Budget allocation
September 23, 2002
I'm interested in your opinion on the issue of what to
prioritize in a fixed A/V budget -- receiver or speakers? There seems to be two different
camps on this issue
Camp 1: You'll get the biggest bang for your buck by
investing your money in the best speakers you can afford and connect them to a moderately
powered receiver (i.e., 110Wpc or so). Camp 2: Do the opposite. Spend money on a
high-powered receiver or separates and get middle-of-the-road speakers because a lower-end
receiver won't properly power a high-end speaker anyway (and may actually damage the
speaker). Where do you come out on this?
Bill
There is merit to both sides, but I generally am in Camp
1. Why? The speakers in your system will be the largest determinant of sound quality in
your system, and their sound generally varies the most from brand to brand and model to
model. As long as you choose a speaker that can be driven by a moderately powered receiver
you'll have no problems. You'll also have the benefit of really hearing what additional
power gets you if/when you do add more power down the road. Camp 2 does have merit, but
much of the refinement of better electronics can be lost with a sub-par speaker system.
And if the speakers are truly poor (which can be said of some expensive or inexpensive
speakers!), you'll not be happy with the sound regardless of the upstream components.
In short, I choose to spend my budget where it will make
the most difference first, then I'm assured of the most sound for my dollar now.
Power requirements
September 21, 2002
Does the choice between bookshelf speakers with an active
subwoofer versus standard towers affect the amplification power required? In general, do a
pair of bookshelf speakers with an active sub require less amplification power than a pair
of similarly priced floorstanders?
Ashish
Great question! Yes, in general using an active
subwoofer will lower the power requirements of your main amplifier as long as you are
crossing over your bookshelf speakers (preventing them from producing bass). The bookshelf
speakers will be relieved from producing low frequencies -- this being handled by the
subwoofer -- and therefore a large part of the signal is bypassing the main amplifier
altogether. And since the bass range can really drain a power amplifier, this can be a
substantial benefit. Many times your main amplifier will sound better due to the ease with
which it can be driven. It's one of the great benefits to having a powered subwoofer.
Fire damage
September 19, 2002
We recently had a house fire and my stereo equipment
survived, but it has minor soot and smoke damage. The fire-restoration service we hired
recommends placing the equipment (speakers and electronics) into an ozone chamber for a
short time to remove odor. I'm skeptical and think more harm than good may result,
especially with the speakers and any rubber parts. And I'm concerned that treatment may
void warranties (most equipment is high end and relatively new) -- perhaps with or without
the ozone treatment.
Is there any previous experience with electronics
restoration you know how to find?
Dennis Laslo
I really wish I had some answers for you. It sounds like
a tough position to be in, and there may not be any "good" solution. I would
imagine the warranties would be voided, but I would check with each individual
manufacturer before making a decision on what to do. Perhaps if they check the unit after
the treatment, they would still offer a warranty on the item, but I doubt it. The smoke
damage likely isn't the main concern anyway, but the heat from the fire could literally
melt some of the internal components. This damage may not be visible to the naked eye.
Whatever you do, I'd suggest a thorough check by a technician before powering up your
system, especially the electronics.
Please let us know what happens and we'll report it back
so other folks that may find themselves in your position will know from your experience.
Good luck.
Staying within a manufacturer's line
September 17, 2002
I have an old Meridian 101 preamp and 105 power amp, Epos
M15 speakers (new), and Marantz 6000 CD player.
My Meridian 101 preamp needs to be replaced. I intend to
keep the Meridian 105 power amp. I was looking at the new Meridian 501 preamp or Musical
Fidelity A3CR. Do you think these preamps would be suited to the equipment I have now? Or
what would you suggest for my setup? Thanks.
Gaven
I have always found a certain synergy from staying
within one manufacturer's line for both the preamp and power amp. You can usually be
assured that they have been designed to work together, and quite possibly had the same
person design both. If you've been happy with your Meridian equipment and you do intend on
keeping the power amplifiers, I'd start by auditioning Meridian's new preamp. Nothing
against the Musical Fidelity, mind you, but you may find the new Meridian mates perfectly
with your current gear.
Playing CDs on a DVD player?
September 16, 2002
I wanted your opinion on what seems to me a rather vague
but persistent criticism of DVD players. Specifically, that DVD players can't play CDs
perfectly unless you're using a DVD player priced at least over $1400 USD.
On this issue, top-end audiophile magazines and writers are
quite critical of entry-level and mid-level DVD players. But do you think the average
hi-fi buff could really hear the difference? I can't complain about my Denon DVD-800
player when it comes to CD audio. It plays all kinds of music genres very well through my
latest Denon A/V receiver and Jenson speaker system. Admittedly, I have yet to do a direct
comparison in my room with a dedicated CD player, as I haven't owned one for years.
Are the critics splitting hairs here? Is it just another
example of CD bashing, generally? Perhaps you could give us a technical explanation of
exactly why some DVD machines might have problems with CD audio. I've read it's something
to do with being unable to properly reproduce low-level and/or low-frequency sounds. But
why would that be so?
Mike Watson
It seems to me that the criticism is unjustified. DVD
players offer tremendous value to someone looking for an all-in-one machine that will
provide good performance across the audio/video board. I just about always recommend DVD
players even for audio-only use. Why? Economy of scale.There are vastly more DVD players
sold today than CD-only players. This leads to research and development, and competition,
which lead to far more choices and value than exist in just about any other component
genre. Now, are some of the cheaper DVD players poor performers? Sure! But just as a $99
DVD player has its very real limitations, so would any $99 CD player you'd care to name
(if you could even find a $99 CD player!). And for someone to suggest that you need to
spend $1400 on a DVD player to get good sound, well, this is just audio snobbery at its
worst, and it is preposterous.
Hanging speakers?
September 15, 2002
I am in need of speakers that hang from the ceiling. My
room configuration does not allow me to put surround-sound speakers on the wall, so I
would like to find a pair of speakers that hang from the ceiling (from their cord) or
something like that. Do you know of any place that sells such a speaker?
Devon Schroeder
I would not recommend hanging a speaker from a cord. The
movement of the speaker as it is playing will degrade the sound quality significantly. You
do have a great option though -- in-ceiling speakers. These are perfect for your
situation. Essentially, an in-ceiling speaker is a self-contained unit that will recess
into your ceiling. This will involve cutting some drywall and wiring into your attic
space, but the installation will look much better, be more stable, and sound leaps and
bounds better than hanging a speaker from a cord. The ceiling will provide a firm
foundation -- like a speaker cabinet -- for the drivers. There are many models to choose
from. In fact, we just published a story on AudioVideoNews about a Parasound product that might be perfect for
you. Here's the link.
Headphone cable
September 12, 2002
I have a set of Sennheiser headphones, and I noticed that
the wire going from the phones to the jack is kind of flimsy. Do you think that replacing
that wire with a better one would improve the sound? I should add that I am very happy
with the sound, but the bass is a little weak. Thanks.
Rick
Wes Phillips wrote all about upgrading the cable on his
pair of Sennheiser headphones. You can see his article on the subject on another of one of
the SoundStage! Network sites, onhifi.com.
Here's the link
to the article.
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