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Q&A # 166 - February 29, 2000

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Q I am not sure if you didn't fully research your product (lack of time perhaps?) or just happened to have a defective or early sample prototype, but regardless, the display of the Toshiba 5109 which I own can easily be dimmed, or, for the record, turned off entirely. Just look under the slide panel of the remote control, and it is the second button from the top on the far left. It is labeled "FL DIMMER". I suspect you have either not explored your product's remote control or wrote your review in haste.

Try to be a bit careful in fairness to what I consider to be an excellent DVD player overall. The only thing lacking which really is inexcusable at this price range is ability to play CD-Rs and CD-RWs. If the little $300 ($CAN) Apex DVD player my friend just purchased can play both these formats and also MP3s, then I cannot figure how Toshiba could be so short-sighted in their design by omitting such an important compatibility.

A You are absolutely correct about the dimmer button hidden under the cover. In prior Toshiba units, this was activated by the setup menu. Thank you, I can now dim my unit. In my review, I stated that it was a top performer. Just look at the frequency response photo. It's better than many other players out there in that regard. Its user friendliness, like other Toshiba DVD players, is far behind that of Sony, Pioneer, and Panasonic. Toshiba's DVD players are the only ones that appear to have any problems with the Avia DVD, and they know about it, yet the problems still exist. In order for a DVD player to read a CD-R disc, its needs a second laser. This adds cost to a player. Toshiba has four new DVD players coming out that support CD-R, the SD4205, SD3205, SD6200, and SD9200. As to our research into the product, we do the best we can, but miss something now and then. We depend on reader feedback like yours to correct any mistakes.

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Q Following are some detailed questions and answers about the Toshiba 5109 Progressive Scan DVD Player that we reviewed recently, posed to us by one of our readers. Guy Kuo provided the answers.

A Question: Are all video outputs active at all times? I intend to use both the component progressive outputs to my Sony D50Q projector, but also use the S-Video output to my A/V preamp, because I have an RPTV monitor as well as the CRT firing onto a screen. Answer: Yes. All the outputs should be active so you should be able to feed your RPTV as well as the D50Q.

Question: With the progressive scan, I believe I am supposed to turn off my line doubler (Sony internal line doubler) whenever I'm using the 5109, whether by way of component output or s-video? Answer: In order to use the progressive scan signal on the D50Q, you MUST configure input A to 1. HDTV pB pR Mode and 2. Set Synch to External HV. The input board is not actually designed to accept 480p component but if you do the above and also turn your DVD player off and on, the board will sync up with the progressive scan signal. This quirk of needing to see a period of no signal prior to recognizing the 480p signal comes to play if you switch from S-video to the 480p signal. You see only an blank screen or torn image until you turn the DVD player off and on. You don't have to formally turn off the IDTV board as it will deactivate when the projector notices it is not a 480i signal.

Question: Will the introduction of this into my system (I'm currently getting by on the Pioneer MegaDisc changer--a drop from my previous player, the Elite DV-09), require a "new" convergence on my Sony projector (meaning I have to call the Sony guy to come and screw around at $75 per hour). Or can I just plug and play? Answer: Yes & no. The scan frequencies of the 480p and IDTV board are identical so you shouldn't need a complete new convergence, but unfortunately the projector will know it is a different INPUT frequency and automatically load a DIFFERENT convergence data set than you normal use. This will result in a completely wacked looking convergence and require a full new convergence. There may be a way out of the problem if you have the cable which connects the remote to the projector. That cable allows you to force the current convergence data to override all other convergence data. This might also make a mess of things so this is at your own risk. 1. Hook up and display a 480 progressive picutre. The projector will probably display "new input memory". This must be done first so a new convergence memory slot for 480p is created. You don't care that it is all screwed up, just that it exists. 2. Switch back to a normal line doubled 480i or S-video signal so the normal video convergence data is being used and you have a normally converged image. YOU MUST BE SEEING A PROPERLY CONVERGED image before going to the next step. 3. Connect the remote to the s-link input back of the projector via the cable. 4. Enter service mode by turning Status ON, then pressing Enter, Enter, Up, Down, Enter. Answer Yes to whether you want to enter service mode. Now we're in danger territory. The idea now is to make a convergence adjustment and immediately undo it. Then save the current convergence data as default for all existing convergence memories. Press the Center button (lower left corner of remote under flip door) Press up arrow once Press down arrow once (to undo the change you just made) The null change ensures that the projector knows there is new convergence data to work with. Press and HOLD the memory button. After a few seconds you will be asked if you want the current convergence data to override all other convergence data. Say yes. This should copy the current convergence into the newly created video memory for 480p That should let you avoid a full reconvergence, at least in theory. Exit service mode via Enter, Enter, Up, Down, Enter. Answer yes to exiting service mode. Disconnect the cable. You will still need to redo the numbered video memories for size, centering, and blanking of the various aspect ratios. I would put the ones for 480p into different video memory numbers than 480i. If this seems overwhelming. Don't even try. Just get your installer to come redo convergence and aspect ratios for both types of input.

