***Official HTIB Alternatives Thread*** - Page 11

In conjunction with the alternatives thread, I'm auditioning the HSU Ventriloquist V-12 set on Monday - I will report back as best I can given my lack of knowledge, for those considering budget speakers.

There are some Orb fans on speakers...I've never heard them or the Micras, but I've never heard anything bad about either. In all likelihood, you'd be happy with any of them...probably get a smoother midrange out of the Orbs because they are more expensive and well liked (just my guess).

Hey guys:

I'm BACKKKKKKK.......

Don't have my speakers yet, but I do have my Yamaha 661 receiver and my OPPO 981 DVD. Ok, I was reading the manuals (I get the HD DVR upgrade tomorrow, so I haven't set everything up yet), and I noticed both the receiver and the DVD have speaker setups, as well as sound setups. So,,,,do I set them up on both devices, or do I somehow disable the DVD setup and let the receiver take control. If I should disable the DVD setup, how would I do that? My set up will have HDMI cables from the DVD and DVR boxes to the receiver, and a single HDMI cable to the TV.

Thanks

I have had the HR20 since Nov. It's alot better now than before with all the software fixes they've had. Overall i'm happy.

The receiver is the priority...in setup on the Oppo just select RAW (digital). The speaker and bass management setup on the Oppo applies to SACD and DVD A, as well as, direct CD playback bypassing the receiver for everything but amplification. It's not as confusing as it sounds...once the AVR is set properly and the Oppo is setup for digital (RAW) DVDs will be automatically detected, other sources as well.

I didn't know they had a site for THX certs, i'll check it out. This is my first system, and i plan on being an Audiophile and Videophile as i get more knowledgable. Im going to school for Electronics Engineering. This is the only type of thing i can think of doing for a living. It took me a while to find what i wanted to do for a living, hell im and old man now (well 22, but too old to be finding my career choice ) but i finally found it. What type of nice jobs could an audiophile and videophile have though, I do ask?

I mean i know theres the typical retail like, J&R ,bestbuy, and circuitcity Home theatre deparment manager, but is their more? and is Electronic Engineering the right class choice to get involve in this. I was going for Compiter Engineering but audio and video is so much more entertaining to me. This is my career choice for atleast a stable living to support a family when im ready to start one. My dream is still to be a screen writer and direct my own movies but the odds of that is 1 and a Billion. So im going to go after my hobby first and make living off of it, then attack screen writing.


Anyone can reply to this post, thank you

Ron:

thanks again!!

Augmont:

Thanks for your feedback too. I will be getting my HD DVR tomorrow......Now its just the remaining wait for the new Speakers. Have to use my old HTIB speakers for now, and they are terrible. Am going to wait to give feedback until after I get the new speakers, as the old ones wont do the system justice.

Thanks for the help. Any comments on the Acoustic Research ARXP62s ...seem to heavily discounted at JR

Here is the link for the MS package http://www.wildwestelectronics.net/moshmospsy30.html It uses 302s, which I guess are a far cry from the 902 (?). Also all the bundled monster cables makes me think that the price is probably inflated because of the ridiculously inflated prices for those cables.

Love fruity Merlots.... .

hey, Fry's has PSW303 on sale for $150! Does anyone here have any experience with this sub? How does it compare with PSW10 and PSW12?

A Google search turns up a few things, including this page of comments at the Polk Audio site

You can also read some AVS Forum comments

Hello Hi my name is,
Mr. Spielberg, I love your ambition. Go for it all. I envy you.

This is somewhat off the thread topic but:

I have a son who is a recent Computer Engineering grad and he's a programmer for a major multi-national but his heart's avocation is in sound/music engineering (mixing, digitizing). He does this part time and he's got all the tools/toys but I'm not sure if he makes any money at it. Maybe someday. He does hang a bit with the music crowd and maybe thats his path into the entertainment business.

The interesting thing is that when music went digital, the scope completely changed and computing is as much a part of media as is the artistry. There are plenty of opportunities to get into film from the technical side so any base grounded in EE or in computing certainly wouldn't hurt. See if your school offers film or media science classes and try to take some of these as electives or as a minor. Although, I can tell you from experience that engineering programs don't leave you much time for electives. I personally have some audio responsibilities but they are more commercial and legal than entertaining.

