Recent content by Torgny Nilsson

Won't the center be as far from the listeners as the other front speakers? If so, why is there a problem with distance? And why not build the center into the bar itself, angled upward slightly if needed toward the listeners' ears? Putting a speaker on a bar, requiring it to be moved somewhere...

The subtitles Robert complains of are not the normal subtitles, but the narrative subtitles (for the hearing-impaired) which the DVD offers and seems to make the default. The normal subtitles do not have the problems mentioned and they are actually very accurate (I am fluent in Swedish and have...

I agree with Al on the preferred speaker purchase order. While a phantom center can suffice, it is far from optimal. For movies, you really do need a timbre-matched center as most of the dialogue comes out of the center rather than out your left and right fronts. But I disagree somewhat with...

The best surround sound processor I have ever heard is EFE's Pro-One. It takes a stereo signal and converts it to 5.1 (it requires no power). I have never heard anything that makes movies and music sound so "live" and so accurate. It is the one piece of audio equipment that my wife urged that we...

If it was your own set-up, I'd say you should go with 12 gauge, but your parents should do fine with what you have done for them.

To go back to your original question: while 2.1 should be fine for music, I think your music will sound better in 5.1, especially given all the CDs and music DVDs being encoded for surround sound. I have very good full-range floorstanding speakers and a good sub but I still listen to music...

Thanks for the info Robert. I am glad that good quality elements survive and that the movie does not need a full restoration. But I suppose my question is then really whether this movie is already out in a version worth buying (if so, which one) or whether some new cleaned-up version is in the...

I have seen that version for sale, but I have not heard anyone compare it to other versions. As far as I know, the Brazilian version is the best version on the market right now. Roger Ebert said in June 2006 that the "Brazilian disc [by Continental I think] is clear enough and a thing of...

I don't trust anyone who tells people that a speaker needs "break-in time". They all too often then go on to tell you that you need some expensive speaker cable to run your speakers. Both are myths. And so is the claim that you don't need a sub with floor-standers. I have never heard of any...

As stated above, you get what you pay for in accurate sound reproduction. I think it is generally well accepted that the following is true: Best: identical speakers all the way around. 2nd best: identical fronts and timbre-matched surrounds. 3rd best: identical L and R front, timbre-matched...

It depends on what you use the speakers for: if you use them for surround music, then you should consider identical, or at least timbre-matched, speakers all around. If you use them for DVD movies, then it is less important, but it can still make a difference and the difference is becoming more...

Another recommendation for SVS (I have one of their cylinder subs). I don't think you can get a better bang for your buck in a sub. But, as stated, HSU and Outlaw also have well-respectged subs and both of them are also known to provide bang for the buck.

Is there any information on the status of the restoration of Orson Welles' "Chimes at Midnight"? A restoration is supposedly near completion, and I have even heard that the DVD may be released in April 2009. But no one seems to be giving out any reliable information. Should people spend $30-$40...

Wonderful movie and the review sums it up well. I can't recommend this movie highly enough to anyone who likes quirky/romantic/funny movies. Plus, not only is it a great movie but it introduced me to the great musical group Gogol Bordello! Great soundtrack!

There are a lot of options for setting up a surround sound system with more or less accuracy. But I am not sure what your point is. All I am trying to say, and all that I hear others trying to say, is that you might have a decent set-up, considering your limitations, if you skip a center or a...