Recent content by Dan Driscoll

Ditto the recommendations to stay away from APC; I've had nothing but problems with their products. As others have said, a UPS is only necessary for critical applications where the device can't be allowed to go down. My home security system falls into that category, but not my A/V system. Also...

Have you considered high quality used speakers? Unlike electronics, speaker design has remained fairly stable and a speaker that sounded great 5 years ago will still sound great today, barring damage or abuse. I paid $400 for a pair of used Vandersteen Model 2C's more than 10 years ago and they...

More than half off the original MSRP, factory refurbished, with a 1 year factory warranty and the option to buy an extended warranty? As long as if meets your needs and has all the features you want, what's not to like?

Unless you're planning a 9.2 set-up, the 3020 might be overkill. A 7.2 model with at least 100Wpc will probably meet all of your requirements and save you $200-$400. There's no need to match brands or tone to your other speakers when picking a sub; the output level and low end frequency...

Either of those, with the matching center speaker, would give you a good qualify front soundstage, assuming you like the Polk sound. Given the size of your room, I would lean toward the 12's, but I'm sure the 10's would also work OK.

Yamaha and Marantz are both good options, IMO. Atmos should be a non-factor in your decision right now. If a receiver has it, fine, it not, no loss. A previous model or refurbished receiver will give you a lot more bang for your buck. Accessories4Less is highly recommended for refurbs and...

If it's for your kids I'd suggest that a projector may not be the best solution. You can get a very good 65" 1080p LED-LCD for about $1200 or a 65" 4K LCD for around $2,000. You might even be able to fit a 70" in your budget. For a receiver,http://www.accessories4less.com has a large...

I don't see any reason not to go for another Yamaha, especially since you like the sound. There are quite a few models in and under your price range that should be perfectly fine for your uses. Honestly, the DSP-A1 is massive overkill for how you are using it, a mid or even entry level model...

I had a set of Sony cans about 10-15 years ago that sounded very nice and had surprisingly good bass. I eventually replaced them with mid-range Grados which were better, but it wasn't like night & day. OTOH, I've never heard any Sony speakers that I liked.

I was able to swap the CR-90 for a CR-80 and all the functions work now. And yes, the 83SE and 300 thru Vandy 2Cs are very nice.

Sold

I just got a used AVR 300 and it came with a CR-90 remote. The AVR works fine and sounds great, but I haven't been able to figure out how to select the DVD-Audio (aka EXT 7.1 or MCH) 7.1 analog input with the remote control. The previous owner never used the 7.1 inputs, so doesn't know how...

Bump for the holidays. I will consider any reasonable offers.

Excellent analog linestage with five 2-channel inputs and one 6-channel input for MC music or home theater. Outputs are main L-R, a tape loop and a 6 channel pre-out. I am the second owner and am only selling because I was forced to down-size my system. It needs to go, the amp it drove has...

From your comments I suspect that your friend had the TiVo and ATV before he/she bought the Samsung? In that case he probably just hooked everything back up the same as it was before. Also, I don't agree with the suggestion that the TV can do everything a TiVo or an ATV does. It may have a guide...