Home-theater system
January 16, 2003
I've started gathering information about home-theater
systems, and I get as many different opinions as I meet people. I'm looking for a
home-theater system (in a box or piece by piece) in a price range of $1000 to $1250
(without the DVD player) to use primarily for movies and somewhat for music. What would
you recommend?
Etienne
I have two suggestions for you First, buy a good A/V
receiver to anchor your system. There are numerous choices available from companies such
Denon, Outlaw Audio, Onkyo, and others. For around $500 you can get a very nice,
feature-filled, fairly powerful unit. Second, buy your speakers in a package deal. You'll
accomplish two goals at once You'll have a manufacturer-matched system for seamless
performance all around, and you'll get a better deal because you're buying the whole 5.1
speaker system at once. If you shop around, and are frugal, you'll hit your budget and end
up with a very nice system. Good luck, and let us know how it works out.
Pioneer an upgrade?
January 14, 2003
Presently I have an Outlaw Model 1050 and really like it. I
partially bought it because of your review, and I also bought Axiom speakers because of
your review. I have a chance to get a Pioneer Elite VSX-43TX. Would that improve anything
or would it be a step backwards, or just side ways? Is there any real way to quantify
these things? I don't just want to improve features but rather sound, especially stereo.
Thanks.
John Eisner
OK, let's look at the facts: The Pioneer does have more
up-to-date features such as Dolby Pro Logic II and Dolby Digital Surround EX. The Pioneer
you are looking at is rated to deliver 100Wpc versus the Outlaw's very conservative 65Wpc.
There are other differences as well if you really delve into the specifications.
How will all this play out in the sound-quality
department? It's hard to say without hearing both in the same room and with the same
associated components. My guess is that with standard 5.1 material you won't hear a
substantial difference. The power-output difference is marginal considering the Outlaw's
conservative ratings, and you may or may not even use the Pioneer's 6.1 capabilities. Only
you can decide if these changes are important to you.
There are other options, though. If I were you, I'd
think about adding a separate power amplifier to the system. You have "preamp
output" capabilities with the Outlaw that would allow you to add an external power
amplifier (anywhere from two channels to five channels) while using the 1050 as a
processor only. Putting all the money into the primary power source is an upgrade path
many have found satisfying. Going the "separates" route may just be what you're
looking for.
Budget system
January 9, 2003
First of all, I would like to warn you that I'm from
Portugal. So if my English is a little bad, my apologies.
I have saved some money to buy a stereo system. I was
thinking of some crappy mini or micro system (now, I know they're crappy!), but my
research led me to the conclusion that with that kind of money I could start buying a low-
to medium-quality hi-fi system piece by piece. Well, by trying to enter the world of hi-fi
sound technology I understand that it is far more complex than I thought initially (lots
of brands, models, quality, prices, etc.).
Can you guide through the building of my system consisting
of at least an amplifier, speakers, CD player, and turntable, provided that my room is
medium/small with hardwood floors. My budget is around $500. If better, I'm disposed to
buy some components now and other later. In Portugal we do not have access to the wide
variety of brands you folks do. Is it safe to order online?
André Antunes
Take a look at our "How To" titled
"Mail-Order Shopping for Audio Equipment." It'll give you some practical advice
on buying online, and also some places that you might look for great prices. If I were you
I'd start with a good pair of speakers and a receiver. A pair of Axioms can be had for a
couple hundred dollars and an Onkyo receiver for about $300. If you can stretch your
budget a bit to $600, this would give you room to add a Pioneer DVD player for just over a
hundred bucks. Throw in some cabling and you'd have a musical system for a relatively
small investment.
Older receiver
January 6, 2003
I have a Harmon/Kardon AVR-70 receiver and would like to
hook up the new 5.1 digital surround sound to it. Is it possible? My DVD player has a
digital coax output, but the receiver doesn't have any digital input -- coax or optical.
Am I stuck with having to purchase a new receiver or is there still a way I can get my
system to play this new technology? Thanks for your help.
Paxton
Some of the early receivers were labeled "Dolby
Digital Ready" because they had analog inputs that would allow them to work with DVD
players with built-in Dolby Digital and/or DTS converters. There's an easy way to tell if
this is what you have: You want to look for a set of six analog input connections that
would correspond with a mirrored set of outputs on the DVD player. If you don't see these
on the receiver, chances are that your receiver predates this feature. If your DVD player
does not have built-in processing, you're also out of luck, because it will lack the
requisite outputs. Without this method of hook-up available, you'll be receiver shopping
for a newer unit.
Review archives
January 3, 2003
I wonder where your reviews published between December 15,
2001 and October 15, 2002 can be found. Another website referred to a review that GoodSound!
published (June 2002) about the NAD C521i CD player. I hope you can help me with this.
Thank you in advance.
Gillis van Oeveren
You can find our most recent reviews to the right of
each current equipment review. Our archived reviews are linked from the same location, and
labeled "Previous
Reviews." A comprehensive database for all of the SoundStage! Network reviews,
including those published on GoodSound!, can be found here.
|
