OK, so I am a audio ignoramus.
So I am looking for one of those 5.1 types. I really dont know what I am looking for, however I am leaning toward the RCA or philips @ walmart. They claim 500-1000 watt power (freaking hell sounds like an insane amount) and generally seem like it should work. They cost $150-250.
I really prefer the philips cos its made in america too.
So can someone point me better, I dont care if I had to buy used either but I am really looking to stay under ~4-500 ...
BTW I have gotte by so far with 2 channel, giant sized speakers bought circa 1991.
Cool.
Buddha.
you want a home surround sound system? or a home stereo system? i'm a bit confused by your post. guess i've not been here long enough to dechiper buddha speak. :dunno_white:
Home theater system ...
whatever you can get for 200-400.
Cool.
Buddha.
I bought all my stuff separate.. L&R Surround sound (RCA) $40 Center Chanel (RCA) $140 12" 200 Watt Sub ($250) Klipsh L&R Front (had for years) and a Kenwood 5.1 Stereo (demo model $70 :thumb: Make sure whatever you buy that the Stereo has optical inputs for your cable/sat and DVD. you cant get true Dolby Digital w/o the fiber ins/outs. And the powered sub makes my whole house shake.. I cant even turn it up past 3 :icon_twisted: Most of the packaged systems claim way higher output than they really deliver. Buy your components one at a time and put together your own awesome system :icon_mrgreen: I hope to move our living room system into the bedroom and upgrade some of the living room this year :icon_mrgreen:
Quote from: The Buddha on May 10, 2009, 06:57:21 AM
I really prefer the philips cos its made in america too.
Philips is a Dutch company. Are you sure it's made in America? Only thing I know they make in the US is light bulbs.
Buddha get the owner's manuals out on the receivers you look at, flip over to the spec's page and find the RMS power output to find out what the actual continous power output is. typically if they claim 200-300 watts per channel, the actual RMS rating will most likely be 50-60watts RMS (root mean square) continous w/ 4ohm load. also look for high sensitivity speakers (will be listed as decibals w/1 watt, measured at 1 meter (3ft)) the higher the sensitivty number the less wattage required to produce the "SPL" sound pressure level, again listed in decibals, so you can run a lower wattage (and generally less expensive) power source. i'm with Scott on picking components from various
manufactors, the only down side to this is compatibility of remote controll units, but other than that i think you get much more for your money than the "packaged" deals.
check out consumer reports at the local library for better buys on components (not guaranteed to be best choice, but a good starting point as far as make, models, $ points)
If you're looking to stay under $400 then I suggest waiting until Memorial Day and buying the nicest box system you can afford. That way you know everything will work together out of the box and it will probably be a huge improvement over what you have now. As time goes by if you feel the need to upgrade then you can start upgrading various pieces of the system. There are SOOO many variables at work here...the size of the room you plan on using this stuff in...the type of movies/music you prefer...your inevitable hearing loss from riding motorcycles all these years... :icon_razz:
Buying all that stuff separately works great when you know what you're looking for.
For that budget I wouldn't get carried away with the wattage claims on the box...All of them will claim more power than they truly have...all of them will ultimately be fairly low (true) power in the great scheme of things...and all of them will make your movies sound a lot better than the speakers in your TV.
I started about 10 years ago with a "box" system and LOVED it...for about three years...then the upgrade bug hit...sound familiar to a certain 2 wheeled hobby? :) 10 years later my subwoofer costs more than I'll admit to the wife but I haven't been to a movie theater in years.
I agree with the starting out with a simple box system. I bought a panasonic brand from best by that has an included 5disc changer. It's rated at 800watts max. I've never had to turn it up all the way in any apt i've lived in. Objects in the room begin to rattle around half to 2/3 power. That's also when the neighbors get cranky. If you have a nice DVD placer. Sony maked a nice box kit with just the receiver and speakers that's I believe 600watts. It sounds pretty good for the money as well. Can't remember prices, but I know both fell below your range you gave. I'd just go into Bestbuy and turn a bunch of them on and see how they sound to YOU. And don't worry about max watts too much. They're all louder than they probably need to be.
XealotX, in undergrad my roomie had 15" CV down-firing sub connected to his system. The resonance frequency of our dorm was the baseline to Interglactic by Beastie Boys. Playing Bia Bia by Lil' John made it hard to breath in the room. lol
Mmmmm OK cstilt when you come over you're looking at my current system.
Cool.
Buddha.
okay with your budget of 400 bucks.. that 1000W is PMPO (peak) which is crap, you need RMS (continous).
There are several things you can do.. I would suggest getting some quailty speakers and a quaility amp for 500 bucks in total.. than those box sets. I will post some info in here for you in a bit.
Do you have to deal with WAF? (Wife Appreciation Factor)... aka Small speakers vs. Bigger ones?
I can do a good deal for under 500 if you can stretch your budget a bit. With a nice amp, using your old dvd player, and a few cables to finish off the thing. Do you have a HDTV? Do you have a existing bluray or HDDVD? Do you ahve a stand alone dvd player?
How much room you got?
the size of the room you're installing it in is important too from what i understand. good audio system building is almost an art from what i've heard.
Might want to look at this thread to start with.
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=67&threadid=2099593&enterthread=y
I was thinking of starting you off with a "fluance" system. http://www.fluance.com --> Either the AVHTB+ (199.99) or the much better SXHTB+5
You wont need subwoofers right away since these are big speakers and have quite a bit of 'low end' (down to 49hz on the SXHTB and 38hz on the AVHTB). You can even add a 50W sub to complete the sound.
The only thing with the fluance, you need an amp that delivers its power with least distortion (no 10% THD). They are not very efficient speakers (they are other 5 set speakers that are more effective in their ability to produce sound and i'll add them later) however if you got a good solid amp, you wont be disappointed.
One thing with buying speakers is letting them break in. So for the first 2 hours you play classical at soft volumes, then the next 2 hours play rock in soft volumes
then slowly start raising the volume up until you reach about 10-20 hours of use. You can use it to watch tv and what not, just dont blast it right away, good way to blow the speakers.
Okay I found a denon 5.1 HTIB system for under 400 but its recertified. Let me know if it interests you.
Oh so much more info ...
OK we dont want to use our amp - its a unit with tape, radio and amp in 1 box and has no remote. That has to go and prolly to the kids room in a few months.
And I am good reusing the speakers for now, but then kiddo needs a speaker set soon. I am almost sure i can find these giant clunky speakers easy, and I like those old school stuff.
My DVD, CD etc etc are stand alone.
I done have Blurry (southern for blu-ray) yet ...
I have the cable box which is HD ready.
I would buy individual pieces, I'd gladly buy used as long as they all work together and the thing has a remote with volume on it.
Goodguy - PM me - you selling any of these - I'll gladly buy, as long as you tell me what else to buy to finish the thing.
WAF is pretty important, but volume control will cove 90% of that.
Cool.
buddha.
I have a Phillips surrond sound from Radio Shack. My best friend got it for me for Christmas :D I looked it up and it said $500 he assured me it was on sale half price! But, it is a 5.1 system, with dvd integrated and it is supposed to make the regular dvd's better can't remember what it is called, HDMI imput, Satallite imput, subwoofer, and my favorite piece an Ipod dock so I can use the remote to listen to music or watch movies from the Pod! Although, they are small speakers except subwoofer they rock! Let's put it this way I used to work in the Ultimate Home Theater at Disney to my hearing it rivals the Bose 3,2,1 we were showcasing in the Your Home section! Well, except for the bass shakers placed under the seats I don't need the shaking under oh wait nevermind :icon_twisted:.
