Q&A # 256 - October 9, 2001

Staff

Q Is there a way that two different receivers can use one set of speakers? Here is the problem. I have a Sony system that was given as gift which is Pro Logic and has a built in cassette player, tuner, and CD player. I want to buy a receier that has DD and DTS and want to use the same set of speakers.

A You need a speaker switch box. Radio Shack has them. They allow you to connect multiple inputs to one output, which is what you will do, or one input to multiple outputs, which would be the case if you had one amplifier and several sets of speakers.

Q I can get a used Yamaha RX-V2095 for $700. Would you recommend a new receiver for less than $1,000 over the 2095?

A The 2095 is an excellent product and since it has DD and DTS built-in, this would probably be the better choice over a new < $1,000 receiver. However, if you think you will want DPL-II, then the new receiver may be the better choice..

Q I recently upgraded my A/V receiver to a new Marantz SR5200 from a Technics SA-DX930. I'm using the same JBL PSW-110 subwoofer which is connected in the same way as before with the pre-out jack. The problem is when the receiver is turned on, the subwoofer makes a boom even with the volume turned all the way down (-75dB). The subwoofer is plugged in and left in standby at all times. Any ideas?

A There may be some DC at the subwoofer pre-out that occurs when the receiver is first turned on that causes the sub to trigger. Try setting the subwoofer to power on but not in standby and see if that cures the problem.

Q  I just bought a new Onkyo TX-DS797 receiver. I'm using it to power two Polk RT 800i speakers for the front two channels. I also own a Proton D1200 two-channel amp rated at 150 X 2 channels (I think). My question is this: would you recommend using the receiver pre-outs to the Proton to run the Polks or simply using the 797 to run them? Will the sound and clarity be greater through the Proton? Do you think I need to bi-wire these speakers, regardless of which amps I use? A friend told me that bi-wiring was not really necessary most of the time. Another friend told me to just run the Onkyo, too, but my main interest is in the sound quality.

A I think you will get better sound using the front left/right pre-outs of the receiver to the Proton and then to your Polks. Not only is the Proton probably a better amp than what is in the Onkyo, it will free up the power supply in the Onkyo to drive your center and rear channels with higher quality.

Q I've been reading your " DVD Player Benchmark " article with a great deal of interest. However, what I can't seem to really figure out is which Progressive Scan DVD players you and your staff recommend. You seem to have likes and dislikes with pretty much every unit. The technical information was very interesting but didn't exactly help me to figure out which unit would be best for me. So I guess I am writing to ask which units your recommend for under $1,000. I have a 43" Digital Monitor which is HDTV compatible. I am currently using a non-Progressive Scan Sony DVD player. I can't seem to figure out which DVD unit you guys recommend. Your article helped me NOT to buy other units, but for the life of me I can't figure out which one to buy. Can you recommend one or two progressive scan DVD players?

A The reason we don't recommend any particular player over all the others is that the various members of the team all prefer different players. Each player has its likable and dislikable features, and these different features are important to some of us but not important to others. Personally, I (JEJ) like a sharp picture with very little edge enhancement, and don't care if there is a little bit of the chroma bug. I like an intuitive user interface and remote control. So, the Toshiba SD-6200 ($700) is a pretty good choice for me. It has progressive scan component video outputs. On the other hand, I have not had the chance to have some of the newer players in my system yet.

Q Which progressive player in your shootout from Sony, Panasonic, or Pioneer will best suit my Pioneer Elite Pro 710 television?

A Your TV locks into full mode for all 4:3 (Pan & Scan) and non-anamorphic letterbox DVDs. If you own many of these DVDs, then we would suggest the Panasonic RP91 as it offers aspect ratio control. However, if you don't need aspect ratio control because all of your DVDs are anamorphic widescreen, then we would suggest you take a look at either the Panasonic RP56 for DVD-V only or the Kenwood 5700 which adds DVD-A.

At this time, we (Don and Stacey) do not recommend any Pioneer DVD players. The Sony DVD-PS9000ES is nice, but it has the chroma upsampling error. The new Sony NS700P is better at creating a progressive image, but it also suffers from the chroma upsampling error.

Q I currently have a Panasonic PT-61HX40 HDTV and DVD-RP56 DVD player. I noticed you recently reviewed the RP56 and gave it pretty high marks, especially considering its price. The only problem is, I have found that I don't particularly like the picture that the RP56 gives on my TV. Actually, I think I preferred the picture that my previous DVD-RV65 gave me. This is odd considering it is an interlaced player. After reading through your shootouts, I thought I was going to try the XV-S60 since you gave it a pretty good review, and everywhere I see, the XV-D723GD is getting great reviews on the video quality.

A We (Don and Stacey) preferred the DVD-RP56 to both the XV-S60 and XV-D723GD. The RP56 and S60 are priced similar, but we feel the RP56 with the Sage chip is superior. The S60 is pretty much identical picture wise to the D723GD. The difference in the players is the addition of DVD-A playback with the D723GD.

Q I was pleased to see your update to the DVD shootout included a review of the Kenwood DV-5700 which I have been thinking of buying. There was no mention in the review of whether this player includes aspect ratio control or not. Does it?

A Sorry, we forgot to mention that. The 5700 does not have any type of aspect ratio control. We will cover this in the full product review.

� Copyright 2001 Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity
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