Q I am in the process of upgrading my receiver (Denon 3801). I like what the Denon 5803 has to offer, but am considering purchasing separates. What would you recommend that has similar options as the 5803?

A Probably something like the Integra Research RDC-7 (http://www.integraresearch.com/product.cfm?id=1).

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Q I notice Secrets measures speakers in a non-conventional way, measuring distortion at just a few frequencies, instead of across the entire spectrum. You guys have the best A/V publication on the Internet. Why not measure everything?

A For THD measurements, Vance Dickason used to do it that way back in the early 90s, but pretty much everyone does 1/3rd octave spaced points nowadays (31 points from 20 Hz to 20 kHz). They do more points, but it's still a discrete point that is tested, then one further up, then another further up, and so on. D'Appolito does IMD measurements at only two points, and typically only references one or two points for THD (for example, the January, 2002 review of Adire Audio speakers in AudioXpress, he lists THD at 50 Hz at 90 dB SPL only - no other points). It really is just a matter of preference. All the methods are legitimate. We like to do a few points and see what the type of distortion is at those points, i.e., whether it is primarily even ordered or odd ordered. Perhaps later on, when we purchase an Audio Precision test instrument, we will add THD vs. Frequency, but the number of graphs we show in current reviews is already pretty high as it is.

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Q  I am looking forward to replacing my old Sanyo PLC-400 projector to a better one, meaning better resolution, less visible grid lines, and with a quieter fan. What should I check for (specifications) before purchasing it? Which one is better, LCD or DLP? And which projector's screen texture will you recommend?

A DLP has less Screen Door Effect (SDE) and better contrast, but LCD has less video noise that DLP suffers from due to the necessity of dithering. LCD has come a long way, and recent units have better contrast. The new Sony VPL-HS10 seems to be the golden boy right now. They are so hard to come by, we can't get one for review. It is a 3-panel LCD unit, with 1366 x 768 resolution, which means it will show 720p. That is probably the one I would go for right now, but we still want to test it. Full high-def digital projectors, capable of showing 1080i in its native format, are just coming out. Everyone seems to be waiting for Sony's LCD projector that should be out later this year.

If by screen texture, you mean the type of projector screen, I like the Stewart Grayhawk, which has a gain of 0.95. I can sit way off axis, and the image is still evenly bright across the screen. Some like the Stewart Firehawk, which is also for digital projectors, and has a little more gain, but the price of the additional gain is more falloff when you move off axis. In any case, with a digital projector, stay with a gain of around 1. This will give you better blacks.

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Q I want to improve my existing home theater system. I find I don't get enough sound from my rear channel now that I have a DVD player. The system in general seems to be lacking something.  My system: Sony STRD 1090 (Pro Logic receiver with DSP, 8 ohm, 20-20 kHz, surround mode-front 75/75 watts, center-75 watts, rear-30/30 watts), Speakers: front-Polk Audio M4.5, Center-Polk CS100, Rears-Paradigm Atoms, Subwoofer-Paradigm SB-110. Being that my receiver is only analog and my sub is passive, I was thinking of upgrading to a digital receiver, perhaps a Yamaha RXV730.

My main question is what do I do with my sub? Do I have to replace it? I know Paradigm makes an X series control unit. Would that work for me? Do I need to even replace any existing components to improve my movie experience? If I do need an active sub, could I get two of the Yamaha YSTSW005 and separate them, one for the left and one for the right channel? Cost is a factor and these subs are cheap, only $97. Any suggestions?  PS: Is 6.1 necessary since I am upgrading?

A I think you are a candidate for the same thing I did when I was a young fellow and had very little money to spend on these things. Buy quality, and just buy them one at a time rather than a bunch of cheap stuff all at once. You will really appreciate having good hi-fi equipment down the road. Your rear channel is lacking because, I suspect, your receiver is using an amplifier on a chip for the rear. It just can't deliver the goods. So, here is what you do. You already have pretty good speakers, so leave those alone for now. Get a receiver in the $799 range, one that has pre-outs for all channels. These days, $799 will buy you a receiver that has discrete power amplifiers in all channels, instead of power amps on a chip. The Onkyo TX-SR800 receiver, for example, is a wonderful product that we reviewed recently, and you can probably find it in this price range.

