if you're going to spend that much money, at least hide the amps and speakers. Its all a bit distracting. When watching a movie, I want to see the screen and nothing else.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 11:21 AM — By Anonymous

Problem is, if he's done this all himself, it won't be THX certified. But if you go to any concert hall and look around, you'll know that good sound doesn't just come from what make the sound but what the sound reflects off. In this case, I think (as many above have pointed out), he's wasted a lot of money. To justify spending that much money on audio toys, you need to get the room properly architected.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 11:29 AM — By mike

The biggest sin is, with all that money spent, it looks as though zilch was spent on proper acoustic design and treatments. Book cases don't cut it on a 6 million dollar setup! That's a joke! Nevermind the tube hamps having severe microphonics from being placed in front of mamoth subwoofers and 10Hz signals!! No Rotary Subs either!! This theater is FAR from SOTA, he really should have hired a consultant LOL.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 11:50 AM — By Ryan

Biggest joke of all - He has a QuadHD projector (latest marketing term), and he's only feeding it (at best) 1080i. With all that money he wasted, I would have asked Sony to build a one-off that was HDCP compliant. He blew a fortune on that projector, and he's only upscaling 1080i, what a waste. This guy really blew his load thinking he knew what he was doing. Most of the 'audiophiles' out there don't really know squat (although, those that are actual engineers are the only ones I respect - they don't buy into the marketing fluff of "price = performance"). He definately should have spent 1/100th of that ($60k) on building a better shaped room, and then spend some dough on accoustics. I question (with having all those speakers pointing in), how much signal cancellation is actually taking place, the "sweetspot" is probably just a jumbled mess of audio signals. He turned all his speakers to face the same spot, I bet it's more of a deadspot. Audioph

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 1:43 PM — By Mark

What a sad, sad, simple-minded man. Same goes to all of you who applaud his efforts. I'm guessing evolving spiritually is not one of his priorities.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 1:47 PM — By anonymous

I dont understand how so many people can comment on the theater sound or video without having experienced it first hand.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 1:50 PM — By Sam

...my first feeeling especially seeing the overview is... you have to be an American, or some kind of new super-rich from the developing world, to find that too much stuff is cool and not a waste, or to find the idea of spending 6Mio that way is OK because it's your money so no one can judge, and better spend it in what you like the most etc etc... utterly selfish in my opinion, I will not argue about what could replace this best or whatever... but apart from the price, just the quantity of energy this must consume for the pleasure of 1-2-3 people makes me feel sick

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 2:14 PM — By Kodiakthejuggler

To those of you posting comments... unless you are an audio engineer or a man with his connections and history in the industry, I'll take your opinions with a grain of salt. It's safe to say that NONE of you have heard this system, nor anything even remotely in the same arena, so I doubt you'd have much say as to what is a good expenditure on his part. I'm quite sure he has PLENTY of knowledge in room acoustics, and has thought of everything necessary to bring out the full quality of these components, otherwise he wouldn't be touting it as "The Greatest Show On Earth" and trying to market it to industry giants like George Lucas or movie industry professionals. If you look closely, you'll see that the walls are covered in acoustic foam panels, so it's not entirely a lost cause.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 2:19 PM — By Rong

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.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 2:52 PM — By Naysayer

$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.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 3:04 PM — By kodiakthejuggler

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.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 3:16 PM — By Waldo

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.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 3:27 PM — By Obed

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.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 3:30 PM — By Alien

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.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 3:54 PM — By Dan C - Richmond

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.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 4:05 PM — By Shua

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

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 4:08 PM — By GravityFields

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

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 4:09 PM — By Mistry

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...

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 4:12 PM — By Richard

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.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 4:21 PM — By Hater

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

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 4:25 PM — By mike u

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.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 4:41 PM — By Calvin Chan

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

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 4:41 PM — By Andy

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...

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 4:51 PM — By UCrazyKid

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.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 4:59 PM — By Russ

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

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 5:06 PM — By bern

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

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 5:18 PM — By Mike Lemonade

*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".

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 5:21 PM — By Movieman

I just like to be there :) thats all

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 5:20 PM — By jensen

@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 :)

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 5:51 PM — By Lioy

I was impressed until I releazed that he watch simple cartoons on it… ;-) - joke

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 5:53 PM — By Moleman-Z

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???

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 5:59 PM — By Scott Wallace

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.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 6:01 PM — By Jeremy

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

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 6:03 PM — By genekeats

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

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 6:09 PM — By Greg

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. :-)

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 6:10 PM — By Jim Fuller/AV Systems engineer

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?)