Must admit though it does not compare to the "Ultimate Home theater"First, it was designed by Theo Kalomirakis one of the biggest innovaters in home theaters. Eh, rather than me go through my old spiel here: Home theater products showcased in the exhibit include: acoustical diffusors (RPG Diffusor Systems, Inc.), acoustical insulation/room treatment (Owens Corning), amplifier/pre-amplifier (Audio Design Associates), audio video distribution (Channel Plus), audio video receivers (Kenwood USA), bass shakers (Aura Systems), cable and power conditioners (Monster Cable and Monster Power), consumer television, HDTV, DVD, Web TV, DSS service and receiver (Sony), digital player piano (Yamaha), flatpanel television (Philips), high-end loudspeakers (M & K Sound), home theater seating (Irwin Seating), lighting controls and control systems (Lutron), lighting fixtures and fiber optic lighting (Cooper Lighting), mainstream speaker system (Bose Corporation), motorized cabinet door mechanisms (Eubank), projection screen (Da-Lite), projectors (Runco International), speaker and equipment stands (Lovan Audio), touchscreen controls (PHAST by AMX), and Ultimate Home Theater room certification (THX).
And when we were good little cast members we were treated with a movie night there! Gone in 60 seconds when it was brand new HDTV was new right then. Then we did all of Star Wars, Harry Potter (yack). Ahhh, memorable times with many a good friend (sighs). Lutron shut it down I believe last year. Need to ask a couple of my friends who work their what they did with it. Probably, went to some exec that could afford it anyway but will still get it as some perk!
Mary
K one more for Phillips ... thank mary.
If goodguy dont come over soon with the denon and other bits as to where they are and what their model/part numbers are, I think I am gonna bite the billet and buy phillips.
Cool.
Buddha.
Would you like my model number so you can compare them? I think I got the manual still in the depths of manuals under the coffee table!
Mary
The bigger the room the more you want in watts. If your just looking for something that is going to let you hear the surround sound then stick with the walmart brands BUT If you want to hear and FEEL like your at the movies then you want to spend way more.
Yes please mary. Thanks.
Jtolentino - My room is 15 X 40 or so including the kitchen. I already ahve a projector ... so I am thinking 2-300 watt minimum.
BTW can I run these big speakers I have in the front channel instead of the dinky ones they give you ...
Is a 7.1 worth it.
Cool.
Buddha.
I have the HTS355. I also copied and pasted the specs. Granted I have a one bed room apartment but when I popped in PGR4 for the first time in the 360 oh my word did it blow me away! Then alll the fun stuff they add into. Progressive scan makes your regular DVD very nice. Even my IPOD movies played from the dock were really good depending on what quality I ripped it that is. Need to get a little better radio antenna. I mean even if you don't have a pod you can still line in your MP3 with an additional port. It also has a usb where you can listen to files stored on a flash drive I charge my Ipod shuffle on it and the actually Ipod dock charges my classic and is a nice home for it. For a present my friend did a great job IMHO. Only downside I think the plugs are propriatary I.e don't have place red wire in one spot black wire other spot these have weird shaped plugs not sure how newer speakers are set up now.
AMPLIFIER
Total output power:
- Home Theater mode: 1000 W
- FTC* output power: 510 W
Frequency Response: 180 Hz – 14 kHz / ±3 dB
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: > 60 dB (A-weighted)
Input Sensitivity
- AUX In : 500 mV
- TV In: 250 mV
- MP3 Line-In: 500 mV
* (1% THD 1kHz)
RADIO
Tuning Range: FM 87.5–108 MHz (100kHz)
AM 530–1700 kHz (10kHz)
26 dB Quieting
Sensitivity: FM 22 dBf, AM 5000μV/m
IF Rejection Ratio: FM 60 dB, AM 24 dB
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: FM 50 dB, AM 30 dB
AM Suppression Ratio: FM 30 dB
Harmonic Distortion: FM Mono 3%
FM Stereo 3%
AM 5%
Frequency Response FM 180 Hz–10 kHz / ±6 dB
Stereo Separation FM 26 dB (1 kHz)
Stereo Threshold FM 23.5 dB
DISC
Laser Type Semiconductor
Disc Diametre 12cm / 8cm
Video Decoding MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 /
/ DivX 3/4/5/6, Ultra
Video DAC 12 Bits
Signal System NTSC / Multi
Video Format 4:3 / 16:9
Video S/N 56 dB
Composite Video
Output 1.0 Vp-p, 75Ω
S-Video Output Y - 1.0 Vp-p, 75Ω
C - 0.286 Vp-p, 75Ω
Audio DAC 24 Bits / 96 kHz
Frequency Response 4 Hz–20 kHz (44.1 kHz)
4 Hz–22 kHz (48 kHz)
4 Hz–44 kHz (96 kHz)
PCM IEC 60958
Dolby Digital IEC 60958, IEC 61937
DTS IEC 60958, IEC 61937
MAIN UNIT
Power Supply Rating: 120 V; 60 Hz
Power Consumption: 180 W
Low Standby power: < 1 W
Dimensions: 435 x 55 x 367 (mm)
(w x h x d)
Weight: 4.04 kg
FRONT AND REAR SPEAKERS
System: Full range satellite
Impedance: 6 Ω
Speaker drivers: 3" full range speaker
Frequency response: 150 Hz – 20 kHz
Dimensions: 95.5 x 198.3 x 75 (mm)
(w x h x d)
Weight: 0.62 kg/each
CENTER SPEAKER
System: Full range satellite
Impedance: 3 Ω
Speaker drivers: 2 x 2.5" full range woofer,
1 x 2" tweeter
Frequency response: 150 Hz – 20 kHz
Dimensions: 435 x 93.5 x 67 (mm)
(w x h x d)
Weight: 1.26kg
SUBWOOFER
Impedance: 3 Ω
Speaker drivers: 203 mm (8") woofer
Frequency response: 40 Hz – 150 Hz
Dimensions: 159.5 x 355.5 x 370 (mm)
(w x h x d)
Weight: 4.78 kg
Hope this helps! Oh I have a Phillips DVD recorder that plugged right in and they work in perfect harmony that way can record my Ipod movies :icon_twisted:
Mary
Quote from: Toogoofy317 on May 15, 2009, 07:39:15 AM
Hope this helps! Oh I have a Phillips DVD recorder that plugged right in and they work in perfect harmony that way can record my Ipod movies :icon_twisted:
Mary
OK we're gonna have to see pics/the footage of anythign interesting. OK ...
Cool.
Buddha.
Dont get that philips.
I am writing up what you should buy. I personally do not like systems integrated with a dvd player, if one thing fails you are screwed. The system I am setting you up with is a component system.
Amp seperate, dvd player you already have, speakers are part of the package.
Problem is that most HITB, and no offense to you mary, but the specs are HORRID on that. 180-14K .. the whole lower end of the bass is missing.
Philips makes good products, and I have quite a few of them. However that system's specs are horrid looking at it. The 1000W is not 1000W continous, its PMPO. Which is basically crap. You would be lucky to be running 20W RMS on that sucker.
Give me 20 minutes, I will finish lunch and type out the whole setup for 400-500 bucks. It will sound MUCH better. I also have a solution to your existing speaker issue.
