|
|
|
Q My system consists of a Krell KAV-300i, B&W805s, and Anthem CD-1. I have tried Cardas Gold($$$) and less expensive XLO type 6 cables. When I listen with Cardas, the music sounds very clear and clean, but the bass is kind of wimpy compared to the XLO. What do you think I am experiencing? What are other brands I could try to have cleaner sound than XLO and produce bass with a little more punch than the Cardas? Or should i try to add a subwoofer?
A Research
I read some time ago suggests that, for interconnects, low capacitance
is important, and for speaker cables, low inductance is important.
All cables have some resistance, capacitance, and inductance.
As such, all cables act as filters. There are other factors, such
as skin effect, but suffice it to say, that what comes out is
always different than what went in. The idea is to minimize the
loss. What you are experiencing is the result of distortion caused
by laws of electricity. Most of the differences I have heard with
cables are in the high frequencies, but occasionally, with the
bass. The effect of cables will differ from system to system,
depending on impedances of the various components and other factors.
It is really a matter of just listening. Your local dealer may
be able to supply you with loaners of various brands and models
to try out. That is the way I would go about selecting them.
Q I read a question in the Q&A section (#59) in reference to your movie reviews being "old-fashioned" for including information on the use of the "F" and "S" words.
I would like to personally thank you for
doing that and urge you to continue. I have invested a fairly
large sum in my A/V equipment, but am very disappointed in most
of the movies being made. I am a 16 year police veteran and a
Christian who is tired of being constantly bombarded with
language that is totally unnecessary - in fact, I think it makes
otherwise good movies unwatchable and certainly not entertaining.
I will use your
web site extensively to help me decide which movies are appropriate
not just for my son to watch, but also for "mom and dad".
Again, thank you. I am glad I found your site....
P.S. - do you have a review lined-up for
"The Fugitive"? - I didn't see one and would like some
"heads-up" information on it.
A Thanks
for the kind remarks. We received a number of e-mails about that,
all in support of our review methods. As to "The Fugitive",
I watched it at the theater, and then, when it was released to
video, I saw it in a hotel and didn't get around to publishing
a full review. It is a very entertaining movie, with no sexual
scenes, but has graphic violence, and the "F" and "S"
words. Harrison Ford is a wonderful actor and does a great job
as Richard Kimble. If you are a 16 year veteran, my guess is your
son is in his early teens. The worst violence occurs in the middle
when there is a flashback to the murder of Kimble's wife. You
might ask your son to go fix some popcorn during this scene.
Q I
have just purchased a Denon AVR 2700 to replace my old 2500. One
thing I noticed immediately was the digital volume control vs.
the good old dial on the 2500. I have learned (maybe from your
site or maybe from some other place) that if I keep the volume
dial under 12 o'clock, I would risk little on clipping. Now with
this new machine, I don't know which number is supposedly to be
12 o'clock (of course, the menu will never tell you that secret!)
I find it loud enough if I turn to the numbers around - 20 and
adequate at - 40 if I just listen to it as background music. But
I am curious as to what would be the medium volume point -- is
it simply the mid point of the numerical scale or is it more than
that? I have KEF speakers all around and they are rated 6 Ohm.
A Theoretically,
the way the digital readout should work is that "0"
represents full output of the amplifier, let's call it 100 watts/channel.
A reading of -10 would be 10 dB less, or 1/10th of the full output,
or 10 watts/channel. At -20 it would be 1/100th, or 1 watt/channel.
At - 30, it would be 1/1,000th, or 0.1 watt/channel, and at -
40, 1/10,000th or 0.01 watt/channel. Since the volume changes
depending on the input signal (soft music vs. loud), these settings
are only general. I would estimate that the safe setting is around
- 10 to - 20.
Q I
own a Parasound HCA-1206 and a Marantz home theater preamp/processor
along with Pioneer LD and a Panasonic DVD player. The Parasound
manufacturer and some audiophiles seem to agree that stereo/home
theater equipment should be left on to achieve optimum sonic performance.
