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Q I just purchased a DVD player that puts out the AC-3 signal. One problem though, my receiver, a Pioneer VSX-D1S2, is not capable of decoding this signal. It doesn't have the connection in the back for the digital connection from the DVD player. What is the best way (least expensive) to get this AC-3 sound working, and can you recommend the products for accomplishing this task?
A Now
that DD/DTS receivers are becoming more commonly available, there
is no point in modifying your existing receiver. One of the best
for the money right now is the new Yamaha RX-V795, which is $799
MSRP, but you should be able to get it at a discount. It has DD
and DTS decoding built-in, along with the usual five channel amplifiers
and all the connections necessary for great digital surround sound.
Q I have a Sunfire MkII True Subwoofer. By all recommendations, this unit should be placed in a corner of the room. However, I do not have a corner along the only wall adequate for my entertainment system. In an attempt to simulate a corner, I removed the shelves and components from the TV stand and placed the sub inside. This did increase the response significantly. This opening was rectangular and probably was not as effective as a more "horn shaped" corner. Therefore , I mutilated another TV stand and created a more "horn shaped" enclosure. This appears to be working well with two problems. The large magnetic field produced by the sub is playing havoc upon my TV, and the now more focused sound appers to be bouncing off the back wall and creating a very "live" low frequency response. I do have a corner in the rear of the room but have avoided using it for convenience (wiring) and because I like the bass to sound like it is coming from the front (in sync with the rest of the sound). I have heard several "high end" home theatre systems that did not impress me because the bass was too separate from the rest of the sound. Here are the questions:
1. Does this idea of simulating a corner
have any merit?
2. What kind of material is needed to shield my TV from the sub?
A The
corner of a room acts like a megaphone or "horn" when
you put the subwoofer there. You have simply made a smaller horn,
and it works, although not as well as the corner itself would.
In order to shield the TV from the subwoofer, try putting a steel
(not aluminum) cookie sheet between the subwoofer and TV. It has
to be a magnetizable metal, like steel, because non-magnetizable
metal, like aluminum, will not work.
Q I
have the Polk RT1000P speakers with the Yamaha 992 receiver. The
internal amp of this receiver leaves something to be desired.
Luckily this receiver has pre-outs. I was considering purchasing
the Adcom 5400 Power Amp. What is your opinion on Adcom 5400 for
my fronts and stereo listening?
A The
power amplifiers in most receivers leave something to be desired.
Unfortunately, it would increase the price considerably if the
mass market manufacturers beefed them up. By adding an outboard
two channel power amplifier to drive your front left/right channels,
you will free up the Yamaha's power supply to drive the center
and rear with better performance. The Adcom GFA-5400 provides
125 watts per channel into 8 Ohm loads, and should do the job
for you just fine.
Q I
was looking at a pair of Carver AL III ribbon hybrid speakers,
and I was not all that impressed. The salesperson will cut me
a heck of a deal though. I took my wife with me and played some
CDs from jazz to blues. He used a receiver to drive them rather
than a set of separates. I know that this might have affected
the sound, and the highs were muffled, not all that clear, and
no detail. I'm comparing these to PSB and Snell that were in the
some price range. Do you think my experiences were due to the
receiver, or is this just the kind of sound that you get with
a ribbon style speaker?
A Ribbon
speakers (the Carver is actually a quaisi-ribbon), usually like
lots of power, and certainly, a high performance speaker should
not be evaluated using a receiver's power amplifiers. To be fair,
you should listen to the PSBs and Snells with the same receiver
driving them, if that is all the salesperson has to demonstrate
them with. Also, the Carvers are dipolar, so placement is critical
to getting the best results (several feet out from any wall).
Lastly, ribbons are line sources rather than point sources (cone
speakers are not really point sources, but they are more like
point sources than ribbons), so the listening position is very
important. If the placement and listening position, with respect
to surrounding objects, is not just right, ribbons can sound muffled.
I have a set of Carver Silver Mark IVs, which use the same ribbon
as the AL III, and I like them very much, but it really is a matter
of preferences when it comes to the sound of ribbons. They are
not for everyone.
Q I
currently have a system that includes two JBL 250Ti front speakers
and two JBL rear speakers. My power amp is the Classé CA-300,
and my preamp is the Classé CP-50. Basically, I want to
upgrade it to a home theater system. To that end, I plan on picking
up the Classé CAV-150, to keep the amps consistent, to
power the center and rear speakers. What center speaker do you
recommend to go with my existing front speakers? Which processor/preamp
do you recommend? Can I still use my CP-50 preamp after getting
a new processor/preamp... and if I do, will there be a drop of
in audio quality? Lastly, what have you hear about Classé's
new processor/preamps, the SSP-25 and SSP-50?
A The
CAV-150 is a six-channel power amplifier, that can be bridged
to five, four, or three channels, and this will be about right
to pair with your existing CA-300 two channel amplifier. Remember
that when you bridge an amplifier, the lowest impedance that the
amplifier will handle doubles. So, if it was 4 Ohms, it will be
8 Ohms when you bridge. That will limit your choices if you upgrade
your speakers. The SSP-25 is a new product that looks to be very
nice, although we have not tested it. The analog pass through
should allow you to use your existing CP-50 without incurring
a significant audio loss.
