Q&A # 108 - March 23, 1999

Staff

Q I heard that Von Schweikert Research was out of business. I have ordered some VSR products based on your reviews, and I can't find anyone to tell me if it's true.

A Well, at first, one of the financiers told us that VSR had flood damage which was going to be settled by litigation, but today (3/18/99), we received the following information: "Citing water-damage losses in excess of $1 million, Von Schweikert Research is closing its facilities in Watertown, New York. According to a fax sent to VSR dealers, melting snow from heavy January storms flooded the plant, and the company's insurance did not cover the damage. Dealers are being directed to Madisound Speaker Components in Madison, Wisconsin for service and drivers. Madisound is a source for the Audax, Focal, Gefco and Vifa drivers used in Von Schweikert Research speakers." I hope they are able to resurface later, because they make some of the best sounding speakers we have ever heard.

Q I hope you can help me understand how much servo noise is normal for my new Velodyne F-1800XR subwoofer. I am trying to decide what to do before my warranty rights expire, and respect your opinion. I am hoping that my vendor will too (a 15% restocking fee hangs in the balance).

I can tell if my sub is on or off from 16' away just by listening to it hiss - even with nothing connected, regardless of any settings. It is about as noisy as a cheap computer fan - worse than a good computer fan. It is not as bad as a refrigerator fan. At my normal listening distance of 12', it is far worse than any tape or LP record hiss and detracts from my enjoyment. Its hiss is masked by average volume music, but not quiet passages or silent moments on movies. It sets a high noise floor thereby destroys the perceived dynamic range for whole system at normal listening volume. FYI, the room is 17' x 24' (plus one side open) with ceilings that slope from 9' to 18'. It is carpeted, draped and furnished, but not exactly quiet due to a refrigerator 30 ' away and numerous air vents.

PLEASE
Can you tell me how far away you can be from the 18" Velodynes you know about and still hear the servo hiss?

Is there reason to think the 18" should hiss more than the 15" Velos? I have heard several FSR-15s, and none hissed nearly as bad. (I cannot find an 18" Velodyne to test.)

Do you have any other insights to help me know what is normal and what I should do?

A Servo noise is normal on the Velodynes. I hear it on my FSR-18s too, and we have four of them here. At first, it bothered me, but I got used to it. The noise is caused by the 3.5 kHz feedback that is processed through the amplifier and the solid state sensor (2.5 gram accelerometer) that is mounted on the voice coil. It sounds more like a sigh rather than a hiss, because the driver cannot reproduce high frequencies that are part of what I think of in a "hiss". But, it can be distracting, I know. The FSR-18 is one of the finest subwoofers on the planet, so I would suggest keeping it, and turning it around so that it does not face your listening position, but rather, facing the back wall or side wall (keep it at least 1.5 feet from the wall if you do this). This will dampen the hiss, but not change the bass particularly. I don't know why it would be louder on the 18" than on the 15". Perhaps there was a design change between the models. On the other hand, I measured 60 dB of hiss at the immediate front of the grille cloth of an FSR-18, so if your hiss is, say 70 dB or so, then your unit might be defective and in need of replacement. I could hear the hiss from about 6 feet away, but not beyond that. Your ears may be more sensitive than mine however. Use a Radio Shack SPL meter for measurement. They are very handy for all sorts of things when setting up a home theater, so you should have one anyway.

Q I am considering buying the Sunfire Theater Grand and the Sunfire Cinema Grand. Both have balanced outputs/inputs respectively. How much better are these for sound? Also, the Theater Grand has one balanced output for the subwoofer. Do any subs have a balanced input? If yes, which? Does the Sunfire Signature Subwoofer have a balanced input? If I use the balanced outputs on all other channels except for the sub will this cause any problems? Or will it be better not to use any of the balanced outputs if the sub does not have a balanced input?

