Well, to each his own. It's his money, so let him do with it whatever he wants. He earned it. To those saying it's a waste and that it should be given to charity or to other worthy causes, well, why don't you go out there and make the same money he does and do what you're trying to tell him to do. I don't appreciate people telling me what to do with my money or life, so I try not to go around doing the same.
The Greatest Show on Earth!
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 WPJ on February 13, 2008 - 2:57am.
He should take that system to the ghetto, an say "who's Gangsta nao?" Now thats entertainment.I laughed hysterically at allot of these comments. Wow the INTERNETS.I don't care if its his money, dropping that much on a system even if the building is included an expecting someone to buy that!?! WHAT!?!For 6 mill I'll be playing Crysis at 120fps @ 2160 x 3840 on cryo cooled PC from the future! I got the same enjoyment out of my old SANSUI 320watt system.
Submitted by wes on February 13, 2008 - 4:54am.
"I'm going to surf to an AUDIO VIDEO BLOG today and then tell someone that they are spending too much money on AUDIO AND VIDEO." Lol, get a grip. How about instead of whining about the poor hungry kids, you log onto a POOR HUNGRY KIDS site and donate. Nobody who actually frequents this site pre and after this attention cares anything about your insipid and useless comments. Maybe he should have spent his 6 million dollars flying around the country and beating the stupid out of you people posting off-topic comments. (AND HE'S THE SKINNY GUY, NOT THE FAT GUY) That being said, the guy's developing this stuff so he can SELL it. I guess that means that Ford, GM, Intel, IBM, heck, pretty much any fortune 500 company had better stop researching and start pumping money into charity. Oh wait, that would make no sense at all. Don't have 6 million dollars kicking around that you can spend on what you like? Life sucks, buy a helmet, and leave this guy alone. At least he's
Submitted by Mike McCool on February 13, 2008 - 1:36pm.
I love technology, and that is the most powerful home theater I have ever seen. If and when I get the money to buy one. You will be the man to fix me up. Thanks for sharing your system with the world. It is like discovering UFOS exist. There is Genius on earth, and you are the master of blaster. Crank it up, and enjoy the movies and your favorite bands. Peace.
Submitted by David on February 13, 2008 - 3:54pm.
These same people spend millions for a car they never drive, a house they'll never live in, and leave no mark on society. I'd rather be known as the guy who built a school than the guy who spent 6 large on speakers. Honestly, how good can a home movie need to sound?
Submitted by Phil on February 13, 2008 - 5:49pm.
As for the tubes, they seem to be on shock mounts. If you think about 150w tube guitar amplifiers and 400w tube bass amplifiers sitting on top of their speaker cabinets. Those tubes can last for decades without becoming microphonic, and they aren't shock mounted either.
Submitted by oh my god on February 13, 2008 - 6:04pm.
Honestly, for all of you saying that he should donate his money instead of spending 6 million on a home theater? How much money do you think he actually has? How do you know he doesn't donate millions of dollars a year to charity? Only the jealous mind would assume negativity. He's worked hard and this is what he wanted to spend his hard earned money on then good for him and I think its great that he's happy. For the people complaining about power consumptions? Unless your driving a hybrid, shut the hell up. Honestly, this was put here for home theater enthusiasts. For all of you green peace lovers, go abuse Ford, or a company that actually is destroying the earth, and if you disagree, watch a documentary about the death of the electric vehicle. Its a shame that selfish, negative people exist like you.
Submitted by Christoph Z on February 13, 2008 - 6:08pm.
