Loewe Aconda Owners - Page 3

The one I bought in 2003 was analog only. I would be surprised if yours is digital. If you have an antenna you will see that you only get analot and not digical stations like 11.1, etc. I got a Sony DTV/Cable/MTSC/ATSC set-top box when I got my Aconda.

It's HDTV ready. This means it only has an analog tuner built in, but with the appropriate HD set-top box you could view over-the-air HDTV on it.

If you've got the cash, I highly recommend you get a real HD tuner (like the Samsung DTB-H260F), becuase those cheap converter boxes will look like crap on this TV.

Thanks so much for the Loewe info. We spend our summers in Oregon and moved the old Aconda back across country with us last fall. Our intent is to use it in a guest house near my folks (90 mi N of Mobile - pretty much in the middle of nowhere.) The tuner box suggestions were so very helpful. Many thanks again. My next mission is to locate a long range, digital antenna. Both the ClearStream 4 and the DB8 Multidirectional sound kinda' cool. Thoughts anyone?

For the guy with the power problem it may not be the transformer. I bought an aconda for my father that died about a year ago. After paying to look at the service docs it appears a common problem is bad solder joints. When I first read that I thought yeah right but after checking the boards carefully I did actually find some very bad joints. It was free to try and it's been working ever since. I may actually have those service notes around somewhere if needed by anyone

Selling my Loewe Aconda 38" Basalt if anyone is interested.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/vbcla...?do=ad&id=9167

It's lighter than a flat CRT as flat CRT's use a thicker sheet of glass to make it flat. They don't use the same thickness. Why? I'm not sure but probably it will cause akward images.

Does anyone know what's the maximum refresh rate, I can feed into Aconda's VGA port ? The reason why I am asking, is because the only resolution I was able to get through was 640x480 @ 51hz and that gives me quite a bit of flicker. I wonder if I could go higher than that ?

Thanks!

From: http://www.loewefaq.blogspot.com/

Plz heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

plz i need ur help guys i had my aconda about 4 years ago and now my tv turning to pink or magenta hole screen on and off only on the free to air and on dvd but not on video or sat or xbox so plz if someone had z same prob let me know.

Are you saying you only see this problem when using the built in TV tuner? I have never heard of. that. The good news is that you need to get an external digital tuner STB anyway once analog off-air anyway.

My Loewe38" Acodna is still going strong.

After 6 mos and a few new plasmas and LCDs in the house the Loewe is back in operation but this time in the bedroom.

I always enjoyed the speakers and the sound the set (38' Aconda) puts out and in close quarters its really quite good.

Does anyone know if there are Bose speakers in the Aconda?

I recall Loewe used Bose as a surround system and that system used the sets internal speakers as the center channel (when activated). Great idea by the way!

Im not great fan of the bose but they do great things with accoustics and porting chambers to sound good. I might play around with adding a Small Hsu Subwoofer I have sitting idle to add a little bottom end.

BTW, dropped the set a bit on carpet lifting it to a cabinet. Nothing broke on my, but the BMW painted frame came off a bit. Snapped by on. My shoulders are bit sore.

Lets just say it got put down rather rapid on one corner than a dead fall! Set seems to work just fine.

Man that thing is heavy. Last CRT in the house. Getting to old to carry them any more!

I know someone who is about to give up on their Aconda and give it away ... if it turns out to really just be some soldering, I could make him (or me) very happy (depending on who he's pondering giving it to!)

Thanks - I'm subscribed to this thread, so if you reply I'll be notified, and then we can figure out how to get at the notes (if you still have them.)

I paid 3K for the 38" about 6 years back. Store asked $250 to Delivery. Went stingy thinking I can take it from my car to inside of house with friend help not knowing how badly the TV is designed for carrying. Dropped it flat on screen on driveway from about 10 inches high. It basically flipped as we didn't balance it well. The concrete driveway made sand crushed marks on the screen and all over the nice piano finish frame. :-(. Fortunately, the TV worked then and it still works great. Got a component switch with remote from monoprice to add more HD sources.

