What's next?
June 7, 2006
Hello GoodSound! Guys. Can you let me in on what
review is coming next? Hopefully it will be of something that I can resist buying. I just
purchased the Outlaw RR2150 receiver and can’t wait for it to arrive. You guys do a
great job with the website; I only wish there were more reviews. Keep up the good work.
Gary W.
The next review will be of the NoiseBuster
noise-canceling headphones. Eric Hetherington will tell you all about these unique
products. Congrats on the Outlaw receiver, I’m sure you’ll love it. Oh, and it
does have a headphone jack just in case!
Setting to "large"
June 5, 2006
When set to "large," do the main speakers in a
home-theater setup have any augmentation from the subwoofer? In my system the mains sound
better when set to "large," but they still don’t have enough bass for me.
Theresa
When the main speakers in an HT system are set to
"large" the subwoofer will not augment them in the traditional sense -- in other
words, the sub won’t be reproducing any portion of the stereo signal being routed to
the left and right speakers. If connected properly, however, the sub will reproduce the
low-frequency-effects channel, which, if the soundtrack allows, will provide low-bass
reinforcement for the system. However, if there is little LFE information, you will still
not be getting the bass you crave. One alternative is to buy a second subwoofer strictly
to augment your main speakers. Another option is replacing your main speakers with a model
more capable of low-bass output. I assume you’ve experimented thoroughly with setting
the mains to small and adjusting the subwoofer to blend properly. Many times creating a
subwoofer/satellite scenario is the easiest way to achieve low bass with bass-challenged
speakers.
Home-theater biamping?
June 2, 2006
I would like to know if the ability to biamp is available
in most 7.1 A/V receivers (where you could have your main speakers biamped). And how
noticeable is this? Is the connection better that the regular setup (not biamped)?
Osvaldo
Some receivers will let you assign channels six and
seven to duplicate the stereo mains. Typically this is allowed so that stereo can be
enjoyed in a second zone. However, I also know that some folks have figured out that this
will allow them to biamp their main speakers with the additional channels. Check your
receiver manual for details on how to program your unit to do this. Whether it will make a
difference is another question. I suppose it depends mostly on the speakers and whether
they are truly optimized when biamped. Many manufacturers claim this is the only way to
get the most from their products, while others don’t even allow the facility to
biamp. One potential advantage to doing this is taking some stress off of your
receiver’s output stage by dividing the main speakers between four channels instead
of two. It might allow for a bit more headroom for peaks as well. Give it a try, and let
us know what you think.
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