# Home Theater/Home Stereo showoff thread



## fast306stang (Jul 1, 2009)

I searched and didn't see a thread like this...it's easy to see what's popular for car audio by looking at the classifieds, but what's everyone use in their homes? Let's see!

I bought a pair of project towers of off CA.com. They're finished with walnut veneer now, and house a pair of Daytons and a Tang Band tweet in each cabinet. My other set of speakers I designed and built using all thread rod, MDF, PVC and some nice finishing hardware. The mids are Pioneers that use a double spider for the suspension, they're not double stacked--they are a few inches apart from each other and there is NO SURROUND. Pretty cool. Paired them with a set of Diamond Audio tweets.

I use a cheap JVC dvd player for movies and cds, ran through a Soundstream preamp. Old school Carver tuner. DBX 120X-DS thrown in for good measure. 

I run the towers off of a Diamond D7152 and the other set of speakers is run off a Planet Audio HVT-7100. The amps are powered by an Astron power supply.

The whole system stays the same generally, but I swap the amps up from time to time. Oh, the sub is a Cerwin Vega 15...powered, but I can't remember the model number.

Time for pics! (I should have cleaned my mess in front of the TV first )


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## AudioPhill (Jan 27, 2009)

My god man... glad i sold you those, thats insanely gorgeous, hope they sound as good as they look, eargasm's galore!


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## fast306stang (Jul 1, 2009)

AudioPhill said:


> My god man... glad i sold you those, thats insanely gorgeous, hope they sound as good as they look, eargasm's galore!


I'm glad you like em! It only took me, oh, a year to build them. I'd mess with them for a few hours and then not touch them for a few months. When I FINALLY finished them, my dad dropped one and broke it during testing...so they sat for a few more months until I could make the repair 

Those are my favorite mids bc they're so unique. And they sound amazing! Took a lot of stuffing to get the unwanted harmonics out of that PVC though!

The cool thing about the non-symmetrical shape...I can stand those speakers on any of the 3 sides if I want to change the way they stand.


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## AudioPhill (Jan 27, 2009)

love it man, excellent work


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## kazlx (Feb 17, 2011)

Apparently no pics or links until 30 posts. Odd, but whatever.

Pioneer Elite 92TXH
Panny 50" Plasma (Replacing with the new VT30 65" when they start shipping)
Swan Diva 6.1 with center and surrounds
SVS PB12 Plus Sub (no other words besides amazing)
PS3
XBox 360

Wish I could post a pic


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## ItalynStylion (May 3, 2008)

fast306stang said:


>


Can you give a quick explanation about this type of enclosure? It reminds me of the ABC sub boxes I'd seen a few of. I've not seen much of anything like this but it's interesting. My guess is it provides two tunning frequencies that would, in effect, act like a single tunning frequency with an extremely wide Q.


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

I'll post pics of my setup once its finished being built


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## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

I built a 3.1 Tritrix setup from PartsExpress. Its a sealed Tritrix MTM center channel, sealed Tritrix MT mains, and a ported Dayton reference 12" sub. The speakers are done in cherry veneer with sand n' seal and gloss poly. Sub is finished in spray on truck bed liner (like 4 cans!). Sounds amazing! Right now I just have crappy Phillips surrounds. Eventually the MT mains will be demoted to surround duty once I build some more legit mains. Probably go with Dayton reference line stuff for those. Everything is run off a Pioneer VSX-920 (I think...) 7.1 receiver.


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## fast306stang (Jul 1, 2009)

ItalynStylion said:


> Can you give a quick explanation about this type of enclosure? It reminds me of the ABC sub boxes I'd seen a few of. I've not seen much of anything like this but it's interesting. My guess is it provides two tunning frequencies that would, in effect, act like a single tunning frequency with an extremely wide Q.


You are right, they are an ABC design...and I feel like your guess is spot-on. I don't know much other than that--I ran across this set in unfinished form, and I knew they would work in my application and I could finish them.

I was looking for some added bass and midbass frequencies that I knew I was missing...these towers really picked up that part of the frequency range. 

Buying someone else's abandoned project saved me a lot of time and hassle of designing and building something from scratch!


