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  1. Dean Wette

    Dynaudio 25's and 52tx Elite, add an amp?

    The Dynaudio Special 25 are awesome speakers, possibly among the best bookshelf speakers made. They are wasted without a really high quality amp capable of providing them plenty of power at 4 ohms. A pair of Arcam P1 monoblocks or a Krell would do them justice :D , but there are lots of good...
  2. Dean Wette

    Does DirecTV really need a phone line?

    It doesn't even need the phone line for initial setup unless it's a DirecTivo. I'm currently using a Samsung SIR-TS360 and it's never had a phone line connected at all. Dean
  3. Dean Wette

    Does DirecTV really need a phone line?

    The phone line is used for PPV billing. I've had DirectTV for 6 years, and haven't had a telephone line connected most of that time. You don't need it. Dean
  4. Dean Wette

    Arcam AVR-250

    No, I've really liked it, and it has worked very well for me. I also have fairly demanding speakers (Dynaudio) and the built-in amp does a good job poewering them (even though I've since added external Arcam amps). Maybe the only downside is that you can't layer PLIIx over DTS (it's an...
  5. Dean Wette

    Arcam AVR-250

    I think you won't regret getting a AVR300. I've had one since early May when they came out and love it. Having the preouts makes it nice in case you want to upgrade amplification (for more power, bi-amping, etc.) later on. At first I didn't think I would add external amps, but have ended up...
  6. Dean Wette

    Arcam AVR-250

    The AVR200 and AVR250 are very different. The 200 is an older 5.1 model. The AVR250 is a newer design and full featured 7.1 PLIIx AV receiver, so it has the best of both worlds: very musical and high quality sound, and all or most of the HT features you'd need.
  7. Dean Wette

    Arcam AVR-250

    When I originally auditioned the AVR200 I owned prior to my AVR300, I compared it to the Marantz 9000 series (9100, 9200...can't remember which). Although the Marantz had many more bells and whistles, the AVR200 at MSRP $1199 blew away the Marantz 9x00 at ~$3000 in terms of sound quality. I...
  8. Dean Wette

    Arcam AVR-250

    I used an AVR200 for 18 months and upgraded it to an AVR300 which I've had since May '04. These are excellent units. Mine has been reliable and sounds terrific. If you care about sound quality, Arcam is definitely worth an audition. The AVR250 does not have preouts, but if that's OK with...
  9. Dean Wette

    Testing out EX and ES-- need help

    Master and Commander is what I always use to demo my 7.1 system
  10. Dean Wette

    Need component and analog cables recomendations

    If you want really excellent cables try Transparent Cable, but be prepared for sticker shock. I have a Tranparent premium component cable. On Arcam's $1800 DV79 HDMI player my Transparent cable on component out outperforms the HDMI out (using a Monster HDMI cable).
  11. Dean Wette

    Help! Is this normal for PAL playback on an NTSC TV?

    If you have a US TV, you will need a player that does PAL->NTSC conversion. Most US model TVs cannot display PAL natively (with exception, see below). Arcam players do an excellent job of PAL->NTSC conversion but they are expensive ($1K - $3K). They will also output PAL natively over...
  12. Dean Wette

    Turntable Sound Quality

    The phono catridge produces an electrical signal based on the way the stylus vibrates as it tracks the grooves. The phono preamp boosts that signal to line levels for amplication to the speakers. If you ever make your way to a high end turntable, you'll really experience great sounds, much...
  13. Dean Wette

    list of receivers and their bass management capabilities

    Arcam AVR300: xover from 40-130 Hz in 10 Hz increments
  14. Dean Wette

    list of receivers and their bass management capabilities

    Arcam AVR300: xover from 40-130 Hz in 10 Hz increments
  15. Dean Wette

    Whats better for sound...carpet or timber floors?

    I moved from a house with a carpeted room and dry wall to a house with a hardwood floored room and denser plaster walls. The new room has a large wool area rug. It is more reflective but the sound is more satisfying overall. I get better detail and clarity. My speakers (Dynaudios) have a warm...
  16. Dean Wette

    dvd audio delay - where does it come from?

