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Topic: Update time
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Just Kenny
Member # 5
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posted February 13, 2004 01:05
First, hello Christy  Second, thank you very much, RJ, for your enthusiasm. Both those hobbies sound excellent! And that wonderful picture of your daughter shows quite a bit of promise, if you ask me. As for the audio, I don't know what to say other than, as a sort of audiophile, if you've got tips, leads, suggestions, or anything, please don't feel a need to hold back.  I've been eyeing Harmon Kardon's ebay store for a TS 6 6-piece Home Theater w/100W sub through an AVR 125-Z receiver with Dolby Digital 5.1... Which seems to me to be the low-end of the high-end stuff, which is fine by me on my budget. Any suggestions, or better recommendations for a good 5.1 system for my bedroom? And now to Norm: Congratulations! Another contributor to the big cycle. Here's to a healthy, secure, little tyke! Cheers all!
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Truly,
Kenny
Posts: 119 | From: Freetopia | Registered: Oct 2001
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PunkMunkey
Member # 44
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posted February 13, 2004 09:41
Well, I'll first adress Kenny's question about the Harman Kardon setup...I really like the choice of the AV125-Z as a reciever...perfect for a small to medium environment, not too costly, it'll do everything you'd want it to do...The only concern that I have is the speakers in that package...the 3" drivers that are used will be hard pressed to give you the lower midrange/midbass response that you'll be looking for, especially with music...they'll probably be fine for movies where the subwoofer can help to cover some of that frequency range, but music may seem a bit "muddy or "thick" if the sub has to play those midbass frequencies...the smallest size mid/woofer I'd personally go with would be a 4"...something of that size will normally play as low as 80hz (low enough to keep the sub from muddying up the music)... Check THESE out...this is what I currently own while we save up to buy a new house (then it's upgrade time!)...I like them ...they sound nice...not too forward or bright...the satellites play low enough to cover the upper midbass range so music doesn't sound muddy...coupled with a decent sub they work well for both movies and music...the only deal-breaker for you might be the price...they start at $205 + S&H... THESE are also quite a good buy for the money...despite the no-name-brand looks they sound quite good...especially considering what you get for the price...they've gotten quite a few favorable reviews on some of the home theater sites out there... Actually, one site you might want to check out is HTF...there's a wealth of information on those boards...I go there form time to time to read up on the latest bargains and "hot ticket items"...the best thing is that the people who post there are not too uppity or elitist...they will cater tehir recommendations to your budget and won't look down on you if you don't have tens of thousands to spend on your gear...to the the pursuit of fidelity and the user's enjoyment are the most important thing...kinda nice in the world of audiophile snobbery... Good luck with your future purchases...if I can help you with anything at all, you know where to find me ... As for Norm's dilemma...projectors are GREAT!...they're less expensive, they give you a HUGE viewable area, BUT they hate ambient light...you'll need to have a pitch dark (or nearly pitch dark) environment to get the best color quality image out of a projector...otherwise the picture will look washed out and "soft"...that being said, if you can achive that type of environment I defintely recommend a projector, perhaps not for multi-purpose viewing...I mean, there's no need to watch the nightly news with it, but for movies, a good prjector can really immerse you with its image size and quality... Now if a pitch dark room is an impossiblity then I'd defintely look into a projection TV...but not your standard rear projection...I'd consider the single chip varieties Like DLP (Digital Light Projection) or LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicone)...great image quiality...rivaling plasma...but less expensive and easier to maintain... HERE's and informative site on the nature and benefits of DLP TV's...I know part of it sounds like a sales pitch, but there's still some good information on the technology there...you migth also want to check out [URL=http://www.hometheaterfurum.com]HTF as they cover video topics as well as audio topics... A projector will be less expensive than going the DLP or LCoS route, but after you factor in the cost of a screen and the inconvenince of having a pitch black room then you might just opt for a DLP or LCoS TV instead...anyway...my offer to Kenny is also extended to you naturally...if I can offer any other help at all just let me know... [ February 13, 2004: Message edited by: PunkMunkey ]
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Have you ever felt like you've been cheated?
Posts: 520 | From: Sweet Home Sacramento! | Registered: Oct 2001
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Just Kenny
Member # 5
Member Rated:
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posted February 13, 2004 22:15
Norm's Garage... good to know, because i'd like to get my hands on a mac one day...And to RJ, you've told me everything I wanted to hear. The speakers are a bit more expensive then, but the reasons you've given me have sold me. The reason I want them is mostly for an excellent music experience, as well as for great movie sound, and especially music dvds for an excellent visual and audio experience.
