Bose speakers? (1 Viewer)

[Adam_Wolf]

So does anyone agree with DavidGT? is the ar hc2 a good system? decent sub?

 

[Adam_Wolf]

I cant find the AR HC@ for that price....Any help?

 

[Frank Carter]

Those JBL N-series are quite nice for the price. If you decide purchase outside of best buy, here is a great deal on the N-28's. Only one on each site:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=1386061051
http://stores.hsprofessional.com/ret...otal=1&no=1975
I've bought from them before and found them to be reliable and fast.

 

[Dan Hine]

I don't see the HC2 system at all either. AC4L does have the HC6 series which has been well reviewed but for a tad more money ($449, though that is one heck of a deal). Also, I have to disagree with his thoughts on Yamaha. In my opinion, Yamaha receivers tend to be a little bright and forward not neutral or laid back. Also, the difference between 75watts/channel and 100watts/channel is probably about 1db, hardly noticeable. Additionally, those are just specs. And not many companies live up to their specs. For instance, Harman Kardon receivers rate their power rating fairly low compared to similar priced receivers. BUT they deliver what they advertise. I have a Technics receiver that is rated at 100watts/channel and a Pioneer Elite receiver that is rated at 90watts/channel. I can tell you for a fact that the Elite can and will walk all over the Technics.

But which ever way you go, I would recommend spending more on your speakers than on your receiver. Your speakers will be able to last you longer as they won't be "obsolete" next year when the new models with new processing come out.

 

[Stephen Hopkins]

If you're constraining yourself to best buy, i'd go w/ the following:
JBL N24 Mains, N-Center, N24 Surrounds, Sony WM40 sub, Pioineer VSX-D811S receiver.
If you can get away from bestbuy, i'd still recomend the same, except i would go w/ the NSP1 package (as opposed to buying seperate), and then add a pair of N28s as your mains. Then you could shift the other 2 N24s to back surround use and have a full 7.1 speaker setup.
Also, if you're interested, I have a Pioneer VSX-D811S that i'm looking to sell. If interested, email me at [email protected] .
Hope this helps

 

[DavidGT]

Ok Adam,

I'll break it down for you like this. The AR HC2 is just bascially: 5 Edge speakers + AR S108PS 8" inch sub(again another high review in the subwoofer category rating of 4.75 on audioreview.com). Im not making this stuff up, go check for yourself.
I guess they ran out of the HC2 package. But since you expressed that you want small? That's even better dude!. They have the HC1 which consists of the Sequels which is the lil brother to the Edge. I just checked and the HC1 is selling for... get this $249 brand new. They even the HC1 with some cosmetic imperfection for $199. Not used or reburbished, just some cosmetic glitch. I just don't how can you do much better than that...5 great speakers + great sub for $249. And yes the Sequels sound great, trust me. So this acutually works out even better for you because the Edge are kinda big, like I think 9" in height which are kinda big for satellites.
Better get them before they sell out. Besides accessories4less, JandR also sells them for $199.
Now you really have extra cash for the Denon 1803.
Can you say audio bliss???

 

[DavidGT]

I agree with Dan somewhat about spending more on speakers. Good speakers totally make a difference. I know because I just shelled out $1100 last week for the Kef K2005 system. They actually retail for $1750 but I found a great deal.
And that's exactly why I can wholeheartly recomend the AR HC1 because I've listened to them and for $249 they're right up there with my $1100 Kef's.
In case anyone's curious about the Kef's, go to Kef.com and click on the home theater systems. It's those little egg shape silver speakers.

 

[Adam_Wolf]

I found the AR HC1 set at jandr.com for $199.99, should i jump on this offer?

 

[DavidGT]

Are you kidding me Adam? Yes you should get them. Honestly, I have no idea how AR can stay in business giving away their products like that. The subwoofer alone is worth at least $200. It's a crime that AR offers great products at so low prices while Bose offers trash at premium prices and people think that Bose is so good because of their crazy prices. Sometimes..sometimes you can get lucky because the term "you get what you pay for" does not always apply. AR breaks that rule.
So Adam, you probalbly never thought you can get good stuff for that price right? You've so much change left over now I hope you treat yourself to the Denon 1803.
Go to reliableaudiovideo.com. It's a 5 star Yahoo retailer. I just bought an Audio Pro sub from them today. They gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. lAsk for Carlos and tell him that David told you he's all about making their customers happy and see if Carlos can give you the 1803 for $375 shipped. It's selling for $364.92. He'll probally do it..I think he's in a good mood today.
If you're still hooked on the Yamaha, that's cool. They do sound really sound ok neutral and transparent which is really good for music. But if you split your time with movies 50/50 then you really gotta go with Denon, Onkyo, Kenwood, or JVC because the Yamaha doesn't give you that extra slamage/kick/zoom-zoom that movie soundtracks offer.
Whatvever you do, promise me you won't get Bose.