M
I agree w/ TGG... dont buy an all in one system :thumb: Esp. because you already have DVD and CD (dont get the need for both???) Going TGG's way you should be in good shape :thumb:
Okay here you go:
Max budget of 500 - Complete System:
Option 1: Buy Amp + Speakers + Cable (12 Gauge)
Option 2:
Option 3:
Aww f%$king shaZam!.. what happened to all that typing.. grrrr
I dunno my neighbors seem to think it sounds good through theri walls. Being that I didn't pay for it I'm not going to bash my system. Besides can you hook your Ipod to the system you put up? I mean 250 or 500 to each their I was trying to help.
I've still gotta get that video of me and flick out for you guys! Know what I'm gonna do just gotta get well enough to do it!
Mary
Budget $500
Good System – ***/5 - Basic system.
Receiver:
Sherwood USA Receiver – RD6513 - $165+22 shipping @ buy.com or 178+5shipping + 24$ for 3 year square trade warranty@ beachaudio.com
Speakers:
+ Fluance AVHTB+ 199+shipping ($51 to NC) + cables from monoprice.com . Alternate speaker Fluance SXHTB+ 299+s&H
System Highlights:
100W per channel * 5.1 (add sub later). DTS/DD 5.1 HDMI switcher. Basic receiver.
Better system ****/5 Mid range system
Speakers: Fluance AVHTB+ (alternate Fluance SXHTB+) www.fluance.com
Amp: Denon AVR1709 (177+25 for 1 year extended square trade + shipping )or AVR1708 (150+19 for warrenty+shipping).
Prefer AVR1709, better specs. www.ecost.com (Denon units are recertified by Denon hence the extended warranty but that's your call).
Total Cost of system 199+51s&h+177 = $427
System Highlights: 80W*7.1 (AVR1709) + better amp + mid level receiver - will last you a good while. Big speakers up front. YOu are only going to use 5.1 and not 7.1
Better System Alternate ****/5 - Midrange HTIB system.
Ecost.com - Denon DHT488XP – HTIB. $ 389+shipping. Denon Recertified unit.
System comes with 5 speakers + 1 sub + amp. Amp is similar spec to AVR1708.
Alternates are: Ecost.com Denon DHT 788BA $399+shipping or DHT488BA 379+shipping
Systems come with Boston Acoustic speakers. 5.1 system. Once again amp is denon recertified.
Prefer DHT 788BA More powerful amp to the 488BA
Now for cables: www.monoprice.com
You will need to buy good speaker cables (not monster) Either 12 or 14 Gauge cable. Dont go any thinner than 16. I use 14 on my system. Cables from monoprice
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10239&cs_id=1023902&p_id=2791&seq=1&format=2
or the 100ft version. You can get the cable from RadioShack - they have a spool of it for 20 something bucks. Its 14 or 16 if I am right.
Now for the home theater interconnects:
If your DVD player has Coaxial Digital Out (orange connector) or optical digital out you will need that type of cable. If its coaxial digital out, You can use the Yellow composite cable to connect the dvd player to the receiver. it will work fine. If its optical you will need to buy a TOSLink cable (~5 bucks at monoprice)
Now for the video out. If you have a HDTV. i suggest connect HDMI straight from DVD player to TV, Audio from DVD to receiver.
If you dont have HDTV. Try using Component (Red/Blue/Green) out on your dvd player and tv for video, digital audio to reciever. Component Cable @ monoprice $5/10ft
If you dont support component on tv, use S-Video (black connector with 4 pins) for video. Digital for audio. Svideo cable @ monoprice $2/10 ft.
I dont suggest using the yellow connector for video .. it sucks.
Now if you got a cable / direct tv box. If you want to have surround sound. Connect the appropriate cable on the box to the receiver. All Amps spec'd have 2 digital coaxial and 1 optical TOSlink. So one way or another you are covered.
As for the speaker sitting in the garage. you can try removing the speakers from the front (usually woofer is screwed in the front). Take woofer out, reconnect wire and put it in sons room or connect remaining 2 channels on the AVR1709 to 2nd room for audio.
Call me 818-512-4047 if you need help!
Though if you dont want 5.1 surround (or 5 channel surround). I can set you up with a hella good 2.1 channel for that range.
I highly suggest going the Denon route's rather than the Sherwood route. You will be happier.
Whatever system you get, I'll walk you through how to set it up right. If you get the Fluance Speakers make sure you let the speakers breaking 10 hours at least. Actually all speakers should be broken in first .. crank it and you blow it.
Quote from: TheGoodGuy on May 15, 2009, 08:35:30 PM
I highly suggest going the Denon route's rather than the Sherwood route. You will be happier.
Whatever system you get, I'll walk you through how to set it up right. If you get the Fluance Speakers make sure you let the speakers breaking 10 hours at least. Actually all speakers should be broken in first .. crank it and you blow it.
OK Thanks a million, no philips K, On the rest, I'll have to get back on this tonight ... daylight interrupted by rain hard enough to peel the paint off my car = time to look for crap @ all the boneyards.
Cool.
Buddha.
Quote from: The Buddha on May 16, 2009, 06:35:18 AM
rain hard enough to peel the paint off my car = time to look for crap @ all the boneyards.
+1 :icon_mrgreen:
To that fluance you mentioned, I have to add a subwoofer dont I.
Also Denon has remote with volume on it - Huge huge huge and only item for WAF ... WAF for me works in reverse, big and clunky, looking like a tree is growing in our living room = Maximum WAF. Small and elegant ... she thinks she's going to break it the first time she runs across in front of it = negative WAF.
Cafeboy - ? you going to bone yards too ... call me 704 724 3878 if you wanna meet somewhere (I think I'd pass by your area today) pretty sure I'm going to that kings mtn exit and then on 74 and into SC.
Cool.
Buddha.
No,
Today I have to go to Spartanburg to look at a car for my cuz.
If not for that, I would be there. >:(
177 something for the denon, 200 for the 5 speakers and 150 for a sub .. even not counting in shipping. Scary ...
Have a suggestion for a sub goodguy ?
Cool.
Buddha.
Quote from: The Buddha on May 16, 2009, 07:00:18 AM
To that fluance you mentioned, I have to add a subwoofer dont I.
Also Denon has remote with volume on it - Huge huge huge and only item for WAF ... WAF for me works in reverse, big and clunky, looking like a tree is growing in our living room = Maximum WAF. Small and elegant ... she thinks she's going to break it the first time she runs across in front of it = negative WAF.
Cafeboy - ? you going to bone yards too ... call me 704 724 3878 if you wanna meet somewhere (I think I'd pass by your area today) pretty sure I'm going to that kings mtn exit and then on 74 and into SC.
Cool.
Buddha.
You wont miss one. If you set up the amp right, the sub sounds will go to the main speakers but later on you can get a cheap sub, even a 50w one will take care of filling the sound. Heck I have a 50W sub at home, works fine. Though my neighbour has a 400W and its obnoxiously loud. If you are goign to get a sub, let me know I got a list of subs that you can get.
All systems have a remote control, they come with one. I think its given these days that you got to have a remote. You are lucky that your WAF works in reverse, most women want small and cute.. except that when you give them small and cute they want big and hard.. lol
M
Quote from: The Buddha on May 16, 2009, 02:31:55 PM
177 something for the denon, 200 for the 5 speakers and 150 for a sub .. even not counting in shipping. Scary ...