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Q First of all, let me congratulate you for running the best A/V entertainment site in the world. Your ability to make even lesser souls like me understand the complexities of the A/V world in such simple language truly has no competition. I have recently purchased Infinity Overture 2 Floor Standers on-line for a reasonable price and intend using them as my front mains. The center shall either be an Infinity CC3 or a B&W CC6. I had planned on buying matching Infinity rear speakers but have recently come across the Dynaudio Audience 80s and completely flipped for them. I therefore propose to buy these for usage as dedicated speakers for music, with the option of doubling as the rears for HT. I also plan to get a Yamaha YST 300 sub for about 300 US$. Which receiver should I now go in for? Although I have budgeted for a Yamaha DSP A1, I am not certain that I would really need the zillion DSP modes it offers. After all I would see maybe one or two movies every week but would definitely listen to an hour of good soft music every day. I am quite a fan of Yamaha gear, and incidentally I have their RXV 690 Pro Logic receiver, CDC 775 CD player, and KXW 592 tape deck. I love the clean light sound that they produce. I am faced with the following options, which fall within my limited budget: 1. Buy the DSP A1; 2. Buy the DSP A2 plus an AX 892 integrated amp. (The 892 would be used as an integrated amp with the Audience 80s while listening to music and would also double up as an outboard amp with the same speakers as rears for HT); 3. Buy the RX-V995 plus a Rotel RB 991 2 channel power amp. (The RX-V995 processor / RB 991 amplifier would drive the Audience 80s for music and also be used for HT.) Which of the above three options would, in your opinion, give me the best 2 channel stereo reproduction and also a reasonably good 5.1 HT performance? Also, which DVD player would you suggest? I would really value your help in building up my A/V setup. As with a multitude of your readers, I have a relatively modest budget and would like to have the biggest bang for the buck.

A The DSP-A1 has a better preamp section than the 995, and it also has very good power amplifiers, so among your choices, I would suggest the DSP-A1. You can upgrade later, if you decide you want to blow the walls out with action movies, by getting either a Rotel RB-1095 power amplifier that will give you 200 x 5, or perhaps a Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature power amplifier, that will deliver 400 x 5.  With modest volume music listening however, you should be fine just with the DSP-A1 alone. For DVD players, Stacey Spears is getting ready to publish his review of a <$200 DVD player that has DD and DTS capability. So, stay tuned. That might be a best buy.

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Q I recently acquired a Denon AVR-1600 and a set of Polk RM6500 speakers. I currently have the sub hooked up to the sub pre-out via coax cable, while the front surround and centers are hooked up to the regular (speaker binding posts) outputs. I read in the speaker manual that the sub pre-out on the receiver needs to be "full range output" in order for this setup to work the best. If not, the built-in sub crossover will conflict with the receiver's crossover. Polk recommended that the sub be run off the front speaker output, and that the front speakers be run off of the sub and set to "large" and sub be set to "no". I find nothing in the Denon manual or on their web site in regards to the sub output. Any suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated.

A The crossover frequency for subwoofer output jacks on receivers is usually around 120 Hz or so. It is true that the crossover in the receiver and the one in your subwoofer might interact, but the final outcome would likely just be some additional phase shift. Phase shift will occur even just with the subwoofer's crossover too, and usually there is a phase adjustment on the subwoofer, and sometimes you can make allowances for phase shift by moving the subwoofer to a different location. Frankly, I have never had a problem using receiver sub-outs and the subwoofer's crossover together. I set my low pass frequency on the subwoofer to 50 Hz, which eliminates problems of low frequency directionality. Mid-range and high frequency phase shift are very noticeable, but not so much with subwoofer frequencies. So, just use your subwoofer pre-out jack to your subwoofer and the speaker outputs on your receiver for your other speakers. Use a "Large" speaker setting and a subwoofer setting of "Yes." Set your subwoofer low pass to 70 Hz and then lower it if you hear boominess, until the boominess is no longer there. You will probably end up with 50 Hz - 60 Hz which is what I found to be the best setting.