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 6:32 PM — By roland

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.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 6:42 PM — By dustin

yeah its best to have ps3 for true hd gaming.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 6:48 PM — By KanZ

The PlayStation 3 is the best Console ever made!

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 7:02 PM — By BuzzKill

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?

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 7:29 PM — By Jullian_PDX

There is much more specifications that were left out of the article that can be found on the creators web site. http://www.kipnis-studios.com/The_Kipnis_Studio_Standard/KSS.html Read and Learn!

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 7:32 PM — By Stefan

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!

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 7:35 PM — By Tekahn

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??????

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 7:40 PM — By kirby

"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

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 7:42 PM — By Daniel

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

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 7:42 PM — By lightspeed

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.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 7:42 PM — By Gil

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!

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 8:02 PM — By lol

what a waste

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 8:34 PM — By Read More Closely

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.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 8:58 PM — By Jazrod

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

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 8:59 PM — By Steve

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?

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 9:00 PM — By jo blo

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

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 9:12 PM — By John Young

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.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 9:29 PM — By chris

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.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 9:36 PM — By You all kill me!

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!

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 9:47 PM — By jo blo

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.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 10:23 PM — By Pete Mitchell

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.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 10:24 PM — By Django

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.

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 10:26 PM — By Infinity RS 4b

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

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 10:46 PM — By scott

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!

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 11:00 PM — By Patrick

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

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 11:28 PM — By V4

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)

Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008, 11:39 PM — By ASHRA

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

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 12:00 AM — By joshg

whoever said a $50,000 system would equal this is nuts, whoever said give more of it to charity is nuts...im sure the guy gives plenty to charity and a $50,000 system would be piss to this. people, please think before you comment....FFS

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 12:16 AM — By Nate

I think it's brilliant and all the people knocking on the system and claiming that they could build better are just jealous. I mean c'mon obviously he knows what he's doing... The photos show that the amps aren't hooked up and are clearly for show. He isn't stupid... he's made 6 million dollars more then you... and plus he's been able to put that money into a home theater. Now go home to your 2500 dollar setups with your elitism and suck on your remotes.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 12:36 AM — By Cecil

I agree with those of you who dissagree with those who criticize this guy for spending his money on whatever he wants. Some of you on here asked why he doesn't give this money to charity. Did you every stop to wonder how much he already does give the charity before you pass judgment??? It is definitely not okay to do so without getting all of your facts straight, or to do it at all. You never know just how much money one make, I guy like him could give half of all his money away and still have enough money to do something like this 3 times over. At some point it is okay to spend your money on whatever you want without guilt. I bet that child in darfur wonders why you (hypothetically) spent $500 on your iphone or just $120 on your shoes, when a couple of bucks could feed him/her all he/she needs to eat for a month. Don't judge people. You do what you want with your means, and letter others do with theirs what they wish! PSU FOREVER BABY!!!! GO STATE!!!!

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 12:38 AM — By neno

a la puta que carro esa mierda mejor que se gasten el pisto a niños que pasan hambre gringos cerotes

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 12:52 AM — By Oracle

I don't know about you.. the appearance of the setup is pretty messy to my taste.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 1:10 AM — By bob

oh wow there's a lot of jealous people posting on this! major props to this guy, bet it was was worth every penny!

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 1:21 AM — By Hard-of-Hearing

WOW!Congratulations Mr.Kipnis for making "This" and good luck with future projects.However,if there is any xxx$ left over please consider making decent website.After all,if money is an issue for you there are lot of free templates on the internet that at least look professional and work great ;).Sometimes less could be more ;).

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 1:25 AM — By Mike

So many haters out there. That's a beautiful setup that probably sounds outstanding, I hope you get a lot of enjoyment out of it. Enjoy, Mike

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 1:51 AM — By bob hope

So if someone decided to spend 10 billion dollars on audio/visual equipment just so they could have the best home set up in the world, none of you "let freedom ring" folks would care? Capitalists make all that money because the middle class is too stupid to elect representatives that will demand higher wages and a better quality of life for the majority. Middle class like to slave away all day at some crap job, bending over taking it like an orphan.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 2:50 AM — By Martin

Heh people commenting stuff like 'speakers are not near the walls'.. Showing utmost lack of knowledge. The _last_ thing you want is put a speaker next to a wall. It induces early reflections and spoils the soundstage. The small sweet spot is the price to pay for an ultimate sound.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 2:55 AM — By Kevin

