JVC, Sony, or Pioneer?
October 19, 2005
I am shopping for a new receiver and have narrowed down my
choices to receivers from JVC, Sony, and Pioneer. I am more concerned with quality than
anything else. Are these brands considered really good or should I look at something else?
Robert P.
I have had good luck with products from Pioneer and
Sony, but have no experience with JVC. In general, though, I have found most of the
receivers on the market comparable with each other at a given price point. Quality issues
do arise even with the best brands, and of course spending a little more money might buy
you a slightly better product. These are just generalizations, I know, but there is no
replacement for your personal experience with the potential candidates. Although you might
not be able to try these in your home, at the very least try to spend a bit of time with
them in a store. Examining the remote, seeing how the unit is assembled, and hearing it
over whatever speakers the store has it connected to, can all make your decision clearer.
Connecting a subwoofer with his speakers: part two
October 17, 2005
I need to clarify. The sub I have is an active one, rated
at 150W, with its own power source and level adjustments. And this I would want to connect
to my amplifier. You seemed to answer the question with a passive subwoofer in mind. Or
maybe I’m just too dense about these things. Would I be better off just buying a new
amplifier, maybe such as the NAD 320BEE that you will review in November? Thank you for a
great website!
Alexander
I misunderstood due to your mentioning connecting the
subwoofer to your speaker outputs. In the case of an active sub, what you need is an
integrated amplifier with a set of preamp outputs. You'd connect these outputs to the
line-level input on the subwoofer. If you were using separates you'd need a preamp with
two sets of preamp outputs -- one for your power amp and a second for the sub. A
workaround in case you only had one set would be a splitter (sometimes called a Y-adapter)
to turn one set of outputs into two. Either way, with a powered subwoofer you need to use
the line-level inputs for best performance.
Coming next?
October 14, 2005
Can you tell me what review we'll be seeing next? I hope to
buy a system before the holidays and don't want to miss anything that might change my
decision. I am planning on a Harman Kardon receiver and some Klipsch 5.1 speakers. Thank
you for the excellent website.
Turk
Our next review is of the popular NAD 320BEE integrated
amplifier on November 1. It's a two-channel-only review, so I don't believe it will change
your direction, but it might be worth reading for you as the reviewer moved from a
receiver-based system to this integrated amplifier and found it an improvement in
performance. Might be food for thought for someone in your position.
Connecting a subwoofer with his speakers
October 11, 2005
I have an old NAD 304 integrated amp with Audio Pro Black
Diamond speakers, which are marked at 4 ohms. This works well. I also have an active
subwoofer, also an Audio Pro, and I have been thinking about connecting it to my
amplifier, but I am worried that the amp will not be able to take the added load. Also, I
am not certain on how I should connect it. Should I have my 4-ohm main speakers in A, and
connect the sub to B? Or is there a better way?
Alexander
Don't do it! Your NAD, as robust as it likely is, can't
drive a pair of 4-ohm speakers plus a subwoofer. The solution to drive your passive
subwoofer is a "plate amp." A plate amp is a single-channel power amplifier
mounted on a metal plate made to fit flush into a speaker cabinet. Most commercial plate
amps also have some basic functionality such as an adjustable crossover, a level control,
and a phase switch. This will help match your subwoofer to your room and your system -- no
small considerations for good sound. Even if you could connect your sub to your NAD, you'd
have no way to adjust its level relative to your main speakers. There's almost no chance
the levels would match, which means the sound would not be acceptable. Here's a good-looking model from Parts Express that you can get for
under $150 USD. It's rated by the manufacturer at 300W into a 4-ohm load.
|
