Audiophiles in Prospect Heights?
Comments
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doctorj wrote: The thing is... I like to watch DVDs with 5 channels. I can't stand what that does to music. Which is why I invested most in the 2 floorstanders and picked them carefully. I can only afford 1 amp and it's going to be closer to 2-3K than 10K... really hard to justify 2 channel not HT, when a better than average HT doesn't cost much more and drives my Dalis in 2-channel mode just fine. I'm definitely not in the audiophile league, this is not a hobby, I'm just looking for something head and shoulders above the consumer crap end of the business (in terms of sound, I don't care how it looks) without spending more on the amp than the speakers.
Oh, lots of good stuff in this price range, but give a listen to the Arcam AVRs 300 & 350. Same amp section in both, but the 350 offers HDMI switching (2 in, 1 out) and a better preamp section for the $500 difference (2k and 2.5k, respectively). -
WhyFi wrote:
Thanks! This is not a brand with which I was previously familiar. What's your opinion of the 250? I'm filling a large living room, not a loft, and driving 5 channels not 7. My old NAD was #2 not #1 in their equivalent range, which was plenty. HDMi *shrug* -- first I'd have to update from my $20 TV from the 70s or VGA-connected computer monitor before that would be useful. You can see where my audio vs. video priorities lie
Oh, lots of good stuff in this price range, but give a listen to the Arcam AVRs 300 & 350. Same amp section in both, but the 350 offers HDMI switching (2 in, 1 out) and a better preamp section for the $500 difference (2k and 2.5k, respectively).
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The 250 is nice - it's not quite as dynamic as the 300/350. It has a slightly different amp section - more than the 20 watts, or whatever, I suspect better power reserves to be the responsible, but I've never confirmed with the engineers. The only other real difference is that it lacks the preamp outputs (for all channels) that the 300&350 have - it gives more flexibility in the future (tube amp?! :twisted: ). As far as filling the room - if your speakers are of at least average sensitivity (88 or so db and up) you shouldn't have a problem with any of the 3 receivers.
Re: 5 ch, not 7 - If you have the ability with your main L&R, you can use the other two amps to bi-amp. Alternatively, you can use them to power a separate zone - for instance, watching a movie in surround in the living room while someone else retreats to the den and listens to music...
I'll admit to not being as up on this segment as I have been, but last I checked, these were some of the few receivers that completely by-passed the digital circuit board in 2-ch mode - on most, an analog to digital converter is the first thing an analog input sees, whether or not any sound processing is going on. That, of course, has to be converted back to analog before hitting the amp section... :roll: In addition, the analog preamp is shielded from the other sections of the receiver, limiting the amount of RF and EM noise introduced. -
Man, you guys are geeks.
What does 2-channel mean? Is that, like, stereo? Whatever happened to 4-channel? -
dailyheights wrote: Man, you guys are geeks.
Gettin' burned on that quadraphonic turntable in the 70's still stings a little, eh? :twisted:
What does 2-channel mean? Is that, like, stereo? Whatever happened to 4-channel?
10 minutes in my shop and you'll be a card carryin' geek, too! -
actually i consider myself a nerd
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Two questions:
How many people are going to make it to Sepia on Monday night?
Why do I get a wicked AC hum from my rig (this will obviously require much more explanation--on Monday night)? -
Alas, I won't be able to make it Monday night. My hifi-supporting job does not allow me to leave so early.
What can I say, audio is expensive! Have fun everyone. -
I'll probably stop by on Monday.
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I'll grab a beer or two 7:30 or so Sepia.
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Great to see John DeVore's speakers getting plugged on this site. He's a swell guy and makes a mean speaker.
I have a couple of questions for local audiophiles:
1. I have a big vinyl collection and, in spite of owning a very nice Linn turntable, I find I play my records less and less. From a sound quality perspective, what's the best way to burn them to CD? I assume transferring them to MP3 format would result in a lousy end product (and anyway I don't own an IPod).
2. My second system includes a NAD dvd/cd player. I recently purchased from the UK a set of dvds (the fabulous St Trinians comedies from the '50s/'60s) quite forgetting about international restrictions on dvds. It's maddening because these dvds are not available in the US so I'm hardly depriving anyone here of the sale. Does anyone know how to disable the coding or whatever it is that prevents my dvd player from playing these discs? If someone knows how to do this, I'd be happy to pay for their time to come over and "fix" my equipment.
