home audio question

narlus · May 19, 2005

for speaker brands, just get something that sounds good to yr ears. you can find decent deals on used speakers, i'd think.

for a receiver i am not really sure. get as much power as you can afford if you want to grow w/ the rest of yr system, so it's not underpowered and sending clipped signals to yr speakers if you crank it. a sure way to kill speakers.

H8R · May 19, 2005

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&kw=HAAVR135&is=REG&Q=&O=productlist&sku=353173

Also - try the goodguys for speakers, then look online for a better deal for ones you like.

extreme2 · May 19, 2005

Besides mountain biking and racquetball, audio/video is another one of my hobbies. For $250.00 go to pricegrabber.com and take a look at yamaha and denon receivers.

As far as speakers, bookshelves are great, just make sure they are efficient with a sdb of 90 or better. The more efficient the speaker, the louder they will play. Louder isn't always better, but you can find the middle road between great sound quality and efficiency.

Just my .02 worth of babble.

H8R · May 19, 2005

These rock for 6" speakers.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/fg=101/g=rec/search/detail/base_pid/603201/

Jayridesacove · May 19, 2005

Yes, get a nice pair of studio monitors. Sound clarity will be good since studio monitors are designed for a flat output of sound.

H8R · May 19, 2005

Jayridesacove said:
Yes, get a nice pair of studio monitors. Sound clarity will be good since studio monitors are designed for a flat output of sound.

See my above post on the Alesis.

yonton228 · May 20, 2005

I have been using BOSE speakers for years, they have really good highs and low's as well as excelent midrange sound reproduction. You can get a the 301 series for around $300 dollars. As for recievers (at this price range) I would have to recomend anything from Sony,Panasonic,Kenwood,Pioneer.

But, what I strongly recomend doing is saving money for a good stereo system, as with bikes you get what you pay for. For higher end stuff I would recomend.....

Reciever: Denon/Yamaha... Try to get one with HDMI (high defonition media interface)connecters. HDMI allows you put all the media streams (sound and HD video) into one cord. component video,opitcal and coaxial connecters,composit video, stereo sound and s video. Also make sure it supports at least 5.1, and preferablly 7.1 surround sound.

DVD recorder: I would wait about another year or so for the newer technology to come out ie: Blue Ray, HD-DVD, and.........dam I forgot the other one. These new technologies that are coming out will hold approximatly hold twice to three times the amount of information of current disks. This will allow you to record programs in HD or fit more programs onto the discs.

Speakers: Bose,Klipsch are the two higher end companies that I would have to recomend.

VCR: Prolly wont need one of these.

Um... I think thats it, if you have any questions with electronics I would be more than happy to try to help answer all of your questions. If you choose to get a reciever for around $300 dollars, basically all the models in this price range are similar. Each will have there different qualities, but at this price range they are all basically the same. And for speakers I strongly recomend getting BOSE 301's or possibly 201's.

But like I said if you have any more specific questions you can PM if you would like. I can help you choose what would prolly suite your needs.

Anthony

binary visions · May 20, 2005

H8R said:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&kw=HAAVR135&is=REG&Q=&O=productlist&sku=353173

Also - try the goodguys for speakers, then look online for a better deal for ones you like.

40w/channel? Isn't that a little underpowered? I don't know too much about A/V stuff but the last receiver I wired up for my buddy was 75w/channel and was about the same price - it sounds pretty good, too.

My girlfriend's dad just invested in a set of Bose speakers and they sound really, really great. I can't believe the deep, rich sound that comes out of these tiny little speakers. He got this set and they're fantastic. Probably more than you're willing to spend, but Bose speakers seem to be all they're cracked up to be. Awesome build quality, too.

jacksonpt · May 20, 2005

the Inbred said:
alrighty...so, here's what i'm thinking...

i want to set up my PS2, TV, record player, and DVD player to a receiver, and start out with 2 bookshelf speakers.

after doing some research, i think i like the idea of building around a decent receiver. what would you guys recommend in the $250 range? also, what brand speakers? like i said, i want to start with 2 bookshelf, then as time goes by, i'd like to morph that into a full surround system. i have no problem buying used speakers now, then trashing them when i leave Austin (a year). i'd prefer to buy a receiver that can sort of grow with me, though.

Are you looking to spend $250 total, or just on the receiver?
See if Harmon Kardon, Denon, Yamaha or Onkyo have anything in your price range. All 4 offer solid products with good sound that should hold up well.
As for speakers... Paradigm, Energy, and PSB offer great speakers at a good price. The key to buying speakers is finding somethign you like... you're the one that has to live with them and listen to them every day, so get something you like, regardless of what we all say.

If at all possible, aviod Sony and Bose like the plague.

66 · May 20, 2005

I don't recommend anything that is an all-in-one solution. If you have one box that is your amp, preamp, dolbt/dts decoder, tuner, there will be a major lacking in the sound quality department.

Many companies try to sell about saying it has 100wattsx6channel power output " State-of-the-art surround sound decoders put you in the thick of movie sound effects, while the music sounds like you're center stage", probably a remote that lights up, cool sound field effects (see here) for only $142.49. Think it's going to sounds good? do you think you are going to get a 600 watt amp? nope to both.

