Q&A # 240 - July 29, 2001

Staff

Q To the Editors of the printed hi-fi magazines. From John Kotches, Editor PC-Home Theater at Secrets. Re: The TV myth with DVD-Audio.

I am disappointed when I read reviews of DVD-Audio players and I see statements made that a TV set of some variety is required for playback of DVD-Audio discs.

I'm happy to say, it just ain't so!

The vast majority of DVD-A discs in my collection will auto-play, some in as short as 10 seconds which isn't much more than a CD takes to start up.

The DTS titles seem to be the worst, as they won't auto-play. Does this mean you have to have a TV? Nope. Four hits of the <Select> button will get you listening to the disc, sans TV.

Even the latest WB titles do not require a TV set to choose between the Surround Playlist and Stereo Playlist. When the Top Menu prompt is indicated in the DVD-A players display, you simply hit the down arrow key , and hit <Select> and you've just successfully selected the stereo track. Another hit of <Select> and you're playing the tracks.

I am disappointed that this is being misrepresented in print publications, and potentially having audiophiles turn away from the format for that very reason.

I look forward to reading your responses.

A Well, we will see what happens with this one.

Q I am weighing the purchase of an integrated amp (NAD C370) vs. that of an amp + preamp combo (Rotel RB1070 & RC1070) to drive a set of B&W CDM 9NTs in a room 55'x20'x9'.

The specs seem similar: The NAD offers 120W x 2ch into 8 Ohms, while the Rotel offers 130W x 2ch into 8 Ohms, but the NAD is nearly $600 cheaper.

Unfortunately, I have been unable to find a dealer that has both setups so I have been unable to do a side by side comparison. Before I spend that hard earned dough, could you tell me, generally, why one setup (integrated vs. separates) is better than the other and, specifically, what I should focus on when test listening at the dealers?

A Separates have been vogue for a long time, but integrated products are making a comeback. One is not better than the other. Separates give you more choices, but you have to deal with signal loss in the cables that connect them. If you want 250 watts per channel and up, then separates are pretty much your only choice, but in the 100 to 150 watts per channel arena, there are plenty of good integrated products to choose from. NAD and Rotel are very similar, in my opinion. Each has some distinguishing products in their lines, but for the two you mentioned, I would just go with the less expensive one.

Q My home theatre speakers are four Paradigm Mini-Monitors, a Paradigm CC-370 centre, and a Velodyne sub. A 100w DD receiver powers them. I have an extra pair of Mini-Monitors. Could they be added to the front left and right? If so, should I wire them in series or parallel? Do you think this will improve the sound of either stereo or 5.1 or should I sell them?

A Adding the extra speakers to the front left and right would work just fine, but due to your receiver, I would suggest wiring them in series. It will widen your sound stage, but it will become more diffuse. This would especially be nice if you have your first set of speakers close to the TV. Be sure to experiment with the placement, including turning the outer set of speakers at various angles.

Q I have an extensive laserdisc library that I would like to enjoy for quite some time. I have a Pioneer CLD-D504 player. Are there still players out there that I could take advantage of for a good price that are better than the one that I currently own? I would like to find a laserdisc player with AC-3 capability.

A Laserdisc players are not an item on the store shelves anymore, except perhaps as closeouts, so my suggestion is to just be careful with the player you own now (I am also concerned about this problem, since I have a big collection of laserdiscs and one player), and find a repairman who knows laserdisc players. There are some on the web, so go to Google and type in laserdisc player repairs as key words. They can even add AC-3 outputs if you like. When CD players hit the market, I gave away my LP collection. I don't intend to make that mistake this time.

Q I have a Pioneer Elite VSX-29TX AV receiver, and the nominal impedance of the unit is 120w @ 6 ohms. I am currently in the market for a pair of dipole/bipole surrounds. I found a pair of M&K tripoles, but they are rated at 4 ohms. Would my 29TX be able to drive the 4 ohms M&K, or would they fry my receiver?  I have a pair of Paradigm Reference Studio 100 v.2s as my front.