Have a suggestion for a sub goodguy ?
Cool.
Buddha.
you can add the sub later.. But if you want a sub here are some options.
www.partsexpress.com --> http://ww
w.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-631&FTR=&CFID=9521960&CFTOKEN=33311271
thats under 100. There is another better one for $105, but its out of stock.
You dont need the sub right now though. You can get away without it for a while.
There are lots of sub manufacturers.. SONY, Yamaha, Velodyne, etc. I suggest you hold off. there is usually some bloke upgrading his subs on the cheap on CL or audiogon.com
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-696
Hey why not all dayton stuff ... cheaper than dayton sub+fluance front/rear/center even if its by just about 75 bones.
Yea ... that fluance 5 pack looks impressive too ... I guess 199+95 is cool.
Cool.
Buddha.
LOL i knew you were goign to try do that..
You are better off with Fluance. I dont know how the dayton speakers are .. though those reviews are going good. I know the sub is well received.
WAF has kicked in, the big and clunky fluance beats the little ciggy box dayton.
I guess fluance/denon/dayton and what impedance, they all 8 ohm ?
Cool.
Buddha.
yup all 8ohm... :)
THough sub's LFE is probably not 8ohm but whatever it is, it has its own amp.
About 2 years ago, I finally was able to replace my vintage 1986 Fisher system. I did a 6.1 setup, not entirely happy with how I placed my rear speakers, but that's what I get for listening to the stereo shop! Here is what I ended up with:
AMP-Yamaha RX-V2700, they replaced this recently with a 3 series. has one more HDMI input. I use one of the 100W internal amps for the garage, patio, master BR & master bath.
Front pair-Paradyme sumptin sumptin... Very clean sounding highs, not too harsh. (too lazy to see what they are...)
Center-Klipsch Reference series RC62. Sounds great for the voice, etc.
rear 3, this is where I screwed up. Shop said to place all 3 behind the listening area, evenly. I have a rt, left & center rear. Should have placed the rt & left to the side of the couch... These are Klipsch in ceiling 8" speakers.
Subwoofer... I kind of broke the budget here... I went looking for a good $500 sub. Klipsch, Velodyne, Energy... Then the guy showed me the Velodyne SPL 10" sub for $1800. OMG, what a powerhouse. I liked it, but not the price. I did an internet search & found the SPL 12" sub for $1000 even from audio liquidators. This thing makes the glasses in the cabinet walk around. What I like best is that it has a very low resonant frequency. I used to hate subs. They all sounded like they were tuned for a high bass hit. Not this one, it hits as low as you want to go.
Anyway, just thought I'd share. I built it as the showcase to my front room in the new house.
Later,
John.
I love Klipsch ... but those are really $$$ ...
Paradyme - I think there is so many fakes floating around on these ...
In a way I think some brands screwed themselves. They outsourced to china and when they decided to cut back, the chineese decided to pump em by the million and drop them on the black market at wholesale rates. Millenium also ...
Ironically that leaves Klipsh, Bose, Polk and a few with a good name and the rest of them are in the crapper.
I think Fluance is good middle ground, no massive fake market, and no huge price tag like klipsh ...
I think I am going with the fluance/denon combo ... and the extra irony is ... I just remembered - Goodguy's last name is Bose. How's that for funny ... he's suggesting fluance.
Cool.
Buddha.
OK now, watch me cheap out right here ...
Anyone know where they sell these used ... I already scraped craigslist.
Cool.
Buddha.
lol yes my name is bose and i am not recommending it, its not good enough even for me :icon_twisted: :whisper:
You wont find fluance on CL, thats for sure. You can try www.audiogon.com
I didn't relaize there was a fake Paradyme market out there. Thankfully, I paid full retail at a reputable dealer! I suppose it's like TAG watches on E-bay... I just won't go there...
Yeah, the Klipsch are $$$, and to boot, sometimes the highs are a tad harsh. I'm really a 2 channel sort of guy at heart, I bought my speakers based on listening to music, stereo shop guys hate me, they all want to put on a DVD or Blu-Ray... Yeah, I can feel the big lizzard's feet stomp, but how does it sound playing 'Dre? Or, better yet, Coltrane... Yeah, the shop guys hate me...
I agree on the Bose... Won't handle any power, bass has that funky high res-freq sound, like it is tuned for 100HZ or something.
Thanks for the link TGG.
JSTrube - I also am music sorta guy, but you can run a 5.1 in 2 or 2.1 mode right.
Cool.
Buddha.
Quote from: The Buddha on May 18, 2009, 10:23:39 AM
Thanks for the link TGG.
JSTrube - I also am music sorta guy, but you can run a 5.1 in 2 or 2.1 mode right.
Cool.
Buddha.
Yeah you can. Or, you can add effects, which is fun, especially for live recordings. My point was that these guys would try to sell equipment based on how a movie sounded, not music, which is far more demanding, quality wise.
To cover what my wife wants (and her parents) the system has to make the ground squeeze mud out from under their toes when the T-rex walks through the mud.
For me clear music should fill the room. I have actually noticed classical is somehitng that required the nicer and more precise systems.
Cool.
Buddha.
Quote from: The Buddha on May 18, 2009, 10:23:39 AM
Thanks for the link TGG.
JSTrube - I also am music sorta guy, but you can run a 5.1 in 2 or 2.1 mode right.
Cool.
Buddha.
Yup you can run 2.1 and simulated multi channel.. no problems. Just change the audio out option in the remote.
M
Man if you're looking for some of the best speakers that are out there for the buck, go look at the insignia bookshelf speakers from best buy. Long ago they used to be offered at $39 dollars and now they're at 80 smackers. I have them set up for my mains right now and an infinity dual 6" center with some 3 way yamaha rears. I pieced my system together and people always think I spent some bank on it but as it sits right now is:
Sony receiver $250 *(got it at a great deal almost half off so thats your only deal breaker)
Insignia NSB-2111 $100
Infinity center used: $50
Yamaha rear used: $25
12" klh sub $150 costco
So $575 for the whole thing and it sounds freakin awesome to most ears. I have an ear for expensive stuff but have to curb it for my gun desires. I am very very happy with those insignias though and would say to get those for your front and rears and then upgrade to some nice klipsch or whatever your tastes are. I prefer klipsch and paradigm. Go for a nice center though if you can and upgrade the remaining speakers next. It sucks getting really nice mains and a crappy center. I go for a nice center first and upgrade the rest later. The rears are taste preference, some like timber matched rears but I can't really hear that much of a difference most times so if you're going to skimp anywhere, skimp on the rears but not the center or the mains. Good luck
I am finding klipsch 2-3 year old in that 300 range.
Can I even go older, did they get much better of late ? I love large speakers though.
Cool.
Buddha.
How are cerwin vega's.
Cool.
Buddha.
I dont know how cerwin vega's are..
The insignia speakers are really good speakers, even for 80 bucks. They arent big though. But really good sounding speakers. For 160 you get 4 speakers and then you need one center channel and a sub if you want to do that.
Craigslist has klipsch quintet etc for the low 4-500 range. I am thinking of shaking him down a bit. He says its new.
If not, I would go to fluance cos its 299+75 new ...
If finally nothing pans - yea insignia.
Klipsch is on display @ beast buy too ... time to trot down there and look ...
Cool.
Buddha.
OK This is what I found -
$375 for Klipsch RC-52 center channel and cdc-5650-c satellites new. All local so I get to pay tax. So make it 400.
