Magnepan MMG
April 24, 2002
Will a pair of Magnepan MMG speakers work with an NAD C740
receiver in a room that's 8'W x 11'L? I hope that you can help me.
Frank S.
We have a review of the Magnepan MMG speakers coming
soon. We'll have a lot to say about this little guy, and hopefully answer all your
questions. Stay tuned!
On or off?
April 23, 2002
The oldest question in the world: I have a Cambridge Audio
A300 integrated amplifier, and I was wondering if it was OK to keep it on 24/7. It has no
stand-by button, and I am not to keen on using the power on/off button too often.
Goran Lovrek
Most equipment is fine if left on indefinitely. The only
exceptions would be large inefficient amplifiers that consume lots of energy even at idle
and equipment that uses vacuum tubes (tube life will be shortened). The only way to know
for sure, though, is to check with the manufacturer. You may have a look in the owner's
manual first, as it may be covered there. Even if you keep everything on all the time,
you'll want to power it all down when thunderstorms rumble through your area.
Truth or salesmanship?
April 22, 2002
Yesterday I went into a store to audition speakers and came
out with a new receiver. My "old" receiver (which is less than a year old) is an
Onkyo TX-DS8511 (two channels at 100W). The one sold to me is a Harmon/Kardon 3370 (again
two channel, at a rated power of 70Wpc). Of course, there was no way of trying it out in
the store, since they didn't carry the Onkyo. But during the hour or so I spent there, the
salesman won my trust and assured me that my speakers (old Polk Monitor 7Bs) were NOT the
weak point in my system. He could have sold me a pair of $800 speakers (I was listening to
Paradigm and Klipsch towers), but steered me instead toward this $300 receiver (which is
the price I bought it for -- $299 to be exact). He also said that I could bring it back on
Monday if I wasn't impressed by the improvement in the sound of my system, so I took him
up on it.
I didn't understand his argument against the Onkyo in any
detail, but basically he was saying that they use a lot of negative-feedback circuitry to
cancel noise in order to make their specs look better, and there's a cost in the quality
of the sound, while H/K was more honest in their designs, with better results. "You
won't bring it back," he said. And when I spoke of using the old receiver (the Onkyo)
to set up another system in a different room, he said, "You won't listen to it.
You'll always listen to the one with the H/K." Was he full of it (about the clear
superiority of the H/K and about Onkyo manipulating the specs to the sound's detriment),
or is he right?
This morning I set up my system with a different receiver
going into each speaker. The CD player has the left output going to one amp and the right
output going to the other. I put the speakers right next to each other, centered a chair
and switched between the two amps using the mute buttons on the remotes.
I won't say I didn't here any differences. Actually I DO
think I like the H/K better, but I'm not sure if maybe I've just been brainwashed. It's
not the money; I just don't want to be suckered here. If he was suckering me, he was very,
very good at it. I'm a skeptical guy, wary of salesmen, and he sucked me right in.
The problem is that he seemed to be saying that the H/K
will be more pleasant long-term, which is hard to judge from a single listening session.
It's a bit like the difference between a wine tasting and a good bottle with dinner.
Sometimes wines that taste good when you sip them aren't as enjoyable with a good dinner
as wines that don't make such a good impression when you swish and spit. He seemed to be
saying that the H/K was like the bottle you'll enjoy drinking with dinner, that I'd enjoy
my music more over time with the H/K than with the Onkyo.
I know listening is subjective and you can't listen for me.
But what you can do is this tell me if there's any truth to his assertion that Onkyo and
other Japanese companies (anything, he suggested, below $1000 or so) manipulate the specs
with negative-feedback circuitry, and H/K doesn't do that. If he was right technically,
I'm inclined to trust him more and give the receiver a shot.
Jim
There's no question that there is a lot of spec-manship
in the receiver world these days. Folks tend to look at power and distortion ratings and
weigh these factors quite heavily. While I certainly can't vouch for the Onkyo/H/K
comparison you cite, I can tell you that the salesman sounds as if he has some basic
knowledge. It's true that negative feedback improves some specifications, and many assert
that it is a detriment to sound quality. The fact that he passed on a sale over double the
receiver ($800 vs. $300) indicates to me that he has your best interest in mind. Couple
that with the fact that he spent an hour educating you, and gave you the option to return
it, and I'd say you've found a genuine resource. It's quite uncommon these days, but I'd
nurture that relationship, and I'd bet over the long term, you'll make some pretty
informed buying decisions.
Product recommendation
April 21, 2002
I want to buy an amplifier. I have two choices: NAD C350
and Denon PMA-1055R. What's your recommendation?
Amir
As much as we'd like to have complete knowledge of each
and every product on the market, the truth is that we sample a small percentage of what's
available. Beyond that, two products manufactured by reputable companies (which include
NAD and Denon) will each find their place in the right system. Even if we tested both
amplifiers (both with listening tests and measurements) the results would be system and
consumer dependent in most instances. While some generalizations can be made when all the
facts are on the table, like a recommended power rating for a given speaker, you still
have to listen to know what sounds the best. Throw in factors like aesthetics,
reliability, dealer service, and warranty, and the picture is that much cloudier.
Compact systems
April 19, 2002
What is your opinion about mini-component systems like the
Denon D-F100 or Teac 300 series and bookshelf speakers like B&W DM302? I need to buy a
very good audio system for my bedroom. If space is not a problem, do you think I will be
better off buying a big-black-box system? Any suggestions on good audio systems around
$1000? Thanks.
Has Ross
It has been my experience that the first place that a
manufacturer cuts cost in a mini-component system is the speakers. Some of the components
sound pretty good -- outclassing the speakers by a wide margin. If you can buy the
components separately and add after-market speakers, you can assemble a darn good compact
system fairly inexpensively.
In addition to the two systems you mentioned, I'd also
take a look at what Sharp has to offer. The B&W bookshelf speakers would likely match
well with most of what's available, providing that the amplifier section can adequately
drive them. If you decide to go the full-size-component route, you can likely surpass the
performance of the mini-system for the same money. Unfortunately, you do pay for
compactness.
Denon and Dynaudio
April 17, 2002
This site is fabulous, and I have just bumped into it by
chance!
I am a newcomer in the home-theater world, and my system is
made up of a Denon AVR-2800 receiver, NAD 512 CD player, JVC DVD player, and Polk
loudspeakers.
I went to a new dealer and heard the Dynaudio Audience 72s
-- a new world has opened for me. I know that speakers are the most important part of a
system. The first problem is the impedance. My Denon can deliver 85Wpc RMS for five
channels at 8 ohms with a recommendation by Denon not to use loudspeakers below 6 ohms. Is
it worth it to try to drive the Dynaudio speakers with my Denon, or is it just a
"forget it" thing to do? The question is if, in the end, I can get any result at
all in making a speaker change without having an appropriate receiver, or I should stay
calm and wait for a "total" update whose cost could really make me die!
Claudio
Well we don't want you to die, Claudio! It's likely that
you'll trip the Denon's protection circuit with the Dynaudios, especially if played too
loud. If you have a fairly small room and don't listen at high levels, you may be OK until
you upgrade to a more powerful receiver. I'd see if the dealer will let you borrow the
demo Dynaudios, or at least bring in your receiver and give the combo a whirl to see how
it works. It may be a more frustrating proposition than you care to undertake.
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