The STEREO home theater thread (1 Viewer)

[LanceJ]

BTW: I realized when I said above larger speakers with up to 12" woofers worked fine with 45 watts/channel, I must have slipped back into the 80s for a couple seconds and was thinking of speakers from companies like Advent, JBL & Pioneer's classic HPM line.

So to correct that I think modern speakers equipped with up to a pair of 6.5" woofers or if efficient enough (probably JBL & Klipsch), dual 8" woofers should work out fine. Their full sonic potential might not be fully realized but they will still have good bass..........just not as much of it as when used with a larger amp.

It's difficult for me to accurately guess at this stuff since I don't know how loud each person likes to listen or how much bass is enough for that same person.

BTW: Denon has a new stereo receiver - the DRA-697Ci (it's big) - that also can control via its remote an iPod (with a Denon docking station) and an XM radio tuner and has all kinds of multiroom capabilities.

BTW2: Denon sells a new 2.0 receiver at Circuit City now, the DRA-37.

 

[LanceJ]

Just to give a new(ish) design from an established company another plug, don't forget Cerwin-Vega's CLS series, with models using woofers all the way to 15". These use completely different tweeters and midranges than their previous speaker lines, the same lines that helped create their "frat boy" image. Reportedly the soft dome tweeter, which uses a copper shorting ring to lessen distortion, is sourced from Vifa a highly respected Danish manufacturer.

According to the tiny smattering of reviews for them that I could find - two to be exact :frowning: - they are still a bit forward sounding but not nearly as brash and in-your-face as their other lines which still have their place for loud metal and bass heavy hip-hop music.

Cerwin nearly went bankrupt a few years ago and I think that and their new owner is what motivated them to try this new direction.

J&R Music sells them, one of the very few regular retailers that do. They don't cost much for what you get (small size is "in" right now, so they just cannot charge as much for these politically-INcorrect speakers) but shipping might get a bit steep for some.

 

[Danny Tse]

I heard/read somewhere that the new CV has involvement from an engineer of NHT.

 

[LanceJ]

Yep according to reprinted press releases I read on Klipsch's discussion forum and posts by an Audioasylum.com member who said he correspondended with the man himself, the engineer who designed the CLS series used to work for NHT. At the same time he was hired, a guy who used to work for Revel was hired as the overall engineering manager (forgot the proper term for that position) for Cerwin-Vega.

When I saw those soft dome tweeters, the first time I've ever seen CV use such a design, and the biamp feature I was pretty sure these would sound different than previous Cerwins. FYI: a lot of audiophiles who own horn-loaded Klipsch & other similar efficient designs biamp these normally rather forward-sounding speakers in a way that helps "tame" them but still provides for lots of realistic thump: they power the mid and tweeter section with certain types of low output tube amps known for their velvety/warm quality, while the woofer is powered by a conventional solid-state amp since bass frequencies demand much more power and don't really benefit from being velvet-ised.

 

[John Mil]

Thanks Lance. Yeah, I was afraid that Pioneer amp would not be enough. It seems like a good integrated that will have the power I need will run me at least $600 and up. So I guess I have to decide if I should just save up more money for a good integrated, or go for a receiver with enough power like the HK 3480 or the Onkyo 8522. I can get either one for about $260. Thanks again for your help.

 

[Danny Tse]

Hmmm....I never considered you can do such an arrangement with the CV speakers. This could be fun.

 

[LanceJ]

With the right components you can still get this

and be able to turn it up even louder because of the added smoothness.

 

[Mark Russ]

That would be Bill Busch, who really designed the 3.3s and the VT-3s.

 

[Mark Russ]

The NAD C720BEE stereo receiver has a sub output, and according to the owner's manual, the "subwoofer output roll-off frequency is 100 Hz at -3 db", whatever that means. I'm guessing a low pass only filter at 100 hz with a 3 db slope.

The new NAD Master Series M3 integrated has a built in crossover selectable between 40, 60, 80, and 100 Hz, the B&K 2 channel pre-amp has a fixed 80 Hz filter, and of course, there's the Outlaw RR2150, but other than those, I personally don't know of any other 2 channel options with any bass management capability, even though there are prolly are a few more out there.