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## fast306stang (Jul 1, 2009)

Man, I'm glad you guys are finally showing off your stuff...I was afraid I started a thread full of fail! 

ECBMXER, that gear looks nice! I know it sounds good too, PE has a ton of stuff I'd like to drop some money on if I had more time for projects. How do you like that Dayton? I've got that Cerwin Vega 15" and it drops pretty low...I wish it was a little more punchy. I'm thinking about upgrading my power supply and going with a 12" sub later. I'd really like to put a sonotube together for the visual impact, but I doubt I'll ever actually do it.

I had to spread my audio racks apart since we upgraded to a wall-mounted a 55" flat screen. The TV in the pic is only a 37"...I may have to do some more rearranging, I'm not happy with the current "fitment" so to speak...


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## ecbmxer (Dec 1, 2010)

The Dayton sub SLAMS! I had it sealed at first, but then ported it and it will shake the windows during movies with good low freq content. It's only running a 240W amp too. I'm probably gonna get a 10" version to put in the car actually.


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## stereo_luver (Oct 30, 2007)

*The old Basement playground. A 2 channel tube set-up, a 2 chanel solid state set-up and a 7.1 HT set-up.
*








*The old listening room set-up. Tubes!*








*Acoustech Labs #2 of 25 built monoblock sets*


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## alm001 (Feb 13, 2010)

Panasonic Viera 42" monitor
Harmon Kardon AVR345 (Stereo mode)
Harmon Kardon DVD47
Acoustic Energy Aegis II
Set up for SQ;


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## req (Aug 4, 2007)

Bowers and Wilkins CDM7SE towers
Bowers and Wilkins CDM7SE book shelfs
Bowers and Wilkins CDM CNT center channel

Emotiva UMC-1 receiver\processor
Emotiva UPA-7 7 channel amplifier ([email protected] 4 ohm)





































i still need to get a subwoofer.

i also have a pair of aura bass shakers for under the couch that i dont have pictures for


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## alm001 (Feb 13, 2010)

Oh, theres a boston powered 10" sub attached also, but I never turn it on.


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## fast306stang (Jul 1, 2009)

stereo_luver said:


> *Acoustech Labs #2 of 25 built monoblock sets*


Man, those monoblocks look killer!

Everybody's stuff looks great--keep it comin!


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## minibox (Mar 25, 2009)

req said:


> Bowers and Wilkins CDM7SE towers
> Bowers and Wilkins CDM7SE book shelfs
> Bowers and Wilkins CDM CNT center channel
> 
> ...


Nice! I didn't know you were into home audio as well!


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## fast306stang (Jul 1, 2009)

It's been awhile, figured I would update. I made a few changes. I still have the D7, but now I'm using a Zed Audio ESX amp along with it. That ESX is amazing. I have another one as well, but I'm too lazy to change the D7 out...but I'm real curious how the system would sound with 2 ESX's. The D7 just has a killer look and with the x-over controls and gains being top mounted and having knobs and push buttons, it's just waaaay too user friendly when compared to tiny switches and gain pots that are mounted on the side.

Both of those amps really like power, so I figured it was in my best interest to give them each their own dedicated power supply as well.

And I took the Tang Bands out of the towers and installed Diamond Audio M6 tweeters. I can't say it sounds "better," I will just say it sounds different than it did. No complaints but it definitely changed the soundstage and I spend a lot of time messing with the gains on both amps to get them to blend. With the Tang Bands installed, it was obvious when it was "right." Funny how one component change makes everything else sound different.

I had a hard time covering the mounting holes from the Tang Bands because the flange was bigger than the M6 tweeters. I documented that DIY on another thread, I guess I should have posted it here instead: http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/diy-home-pro-audio/135675-new-tweeter-install.html

I still have that big Cerwin Vega HT sub and it does get low for sure. But I have dead areas in the room, I guess that's because my LR is kind of long and narrow. So I've been thinking about adding another sub of some sort. I've been kicking around the idea of a 10" or a 12" with a Dayton plate amp and putting it on the opposite side of the room from the Cerwin Vega. Or, I've been thinking about one of those DIY low profile transmission line boxes with 6 or 8 6.5" drivers to slide underneath the couch. Any opinions? I should mention that the Cerwin Vega is ported to the rear and I have it corner loaded, the driver is a down-firing 15". Since it's on a carpeted floor, should I make a wood floor base to put underneath it? The problem I'm having is that the output is great but only if you're standing/sitting in specific areas of the room. Or if I leave the room entirely and go in the kitchen, you can really hear the bass. My kitchen and living room aren't open to each other, you have to make a joggle through the hallway...I almost wonder if it isn't loading the low frequencies like a port on a box...because I will tell you this system gets L-O-U-D.