Well as a closet audiophile with Magies powered by simple Adcom with Mac switching, I would like to say, you all are wrong, the person listening to the music, or watching the vid, matters, not your opinion, this crass negativity the pours from all of you, is beyond belief. Part of being what we are is too enjoy watching someone else experiment and find what they, not you, but what they think sounds or looks good. Isn't the whole theory, of a audiophile based on this, not what we think is perfect but what can we try, or just do it for the sake of doing it. Money should not be mentioned, I never have this level of money but can see most of you are wanting his money not his vision, I think the vision, is much more important. And quit basing on 360's, Halo 3 will never be on a PS3 at 1080i. Again all of you should be ashamed, we are all experimenters, why not rally around, and until you can build one...shut up, I think its great, I buy my house to fit my stereo, does that bother you too, its what you have

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 4:10 AM — By gambyl

Its his cash so he can spend it in anyway he wants to. As long as he is happy with it. Thanks for sharing your system!

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 4:50 AM — By Court

I think all this is a waste. If you've got 6M to blow on this stuff then go out and have an adventure. Go experience something instead of trying to recreate it through A/V equipment at home. All that junk works out to playing an Atari on a modern CRT. Your methods of output far exceed the quality of what you're putting into them. And 11k watts of sound into a 850sqft room? Like on the Simpsons THX sound intro, you are now deaf. Titanium on your amps? WTF, such a waste of resources for something that sits still! Titanium is normally used for things that move and need to be light. A home theater is awesome, but this is just glutony.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 5:35 AM — By Brian

He can spend his money however he wants, but if I was going to spend $6 million on a home theater, it would hold more than 3-4 people! He could have bought a few less speakers, subs, and amps, and built a pretty sweet little auditorium for him and 30 of his best friends and still had fantastic orgasm inducing sound. IMO what he has is overkill.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 5:43 AM — By Tinyman

Hey Court - Adventures are your dream. Back off this guys version of same. Did anyone see that this is a LAB. Labs never spend any money on the aesthetic and they keep everything in the open so that components can be swapped out or repaired easily. "But it's more than that. Kipnis sees the KSS as a laboratory, an ongoing experiment to advance the state of the art" "...and he imagines that, unlike his installation, the componentry and speakers will be stealthily deployed." If you people ever found out how much the Big 3 spend on concept vehicles that never make it to production it would make you puke. This is the home theater equivalent. And anyone who has more than a few synapses firing would know not to judge a system this complex based on an overview in an article. You just show your limited intelligence with comments such as that.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 5:52 AM — By Fredco

What an incredible waste of money. WTF? The ***one*** million dollar system wasn't good enough for you? Tweeters to 100 khz? That's only 80 khz above the limits of human hearing. I bet that system would be great for playing a recording of a dog whistle, so as to keep those pesky stray mutts away from your house.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 6:24 AM — By Andrew

Ummm, has it not occurred to anyone else that these shots look suspiciously like skillfully executed 3D renders with some clever Photoshop post-production? Or is it just me?

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 8:02 AM — By edesignuk

What a bunch of whining, jealous bitches. Is it over the top? Of course it is, it's billed as the ultimate you morons. The kind of people that will be buying this are billionaires (or at the very least multi-multi-millionaires) for whom $6m is peanuts. They're probably sitting in a 20,000 square foot house they don't need either. One way or another they've "made it" though, why shouldn't they spoil themselves rotten? Incredible beast of a "home" cinema, very well done. I for one think it looks amazing.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 8:26 AM — By Boris

What type of idiot reads that article and assumes that all 11,000 watts will be employed instantly upon turning on? Some of you act like the system has two settings, off and 11,000W. Too loud!

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 8:32 AM — By EdgeOne

I love how so many people can tell this guy what he should have done with HIS money. Yeah, yeah, I know its blasphemy to true audiophiles, but who doesn't want to be completely encircled by speakers and amps at least once in their life? Too bad no more than the three people can enjoy it at one time (but something tells me thats not a problem). Oh, and the real shame here is those are all laserdiscs in the bookshelves...

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 8:56 AM — By subcode

Ama exeis palamari ti ti theleis th Ferrari? An pali den exeis, vres allo tropo na entypwsiaseis...Entelws kakogousto kai ypervoliko...