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Q I have been trying to listen to some of my MP3s through my receiver and am not getting good sound quality. My first attempt was to use a �" jack to RCA cable, connecting the headphone jack of my RIO player to an available pair of RCA inputs. The second attempt was copying my files to a buddy's laptop and using the same cable connecting the laptop's audio out to an RCA input on the receiver. Both of these configurations yielded very poor sound quality, especially at the high-end frequencies. I made sure the volume at the source was not too high, and tried several different inputs from the receiver (LD,CD,PHONO, etc). Can I expect quality sound using the headphone/audio out of these devices? Should my problem be resolved if I used a PC with a high quality sound card (such as a Sound Blaster Live card)?

A It could be several things. One is a defective audio cable. The other is too much compression in your MP3 files. High frequencies are particularly bad if a lot of compression is used. So, try re-recording some MP3s with varying levels of compression until you get a satisfactory result. Remember that your receiver will be less forgiving of low fidelity than a PC audio system.

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Q I'm in the process of upgrading my home theater/stereo system, which consists of an older Yamaha receiver (RX-V1050), and a collection of mid-range Sony components for the DVD, LD, TV, and CD. I currently have a set of ancient BIC Venturis which I'm using as my mains, with a pair of Bose 501s for my surrounds, and a fairly inexpensive Kenwood center channel. I'm planning on replacing the speakers with a set of Klipsch Legends (KLF-30s for the mains, a KLF-C7 for center, a KSW-12 sub, and KSP-S6s for rear and front effects), and replacing my old receiver with a Yamaha DSP-A1. I'm using Kimber speaker cable and Monster interconnects. My question is this: With the level of receiver and speakers I'm upgrading to, would I expect to hear a noticeable difference if I replaced my DVD and CD players? I presume that the DAC in the DSP-A1 is better than what is offered in these components, but I'm not sure how clean and stable the original signal is going to be.

A You are making a smart move to go with the DSP-A1 and Klipsch. The Klipsch have a high sensitivity and you should be able to get a great sound. Mass market receivers love sensitive speakers. I would say that you don't need to buy a new CD player or DVD player. I continue to be amazed at how well older players handle themselves compared to new designs. Of course, we are talking about going from one mass market player to another. If you went with an ultra high performance player, there would be a difference, but we are talking a couple of thousand dollars for the player. I would suggest waiting until players that handle SACD, DVD Audio, and DVD (movie discs) become available before you think about buying a new player. They will be about $1,000 for the mass market models, and there will be no choice but to get one if we want to play SACD and DVD Audio discs.

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Q I just purchased a Sony STR-DA555ES receiver and I want to utilize the pre-outs through a Hafler P3000 amplifier to drive my main (Mirage) speakers. At low volumes, everything sounds great, but as I increase the volume, the speakers begin to crackle and pop. I re-wired the speakers to the speaker connections on the received and all is fine. I brought back my old Denon 635 (2 channel) and pushed it through the Hafler and everything sounds great. Is there a known problem with using the pre-outs on this receiver and/or is there a set up/adjustment that I can mess with to make this work 

A Receivers can use op amps for the pre-out stages. Op amps (a circuit within a chip) are very inexpensive and not very good fidelity. They serve their purpose in keeping costs down, compared to discrete output circuits (no chips). Also, if the input impedance of your power amplifier is not very high, the op amp simply cannot keep the voltage high enough to drive it, and you get clipping. My guess is that your Denon has more voltage capability in its pre-out circuits, and perhaps its output impedance is lower. Also, your Hafler may not have much input sensitivity (a measure of how much input voltage it takes to fully drive the Hafler). You really can't do anything about this except to get a receiver that has sufficient pre-out voltage capability. This is becoming more of a problem now that so many people want to use outboard power amplifiers with their receivers. I am hoping future mass market products will have some models with discrete output circuits that drive the pre-out stages, but of course, they will be more expensive. A high performance preamplifier can deliver 10 volts or more, while you would be lucky to get a volt or so with mass market receiver pre-outs.

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Q I have recently purchased Linn Kan III speakers and a Jolida JD302b tube amp (50 watt). Eventually I plan to add a subwoofer. Of more immediate concern is my need to upgrade my speaker cable and interconnects. I'm thinking about buying Analysis Plus Oval 12 speaker cable based on write-ups of the Analysis Plus line (I haven't heard it as no one sells it in the area where I live). My concern is that Analysis Plus doesn't yet make interconnects. How important is getting both speaker cable and interconnects from the same company?

A I have not experienced any problems in mixing brands of cables. In fact, it is nice to be able to select the digital cable that I prefer, interconnects that I prefer, and the speaker cables that I prefer, regardless of the brand. However, preferences for cables are very personal. I would suggest making sure you have a good return policy, in writing, so that you can get your money back if you don't like the Analysis Plus Oval 12s.


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