And Klipsch F1 floor speakers 6 months old $300 lightly used. So 700 total.
Or ...
New fluance $375 shipped, for the sxhtb+ 5. <- Yea I said 500 ... and am leaning toward this. However ... I'd use this for years, I could also wait and hunt for months really, no need for it now. So am leaning away from new anything. In fact crappyeo BS from CL is 50 bucks (like the RCA out of walmart but used) ... I may buy it to position and move things around the house ... Then get what I want.
Or
Klipsch Reference 3's $875 6 yr old used.
So ... forget the budget for now, and tell me if one is 2 X as good as the other.
Cool.
Buddha.
I have an old school set of Cerwin Vegas 15" I think They are AWESOME! Like giant tanks! :icon_mrgreen: There are crossover controlls on the rear and even a strange speaker looking thing on the rear that looks just like the front 15" but has no magnet? I used those in my 5.1 setup until I got the Klipsh's :cheers:
Forget the quintet system, not worth, its only 50W max. Forget those speaker systems and they are tiny!
lemme see what other are your options..
Mwaaaa mwaaaaa ... booooo hooooo hoooooo ....
:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:
Wifey said ... she wants new .... OK fluance here I come ...
Cool.
Buddha.
OK never mind that, she said used OK, as long as its the right $ for the right system ...
Small is OK, can be big too, but 50W is not.
Cool.
Buddha.
If you are increasing your budget past 500, then there are MUCH better speakers to be had than the Kiplich
No that they arent bad sounding they are just plain overpriced for what they are.
Cause at that range one could go with Polks or Infinity for speakers but you would be pushing the limits.
The nice thing about AV equipement, especially used ones if you go that route is that they drop 50% in value the moment you walk out the door.
Booya plenty of polk used of CL.
Infinity - if I knoew they are good I'd search for em ... which I will soon ...
You been great for me man ... thanks so much.
Cool.
Buddha.
Plenty of infinity as well including one 2 miles form my house. Just center and maybe satellites, but ... very cheap ($50)
Then @ 225 there is a whole 5 pack ~30 miles away.
Still looking. And these were supposedly 5-6 years old. Did the tech change a lot in that time ?
Cool.
Buddha.
I'm telling ya, for brand new, you won't beat the insignias for the price. The crossover is in reality at about 70HZ or so so you will need a decent sub, but thats OK. Is your budget $500 for complete system or just speakers though?
Quote from: bombadillo on May 21, 2009, 10:04:01 AM
I'm telling ya, for brand new, you won't beat the insignias for the price. The crossover is in reality at about 70HZ or so so you will need a decent sub, but thats OK. Is your budget $500 for complete system or just speakers though?
His budget was 500 for the whole system.. I agree the insignia's are really good speakers for what they are. As long as BBY didnt change it to make more profit, its their store brand.
As for the infinity, tell me what you are looking at. Cause on Crutchfield, you got a 5.1 speaker system from onkyo in that range but those are HTIB's again but they got a normal amp + speakers + sub.
But the point being whatever route you go, make sure you tune the system right and configure it so it sounds good.
Infinity RS 4 fronts, this thing - http://charlotte.craigslist.org/ele/1178851909.html
Insignia - Beast buy, prolly worth a look.
Cool.
Buddha.
dude, i'd jump on those RS4 speakers NOW!
I assume it comes with all speakers and stands.. that is a hell of a deal.. if the speakers are fine.. you are getting one hell of a deal on a good quality speaker from a few years ago.
I hope its still there ... but there is also this -
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/ele/1151340301.html
And this
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/ele/1149247784.html
and this
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/ele/1134939228.html
and
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/ele/1174523561.html
Cool.
Buddha.
interesting.... thats all I got to say.
K tommorow I go and see ... There is 2 in the same neighbor hood ...
Cool.
Buddha..
RS 625's -
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/ele/1151340301.html
I think I''ll get that and centers from this guy -
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/ele/1174450884.html or
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/ele/1168466904.html (are those decent satellites ? audio source)
Then find the a sub.
Yea these rs4's are there too.
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/ele/1178851909.html (however those are in a very pretentious part of town ... I mean, in a very pretentious and yet booneville part which barely qualifies as part of charlotte).
Cool.
Buddha.
looks like its coming along nice!
Score ...
RS 625's -
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/ele/1151340301.html
Free ... I went over there and charmed the pants off her and she gave em to me as she was swooning ...
OK change that swooning to ripped foam round doohickey, and she to he and somethign some thing needs to be fleabayed and glued on and its good as new.
But ... freebie .... whooooooo ...
Center and some other stuff tommorow.
Cool.
Buddha.
OK the RS-625's I scored are 6 ohm impedance.
Do I need to buy all 6 ohm ? ... is denon 1709 6 ohm ?
Cool.
Buddha.
OK I got some more Infinity sterling SS 2005 8 inch one and 1" tweeter in cabinet both 8's need foam ...
The center has a 1" tweeter and 2 6.5" mid range ... again all 6 ohm.
So I need a 6 ohm receiver ?
Cool.
Buddha.
Quote from: The Buddha on May 23, 2009, 04:50:51 PM
So I need a 6 ohm receiver ?
No, but if the receiver doesn't have much power then it will heat up faster. Also, there will be distortion earlier as you increase the volume. Distortion kills speakers. Just try not to crank up the BeeGee eight tracks too often and they will probably be fine. Also, if you use a subwoofer for the lower frequency then the receiver will not have to work as hard.
I don't think that there are receivers built specifically for 6 ohm speakers...most are rated for 8 ohm and some of the more $$$ ones will be rated for 4 ohms as well.
OK I would keep that in mind, and definetly sub woofer ... a big huge one ...
Cool.
Buddha.
Denon 1707 says this -
Denon 7.1 Surround Home Theater Receiver W/ Xm Radio Tuner & Ipod Connect ( AVR1707 )
Specifications
Front 75 W + 75 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 0.08 % THD)
110 W + 110 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7 % THD)
Center 75 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 0.08 % THD)
110 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7 % THD)
Surround
75 W + 75 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 0.08 % THD)
110 W + 110 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7 % THD)
Surround Back 75 W + 75 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 0.08 % THD)
110 W + 110 W (6 ohms, 1 kHz, 0.7 % THD)
Power Output; Watts Per Channel 75
Processor(s) – Bit Depth and Type 32-bit Floating Point
Manufacturer Information
Parts Warranty 90 Days
So - it has a switch ? and why does 1709 does not say that ?
So I guess I am getting a bunch of rubber ring foamie things to patch up these speakers and then this guy ... if there aint no good reason to pay up 180 bucks for the 1709, I wont ... booya ... now I go look on the list of craig.
Cool.
Buddha.
Quote from: The Buddha on May 23, 2009, 05:57:49 PM
So - it has a switch ? and why does 1709 does not say that ?
No switch, should be automatic, at least it is on my Denon.
My guess here is that (assuming you use a subwoofer) a system with up to 5 channels with these speakers on a Denon 1707 will be OK as long as you keep the volume "reasonable". This will not have enough power to properly drive a 7 channel system...but...most lower priced receivers aren't powerful enough anyway and 7 channels are kinda over rated...sounds like something is always sneaking up on you from the rear channels...
Maaaa ... I am looking for the sneak up and the drop the rocks on my head effect ...
Anyway ... 1707 is 6 ohm compatible ...