I use my system usually only on the weekends which means that
my equipment is idle for the majority of the time. My question
is this:
will turning the system off when not in use and powering it up
when I use it cause damage to my system in the long run. Maybe
I can turn off some of the components and not the others. I intend
to keep my system for some time (at least 5 years) and I don't
what any premature or unnecessary damage. Please answer the question
addressing each component in the system.
A For
tube equipment, it is best to turn the components off when not
used. Solid state components are pretty safe to leave on all the
time. It all depends on how paranoid you are. I am sufficiently
paranoid that I always turn my components off after I am through
listening, and I listen every day. I have never had a problem
with damaging them by doing this. I have everything on an AC line
conditoner (Rotel RLC-900/$199) that turns preamplifiers and CD
players on first, followed by the power amplifiers. This takes
care of the components that don't have on/off switches. However,
when components are turned on, there is always a bit of a power
surge, and certainly, this is not good for the electronics. The
analogy is a light bulb. It always burns out when you first switch
on the light. The filament has weakened to the point that the
power surge is enought to break it. If you only listen on weekends,
I would suggest turning it all off during the week.
Q On some DVDs, especially opera, I have seen "recorded in PCM". What does that mean, and more important, how does it sound?
Also, I have a Sony ESP-800 Digital Surround
Sound Decoder for AC-3. Can I use that with any "digital
ready" receiver, or does it have to be Sony? I called Sony
to ask about it, and they said I would need to check with each
individual manufacturer, but one of the store salespeople said
they were just trying to give me a hard time. I am interested
in buying a Technics 720 since all channels are 100 and cheaper
than the Sony's all 100 channel receiver. I know Technics has
a decoder as well, but I am too late to exchange the Sony decoder,
and besides it has more features and inputs than the Technics
decoder. I was not able to contact Technics to get any kind of
answer from them, but would also like to shop around for receivers.
A PCM
means Pulse Code Modulation and refers to the way the digital
sound is stored on the disc. All current CDs use this format,
and laserdiscs too. I suppose you are seeing this on some discs
because new technolgies, such as DTS, may use other formats than
PCM. You can read the chapter on CDs in our primer (Volume 1,
Number 1) to get more details on PCM.
Digital Ready receivers have a set of 5.1 input jacks on the back, and DD decoders have a set of 5.1 output jacks. Some decoders have a DB-25 jack for use with processors that have the DB-25 input jack, but they all have the RCA jacks as well. So, your ESP-800 should work fine with any digital ready receiver. However, to be safe, make sure about the jacks on the back of your decoder and those on the back of the receiver that you decide to buy. Actually, DB-25 is wonderful. It saves having a jungle of interconnects. I wish more manufacturers would use them. You need to be careful when comparing amplifier ratings. Not all 100 watt/channel amplifiers are equal, because of the way they are rated. Look to see that it is rated continuous rms, at 20 Hz - 20 kHz, all channels operating.
Q My
wife kind of nixed the idea of getting a $1000 dollar preamp and
a $1500 amp. So my thoughts turn towards an A/V Receiver to replace
my relic Pro Logic receiver. My question is: Is there an A/V Receiver
with five equal channels of output such as 80 - 100 watts, pre-outs
for adding an amp later, and also having the inputs for an external
decoder? I was looking at the Denon 3200 but that only has pre-outs
for Front L/C/R and looking at Yamaha's, it seems that the rear
channels have less wattage than the fronts. Is there one that
will solve my dilemma in the $500 - $1000 price range? Or, any
recomendations?
A Most
of the receivers I have looked at, that have equal power all the
way around, all have DD built-in. As a result, they don't have
a set of 5.1 input jacks for adding another decoder, such as DTS.
The Denon 3200 has DD built-in and equal power in all channels,
pre-ins for another decoder, but alas, no pre-outs for the rear.
Finding a receiver in the $1,000 or less range, with equal power
in all channels, pre-ins and pre-outs, is pretty tough. If someone
knows of such a product, let us know so we can take a look at
it. We currently have a Yamaha DSP-A1 for review, and it has it
all, but it's expensive. We are also reviewing the Yamaha RX-V592
which has pre-ins and pre-outs, but not equal power in all channels.