You're all set man!

 

[Adam_Wolf]

Thanks David! I appreciate it! One last question. I have a Toshiba TN55X81 55" HD ready TV. Time Warner is coming tomorrow to install my new HD cable box. I do not have any other HD receievers, antennas or equipment. Will I really have HD on my TV> What about local channels? I know they wonr be broadcast in HD, but will I even recieve them? Time Warner told me that any channels that are not broadcast in HD I will get in digital.

Sound right?

 

[BryanZ]

Adam,
Please allow me to operate from a dissenting point of view.
1. What is your present cash on hand? How much can you spend immediately and not have to finance? While 0% interest for 24 months is good you must read the fine print. What happens if you either miss or are late on a payment?
2. Build the system slowly. A good, used, quality receiver that is one or two years old can be had at a fraction of the cost of a new one. Typically used gear goes for 50% or less of the price of new gear.
3. Do not buy cheap gear. By this I mean do not get something that will only temporarily satisfy your needs and desires. If you do this you will only replace it later on thus spending more money.
Provided you have $1K cash on hand:
Used receiver - $100 (Yamaha RX-V496 - I'm using one in my bedroom system for example)
Sub - Sony SA-WM40 - $150 (good budget sub but you can upgrade it later if desired)
Speakers - nOrh 5.2 Prism video system - $750 (can be used in a future bedroom system if you would like and will allow you to upgrade the rest of the system first)
A secondary option could be to go with one of the Onkyo HTiB options available at Circuit City. Spend $500 on one and then upgrade the speakers and sub as you can afford to.

 

[Lew Crippen]

What about local channels? I know they wonr be broadcast in HD, but will I even recieve them? Time Warner told me that any channels that are not broadcast in HD I will get in digital.

I don’t know your area, but the cable company that provides HD in my area, only has HDHBO and Showtime HD. All other channels are in SD, regardless of digital format. Including local channels.

The only way to get local HD channels in Dallas is OTA. So here, we need an antenna for local HD.

 

[Phil Iturralde]

Quote:



I found the AR HC1 set at jandr.com for $199.99, should i jump on this offer?





IMHO - If you're now entertaining purchasing thru the internet, and you're not too critical with ...

1) Smooth wide frequency response

2) Clarity in the upper frequency - not masked by peaky mids/upper mids/highs

and

3) Dynamics (ability to play Loud & Clear)

... then the AR HC1 is for you!

I have not auditioned the lower cost HC1, but I did auditioned the bigger brother HC6 when they came out w/some friends. We all came to the same conclusions, that the HC6, @ its higher cost vs. my JBL NSP1's (sub=AudioSource SW15) was lacking in areas like ...

1) Smooth mids - sound distant, a bit too forward, honky sounding

2) Upper frequency clarity - dull especially w/cymbals & violins upper 2nd & 3rd harmonics

....a) Some mid/high frequency tones were unnaturally forward compared to the rest of the usable AVG frequency

3) Theater SPL Dynamics - tend to compress, sound strained and the imaging collapses when you turn-up the volume to -15 dB below REF Level.**

**REF Calibrated using my Video Essentials DVD @ 75 dB - Receiver Denon / Yamaha / Onkyo

A month later, Sound&Vision Magazine published the HC6 objective speaker graph, and it confirmed what I observed and heard from my personal audition.

To see the graph (Sound & Vision FEB/MAR 2002 Test Report (pg. 72 - 76), click here!

Scroll down to the third speaker graph ...

Note the +6 to +7 peaks @ 2 kHz and 7 - 8 kHz from flat / and NO usable frequency Below 125 Hz for the Fronts & Surrounds

Frequency Response
HC6 front left/right.... 125 Hz to 20 kHz ±5.1 dB
HC6 center............... 110 Hz to 20 kHz ±4.2 dB
HC6 surround........... 125 Hz to 20 kHz ±4.9 dB
HC6 subwoofer.......... 49 Hz to 130 Hz ±2.2 dB

If this represents the Top HC AR Model, that is Rated (Fronts / Surrounds) ...

