"Help please!"
November 13, 2007
I’m putting together my first home theater and only
have around $1500 to cover receiver and speakers. I have tentatively decided on a
Harman/Kardon AVR-247 as the receiver based on price and reviews.
Speakers are proving a little more difficult. The problem
is that I live at least 120 miles from anywhere that might carry any of the speakers
I’m interested in, so test driving is not a real option. I’m considering Paradigm
Atom Monitor v.5s, Wharfedale Diamond 9s, or Infinity Primus 150s, all of which I
think I can get for around $1000 for two fronts, center, two surrounds and a sub. Can you
give any recommendation? I know ideally I would audition all choices and choose what
appeals to me most, but my experience in audio is limited to an old Technics amp, an RCA
CD player, and two big, old Akai floorstanders, so I imagine any of my choices will be a
vast improvement. My usage will be 75% movies, 25% music (eclectic tastes ranging from
heavy rock to new age to bluegrass). Any help or opinion will be greatly appreciated. The
info available on the web is overwhelming to sift through, and my brain is beginning to
melt. Help please!
James
I’m constantly amazed at how educated a consumer
can become by simply doing a little research on the web. James, you’re on the right
track here. The receiver you are choosing should be capable of driving any of your speaker
choices (H/Ks are high-current devices, a good thing), and the speaker brands you are
looking at will all provide excellent home-theater sound. I’m partial to the
Paradigms myself -- I have a set in my home theater and love them. But the Wharfedale and
Infinity speakers also have good reputations, and I’m sure you could be quite happy
with those too. So there are no losers there! Make sure you pay attention to things like
speaker size and your intended placement options to ensure that your purchase will work
once you finally get it home; and also make sure that they will fit your décor and
significant other’s approval if that is relevant. Lastly, remember to allocate for
some decent speaker cabling and perhaps a surge suppressor/outlet strip to round things
out (I assume you already have a DVD player). Good luck and let us know what you choose.
Protection for Paradigm
November 7, 2007
I own a Paradigm Servo-15 v.2 subwoofer. I wonder if this
sub needs a power conditioner for surge and power-spike protection. I have a Richard Gray
RGPC 400 Pro. Is it suitable for this sub to connect to?
Jack
I had a look at the Richard Gray website, and the 400
Pro does offer some surge suppression. I don’t know how effective it is, as there
isn’t much information available on that particular feature. There are devices that
are designed specifically for surge and spike protection. One unit that stands out in my
mind is the ZeroSurge unit that was reviewed on our sister site, Home Theater
& Sound. It seems to offer nearly state-of-the-art performance at a reasonable
price. So my recommendation is to definitely use your subwoofer on a product that will
protect it from surges and spikes. Its electronics are just as susceptible to these issues
as any other.
Adjustable crossover points for surrounds?
November 5, 2007
I have a new A/V receiver that has adjustable crossovers
for each speaker, including the surrounds. My surrounds are rated to play down to 70Hz,
-3dB. Should I cross over the sub at that frequency? I know I need to set them to small,
just not sure on the crossover.
Ralph
Generally speaking, I recommend starting a bit higher
in frequency on the sub crossover than the -3dB specification on your speakers. This is
primarily for two reasons: (1) the speakers’ specs may be a tad optimistic --
that’s pretty normal in the speaker industry; (2) in-room frequency response will
vary every time. So it is likely that you are not hitting that 70Hz point with your
surrounds. If that is the case in your situation, you might experience a hole in your
frequency response if you set the sub at 70Hz. For instance, if you are getting good
response from your surrounds down to only 80Hz, and you set the sub at 70Hz, you will get
a dip right around the crossover point -- and that might equal thin sound. A better
alternative would be to start with the sub up around 100Hz and see how it blends. If the
sound is a bit thick, you could back off on the crossover a bit, but my guess its that
100Hz is about right.
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