Q&A - #17 - June 25, 1997
Q I've been wanting to buy an AC-3 decorder and have been waiting for the release of Yamaha's DDP-2. I was told by a salesman that there wasn't any technical difference from their DDP-1. Is this correct or what are the differences? The store is apparently offering significant discounts on their
in-stock DDP-1s while DDP-2s are only on order.
A The DDP-2 has some sound fields that can be applied to the AC-3. Sort of like the "Enhanced Pro Logic" option that most Pro Logic receivers have. I believe that they have also improved the ease of setting the options. Those are the only differences as far as I know. I don't use enhanced sound fields very often with Pro Logic, let alone AC-3, so if the DDP-1 is on sale significantly, I would suggest buying one.
Q I'm moving into a new house. The drywall isn't up yet, but will be VERY soon! What wiring should I put in for a high end audio/video system? What type of wire? The big question: What equipment should I buy?
Budget of $5-8k including big screen/amps/dvd/speakers/etc. Is that enough?
A I would suggest putting something like Nordost 2-flat speaker cable in the walls for the rear channel speakers. Up front, you don't need to put the cable in the wall, so you can take more time to choose, along with the main equipment. Certainly, your budget is adequate for an excellent system. Look at last week's Q&A for a discussion of components in your price range.
Q I am a novice in home theater systems who would like to get one started. My question is that in order to save some money I would like to utilize the speakers that I already have and add what I need. I have a pair of Bose 10.2 speakers, 4 ohm, that can handle 10 watt to 180 watt output, and a pair of Bose 2.2 speakers, 8 ohm, that can handle 10 watt to 80 watt output. Is it realistic for me to add the center speaker, sub-woofer , DVD player, and amplifier, or should I start from scratch?
A Using 4 Ohm speakers for something as demanding as DVD AC-3 might give your power amplifier fits. Also, if you plan to use the Bose 8 Ohm speakers, it would be best to use the same brand (Bose) for the center channel and rears. Since you are moving towards digital surround, I would suggest starting from scratch. Get some speakers with more power handling capability, and the center channel speaker (same brand) for the front, and use the Bose 8 Ohm speakers for the rear, until you have the budget to add rear speakers identical with the front left/right.
Q I am unable to get stereo or surround sound through my cable converter box. I can get stereo sound through the TV and surround sound through my VCR. I have not had much help from my cable company in finding the correct solution. I sent the following e-mail to Zenith, Continental Cablevision
of Lansing, Toshiba, and Jerrold. Not one reply from anyone. There must be
someone who can advise on how to correctly cable my components to get the
sound capabilities that I had before the descrambler box was required.
I was looking on your web site (Zenith) for some assistance in improving
the audio of my TV. My problem is that I get a hum (like maybe a reverb) in my speakers. I am connected via audio output (variable) to my Stereo Receiver (Pioneer
VSX-451) VCR-1 input. The internal TV speakers are turned off. My cable
repair people have been out several times trying different configurations,
but they have caused me other problems. (Continental Cablevision of
Lansing) The cable people said it was because of the variable audio output
of the TV.
This last attempt by the cable people - every time is different - has now
produced video distortion lines in the picture that run at a 45 degree
angle from the upper right corner down. These only appear with the cable
connection to Cable Antenna connection on the back of the TV.
They (Continental Cablevision of Lansing) expanded the service by providing
fiber optic cabling. This provided several new channels, but unfortunately,
the stations that I desired are now scrambled. This requires me to have a
cable box. (This is also how they can get a box into my house for
pay-per-view.) The box they use is the Jerrold General Instrument CFT2200
(Continental calls this a 'Smart Box'). This box works fine for video but
will not provide stereo or surround-sound through my receiver even though
it has R-L audio outputs. So I split it out and use the smart box as the
tuner for my Pix-n-Pix.
I also split out the cable to my VCR (TOSHIBA M-660) and connect to
Receiver (VCR-2) with Audio and Video Cables. This is the only connection
that provides the correct sound. I also have Audio and Video cables from
the Smart Box to the L1 input of my VCR to provide recording of scrambled
stations and movies. (This will not provide Stereo because of the Smart
Box.)
I am looking for a solution for my problem without someone saying it is
because of something else that I have installed.
A I think we all have had problems like this from time to time. Some of the cable boxes don't decode the stereo very well, so what I have found, is that it works best to use the RF output from the cable box to plug into the RF input on the TV, and let the TV do the stereo decoding. Another choice is to use the tuner in your VCR for the stereo sound and use the TV just for the video image. If the L/R RCA jacks from your cable box are working with the VCR, but not when they are plugged into the L/R inputs of the TV, there may be something wrong with the TV, rather than the cable box. Check to make sure that the TV menu options are not set to "mono" for any of the audio. Also try using the full line level output from the TV instead of the variable level output.
