November 16, 2001
I have been a long-time reader of the site,
and I purchased an Outlaw Audio 1050 on your recommendation. The sound appears flat to me
in two-channel mode, and I wanted to see if you had any suggestions. I have a pair of
Snell E IV tower speakers and Paradigm PDR-10 sub hooked up to it, and I have tried
different settings for the crossover on the Outlaw, and power/crossover on the sub and
nothing quite sounds right. Previously, I had a Harmon/Kardon AVR 40, which is about five
years old. The H/K always has had a very full sound. Is this just the difference between a
bright-sounding receiver and a more authentic, flat-sounding one?
Reid Skibell
Here's where I would start, as it sounds
as if you are having some problems integrating the subwoofer into the system. First, turn
the subwoofer off completely. You simply have to achieve the best sound possible from your
main Snells in a stereo configuration without a crossover inserted into the chain. Work
with them, get them to sound right, then move on to the subwoofer.
Regarding the sub, start by setting the
crossover to the lowest possible setting, and at a fairly low level (the level should be
calibrated with a test disc and SPL meter). Listen to your favorite tracks, while
gradually raising the crossover level. When you hear the low bass fill in seamlessly, but
before you affect the midrange/midbass performance of the Snells, you are about at the
right point. This, in my experience, will be below the 80Hz crossover point, the THX
default value.
Also worth trying is the "CD
direct" input -- connect the left and right outputs of the source device to the left
and right jacks of the six-channel analog input. This bypasses the 1050's DSP modes and is
a more "purist" approach.
November 13, 2001
Thanks for the helpful info on the Technics
DVD-A10. Following up on your response, I dug through my magazine stack and found the Stereophile
article on the DVD-A10. They mention that you have to hook it up to a TV to turn the
upsampling on and off. Is this true? It would certainly lessen the appeal of the player
since I don't plan on hooking it up to a TV yet, and you mention how the advantages of
upsampling are recording specific.
Does the player still have exceptional CD
playback without upsampling? I appreciate your opinion because the author of the
article seemed bent on slamming DVD-A, and compared it to what he thought was the best
(and therefore very expensive) CD players available. This doesn't give me an idea of how
it sounds compared to CD players in its current price range.
Tom
You very well may find that you prefer the
upsampling option a non-issue when listening to CDs. So while it is true that you need a
monitor, it may not be an annoyance. But keep in mind that it would be helpful to have a
monitor if you plan on using the DVD-A capabilities, as these discs do have static menu
content that is helpful in navigating the disc and optimally setting up your system for
DVD-A.
You make a great point about comparing a
sub-$400 player with multi-thousand dollar machines. The comparison is simply not relevant
to those considering a purchase because most folks have a budget that will partly dictate
the choices they make for auditioning. A player like the Sony SCD-222ES would be a more
logical comparison, and one we would like to make for GoodSound! readers.
To sum up, the Technics player is a steal
when you consider all it has to offer at the price, and I unhesitatingly recommend it
still.
November 12, 2001
I have learned a lot from your site, and I am
hoping that you can suggest a couple of receiver/speaker combinations for our particular
room layout. Our goal is to optimize our purchase for music (classical/jazz at
conversation-level volume) and still be OK for home theater. Our budget is $2000 for the
receiver, front speakers, and center channel. We're hoping we can get away without a
subwoofer due to space limitations.
The room is 14' x 25' with a 7.5' ceiling.
However, the listening area for theater is only about 14' x 13'. (The room consists of a
family room area and a kitchen area.) Ideally, we'd like to fill the entire room if we're
just listening to music.
We expect to purchase a receiver that provides
70W+ to five channels, with DTS, DD, and Pro Logic or Pro Logic II. We are considering the
Onkyo TX-DS696, Outlaw Audio 1050, Denon AVR-1802 or AVR-2802, and Arcam AVR-100. We are
considering several of the Axiom speakers, based on comments in this column, and are
leaning toward the M60Ti fronts with the VP150 center. Thanks for any suggestions you may
have.
Paula Crockett
The Axiom M60Ti does reportedly have
excellent bass, and is rated by the manufacturer to have usable response down to 32Hz.
This should work well in your room and should allow you excellent bass response without a
subwoofer, even with home-theater material (you will route the LFE signal to your mains).
I'm familiar with the Outlaw, Denon, and Onkyo products you name, and they are all fine
choices. The Outlaw does not have Dolby Pro Logic II, which the others do have, but it
does sound excellent, especially for the recently lowered price of $499. If you plan to
listen in surround to two-channel sources, DPLII is quite necessary. I would not hesitate
to match any of the receivers you mention with the Axiom speakers. Their relative
sensitivity will work well with the power you will be able to provide them, and in your
listening area, the sound should be quite enveloping. Looks like you're on the right track
to me.
November 10, 2001
I enjoy your site very much. I first
discovered quality audio through the original site, and am glad to see GoodSound!
has been passed to good hands.
I would like to know your opinion on the
upsampling capabilities of the MSB Link III DAC vs. the Technics DVD-A10 player, which I
discovered on your site and has caught my attention. I read great things about upsampling
through a magazine review of the MSB, and am wondering if the Technics' upsampling is as
good or close to the outboard DAC's. Unfortunately, my NAD 523 rotary CD player doesn't
have digital out, so I was considering getting a new CD changer (probably something like a
cheaper Sony or Onkyo) and MSB, but now I may be swayed toward the bargain Technics, even
though it is single disc, if it can match the sound of the MSB. DVD and DVD-A capability
are afterthoughts that I will weigh separately -- I am just interested in finding out
about the conventional CD stereo sound quality.
Tom
Although I can't compare them directly, I
can vouch for the sound quality of the Technics DVD-A10, and agree that it is a tremendous
value at its current street price. As for its upsampling capabilities, I have found it a
useful feature on some recordings, and not so on others. It does not seem to be a
universal improvement, but rather recording-specific. There are a number of SoundStage! Network writers
who do use the MSB, and it has garnered praise from them as well. I think you have two
fine systems to consider, and although I can't give you a clear winner from the two, it is
likely a case where you really can't go wrong either way.
November 9, 2001
Could you please explain the significance of
the "dynamic headroom" specification on an amplifier?
Pete
An amplifier has a rated continuous-power
specification and then a dynamic-headroom specification, which is given in decibels (dB).
Dynamic headroom is the amount the amplifier can exceed the continuous output. It is
typically measured at 1kHz by feeding the amplifier short tone bursts. Its relevance is
connected to the way the amplifier deals with musical transients, which typically require
much more power delivered short term than the amplifier delivers on a continuous basis.
Higher numbers are generally better.
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