TV in the middle?
October 18, 2006
Will a TV placed between my speakers hurt the soundstage much? It is a large CRT on a
stand. Thank you for a great website.
Tom
There is no question that a large reflective surface between your front stereo
loudspeakers will have an effect on the sound you hear, but there are some things you can
do to minimize its impact. First, you can move the television back towards the wall and/or
move your speakers forward. This seems to help somewhat, in my experience. Secondly, you
can cover the television when listening to music -- a thick throw rug is a good choice.
The latter is not something that looks all that attractive, but it can have a dramatic
impact on the sound you hear.
"All other things being equal…"
October 16, 2006
All other things being equal, is a subwoofer with a larger driver better than one with
a smaller driver in terms of output capability and frequency response?
Ron
Yes. All other things are rarely equal, though. A larger driver certainly has the
advantage in terms of cone area, but some of the smaller drivers have quite impressive
excursion capabilities that can make up for their lack of size. Here’s the big
"but": In the vast majority of cases -- as it applies to commercially available
powered subwoofers -- the larger drivers in the larger boxes, especially as compared to
models within a single manufacturer’s line, will be superior in doing what subwoofers
should do: play low and clean. As an example, I don’t think there is an 8"
subwoofer on the market today whose maker claims for it state-of-the-art performance.
There are any number between 12" and 18" that are said to have just that.
Four questions, four answers
October 9, 2006
Question one: Are a preamp, amp and good speakers better than a $2000 receiver (Denon
4306) plus good speakers?
Question two: If the room you’re filling with sound is 30’ x 20’ x
15’, how big do the speakers really have to be?
Question three: Is question two answerable without addressing the power of the amp
powering the speakers? How powerful does that amp have to be to power the speakers?
Question four: If you had $7000 to spend on speakers and the audio equipment, what
would you buy -- and much, much more important, why?
I'm just floored (and kind of excited) by the breadth of the A/V equipment available.
But I can't really figure any of this out to my satisfaction. Your help will be gratefully
appreciated.
Charlie
Answer one: For stereo purposes I would prefer an amp plus preamp. You won’t
get the bells and whistles that you would with a receiver, but ultimately these components
will be better performing for just that reason. Another option is an integrated amplifier.
For home theater, a receiver makes the most sense at the price point: there are some
fantastic receivers for around $2000, but very little in realm of separates for home
theater.
Answer two: I’d get floorstanders whether you’re listening to music only, or
a combination of music and home theater. They’ll fill the room better. I’d add a
subwoofer for home theater.
Answer three: Amplifier power depends on the partnering speakers. Keep in mind that
larger speakers don’t necessarily need more powerful amplifiers. In fact, many times
the opposite is true: larger speakers can be more efficient than many smaller speakers and
therefore require less power for a given output level.
Answer four: Again, it depends on whether we are talking about stereo or home theater.
I’ll assume the latter: I think I would look at a packaged system from Paradigm,
Axiom, PSB, NHT, or any of the other highly regarded brands that you’ll see reviewed
in our archives. This way the hard work of matching speakers together is done for you.
Pair those with the Denon receiver you mention along with a good DVD player and
you’ll have a fine setup.
