1st (real) ht build (in progress) need help (1 Viewer)

[mrhtguy]

I must start off saying that until recently, i have been living a lie. I thought that the ht-in-a-box systems were almost as good as the high end stuff and that all dvd players were essentially created equal. **insert laughter**

begin backstory-

i am in the process of finishing the first stage of my 1st system. I just bought a pioneer elite 91txh reciever, i just bought a used set of pioneer elite speakers. it consist of 2 f700's, 1 c700, 4 s700's and 2 rbh ts-12ap subs.

i have inspected the f700's and needed to do some minor repairs to them. on their internal amps, 2 of the inducters have degraded over time and they were just kind of dangling toughing the inducters below them. the wires were not broken and showed resistence when i put the meter on the board terminals. i gently put them back into position and secured them using a hot glue gun.

*note: if any of you own f700's you may want to check for the same thing on your inducters as well.

one of the iris tweeters were blown on one of the f700's. luckily pioneer still has some in stock and i am awaiting it's arrival.

nothing looked wrong with the c700 and i haven't cracked open the rbh's yet for visual inspection.

more stuff i have:

i have a sony AV commander to control everything, i have a pair of monster HTS1000 protected power strips, i have a panasonic 56 inch lcd projection tv 1080i and i have a generic DVD player for now. I need to replace the dvd player with a quality one and get a ups for the tv.

-end backstory.


all i can say is wow, even with the blown tweeter and less than proper configuration, everything sounds amazing! i have been living a lie up until now.


QUESTIONS:

1. the integrated amps for the 2 f700's and the 1 c700, if i buy a cheap power strip and plug them into the switched ac output on my reciever, will that be ok? Meaning those 3 devices have no danger of overloading that one recepticle?

2. when i bought the reciever, i did not have a manual for it but this is what i gather. On the 2 f700's, it appears the built-in subs are not working properly but it isn't a functional problem, just a configuration problem i believe.

i noticed when i disable the subs output in the setup, the built-in ones on the f700 will come to life. problem is the other subs have no signal then b/c the reciever shuts the sub preamp output off.

my first thought would be to splice the pre-amps and run them off of the f700's but once the volume was turned up, i fear the high input signal would blow the output transistors on the built-in amps in the rbh subs.

my second thought is the rbh subs also have wired inputs and to either series or paralell them off of the f700's but again i fear at that moment, it may blow the reciever since i do not believe it was designed for that kind of output load.

my third thought, is there some kind of inline device out there that i can use to say put in line with the f700's, convert to preamp and keep input levels at preamp specs? if that can be done then the extra preamp load on the reciever output would be negligable i believe.

your thoughts, suggestions?????

3. on the dvd player i want to get. i am torn between 2 models the pioneer elite dv-59 avi and the pioneer elite dv-58 av. which is better? I know that is kind of a broad question so i will let you know what i am looking for. I am looking for whichever one delivers better multi-channel sound performance for
dvd movies. i know the 58 is newer but the 59 seemed to have some high end hardware in it that seemed to rival the newer stuff.

4. Which of the 2 dvd players is more receptive to "mods" or which one would end up better after modding. again i do not mean in general but for multi-channel sound performance.

thanx in advance for the advice.

 

[mrhtguy]

nvm about question 2. i was able to tweak the eq settings to force the reciever to send bass signals to the f700's with the subs enabled.

 

[Robert_J]

1. The switched power on the receiver is NOT designed to run amps of any size.
2. Can you set your mains to run full range? That doesn't shut off the receiver's LFE output, it just sends the extremely low frequencies from the mains to your F700's. When watching a movie, the LFE channel will still be sent to the subs....I see you answered this one yourself.
3. I don't know but it sure isn't a basic question. Most questions we get here are "How do I connect a speaker to a receiver?".
4. Again, not basic and I don't know.

-Robert

 

[JohnRice]

A couple things. On #3, the movie sound performance will mostly be a function of the receiver, which is actually decoding the audio. The DVD player basically just takes the data off the disc and passes it to the receiver when you use a digital audio connection.

#4) What kind of mods are you talking about? I can't think of anything to for audio in that area. Possibly this goes back to #3.

Finally, you seem intent on having an entirely Pioneer system. That is probably a mistake. Different companies are strong in different areas and with different components.

 

[mrhtguy]

what is the switched outlet on the back of the reciever designed to run? i really didn't think the 3 amps consumed that much power so good thing i ask then?

i suppose i can get a cheap powerstrip with a switch on it to at least switch all 3 of the amps on/off at once b/c if they are left at idle when the reciever is turned off, there is a audible hum to them.



Robert, i will put the last 2 questions elsewhere as well.

John, what is the purpose of all those expensive chipsets put on the DVD players if the reciever does everything?

also you are correct, i am shooting for mostly pioneer. I see a really good value with the pioneer products i bought so far. the reciever was near mint and it only costed me $325, the speakers are in very good shape minus a couple small issues with the f700's still a good value. The entire speaker system set me back $1200 but it was more luck and chance than bargaining skills. i especially like the RBH subs, so it will not be ALL pioneer.

of the 2 dvd players mentioned, which of the 2 is overall better then? resolution doesn't count b/c my tv only goes to 1080i which both models are capable of doing.

i am thinking the older one seems better.

my tv is a panasonic and it was scored for $1200 shipped(new from amazon) over a year ago.

Any suggestions on non-pioneer dvd players for $325 or less new or near mint?

lastly, in your opinions what is the pecking order then for the major brands?

thx.

 

[Robert_J]

It takes so reading here to determine who has had experience with the equipment and/or specs. For example, I have only heard Pioneer speakers that came with my system in 1989. I'm sure yours are great but I wouldn't give them a second look based on what is recommended here.

Subs are a different story though. I've never technically heard an SVS sub but I will recommend them in a heartbeat. I've used drivers from their former build house as well as hand built models from their current driver designer in subs that I have built. I know his work and it is beyond excellent. Same with Epik Subwoofers. I've had dealings with both the owner as well as his driver supplier.

-Robert

 

[JohnRice]

Movies have two main elements. Audio, the stuff you hear, and video, the stuff you see. Most of the time (unless you are listening to an SACD or DVD-Audio disc) the DVD player is basically just taking the audio data off the disc and passing it on to the receiver. Most of the expensive chipsets are dedicated to video. They also have audio chips, but most of that burdon under normal circumstances is left to the receiver.

 

[mrhtguy]

on those power strips, what should i use for a search text then? current sense powerstrip or auto switching power strip? etc..

 

[Robert_J]

Something like "Smart power strip" or "power strip switched outlets". But here is one that I found link. I know nothing about the company of the quality of the product in the link. It is just the first power strip with switched outlets that I found.

-Robert

 

[mrhtguy]

hey thx. $36 isn't too bad. i will probably get one.

 

[Kevin Stewart]

I don't want to ruin your enthusiasm, but a "real home theater' is a room, not just equipment.

How's your light control? Seating? Room Treatments? Etc.