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 9:11 AM — By speakerman

get off his jock you are all corn balls i build speakers for a living and the way the room is set up even if the walls are covered its a waste the only reason it might sound good is cus hes pumping out so much sound that what ever is in front of the speaker wont matter its a waste the room is set up like crap and il tell you right now its now the speaker but how the speaker is built for the room best sound comes om custom speaker boxes that are designed for a space.... if he really wanted to impress i would of had the speakers custom built for the space but all in all its a waste

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 9:16 AM — By Pride

lol! :D It's so great to read about these so called experts, who judge and blame all they can. "What a retarded system, you could have made same for so much less money." "What no ?!" "LAL, sucks!" "DOUBLEWHAM LAL, quantum interference and the circular positioning of speakers sucks!" C'MON GUYS! This guy has a hobby! If this doesn't tell about true and honest passion, nothing does! I'd love to see a single movie in my life in environment like this. :) Enjoy your epic system!

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 9:23 AM — By DavidHater

David... you just need to STFU and worry about yoruself first. You know nothing about the guy, he could be donating a LOT of money (and thus contributing more than you ever have or will, dbag). Even if he isn't, it's none of your concern how he spends his dough... the more he spends, the more jobs and stimulation he provides our economy... far more than you have or ever will. So again, just STFU and keep your useless opinion to your self. Why is there always some self righteous arse mucking things up when ultimatley he is the one who is the complete loser in the mix?

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 9:36 AM — By investor

Ok. Where i can buy this ?

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 9:52 AM — By jl

Yikes! This is a for profit venture as well as an exercise in doing your best. It is not your "average" $50k home dream theater. However, I would not mind seeing a few tweaked Minimus 7's strategically placed..... ;-)

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 9:52 AM — By ozer

He might acidently send himself back in time if he's not careful. :p

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 10:13 AM — By joeschmo

Wow...I am amazed at the difference in opinions here. I only wish I was more of an audiophile to argue some of these brands and technologies. As for the craziness of this system, I believe as much as everyone criticizes this guy, he is the one listening to this setup. Something tells me this guy didn't walk into a store with 6mil and say, give me one of everything! I'm sure he researched all of these components and they make the system sound the way HE likes it! I'm sure he's also considering the opinions of others like George Lucas, etc. when building this, but come on... There's a reason there are multiple products available in every market. Each person puts a different aspect of a product at a different priority. It's just sad to see so many people giving this guy crap for enjoying his money. For everyone who said donate to charity, I bet you'd buy your $50,000 system, then buy $5,950,000 of other stuff! What a bunch of crap people. As for the creator of this,

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 10:46 AM — By Yop

I was not aware that Mc Intosh was doing wi-fi amplifier...

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 12:03 PM — By tomas

I'd like to see frequency response chart. I really wouldn't be that much surprised if it is a complete disaster/mess.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 12:06 PM — By JF

I actually like the way the room looks. Cracks me up how lot's of people here like to tell others how to spend their money. Earn your own money and spend it how you like.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 12:18 PM — By Pooka

I'm betting a good portion of that money went in to the construction of the space.... 2250 Sq/Ft. Custom Designed, Two-Story Concert Hall with Vaulted Ceiling & Balcony - 1" Solid Maple Flooring on 4" tall Pine studs - 12" spacing, sitting on a solid 16" reinforced concrete foundation, itself isolated on 4 - 156' solid steel girders all the way down to bedrock. Features non-parallel walls, ceiling, and floor, with dedicated installed noise isolation system, and acoustic treatments designed to supersede ANSI, SMPTE, AMPAS and AES/EBU noise specifications for professional movie theaters, mixing stages, and anechoic test chambers. Seating for 3-6 (Arizona Leather Curved Couch & Director's Chair) or up to 24 (Premium Leather Theatrical Recliners).

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 12:49 PM — By Father Time

Obsolete in 5... 4... 3...

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 12:49 PM — By Angus

Wow. Is it even possible for you people to comprehend that somebody can look at unbelievable, ridiculous excess and disapprove without being "jealous"? Probably not. Sorry guys, I look at this and feel disgusted, and it has nothing to do with wishing I could have it myself. I guess if you spend your days smelling your own farts and congratulating yourself on how far above the masses you are, everybody else in the world is just a 'whiny, jealous bitch'.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 12:54 PM — By Fred DeRosa

I feel so inadequate.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 1:11 PM — By Tim in Phoenix

Fascinating.... I do not see any power cords or wiring off the back of the amps......is this rig wireless?

