Q I have read your reviews of the Dynaudio Contour 1.1 and 1.3MK11 bookshelf speakers, thanking you Arvind. I am about to purchase the Dynaudio Audience 42W (rears), Audience 122 (centre), and the Sub20A. Also the preamp, a Rotel RSP-976, and the power amp RMB-1075. As for my front speakers, I don't know whether to go for the 1.1s or 1.3s. My dilemma is my room size which is 13' by 13' by 9'. I am concerned the 1.3MK11 needs a lot more room that I can provide them with. Are the 1.1s a safer option, or are the 1.3s a better option and worth the extra money? Are there any changes I need to make to the other products I have mentioned? Would I need to purchase a Contour centre speaker so it tonally matches either the 1.1s or 1.3s?

A Glad you found the reviews helpful. Ideally, you would want all five speakers to be exactly the same, so tonality does not change as the sound pans from one speaker to another. That is rarely practical, especially for the center channel. In which case, I would recommend buying a center channel from the same product line as the other four speakers, sharing the same drivers and build characteristics. For your room size, you probably could not properly accommodate the 1.3MKII (i.e., allowing 3' to 5' from rear wall), so the 1.1 may be more appropriate. However, the woofer in the Contour Center does not have similar drivers to the 1.1, so the Contour line may not be ideal for your current setup. You also want the same speakers, particularly between center and left/right front, so that you have identical phase response between channels as a function of frequency, to maximize imaging ability.  If you've got something tonally similar, but there's a different driver set with different crossovers, it can't be done.

I am guessing that your budget may get stretched with five Contour speakers, in which case go with the Audience line all around. My findings on the two Contour line models that I reviewed were that they were very neutral and could handle very high SPLs. However, they do not show you their best unless they are played at moderate to high levels. If you do a lot of listening at low to moderate levels, then you may miss what these speakers really have to offer. I am not sure if the same holds true for the Audience line, but it is something to look for in your auditions.

My personal take on audio systems, is that I would rather spend most of my audio dollars on my main two-channel system. However, if the HT has to double as a two-channel music system as well then I would follow an approach similar to yours. In that case I would suggest that at least the front three speakers should be similar. In conclusion, if you have a separate two-hannel audio only system, then consider four Audience 42 + Audience 42C, depending on your budget. If your HT does double duty, then consider two 1.3MKII + Contour Center. The rears would depend on your budget, but I would recommend the 1.3MKII if you can swing it.

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Q Does 24/96 give a better sound in the audible range, i.e., lower THD, or does it just give an extended frequency response to 48 kHz?

A The sampling rate should not affect THD, but there could be distortion differences if the DAC is not linear. The quality of the output stage (op-amp) could definitely make a difference, since it would have to be of higher quality to pass the 48 kHz analog from a 24/96 DAC, compared to 22 kHz analog from a 16/44 DAC. The bit depth (16 bits vs. 24 bits) affects the noise floor.

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Q I have an RCA RT2500 home theater system, with each channel rated at 100 watts at 6 ohms impedance. I was wanting to replace the small front speakers that came with it with floor speakers and I have had trouble finding 6 ohm speakers so I was wondering if I can use 8 ohm speakers and how many watts they should be rated at. Also, if I can use 8
ohm speakers can I still use the 6 ohm surrounds and center, or would all my speakers need to be 8 ohm?

A Replacing them with 8 ohm speakers will actually make it easier for your amplifier to drive them. You can have 6 ohm speakers in the other channels, no problem. When you are shopping for those 8 ohm speakers, get some that are high sensitivity, i.e., 90 dB/w/m or higher.

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Q Would you expect something to blow out on an AV amplifier if it is turned on with nothing (no speakers or inputs) connected to it? This happened to me when we turned it on to look at the display.

A A long time ago, when solid state amplifiers first came on the market, it was important to have a speaker connected when you turned it on. That is normally not the case anymore, so, no, I would not expect anything to blow out. There is one exception, which is a single-ended triode tube amplifier. They are supposed to have a speaker connected when power is on. However, check the fuse in your A/V amp. It might have blown for some other reason.

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Q In positioning dipole surround speakers, I have heard that they should be placed to the sides of the listening area, not behind it as one might do for direct radiating speakers.

A Current THX Ultra2 specs suggest dipoles to the sides, not behind you, and direct radiating speakers to the rear. Of course, it is ultimately a matter of personal tastes.

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Q  I want (no, I need-I have a small room) a flat screen TV/Monitor. I'm concerned about the burn in and elevation issues with plasma. I'm starting to think that LCD might be the way to go. Do they compare with plasma screens?

A Yes, LCD flat panel TVs are starting to be a big thing for the home now. They are not supposed to have burn-in problems. However, they are not quite as bright as a plasma, and are currently more expensive than plasmas. That will probably change as more companies begin selling them.

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Q  I have been giving a lot of thought to purchasing one of the "universal" players that have DVD-A and SACD capability. Are these viable formats? It seems that due to numerous problems from the start, the formats are doomed to failure. Help

A DVD-A and SACD have been slow to take off, probably due to their higher cost (started out at $25 per disc, but coming down now), and the higher cost of the players. That is changing this year, with more universal player introductions, and probably by the end of 2003, we will see the $299 universal player. By next year, you probably won't even have a choice, as all players are likely to contain a chip that decodes everything. Within 5 years, likely all music discs will be 24/96 or SACD, either two-channel, or 5.1.

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Q What is the difference in sensitivity of a speaker, with its impedance remaining constant, when you drive it with a low power amplifier vs. a high power amplifier?

A The sensitivity and impedance remain constant, regardless of the amplifier. The sensitivity means how loud it will play with a given input power. The standard used to be how many dB of loudness produced by 1 watt, at 1 meter distance. Now, it is 2.83 volts input at 1 meter. The problem with this new standard, to me, is that using that same 2.83 volts, a 4 ohm speaker will draw twice as many watts as an 8 ohm speaker, making the sensitivity of the 4 ohm speaker seem higher.

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