1709 is not and 1707 is $119 vs the $177 for the 1709 ... thinking of the 1707 ...
I was thinkign out loud ... 1707 can take 6 ohm, can the 1709 not ...
Cool.
Buddha.
A five channel system will still give you sound to the side and somewhat behind. Frankly, I haven't seen many 7 channel DVD's anyway...I do not have a BluRay player and it might be more common with them. As far as the specs between a 1707 and a 1709 I'm not sure...but I suspect the differences between the two are more Video capabilities than Audio.
Meeh ... 7.1 denon ... and I may stalk the next unsuspecting speaker comming along and get a pair free ... patch it up and rock on ...
Cool.
Buddha.
OK got the polk sub ... 10 inch 50 bones.
Got satellites, RCA with top firing tweeters that look like a 2 extra fat AA batteries with a extra extra fat band around them. Out $40 ...
Got speaker stands for em RCA ones. $20 ...
And that dude told me - likely I would not like the front I have ... cos well he didn't think they put enough bass due to the 8 inch woofer, and he suggested I get a extra sub or get a set of speakers with a larger woofer and, ... no surprise ... he had a set, make it 2 sets. Fisher and JVC.
However I am going to take the second slice of advice he gave me ... get the infinity bits on the fornt working without doing the foam thing (by swapping stuff between the 2 sets I have) ... and try it ... if I dont like it, work on second sub or the larger fronts ... I suspect I may agree with him, and buy the fishers for 35 bones ... why ... I also need music to work ... subs sorta dont work for that IMHO.
Then in my most brilliant move ... I am borrowing (read stop answering the phone if he calls) Sony SDR 3850 or some BS like that ... from joystick ... booya, thanks dude.
So anyone know anyting about what and how and what not and how not ...
Cool.
Buddha.
Quote from: XealotX on May 23, 2009, 05:05:30 PM
Quote from: The Buddha on May 23, 2009, 04:50:51 PM
So I need a 6 ohm receiver ?
No, but if the receiver doesn't have much power then it will heat up faster. Also, there will be distortion earlier as you increase the volume. Distortion kills speakers. Just try not to crank up the BeeGee eight tracks too often and they will probably be fine. Also, if you use a subwoofer for the lower frequency then the receiver will not have to work as hard.
I don't think that there are receivers built specifically for 6 ohm speakers...most are rated for 8 ohm and some of the more $$$ ones will be rated for 4 ohms as well.
Yeah, I pushed 6ohm yamaha speakers for well over 5 years at 8 ohms and didn't cause any problems. As soon as I switched to a matching setup, I flipped my receiver over to 4 ohms and ran it with the insignias and its freaking awesome.
OK I know you said denon goodguy ... but how is onkyo TX-sr607.
Its 7.2 and I have enouogh speakers to run a 7.2 ...
Besides ... I also am under 150 ... prolly under 200 after the fisher speaker/sony sub X 2 ... swap for this polk ...
So may score a onkyo used too ...
Cool.
Buddha.
Thats a reallly good receiver.. if you get that dont get the denon.
Its a better receiver... :) get it!
Oh well, as of now, I got a Kenwood AV 606 5.1 - free with purchase of speakers and crap ... Got it hooked up except the sub, no cable for it yet ...
So finally I have some gigantic fisher thing STV 875 or other similar ... fronts.
Then RCA 40-5007 satellites, weigh a lot for satellites and they got that top firing tweeter that looks like a huge battery holder ... and they got cool speaker stands ... missing 1 set screw ...
The twin 6.5 and 1 tweeter infinity sterling SS 2005 center ... and polk sub. 5.1 ... to be hooked up ... best of all, its all 8 ohm except the infinity center.
I am re foaming the ripped drivers in the infinity's and prolly selling them with the polk sub and the 606. All the infinity and polk and the receiver basically ...
Then I buy the onkyo 7.2, run matching sony twin subs (I got from the same guy as the fishers, rca's and kenwood etc) and the fisher, RCA with a yet to be named center.
So far I am out $250, hope to make it all up with the sale of infinity/polk and the receiver, then I'd have the speakers and just put $$ into onkyo with 7.2 ...
So yea, its turning into a project just like all the bikes etc ...
Cool.
Buddha.
Is bose just over $$ but good, or are they just too much $$ in comparison for the benifit or they just are bad ... worse than any infinity/fisher combo I have.
Cos one clown I emailed 2 weeks ago just responded and he's selling a series 4, 901's with stand, he now is selling for 200 down from the original 400.
Cool.
Buddha.
forget teh bose... once you got an all infinity system.. its better than the frigging bose..
bose blows.. those the 901s are better than normal bose its still a bose.
<--- a bose.
I dont have all infiinity - yet.
I have Fisher fronts, RCA super cool tweeter and 4 inch mids in the rears, infintiy center and Polk PSW 50 sub.
I have the infinity waiting in the side lines though and waiting for the foam kit fix. After that I prolly will try those and sell them if I like the fisher/rca better.
So, the RS625 fronts and SS sterling 2005 rear, and prolly the same infinity center and the same polk sub could be sold.
I have as a spare the pair of sony subs which I would use once I go to the 7.2 onkyo.
I was planning to sell the infinity - all the 5 and the AV606 I was gonna sell off. Possibly along with the polk sub. I think that fisher is actually better, the RCA has the right size for that location and has those cool stands ...
Cool.
Buddha.
Quote from: TheGoodGuy on May 27, 2009, 10:29:50 PM
forget teh bose... once you got an all infinity system.. its better than the frigging bose..
bose blows.. those the 901s are better than normal bose its still a bose.
<--- a bose.
The 901 is the only bose I'd ever consider ... cos I never likes the AM5 or the 7 or whatever even 15 years ago.
That generation bose 901 was the series 4 and I thought it sounded really cool then ... but of course I knew less than nothign then. I have since learnt so much, I know nothing now.
I think I read somewhere the series 4 was the best overall of the 901's. To improve it, put the series 2 drivers in it. But its great as is. Somehting about a better cross over and what ever.
Cool.
Buddha.
OK 901's are great for music - all the sound everywhere due to the scattering from reflection. Sucks for action movies and other stuff where you need to hear the chopper whirring over head and as it flies forward it needs to move to the front.
Design flaw ... but surround sound with 2 speakers ... that sure was cool back in the day ...
Cool.
Buddha.
Booya, watched pirates of the carribean over the weekend. So now we're officially sub woofing any chance we get.
Now to patch the infinity and check it, and then sell it. I think the fisher is super cool. So is the polk ... but sony sub is pretty good too.
Cool.
Buddha.
www.dynamicsoundsystems.net
I am the manager for this company.
Now you tell me ...
Anyway I got some 5.1 stuff, I paid prolly less than shipping from you to me ...
I am fixing my ripped infinity's, selling em and buying onkyo stuff.
Cool.
Buddha.
Sorry...i just joined this forum a couple of days ago...next time!
Cheers,
Mark
Quote from: REV on June 01, 2009, 03:05:53 PM
Sorry...i just joined this forum a couple of days ago...next time!
Cheers,
Mark
Yea ... not a valid excuse ... you're still responsible ... :bs:
Cool.
Buddha.
Quote from: REV on June 01, 2009, 12:23:05 PM
www.dynamicsoundsystems.net
I am the manager for this company.
Rev, your stuff is really high end what you guys sell.. buddha's budget is 1/3 that.. heck i doubt if buddha will stick to his budget, knowing him, he'll somehow turn a profit.
