Q&A # 287 - May 9, 2002

Staff

Q Can't you guys publish the Q&A more often? It is the best part of your website.

A I (JEJ) have to answer 95% of them, and we receive hundreds each week. I also have to edit everyone's manuscripts for product reviews, music reviews, movie reviews, etc. I also have a regular job since Secrets makes only a small amount of money. But, we do what we can.

Q I recently found myself in a Sony Store where the sales personnel were promoting their STRDA5ES receiver. I have done some searching and have not found any information or reviews on this receiver. I am in the market for a new receiver and was looking at a Denon 3802 or Integra 7.2. In your opinion, do you think that this receiver is in the same league as the Denon or Integra?  One feature of the Sony receiver that caught my eye is that it has an RS232 port for sound processing software upgrades. Do you think that this capability will really offer consumers the ability to extend the life of their equipment or do you think it is a marketing ploy that will probably not be supported in the future? Is this a feature worth seeking?

A Mass market receivers have really improved in the last few years because so many of the processing features are on inexpensive chips, so they can use more of the money on the power supply and output stages. No one brand makes all of its models better than the other brands, but Integra tends to have big power supplies, which is important. Other than that, just choose your receiver based on the features you like. The RS232 port is not enough of a big deal that I would buy a receiver just because of having it, but it is a nice item. Some of the receiver manufacturers are already offering upgrades that install through the RS232, such as DTS Discrete ES.

Q I am thinking of upgrading my subwoofer. I presently have a 250 watt Pinnacle 12" subwoofer and one which I was considering was the SVS 39PC which seems to get a lot of good reviews. After looking at this particular subwoofer more closely, I realized that it only had a 190 watt built-in amplifier. Does its special design really make this an upgrade to my 250 watt Pinnacle or should I be looking elsewhere? I should mention that my Home Theater is in a fifteen by twenty-four foot room (eight foot ceilings) with the subwoofer in a corner. I have two Pinnacle Gold Reference towers, two Pinnacle mini-monitors for surrounds and a Pinnacle wide center speaker all powered by a Yamaha 793 (80 watts times 5). I am pretty satisfied with the other four Pinnacle speakers though I am thinking of getting an outboard amp such as the Outlaw 750.

A The 39PC is an excellent value, but for a room as big as yours, I would suggest one of their larger subs. We just finished testing the SVS CS-Ultra, and it is astonishing. The review will be published in the next week or so. The package includes a 500 watt x 2 stereo power amp, but you only need one subwoofer to start with (112 dB at 20 Hz at 1 meter!) Later on, you can add a second one for stereo subs, and the other channel of the power amp that you would already have, would drive it.

Q I am in the market for a new home theater system including TV, DVD player, and surround sound. My room is 17 X 20 and I am budgeting about $10,000 +/- for this project (of course I would also be happy to spend less). So far it seems that the Pioneer Elite Pro 720HD 64" might be a good choice for the TV, but I am having trouble getting much direction on the rest of the system. Any advice you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

A We get lots of questions like this, and they are very general, but I wanted to put one in the published Q&A to talk in a general way. First, for new TV buyers out there, it is time now to think only in digital TV terms, and only in 16:9. Secondly, make sure the TV has at least one set of component video inputs. Third, get a progressive scan DVD player and connect it directly to the TV using component video connections. Don't worry about having component video switching on the receiver or processor, because they don't have enough bandwidth to pass the signal through without some loss. Fourth, choose your receiver based on its features. Mass market receivers are all really good these days, but make sure the one you buy has a set of 5.1 analog inputs so you can connect a DVD-A player or SACD player to the receiver. Also, the receiver should have at least 100 watts per channel x 5 or x 7. Fifth, spend lots of time listening to speakers, as they have more tonality differences between brands than the other components. Sixth, get the best subwoofer you can afford. A good sub makes a huge difference in the home theater movie experience.

Q I recently purchased a Toshiba 2715 DVD player and am confused as to how to hook it up in conjunction with my receiver (a Sony STR DE515).  The DVD player has component outputs (no matching component inputs on the receiver), an optical cable digital output (no match on the receiver), a coaxial digital output (no match) and L-R audio outputs. My receiver has 5.1 outputs, inputs, audio inputs for CDs et al, and a host of other setups, but nothing appears to correspond directly between the two components. I do have an S-Video output from the DVD player and an S-Video input into my television so that appears to be a non-issue. I have a center channel, 2 front, 2 satellite, and powered subwoofer speakers. What is the best configuration for me to set up everything so I can take advantage of the 5.1 capabilities of my receiver?

A From what you say, it appears your receiver has no digital inputs. If your DVD player has a set of 5.1 analog outputs, connect those to the 5.1 analog inputs on your receiver. Otherwise, you will have to use the stereo analog outputs of your player into a stereo input on your receiver, and watch movies with Pro Logic decoding, which will give you surround sound. However, Pro Logic is not as good as digital surround (DD and DTS). You will have to wait until your next receiver purchase to get that, if your player does not have the 5.1 analog outputs.

Q  I have a fairly small room (15' x 15'). I have wired it for one subwoofer (8") in front and one in the rear opposite corner. Is this too much for my room?

A An 8" sub really can't move enough air for the deep frequencies that are in today's DVD movies. The Velodyne HGS-10 and Sunfire subs have very long throw drivers, so they would be OK, but unless you get something like that, I would suggest going to a 12" subwoofer. If you get two subs, then put them in opposite corners of one end of the room rather than at opposite ends. I have found that having subs in the front and back causes a lot of cancellation. Wire the two subs for stereo rather than mono.

Q Is there any product that just serves as a preamp in a situation where you have a DVD player with built-in processor and six-channel analogue outputs and a five-channel power amp and you don't want to buy an expensive preamp? I would like to be able to hook up a DVD player to a power amp with the least expensive option in between to control the volume. I don't want a processor, I don't want an expensive preamp, just something to control the volume. Any ideas?

A Yes, we are currently having a custom made item built just for that purpose. It is a six-gang volume control potentiometer wired with silver interconnects soldered directly to the potentiometer's connectors and mounted in a box. The idea is to put as little as possible between the multi-channel outputs of a DVD-A player or SACD player and the power amplifier. This is called a passive line stage, because it really does not preamplify anything. It is an experiment.

Q Perhaps this question is too basic, but I am thinking of buying a 79-81 edition of a Marantz SR-8000. My question is, can a receiver of this vintage be hooked up to a CD-player? The inputs in the back are "phono" and "aux/tape 3."

A Yes, it should work fine, because the aux/tape input will be about the same level as the CD player (1 volt or so).

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