While I do think 6m is a rediculous amount to spend on a HT set-up, I will say that it is definately Sota. Please remeber, that he wants to sell this system to other people. Those other people are RICH. The rich very rarely spend money because it is a good value. That is why Rolex, and Farrari stay in bussiness. I am not rich, but a car accident helped me to get this system which I think is SOTA: JVC DLA-RS2, Carada 142" screen w/Masqarade, Anthem D2 and 2 P2 amps and 2 P5 amps running a Klipsch THX system. 4 KL-650-THX up front, 4 KS-525-THX for the sides, and 4 KL-525-THX in the back. T-Rex stomps from 7 KW-120-THX subs ea w/ a KA-1000-THX amp. 3 subs up front, one on each side, and 2 in the back. Power comes from 3 APC S20 conditioners. Accoustics by Aurelex, and room tuned with a custom installed Auddyssey MultiEQ Pro Equalizer. Sources are Pioneer Elite BDP-95FD blu-ray player, and a OPPO universal player. I paid alot less than he did, and mine is still SO
Submitted by Frank Berloffa on February 13, 2008 - 9:22pm.
You should rethink your amplifier system if you insist to keep your 16 subwoofers, tubes tend to go microphonic by nature (aging) and exposure to extremely powerful bass (mechanic stress / vibrations) will accelerate this process, or simply wreck their mechanical integrity. Switch over to solid state, less THD anyway because of the absence of an end stage audio transformer. F.B.
Submitted by Rich on February 19, 2008 - 10:23pm.
I only have one disagreement with all of the above comments. $1k+/ft cables are definately BS. Of course this theater is over the top. It's built to demonstrate a persoanl vision. He bought the speakers that sounded best to him. He's able to do that because it's his money. Same with the rest, including the room decor. I think it's great in it's excess. Especially the projector. The point in any hobby is to have fun and he had the most. Drop the vitriol guys/girls. This is not that serious.
Submitted by MadmanIII on February 19, 2008 - 11:08pm.
As for the system, bet it rocks, i mean i think the radio in my car sounds great and its stock hyundai. I'm just very upset that this fool for his 6mil didn't organize a few drink holders in the armrests of that couch. I pity the poor bastard who goes over to his place to watch simpsons. ;P
Submitted by audio engineer on February 20, 2008 - 9:17am.
Well, here's the rub with all of this audiophile stuff....While I'm sure its sounds tremendous and all and I would love to own the gear and the room appears treated but who knows about bass trapping with all those subs, you just can't tell from the photos. That's all fine and good..... BUT:As a film sound engineer, I am here to tell you that the professionals who create the material you are listening to in home theaters are not spending remotely this amount of money on the room, gear and mixing equipment. Point being that the playback system should not exceed the mixing system that was used to create the material in the first place. You want to drop 10-20K on speakers and spend 40K on the room and you will have the best you can buy for a home theater, period. Definitely a law of diminishing returns here.... I'm sure the speakers sound great but jeez...... Just my professional opinion.
Submitted by DarkElfa on February 20, 2008 - 3:34pm.
Well, as far as I'm concerned here, except for the upscaling thing which yes, I would have had that fixed for the money being spent on the system as a whole, This is exactly what I would do if I could afford it. The negative posts here are indeed just jealousy and hate and it sickens me to hear such lame garbage come out of people who are obviously fans of such things (or else why be on a site about it). I love the design and the idea, I only wish I could experience it as well. ;)
Submitted by Pete on February 20, 2008 - 8:26pm.
Why out of all the commments of complaint and and jealousy over this mans available budget. Not one of you here have picked up on the point that the figure of 6 Million has come from an estimate of what he would charge for a system like this. I would assume this covers a lot of his research and work that has been done thus far plus making your particular system partly bespoke based on your room/house and requirements. I think the components that are in the room are well well under 6 million.
Submitted by kmodek on February 27, 2008 - 7:42pm.
I'm an incredibly low income earner who is disabled and raising a child on my own and yep, sorry, but it's pretty damn sad that millions of people have no insurance or dental coverage and live in pain and sickness in our own country while the gov't says 'there isn't any money', yet there is plenty of money for a select few in the world who don't think twice about what their 'toys' could do to keep other humans alive. Well, if this is the wrong way to think, I don't want to be right!
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