--- Frequency Response: 80Hz - 20KHz ± 3dB

... then I would be concerned that the lower models performance would reflect the same disparity.

For a contrast, the JBL N24 (lowest cost model in the N-Series line) and N-Center (timbre-match for the entire JBL N-Series), ...

Frequency Response
N-24 front left/right.... 89 Hz to 18.9 kHz ±2.7 dB
N-Center................... 89 Hz to 20 kHz ±5.5 dB
N-24 surround........... 89 Hz to 18.4 kHz ±3.2 dB

Using the same Tom Nousaine S&V standard HT speaker tests reveals the JBL to have wider & flatter frequency response, which translates to the following documented professional test reviews:

Amazon.com Editorial Review by Wayne Garcia NSP1 Speaker Package ...

Quote:



As for the NSP1 system's sound, starting with music only, the first thing you'll notice is that it produces surprisingly full audio. Jazz CDs sound rich and clear, . . . Trumpets and saxophones come through with terrific, brassy texture and bite, . . . Vocals are uniformly good--articulate, focused, and well balanced. With orchestral music, the N24s throw a relatively wide soundstage, with more than a hint of depth (that is, of the sonic space extending beyond the speakers).

With DVD-videos, vocal clarity is enhanced by the N-Center, which does a great job of routing the dialogue to the screen. Considering its small size, the complete NSP1 system exhibits very good dynamics, and JBL's close attention to driver matching yields a seamless transition from speaker to speaker, creating a wonderfully complete sonic environment.

To say that JBL has a good reputation in the pro-audio world is an understatement. A staggering 70 percent of the world's theaters, concert halls, and recording studios are equipped with JBL speakers. With the NSP1, JBL brings that experience home at a very attractive price. Minor complaints aside, the NSP1 is a sweet little home-theater speaker package.





JAN 2001 - Daniel Kumin JBL NSP1 & PB10 Sound&Vision Mag. Review

Quote:



- Tonal balance The balance of the front L/R N24 speakers was pleasingly natural with stereo music, . . .Both male and female voices sounded excellent, evenly balanced. . .

- Subwoofer/satellite blending. This was very good - close to excellent.

- Subwoofer performance and extension JBL's PB10 sub, "big" for this price class, played impressively loud and went low indeed. . . .Overall, the JBL sub was impressive.

- Surround imaging and clarity The JBL N24/N-Center combo produced a solid front soundstage. The cohesiveness of discrete sounds moving from left to right or right to left was above average, . . .The N-Center speaker kept good, solid male voices fixed onscreen, . . .The N24s worked well in the surround locations.

- Dynamic potential. The sound was solid up to a loud volume - the satellites 4-inch (nominally 5-inch) woofers and slightly larger cabinet give them a dynamic edge over most micro satellites with 3-inch drivers - . . ."

- WRAP-UP This JBL system's value for the money is obvious. Getting such well-balanced sound, with notable bass extension and no salient vices, from a package priced just under $900 is impressive.





But many don't listen or watch their DVD movies @ or near REF Level, so this may be a moot point.

So, let me repeat what everyone here @ HTF recommends, ... audition, audition and audition - using your familiar digital Music/Movie source material.

But for those that bought the JBL NSP1, and then later updated their sub's (like my brother and me) to the SVS 25-31PCi, the blend and overall experience have garnered 'sounds better than the local DD/DTS/SDDS Cinema Theaters!!! from our family and friends! We also didn't have to worry about using the sub to fill-in the frequency between our Yamaha fixed 90 Hz x-over & JBL's, ... since the JBL had usable lower frequency extending down to 89 Hz.

NOTE: Because my website is 'FREE', hosted by GeoCities, if too many HT enthusiasts visit, GeoCities will shut it down for an hour or so because it exceeded the specified 'freebie' Data Transfer Rate. Sorry about that, just bookmark it and visit my site an hour later or when everyone has gone to bed!