    Actually, the audio delays are provided to compensate for video processing time in scalars/deinterlacers such as those found in external devices or within digital displays. I don't think longer video cables cause delay any more than speaker cables would for audio.
  17. Dean Wette

    Surround speakers going below 80hz

    The bottom line for my setup is: If I setup my speakers for Small, I have more power available from the amp for the speakers. If I set them to Large, it simply sounds better. Since I have enough amplifier power to drive my speakers to reasonably loud volume levels, I leave them set to Large...
  18. Dean Wette

    Surround speakers going below 80hz

    I disagree, and it doesn't matter how you come to your conclusion. Maybe it's true on your system, but not mine. And the rest of your reasoning doesn't follow my experience either. I've tried it several different ways. One of the very reasons I did change my speakers back to Large is because...
  19. Dean Wette

    Surround speakers going below 80hz

    No, my system sounds better: better detail and clarity, more dynamic, and better imaging. I've tried it both ways and keep coming back to Large settings. When playing LOTR DT-ES and Master and Commander, it sounds less satisfying when setting the surrounds to Small.
  20. Dean Wette

    Surround speakers going below 80hz

    I have surround sides that go down to 45 Hz and and rears that go down to 38Hz. They sound much better when I set them to Large in AVR setup than when I set them to Small to offload bass to the sub. I've also tried setting the surrounds and the center all to Small (fronts go down to 28 Hz)...
  21. Dean Wette

    The great DVD players @ $1000 and up

    All the Arcam players, from the $999 DiVA Dv78 to the $2999 FMJ DV27A are excellent. They also just came out with a HDMI DVD-A player (MSRP $1799). I have the DiVA DV88 Plus (MSRP $1599) and it's awesome, both video and audio, and doubles as a first rate CD player. I'm getting ready to...
  22. Dean Wette

    The Mother Of All DVD Soundtracks??!!!!!!!

    I just upgraded my 5.1 system to 7.1 and have been waiting anxiously for this DVD to come out. Let the assault begin... Dean
  23. Dean Wette

    Breaking in Speakers?

    There have been discussions before about this. Do a search and you should be able to find them. My advice: just enjoy them and stop worrying about it. If they start sounding better from break-in after some use, so much the better. Dean
  24. Dean Wette

    Powering Dynaudio's Audience line

    I have Dynaudio Audience 72/122C/52SE/62/Sub30A speakers. I was using an Arcam AVR200 (MSRP$1200) and it worked great(in a 5.1 setup, first with the 62 as surrounds, then the 52SE). I got plenty of volume that sounded very good. This in a 14' x 22' x 8.5' room. About two weeks, I traded up to...
  25. Dean Wette

    What to buy? High end projector OR low end projector and separates?

    I don't know if this will help much, but I feel spending roughly equal amounts on the audio and video portions of a Home Theater system strikes a pretty good balance. I think a lot of people shortchange the audio and come away with something much less enjoyable than they could have. With that...
  26. Dean Wette

    Not much talk on Arcam stuff here?

    AVR300 is here!!! My AVR300 showed up today. I just got it hooked up, ran through the setup menu, and did some quick speaker delay settings and audio level calibration with an SPL, and threw in LOTR TTT (using DTS ES Discrete). All I can say so far is WOW!!! This thing sounds fantastic...
  27. Dean Wette

    Should I listen to movies in the auto or direct modes found in my receiver

    Typically, non-direct mode is used for DSP processing of digital inputs and is meant for movies. Direct mode, shuts off all processing modes and bypasses DSP circuitry from the analog inputs for better quality sound, and is meant for listening to music. At least that's the way it is for...
  28. Dean Wette

    Questions on Breaking Speakers In

    There's a big thread about this going on over at AVSForum with exchange of insults if you're interested. :angry: Dean
  29. Dean Wette

    Dynaudio's

    The MSRP for Dynaudio Audience 52 is $1000. $800 is the current MSRP for the Audience 42 (and $900 for the 42C). The Audience 52SE are MSRP $1400 (and this is a great deal, since they are really Dynaudio Contours in a Audience cabinet). But these are great speakers!!! You'd be hard...
  30. Dean Wette

    high-end receiver choice

    If your speakers can be bi-amped, consider the forthcoming Arcam AVR300 (100 WPC x 7). If you only want 5.1, you can used the spare 6/7 channels to bi-amp the fronts. The menu system lets you set it up that way. Or you can use the spare two channels to setup a zone 2. Arcam AVR300 Dean Wette
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