Hmm, I guess I kind of got on a tangent, lol. Was just thinking of some improvements I want to make and I went into troubleshoot/fix-it mode...I am open to any suggestions, am I on the right track? Has anyone tried one of those subs that slide under the couch?


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## danno14 (Sep 1, 2009)

Well, pictures are a long ways off, as most of my fun gear has been closeted until my urchins are a little older 

Aria 5's in 5.1 configuration off a lexicon dc2... Pioneer elite ld/DVD and Sony bluray players.... Bryston 4bnrb and pair of 2b's that I got from a Sony recording studio. My trusty-crusty velodyne uld-18 propping up the bottom end.

Now entering the design phase, to figure out "the next generation". I have a quad of Fi ib18's for an infinite baffle manifold, and i'm going to keep the bryston contingent and supplement with either a crown xls5000 (if I can find it for the right $$) or behringer ep4000. Just beginning to evaluate the processor arena, and the emotiva seems to be a cost effective player. Any suggestions? If the Lex had hdmi I would be keeping it for sure.


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## fast306stang (Jul 1, 2009)

Good Night! I was gonna ask your thoughts on the Velodyne, I've heard good things about them. So are you going to use the Fi's to replace it?

I know what you mean about your little urchins, lol. I only have one, he's 2, and just last week he pushed in all my dustcaps on the Daytons. Luckily, they all pulled out with the vaccuum and I can't see any permanent damage. Dodged a bullet that time! Heck, one of the drivers was less than a week old, I had to replace it because he pulled the gasket off and was chewing on it.


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## danno14 (Sep 1, 2009)

fast306stang said:


> Good Night! I was gonna ask your thoughts on the Velodyne, I've heard good things about them. So are you going to use the Fi's to replace it? It is an Outstanding sub..... I've had it since new back when they first released the uld II's. Only downside is the space it occupied in a non-dedicated ht room (family room). Will probably keep it for the eventuality, and it's not worth much on the used market. The fi's will be infinite baffle, so the only intrusion into the room is the grill
> 
> I know what you mean about your little urchins, lol. I only have one, he's 2, and just last week he pushed in all my dustcaps on the Daytons. Luckily, they all pulled out with the vaccuum and I can't see any permanent damage. Dodged a bullet that time! Heck, one of the drivers was less than a week old, I had to replace it because he pulled the gasket off and was chewing on it.


 Nice! I had one dust cap pushed and a tweeter lens disappear. Little bugger! God how I love him and his sister


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## db_Outlaw (May 10, 2012)

I've added to an existing, older Paradigm setup that I bought new years ago. Running 7.2 now with:

Sony Bravia 55" LED TV
Onkyo NR609
Pansonic DMP-bd75 blu ray player
2 Paradigm Monitor 7 towers
1 Paradigm cc-370 center channel
2 Paradigm ADP-190 (surround)
2 Paradigm atoms (rear)
2 Paradigm PDR-12 subs


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## mcgilvrey007 (Feb 22, 2010)

Lets see........

Infocus ScreenPlay 7210 projector

Vutec silver star screen 

Harmon karden hk3490 receiver

Pair of Jenzen CA speakers I built from the plans on http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/Jenzen-SEAS-ER.htm. Yes they're the transmission line versions. One addition i plan to make is the tuba ht, but that's a ways off.


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## stills (Apr 13, 2008)

HK avr 25ii
hk fl 8360 changer
jvc ql-f4 turntable
technics m258r tape
magnepan mmg's


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## BumpaD_Z28 (Dec 12, 2011)

Not really any great pics, BUT I do LOVE my basement !