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 1:21 PM — By Bill

it is sad that one even has not enough money for proper digital camera or this is product of photo enhancement. Perspectives, lighting, shadows, anything doesn't seen to be at place.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 2:01 PM — By Kevin

I wish I could "hear" this system through the pictures like so many other posters here so I too could comment on its audio quality. Unfortunately my .jpg to .mp3 codec isn't working properly. I'm sure during normal operation the components aren't in picture perfect placement (photo op). Regardless of how it may look aesthetically, the ultimate goal is if you feel immersed and like a part of what you are watching. And until the posters sit on that couch (one at a time, for size limitations of course), no one has a reason to criticize or comment on how poor the picture or sound may or may not be. Now, I'm gonna go watch a movie on my $400 Home Theater in a Box and envision what it could be with a KSS.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 2:12 PM — By Rick

All of you people who think you're better than all, do you know this guy for telling that he can actually give that money in charity instead of building that system? When you walk the street and someone ask you for charity, why don't you give him your 20$ instead of going to cinema? Maybe this guy already give some millions in charity and this is his 20$ to go to cinema... Think before bashing..

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 2:22 PM — By Mitch

Nice Nautilus

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 2:25 PM — By andré gimenez

Muito Show!!!! Valeu, também gosto muito desse tipo de coisas.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 2:26 PM — By Evil

He should have spent 10 million more on equipment, then throw it all into an incinerator, in full view of starving children and poor people in general. This would let them know its their fault they're poor and that he's not going to give one red cent to them as they lay dying at his feet. Then laugh as he steps over their frail bodies.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 2:27 PM — By doc

Its Fake, computer generated; there are no cables to the amps that are obviously powered on, the lighiting in the room especially the shot with the sub picture is just a bit off, the shadow on the couch is to sharp in the over head pic and the most telling evidence is on their own website "Dedicated scaling technologies are available to provide photo realistic 3D presentations" Well done even down to the dog on the couch.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 2:29 PM — By Mike

One thing that is quite evident, is the lack of any if not all cabling...hmmm must be using that new wireless power technology as well! look at the picture of the equipment, there is no interconnects, the only device that seems "on" is the cable box. The second picture down you can clearly see the speaker terminals without a wire attached. Funny

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 2:34 PM — By Jeffr

Personally I think it's a bit much. But as some other people have posted, it is HIS money and he can do what he wants with it. I just hope that someone with that much money is also giving some of it to charitable organizations. I think if you are a multi-millionaire you should be obligated to share the wealth. Ya, it's a capitalist society, and he should be able to spoil himself once in a while, but I hope he's not a greedy bastard.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 3:22 PM — By Eldrecko

Six mil to watch a cartoon. Sad little man.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 3:57 PM — By Silverio

Ah vai se fuder meu!

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 4:06 PM — By Chode

screw charity...they worked hard for that money...just give it away your crazy lets see you give up your hard earned money

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 4:18 PM — By Deano

well i have to say, that is amazing , truly amazing, i would love to experience that system, i beleive you would not ever want to watch another movie anywhere after that. To the muppet who had a wah because this system cost 6 mill and he shoul fed the starving, grow up you have no clue what this gentleman does behind the scenes, maybe feeding the starving is his other passion, either way dont throw stones at people just because they have money and by the sounds of it earned it. On the cabling theres at least 3 pictures there showing cables and the amps in the ring actually have the cables fed thru the stans into the floor, not rockrt science.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 4:30 PM — By Mike

Wow, doesn't invest it or anything....that's just plan stupid to spend that kind of money on something like that...just stupid...

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 4:49 PM — By PsiClops

Hey I've got an 8-pak o Guinness I can bring over!

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 4:57 PM — By Ken

This guy could charge 10-100 bucks to let people come in and listen and watch for 10 minutes and make his money back and more in no time.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 5:26 PM — By George of the Jungle

What a waste. He should've only spent 50K on his theater and donated the remainder to the poor starving children in Dharfur. I hear they're also in desperate need of some acoustical treatments and PS3's over there. I read they don't want any Xbox360's.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 5:59 PM — By Your mom

Wait, wait, he blows $6M on his home theater, and yet he's UPSAMNPLING the video?!? I am going to laugh for days over this one. What an idiot.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 6:08 PM — By Waderider

Your either part of the problem or part of the solution. And this is most definitely part of the problem.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 6:40 PM — By Plasmacom

Boy what a bunch of jealous wankers, Its his coin and if he wants to spend this cash on bragging rights, All the power to him. Do you all cut up a man with a private jet because he could have flown in economy??? Or the hope diamond when you could have have zirconia ? 400 ft yacht when he could have cruised on disney?? Go play on your ps3 on your $999 benq and you self made painted screen

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 6:51 PM — By Jose R Toledo

Phenomenal!!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy it and dont worry about the stupid comments there is a lot of envy in this world. If I had the money i would do it too.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 7:12 PM — By Bazza

