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Q&A # 164 - February 19, 2000

Staff

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Q I would like to know what is the best or more appropriate way of connecting speaker wire to my speakers. I want to bi-wire them, and I don't know if I should use banana plugs, spades, pins, or bare wire. Obviously it's cheaper for me to go with a bare wire connection. But if I insert the wire into the binding post, should I insert it  from above or below the hole before I tighten the binding post? And over time, would the bare copper wire strands begin to erode, so that I have to re-strip the wire and re-connect them again? Any help and clarification is most appreciated. I really do enjoy your website, and to me, it's the most helpful hi-fi website there is.

A I prefer banana plugs, with spades in second place, and bare wire last. The reason I don't care for bare wire is not that it oxidizes, but rather, the individual strands of wire can break off or bend in such a way that they touch the opposite binding post or a strand from that opposite post. They are very small and hard to see. All it takes is just one little strand to cause a short.

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Q I have a Yamaha DSP-A1 amp and a Sony S7700 DVD player which is meant to be able to cope with the 24/96k recordings. But when I try to play one of these test recordings, the DSP-A1 says it's only 48k. Can you help?

A Most DVD players downconvert 96/24 to 48 kHz before they send the digital bitstream out of the player. A few will output the 96/24, but most do not. You can get your DVD player modified by MSB Technology to output the 96/24 bitstream if you want. Otherwise, just use the stereo analog outputs from your player since the 96/24 is then fully used in the player's DAC. The DSP-A1 spec sheet says it can only decode up to 48 kHz anyway, but even if you had a later model receiver with 96/24 DACs, and you got the player modification, there is no guarantee that the 96/24 DAC in the receiver would be any better than the one in the player.

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Q I am looking at two subs for my home theater system: an Energy XLS-10 and Klipsch KSW-12. Both are around the same price. The Energy is front-firing, and the Klipsch is down-firing. Both sound good, but the Klipsch seems to have a stronger output while the Energy has more of a mellow bass - I almost want to say more natural. I listen to more music than movies, about 60/40. What are some of the benefits and drawbacks of front vs. down-firing subs?

A Although there used to be lots of down-firing subs, most subs these days are front-firing, perhaps because a down-firing sub may not work very well if you put it on a rug. Also, subs are so powerful now, neighbors downstairs don't appreciate a down-firing subwoofer being used by the person upstairs. Since you like music over movies, and feel the Energy sub is more natural, then you should get the Energy sub. The only drawback of a front-firing sub might be if you wanted to use the sub as an end table. You could not hide the looks of the sub by putting a cloth over it.

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Q I recently bought a Pioneer D407 receiver that has a set of analog 5.1 inputs and Pro Logic. Do I need a DVD Player with built-in DD Digital Decoder and 5.1 outputs to take advantage of the technology, or will a basic DVD player suffice in this case?

A You will need a DVD player that has 5.1 analog outputs. Fortunately, there are lots of them out there to choose from, and the prices are really good too.

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Q The other day at a local audio/video store my salesperson was showing me new stuff because I am a regular. He introduced me to the new Sony Super CD player. The sound was unbelievable. I felt as though I was front row at Carnegie Hall admiring Miles and John. Then I noticed the "thing" was not connected digitally (no optical or coaxial connection). He saw me staring with my mouth opened and said, "The DAC is better in this unit than the digital terminal inside the B&K." What? I noticed that the "thing" did not have any digital terminals. WHY not? I lam lost, help clear my mind, please! Next question: I bought a Hughes DSS for 99 big ones. A couple of days later I came in to tell my salesperson the picture quality was superb. He casually threw a curve ball at me. "Oh, it is a 32-bit receiver so the picture quality will better than most satellites or cable connections." What is the 24 bit or 32 bit? I am lost, help.

A The Sony you were looking at is probably the SACD player. It is their newest product, and it supposed to be the next generation of CD, with regular two-channel stereo, and up to 5.1. It is a 1 bit technology, but is not quite the same as the 1 bit DACs used in conventional CD players. Although the number of bits passing through each second is about the same as a regular CD, the way those bits are handled gives a much higher frequency response (up to 100 kHz instead of 20 kHz) than regular CDs. The music will only be on DVDs rather than CDs, but that is really just semantics. In any case, the industry is so paranoid about copy protection, there is no digital output on the SACD player. All decoding is done in the player. Only analog is output. As to the 24 vs. 32 bit in your satellite receiver, that refers to the handling of the data by the receiver's internal circuitry. Theoretically, 32 bit would be more precise than 24 bit, but I am not convinced that anything beyond 20 bit is all that much noticeably different. More on that as more products hit the shelves. The video signal is 10 bit anyway.

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Q I have a Technics SA-AX7 receiver and a pair of Kef speakers. The speakers are bi-ampable and so is my receiver. How should I run the cables? Will I still get the full rich sound just by running them without bi-amping, or should I run them with bi-amping?

A I think your receiver probably just has two sets of binding posts for some of the channels. This is not bi-amping. It is for using your receiver with speakers in one room (usually called "Speaker A") vs. a different room ("Speaker B"). If you are using both sets at the same time, the receiver usually puts them in series so as not to overheat the amplifier. A and B both use the same amplifier though. Bi-amping requires two individual amplifiers. When you connect two sets of cables to the same amplifier, with one cable going to the woofer and the other cable going to the tweeter, this is bi-wiring. As long as you are using at least 16 gauge cable or larger, bi-wiring will not make any difference, in my experiences.

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Q I am looking for the first time to by the complete works! However, I am extremely confused about what brands to buy and what goes with what. I'm looking for a mid price range system (in Australia) for audio and home theatre. Which sections should I spend more or less on? I have noticed you mentioning many brands that aren't available over here. We have the main brands including Yamaha, Sony, HK, Denon, etc. and speakers B&W, JBL etc. Help!

A I am not sure what you mean by mid-priced, but will assume about $2,500 Australian. So, you should consider the Yamaha RX-V595 receiver and a Toshiba DVD player for the basics, and the get local speakers, including subwoofer. We now have an Editor, AUSTRALIA (David Wurtz), who will be getting some of that great stuff you have down under for review.

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Q I'm in the process of building my HT system and I'd like some advice on which route(s) I should take. First, my equipment is made up of the following: Yamaha RX-V870 Pro Logic Receiver, Yamaha 5 Disc CD Changer, Klipsch Front Speakers, and Mitsubishi 31" Direct View TV. I also plan on buying a DVD player and a subwoofer (leaning toward the Definitive Tech 15TL with satellites in the coming months). Realizing that the RX-V870 isn't Dolby Digital, what exactly will I be missing out on, or should I look into buying an outboard DD processor? My setup has sounded great so far (Audio and Video), and while it might be slightly behind the technology curve, I would hate to think that my receiver was a total waste. As I'm sure you know, the RX-V870 doesn't lack power. If you feel that an outboard DD processor is the route to take, might you have any recommendations.

A If your receiver has a set of 5.1 analog input jacks (Dolby Digital ready), then you should get an outboard DD processor. Problem is, they are hard to find now that all new receivers have DD and DTS built-in. Perhaps go onto one of the audio/video newsgroups and say WTB (Want to Buy) a DD decoder. You can also check the A/V used equipment pages such as http://www.audiogon.com. If your receiver does not have a set of 5.1 inputs, then you will have to get a new receiver, because you are missing a great deal without DD/DTS decoding somewhere in the system. Save your old receiver, because you can use it to power the rear channels on your new receiver, with the right/left pre-outs of the new receiver going to a set of analog inputs on your old receiver. You could also use your old receiver to decode the rear left/right for EX movie soundtracks.


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