New speakers
July 9, 2002
I own a pair of powered Meridian M1 loudspeakers, purchased
around 1983, as I recall. I have them on their original stands. I use a B&K Pro 5
preamp, and a Yamaha CDX-530 single-disc CD player that is from about 1991. Would I
upgrade the sound by replacing the Yamaha with a new DVD player for under $200? How far
behind are the 19-year-old Meridians in sound quality compared with whatever is on today's
market in the same $1000-$1500 range?
Brad
You could definitely stand to upgrade the Yamaha to a
new DVD player. There's been quite an improvement in digital components in the last 10
years. You'll hear the difference! The speakers are a little less straightforward. There
are some amazing speakers on the market within your price range, but then again the
Meridians were ahead of their time. When you consider that they are powered, meaning you
would have to add a power amp to a passive set of speakers, the cash outlay to improve
upon them might be considerable. I'd go hear some current-model speakers at your local
dealer and make an honest assessment of what you might gain from replacing the Meridians,
and base your decision on that.
Bose
July 8, 2002
My husband loves good sound from a stereo, as do I, but he
is ordering a $499 Bose radio/CD/alarm clock. You probably know the model. Anyway, we
really can't afford this kind of thing right now as we are looking to buy a house. He is
dead set on the sound of the Bose. What is your opinion and do you know of anything
comparable and less money? I want some honest help. Could you give me that? Thanks.
Janet
Bose Corporation is widely considered by industry
"insiders" to be the best marketers in consumer electronics. One only has to say
Bose to illicit oohs and ahhs from the general public. There are those who
will tell you that Bose products are horrible. While I can't say that -- some of the
criticism is surely sour grapes -- I will say that from my perspective the prices of Bose
products are not commensurate with what you get.
It sounds like your husband has been bitten by the Bose
bug, and it will take some doing to get him to look at some alternatives. I'd ask him to
at listen to some other products, preferably at a dealer that sells good budget gear such
as what you see us reviewing every month. Providing the basis for comparison is as good a
medicine as any. If he still insists on the Bose product after hearing some alternatives,
then you'll probably end up with a Bose on the nightstand. Worse things can happen!
New subwoofer
July 6, 2002
I am shopping for a subwoofer and found a reasonable price
for an Energy S10.2. The specs look good, but there isn't a dealer nearby where I could
audition it. Is this a good sub for both music and movies?
Jan
You'll be reading more about the S10.2 in our pages
soon, so I don't want to give too much away. What I can tell you is that it is quite
flexible and that is an important consideration when matching it to your room and system.
I'd expect it to perform well with most speakers, but if you have Energy main speakers,
you'll find even more useful controls and the ability to take the guesswork out of the
setup. For the price, I don't think you can go wrong with the Energy S10.2.
Multichannel or stereo amps?
July 4, 2002
Is it generally better to go with a multichannel amp or
multiple stereo amps in a system where you need six channels?
Barbara Cole
It really boils down to cost and convenience. Just as
there are compromises in having a receiver with all those components packed into one box
(not enough space in one chassis to fit the best of everything), there are similar
compromises to having too many channels in a single-chassis amplifier. So technically,
having multiple stereo amps, or taken further, multiple mono amplifiers, is better. But,
multichannel amplifiers have come a long way and overall do a very good job. For all but
the most extravagant systems, or one where the owner has a stereo amp on hand to use
already, multichannel amps strike a good balance between separates (from the processor or
preamp) and their receiver-based counterpart.
Older CD player
July 2, 2002
I've just replaced my ten-year-old Adcom GCD-575 with a new
CD player. I'd like to have my Adcom player checked out by the factory and then give it to
a friend. Is this worth the $150 fee, or should my friend think of buying a new player?
Thanks for your help with this question.
Martin
That player is fairly old, but that doesn't mean it
won't find a good home in your friend's system. For $150, though, your friend could get
into a new DVD player, which would likely sound better. If it seems to be working
properly, I'd skip the factory check-up and just enjoy it until its dying day.
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