A There are a number of subwoofers with balanced inputs, including the Velodyne FSR-18, but not the Sunfire. However, the Sunfire Theater Grand, Sunfire Cinema Grand, and Velodyne FSR-18 are not fully balanced. The balanced inputs and outputs connect to unbalanced circuitry internally. So, use of the balanced connections depends on how long your interconnect cables are. If they are 6 feet or less, I would suggest using the unbalanced connections, but if they are longer, and you are experiencing hum problems, then try the balanced connections. If they are 12 feet long, but you are not experiencing hum problems, then stay with the unbalanced connections. For the subwoofer, you will probably get better results by using the balanced connection, since any amount of hum can be noticeable. However, you can use a combination of balanced and unbalanced channel connections without any difficulty. The best situation when considering balanced connections is when the component is fully balanced from input to output. This means that neither of the two signal-carrying conductors ever touches ground from input to output. For components with balanced inputs or outputs, and the main circuitry is unbalanced, you just have to try both ways (balanced and unbalanced connections). Sometimes, with balanced connectors but unbalanced internal circuits (these components are called "quasi-balanced"), use of the balanced connections sounds worse than unbalanced. With a fully balanced component, you should use the balanced connections no matter how short or long the cables are.

Q I have the following set-up: Speakers: Krix Esoterix 1 Mk II (Main), Krix Centrix (Center), 2x Bose AM-5 (Front and Rear effects), Velodyne HSG-12 (subwoofer). Components are Yamaha MX-300 amp (front effect), Yamaha MX-600 amp (main), Accusonic MB-400 amp (center), Yamaha DSP-A3090 (Processor drives rear effect), Denon DCM-260 (CD), Sony SLV-975HF (VCR), and Mitsubishi (monitor). I have two questions:
(1) I hear a pop in the center channel when I power on the Accusonic amp that drives the Centrix speaker. I have checked connections... should I be concerned?
(2) I cannot seem to get what I would call good sound. For example, the subwoofer sounds terrible when I listen to music, and the sound effects from movies does not grab me. I know this equipment can produce great sound. What am I doing wrong?

A The pop you are hearing is a turn-on thump. It is common in amplifiers, and it should not cause any damage. You may be able to reduce the intensity of the thump by turning on the processor and waiting 30 seconds or so before turning on the Accusonic. For the subwoofer, I suspect you may have the crossover frequency set too high. This makes most subwoofers boomy, and it's unpleasant. Also, the Krix Esoterix are full range speakers, so there will be overlap between them and your subwoofer. Try a low pass crossover setting of 40 Hz and turn the volume up a bit. This will give you more impact with movies, and may be the "grab" you are looking for.

Q My current system is composed of one pair of Rogers LS33BL (2-way) and AB33BL (Sub Stand) connected with Ditton / Audio Quest speaker cables, one pair of Denon Bookshelf System Speakers for the rear connected with Monster speaker cables, one Infinity AV1 speaker for the center connected with Monster speaker cable, a NAD AV713 Surround Amp connected with Audio Quest Video/RCA Cables. I bought the Rogers new at a very cheap price (HKD2000, USD250 for both pairs). But buying without hearing I now have doubts about my choice. I found that these Rogers were a bit muffled, and the sounds were not as distinctive as other Rogers (these were Made in UK not China). Any idea why this is happening? I've checked all wiring and they seem correct. Would it be worthwhile to customize the crossovers inside or would you recommend something else? I've heard it would sound much nicer if I use Kimber speaker cable. Is this a better/cheaper option?

A Muffled probably means a laid back midrange. You can correct this by turning the treble and bass down on your processor, and turning the overall volume up a bit. This will bring the midrange forward. You can also try putting a piece of felt over the tweeter, and again, adjusting the overall volume. This will bring the mids forward without having to manipulate tone controls. I would not suggest modifying the crossovers.