What a shame some of that 6 million wasn't wasted on aesthetics. That has to be the ugliest home theatre I've ever seen. Not to mention the fact that the lounge looks like it came from KMart.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 7:42 PM — By Chris

1. It is a lab. a client install would take far more care about aesthetics. And as such, things are set to easily swap things out. and as he said, he is using it to play. 2. He did not spend 6 mill... he said it would cost somebody 6 mill to buy it. 3. the Runco... WHATEVER does not compare to this 4K beastie. 4. The guy on the couch is not him. he is the shaggy lookin dude. 5. 12000 watts of amplification is a fancy way of saying there are 24 x 500watt amps (or whatever the config is) not that he uses 12K watts to run the system. Why does he have to give the money to anybody? if he has worked hard and made lots of money, it is his. Sure it would make us feel nice if he did... but the money we are talking about could be considered as capital expenditures in a business. we know very little about him or his gig. to pretend we do is the height of ignorance.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 8:03 PM — By Matt

Why the wood floors? I am sure that helps all of his nice sound equipment.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 8:09 PM — By Anonymous

@Michael Capitalism my behind, thats simply a waste of money, although its his money to waste...When its all said and done its 6million bucks worth of already obsolete over-indulgence.....Its not about jealousy, its not even the best equipment out there for that kind of money, but I could see Bill Gates doing this, but then again he gives hundreds of MILLIONS to the unfortunate through his foundation, so there is a difference.....Heck the money this guy spent on a HT system so he could sit there and gain more weight gawking at his big screen, could have rebuilt how many homes in New Orleans, fed how many children?.....Hmmm.. Oh but its his money.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 8:50 PM — By Chris

$6 million is a chunk of change to spend on stuff like this, but good for him. Giving it to charity? Sure - why not give some to charity. But for someone else to dictate that it SHOULD be given to charity? What dick. People like that SHOULD give all their money to charity - that would be the price of being so freaking smug. David's just a Daydreaming Marxist.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 9:01 PM — By FunnyWorld

Most people don't tell the difference between 720p and 1080p, not talking about the sound... some experiments have shown that, if properly set up, not even an audiophile could distinguise an mp3 from a SACD, and that's using "expensive" amps and speakers. That 6 million obscenity sounds and looks better than a 60K one just because it HAS TO (but maybe just in our minds). And no, I don't envy that guy who expends that amount of money for watching a bluray... and my english is far from perfect, I know... and my ps3 is expensive, but got it for free... and reading all those comments was great! By the way, don't listen your ipod that loud, or you could miss the 6 million experience some day... ;-)

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 9:46 PM — By Paul Descartes

Okay, can we stop it with the damn Playstation viral marketing? Thanks

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 10:04 PM — By StArSeEd

I'm surprised the equipment list left out the details what would, judging by the walls of what appear to at least mostly be vinyl records, be one of the most important pieces of this setup: the turntable, an ELP Laser Turntable atop the right equipment rack. And also don't miss the Scientific-Atlanta Explorer 8300HD digital cable DVR in the lower left.

Posted Fri Feb 8, 2008, 10:57 PM — By nselson

How does that cost six million dollars? Not even close. And, what the hell is 8.8 surround? That guy's in his fifties(easy): he can't even hear to 16khz. Supertweeters?! This is crap.

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 12:12 AM — By Bryan

There's nothing that can't be achieved with egregious wealth, a lack of taste, and the willingness to step over dying bodies in the gutter on your way home from Blockbuster.

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 12:45 AM — By Ugly American

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?

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 1:08 AM — By Spelchock

David, Wow... Someone needs to learn how to spell "ridiculous"!

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 2:48 AM — By Henry

@ 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??

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 3:15 AM — By JT

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.

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 3:39 AM — By Aunty Thrax

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.

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 4:33 AM — By mocca

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.

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 4:41 AM — By Charles Micks

Is the room climate controlled?

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 6:11 AM — By SB

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.

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 6:38 AM — By Michael Klier

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!

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 6:42 AM — By FunnyWorld

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

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 6:45 AM — By Steviebone

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 hummer and 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

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 6:55 AM — By Uhhh

And then a big lightning bolt fries the whole thing. Cause God hates anyone having a better system than his.

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 10:02 AM — By justin

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.

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 11:17 AM — By monte

Wow! Is that Bose? Sorry, couldn't resist;-) mk

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 11:20 AM — By Carl

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).

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 12:03 PM — By avik saha

Big investment should give big returns. He can sell his idea and then donate the money to charity. PS: Can you donate me $300 so that I can buy a pair of desktop speakers.