All of the receivers now also are digital, meaning they will decode DD, DTS, and a bunch of other stuff. Connect your DVD player to the receiver using a Toslink optical cable, assuming the player has a Toslink output jack. All modern receivers have Toslink digital input jacks for this. OK, now you will get better sound in the rear, not only more volume, but the rear will now be in stereo. Forget the $97 subwoofers. When you can afford one, spend about $800 or so. This will get you something with a 15" driver and several hundred watts of amplifier. Step three, later on, buy an outboard multi-channel power amplifier, with about 200 watts per channel, and connect it to the pre-outs on your receiver. We are talking about $1,200 or so, at a minimum. At this point, sit back and enjoy yourself, because your system will really crank!

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Q I am using the Anthem AVM-20 V2.09 in my system. With the bass management feature in the AVM-20, do I still need to use the bass management feature in the DVD player? I am shopping for a "Universal" DVD player, and most the them (DVD Players) have some sort of bass management built-in. Please advise which bass management should be used.

A The bass management in the processor is usually just for the digital signals such as DD and DTS, rather than for analog signals as well, but some processors, such as the AVM-20, have bass management for the analog signals too. With a universal player, at this point, they don't allow digital out for DVD-A and SACD, and some processors/receivers do not perform bass management with the 5.1 analog input signals. However, the AVM-20 does have bass management with 5.1 analog input (it digitizes the signal), so you can leave the bass management off with your DVD player. In fact, the bass management (and time alignment) in the AVM-20 is for everything. You  can set the 5.1 input as "Analogue/DSP", sending the music through an extra 24/96AD-24/192DA stage. The extra AD/DA does not spoil the sound and stands a good chance of overall making it better in that the DVDA/SACD gains the time alignment, bass management, and overall level calibration of the rest of the system. If a reader has a processor or receiver without bass management on 5.1 analog inputs, set the bass management in the DVD player to work with the 5.1 analog out going to your processor/receiver.

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Q I was recently doing a frequency sweep with my system, and I noticed peaks and dips up to 10 dB throughout the 20 Hz - 80 Hz range, with the worst dip in the 30 Hz - 60 Hz range. Should I spend the money to fix the problem with room acoustics or is that a pretty normal range for sub $50,000 systems? I have wondered why my M&K 350 sub wasn't always great on some material.

A This sounds like a room problem, rather than one specific to that subwoofer. Likely, you would see that spectrum with any subwoofer. Room treatments for bass problems are more difficult to deal with than higher frequencies. You can try moving the subwoofer until you see the flattest response, then use an EQ to lower the peaks, then raise the overall subwoofer volume to match the rest of your speakers in volume. Don't try to raise the dips, because the nulls in your room suck out the bass at those frequencies, and trying to raise them just kills the subwoofer's efficiency. Much better to lower the peaks, then raise the overall volume.

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Q I currently own a Sony VPL-11HT LCD projector and a Toshiba 6200 Progressive DVD player. I keep the 6200 on the interlaced setting as was recommended by another publication, because the Sony has a good DRC that gives a better picture than a DVD player in progressive mode. I read your very informative DVD player Benchmark. My question is would I get a better picture with let's say a Denon 1600 DVD player or another than what I am using at the moment?

A You have a great setup with the 11HT and 6200, and all you have to do to test the comparative picture with progressive vs. interlaced, is switch back and forth between progressive and interlaced output on the Toshiba. The Sony projector will automatically adjust for the changed input. The Denon 1600 has progressive and interlaced output, but does not have the chroma bug (CUE), so that will be the main difference in changing players.

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Q Can you give some insight to the next DVD shootout results? At least what month? I am agonizing buying a progressive scan DVD player such as the Denon 1600 to go with my 65" WD Mitsubishi Platinum TV. Should I go with that, wait for the shootout results, or wait for one of the new HD DVD models? My current player is a Sony 530 single disc bought in 1998. Although it has served me well, I think it is soon time to upgrade. Will there be a significant difference between my Sony and any progressive scan player? Give me the skinny. I respect your expert advice and insight.

A The results of the latest set of Benchmark tests on DVD players are almost ready. Unfortunately, it looks like a major company that used to have no chroma bug (CUE), now has changed the circuitry to something that has the bug. They appear not to be listening to consumers. Also, we had a new player from another manufacturer that was not supposed to have the bug, but did, so we are waiting to see if they can fix it before the units hit the store shelves. That is the delay in publication. But, you will see a major improvement in your picture, going from that old unit to the Denon DVD-1600, which does not have the CUE.

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