Q Because of a recent flood (resulting in 10 inches of water in my family room), I am faced with a decision as regards to my insurance company and speaker replacement. I currently have a home theater system centered around a Yamaha 793, two Bose tower speakers about 9 years old that are labelled 10-2, two Bose rear speakers that are labelled 2-2, a Pinnacle center-wide speaker, and a Pinnacle 250 watt powered subwoofer. I also have a Toshiba DVD player (3107). I am pretty satisifed with the sound. When the flood began, I did manage to save the subwoofer as the water rushed in, and it is working perfectly. All the other components were above water level except the two Bose Tower speakers. The tower speakers seem to sound fine, but the teak wood that covers part of the speakers is somewhat discolored at the bottom and slightly warped at one point. The insurance company has made me an offer as follows: (1) accept a payment of $570 as the depreciated cost, or (2) allow them to purchase me a pair of Bose 701s which is the closest, according to the insurer, in equivalent quality (I have a replacement clause). Should I take the money and ignore the minor surface problems? Take the money and use it for two new speakers to match the Pinnacles I already have (two of their tower speakers which will cost me some additional money)? Allow the insurer to replace my old Bose with the Bose 701s? Which will sound better in the long run?

A If you like the sound of the Bose towers more than the Pinnacles, then let the insurance company buy you a pair of 701s, and use them in the front, with the old Bose towers in the rear (if you are not currently using your DVD player with DD processing, it won't be long before you are, and you will like having the bigger speakers all the way around). If you like the Pinnacle sound better, then take the money and get a pair of them for the front, and again, use the old Bose towers in the rear. I would not suggest taking the money and ignoring the effects of the flood on your speakers. They may sound allright, but I imagine that they have been damaged somehow and are not up to what they were before.

Q Thank you for your prompt and informative reply to my inquiries. They were very helpful...In fact off of your review of the Toshiba TW40F80 I have just purchased the new model TW40H80. I am going to take your advice and have this set calibrated . . . if I may ask for pointers:

First, I heard that you should not have the TV calibrated out of the box. Is this true and how long should I wait?

I am in the N.Y.City area, and I am having trouble finding a certified ISF Technician. I have found some through the ISF locator, but they all tell me something different. For example, when I asked what their calibration entails, I was told:

"- Cable check and possible changes
- Power line check and possible use of good line conditioner
- Lighting check and possible use of 6500 degree lamp
- Video calibration of black level, white level, color, tint, sharpness, etc.
- Color temp calibration, but only if desired, since this calibration does not improve image quality, just sets color "exactness" -- it is not generally recommended since color exactness has ceased to be a truly objectify able criterion)."

I thought color temperature calibration was a very important step. At least that is the gist I get from your review and other info I have read. Others sound as if they are only going to play with my onscreen controls. And none of them agree that the Photo Research Spectrum Analyzer is more accurate than the Philips Color Analyzer. I get responses such as, "the Philips is a $6000 dollar tool and is just as good", and, " I don't use either". Well, I would definitely not hire anyone without at least the Phillips Color Analyzer, but that is my only choice it seems.

I found one great technician, but he is located in LA, a Mr. Robert McJimsey of Tru-Line Video. I even e-mailed him if he could recommend anyone in my area that does as good of a job as he does, but he could not make any suggestions. Can you recommend anyone in the New York area?

I would greatly appreciate your advice in finding a competent technician. Also, if I must use the TV before getting it calibrated, any advice on how I should set the controls in the interim period would be helpful.

A You should calibrate your set out of the box using Video Essentials to be sure you have your contrast set properly to keep the TV from getting damaged by burn-in. But I would not have it professionally calibrated for at least two months. The reason is that a new set will drift until everything has had time to break-in.

The main purpose of an ISF technician is to set the color temperature, and it must be done with a color analyzer! If they try to do it by eye, something is wrong!

I know Bob McJimsey very well. When I lived in Southern California, he used to calibrate my sets for me. He is one of the top ISF guys around. As far as a good tech in NY, I don't know anyone off hand. Your best bet is to ask around the news groups such as alt.video.

Q In one of your reviews, you mentioned the theater-wide modes of the television. I need clarification on the mode to use with anamorphic DVDs. I have some conflicting stories as to which mode to use for 16:9 enhanced and non-enhanced disks.

A The Toshiba and all widescreen TVs have a FULL mode, and this just stretches the image out sideways. This is the mode you want to use on anamorphic or 16:9 enhanced DVDs. The zoom or theater mode is what you want to use on non-enhanced DVDs and LDs. If you are using the Toshiba, be sure to activate the Cinema 2 setting for DVDs and LDs that are not enhanced.

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