Food for thought,
Phil

 

[DavidGT]

So you got a Toshiba? Cool, me too! You have good taste after all..j/k. HD is not really my forte so you might have to got to the HD forum. But all I know this much...you can only watch certain shows that broadcast in HD like Jay Leno, superbowl, US open finals and things like that. For sure your local stations does not broadcast HD and everyday shows like espn, mtv, etc. I have Directv so I don't much about HD cable, I didn't know they even exist! I know of digital cable which ain't that much better than regular cable. Never heard of HD cable. I don't think it's pure HD. HD cable sounds like an oxymoron. One thing good about Warner cable is that you'll be getting the 24hr tennis channel due out around winter, if you're a fan.

 

[Lew Crippen]

HD cable sounds like an oxymoron.

Cable available to me (this is not all of Dallas) has HBOHD and Showtime HD. They have plans (as do the satellite services) to expand and have more HD available. When that will come is anybody’s guess—I think that it will be a while. I expect that if your cable company has said that they have HD, they do. David is correct in stating that digital cable is sometimes deficient, compared to OTA signals. Neither, sometimes is analog cable.

It is almost always now the case in primetime that there is more in HD than you can watch. Conflicts exist almost every hour in primetime. Sometimes three and even four shows at the same time are telecast in HD. Whether any of the shows are any good is another matter.

 

[Adam_Wolf]

Ok, so for the price, I think I am gonna pick up the AR HC1 system for $199.99 at J&R.

Now I need a receiver. I just found the Pioneer VSX-D811S receiver at 6thavenue electronics for $297.00 BUT, they wont ship for 3 weeks. Or should I just get the Yamaha HTR-5540 from bestbuy for $299.00 and then i can use the no interest financing deal. Or should I get the Denon 1803 for $375?

Im in a quandry!

Plus once I buy the speakers and receiver, what monster cable do I need to connect this, and what cord do i need to hook up my Progressive Scan DVD player up? (opticals). Also what is a nice speaker stand for the AR HC1 rears? Thanks!

 

[Angelo.M]

Adam:

Among the receivers you've listed, the Denon 1803 is your best bet.

-AM

 

[DavidGT]

There you go Adam, listen to Mr. Angelo advice with regards to the 1803. The 1803 is only $60 more than the Yamaha...and why would you want to wait 3 weeks? And you've already saved so much with the HC1. What's another $60?
Ep II DVD will be here next month, you want get everything up and running in time for that spectacle my man. It's gonna be sweet!
As for the stands, I don't think you realize how small and light the AR Sequels are. You can just hang them on the wall just as you would a small picture frame.
Monster is not bad, its just they can be pretty expensive if you just get them at Best Buy or Circuit City.
Go to accessories4less.com for all your cable needs.
Here's a link for Ixos 16G white speaker cable that'll blend with your walls. Ready for this, it's only $20 for 100FT spool:
http://accessories4less.com/aless4/C...501CL&cc=&tpc=
And here's a link for your digital coaxial cable. You don't to mess with optical. It's only $7.50 from your friends at AR:
http://accessories4less.com/aless4/C...2D170&cc=&tpc=
While you're there take a look around for whatever else you may need like subwoofer cable. AR or Ixos would be great. Me, I prefer Ixos or Audio Quest over Monster because Ixos and Audio Quest have a more open-crisp-transparent sound that I like. Monsters are more warmish in sound which is fine if you like that.
C'mon Adam, you need get act quick. Ep II is coming!

 

[DavidGT]

Adam,
You know what..something tells me you really want that Pioneer huh? Well although Pioneer is not exactly on my fav list, Im not going to deny a man of his audio/video pleasure.
At least get it from Onecall.com. They're having a special right now on that model for 10% off.. They didn't list the price on that model which always turn out to be good news so don't be surprised if they tell you $250. And all their merchandise is factory authorized.
I've bought so much crap over the last 10 years for myself, friends, co-workers from you name it: 6th ave, Soundcity, JandR, Crutchfield, Onecall, on and on and one thing I can tell you is that Onecall is second to none in customer service. They double box everything and you can ask them ANYTHING for advice. Very nice folks from Seattle.

 

[Adam_Wolf]

Ok David,

Thanks again! Im gonna make the purchases soon....

I do not want to mount my rear speakers on the wall, Id rather use speaker stands, no matter the size of the speakers. can you, or anyone recommend good speaker stands for the rears and where I can buy them? Ill need them to be probably arountd 3-4 feet high?


i think im gonna go with the AR HC1's from J&R, and either the Denon or Pioneer receiver. I think this should be a decent HT for my 1st setup