Q I
have a Toshiba 55 inch TV and a Technics SA-EX310 receiver that
I am trying to connect for surround sound. I have tried to connect
the system several different ways, and can never get my rear speakers
to work. At the video store where I bought them, I was told to
do this: cable in to splitter, one coax out from splitter
in to TV and the other coax out from splitter in to VCR. Connect
the VCR audio and video out to TV with RCA coax. From the TV,
I ran an RCA coax cable to the Record TV/DVD input on my receiver.
I'm sure it's not right somewhere, and I am lost.
A Connecting
A/V systems is often a big hassle, so the way to do it with multiple
sources is to connect one source to your receiver at a time, and
make sure it is working before connecting a second and third source.
First, just turn on the FM radio in your receiver, with a strong
stereo FM station, and see if you are getting surround sound (sound
in front left/center/right and rear left/right) when in Pro Logic
mode. If you don't have sound in the rear, then something is wrong
with the settings on your receiver or the speaker cable to your
rear speakers. Once that is solved, then move on to your TV. Connect
the incoming TV cable to the splitter, with one output to your
TV and the other to your VCR. Turn on the TV and see that you
are getting all the channels without video hash (video noise).
Now, connect the video and two channel stereo audio outputs of
the TV to the TV inputs on your receiver, using three RCA coaxial
cables (Radio Shack cables are fine). Switch the receiver to the
TV input with a strong TV station that says the broadcast is in
stereo. Now, make sure you are getting surround sound in Pro Logic
mode. When that is working, connect the video and stereo audio
outputs (RCA coax) of the VCR to the VCR video and stereo audio
inputs (RCA coaxial) on your receiver. Connect the video output
(RCA coax) of your receiver to the video input (RCA coax) of your
TV. Put in a rental movie tape that has stereo sound, switch the
receiver to VCR input, and make sure you are getting surround
sound along with a TV image (usually you have to switch the TV's
input mode to use an outside source other than the incoming cable).
Now, connect the video and stereo record out jacks (RCA coax)
of your receiver to the video and audio inputs on your VCR. With
the TV and receiver on, and receiver input set to TV, you should
get a signal registering on your VCR when in record mode. Assuming
it does register, then try recording a stereo TV program and playing
it back (switching the receiver's input to VCR).
Q I'm
in the process of buying my first home theatre system. Your website
has helped me a lot to decide what audio components to check out.
I've been to various local stores to audition equipment, and I
think I have a pretty good idea what I'm going to buy. One area
that I'm not so sure of, however, is TVs. I saw on your recommended
systems page you have a TW40F80, and although I'd like to get
one, I'm hesitant that it will be obsolete in another year. Other
than your reference Mitsubishi, I don't see much mention of TVs.
I'm interested in something in the $1000-$1750 street price range
that'll tide me over for a year or two. Can you suggest a couple
of different TVs?
A TV
models change so fast, it is difficult to keep track. However,
the one that blew me away just this week is the new Sony with
their WEGA flat screen. I am not sure of the model number, but
it is a 36" direct view (not a projection TV), with a screen
as flat as the proverbial pancake. Sony's former models have a
screen that is flat top-to-bottom, but has curvature side-to-side.
The WEGAs are as flat as a rear projection TV . . . in other words,
FLAT. What surprised me most of all, was that the 36" TV
with the WEGA screen was only $1,999. This, to me, is the one
to consider. It has the flat screen of a projection TV, but the
sharpness, brightness, and off-angle (when you are sitting off
to one side) viewing of a direct view TV.
Q 1) I am doing research into complete component swap upgrade from Pro Logic to DD/DTS. I keep going back and forth between separates or receivers, and am still trying to decide which way to go. This same system will also be used for music, which brings me to my question. Nothing I have seen has inputs for a turntable. I still play vinyl every now and then, and am wondering how I can connect a turntable to todays new systems?
2) I just purchased the RCA 3rd generation
DSS system. I wish to use the S-Video connection to my TV. The
problem is I also have a VCR with standard RCA jacks. My TV is
a Mitsubishi 35" direct view with both the S-Video and RCA.
The owner's manual says I can only use one or the other, not both.
How do I connect my VCR if I use the S-Video for the DSS?
A The
receivers we have tested most recently, namely the Yamaha DSP-A1
(review published) and Yamaha RX-V2095 (review coming shortly),
both have phono inputs for a turntable cartridge (moving magnet,
or MM). As to your S-Video problem, I would definitely suggest
using the S-Video output of your DSS decoder, because digital
satellite programming is broadcast in component form, with the
chroma and luminance already separated, so S-Video gives you the
best image (a comb filter is not necessary). From what you say,
your TV has one set of auxiliary inputs, and you have to choose
between the S-Video and composite video jacks for the video signal.
From what I can tell, receivers handle composite video and S-Video
inputs separately (when they have both types), so you can't input
the composite video from your VCR and output the S-Video from
your receiver to your TV (only the DSS S-Video input would be
output through the receiver's S-Video output jack). Video switchers
that I am familiar with do the same thing (handle the two types
of signal separately). I see two inexpensive ways of dealing with
this. One is to get an RCA coax extension cable and an S-Video
extension cable. Depending on the source you want to watch, you
just plug the active source in and unplug the inactive source
at the end of the extension cables. The other remedy would be
to use the RF output of your VCR to the auxiliary RF input on
your TV if it has one, and leave the DSS S-Video cable connected
to the S-Video input on the TV.