You people are trouble! (1 Viewer)

[Ryan Wright]

Yeah, that's right. You're a bunch of troublemakers - all of you.
A month ago I was explaining why I never venture out of the After Hours Lounge: I always end up spending money. Well, I ventured out again and ended up with a new receiver.
My H/K 325 will be here either Wednesday or Saturday. I'm praying for Wednesday. I need something fun to do over Thanksgiving.
I found this bad boy @ Costco.com for $549. Wandered down to Circuit City tonight - lo and behold, they matched the price. Marching in knowing exactly what you want, cash in hand and a silly grin on your face seems to work wonders. They didn't have any in so I still have to wait a few days, but it saves me from paying for shipping.
So, any tips on setting her up?? I don't have a subwoofer (yet - around here it's only a matter of time. Remind me to stay out of the speaker/subwoofer section and to quickly scroll past those enticing SVS ads.), and I'm going to be completely unfamiliar with this as it is my first DD/DTS receiver. What should I do to calibrate? How should I setup the various settings? I won't even know what half of them mean. Any other tips would be greatly appreciated.
Oh, and if anyone just happens to have an AMX infrared library already setup for this receiver, I could use one. Looks like there are over 60 libraries for H/K gear on AMX's web site, so I should be able to find the correct IR codes if nobody has one laying around.
Thank you!!

 

[Mark R O]

Ryan - Troublemakers? All the grief we deal out and that is the best slur you've got? Malcontent!
Actually, it's that damned Costco. That temple of the consumer has me hooked like a methadone clinic. Coolest item this month: 1 million candlepower rechargable spotlight w/ swivel mini lite on the back. Weatherproof, 12v wall wart and car adaptor included! $17.95!! A must own. You look like a plane landing with it on.
Give the HK a try and any issues I'm sure will be dealt with here. Enjoy!

 

[Serge Breton]

troublemakers eh?
i wonder sometimes what goes on late at night in that after hours lounge
Enjoy your H/K Ryan, i just got one myself....

 

[Jose G]

I have the 225 and it's pretty easy to set up. The manual is pretty clear, although others here say otherwise. I'm no pro, but for a quick set up (since you don't have a sub) set all speakers to large. The fastest way to do this is to press the speaker button, the arrows right below to find the speaker of choice, the set button to engage that choice, the arrows again to find the setting (size of speaker, etc.) you want, and then the set button to finalize your settings. It's pretty much second nature after you do it the first time. Once you get the sub, you will change these settings. As far as calibrating the system, if you don't have a calibration disk and SPl meter, use the Ez set feature on the HK. It's built into the remote and easy to use. See the "system configuration" part of the manual where it says "using Ez set." The receiver must be set top pro logic II to do this and the volume should be on -15dB. Of course, all of these instructions are for the 225 so I would check with another 325 owner first, but I can't imagine that they be very different for the initial set up. Good luck and enjoy the new receiver.

 

[Paul Clarke]

Hi Ryan,

Congrats!

Read the manual and all will be well. I suggest running at least some video through the receiver to get the OSD. It is very well laid out and you will want it.

As for setup, much depends on your system. If in doubt about anything try to experiment...and of course, shoot us a line.

 

[Aaron Whitaker]

This whole forum has made me spend money. I've built speaker cables and silver interconnects, bought a Denon 1803, bought a Sony 775 SACD player, bought a Panasonic 47wx42 widescreen, and next week a Panny RP82. All within the last two months. On my list in the next few months is a Adcom ACE-315 and a Samsung 150 HDTV tuner. And then on to a complete Adire Speaker Kit for 7.1 surround sound. So who do I send the receipts to? Luckily my job allows this stuff to be tax deductible (50% of the cost). So far I couldn't be happier. Thanks for all the reccomedations and pros and cons.

 

[Ryan Wright]

Yes, Aaron, this place is an addiction. I started out two and a half years ago wanting a basic big screen TV. My budget was $1500. Came here, that went to $4k for a 4:3 HD set. While I was waiting for it to show up, I began lusting after a 16:9 set. When my 4:3 set broke a day after bringing it home, I spent even more on the 16:9. Oh, and then the progressive scan DVD player. Last night, it was the receiver. Now, I've been reading the 325's owner's manual (PDF from their web site) and am thinking four new surrounds to complete the 7.1 setup might be nice...
... must ... break .... free .. ...... .....
Someone should register "htfanonymous.com" for us addicts.
Thanks for the replies!

 

[Wayne Ernst]

Even though you ended up spending more money than you budgeted for, you really ended up saving money because all of the great advice kept you from buying garbage that you'd want to replace after only a few months. You may put down thousands of dollars, but hopefully, the gear will last you a very long time.

 

[Greg Kolinski]

Yes ,I to ,have been hit by this site I came to this site looking for info on buying some new speakers ,and I ended up with
1.....HK 520
2.....57 in JVC HDTV
3.....JVC progressive DVD player
4.....LOTS of speaker wire and bananna clips
STILL have my old speakers ,Acoustic Research TWS510's,found out i would have to spend a LOT to get better sound,SOOOO I guess I found out what I was loooking for?

 

[Brae]

Well, I can't be called a troublemaker until I've made someone spend at least a cool grand on one item. Until then, I'm just a bad influence.

 

[Greg Kolinski]

funny part is now the wife is hooked on this stuff Everytime we go to a store that has TV's ,she wants to grab remotes and crank down the contrast and sharpness I guess the infection is spreading

 

[Adil M]

You know I've ran off customers by actually telling them about the costco pricematch. A guy was looking at the Onkyo 600 and I told him I could get him the HK 325 for the Ecost price of 549 and that he might want to push and get the 110% difference based on policy. He walked. Lost all interest at that point even though he was considering the 225. (Sigh)

 

[Doug_B]

Ryan,
Yes, this site is trouble. The room associated with the link in my sig was an unfinished formal living room prior to my arrival here.
You want trouble? You're invited to my house after I purchase and set up an HD2 DLP proj .
Doug

 

[Ryan Wright]

Nice setup, Doug!
Front projection - I know it's only a matter of time for me. If I didn't already have a nice large RPTV, I'd be going FP right now.
FYI... I bought the 525 instead. My 325 wasn't going to arrive until Friday, and I wanted it for Thanksgiving, so I went down Wednesday night shortly before close and traded. Watched a few movies, and all I can say is, ! How cool. Now I know what I've been missing.