Happy listening! -
Roz wrote:
Right, don't go via a compressed format. What's the best analog-to-digital converter you can get your hands on? Do you have a nice AV receiver that will talk digitally to your computer via an SPDIF? At a pinch, you could use the soundcard in your computer via the mic input if it's not too crappy. Or you could buy some professional gear on Ebay like an old DAT recorder (one that does 44.1, not just 48KHz) or harddisk recorder for not too much that would do a better job. All that matters is the quality of the A->D conversion @ 44.1K; once you've done that, and it's in some non-lossy digital format, there'll be a way to get it onto CD without further loss of quality.
1. I have a big vinyl collection and, in spite of owning a very nice Linn turntable, I find I play my records less and less. From a sound quality perspective, what's the best way to burn them to CD? I assume transferring them to MP3 format would result in a lousy end product (and anyway I don't own an IPod).Roz wrote:
Unfortunately, removing region codes on a player is a one-model-at-a-time job. Some models have tricks which you might find by searching the net; others require opening and rewiring hacks. Since DVD/CD is all digital, and if you're using digital connectors to digital receiver, the quality of the player is more or less irrelevant (i.e. much as I love NAD I would never buy a DVD/CD player from them). What about picking up a cheapo 2nd player on ebay.uk to play UK DVDs? Or, if you're on a budget, play UK DVDs on your computer and connect that to your AV receiver & TV (computer DVD drives typically allow a a few region switches, and a new USB dvd drive is also cheap).
2. My second system includes a NAD dvd/cd player. I recently purchased from the UK a set of dvds (the fabulous St Trinians comedies from the '50s/'60s) quite forgetting about international restrictions on dvds. It's maddening because these dvds are not available in the US so I'm hardly depriving anyone here of the sale. Does anyone know how to disable the coding or whatever it is that prevents my dvd player from playing these discs? If someone knows how to do this, I'd be happy to pay for their time to come over and "fix" my equipment. -
Roz wrote: 2. My second system includes a NAD dvd/cd player. I recently purchased from the UK a set of dvds (the fabulous St Trinians comedies from the '50s/'60s) quite forgetting about international restrictions on dvds. It's maddening because these dvds are not available in the US so I'm hardly depriving anyone here of the sale. Does anyone know how to disable the coding or whatever it is that prevents my dvd player from playing these discs? If someone knows how to do this, I'd be happy to pay for their time to come over and "fix" my equipment.
:? Hard to say... check with the folks that you bought the player from, they might know a trick or two. For instance, Arcam DVD players can be made region free by downloading and burning a data disk - pop it in, hit 'play,' and you're good to go.
As for question #1... DON'T DO IT!!! But if you do, I'll be happy to help you, uh... free up some storage space by taking things off your hands! -
"1. I have a big vinyl collection and, in spite of owning a very nice Linn turntable, I find I play my records less and less. From a sound quality perspective, what's the best way to burn them to CD? I assume transferring them to MP3 format would result in a lousy end product (and anyway I don't own an IPod). "
Check the archives on Stereophile.or audio asylum, they have some info on that procedure -
were some of y'all at Sepia tonight? I overheard a conversation about cd players or something.
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I was there (with alafairnadia, pitu, and apollonia666), and I didn't notice you guys (although it would have been hard to pick you out amidst the hash hound harriers).
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i have an ht question for the experts here. for the record, i don't need to be converted to the church of two channels--i have a fine stereo (ok, maybe only adequate by the standards of this thread: musical fidelity a3 amp, snell eiii speakers, onkyo cd, marantz tuner) and do not even have a tv in the living room where the stereo is.
however, i do have a tv, an old one, connected to an old receiver and two gale speakers, which used to be great, but the left one seems to be blown. so i'm in the market for an improvement.
the questions: are you (whoever said it) saying that i'm better off with just two speakers for the ht? or just that i should focus my energy and bucks on the two front speakers but that i still need all 5.1?
or, because it's just for the tv, meaning mainly dvd's, few of which are music, wouldn't an ht-in-a-box package be just fine? -
Smokin' Joe wrote: the questions: are you (whoever said it) saying that i'm better off with just two speakers for the ht? or just that i should focus my energy and bucks on the two front speakers but that i still need all 5.1?