As those Fluance speakers are just about the same price as those JBLs, which would you recommend? What are the benefits of having the subwoofer as a separate piece? Is it mostly for mobiliy/portability so that you can spread the speakers around you a bit more?
Also, if you happen to know, for each, would I have to buy my own cables/connectors/brackets?
You've got my interest! This all started when my cheap stereo started making odd sounds. My original plan was just go out and shell out like 70 bucks for something that sounds marginally nice and would last for a while, preferably with a remote control...
But THEN! I thought, well, what if I got a 5.1 system? Plus, Harman Kardon's ebay store also has this 5-disc cd/dvd/vcd/and I think mp3 player too that I was drooling over, and I figured I would consolidate my entire home (room?) theater into one system that would sound "nice enough" until that day in the future that I would totally revamp to a stellar, pristine experience.
The receiver and the speakers alone set my price range WELL above the original (and well above the modified budgets after that, too)... but it's something I would put to great use everyday, and for a long time...
I'll just have to buy one by one, I suppose... Maybe starting with... the speakers? since the receiver wouldn't do me much good in the meantime... but I guess the speakers wouldn't either... and I think I'll save the 5-Disc DVD/CD player 'til the end since my current DVD player will at least get the job done once the rest of the system is in place... Any more advice? I ought to see what junk I have around here to sell...
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Truly,
Kenny
Posts: 119 | From: Freetopia | Registered: Oct 2001
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PunkMunkey
Member # 44
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posted February 15, 2004 16:55
Well, I really like the JBL's (like I said, I have a set myself), the bookshelves sound really very good for their size and are not fatiguing to listen to...they have a decent top end and a very smoothe midrange probably the best in thier price range...vocals especially sound nice for speaker of it's price and size...the low bass is the only drawback...being a small bookshelf speaker, it really needs a subwoofer to produce the lower octave of music...they're uzable into the upper-midbass range (80hz) but the response falls pretty quickly below that...The Fluance package that I pointed you to is also a very good performer for it's price...it gets nothing but favorable reviews over at HTF...since the towers employ a 6" woofer, they can play effectively lower that the JBL's but they still benefit from a subwoofer... If you feel that you can afford a subwoofer relatively soon, then I'd go with the JBL's...but only because I have direct experience with them...the Fluance will probably be able to outperform the JBL's in lower bass output, but in terms of smoothness and neutrality in tone throughout the upper frequency range, the JBL's will top the Fluance... Now as far as the benefits of a subwoofer...well...you really have to "experience" them...the low bass just "comes to life" for lack of a better phrase...it defintely adds realism and impact to all forms of music, not to mention movies...once you watch a good action moive with a subwoofer on you'll never settle for less...however, subwoofer calibration can be tricky...you want the sub to blend in with the overall sound of your system...you don't want heavy, bloated bass that seems muddy or "slow"...you want nice, taut impact as well as good low frequency extension...a good budget sub I can recommend would be THIS ONE...an excellent ratio of price and performance...it'll really round out a modest system nicely...it's not an overly "boomy" sounding sub but it can play fairly low (30hz or so) for it's modest size and power...and it's relatively inexpensive as far a subwoofers go... ...anyway...it's getting close to dinner time ( now that we've got a wee one we eat much earlier  )...but I can offer you some tips on sub/speaker calibration later if you like...I just find it fun to pass on what I've learned from others in the pursuit of good sound ...
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Have you ever felt like you've been cheated?
Posts: 520 | From: Sweet Home Sacramento! | Registered: Oct 2001
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Just Kenny
Member # 5
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posted February 23, 2004 01:05
Thanks Rj, I am thinking of going with the Fluance speakers. Since they already have woofers in them, I can make do with them until I finally get a nice woofer (maybe one that I can keep through an upgrade down the line). I am going to London for a month in June, so I need to save up for that... but I think I can pull off the sound system soon, since I've been saving up... Actually, I am quite torn as to which large-chunky-prices I am going to dedicate my funds to first: receiver, fluance speakers, amp pedalboard, classical guitar, decent keyboard, goodies from Norm's Car-haul... But the more I wait and try to decide, the more money I accumulate... which isn't necessarily a bad thing, I am just horrible at making decisions. As I think about it, by order of priority, I will probably invest in the keyboard and then the receiver&speakers. And I just got a new digital camera for Christmas... too bad I couldn't have steered my parents toward Norm's Garage with the words "Nikon Coolpix 5400." But your help and direction has been priceless, Rj, so thank you very very much!
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Truly,
Kenny
Posts: 119 | From: Freetopia | Registered: Oct 2001
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