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Why pay 500% markup for retail speakers? I prefer that 80% of my cost goes to actually buying components, not subsidizing advertising, management, and yacht trips. The Seas excel drivers put everything to shame for detail and accuracy, IMO. If I had that much coin to drop on stereo, I'd be...

Having done the Best Buy cheap receiver/amp thing, and being disappointed, I'm going to try out the Panasonic XR55. Supposedly it has a pretty good amp section, and pretty much everything these days does the whole Dolby decoding/PLIIx dance on the processing end. I just tried to do this...

I bought a pair when they first came out. They were $999 on sale for a pair, I think the regular price was something like $1200/pr. They just didn't do it for me at that price. For $500 a pair, they're not bad unless you start to drift into DIY. The low end is nice, the mids were not...

Price adjusted to $650 and $30 flat ground shipping (to the U.S.). I have three receivers in my living room, help me clean it up because I know you want this one in yours. :)

For a little over your mark I replaced my 1014 with a used Anthem AVM-30 and used Parasound Halo amps (51+21). Fantastic sound and good pairing, I think. There was an Arcam or something that was reputed to be better than the Anthem for music, but I don't recall the model (Scott said the 300, I...

This is kind of OT but I never understood why it was bad to lay an MT speaker on its side either... I tried it with mine and didn't like it as much.

Is the hum loud? Is it coming from the amp or the driver? My PE amp always hummed, but it wasn't obnoxious unless you were sitting right next to it in a quiet room. Could it be noise from a dimmer or other components in the house or noise on the line?

I recall it being about 80lbs to ship when I bought it. I put it on the scale and you're right, it's 56 lbs for just the receiver. After packaging + assorted gizmos it's probably around 70lbs. I have the original box but probably not the extra double box from the original shipment; nonetheless...

For sale... Harman Kardon AVR-8000 THX Ultra Receiver. Top of the line, until it was discontinued for the lower-priced (and lower-spec'd) 7000 series. One heavy beast, with 5 channels of built in amplification (125W), and full support for two more (just add your favorite external amp). $675 +...

Oddly, the XA-2100 is quieter than the XA-900. I had to fan-mod the XA-900 (two 23db computer fans), but I left the 2100 alone. It sits right in my stack not more than 6ft away. Noise on the 900 was something like 50db from 1 ft away, or like a louder computer (not the crazy overclocked with...

My HT1000 has DVI input (HDCP capable), along with VGA/HD15. Aside from a slight bulb difference, I believe the other major change is that the HT1000 has a Faroudja scaler, while the HT1100 does not (NEC brand scaler?).

I never used PL2 as I had a Harmon Kardon AVR8000 in the old theater which had Logic 7 (which was fantastic except when it 'glitched'). I made PL2x a 'must have' however on my next receiver/processor, because I want it to be able to separate out a "stereo" separation on the surround back...

My pro amp has no hum (PE amp did), fits in the equipment rack (PE amp hung off the back of the box), has easily adjustable gain (PE amp was a reacharound deal), cost less, and is far more versatile. X/O on the plate amp was useless, as it is done in the receiver. Only problem with the pro amp...

The boxes I made for my Avas suck. They are 3/4" walls, braced, but they aren't braced to the nines. If I double up the walls, I'll literally need a hand truck to move the thing. And here I thought Thomas' Stryke 15 box was overkill. :) I'm gonna make a sonosub next, because I hope that will...

Run the test in stereo? One trick is to have your left channel(s) off one amp, the right channel(s) off the other, and use a balance control to go back and forth. If you did run 2 sets of cable, I'd get an A/B switch for a coaxial digital out from a DVD player, so you have an enforced pause...

My preference when I demoed Paradigms was for the 60's in front, a sub to back them up, then the 20's in the rear. I too like the feeling of knowing the front mains are *grunt* powerful, but every time I prefer letting the sub handle matters, as it ends up being cleaner than the mains for low...

I'm having my own SQ problems with an Ava 18" in a too-small box (6 cu. ft.). It has no problems with the upper range of playback, I get up to 120hz no problems. I think my box is the culprit behind the poor SQ issues, given how much it rattles and shakes. I never had a sub that would go so loud...

Don't forget the nice 20hz rumble filter PE gives you with the plate amp... doh!

Because you can't buy Outlaw stuff in your local botique stores, and they don't take out huge ads, I would think. My THX Ultra rated (although I think it was ready to go THXU2) receiver was shot down in terms of quality (although barely) by a humble used Adcom amp. It also leaves me lacking...

Cool... thanks guys. One last Q. Would the Carvin DCM series be considered 'lower end'? I guess I'd just feel comfortable with more than 200W for future-proofing, but still stay under $400 an amp (2ch). The DCM1500 looks like a good potential fit. I suppose for future reference, just what...

I really disliked the Auto-EQ on my Pioneer 1014. It destroyed the soundstage, and made the speakers sound muffled in comparison to no processing. I've heard similar comments from others, so I'm not sure having the EQ on the Pioneers is necessarily a good thing. As for level setting, being...

I suppose what it boils down to is the question of, "are all amps the same?" Watts being watts, the choice is made reasonably clear. Buy the watts you need in the form factor of your choice. That may involve something small (class D), it may involve something with fans (cheap class AB pro...

I'm looking at picking up some amps for a new HT setup, with 7 channels. It seems like the following combinations are within $100 of each other, more or less, for B-stock: - 4 Crown CE1000 amps - 4 Crest CPX1400 amps - 7 Outlaw M200 monoblocks I've heard good things and bad things about...

I'd leave the BFD alone for a little bit and kick in the $50 needed to go to the 18" ava. Then, tune that puppy to 12hz in 20ft^3! It'd still play nice with the 500w amp too. :)

I can't speak for other amps other than the Nady XA's, but it looks like the fans in those can be swapped (I won't know for sure until I do it). I got the idea from this thread. Option 2 is to get two plate amps and build small boxes just for them. I actually prefer that anyway, than hacking...

A quick check of the Nady X900 I just got in shows about 50db 1 inch from the front of the case with both fans running. About what you'd expect from a noisy computer case. I haven't gotten new fans in yet, but I would think replacing the two stock units with some quiet ones (like $2.99 ea.)...

It would be nice to put real sound and video to what is discussed. For instance: - What is the difference between 720p and 1080i, and upscaled 480p? With real demo displays. - How do cables impact a system? With a few identical systems present to blind-test and demo. - How does volume...

Since I'm looking at building a box for my own upcoming sub, I was wondering about materials. I thought I had read that for subs, using regular plywood was acceptable given sufficient bracing, since the resonance of the box was going to be high enough to keep out of the sub's playing range. I...

I ran the Ava 18" and the Blueprint 1804 through WinISD, and it seems like the Ava 18" is just built for that super-low reach. That PE Amp thing is weird, it really does roll off hard after 30-20hz. Considering it is supposed to be a "subwoofer" amp, did they just drop the ball on this one...

OK, I guess I'll bite the bullet and grab me some 18" sub goodness (and consider the shipping to be "free" after the discount). At least I won't be able to say "I wish I had gotten the bigger driver." I'm probably going to pair this with the PE 1000w amp (why not, it's not a huge amount more...