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  1. Bob McElfresh

    AVR Overload

    Have you defined your left/right/center as LARGE? Try defining them as SMALL so the self-powered sub will try to handle the low-frequency duties. I have heard of times where an input voltage is so large a spike that a receiver shuts down even if it has not amplified the spike and over-heated...
  2. Bob McElfresh

    Treatment: Better diffusion or absorption?

    Hi Marco. A very good book on this topic is "Sound Studio Construction on a Budget" by F. Alton Everest. (This guy wrote the definitive Master Acoustics Handbook). The book has some background information about room acoustics then about a dozen plans/ideas for sound studios, and 3 for home...
  3. Bob McElfresh

    New and need HELP

    THX Certification - I give mad props to Lucas for creating the one and only standard that I know about for movie theaters. But consumer equipment - many good names exceed THX specs, but the manufacturer does not pay the $$$$$ to get the units certified. Does the 606 or 607 have the...
  4. Bob McElfresh

    New and need HELP

    Hi Jim. Well - that room is a bit of an acoustic challenge. We have all tried to make combo living room and home theater rooms and while they do work, a dedicated HT in a spare bedroom usually works better. If you buy modest but decent speakers - they travel. Never let someone try to...
  5. Bob McElfresh

    TV Screen Protector for large format TV – please help to find the best one.

    Hi Nick. When I bought my first RPTV, I framed Velcro on the sides (leaving top/bottom open for venting) and bought anti-glare plastic from a plastic shop. The thing survived my 3 daughters and it is very easy to remove and was 1/3 the price of the custom screen protector the company offered...
  6. Bob McElfresh

    How to determine if its a good receiver ???

    The old rule was power and weight. The heavier receiver would handle high power duties and stay cool. Today - it's about number of HDMI connections, video up-conversion and auto-calibration. Onkyo has been impressing a lot of people for packing tons of bells into their receivers and...
  7. Bob McElfresh

    New Egg Sale - YAMAHA RX-V665 7.2 - $499 Worth it?

    Onkyo has been shocking the industry with their TX-SR receivers by packing tons of features into a sub $500 receiver. The 665 is Yamahas response and yamaha is a great brand. The SVS speaker set is a great choice (the set was on someones 'best of the year' list last Jan). But dont be afraid...
  8. Bob McElfresh

    Yamaha 591BL any good?

    Hi Saurabh - welcome to HTF. Usually there is only a slight difference between a unit and the "a" or +1 unit so I would imagine the 591 is not much different with the exception of fixing a problem or two. My own observation is that the Yamaha electronics are great but they seem to save...
  9. Bob McElfresh

    need help with speaker placement and adjusting powered sub.

    Hi Tim. Sub placement is kind of critical for good bass response so perhaps moving the sub will help. Here is a technique: - Disable all the speakers except the sub. - Move the main couch/seat out of the way and put the sub in this location. - Fire up a bass-heavy movie, turn off the...
  10. Bob McElfresh

    Help with Speakers - size and budget constraints

    Hi Michael. Welcome to HTF! Well - a couple of problems here... - Speakers do not sound too good when put into a cabinet. The sides do vibrate and generate sound to the sides and back and this creates a unpleasant echo sound. - Ideally all your speakers will be the same make and model...
  11. Bob McElfresh

    Newbie needs help with config

    Hi Michael. Welcome to HTF! You need to be careful as some of the panasonic and Sony 'box' systems use fairly non-standard speakers which are not designed to be swapped out. Check the impedance and do NOT use them if the speaker impedance is below 4 ohms. A line of receivers which has...
  12. Bob McElfresh

    Should I go with the Epson 72???

    Hi John - welcome to HTF! These projectors are outstanding for parties and special event showings. I cannot give personal recommendation on the equipment so I am going to move this post over to the Display Devices fourm where more people will projectors hang out. It will totally 'hold up'...
  13. Bob McElfresh

    newbies need help

    Hi Guys. Welcome to HTF! I'm afraid I cannot personally give too much advice on CRT front projectors other than general rules about flat brown or burgundy colors for the wall behind the screen and the room needs good light control. Head over to the "Display Devices" and these front...
  14. Bob McElfresh

    Sony DAV-DZ120K speaker connectivity query

    Hi Umesh. Welcome to HTF! I'm afraid that 'box' system does not let you replace parts, add outboard speakers, add another DVD player, etc. The ability to mix and match is one of the things you gave up with the low price. For example - that unit puts the DVD drive and the amp in 1 box. Most...
  15. Bob McElfresh

    "Bruising" around the mouth

    Hi Luth. That is a strange problem. Is the projector a DLP unit? Some DLP televisions have a 'clay-face' problem where things look funny. The proper color settings have to be customized for your equipment and cabling. Get a setup DVD like "Digital Video Essentials" and go through the...
  16. Bob McElfresh

    hdmi feedback to dish dvr reciever

    Hi Gary. Welcome to HTF. I have not heard of this problem with HDMI as it is a digital connections and should NOT cause a popping sound. There is often a break in the sound when switching channels but not usually a popping sound. I suspect the problem may be in the software inside the LG...
  17. Bob McElfresh

    Starting off with something small..

