August 8, 2001
I wonder if you might have any suggestions for
an entry-level (under $300) phono preamp. Sadly, the Harman/Kardon 10 series A/V receivers
this year don't have a phono input. So it is my assumption that a preamp is needed. Might
you have any suggestions for equipment suppliers online? Thanks tons!
David
Audio Advisor sells the Parasound PPH-100
phono preamp for $120. Rotel's RQ-970BX lists for $199.
August 7, 2001
Can you please explain what makes a certain
speaker cable better than another? It's just that I have a really hard time believing that
a $60+ set of Monster (or whatever other brand) cables are going to sound better than my
Home Depot 12-gauge speaker wire, which is supposed to be a very high-quality copper. It's
just plain-Jane wire with no connectors, but wouldn't that just mean there would be fewer
areas where the material changes? I could see if a different kind of metal, like silver,
made a difference, or if the copper had a different oxygen content, but besides that, it
just doesn't seem reasonable to me to spend a decent-sized chunk of money on something
that will give me much less sound improvement than simply buying speaker stands or putting
that money toward a subwoofer. The Home Depot wire is only $.50 a foot -- it cost me $11
for mine, and I got too much.
Same story goes for Radio Shack's Gold Series
interconnects, which seem to be a commonly recommended high-quality, dirt-cheap
interconnect. Some day I might buy some more expensive cable or interconnects, but I'll
surely compare their sound qualities before I keep them. Is there a big difference? It
just seems strange when people say that certain cables have better bass, highs, etc. Why
are they better?
Bryan
Let me explain by way of an example. For
my "Earmarked!" column on SoundStage!, I'm right now listening to some very expensive and
very strange-looking cables that minimize dielectric absorption (the energy storage and
time-delayed release of parts of the signal that all insulators exhibit to some extent or
another) by being essentially naked conductors. They also eliminate skin effect by using a
super skinny, 30+gauge conductor -- so thin that you can't see it.
This makes for a fragile cable that
requires care in handling. However, it makes all other cables I've used before sound
broken by comparison. You probably haven't considered that the insulating material around
the wire can affect the sound, but it does. Or that a really skimpy-looking conductor
might have better bass than a really thick one -- it can. The questions are, How much, and
for how much money, and in the context of what kind of system? And dielectric and
conductor gauge are only two variables in cable design.
The simplest way to settle the matter is
to visit your local high-end store on a day when it's not busy. Tell the proprietor that
you want to ascertain for yourself whether cables make any difference -- and if so, how
much. Let him set you up in an enclosed sound room, and with some different cables to try.
Optimally, he'll give you the most different-sounding cables he has -- a
vanilla/chocolate-type thing. I can pretty much guarantee that you'll hear differences.
Depending on circumstance, they could be very obvious and nearly drastic. The challenge
enters when we non-engineers try to figure out why. Even the actual cable makers espouse
wildly conflicting theories. It's pretty much a dead end hoping to arrive at any
definitive conclusions. The only thing that matters is that you try it out for yourself,
trust your ears, maintain common sense and proceed from there.
August 6, 2001
I absolutely love your site! I find it filled
with very useful information.
Anyway, I've heard many people recently boast
about the great sound that the affordable nOrh 4.0 loudspeaker produces. I'm curious if
you plan on doing a review of this particular speaker in the future. If not, are there any
speakers in the nOrh line that you'll be reviewing? Thanks!
Steve
The nOrh 4.0 review is planned for 8/15.
August 5, 2001
As far as cables are concerned, I was
wondering what you use,or would recommend, to hook up a sub with. I'm using DH Labs
interconnects, speaker cable and jumpers. Would another set of their speaker cable be the
best choice, or is there a quality cable made specifically for subs? I'm using an NAD C350
integrated for an amp.
Tom
Analysis Plus just introduced their new
Sub Oval that's specifically made for this application. Check out our recent
story on AudioVideoNews.com about this new product. This is an interconnect for
line-level hook-up from pre-out or sub-out jacks. If you need to go with a speaker-level
connection, stay with the DH Labs.
August 4, 2001
First of all, I want to say that this is an
excellent Internet site dedicated to audio enthusiasts. Keep up the good work!