It's very affordable though, so the 592 with a nice five-channel
outboard power amplifier would be somewhere around $1,600. Throw
in a DD/DTS decoder for a few hundred more, and you have a good
system (review coming soon).
Q I
just purchased a JBL HLS center channel speaker. I connected the
center channel to my Sony receiver. With the receiver set set
on Dolby "wide" , we get sound on our left, right, and
rear speakers, but not on our center channel. I am using 22 gauge
wire and a Mitubishi HSU650 VCR. Can you help me get sound in
my center channel?
A This
is one of those things you have to go step by step to diagnose.
First, check to see that the center channel volume control is
not all the way down. Can you hear any hum or hiss in the center
channel speaker? Try setting the center channel to normal rather
than wide. Next, make sure your speaker is not defective, by switching
the wire from the left or right speaker to the center channel
speaker. If you get sound from the center channel speaker, then
the speaker is OK. Next, make sure the speaker cable to your center
channel is connected properly on the back of the receiver. If
just one copper whisker of the speaker cable from the + or - post
is touching the other post, this will short out the channel and
give you no sound (not even hum or hiss). Next, if there are
any slider switches on the back for specific speaker setups, make
sure the center channel is not set to "none". Now, try
one of the DSP modes on your receiver, such as "Jazz Club"
or whatever it offers. There are occasional modes that don't use
all five channels, so you have to be careful here.
Q I
have a question about quality. I have been investing my meager
life-savings in my home theater (and guitars) for about 15 years
now. I am what you would call "a real afficionado of the
deal." I work very hard to figure out how to get a real
high quality piece for a reasonable amount of money. But as you
know, you have to sometimes give up, and just shell out the dough.
This brings me to problem number one. I have been getting ready
to go to DD/DTS. I bought a Panasonic DVD-A310. I am using a
Yamaha DSPA-2070. I have three outboard 2-channel 100wpc amps,
and a Sony 4x45wpc, that run the power. I have four Celestion
Model 5s, Celestion CC1, Mission 770s, and a Nelson Reed 4x12
Subwoofer. I want to buy a Carver AV-705 amp, and a processor/preamp.
The problem is the decoder. Why are they so expensive? What
I will probably do is buy the Technics SH-ac500, which is only
going to be around $300. The question that I am getting to is,
will the quality difference in the decoder be that great to where
it will be a total waste of money? Question #2. My Nelson Reed
1204 Sub is rated at 500 watts input. I have 100x2 (NAD 2200)
going into it now, with a Paradigm x-over controlling it. It can
either sound really impressive or outright invisible at times.
If I get the Carver AV-705, how much power should I be putting
into the Sub to not get lost in the mix?
A DD
and DTS decoders have been expensive because they are new technology.
However, they are getting cheaper, as all new technology eventually
does. By early 1999, there will be mass market receivers with
DD and DTS built-in, at less than $1,000. A lot of the decoders
use the same decoding chips, but different quality parts (resistors,
capacitors, inductors, PC board, jacks, and switches). Of all
the current decoders out there, the differences are quite subtle.
There will be more differences in preamplifiers, and even more
differences in power amplifiers, than there are differences among
the various decoders. This is mainly due to power supplies, which
are the expensive part of components. A decoder doesn't really
need a big one, as long as the inputs to the receiver are high
impedance. With your increased power to five channels in the Carver
AV-705, you might want to bump the power to the sub. Assuming
that your 4x12 sub has four 12" drivers, you could drive
them all separately with your older outboard amplifiers. This
would necessitate disconnecting the drivers from one another and
using a couple of Y connectors out of the crossover to split the
signal to the various power amplifiers. This may reduce the signal
to the power amplifiers, meaning you would have to turn the volume
up higher, and you need to be able to control the input signal
volume for each amplifier if you use a combination of different
amps. If your power amplifiers are bridgeable, and the Nelson
Reed drivers are 8 Ohm impedance each, then do that too (in other
words, quad-amplify them).