DonQ
Auditioning
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2010
- Messages
- 6
- Real Name
- Patrick
I finally got fed up with my 5 year old, off-the-shelf JVC "home theater system" that doesn't even piss off my roommate at full volume, let alone my neighbors, and decided to upgrade. I recently purchased a Pioneer VSX-819H-K 550W 5.1 (7.1) receiver, mated with the Klipsch Quintet III speaker set and a Sony SW2500 100w 10" sub. Now that my buyer's remorse is kicking in (which it always does with purchases over $80... and this one being over $800 so far), I have a few questions regarding my gear and the setup.
First of all, how is the Pioneer regarded? From everything I've read so far, the only ding it has is that the iPod on-screen menu (which most receivers don't even have!) requires a composite video cable to the TV in order to display. Weird, and mildly inconvenient, but nothing more than a minor annoyance. The reason why I went with this receiver is mainly for the 3 HDMI inputs, which seems like about the best you can do for receivers in this price range, not to mention the solid lack of negative reviews.
Next, what is the difference between operating wattage and peak wattage? The speakers are rated at 50w, with 200w peak (300w peak for the center)... so, am I in danger of damaging them with 110w/ch? What does "peak" really mean in regard to speakers?
Also, what gauge should I be using to wire them up? And should I go with solder-type banana clips, or can I get away with solder-less?
For my surround setup, let me just say that I have an oddly shaped living room. Is the MCACC able to compensate for the left surround being 3 feet to my left and a little forward, and the right surround being 6 feet to my right and a little to the rear? Does the mic have to be right at the listening area? It only came with a 4 foot cord.
Is 7.1 significantly different over 5.1? The receiver has a pre-amp out for two rear-surround (or just one, for a 6.1) speakers and a really cool audio mixing setting to incorporate the surrounds with the rear-surrounds, to phase the sound together and make it sound like it's coming from a rear-diagonal like it's supposed to. But, with my crazy-stupid living room, would this even work do you think? The instruction booklet even says it may not for certain setups, but it's written in such way that it just sounds like a "don't sue us" disclaimer. Anyway, is 7.1 (when it works correctly) worth the extra couple hundred dollars over the 5.1? Is there a lot of 7.1 out there, or will most of everything I see be downgraded to 5.1 anyway?
I'm also looking to add a Blu-ray to my setup. Please don't laugh is this is a stupid question in this company, but is the PS3 "adequate"? I put that in quotes because I am not a home-theater guru or an audio- or -videophile. I've heard the framerate on the PS3 (60??) will cause artifacts in slow panning shots, but I also read that the framerate is adjustible. Anyway, I don't currently own a PS3 (just a stupid, twice-broken 360, that doesn't even have HDMI capability anymore), and was thinking of getting one anyway. Am I going to be sad with the Blu-ray quality? Ohh, and how is the upconvert?
Thank you all in advance for your responses.
First of all, how is the Pioneer regarded? From everything I've read so far, the only ding it has is that the iPod on-screen menu (which most receivers don't even have!) requires a composite video cable to the TV in order to display. Weird, and mildly inconvenient, but nothing more than a minor annoyance. The reason why I went with this receiver is mainly for the 3 HDMI inputs, which seems like about the best you can do for receivers in this price range, not to mention the solid lack of negative reviews.
Next, what is the difference between operating wattage and peak wattage? The speakers are rated at 50w, with 200w peak (300w peak for the center)... so, am I in danger of damaging them with 110w/ch? What does "peak" really mean in regard to speakers?
Also, what gauge should I be using to wire them up? And should I go with solder-type banana clips, or can I get away with solder-less?
For my surround setup, let me just say that I have an oddly shaped living room. Is the MCACC able to compensate for the left surround being 3 feet to my left and a little forward, and the right surround being 6 feet to my right and a little to the rear? Does the mic have to be right at the listening area? It only came with a 4 foot cord.
Is 7.1 significantly different over 5.1? The receiver has a pre-amp out for two rear-surround (or just one, for a 6.1) speakers and a really cool audio mixing setting to incorporate the surrounds with the rear-surrounds, to phase the sound together and make it sound like it's coming from a rear-diagonal like it's supposed to. But, with my crazy-stupid living room, would this even work do you think? The instruction booklet even says it may not for certain setups, but it's written in such way that it just sounds like a "don't sue us" disclaimer. Anyway, is 7.1 (when it works correctly) worth the extra couple hundred dollars over the 5.1? Is there a lot of 7.1 out there, or will most of everything I see be downgraded to 5.1 anyway?
I'm also looking to add a Blu-ray to my setup. Please don't laugh is this is a stupid question in this company, but is the PS3 "adequate"? I put that in quotes because I am not a home-theater guru or an audio- or -videophile. I've heard the framerate on the PS3 (60??) will cause artifacts in slow panning shots, but I also read that the framerate is adjustible. Anyway, I don't currently own a PS3 (just a stupid, twice-broken 360, that doesn't even have HDMI capability anymore), and was thinking of getting one anyway. Am I going to be sad with the Blu-ray quality? Ohh, and how is the upconvert?
Thank you all in advance for your responses.