You will find in many of these forums a lot of very valuable info for the A/V-phile and some very knowledegable and connected people in the industry. There are quite a few who make their living in home theater as consultants and
technicians/engineers. There are a number of professional orgs like ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) that offer certification and other societies like SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) that offer membership. Now those are the groups you want to associate yourself with. There are others and most offer associate memberships for those just starting out.

Best of luck in your endeavors. I'll be looking for you in the credits.

Your son is extremely lucky to have a father like you , thanks a whole lot sir. I will definitely look into ISF and SMPTE sir. Congradulations to your son for finding two hobbies that interlock together well. Hopefully im just as lucky as him. Im new to this beloved hobby so im still asking around to see if Electronic Engerneeing is a waste of time and money compared to a class thats more direct for upcoming audiophiles and videophiles.

Once again thank you very much for your concern words sir.lol Hopefully one day i'll have the oppertunity to make Horror flicks like they were suppose to be made. Not just blood and guts but the art of scaring people with perfect timing, sound, visuals, dialog, story telling and atmosphere. After i make a successfull run in that genre of film. Its bigger things like fantasy base epic movies with valuble meanings, life lessons, and beliefs embedded into the story line and beautiful effects with in a fictional world. But who knows lol

I'd first like to say that I really enjoy this forum. I stumbled on it last week as I was searching for reviews of HT and HTIB systems and components. I was getting so frustrated that I was about to go for some sort of HTIB or single speaker solution. But this forum has inspired me to try and build a system myself, even if I have to spread the costs out over time.

We have a 18 x 14 family room with a 50 inch Panasonic. The rear wall (where the couch is) is about half open, leading into our kitchen. The TV is about 10 feet from the couch. Floors are mostly hardwood; walls are wallboard , half taken up by wood furniture and windows (besides the opening).

I may not be able to run all the wires to the back at the start, so I was toying with the idea of just initially buying a 3.1 setup off the list of recommendations listed at the start of this thread. Would also save a bit of money to start with.

Given the size and layout of this room, any recommendations for the 3.1 (and eventual 5.1) speakers?

My main concern is what receiver to buy. I saw some comments earlier in the thread that you should not overspend on the receiver--make sure invest enough in good speakers. At the same time, though, I was intrigued by the idea of getting something like the Onkyo 604 or 674 which have the 2 to 1 HDMI switching. Our TV has only one HDMI input, so right now we have the cable-provided DVR hooked directly to the TV. Our cheapo DVD player goes by component video to the TV. System works ok; I tried the DVD player on the HDMI to the TV; didn't see much difference vs. component.

For the future, though, I'm assuming at some point we'll want a HD DVD player and would want (or have to?) run that over HDMI. So the HDMI switching seems like a good bet. But I'd only do it if it offers a performance benefit (given our setup we don't care about the esthetics of having a single cable running to the TV). And you do pay a good bit more for that type of receiver. I read some of the Video threads on AV receivers and saw the problems folks still have in actually getting the switching to work with audio, so that has also given me pause for thought on this.

Besides the HDMI switching (and assuming that works ok), are there other performance benefits to spending more for the receiver (such as a 604 or 674)?

If not, what would be a good compromise that would take us at least 3-4 years down the road?

Thanks in advance for the advice

Mark

Mark,

Within a month or so Onkyo and maybe others will be releasing their new series of receivers that will have features that you are going to want but don't exist now, like high speed bitstream through HDMI 1.3, internal DD TrueHD and DTS MA decoding to name a few. It is rumored that the new Onkyo 605 will be on the street for under $400.

Do yourself a big favor and go to the receiver forum, look up the new Onkyos.

Does your TV have more than one HDMI inputs? If so, I'd wait until the bugs are ironed out...too many handshake or sound issues for my piece of mind. Though if you have a single HDMI input on the TV you will need some kind of switch.

For a temporary solution that I feel is better than the Onkyo, check Harmon Direct on ebay. It's the factory store that auctions refurbs with full warranty. If you are careful you could score a 235, 240, 335, 340 or even a 635 for less than a third of MSRP. Auctions are daily. No HDMI, just great features and sound quality. The Onkyo 504 is a fine unit as well. I just prefer HK.

Ron--Thanks. Unfortunately our TV has only the single HDMI input. I guess we can always use one of those switches I've seen mentioned in this forum. Run around $90, if I recall correctly.