Here's the NAD M3 integrated (drool)

http://nadelectronics.com/products/h...lifier/details

and here's the B&K 2 channel preamp/tuner

http://www.bkcomp.com/preamp_tuner_wesay.asp

One other option for bass management on any 2 channel stereo receiver or integrated amp with pre-ins and outs or a processor loop (and of course, ANY separates) is the NHT X2 outboard crossover

http://nhthifi.com/2006/products/s/x2.html

 

[LanceJ]

wow looks like the marketing people at those companies are paying attention to fans of stereo + sub systems.

Does anyone have experience with AudioSource gear? At the local Frys electronics store they were selling these two components:

2.0 preamp (this has a 2nd set of outputs, for a subwoofer if desired)

2.0 80watt/channel power amp

Mateirally-speaking they felt like they were made well but that is all I can say about them. If anyone has a Frys and they havent been there you ought to check it out: they carry a huge array of "obscure" gear like Onkyo's top A/V receiver (can't remember model #) which goes for $5000 plus an Onkyo power amp then all the way down to an iPod dock that looks - and it looks VERY cool - like it was made during the 1950s; dvd players you've only read about, Cambridge SoundWorks speakers, etc, etc. And the ones here have a restaurant and coffee bar.

 

[Mark Russ]

Bump for the edit to my last post.

 

[John Garcia]

Since I haven't solved my power issue in my new place, my current HT is STEREO.... My GR Research A/V-2s powered by a Marantz PM7200, no sub hooked up at the moment...and this weekend I will dig out the 2900 to fire up a movie for the first time in weeks.

 

[LanceJ]

Mark: that NHT external xover looks very useful. Based on some casual scanning of other forums via google, it looks to be around $300 I guess (there is no price on their page and the links to their 3 authorised dealers don't lead to the X2 anymore & doing a search on those sites results in 0 hits. :frowning: I hope they still sell it).

John: what's your power issue exactly?

 

[John Garcia]

I moved to a new place and when I have high current devices running, I get major voltage sag, to the point where the breaker trips. My Panamax actually disconnected my gear and I haven't even hooked up my monoblocks and sub amp....it read just 90v, the lowest I have ever seen it. The house is ~30 yrs old and likely has some wiring issues. I am in the investigation process now... So far it does not appear to be something simple like I was hoping.

 

[LanceJ]

This may not be your problem, but about 5 years ago in our house (built around 1978) fluorescent lamps slowly got dimmer and dimmer and most obviously, the images on most of the TVs visibly shrank, so EVERY channel was "letter boxed"!

Turns out the main ground for the house had deteriorated and when it was replaced, everything immediately went back to normal.

And you probably know this but just like too much voltage, UNDERvoltage can cause physical damage to certain electronic and electrical gear too.

 

[Danny Tse]

Regarding bass management when a sub is used, wouldn't the Outlaw ICBM be the perfect "processor" in that situation? As I remember, Canadian speaker manufacturers like Paradigm, Mirage, and Energy used to make some inexpensive, like $200.00 - $300.00, electronic crossovers.

 

[LanceJ]

The ICBM was originally intended for multichannel b.m., but I'm pretty sure someone could also use it for stereo applications.

 

[John Garcia]

Many have used it for stereo applications, though it is a bit expensive for that, and it has also been discontinued for about 2 years. I don't know if Paradigm still makes the X-30, but you can find it very cheap used and if you look hard, ICBMs show up every once in a while too.

 

[LanceJ]

If you like to hunt for used gear (or in the following case the *gear* kind of found its new owner) check out what can be found out there:

"Found in the trash: Technics monster receiver" (w/pics)

This SA-800 model has 130 watts per channel but since this receiver weighs @50lbs, this is a real 130 watts, none of this 40Hz-20kHz at 1kHz with .9% THD stuff. And this wasn't even Technics' most powerful model back then --> that was the SA-1000, with 330 watts/channel.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Hey Lance- I looked, but I couldn't find any mention of what HDMI rev it has.