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 12:38 PM — By Dr bob

I would just love to hear that system with a good movie.

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 12:50 PM — By Mr.

well... GOD DAMNIT!!

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 1:08 PM — By Alan

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.

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 1:32 PM — By Jessie Sammler

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?

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 2:02 PM — By The Sallow Things

He seems to have an excessive amount of equipment. My husband could do way better with way less, but that being said, if we were very wealthy I *KNOW* he'd put some crazy entertainment shit in some room.

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 2:15 PM — By D.

Where are the wires ???

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 2:21 PM — By Robbie

Damn man, can I come and play PlayStation3 on your set...?

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 3:03 PM — By THISGUYISARETARD

Where is his remote? I wonder if the jackass even has a decent remote. Maybe he's hiding the 30 remotes just to run his sound system.

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 4:26 PM — By Scot

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 bat With my high fidelity." Actually the Nautilus model is the coolest thing in the room. At least it was probably worth the money!

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 5:10 PM — By Dave

How much interest would 6 mill get in 10 years? Then, how much will this crap be worth in 10 years?

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 5:30 PM — By sheL

It's their option how to spend money just like U, there's no "need" to do as U think. Plus u don even kno about this person.

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 5:55 PM — By crank

talk about hypocritical - how many idiots are talking about poverty from the comfort of their comfy leather chair with their big gut hanging out of the t-shirt scoffing down a burger and fries. ps3 hahaha don't make me laugh, a guy has a $6M setup and you mention that glorified jap toaster in the same breath - too many envious morons in the world.

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 6:30 PM — By Brain Dead Hippie

> 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?" Hey idiots - this is an inventment! if any of you mouth breathers RTA he wants to sell set ups like this to people - morons

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 6:50 PM — By duder

To the guys whos say that he shouldn't have a 360, but should have a PS3, you guys are complete bozos. If he has that much money invested in a system, he could afford both. Not to mention a pretty damned good PC, (or Mac, or both....)

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 7:00 PM — By Dacon

Gotta love all the ignorant comments. The man is obviously VERY wealthy, and most wealthy individuals donate more money then you will be worth in your entire life. It's also a great tax write off. For the people complaining about his the "investment" ... who cares ? You dont buy a Ferrari to make money, and you dont buy a Yacht to make money. You HAVE money and you want the BEST> If his set up is worth $2million in the future, is he gonna care ? Probably not. Might be upset he lost 4 million over several years, but he has the BEST in audio and video technology to show for it.

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 7:03 PM — By SeK

wooow crayz man what are you doin..maybe i can give you some advice about $6 million... $6 million = 28 ferrari modena, 2,7 bugatti veyron :) etc....

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 7:26 PM — By Sniper882

Wai il sait ce qui est bien tous sans une Ps3 sa l'aurais pas fais mais y'en a une donc ce truck est magnifique jouer a Cod4 la-dessus.....

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 8:08 PM — By Marc

I am running an "older" 7.1 loudspeaker system, and the WAF (wife acceptance factor) is quite low. A snapshot of the rack where the media PC, the playing devices and the amps are located looks a little like a setup at a rock concert. Great for tech lovers, not so great for a living room. I would like to see how this rig looks like having all wires connected to the amps, loudspeakers, etc. There is a reason why this isn't shown in those pictures. If I had 6 million to spend, I would build a house that has all the gear (players, amps, etc.) in a separate room and runs the cables invisible in a separate sandwich floor similar to office or server buildings. That way, you can still have lots of loudspeakers around you, but not have to deal with cables cluttering your home cinema room.

Posted Sat Feb 9, 2008, 10:37 PM — By joe toast

Everyone who condemns his spending his money on something he likes is just plain jealous. Why should he give it away to charity? He earned his money, he can spend it as he likes. Good for him. I bet his system is fantastic in every respect. He obviously has had time to research all the components. Besides, I know his musical background, and he knows what he is doing.

Posted Sun Feb10, 2008, 12:43 AM — By Alfonse P. Cocker

I just want to know if he used Monster Cables. That room could suffer from a lot of RF cross-talk. Stereo?

Posted Sun Feb10, 2008, 1:05 AM — By pug

Yuo cannot afford. Deal.

Posted Sun Feb10, 2008, 2:47 AM — By emmanuel

Waouh Jeremy !!! 6 M$ while peoples are dying all over the world. Shame on you guy!

Posted Sun Feb10, 2008, 2:58 AM — By Regis

Truly an amazing system, but to be honest it is probably the most incredible overkill I've ever seen. The human ear probably isn't even so acute as to make any distinction in quality between this system and one that cost 10% as much. A much cheaper system may sound different, but not necessarily worse. And, as an afterthought, how much time do you have to spend watching movies to justify blowing $6 million on a home theater system? $200k will get you a system that is just as good.

