|
|
|
Q I
am really interested in purchasing the B&K Ref 20 Tuner/Pre/Pro.
I currently own a Yamaha RXV-2092, Bryston 3B-ST and PSB Silver
Stratus, Silver centers and Silver minis. I want DTS along with
DD so I want to
upgrade my receiver. I have listened to the DSP-A1, as per you
review, and although your review was very accurate, I have fallen
in love with the B&K Ref 20 matched with the Brystons (I am
fortunate to have a dealer that has all three products).
My question is: Will you be reviewing the
B&K Ref 20 soon? I am planning to upgrade soon. I know I will
have to purchase a three channel amp if I go with the Ref 20,
but I found the sound to be much warmer and musical
than the Yamaha. I guess I am looking for a second independent
opinion.
Thanks in advance.
P.S. I love your website. I have to admit that I always check your website before making any decisions on buying anything (no exceptions). Your Q&A section ROCKS!!
A There
have been a lot of comparison discussions of the DSP-A1 vs. B&Ks
products on Newsgroups. I guess we should get a B&K and check
it out for ourselves.
Q Regarding the Q and A published last week on dealing with an S-Video source (DSS) and a composite video source (VCR) when only having one set of inputs on the TV, you might want to suggest the following switchers:
http://www.elitevideo.com/products/avselector.htm or
http://smarthome.com/8288S.html
It looks like the pro-level JVC 7x4 switcher
is available from both sources, although it's cheaper at Elite
Video. This one looks interesting since it will actually convert
composite to S-Video (and vice versa) and only costs
$450 at Elite.
On the cheaper side is JVC's $300 4x3 switcher which also does conversion.
Finally, Sony's passive 4x1 design (at $190)
might work, too. (You can probably even find the Sony at other
stores.) The Sony switcher doesn't do conversion. I suspect that
it's not having both S-Video and RCA jacks plugged into the TV
that hurts. Rather, if an S-Video signal is present, it will always
be displayed. That's how my TV works. Unfortunately, many A/V
receivers (mine included) don't "blank" the previous
S-Video signal when an RCA source is chosen. Therefore, the S-Video
signal is always displayed, and thus, always overrides an RCA
source. Since the Sony switcher appears to be a "push-button"
manual type switcher, it probably ONLY feeds through present signals.
Therefore, if no S-Video signal is present on the selected input,
nothing should show up on the S-Video output.
A Thanks
for your suggestions.
Q I've
just purchased the Pioneer DVL-909 LD/DVD combo player, and I've
noticed that the DVD sound level is much lower than what I get
when playing a laserdisc. I sometimes have to crank the volume
up 50%
higher just to get the same effective volume. Is there some DVD
menu setting I don't have right? I'm still using a Pro Logic-only
receiver, though I can't see why that would affect anything. I'd
greatly appreciate any ideas.
A The
DD soundtracks on a DVD are down-converted to two channels for
analog output to your receiver, and it may be that the output
of the DD decoder in the player is less than the output from the
stereo audio tracks when you are playing laserdiscs. As long as
you get sufficient volume with both, you should not worry about
the fact that you have to change the volume control when switching
between the two. On the other hand, check through all the menus
for your player to insure there is not a setting for dynamic range
or other function that is peculiar to DVD vs. laserdisc.
Q I'm currently using a pair of 4 Ohm rear speakers in my home theater system in the interim. Since I only watch LDs and DVDs on weekends (about three or four movies average), I keep on putting my plan to upgrade my surrounds to 8 Ohms in abeyance. On weekdays, I prefer to listen to music, in stereo mode, using my fronts (NHT SuperZeros) and Velodyne sub driven by the same Onkyo receiver. Take note that in Pro Logic mode, this receiver, like most others, requires 8 Ohm surrounds.
Question: Is my Onkyo receiver getting
damaged due to my procrastination? Kindly advise me (either email
or in your Q&A pate since it's the perfect time to ask my
wife for the rear speakers as her Christmas gift for me :)
Moreover, I'll be printing your advice and I'll show it to her
as proof of the need to purchase such. Clever tactic for the "wife
thing", isn't it? Like most clever tacticians, I do have
a plan B (in utter frustration), which is to attach in series
to each of the speakers a 4 Ohm resistor thereby making the total
impedance 8 Ohms. Is this okay?
A It
is not likely that you will damage either your receiver or your
speakers as long as you do not play the system really loud. In
any case, it would be the speakers that are damaged if damage
were to occur (clipping is very hard on tweeters in particular).
Rather than a 4 Ohm resistor, use a fuse (250 volt, 0.5 amp) in
series with the hot conductor (the red or + binding post), and
of the fast response type, not the Slo Blo type (you want fast
response). This will limit your rear speakers to about 15 watts
per channel from the receiver, and should provide all the protection
you desire until getting your new 8 Ohm speakers.
