Buying online

August 18, 2004

What is the biggest disadvantage to purchasing equipment online besides not being able to listen to it before you buy it? Some of what I want is not sold near me, so I must buy online, but I want to make sure I go into it with my eyes open.

Theresa

There are a couple of things I would look into. First, is there an original manufacturer's warranty on the equipment you're considering? Many times online dealers are not authorized to sell the gear they are marketing, so be careful and ask questions. Second, is the component you're considering A-stock, brand-new gear? I've seen a number of refurbished and blemished products being sold online. This is sometimes mentioned only in very small print. You may still be interested in the gear, but know what you're buying so you're not disappointed. Lastly, see what the return policy is just in case the purchase does not work out.

Professional amps for home theater

August 16, 2004

Recently I came across a few discussions in A/V forums regarding using professional audio amps for home theater. As per the discussion, it seemed that their performance is equivalent to the more expensive amps like Rotel, Bryston, B&K and others. The pro amps in the discussion were Crown XLS 402, QSC RMX 850, and Samson PS 500. I just wanted to have some professional opinion regarding this setup. These are all stereo amps with balanced XLR inputs. Some even cost $300. So would you recommend using three or four of these amps to power the surround system in your home theater? What is the quality of the sound? What are the pros and cons of using these? Thanks.

Raj

The upside to using professional amplifiers at home is reliability and price. Generally these amplifiers are quite bullet-proof and will run for many years without fail. They also can be had for very little money, as you have found out. The downside is that they are not designed for general consumer use; you may not get the features you want, like binding posts, for instance. The cosmetics will also be a touch on the bland side, but that may mean little to you. The unknown in all this, however, is sound quality. You just can't predict whether you'll like their sound driving your speakers without giving them a shot in your system. It might be difficult to find a dealer that has them set up in a home-theater environment, too. So proceed carefully, but by all means look into the suggestions you've been given. Just understand that there are differences as you begin your search.

NAD and Yamaha

August 13, 2004

I would like to connect another amp to my Yamaha A/V receiver to drive my main speakers, and I'm planning to get an NAD C272 stereo power amp or an NAD C372 integrated stereo amp. I have auditioned both amps and both sounded good. I intend to get the NAD C372, but is there going to be any problems with the volume, treble and bass control with my Yamaha? If there is, then I will go with the NAD C272. Are Yamaha and NAD a good match?

Robin

The NAD and Yamaha should be fine together. There's no need to consider an integrated amplifier, though, because you will still be able to use your receiver's tone controls, and, of course, volume, when connecting an amplifier to the preamp outputs (of your receiver). This feature is designed to give you all of the benefits of an external amplifier without losing any of the functionality of your receiver. You have a good plan; just go with the C272 for best performance.

Subwoofer "droning"

August 11, 2004

I don't know much about technical problems, but I have an IBM subwoofer that I took off my PC and joined to my CD player. However, every time I listen to my music there is a low-pitched "drone" in the background over the top of the bass and is really unpredictable as to when it will start and stop. I'm not sure if the subwoofer is broken, in which case I'll have to buy another one, or if it can be easily fixed. Thanks.

Louisa

If you have connected your subwoofer directly to your CD player, therein lies the problem. Your subwoofer should be connected to your receiver, amplifier, or whatever the CD player is connected to (the component that controls the volume of your system). The droning you are hearing is likely the sound of your subwoofer being overloaded by the unbuffered signal from the CD player. Simply put, you're overloading the subwoofer with the full output of the CD player, which is essentially like turning the volume up all the way, all the time. Hook the sub to your receiver's outputs and you'll likely solve your problem.