A OK, first, the nominal impedance refers to speakers, not the receiver. And when the spec sheet says that a speaker has a nominal impedance of, say, 8 Ohms, they are saying that it averages around 8 Ohms. It might be 5.5 Ohms at one frequency, and 11 Ohms at another. Secondly, at low volume, you would not fry your speakers or your receiver. But, at higher volume, the M&Ks would demand more current than your receiver is capable of, and you would get clipping. I don't think it would hurt your receiver, but the tweeters in the M&Ks would be very unhappy. Although the M&Ks are superb speakers, an amplifier officially rated into 4 Ohms would be best to use with them.

Q I plan to buy a Sony KV 32HS20 HDTV and can use some guidance in selecting an appropriate DVD player. Since these will be standalone units and not part of a home theater installation, I want to avoid overlapping and unnecessary features. Nor will the player see a lot of use. Can you offer a few options?

A At this point, due to the magic of IC chips being so inexpensive, you can get just about every feature you want in any product at any price. So, if you bought one of the products and then looked for a support product that does not have any of the same features, it would be counter productive. Obviously, though, you will want to have component video progressive scan capabilities in the player. Our DVD player shootout articles are going to be coming out soon, so just check back to see the reviews. A funny thing happened in that regard. We approached one PR firm to get a high-end player, and were told that player is so good, it does not need reviewing. Yeah, right! So, we got one somewhere else. Well, the player is not so terrific after all. Stacey Spears (Secrets Video Editor) found plenty of things that need improvement, and has told the manufacturer we will wait until November for them to fix the problems before we publish the review, so that they can be listed as "Fixed". You know, it would be a lot easier for us to be a financially successful magazine with lots of advertisers if we just did like all the other publications do and reported every product as being great.

Q I have a Sony DVD model (DVP S530D) player that I bought as is, w/out a manual, about a year ago and just found out that I wasn't getting the full 5.1 channels that I thought I had. There is supposed to be a set-up menu where you can turn it on in the DVD player. I press display on the remote and I get a menu but not the full setup menu. I do this with a disc in and stopped and still don't get the right menu. Is there a way to reset the system or something? I'm using an optical cable and everything, and my friend has a newer player that is easy to access this setup menu. I bet that there are thousands of people who don't even know they have to set-up their DVD player to get the surround sound.

A The older players were notorious about this, and you had to turn on or select between DTS and DD output, or analog output. Newer players are not so bad, but then you have to configure the progressive or interlaced output. For your player, you need to ask Sony for the manual, but also go onto some of the audio newsgroups and post the question. I am sure there are others with the same player who can help you. But, you are right about consumers possibly not knowing they aren't getting 5.1. Many receivers just switch into Pro Logic if they receive a two-channel audio signal. So, check your menus to make sure you are getting what you want to be sent to your receiver.

Q I am in the market for a new television and was wondering if, with projection television, we still have the problem of having to purchase depending on which hemisphere you live on.  I live in Australia and would like to purchase a new set possibly over the net, and from an American site seeing they are so much cheaper. Any other pitfalls with doing it this way that you may think of would be much appreciated.

A The net is a wonderful place to shop, but you do have to be careful. First, make sure the set is the PAL version that you have in Oz, and the proper voltage. Then, when you purchase, sometimes a price is good, but they kill you on the shipping. Third, be careful about the warranty. Prices are really cheap when they don't include a good warranty. When I shop for cameras by mail order, sometimes they state two prices, one with a US warranty and one with some other kind of warranty. Gray Market goods, as they are called, are sold without the manufacturer's own warranty. This is risky. If you bought a TV from a US supplier, for Australia delivery, ask lots of questions about that warranty and who would repair it. For example, here in the US, if you buy certain appliances at CostCo, they tell you that repairs are handled by the manufacturer, not CostCo. Ask questions on the newsgroups as to what experiences others may have had with the supplier you intend to buy from.

� Copyright 2001 Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity
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