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  1. David_Rivshin

    Bookshelf Speaker Hunt

    I own Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1 mains, which I'm very happy with, and are in the range of your budget ($850-950, depending on finish). http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/SRM1/srm1.html I'm not sure if this might be important to you, but one nice (and unusual) thing about...
  2. David_Rivshin

    Pacific Rim (2013)

    I so want this to be good. Too often I'll see a trailer or preview of an upcoming film and thing "that could be really cool if it's done right", only to have it turn out to, shall we say, not be done right. If this was a Bay film I would not have my hopes up, but given del Toro's track record my...
  3. David_Rivshin

    Gladiator BD exchange

    I think you're fine. The definitive way to tell is to look at the disc itself. On the hub of the data side there will be a long identification number. It's hard to see, but if you hold it up to a light at the right angle you should be able to read it. If it ends in "B1R1" it's the original...
  4. David_Rivshin

    Feedback on Sierra-1s? Hsu Enthusiast? Others?

    I have Sierra-1 (in the "natural" finish) for my LCR, so I obviously think they're a good value for their price. My side and rear surrounds are CBM-170's, which blend well with the Sierra-1's. Part of my decision do go with Ascend speakers was due to it being a relatively small and personal...
  5. David_Rivshin

    Pre/Pro suggestions - forced upgrade

    Honestly, if the 4311CI had been $1150 at the time, I would probably have gotten that instead of the NR3008. There are a few ways in which the 4311CI seemed better in my research: No worries about relays clicking being annoying Has an easy way to use the Audyssey "flat" EQ target, vs the...
  6. David_Rivshin

    Pre/Pro suggestions - forced upgrade

    Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I was recently in the market for a pre/pro myself, and I ended up getting an Onkyo TX-NR3008. The main reason for me was that I wanted Audyssey XT32, and very few AVRs or pre/pro's have that right now. The nr3008 happened to be the least expensive of those...
  7. David_Rivshin

    Spyder Colormeter

    I believe the EyeOne Display LT sensor (same sensor is sold in alot of other packages/brands as well) is considered more accorate than the spyder. The software that comes with such devices is geared towards auto-calibrating a PC monitor (by modifying the LUT), but the sensors can be used for...
  8. David_Rivshin

    NEW Panasonic blu-ray BD60 & BD80 for pre-order at Crutchfield

    I notice that the panasonic remotes still lack a dedicated subtitle button, which seemed to be a concern for many with the previous models. It's strange they wouldn't add that, as I'd think it'd be a pretty simple thing to do. FYI, Crutchfield also has the new Samsung BD-P1600 and BD-P3600 up...
  9. David_Rivshin

    LeRoi Moore - More details about his death

    Ever since I heard the news, I couldn't listen to any DMB, still somewhat in denial. Just a few minutes ago I went and put in my Live at Piedmont Park DVD, going straight to track 11 - The Dreaming Tree. Besides being one of my very favorite songs (by anyone), and seeming appropriate for so many...
  10. David_Rivshin

    RIP LeRoi Moore

    This is very sad news indeed. LeRoi was part of what made DMB so unique, and some of my favorite moments were when his sax took center stage. He will certainly be missed by me, and I'm sure many, many, others. My condolences go out to all who knew him. I do hope they release an official...
  11. David_Rivshin

    Speaker stands or mounts for rear speakers

    I've recently been looking for some tall stands for rears as well. These are currently at the top of my list: MS-45B2 Studio Monitor Stand Although at $200 street price, I'm considering just building my own stands out of MDF instead. Some other options you might be interested in: SMS-6000...
  12. David_Rivshin

    what to replace CD changer with?

    There's a couple of ways these types of devices work. Most of them can pull music (or video) files off a computer you have in the same or other room via the network (wired or wireless) connection. Some of them can have music (or video) pushed to them via software running on a computer, using the...
  13. David_Rivshin

    what to replace CD changer with?

    There are a number of networked "media players" available these days, although most seem to focus more on the video rather than the audio side. Even still, they should do fine with audio if you use a digital connection to your preamp/receiver. And for me, personally, support for FLAC is a...
  14. David_Rivshin

    OLED and Laser Displays

    I seem to recall reading something about an OLED factory being built that should enable monitor or TV sized display production. I haven't located that info, but when searching around for it I did run across this: OLED history | OLED-Info If a 14" display is $3K in 2008, I'm almost afraid to ask...
  15. David_Rivshin

    OLED and Laser Displays

    There were a few displays of OLED screens I saw at CES, and I have to say I'm looking forward to the day a OLED TV's are available (and affordable). Samsung had the largest one I saw, at 31 inches, but they were not allowing anyone to take pictures. They were also not giving any type of a...
  16. David_Rivshin

    Time for New HD Audio music format?