Q I
just want to inquire what laserdisc player would I use in order
to decode DTS laserdiscs and compact discs? I presently have a
Technics DTS decoder connected to an Onkyo receiver which is DTS
ready. My problem is my present laserdisc player has only an AC-3
RF out, and I have heard that in order to play DTS laserdiscs
and compact discs you would need a digital optical out. Could
I use an RF demodulator from Yamaha which converts my AC-3 RF
out to coaxial and optical out? Or should I retire my present
laserdisc player and buy a new one with a built in optical out?
I have seen the Pioneer DVL-909 laserdisc and DVD player which
has an optical out for the DVD. Will the DVL-909 decode my DTS
laserdiscs and compact discs? Please advise me so I may use my
new laserdiscs and compact discs titles which are DTS encoded.
I can't wait to see and listen to "Jurassic Park" and
"Independence Day" in DTS.
A The
RF output from laserdisc players only outputs Dolby Digital (AC-3),
not DTS. The RF demodulator converts the RF signal from the laserdisc
player to a Dolby Digital bitstream for decoding. To play DTS
laserdiscs or CDs, your player needs to have a digital output
jack which can be either RCA coaxial or Toslink optical (assuming
your DTS decoder has both types of input jacks). If your current
laserdisc player has an RCA coaxial digital output jack, it will
contain the DTS bitstream when playing DTS discs (DTS laserdiscs
or DTS CDs). If it does not have a digital output jack at all,
it would be more cost effective to just get another laserdisc
player, but I suspect that if your player is new enough to have
the AC-3 RF output jack, it also has a digital output jack as
well. You can also use your CD player to play the DTS CDs if it
has a digital output jack (connect it to the DTS decoder).
Q I am looking at maybe buying a Marantz SR-96 receiver within the week. I was looking at AC-3 ready as I don't have a DVD player at the moment, and don't want to buy one at present.
I was wondering if I bought a DVD player later on that had the AC-3 chip on-board, would I still need to buy, say the Marantz DP-870?
I am also a little confused about the optical input issue. Could I connect directly from the Marantz SR-96 to a DVD player (haven't got the energy to worry about Model and Make just yet!) using optical cable rather than coax.? In fact, I can't see that there are any inputs on the SR-96, other than one for the DP-870. Is this correct?
Or would you recommend just going for Dolby Digital now?
It would not be a problem money wise if
I had to buy the DP-870 when I bought a DVD player. I am just
trying to get a practical solution and the best receiver for my
money.
A From
what you say, saving money is not an issue. However, excellent
receivers are hitting the market that have DD and DTS built-in,
for about the same price as other receivers that are DD-ready.
I would definitely suggest getting something with all the decoding
built-in. This will result in several things. One is that it will
be less expensive (no sense in wasting money even if you can afford
to). Second, it will be easier to use. Outboard decoders are fine,
but the price is less convenience, more cables to deal with, and
therefore, more chance of hum and noise being introduced. Outboard
decoders are for the transition period when new technology is
being introduced. The transition period for DD and DTS is now
over. Third, receivers generally only apply DSP modes to signals
that are decoded in the receiver, rather than from outboard decoders.
So, get an all-in-one receiver. All the manufacturers should have
them by first quarter of 1999.
Q I
am hoping you can clear something up for me since you state that
you own a Yamaha DSP-A1 and seem to be very familiar with Yamaha
in general. I just bought the RX-V2095, couldn't afford the DSP-A1,
and I own PSB speakers all of which are 6 Ohm. I contacted both
Yamaha and PSB who both recommended I use the 4 Ohm setting for
impedance. However all the posts I have read in various forums
state to use the 8 Ohm setting and ventilate well. The claim is
I am losing power and dynamics at the 4 Ohm position. I just want
to get the best audio I can without shortening the life of my
hardware. Can you shed any light on this subject?
A The
4 Ohm setting limits the voltage that is applied to the output
transistors so that you will not clip the amplifier due to high
current demands. Leave it at the 4 Ohm setting when using low
impedance speakers. That is what the setting is for. It will prevent
damage to your tweeters. If you like high volume sound (be careful
with your ears!), then get an outboard five channel power amplifier
that is well rated into 4 Ohm loads and connect it to the pre-out
jacks on your receiver.
Q I have a comment regarding the review of the Energy Audissey A3+2 by Paul Knutson in Vol 5 Number 4. The review was generally well written and enjoyable to read. However, in it he said that the pair of 5 1/2" speakers had more bass radiating area than a 10" woofer. This is simply not the case. The area of a 5 1/2" speaker is about 23.75 sq in (Area = Pi x radius squared). The area of a 10" speaker is about 78.50". Even three 5 1/2" speakers would have less area than one 10".
I enjoy visiting your web site. Please keep
up the good work. I just wanted to keep your fact checkers on
their toes ;>).
A Thanks
for pointing out our error. I have corrected it in the review.