Anything that sounds too good to be true is. None of the all in one solutions are going to sound good.

If you are going to start with stereo (2 speakers) anyway, please find clean 2 channel integrated (it has both preamp and amp in one box and normally share power supply) like this. it's going to sound great, it's cheap.

Then listen to as many speakers as you can. the more time you spend doing this part, the better you become are listening. What I mean is, it's really easy to be wowed by something that has bright highs and boomy lows. Bose is great at that effect. but after you buy it, and take it home, and sit in front of them for a couple hours, your ears will be tired. the less true the system is, the more fatigue your ears will become. if you spend a bunch of time listening to multiple speakers, you will have a better reference to choose from. also, clean hifi's will reveal much more then you can imagine. if you want a quick demo of this, pick your favorite CD that you know every detail about, go to your local hifi shop, go to their top end room and listen to it. spend 5 minuets listening to it and you will be convinced. and you will hear a lot that you didn't know was there.

Read reviews, dont but anything from a place that also sells camera and dishwashers, listen, listen.

Then when you are done, get nice speaker cables and interconnects. They are very important components.

66 · May 20, 2005

oh yeah, and do your research on a hifi board, not a bike board.

jacksonpt · May 20, 2005

66 said:
I don't recommend anything that is an all-in-one solution. If you have one box that is your amp, preamp, dolbt/dts decoder, tuner, there will be a major lacking in the sound quality department.

I think this is very relative... it's all dependant on your ear and what you expect out of your purchase. I agree with you, but it's because I've put about $10k into my home theater over the years, and expect quality video and sound from it. My parents are nearly as into it as I am... they just like to have surround sound, so an all-in-one system was fine for them.

It all comes down to what you like and what you want/need from your gear.

66 · May 20, 2005

jacksonpt said:
I think this is very relative... it's all dependant on your ear and what you expect out of your purchase. I agree with you, but it's because I've put about $10k into my home theater over the years, and expect quality video and sound from it. My parents are nearly as into it as I am... they just like to have surround sound, so an all-in-one system was fine for them.

It all comes down to what you like and what you want/need from your gear.

I'm not saying you can't spend 10k and have an all-in-one box. i'm saying, the sq suffers greatly when you try to get each part to do too much. I'm also saying that no all-in-one box is going to sound that good.

binary visions · May 20, 2005

66 said:
I'm also saying that no all-in-one box is going to sound that good.

His point is that "good" is relative.

For a big chunk of the population, an all-in-one box is going to be fine since they're not very picky. Just like, for a big chunk of the population, a Specialized Hardrock is more bike than they'll ever use. It has the advantages of being cheap and simple, just like an all-in-one stereo solution.

Not that it's necessarily the way to go for Inbred, just that a lot of people would be very happy with it.

jacksonpt · May 20, 2005

binary visions said:
His point is that "good" is relative.

For a big chunk of the population, an all-in-one box is going to be fine since they're not very picky. Just like, for a big chunk of the population, a Specialized Hardrock is more bike than they'll ever use. It has the advantages of being cheap and simple, just like an all-in-one stereo solution.

Not that it's necessarily the way to go for Inbred, just that a lot of people would be very happy with it.

werd

rigidhack · May 20, 2005

I second the suggestion to avoid the Bose stuff like the plague. They are good at acousitc gimmicry, but don't really produce clean sound at all. I also second teh suggestion to avoid the all in one route. The one exception I might make is for the new NAD stuff. If you only want to stick with 2 channel (which is a pretty good option if you ask me) look at he NAD intergrated amps, like the 320BEE.

One other option for multi channel application is to go with the Acoustic Energy AEGO 5.1 system. I've seen them on ebay for $499 (new) and they come with 5 speakers (they are REALLY LITTLE, but they sound good) a woofer and an amplifier/processor. If you have a smaller space, it is a pretty good option. All you need to do then is attach a source (CD, DVD) and you are good to go.

rigidhack · May 20, 2005

the Inbred said:
i was looking for an integrated amp, and was having a hell of a time finding one less than $800. that Cambridge one looks good. i had been looking for an a/v forum that got decent traffic, but couldn't find one of those, either.

Try Audioreview.com, (a link is on the MTBR page). Goodsound, Audiogon, and SoundStage are all pretty good for reviews.

The NAD 320BEE is the way to go for a decent intergrated. Plus it is WAY cheaper than $800. Don't worry about the watt ratings, most of them are BS. Listen to how it sounds. I think a 320BEE with a pair of Axiom bookshelf speakers would be awesome.

Hawkeye · May 20, 2005

DO NOT BUY BOSE. A complete ripoff. Go to a store and listen to them compared to a quality speaker in the same price range.

Look at:

Polk, Mirage, Boston, B&W, Klipsch

Bose products are made with inferior drivers paper cones, foam surronds, weak tin baskets, plastic cabients, press board cabients. They have markwting agreements with stores so their products are not demoed right next to other speakers.