    Hi Brian. Welcome to HTF. I'm afraid I have not read any reviews on the glasses you mention. But the Movie world is a-buzz with info about 3D movies coming out to theaters and disks so you might want to hold off and see if other products come out and dominate. As to your other concern: my...
  18. Bob McElfresh

    KLIPSCH KSW-12 or BIC Acoustech H-100 12"

    Hi Bill. I actually owned a KSW-12 for a few weeks but found it to be boomy and not very good. Whats the price range? Some better respected brands of subs are SVS and HSU Research and I believe both of these have B-stock subs in the $400 range.
  19. Bob McElfresh

    Simple Subwoofer Question

    No problem - we have all been confused by all the options. Glad to help.
  20. Bob McElfresh

    Fairly Basic Audio setup questions.

    Al gave some great suggestions :emoji_thumbsup: By all means - keep that receiver so you have the money for the speakers. There is nothing wrong with that Sony 5.1 receiver except that it does not have the later HDMI and auto-calibration setup stuff. In Canada - you have some great...
  21. Bob McElfresh

    planing a HT setup

    Hi Doug - welcome to HTF! Wow - you have done your homework. You do need a dual-zone receiver to do exactly what you are talking about. And the Onkyo is at the top of a lot of recommended lists right now. Speakers: Here you have a problem. You do NOT want to mix different brands or...
  22. Bob McElfresh

    Simple Subwoofer Question

    Hi James - Welcome to HTF! All you really need to do is run an RCA cord to the blue "LFE In" jack on the back of the sub. Insert the other end into an RCA jack on the back of the receiver that says "LFE out" or "SUBWOOFER OUT". Then turn the volume/intensity on the sub up to about 50%...
  23. Bob McElfresh

    Extending Subwoofer cable

    Subwoofer frequencies are the lowest of the low and only have to carry signals between 10-120 hz which is almost flat. Any cable works. The only thing I have seen is that subwoofer cables seem to like really tight connections so you might check for this with your barrel connector and a 4 ft...
  24. Bob McElfresh

    Infinity IL60 Floor Speakers not working?

    Hi Jay. "green light" - does this mean you have powered-towers? The speakers have an AC power cord? Check the power cord and then check the back of the speakers for a fuse-cover. Chances are the fuse is broken. Take it out and go to Radio Shack or a good hardware store for a replacement.
  25. Bob McElfresh

    Need advice: Sony or Klipsch speakers?

    In general - Klipsch is a speaker company while Sony is .. kind of an add-on business. So I tend to always recommend buying speakers from speaker companies.
  26. Bob McElfresh

    Black & White DVD picture

    I believe one pin in the SVideo cable is the picture in black and white while the other wire is the color difference. A new SVideo cable might tell you if the cable is bad or shorting. Your bigger problem: your DVD player may have a problem or your Scart jack. Trying a new SVideo cable...
  27. Bob McElfresh

    Home Theater Setup options and recomendations

    Hi Shawn. A line of receivers that has been getting nods from magazines and users alike for its tons of features for low price is the Onkyo TX-SR 505, 605, 705 receivers. They start at about $380 and go to about $600. They may be cheaper because the updated 06 series is out.
  28. Bob McElfresh

    Outdated Equipment

    Hi Chloe - welcome to HTF! First - older equipment without HDMI switching, auto calibration, iPod, XM sat, connections, etc are not worth too much. On the good side - DD5.1 (the type of sound from your DVD player) is built into all HDTV programming. And while that equipment is older - it...
  29. Bob McElfresh

    "TERMINATOR: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" Season 2 Thread

    I love how the power is off, but the girl was able to print email to prove her father was involved with cybernetics business. Yes -there were some plot-device problems. But it was a better episode than most. It is strange - but the better shows hardly have Sara in them at all.
  30. Bob McElfresh

    Advice - Martin Logans ?

    Hi Rich. 1) No you do not need to buy the same Mfg subwoofer as the others. These do not need to tone match. 2) Dont buy nice left/right speakers unless you plan on buying 3 more. It's rather more important IMHO that the 5 speakers match rather than using a mix of high-end speakers. When...
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