Recent content by mackie

I think you're on the right track. Focus on speakers first then the electronics second. There is no reason a set of speakers can't last 10 years as long as they aren't abused. I helped set-up a friend's system that included a Yamaha receiver, Paradigm Monitor speakers, and a HSU sub. It came out...

Wow... I like the idea of a 70" TV that you can hang on the wall, but it costs $15000. If I wanted a picutre that large, I'd go with a projector, but they don't always work in every room.

Your budget is kind of tight for a good sounding in-wall system. Try the ID brands of SVS and AV123 to see if they have systems that will work. If you can live with bookshelf speakers on stands, it will open up your choices not to mention give you better overall performance.

Your video audio will come from your cable box, satellite box, and DVD player, so you'll want to feed sound from these sources to the pre-pro or receiver. I'm not aware of Plasma or LCD TVs that are as big as you're looking for. Most are in the 42-50 inch range. If they make them larger they...

There are a few good audio stores out there. I wouldn't recommend the big box stores like Best Buy or Circuit City, but some of the local store and smaller chains live and die by customer service. Before going do your research and find out prices and don't buy the first time in the store. Listen...

Don't know about the Denon, but the Squeezebox will let you listen to all your music on your computer wirelessly. It's a really nice product.

Focus first on the speakers you want and spend the majority of you money on that then choose the electronics. The speakers have the biggest impact on your overall sound. Also, modern receivers sound very good and some of the mid level receivers have better specs than some of the budget...

Have fun!

I don't think that receiver will have any problem driving most speakers especially if you're using a sub crossed over at 80 hz. If you plan on running 4ohm, floorstanders at insane levels then you could consider adding an outboard amp. Speaker selection is just to subjective to say which one...

Check out the Denon, Yamaha or Onkyo stereo receivers. For that budget, you'll have a couple of good choices. I owned a Denon 2-ch receiver that worked well with a pair of hard-to-drive floorstanders.

Some people consider this the best approach to sound. Big speakers = big coherent sound that can't be duplicated by other approaches. Of course a good three-way, floorstander or bookshelf/sub combo can sound excellent too. To me the most important aspect of a speaker is the way it sounds to me.

Go listen to as many different brands of speakers as you can then buy the ones you like and fit into your budget. There are a lot of really good choices to choose from. Speaker preference is highly subjective, so you might not like what someone else likes.

I don't think you'd go wrong with any of them. Buy the one you can get the best deal on with the features you like. Your speakers have much more impact on the sound than the receiver as long as the receiver is functioning properly and not being over driven. Most modern, mid-level and higher...

What speakers are you using? Denon, Yamaha, and Onkyo have several stereo receivers, and I believe NAD also makes a integrated amp in that price range. You can also go to Audiogon and look for used equipment. You might be able to pick up a nice pre-amp and amp for that price range from adcom...

Go to a local dealer, not BB or CC, and speak with a sales person. Most of the major brands have speaker lines that will work. As John stated, small speakers won't give you the best performance. Good thing is there are a number of really good sounding speakers in your price range. Check on...