Denon receiver
Samsung TV / DVD
HK / Marantz CD

RBH 1266-SE's w/ SA-400 sub amp
(3) RBH 661-SE's Center & Rear L&R
1010-SEP Sub


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## Mile Zero (Oct 10, 2012)

I'll post mine up here soon. Got B&W speakers, 4 12" subs and a 21" sub for the really low stuff.


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## Se7en (Mar 28, 2007)

Here's mine in a few different variations and locations. The pics in the bottom are from a home audio GTG I hosted a couple of years back.


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## Mile Zero (Oct 10, 2012)

My HT system


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## mistasleepi (Oct 14, 2012)

damn....


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## sbeezy (Nov 22, 2008)

fast306stang said:


> I searched and didn't see a thread like this...it's easy to see what's popular for car audio by looking at the classifieds, but what's everyone use in their homes? Let's see!
> 
> I bought a pair of project towers of off CA.com. They're finished with walnut veneer now, and house a pair of Daytons and a Tang Band tweet in each cabinet. My other set of speakers I designed and built using all thread rod, MDF, PVC and some nice finishing hardware. The mids are Pioneers that use a double spider for the suspension, they're not double stacked--they are a few inches apart from each other and there is NO SURROUND. Pretty cool. Paired them with a set of Diamond Audio tweets.
> 
> ...


PWK Towers right? i have those same plans just have to build them.


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## 6spdcoupe (Jan 12, 2006)

Se7en said:


> Here's mine in a few different variations and locations. The pics in the bottom are from a home audio GTG I hosted a couple of years back.


Gabe, Do I see some Halos in there ? I love it !  JC1s or A 21s ? Knowing you, I would guess the former.


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## fast306stang (Jul 1, 2009)

Sbeezy, I don't know who designed the towers, I picked them up as someone else's abandoned project and I knew they would fit my needs...they really sound great for being loaded with such inexpensive drivers. No complaints with the sound, i just wish the cabinets were wider for aesthetic purposes and to provide a little more stable base on carpet. I may get some spikes sometime. 

I got a 24" scrap piece of marble or granite from a stonework company near my house and put my 15" Cerwin Vega sub on top of it since the driver is downfiring and was sitting on carpet. Well, lets just say that bass output increased considerably! Really liking things a lot better now. I do have a set of 10's that I want to put in Decware's Wicked One plans. I still need to finalize some ideas and get a plate amp. 

I gotta find out why I'm not getting email alerts anymore! Gonna check out my user cp. but I gotta say, everybody has some awesome gear. I'm really enjoying the pics and details of everyone's set ups. So cool. Amazing visual impact as well. Just really neat, neat stuff.


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## fast306stang (Jul 1, 2009)

Really diggin the pics. Everybody has some beautiful gear. Great stuff.


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## wrcrs24 (Aug 22, 2010)

Started working on my HT today. Making my own screen first, just waiting to pick some trim and my felt to arrive.


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## [email protected] (Jul 21, 2011)

My kinda thread! Ironically enough I started out in high end car audio, sold all of that stuff and built a home theater, and now I am slowly getting back in to the car stuff again. Here are a few pics of my room as well as some details. 

The room is 23 x 15 and a dedicated space in my basement. I built the entire room from a bare concrete basement with the exception of hanging the drywall and installing the carpet. Aside from those items everything you see I built! The screen, all trim and upholstery, the stage, acoustic treatments shelving etc... I took my time and start to finish it took me a few years, once I actually started dedicating time to it I spent about a year and a half doing it by myself with my father in law helping me from time to time. 




























Now that I have this space I actually have an audio reference to use for building my car system. I cannot hope to achieve what I hear in my dedicated room in a car, however I will be better able to discern major flaws after doing a TON of critical listening in this setup. 

Components used in the room. 

Oppo DV971 DVD player outputing 4801 via HDMI
DVDO IScan VP30 scaler
InFocus SP5700 DLP Projector 

Pioneer Elite DV47Ai used as CD player 
MacBook pro via toslink out as computer server 
Audio Refinement Pre2 DSP 
Earthquake Cinenova Grande 5 channel amp 

Dynaudio Contour S1.4 from L & R 
Dynaudio Contour SR surrounds
Dynaudio Sub 500


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## 6spdcoupe (Jan 12, 2006)

[email protected] said:


> *Dynaudio Contour S1.4 from L & R
> Dynaudio Contour SR surrounds
> Dynaudio Sub 500*


Exactly some of what I used to use as well ! Nice choice.  