The picture looks excellent. Especially, the colors. I don't think flat panels can beat it but not too sure anymore as 38" is looking more and more tiny lately with the prices on 50" plasma's dropping below $900 mark.

Moved to 3rd houses since I bought the TV and everytime, the movers says that's the most troubling piece they ever had to carry as it has nothing to hold well. During every move I was hoping the movers will drop it and pay me the TV cost :-). No luck.

Trying to revive this thread - anyone have an Aventos they want to part with? I purchased a new home and this has a nook just big enough for an Aventos but not my Calida.

All,
Have owned the Loewe Aconda for about a year now and have spent a lot of time calibrating it.

Here's the issue I'm trying to solve:

Over the component connection, the 1080i input is too large for the TV. It's not that I can't adjust H amplitude in the service menu, because I've done that. The black bars on both sides come in (until they start to bow in once I make the picture very small), but there is still picture there on the left and right behind the black bars. It's like overscan behind overscan.

So for now, I've calibrated everything to work with the 480p input but the 1080i looks so much sharper for games and movies. Is there possibly a horizontal pot somewhere under the hood? Is there a service menu option that I am missing? I tried messing with the H offset, but got afraid when the screen went white. Is this possibly what I need to tweak?

Any help would be appreciated to bring out the true beauty of this TV.

I picked mine for $500.



I can second that. Btw. Upgrading the composite cable to Nordost was worth it. I got the Nordost composite cable for $50 and black level war far more improved compared to Monster composite.





I'll remember that one.





Indeed.





Proof the pie.

Slow moving thread! I guess we Aconda owners are an elite bunch.

Mine is doing dust gathering duty in the future nursery with only a VCR connected. BUT.....my brain is churning....I am actually thinking of selling my Mits 57" DLP and reverting to the 38" Loewe for my primary display....actually it would be the ONLY display in the house if I do not count my computer monitor! However we are wanting a 40-50" flat panel in the bedroom sometime soon. How dare I have a larger screen in the bedroom than in the living room? bwahahaha!!!!

I do not have a Bluray player yet. I do not have immediate plans to buy one either. And even if I do, Bluray via 1080i component video on a Loewe CRT is likely equal or better than 1080P HDMI on nearly any flat panel today. I have Tivo HD and Xbox 360 as my sources. Only thing i can think of adding would be a video iPod dock.

I will have to get used to the size difference going from 57" to 38", but I can move the sofa forward and even improve the surround sound staging as a by-product (sofa is against rear wall now).

Am I crazy for not jumping on the flat panel 2160PP 24000MHZ 2mm thin bandwagon? I know I do not NEED Bluray. I can live without it. Stepbrothers is just as funny in 480P. I might even go for a used Denon 5910 or 3930 or something to watch DVDs on rather than the deafening Xbox 360.

I just hope I can get enough out of my DLP to get a snazzy new stand for the 'An'Aconda! Thing is a beast!!! Best $500 I ever spent on a TV.

Has anyone else refused to give in to the current trends? I kind of feel like an outcast as a custom AV installer that A. Does not have surround sound (YET). B. Does not own an iPod (YET). C. Is thinking of going to a much smaller TV WITHOUT a single HDMI input on it....no internet apps....no USB port....no chime sounds....etc...etc...

Long live the Acondas!

You might be someone that likes what is done right by "old tech". I find that 2 channels of great sound is preferable to 7.1 of tinny. Old video sources are best watched on a "flattering CRT". I like HD on a CRT or plasma, dislike LCD. Flat screens look bad with old NTSC. You might like a Pioneer KURO if you can find one. Maybe as you install more gear, something will catch your eye!

Trust me, I liked the KURO plasmas and installed dozens of them. Even better were the Runco plasmas I installed (they used some of the same PDP panels as Pioneer). But they were not "better" than my Loewe. Even with Bluray via component at 1080i, it looks just as good as it does at 1080p on any plasma I have seen.

