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  1. Barrett

    Which 32"-37" LCD: Olevia, Vizio, or Westinghouse?

    Hello all, I'm in the market for a larger (32" or 37") LCD. This won't be my primary theater display -- I've got a great 53" CRT RPTV. The LCD will be for the playroom/guest room. We'll use it to view some TV (Dish), play video games, and watch some HD football on weekends when my wife has...
  2. Barrett

    Philips 32" curved screen HD monitor at Wal-Mart -- impressions?

    Hello all, My mom&pop-in-law are in the market for a 32" TV. I think I can convince them to spend $800, but not a penny more. Wal-Mart is carrying a 32" Philips HD-ready set with a standard curved screen. Does anyone have any experience with this set? I'm keeping an eye on Samsung HD...
  3. Barrett

    Deciding between 6 sets, need help

    I own the Sony 53HS30, and I do recommend it. I compared it side-by-side with the 53" Hitachi 4:3, and I just liked the Sony better. Now understand that I took along my Avia calibration disc to properly set the user picture controls on both sets, and I used a Pioneer Elite DV-37 for my...
  4. Barrett

    looking for bookshelf, 5.25 inch cones, cherry, under 250 bucks

    How about the Polk RT15i? I haven't heard these speakers, but Polk's website (www.polkaudio.com) indicates that they have a 3/4-inch tweeter and a 5 1/4-inch woofer, they're available in a real cherry wood finish, and they retail at $119.95 each. You might give 'em a look. If I remember...
  5. Barrett

    Looking for speaker companies with best bang for buck values

    Have you considered Monitor Audio? I own a set of their Silver i series and love them. Their entire lineup has been pretty heavily reviewed in print and online over the last 2-3 years, and I haven't seen a bad review yet. In particular, you could buy a pair of Silver 5i (floorstanding) mains, a...
  6. Barrett

    Optical Cables

    John, I've always been of the opinion that an optical digital cable is an optical digital cable. It's very easy for your receiver to distinguish a "1" (light on) vs. a "0" (light off), even if an inexpensive cable absorbs a little more of that light signal than would a more expensive cable...
  7. Barrett

    Need speakers 500-800 what do you suggest?

    You can get ~$800 satellite-and-subwoofer speaker packages from many respected speaker manufacturers. Energy (Take 5.2), Mirage (AVS-500), Sound Dynamics (CINE-Series), Paradigm (System One), and PSB (mix & match from the Alpha series) all come to mind. For a little more -- $999 -- you could...
  8. Barrett

    Why didn't I see an improvement using s-video?

    Ted, Don't go waste money on a more expensive S-video cable; if you couldn't discern a difference between composite and S with a Radio Shack Gold cable, you won't discern a difference with any S-video cable. Here are a couple of obvious things you could look for to try and see the difference...
  9. Barrett

    5 channel amp in the $900-1400 (retail) range? I'm leaning toward Marantz. Others?

    Dan_C, Hopefully you've noticed a similar thread that is active in this forum right now, titled "I am ready to buy an amp!!! I need a few recomendations." Recommendations listed there include Anthem, Marantz, Outlaw, Parasound, and Rotel (including my own experience with the superb Rotel...
  10. Barrett

    CD player vs. DVD player for music

    Also be aware that a lot of DVD players can't play CD-Rs and/or CD-RWs; almost any CD player will play CD-Rs. If burning your own CDs is important to you, make sure you're looking for a DVD player with CD-R/RW playback capability; if you've already got a DVD player, and it doesn't have this...
  11. Barrett

    What is the virtue of buying a higher end receiver as opposed to a lower end one?

    Although there can be noticeable differences in sound quality between $2000+, $1000, and $500 receivers, that's obviously not the only difference. As a (perhaps overly broad) generalization, the flagship receivers are intended for large listening rooms, even full-blown dedicated home theaters...
  12. Barrett

    I am ready to buy an amp!!! I need a few recomendations

    I'll cast another vote for Rotel. I own the RB-985MkII that you listed in your original post, and I love it! I used it to upgrade the amplifiers in my Sony STR-DA50ES receiver (sold for $1000 about 3 years ago), driving Monitor Audio Silvers in front, Mirage satellites in back. Despite the...
  13. Barrett

    Need help selecting HD RPTV

    Steve S., Thanks -- the info I'd been able to find on the Sonys and Toshibas looked promising, but didn't answer all my questions. I hadn't been looking at Hitachi, but I'll go check 'em out. How would you rate them in terms of picture quality (specifically, line doublers, comb filters, and...
  14. Barrett

    Need help selecting HD RPTV

    Hello all, I don't frequent this forum much -- spend a lot more time at the more general Home Theater Hardware forum -- but figured y'all would be the experts to help me answer my questions. I think I'm ready for a high-def-ready RPTV (or "HD monitor," or whatever they're calling them these...
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