Yea the budget is dead, if I sell the infinity stuff, it will be OK.
Then I buy onkyo.
Cool.
Buddha.
How is KLM speakers ?
Also how are wharfdale ?
Cool.
Buddha.
OK lots has happened since the last post.
Put surrounds in the RS625's and ran it for a good while. The thing I didn't like about it was that it made rather poor bass, it acted like it was needing to be broken in, and it was 15 years old before I even got it. It was broken in, just that its super stiff and isn't meant to replicate the nice lows. Highs were super sharp and precise though. Mids were average. I needed to run em at pretty high volume to get them to do anything. Someone told me they replaced the woofer with vifa's and that entorely made the speaker. Its got heavy stiff box, plenty of padding overall decent everything, but the IMG drivers were just not moving air.
The big fishers (12 inch woofer, 3 way dunno model number, STV 9 something) - if there can be a polar opposite, these were it. Big bass, poor highs, and tons of cabinet rattle and generally very loose everything. Voices were just about decent.
Wharfedales modus 8's, excellent everything till about 100 hz, where it comes unglues very rapidly. They felt delicate and so precise till you got to that 100 hz. In fact I heard things on some of my old CD's that I didn't ever know till I slapped em on.
I never ran the sterling rears, too big for being rear wifey said. Traded them for a pyle 18 inch sub woofer which is also sitting.
Ran the sterling center, very nice for voices. Mostly nothing else, and it did decent highs. Great for center.
RCA linaeum tweeter equipped rear. Heavy metal cabinet, and sounded muffled. Highs were lost, mids were OK bass - forget it ...
Then a week ago I traded the RS625's for a pair of JBL northridge HLS410 rear, and center as well as a pair of STV-9415 fishers.
All I can say is, HLS410 rear and center entirely blows away the RCA linaeum crap as well as the infinity center. Yea, way better. This center plays mids and highs well, the rear very much the same except it has to be pointed to you cos its got the horn tweeter. That could the RCA's problem too, cos that thing fires out of the top, in a 1/2 circle, essentially just spraying sound.
Here is the surprise, the fisher looks cheap, feels cheap and light and overall is just lousy in all respects. 8 inch paper woofer, 3 inch and 2 inch paper everything. Looked like it belongs in the trash, cabinet has a straight hole and no vent tube for the vent, the cover is fitted in with out a protective tube sleeve in the hole. Just shitty and cheap. However at low volumes it actually sounds almost like the wharfedales. Strange, it should sound like a box with speakers ... which it is. It actually sounds like the drivers and the cabinet are matched perfectly to each other, it sounds like someone thought about what they were doing ... surprising.
Of course crank it up and it will fall apart, I've tried and its only a matter of time before the voice coils rub and die ...
Also at the volume level from my amp say I set it at that -50 number, it actually produces the most sound of all the ones I have tried. Wish I had the infinity at the same time to compare, the -50 mark on it will have not made a peep.
Strange, but true, and I also know I am going to have to build my own speaker at this point. and I am working on an old pair of gutted fisher ST 740's for that. I have gutted several speakers in the last few months, and have decided to make em cos all the rest are just too much of this or that ... that ST 740 seems to have the right dimensions I was looking for, maybe its going to work OK.
Cool.
Buddha.
Oh my fisher st 740's will now eat the infinity's for lunch. Sadly I think they have a dead or very very faulty circuit breaker. They tripped off 3 times 2 on the right and 1 on the left one, but the last couple hours its been OK.
I may tweak and sell the other fishers, I seem to have got the trick down for modding fishers. Yea its teh GS500 of the speaker world. Sorta trashy and common with some glaring and easy to fix problems.
And my JBL has a whole 5-6 dB extra sensitivity ... you put the thing in the 5.1 mode and all you hear is the center. Has to be in 2.1 for the fronts to be even heard and that is sad, they sound so good. I am going to need speaker level volume control if I keep playing with different ones.
Cool.
Buddha.
OK I have tried the onkyo speakers - early 90's fusion AV SK-02's and have concluded that they are a 100% copy/knock off/rebadge of the infinity RS genre, Same color even. IMG drivers, 10 inch like infinity put in some, the mids, the poly cell style tweeters everything nearly the same, 10 inch passive radiator. Cabinet dimensions too,
Anyway, these sound better to my ears than the RS625's they have a whole extra 10 hz down low, and best of all, I got em cheaper than the infinity's ... which I got free, but needing foam ... so they were a foam job away from beign free, lets just say, these cost less than that.
And the covers on the onkyo to my eves look better than the infi's and easier to remove.
Cool.
Buddha.
Oh I have tried a old school first generation solid state amp ...
And it blows the cheapo amp/receiver I have out of the water. Sadly a tube is supposedly even better, but of course 1/2 the crap in a 30 year old tube prolly leaking or dead, so you buy the thing and spend a few 100 fixing it ... not me.
Cool.
Buddha.
Hey GoodGuy: I just figured out how to make my speakers cry. Tweeres especially ... usually the bass starts going loose, and its a common phenomenon (both due to the EMF overage as well as the fact that ... well unless you drop big $$ the cone is either too stiff or too flaccid) ... tweeters ... play Asha Bhosle, or Geeta Dutt in high setting treble. Past 1/4th volume on my SA1000 and the tweeter is toast on any of the stock speakers I got. The modded fisher with the ribbon tweeter takes that just fine ... I am afraid to push it cos the rest of the speaker isn't broken in ... with the neo 8's in place of the ribbon, it works even better, like its not even breathing hard.
I am gonna have to build myself a Chip amp and a DAC at this stage.
Cool.
Buddha.
This was the audio thread that started it all.
I have since bought and sold and traded like crazy (and I use the terms very very loosely) ...
I have some serious HP in home theater, dsp 3090 yammie to be soon replaced by a oink integra 909. A denon sacd player, a marantz 5 cd player, and a marantz 5 dvd player, as well an an oink cassette player and a marantz vcr all in my HT system and in use everyday.
Speakers - I have a ev sp 12B pair from the 50's, a 3 pack of ess heil amt 1b's, a pair of ess tempests, a pair of linaeum centers for the 2 centers an 8.2 amp can run, modified AR book shelves for the rear, infinity sm122's, velo 1250 sub, re done and modded 3 ways in a fisher cab, a set of realistic electrostats, a pair of radian research 3 ways with a 12, a 4 and a compression driver, a set of db + 1010'a that simply put out sound, 101 db a watt, plus many assorted crap I dont ever use.
I've killed a few consoles and yanked the tube amps out, they sound great.
I've found and bought a good many classics including some that work. Pioneer sx950, sx550, marantz 2226, 2220 sr580, sr5000, sr4500, oink tx3000, HK quad - 2 of em, a marantz quad, a bunch of big yamaha with some problems, a grommes g75a 75 watt tube amp the size of a cinder block and its mono, pioneer and grommes stereo tube amps ... many more.
Best part, most of this was under 20 bucks. In fact most of it was $5 or less. There was a few weeks at a time when I bought working amps ne after another for $5 or less, and cassette players and TT for $1 that worked mostly.
I sold a few things along the way, traded them with people for work and other stuff ... essentially its 0 cost IMHO. It helped me avoid sitting at home with the in-laws around, 2 years in a row.
Cool.
Buddha.
Old topic back from the dead ...
But as part of a deal too complex to describe ... OK fine I found it for sale super cheap ... happy ... OK. I am now the proud owner of a series 6 bose 901 and its original equaliser ...