The diagonal lines you are seeing on your TV are electrical noise from the cable TV wiring. It is difficult to remove. We find them more prevalent on the upper channels (e.g., channel 60). You can try one of the isolation devices that removes the ground loop connection in the cable. This will reduce the audio hum you are experiencing and help a bit with the image too. Once completely digital TV signals are wired in throughout the country, a lot of these problems will disappear (I hope).
Q I would like to buy a 27" television, but I keep encountering a problem. Most of the televisions that I have looked at have visible flaws in the screen. I have looked at several Panasonic CT-27SF12s, and they all had vertical lines on the left side of the screen that were darker than the
rest of the screen. They were fairly insignificant, but when you know they
are there, they're hard to ignore.
I also had two Sony Trinitron KV-27V20s that I had to return because
one was dicolored, like the screen was magnetized, and the other had a
dark spot in one of the corners. I have also looked at other brands and
have noticed similar flaws.
The only televisions I can find that seem to be alright are the cheap
brands and models that I don't want anyway. It seems that the more
expensive the set is, the more likely it is to be flawed.
Anyway, my question is this. Is it a common thing for televisions 27"
or larger to have visible flaws in the screen? Am I being too picky, or
am I having an unusually hard time finding a set that doesn't have
visible flaws? Should I look at smaller TVs that might be less likely
to be flawed? I need some advice because this is driving me nuts.
A What has happened in mass market consumer products is a continued effort to give us components with lots of features, but at a competitive price point. The result has been a continued downward spiral in quality, as each manufacturer tries to outdo the others. They keep cutting corners to make the products less expensive to manufacture. I have a 27" TV in the kitchen, and it has a dark top left corner, which is an electron gun alignment problem. A friend of mine bought three TVs of varying price, up to $1,000. All were defective. The irony is that I think most of us are willing to pay for quality, but there has been such a battle to have the best price, quality of all but the very top end mass consumer products has gone down the can. The only way we can battle this is to let the manufacturers know that the products in question are not acceptable. Quality Control (QC) is expensive, because it is labor-intensive. Cutting QC reduces cost, but raises the defect rate. Apparently it is cheaper to fix problems on warranty than it is to make sure all the components are checked before they leave the factory. You are not being too picky. It is the selective consumer who keeps quality from going completely to heck. One choice might be to go to the TV store, look at the models on the show room floor, pick one that has none of the flaws you mentioned, and say, "I want that one." Or, pick the model, have them bring a new one out of the stockroom, open it up, plug it in and check it out before you take it home. Sad, but effective.
Q I am currently looking at several Dolby Digital (AC-3) receivers on the
market to replace my aging surround sound A/V receiver.� I've looked at
the Denon 3600 and the 5600, the Yamaha DSP-A3090, and the Onkyo 939
receiver.� They are all rich in features, but I would like to narrow the
list down even further to two choices.� I presently have a Sony XBR53
big screen TV, and my speaker setup includes Apogee Column speakers.�
Can I hook the Apogees up to any of these receivers as the front
surround speakers, and then buy a pair of decent rear surround speakers
to match?� I heard that with the Denon you can tell the receiver that you
have either large or small speakers in the front surround setup.� I also
have the Pioneer 606 LD with an AC-3 RF output jack that I use for movies.�
I am not ready to move into the DVD world yet.
A I would suggest either the Denon 5600 or the Yamaha 3090. The amplifiers in these receivers should power your Apogees OK, but if you really want to crank the system, you should take into consideration the presence of pre-out jacks for all channels, on whatever receiver you end up buying. By selecting "small" for the speakers in front, you would give the amplifier more power to the mid-range and high frequencies, but it would be a shame to waste the low frequency capability of the Apogees. AC-3 requires lots of power, and in general, the power supply of receivers is not completely adequate for playing tremendous sound tracks really loud.
Q I was very interested to read your VP-100 TV Enhancer review because I have been using a Pioner CLD-99 in my setup. I wonder if you have any further views on whether you prefer the VP-100's 2-D comb filter to the CLD-99's 3-D filter on real world material? (And not say, Snell & Wilcox
bouncing ball pattern). My own experience with the CLD-99 is that artifacts crop up on discs with lots of camera shake (e.g., "Twister") even with 3-D set only to
mid-position. I believe you would be in a good position to determine the better choice, because if the VP-100 is better, I want one!
A First, the best thing to do is find a local dealer who carries the VP-100 and borrow it for the night. I did look at the VP-100 against the CLD-99 and preferred it over the 3D filter in the CLD-99. The detail processing can really help get the most
from your LD player (just don't go crazy with it!)
Also, try turning up the "Chroma" noise reduction to max on the CLD-99. Turn down the 3D all the way (this will force it into 2D mode) and see if the artifacts you saw
are from the filter.
� Copyright 1997
Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity
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