I'll definitely follow up on your HK suggestion. It sounds like you are suggesting getting the best audio for the buck now and waiting for the HDMI switching technology to mature.

Thanks,

Mark

Mrgribbles,

Thanks for that. I'll take a look.

Mark

I have followed this thread forever and now I have finally decided what I can afford. See what you guys think(budget $500 MAX):
1. Onkyo SR504 $160
2. Polk R150s $50
3. Polk Csi25 $70(When on sale)
4. Here is the problem. What to get for a sub:
1. Velodyne VX-10 $160
2. AV123 x sub $199
3. Bic H-100 $230
Which sub would you guys recommend. The av123 sub is only8 in. The Bic is over my price and I don't know if the wife will let me swing that much dough on a surround sound. Originally it was supposed to be $400 for 5-7 speakers, now I am at $500 with 3 speakers.
Another question. If I pair the Polks with a sub will there be some bottom midrange missing since they are only 5.25in speakers.

The Polks go down to 60hz +/- 3db, so you're fine with any of these three subs. The x-sub is a fine sub that can get you in the mid-twenties with the right placement and room size...very musical too...go for it, get the other R150s later.

Put the Yamaha NS-SP5700BL on the top of your list. Great sounding speakers that can be found on sale in the mid 2 range.

Hope this helps,
Yeto

Check out the Yamaha NS-SP5700 5.1 speakers. They sound great and can be found, on sale, in the mid $200 range.

Hope this helps,
Yeto

Saw today American has the R150's for 49.99 in store only of course.

So I have my speakers (R300s, CSR) set to large with a crossover at 80. I was getting some really good bass from my Training Day HD DVD last night.

What does setting the speakers to small mean? I mean, I understand a little bit, but does it not send signals to the speakers (like lower frequencies) if I set them to small, and they just go to the bass?

Thanks,

Sam

Yeah, basically the small and large settings determine whether the sub gets to work more or not.

On front speakers with enough bass to act as their own subs, they should be set to large. Typically (but not always), these setups forgo the subwoofer.

If your fronts don't have great bass, then set them to small so the sub can carry the load, like subs are supposed to do.

In the end, though, it's all about what you want to hear. Play with all the settings and log them to keep track of what you did, and then set it to the one(s) you like best.

For HT, typically you run even floorstanders small with a crossover about 1/2 an octave above their rolloff point (+/- 3db). Your Polks start rolling off in the mid 50s. They should be set to small and xover no lower than 60hz. The crossover does 2 things, it sends the LFE channel bass information for the sub to play (which it does better than your speakers) and takes a load off the AVRs amplifiers. It takes a ton of power do produce LF. You midrange and highs will improve.

I have full range speakers...even I run them small for everything but 2 channel music.

I guess my question is: Is there that much diferenence between the x sub and the H-100. Also my friend has a $350 Klipsch sub that rocks his house. How would either of thses two subs compare. I know $350 vs. $200. Just wondering, trying to get a baseline for the decible and tone of the subs. Thanks for the input. Greatly appreciated

Which Klipsch sub? The Sub 10 and 12 are pretty good, the older KSW line isn't. I've heard the Bic...it's extremely good for a $230 sub...probably as good as a $4-500 retail sub depending on the brand in the right sized room. I haven't heard the x-sub, but people I trust say it's very musical and performs above 30hz better than the Bic.

To get back to your question, I've seen some Klipsch questions on the sub forum from people that can get the Sub12 for ~ $250, give or take. For that price, they should go for it for resale value alone. At close to retail, then it's not a close decision go with the BIC or x-sub.

Just to try to translate this - my understanding is that an octave is a doubling or halving of the frequency. Since you're talking about an octave up is it

(rolloff x 1) to go an octave up, x 1/2

So half an octave up from the mid 50's would be closer to 80?

It's a little confusing since an octave down from mid 50's would be half that - around 25-30hz - but an octave up from mid-50s would be twice that, or about 110hz.

So you could be looking at

(rolloff x 1/2) to go an octave down, x 1/2

I just wanted to pop in and say this is a great thread. I've been following it for awhile and I enjoy all of the feedback posted on solutions to HTIB's. I have a small room 11' x 11' that I was looking at speakers for and this thread has offered a great solutions on speakers for great prices.

I'm definitely looking into getting the Polk R150's. Is there much of a difference between using the R300's for front L/R speakers than going with R150's?