I do agree that SD looks much better on CRTs...especially the Loewe. KURO was also one of the best plasmas at processing SD signals as well. The thing I did not like about them was the high gloss bezel. I prefer the brushed picture frame bezel on the Runcos.

Its a money thing right now. I cannot see spending a couple grand on a 50-58" flat panel that is smaller than my 57"....and once I mount it on the wall 24" further back from where the screen is now it will look even smaller. 60" plasma is still too spendy for me.

I think I will run the DLP until it hits the dust and keep the Loewe in the bedroom. Then when I have a house where I can have a man-cave type room, I will set up the Loewe in there with a sweet 2 channel system.

I will still put a small flat panel in the bedroom however. But the Loewe is going no where.

It sounds like you will need a 65", like TC-P65S1 Panasonic. Still not cheap but more reasonable every day!

Guess i should update. My Loewe 38" Aconda starting smoking last June. So i no longer have it.

I might have some extra Aconda smoke you can put back into it.

All kidding aside, I am still thinking of putting my 38" back in as the primary display and selling the 57" DLP. I will have to try it one of these days and see if I can get used to the smaller screen again. Otherwise, I will be waiting another year or 2 to get a 65" plasma. And the Panny is near the top of the list.

Was it the power supply that went on yours CHASLS2?

I have no clue what it was. I got rid of the Loewe. I know have a Pioneer 50" Kuro plasma. It's like having my Loewe back but only bigger.

I find the LCDs still are not "there" yet for picture when scenes are dark. I'm hoping Panasonic will improve their plasmas to reach or beat Pioneers. Or, I need to find a used Kuro.

The Kuro is the only display i can think of that can match the black levels and pop of the Loewe.

I loved my Aconda in the old house in that custom wall cabinet I had made and it looked great in it!

But we moved and had to house my theatre equipment, cds and other stuff so the Aconda is in the bedroom and the new panny plasma, 58 glorious inches adorn my living room. To house my music collection it was far less expensive to get an Olive music server (hard drive) and load the CD"s then to have a piece of furniture to hold 1000 titles!

We thought the panny was "too big" for the room but you get used to it. Its nice.

The panny plasma is better than the Aconda. I thought the sound on the Loewe was unbeatable but the panny sounds good also.

Its a shame such a great tv is doing bedroom duty and it takes up a ton of space. I can't justify getting rid of it yet but we'd like to redue the bedroom and get it the hell out!

I put a sub $1000 720i panny in the playroom and while its not the greatest set it really does look sharp. I had no place to put the aconda and the pool table in any manner that made viewing sense.

I paid $1800 for it about 6 years ago and its never given me any problems execpt nearly killing me last year. Its freaky unbalanced and due to bypass surgery I will never ever attempt to lift that thing again.

Its sad but every room design problem can be cured with flat panel TV's.

Perhaps the next journey is for the TV to go with my son to college. Hell of a set for college boys.

I have a 30" Aconda that is in perfect condition except for the power supply that just died. I already had the power supply fixed once. I don't know whether it makes sense to have it fixed again or to just sell it. Anyone interested in buying it?

How many hours has it been used?



How long ago? and how many hours has it been used since fixing it the last time?

...and how much did it cost you? and the tech who fixed it?





I might be interested. I live in Omaha, NE. 68102 area. where are you located? How much for shipping?

Decided to reconfigure the bedroom and the 38" aconda is a going. about 7 years of flawless service and wonderful picture. Going to give it away to who ever can get it the hell out of the house without my help!

With a 58' plasma, another 50 in the playroom, a 32" LCD in the holding room we hardley watch any tv in the bedroom. Im doing a 26" LED and will flat mount it over the new dresser with a Zvox mini under it for sound and for streaming internet radio/ipod. Still have an extra small HSU sub and will set it to handle anything below 65hz.

Not looking for intense. Got two full blown home theatre set ups and a very fine dedicated critical 2 channel area.