Great job BTW.


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## doitor (Aug 16, 2007)

Still not done, but here's mine.










Optoma HD20 projector.
120" 16:9 Screen.
Onkyo HT-S9400THX 7.1 Sound System.
PS3 and Wii.

J.


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## Changchung (Aug 15, 2012)

Mine home theater... No to much fancy but I like it... Sound very good and loud, I have my computer connect it to the home theater and TV, I just get a bluetooh audio bundle to ear the music from the iPhone


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## req (Aug 4, 2007)

i forgot to share this as of recently 

80+ pictures in this album;

https://plus.google.com/photos/108182200432571559272/albums/5952945596668768801


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## robtr8 (Dec 6, 2011)

Living room is mostly Linn. All AudiogoN.com sourced. Using a Quad center because a Trikan won't fit.


HT is Marantz, Linn, Spendor and B&W.


New addition to the desk. Outstanding DAC and finally a piece of Meridian I can afford.


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## nakamichidenon (Nov 5, 2007)

some of my old stuff....need to get pic of my baby.. hca2005 class a


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

I realized I never came back and updated this with the towers I built...sorry!

Here is a link to the build thread of them with a *massive* amount of pics and the step by step build as I progressed. 

My (in progress) project *pics too*

It was built as a 2 piece cabinet which was secured together. Veneered, painted... They came out pretty good for a first time speaker build.


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## Silver Supra (Feb 15, 2008)

6spdcoupe said:


> Gabe, Do I see some Halos in there ? I love it !  JC1s or A 21s ? Knowing you, I would guess the former.


Certainly look like JC1's to me. I have a pair and absolutely love them... especially in high-bias mode. They do a nice job warming the room too.


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## fast306stang (Jul 1, 2009)

captainobvious said:


> I realized I never came back and updated this with the towers I built...sorry!
> 
> Here is a link to the build thread of them with a *massive* amount of pics and the step by step build as I progressed.
> 
> ...


Those look sweet! I really like the geometry/angles. Looks slick with the contrast of the drivers. Gonna check out your build thread...


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## Hoptologist (Sep 14, 2012)

Sweet, I was going to start a thread like this but now I see it's already here! I'll have to post some pics when I get home tomorrow


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## captainobvious (Mar 11, 2006)

fast306stang said:


> Those look sweet! I really like the geometry/angles. Looks slick with the contrast of the drivers. Gonna check out your build thread...


Thanks!

The fun was in the long build process. I learned a lot doing these as a first timer. My first veneering project, and first time doing an HVLP paint job. I used an automotive 2 part base/clear coat and cut and polished the clearcoat to remove orange peel. It was definitely a fun project.


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## otis857 (Feb 12, 2008)

captainobvious said:


> Thanks!
> 
> The fun was in the long build process. I learned a lot doing these as a first timer. My first veneering project, and first time doing an HVLP paint job. I used an automotive 2 part base/clear coat and cut and polished the clearcoat to remove orange peel. It was definitely a fun project.


Hi Captain,
Been away for awhile. I remember your build thread. Looks like the final product came out pretty sweet. Now that you've used them for a while, how do they sound? What you had hoped? Great build, you'd never know it was a first time speaker build.


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## fast306stang (Jul 1, 2009)

^^^^ I agree with this. Those look phenomenal especially being your first build. I read your build thread and that piano black turned out amazing!


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## caraudioworld (Sep 18, 2013)

Home Theater/Home Stereo is another expensive hobby that I can't pay right now =( but hey, you are showing interesting stuff, without doubt I will keep some ideas to apply when the right time arrive


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## fast306stang (Jul 1, 2009)

captainobvious said:


> Thanks!
> 
> The fun was in the long build process. I learned a lot doing these as a first timer. My first veneering project, and first time doing an HVLP paint job. I used an automotive 2 part base/clear coat and cut and polished the clearcoat to remove orange peel. It was definitely a fun project.


I'm still [email protected] first post in this thread. Definitely was not "obvious" what you were up to lol!


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