If someone is going to start from the ground up, with only one system, I would prefer a good 2-channel to a so-so HT set-up. For my money, I'd rather trade out on the surround effects (that come in to play only a small percentage of the time) for more musical nuance (that comes in to play all of the time)... again, this is if the system is going to do double duty. Since you already have a 2-channel system that you're pretty happy with, why not go for the 5.1? Also, IF the system is going to do double duty AND if both music and HT are equally important, that's when I would put priority in to the L/R of the 5.1 set... If you're going to do only HT on this system (no music), I'd spread out the speaker money pretty evenly, going so far as getting 5 (or 7!) identical speakers, if possible.
or, because it's just for the tv, meaning mainly dvd's, few of which are music, wouldn't an ht-in-a-box package be just fine? -
Smokin' Joe wrote:
For HT, I went with the speaker family I liked most, but couldn't afford the full set. Put in the L/R first, then a year later added the C, then a year later added the rear. Maybe I'll get to the 7 and a subwoofer one day.
the questions: are you (whoever said it) saying that i'm better off with just two speakers for the ht? or just that i should focus my energy and bucks on the two front speakers but that i still need all 5.1? -
Thanks for the tips, folks.
If anyone else has ideas about undoing the regional restrictions on my NAD dvd player, please send them along. I guess I could post the same query on audiogon.com. I assume y'all know this site. I sold a pair of Martin Logan electrostatics through them. Buyer drove over from the UES to pick them up (the poor lamb was scared to park on my block) and it was a very easy, happy experience. I sold them for 10% less than I'd paid for them (2nd hand) 5 years previously. -
thanks much for the advice.
but:WhyFi wrote: getting 5 (or 7!) identical speakers, if possible.
really? i thought you were suggesting killer speakers only for the front l/r, and that center was mainly for speech and rear for effects. so i was thinking 2 big and 3 little. wrong? -
Smokin' Joe wrote: thanks much for the advice.
really? i thought you were suggesting killer speakers only for the front l/r, and that center was mainly for speech and rear for effects. so i was thinking 2 big and 3 little. wrong?
but:
[quote=WhyFi]getting 5 (or 7!) identical speakers, if possible.
Maybe Wifi doesn't mean 'identical' identical, but identical as in same brand, same family, similar contents, cabinets designed for each position in a suite? Even my L and R aren't identical but mirror images. My BL and BR are also mirror images, same cones as L & R, smaller cheaper cabinets. -
Go with the killer L/R if you're going to be listening to (2 channel) music with the system, in addition to HT. If it's going to be dedicated theater, then I like identical speakers all the way around, if possible. If not, stay in the same family of the same brand. Center is the workhorse, and therefor most important in a dedicated HT system, in my opinion.
doctorj wrote: Maybe Wifi doesn't mean 'identical' identical, but identical as in same brand, same family, similar contents, cabinets designed for each position in a suite? Even my L and R aren't identical but mirror images. My BL and BR are also mirror images, same cones as L & R, smaller cheaper cabinets.
I do like identical, identical, if possible (I would consider handed designs, like yours, to be identical, FWIW). If not, matching the front 3 is most important - stay in the same brand, same family, same tweeter. -
Carnivore wrote: I was there (with alafairnadia, pitu, and apollonia666), and I didn't notice you guys (although it would have been hard to pick you out amidst the hash hound harriers).
I was threre with Jaimelevin at the bar talking stereo and other stuff. Were you guys the party in the back of the room yukking it up? Too bad we didn't connect. Oh well maybe next time...so let's try to get get our wires straight and amp up the noise level. -
thanks y-fi and dr-j.
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kofetyme wrote: [quote=Carnivore]I was there (with alafairnadia, pitu, and apollonia666), and I didn't notice you guys (although it would have been hard to pick you out amidst the hash hound harriers).
I was threre with Jaimelevin at the bar talking stereo and other stuff. Were you guys the party in the back of the room yukking it up? Too bad we didn't connect. Oh well maybe next time...so let's try to get get our wires straight and amp up the noise level.
Those were the hash hound harriers. We were the group in front near the door. -
OK, so when are we going to get together again?
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Hello,
late November is my idea. lots of travel coming up, But it was fun to meet and talk. -
So... any desire for another meet-up? I'm game, schedule allowing... I'll bring notes from the DeVore Gibbon 9 prototype listening session!
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I'm ready to meet up again at Sepia. It would also be nice to audition systems at some point. . .
Howdy, Stranger!
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