So now begins the ardous task of setting it in the house. Then the hardest part, if the thing sounds good and the wife likes it, sigh ... living with it. Though I think she's gonna not particularly be impressed with it. Having said that, I may actually be inadvertently getting it to work in nearly its best situation, I have a wall behind it, I wont be sending anything below 100 hz to it - velodyne sub is gonna take that, and its going to perfectly face the room with tons of furniture that have confounded many a great speaker. The furniture ruined the way Infinity's used to sound, they pretty much dictate I need to have horn tweeters in front, and they made a mess of the dipoles I had. So I may be set up perfectly to get the 901 working.
Cool.
Buddha.
LOL, this was the thread that I started here before I dropped into the rabbit hole.
Now I am 1 large speaker away from being unable to walk in the door.
Cool.
Buddha.
drooling series 6 901s :( lol
Soo much has changed in a few years Eh?
Aaron
Those Bose 901 series 6's are long gone, in fact I got a second set and sold those too, and I have a series 1 now to be sold soon and a series 2 copy speakerlab cabinet that should be populated and used/sold sometime.
I have in the last couple yrs turned into a B&W nut. I used to be an EV nut, and I still have a few EV's but of late its all B&W. And nakamichi and yamaha, and adcom, and carver and proceed and .... yea, if its got big power and an ability to be precise and drive the heck out of difficult speakers, I've probably tried it, or wanted it bad, or I have it.
I sell 80% of my crap in the next 4-5 years, I will be set to retire - more or less.
Cool.
Buddha.
Wished i could say the same lol. :"(. loving the setup im using now. actually love the yam over the onkyo
Aaron
idk whether i liked the onkyo or the yamaha better. the ypao on the yam works wonders. or the wrat setup on the onk.
Aaron
for two channel sound, any amp that has good amp specs can be used.
I personally love amps with a THD < 0.05 at 20-20K at the rated power.
I cant believe in just 5 years I have gone this nutzo.
I've rounded up a lot of highly sought after gear, and I've sold even more, a lot of which I bought DOA and fixed and flipped.
I need to put a list up, but I'm still pulling it together (years long process).
Cool.
Buddha.
Budda I just want to hear the winner!
(i got a sherwood and bose speakers, it's okay, limited functionality)
Sherwood - what model ??? Some of the old ones sound awesome - very very very good but low power, newcastles have tons of power and sound great, newer rx4109 types are somewhere in between.
Bose - again what model ? I like 601 series 2, 3, 501, 301, 201 and 901's series 6, then 5 then 1-2 - in that order.
Sorry man, no winners here - the only winner would be the seller unless you paid under 20-100 for the amp and depending on the speakers 40-400. Model and condition considered ...
Cool.
Buddha.
Buddha, while you were intown, you remember the speaker discussion we had? a while back what 10 or 15 years ago? there was a set of speakers that liiked like windows that flat and thin. yet had an epic sound according to reviews then. my great aunt and uncle in oak ridge had a set with a velodyne sub. to me i was having repeated Eargasms that setup lol. anyhoo finding these things are nearly impossible to locate. i AM looking for anything my martin logan. thats on my dream find. i am however looking for a set of 901s of any series. even if blown. i can re ring them. i re ringed a set of 901 series 2s for a friends parents. bought the kit, didnt take all that long and they work to this day. plus the northridge set takes up too much room here. i must visit one day soon and see the stash o`buddha. anyhoo i downloaded the THX sweep ( sound that plays when you see logo) getting ready to test it.. in surgery recovery mode anyways. unable to move lol. so the 665 yam and the jbls are going to be workin lol.
Aaron
901 s1 and s2 have cloth surrounds. Never need to be done (supposedly). 3 and 4 and 5 are foam and they die often and need to be ringed by now. S6's are foam, but they used better foam. So they dont go, sometimes people find a 6 with 1 bad foam and replace all without question - and usually those go in 5-8 yrs, the 1 bad original could have been replaced and the rest could have lived longer.
Martin logan's are not that great IMHO. I dont like anything that power hungry that doesn't sound like a planar. Its electrostat, and has a classic electrostat sound. My favorite power hungry speakers are Carver amazings. I have the kind with 3 12" woofers and a 48" ribbon. Get those or the one with a single 60" ribbon and 4 12" woofers. Not the ones with 2 X 30 per cab or the one with the 12" woofer on the bottom and ribbon above it.
There is a guy in atlanta called the electrostat answer man. He builds electrostats. Far better IMHO, but I am not a electrostat guy. I am a hard/soft dome nut.
You can get speakers out of a volvo c40 coupe/convt 1999-2005 (I think) and they have dynaudio soft dome tweeters and mids and 8" woofers. You can swap out for better woofers or still use those.
Cool.
Buddha.
Idk i re ringed those 901s maybe they werent s2. the family who owned them had them since new. as long as ive known them, theyd never work their audio like i like to do mine. id say i mentioned the 901s gen wrong. because the rings were foam. i still have in my home somewhere and old bose car audio set. 4 speakers im THINKING 4" across they were an aftermarket setup. i harvested it out of my sisters accord hatch. impedance iirc was .45 ohms? incredibly tiny number. they were powered by a dash mounted amplifier/eq whatever that thing was. i have to also pull one of the northridge mains, turn it upside down and repair what looks like side of cabinet SLIGHTLY pulling away at corner. ive not noticed any degradation of the audio. so it can wait until this spinal trial phase is over. (early next week) or ill find help to get the cabinet rotated. had i not observed this visually i as the saying goes would have been blissfully ignorant. the jbls i love for the sound quality. that and a small footprint. of the mains
Aaron
I have a very very very good S1 replica cabinet - speaker lab clones. Awesome, and I got nothing to put in it. Need the right drivers. You find 901 S1/S2 with bad cabs, let me know. I should get those and make a go.
Cool.
Buddha.
running the thx 7.1 test track loud going to see what she sounds like. pulled all sorts of media while awaiting my turn at docs yesterday. if i like it i may run that track through adobe audition and make a loop out of it
Aaron
love when i turn on the yam 665. you hear main amp engage, the one for surround and the b side. isnt the 665 a high current amplifier? i know the onk was. and the other yam project is. ( you saw it on the piano) when i had first plugged it in it would pull the lights down in kitchen
Dimming the lights and what now, LOL, its not always a good sign. Its not a bad sign either per se. If it has an inrush current limiter it will not dim the lights. I have a Sumo Andromeda that doesn't. Its all about how it manages its power consumption. I also have had amps with soft start, the power amps they would click and then it ramps up the sound not abruptly come on at what ever volume its set to. Sorta like those retarded console amps that have the on/off in the tone control or something instead of the volume.
Cool.
Buddha.
I guess the 861 it, when power button is hit it starts, and keeps trying to start. then goes to standby. i hit power again it will pull down lights until i let go. which is why i quit. trying. it has same part number on its transformer, as my 665 does .. its remote runs my 665 now. was able to isolate problem to the transformer itself. seems to have been a common fault. not often but power spikes would blow it. tbh i think im going to keep the jbls accoustically perfect for that room. the 861 i want to use . also want to find a decent sub. cab on polk is dodgy. speaker itself physically is near perfect. amp, not so much and cabinet has more craqck than a plumbers union. would say i repair cabinet and im good. but 30hz is at its bottom end. oh that THX 7.1 test track flew the coop. weird