As far as recievers look at Denon the best for the money.

Try looking at http://www.avsforum.com

H8R · May 20, 2005

binary visions said:
40w/channel? Isn't that a little underpowered?

What the??

That wasn't the link I meant to post...oops.

:rolleyes:

Jayridesacove · May 20, 2005

Watts aren't that important, it's just to trick people into thinking their 500w home system sounds better than a 250w system because there is more power.

You should be more concerned with the actual frequency range of the speakers and it's spl rating. Because that is where the sound is going to come from.

Bose...IMO it's just overpriced crap.

H8R · May 20, 2005

the Inbred said:
went to 2 stores just now. one deals in $1200+ systems, one deals in sub-$1000. B&W speakers blew me away.

Try a music store w/ a pro audio section.

Check out the Alesis monitors, they really do sound amazing for the price.

MtnBikerNJ · May 20, 2005

yonton228 said:
I have been using BOSE speakers for years, they have really good highs and low's as well as excelent midrange sound reproduction. You can get a the 301 series for around $300 dollars. As for recievers (at this price range) I would have to recomend anything from Sony,Panasonic,Kenwood,Pioneer......

Speakers: Bose,Klipsch are the two higher end companies that I would have to recomend.
...

I know I didn't just read that you recommend Bose speakers... Bose is a MARKETING company, not a speaker building company. For the same price, you can buy a much higher level speaker of a competing brand that will blow the bose out of the water. And Bose are made poorly, with wire CLIPs for connections (binding posts are better), and paper drivers (which don't transfer sound as well).

Klipsch speakers are good though, but I dont like their sound - the horn makes them sound shrill to me. I like the Paradigm speakers. You can get TITAN bookshelves for pretty cheap, and they sound very good. Even better would be the Mini Monitors. Definitive Tech, Energy, and a whole slew of others are alot better.

As for the receiver, $250 isn't alot to spend. I prefer the Denon, but yea, Yamaha's are very good too. Denons sound a little "warm" which I like, but Yamaha's are probably slightly more neutral.

Either way, buy them from a place that you can return them if possible. Even if you listen in a "sound room" the speakers/receiver will sound different in YOUR room. So if you buy the receiver online, make sure you can return the speakers after you open them. Each receiver will change the sound of the speakers too. Its alot to think about.

For features, get what you can afford. Don't worry about HDMI right now, because as some point when you want to get hi-def TV, you'll probably have more $$, which means you'll start upgrading everythig else anyway.

Another thing to think about, is once you pick a speaker sound that you DO like, STICK WITH THE BRAND. so if you buy JBL bookshelf speakers, stick with JBL and buy more speakers from the same series for the rest of the surround system - you will want them timber matched.

There are alot of good resources online. Check out:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/

hope this helps

MtnBikerNJ · May 20, 2005

http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html

surfinguru · May 20, 2005

the Inbred said:
i was looking for an integrated amp, and was having a hell of a time finding one less than $800. that Cambridge one looks good. i had been looking for an a/v forum that got decent traffic, but couldn't find one of those, either.

-edit-

wait, question...how would i hook up a PS2 to the integrated amp?

Hey, check this place out, AVS Forum It's such an awsome resource. Be sure to check the audio section of the forums.

edit - sorry hawkeye, didn't read your post. Guess that's two votes for AVS Forums. FWIW, I'm running an Onkyo SR-701 receiver and am quite pleased with it..

bibs · May 20, 2005

I would recommend the new Yamaha stuff ,its cheap and works great. I used to have M&K , bu tsol di tall. My apt at the tim ewas too small for it and my neighbors could not figure out the frequent earthquaks

But i really like my Yamaha and my dad bought a bunch of stuff too, sounds really good!

and stay away from BOSE, in my own opinion they sound waaaaay too flat , I have installed a few systems (home and car) never cared for them, my brother has a FULL Bose system in his boat and it sound ...bla!

but thats my TWO cents

Brian HCM#1 · May 21, 2005

Hawkeye said:
DO NOT BUY BOSE. A complete ripoff. Go to a store and listen to them compared to a quality speaker in the same price range.

Look at:

Polk, Mirage, Boston, B&W, Klipsch

Bose products are made with inferior drivers paper cones, foam surronds, weak tin baskets, plastic cabients, press board cabients. They have markwting agreements with stores so their products are not demoed right next to other speakers.

As far as recievers look at Denon the best for the money.

Try looking at http://www.avsforum.com

Old Klipsch yes, new no.

GeoffW · May 22, 2005

I've had good luck in the past with Yamaha and Onyko amps, both have alot more power than their ratings would suggests and are excellent values with alot of flexibility built in. I Haven't had good luck sound quality wise with Pioneer or Sony stuff, but that's only my opinion
My speaker setup are Energy e:XL26's. They are a tower speaker which energy doesn't make anymore, but their C2's are quite comparable. They are a really natural sounding speaker which I've been hard pressed to find much more speaker for twice their price. BTW, Energy and Mirage are kissing cousins, they are both made under the same roof.

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