    I've been hoping that BD (or HDDVD) would be used as a high-quality audio platform ever since I saw their audio specs. Even just going with PCM audio (which all players support), BD can go up to 8 channels at 96kHz/24bit, or 6 channels at 192kHz/24bit. There's already been a few concerts...
  17. David_Rivshin

    From CES: Panasonic working on 4-layer 100GB BD-R (Blu-Ray recordable) technology

    I was also curious as to what use the extra 50GB could be put to, so I wondered about what a max-bitrate encoding would take. Basically a BD superbit type concept. This has the data transfer rate numbers for BD: Blu-ray.com - Blu-ray FAQ. The maximum bitrate for BD A/V is 54Mbps, but only...
  18. David_Rivshin

    From CES: Panasonic working on 4-layer 100GB BD-R (Blu-Ray recordable) technology

    Disclaimer: This is entirely from memory, so I could easily be remembering some details incorrectly. I just got back from CES last night/this morning, and I'm surprised I haven't seen this particular piece of information mentioned anywhere. Apologies if I've missed it in another thread as...
  19. David_Rivshin

    testing coaxial cables

    This may be a silly question, but you did disconnect both ends of the cable when checking for continuity, right? Assuming so, then continuity between the shield and the center conductor is definitely a bad thing. You might have gotten one of the strands of the shield wrapped around the center...
  20. David_Rivshin

    Weekly RoundUp 8-14-2007

    Since you included Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds Live at Radio City under SD-DVD, I figured I should mention it's also available on Blu-Ray, although it's not being released for another 2 weeks. links: http://davematthewsband.shop.musicto...&pc=DM103COMBO...
  21. David_Rivshin

    Futurama Direct to DVD movies

    This news really made my day. I found some more detailed info here: http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/07/28/co...-panel-report/ I, for one, absolutely can't wait for these to start getting released. Even though I own all the existing DVDs, I still end up watching the episodes in syndication on CN...
  22. David_Rivshin

    How to pick a Universal Remote

    Make sure to check out www.remotecentral.com while doing your research, the reviews and forums there are an excellent resource for all things remote related. Good luck in your search, -- Dave
  23. David_Rivshin

    Audio storage devices

    I've recently been looking into such devices for my own needs. I currently have a 200CD changer, but I'd like to replace that with a media client for convenience. My thought process has followed down this general path, which I hope you'll find useful: Since I don't want to sacrifice sound...
  24. David_Rivshin

    Warner Home Video Tom & Jerry Replacement Program (UPDATE 1/30/07 POST #134)

    I've got my envelope from the replacement of Vol 2 sitting here. The destination address label reads: Warner Home Video 400 Del NorteBlvd. Oxnard, Ca 93030 And yes, there is a missing space between "Norte" and "Blvd.", which I'm mildly amused by. FYI, there is also a 6 digit number on...
  25. David_Rivshin

    Why does DVD packaging suck so much?

    I agree with most of the complaints listed in this thread so far. But, strangely enough, the hassle has almost turned into a ritual. Getting ready to watch a new DVD for the first time, removing the shrink-wrap, and carefully pealing off any security stickers. It's almost zen... And then I spend...
  26. David_Rivshin

    Brownouts dangerous?

    Yes, and yes. Brownouts are very dangerous, and most electronics deal with severe undervoltage poorly. Of course, it's also quite possible that there was a quick spike that went right through the cheap surge protector; they're not always very fast about blowing, or it could have just failed...
  27. David_Rivshin

    Vibration isolation...?

    I can't speak to the SubDude, although it does look interesting, but for your question about where to get a cheap slab of marble: I just went down to my local Home Depot. An 16" tile fits under the SVS cylinder subs perfectly, and I believe I paid only a few dollars for a nice heavy slate one...
  28. David_Rivshin

    Discovery Atlas HD series coming soon to HD-DVD and Blu-Ray

    I noticed an advertisement while watching of Atlas HD: Italy saying that it will be available on DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray. A quick check of discovery.com shows the following release dates: China: DVD available now HD-DVD/BRD estimated 10/25 Italy: DVD estimated 10/30 HD-DVD/BRD estimated 11/08...
  29. David_Rivshin

    With CD sales still in a slump, will the industry give DVD-A or SACD a second chance?

    Actually, that's not entirely true. By using what are known as Head Related Transfer Functions (HRTF) surround sound can be accomplished with only 2 speakers. It's the same concept as when you deliver a different rendition of an visual scene to each eye to create a 3D image; you simply deliver a...
  30. David_Rivshin

    With CD sales still in a slump, will the industry give DVD-A or SACD a second chance?

    One thing I'm looking to come out of HD-DVD and/or Blu-Ray, is a resurgence in high-res audio discs. High-res audio disks in either HD format should, in a few years, have a much higher potential audience than DVD-A and SACD had, since anyone who owns an HD player would be able to play them. Now...
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