Posted Sun Feb10, 2008, 5:52 AM — By sam

Not sure if anyone mentioned this but several factors in this newbs room severely affect the acoustic environment a) wooden floors b) non-soundproofed walls c) again, ceiling this guy is a newb with lots of cash but very little brains. Spend some more cash on books imo

Posted Sun Feb10, 2008, 6:13 AM — By Simo

That´s just plain stupid. Who really wants to watch motion pictures in an environment like that. Really isn´t my kinda home theater. No matter how good the sound is. And I bet it isn´t "$6 million good".

Posted Sun Feb10, 2008, 9:21 AM — By kevyn

is it just me, or is none of this connected? there are no cables showing anywhere (which is great) but I can see lots of empty connections on the back of speakers... no leads for the floor amps...etc

Posted Sun Feb10, 2008, 9:22 AM — By Chris

Too many reflective surfaces and too much ambient light from valves and everything else = crap movie experience. He has more money than sense, or taste, or.. pretty much everythin.. I bet it sounds as bad as it looks; bold, brash and ugly. BTW alfonso i think this set up is in a little too pricey to be using 'monster cables' bought at the local deli... :)

Posted Sun Feb10, 2008, 10:59 AM — By FunnyWorld

I guess someone thinking you're a jealous moron because saying this isn't 6 million worthwhile has a problem with his/her subconscious... ;-)

Posted Sun Feb10, 2008, 11:36 AM — By Michael H Lemoi Sr

PLEASE HE HAS THE RIGHT TO DO WHAT EVER HE WISH TO DO, I JUST WISH I HAD A CHANCH TO GET TO MEET HIM. WE ALL HAVE A WISH IN LIFE. GOOD LUCK LIFE IS SO SHORT IN TIME MICHAEL H LEMOI R.I.

Posted Sun Feb10, 2008, 12:15 PM — By Nate

What's funny is, many of you FAILED TO REALIZE the fact that he said Kloss was a neighbor and close friend from a young age...so how much of that do you think he really PAID for, at the very least, cost? Plus he's an engineer/producer now record label owner...do you really think he PAID for any of that? Get real... The guy has money, so what. It's a hobby, some people spend more money on worse things, like vintage stamps...wtf, you can't even use those. But so what, it's his money and a hobby...money gets spent. If any of you had the opportunity to HAVE all that, you would. Now, what you do with it would be your own prerogative, but he chose to utilize it all. I eprsonally would sell almost all of it, and less is more. But remember, it's his hobby, much like how many of us headphone geeks drop serious cash on headphones, he drops it on amps and speakers. Only a few can TRULEY understand the mans passion... Don't hate, congratulate, lol.

Posted Sun Feb10, 2008, 12:16 PM — By Vince

This is really just an advertisment for someone who said "I'll buy the best of everything, put it in a room and try to sell it to the people who make movies. Because it costs so much they will want this trophy." George Lucus has already developed a standard. He already knows what a great theater experience is because he set the standard so we could realize it too. If he wants better than what he has he would hire someone and TELL THEM what to put in it. Everyone here has already picked out the flaws with this system and we're no experts. So, what will people who are experts do to this conglomeration?

Posted Sun Feb10, 2008, 1:13 PM — By A Nonny Mouse

Wow, someone bought as much "stuff" as he could and crammed it into one room---and that's just how it looks. Maybe he should have sought a little acoustic design help and he could've gotten a better sounding system for MUCH less. No acoustic wall treatments, hardwood floor , glass table all giving multiple reflections, the tube amps in direct line with speakers for maximum vibration distortion, A/V library shelved against walls, and "wireless" connectors. Oh please. Along with the ugly lighting system, this whole thing looks like the dreamchild of every 19 year old know-nothing dorm-dweller. "Dude, it really makes my Xbox ROCK" A monument to waste and nonsensical overkill. I bet, done properly, a system costing 1/2 of 1% of this could sound better----after all, that's still 30K!!!!

Posted Sun Feb10, 2008, 1:15 PM — By BrickMcLargeHuge

I'm going to have to agree with some of the FPs: Excessive consumption is not a virtue.

Posted Sun Feb10, 2008, 2:26 PM — By Angela

To David : ( Posted Tue Feb 5, 2008, 1:50 PM — By David ) wow someone needs to learn not to tell other people how to spend their hard earned cash. This guys done a f