Q&A # 268 - December 15, 2001

Staff

Q I'm curious as to your thoughts on Monster cable Vs. Radio Shack Gold Series cable. I've heard so much talk on both sides, but no real info.

A I used to get Radio Shack cables, but I have had so many problems with defects, I am converting to other sources. Monster Cable is good, but you pay the retail fees that stores have to add onto the dealer cost. I would suggest BetterCables for basic needs. Yeah, yeah, they are one of our advertisers, but they are one of the best values around since they sell only on the Internet so they are basically at wholesale prices. There are other sites out there that do similar things, but I don't have any experiences with them. Nordost also makes a great cable, but they are very high tech, and as a result, much higher priced than the Monster Cable kind of basic wiring.

Q If I place two subwoofers next to each other with one having higher power, will it cancel the bass (make it not audible, as if it weren't there) of the other sub next to it?

A It will work fine as long as you make sure the phase is the same for both. Adjust the phase of one sub until the sound is at its loudest.

Q I am planning on bi-amping a pair of Paradigm Reference Studio 100s and was wondering if it would be better to use both the XLR and RCA output on my preamp to connect two amplifier inputs directly from them, or would it be better to choose one of those outputs and use a Y-connector to send the signal to two amps? If choosing only one output is the best option, then which one would be a better choice for bi-amping, XLR or RCA?

A Using both outputs would work, as long as the preamp can handle simultaneous use of its XLR and RCA outputs. Some products require you to select one or the other, and some just produce a distorted sound if you connect them both. If your power amplifier have a high input impedance, using a Y connector with the RCA preamp output will be fine.

Q I am new to the HT market and would appreciate some advice. I have narrowed my receiver choices to the Denon AVR-5800 and the Integra 9.1. Any thoughts on these? I am also looking for good speakers. Which brands are good? B&W, NHT, Paradigm, Dynaudio, PSB, Pinnacle, Axiom, Energy, KEF, RBH, Mirage, Edge,Martin Logan.  So many choices! I want a good balance between audio and Home theater use. Up to $8000 budget.

A Of those two receivers, get the Integra 9.1 for high-current, or the Denon for the features. For speakers, all the ones you mentioned are good, but you should get ones with 8 Ohm impedance. Even though the Integra is a top notch receiver, it will perform much better with an 8 Ohm speaker than it would with 4 Ohm speakers.

Q I just read your DVD shoot-out. From that report it seems that all the DVD players out there aren't any good. The only one that one would want to have is the Camelot player. Any other player will leave me not satisfied (I read the progressive scan part as well - part 5).

I recently had my whole downstairs remodeled with all cabinets built-in and all the home theater equipment built-in. I waited 1.5 years for the Fujitsu 50" plasmavision flat monitor. The Fujitsu is HDTV ready and is capable of 16:9 format.

Given all that, which DVD player do you recommend (much cheaper than $3495)? I remember when I was first looking at DVD players a couple of years ago, the Toshiba was one of the only Progressive scan players. You article says that that one is not very good - I'm glad I waited. Surely now, with technology advances, after so much time, are there some good players that don't empty your wallet? And which do you recommend given my new plasma monitor.

A The last thing we want to do is make consumers unsatisfied. All we are really trying to do is identify areas of improvement. Someone has to do this, and I guess it is Secrets. The Panasonic line seems not to have the chroma bug, so I would suggest the Panasonic RP91. It is a progressive player with DVD-A output as well. Its MSRP is $699, but I have seen it on the web for $428. In fact, I ordered one, but am waiting to see if they will actually deliver it at that price. Another choice is the even less expensive Panasonic RP56 DVD player, which is the steal of the century. It can be had as a low as $180 and has the powerful Sage deinterlacing solution. The RP91 offers DVD-A playback and aspect ratio control for those TVs that do not allow you to change aspect ratios when a 480p signal is detected. The RP56 is a barebones progressive scan DVD-V only player, but offers state-of-the-art deinterlacing.

Q I have been thinking of selling my Yamaha RX-V2095 and purchasing a five-channel Amp (80 - 120 watts) and a preamp/AV processor. I have been hesitant on doing this because the Yamaha receiver's DD and DTS processor is exceptional, so would hooking the Yamaha up to amps be better and if so what do you recommend? Also, I want to eventually go to HDTV, and the Yamaha does not have the component video inputs required. Will a video switching system work with the Yamaha and would the cost of this drive me back to separates when considering the additional amp cost? Listed below are the speakers that I have and would like to continue using.

Front - Klipsch KG 5.5 100w continuous, 98 dB.
Front surrounds KG .5 50w cont., 90 dB.
Center Klipsch KV2 75w cont., 92 dB.
Rear - Klipsch KSB 2.1 85w cont., 93 dB.
Sub - Klipsch KSW 200

I can probably get about $700-$800 for my receiver, but I don't want to spend a lot of additional money if I go to separates. Do you have suggestions on separates that offer a good bang for the buck (possibly items on clearance, i.e., HK Signature Series)?

A The 2095 is a very good receiver, so I would suggest going with a five-channel outboard power amplifier like the Rotel RMB-1075 (120 watts x 5 - $1,295 USA). It is receiving one of our Secrets Best of 2001 Awards, and has also received accolades from Europe.

Q Just noticed that you reviewed the Theta Dreadnaught power amp. As a fan of "Farscape", I couldn't help notice that this is the same name as the famed "Dreadnaught" ships that the Scarrans use in that series. Who came up with the name first and copied from the other one?

A The word Dreadnought is in the dictionary, and dates back to 1806 when the British used it for their battleships. I guess they came up with the name first, and then it was converted to Dreadnaught at some later point.

Q I have a Pioneer VSX-D409 and a Pioneer DVD-525. I have a Toslink optical connection on the digital out from the DVD player into the receiver, and this works beautifully for DTS and Dolby digital. However, when I switch the receiver to use 5.1, I get no sound at all. How do I connect these devices for 5.1?

A DTS and DD are 5.1, but for receivers that have a 5.1 setting, this refers to a set of analog 5.1 input jacks that bypass everything but the volume control. They require the input from a set of analog 5.1 output jacks on an outboard decoder or on your DVD player. Unless you are using DVD-A, where the 5.1 analog outputs are on the player, you don't need the 5.1 connections.

� Copyright 2001 Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity
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