Now, cutting to the chase. The question I have
probably has been addressed elsewhere in the past. I currently own the Perpetual
Technologies P-3A (Modwright) DAC and would be interested in acquiring the P-1A in the
near future. My Sony ES CD player only has a TosLink output. Unfortunately, the P1A does
not have a TosLink input. Several options are out there: Monarchy DIP, Hosa or Midiman
converters. An alternative is to have someone modify my CD player's digital output
(converting it to a coaxial output). Which would be a better option in terms of musical
fidelity? I do understand the cost differences and will obviously take them into account.
My associated equipment consists of the
following: Musical Fidelity A300 integrated amp, Sony CDP XA20ES single-disc CD player,
Perpetual Technologies P-3A DAC, Paradigm Studio 40 speakers, AudioQuest Coral
interconnects, Tributaries Digital Optical cable, Monster Cable Z2 biwire speaker cables.
One final question: Any recommendations or
comments with regard to my system? I have to be honest. Shaking that upgrade itch has been
difficult, but I have been working very hard at it.
W.C.
In general, the S/PDIF coaxial digital
interface is superior to TosLink due to higher bandwidth. Upscale CD players usually
eschew TosLink altogether and offer RCA or XLR digital outputs. There are exceptions. Bel
Canto Design prefers TosLink connection to their DAC1.1, but only for DVD players. For the
Perpetual Technologies DAC, my instinct would be to modify your Sony CD player's output.
If you can resist the upgrade itch, you
should. There's nothing in your system that suggests any weakness. If the bug does bite,
try any of the following: Caig ProGold contact enhancer and DeoxIT D5 for all connections
(power-cord pins, RCA jacks, spades/bananas), aligning the path lengths from both
speakers' tweeters to your ears to within a 1/4", making sure both speakers are
perfectly level front to back and side to side, adjusting your listening seat forward and
backward by six inches at a time to determine the best sound, elevating your speaker
cables off the carpet, routing your cables so that power cords and signal cables are
cleanly separated, using sand-filled ZipLoc bags atop components to tame resonances. All
these tweaks are free or virtually so and can make a big difference. And they're fun.
August 3, 2001
I am looking for some advice on the Re-Eq
feature of my receiver. I have the Integra DTR-9.1 receiver. I was wondering when or if
you recommend using this feature. From what I understand, it is for soundtracks that have
been mixed for a large theater environment that may sound too bright in a home theater. I
have read that some DVDs have already been equalized for home-theater playback (Austin
Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me being one of them), so if you use the Re-Eq feature
you are actually equalizing an already equalized signal. Does it state this on the case?
Is it best to leave this feature turned off? Your help is greatly appreciated!
Dave Best
Simply trust your ears. The Re-EQ, as you
correctly state, is to tame overly bright soundtracks. They are recorded that way to
offset the loss of high-frequency signal those speakers incur that hide behind the actual
screen in a movie theater. Sound traveling through screens (or speaker grilles) tends to
get rolled-off in the treble. The recording engineers of movie soundtracks account for
this. In a home environment, this can lead to treble prominence.
If a movie sounds bright and spitty with
dialogue or music, turn this feature on and see whether you like the sound better. If not,
defeat it again. No damage done in either case -- this is just a sophisticated tone
control. It's provided for your pleasure and to be used at your discretion.
August 2, 2001
The July 31 letter and response caught my
attention, having also just put together a system around an AMC integrated amplifier --
the 3050A in my case. I couldn't be happier with my choice. Aside from the great sound and
price, it also had the right combination of features that I was having trouble finding in
other budget integrateds: a phono stage, remote control, and headphone jack.
Now that I'm enjoying the music in my bedroom
so much, I want to get the same sound in my living room. Eventually I will get another
amp, but in the meantime I've been looking into speaker-selector boxes. My search has
turned up a Radio Shack switcher on the low end, an Adcom at the other end, and offerings
from Monster Cable, Russound, and many others in between. Are there any selector boxes in
particular that you would recommend to someone on a budget? The last thing I'd want to do
now is noticeably degrade the signal.
Peter
From my days in retail, the Russound or
Niles units struck me as the ones that had high-end pretensions in the sonic realm but
were fairly priced and well made. If you require independent volume control for the second
room, look for a switch box that includes that feature.
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