Rives CD
January 31, 2004
Hi Wes,
In your review of
the Dayton subwoofer, you mention the RadioShack SPL meter. Rives Audio sells a test
CD with test tones that are adjusted for the non-linearity of the RS meter. The CD also
has complementary un-adjusted tracks, for those with pro-level meters. The downside is
that, at 50+ years of age, you'll not be happy with your upper-end hearing
capabilities. At the other end of the spectrum, my L-shaped, semi-open floor plan, sloped
ceiling area is a total black hole for bass.
Chuck
Thanks for the heads-up on the Rives disc -- I'll order
one today (and you can bet I'll be writing about it at some point).
As to my "50+ years of age" hearing, could you
repeat what you just said? You wanna step outside and say that -- louder?
I don't pretend to have bat-like acuity in the high
frequencies (and I didn't back when I was a young Turk, either). I test pretty well on
audiological tests, but they're weighted to human speech intelligibility, not musical
overtones.
When I listen to A/V products, I listen carefully to the
sounds of music and the world (both live and reproduced) and try to determine whether or
not what I hear from a product resembles what I have experienced in the real world. This
is a different kettle of fish from pretending to be "accurate" -- whatever that
is.
Yeah, I'd be very happy to have the HF hearing I had at 25,
but I wouldn't spend any money based on the hi-fi the 25-year-old me might have
recommended. Heck, I sold a Fender Twin Reverb so I could buy a solid-state guitar amp
that I thought sounded better -- a decision that was profoundly wrong for so many
reasons....Wes Phillips
Athena
January 27, 2004
Hi Wes,
I read your review of the
Athena Micra 6 system and I am intrigued. I am anything but an audiophile, but I would
like to get the most bang for my buck. I’m curious -- if you were presented the
choice between the Micra 6 system or, for $300 more, the Bose AM 6 MK III system, which
would you choose?
This assumes that you could afford both, but would prefer
to pay less, if the quality were the same. I would use them in my 16' by 24' basement,
primarily for watching DVDs.
Tim
I find the Micra 6 system warmer and more detailed than
the Bose -- and, as you observe, it's less expensive. Given the two choices, the Athena
would be my preference.
Preference, however, is one of those areas where experience
cannot be transferred....Wes Phillips
TiVO or ReplayTV?
January 22, 2004
Wes,
I'm interested in a DVR and can't really
figure out which way to go -- TiVO or ReplayTV. Is there any objective way to decide which one to go
with? They seem to be priced the same.
Roger
I don't have any experience with
ReplayTV, since I bought a TiVO unit based on a combination of price and features. I
couldn't see any functional difference between the two systems -- not in a way that seemed
important to me, at least.
Think about the features that are
most important to you -- and then compare how the two systems meet those needs. Check your
local service options and, if you can, ask for demonstrations of both systems. If they're
both still neck and neck, let price be your guide....Wes Phillips
System in storage
January 20, 2004
Hi Wes,
I find find myself in a situation where
my living space will be reduced to the extent that I will have to put my home-theater
setup in a climate-controlled storage facility for at least a year and possibly longer.
I'm concerned about the speakers, which are all from the Paradigm Reference line. Are
there any tips you can pass on that would be useful in preserving the speakers? Will they
deteriorate in storage (i.e., dry out or anything)? It took me a lot of
time and money to put this setup together and I really don't want to sell it.
George
I've traveled a lot and had to store
my stuff a few times, so first of all, relax. Your system should be OK when you get to
unpack it again.
If the storage facility is
climate-controlled, you probably don' have much to worry about, as long as you have saved
all your original packaging -- including the plastic bags that covered the speakers inside
the boxes. If you didn't save those, you could order new ones from Paradigm.
It wouldn't hurt to throw a silica
packet into the bags to absorb any ambient moisture. These are readily available at office
supply stores.
Modern drivers don't use foam
surrounds, which is what aged so poorly in older designs, so you shouldn't have a problem
there.
If you get to arrange things within
the storage facility, I recommend you put the boxes on shipping pallets, just to get the
off the floor -- that way air can circulate beneath the cartons, preventing flood damage
or condensation. Most professionally run storage firms do this as a matter of routine --
they don't want to buy you new stuff because they were careless, after all....Wes Phillips
In-ceiling speakers
January 14, 2004
Hi Wes,
Can you make a recommendation on some
good to great in-ceiling speakers for my home? I'm going to use the Russound CAV6.6 audio
distribution system, which puts out 20W per channel. I don't have exceptionally large
rooms in my house. There are so many brands on the market I can't decide. Any advice you
have would be great.
Steven
My review of the Mirage HDT-WM1 goes
up here in a few days, but I don't think I'd be giving away the farm if I told you that
Mirage's Incognita line impressed me a lot. I also have really been impressed by Polk's
new in-wall and in-ceiling speakers -- which, Matthew Polk told me, were designed because
he needed something for his house (his wife told him that was just how it was going to
be).
That would be where I'd start....Wes
Phillips
Axiom or Athena?
January 7, 2004
Wes,
I’m about to purchase a new surround
system. I have read great reviews on both Axiom and
Athena speakers, and both seem comparably priced. Which
speaker would you purchase and why?
Also, I need advice on purchase a
surround receiver. I’d like to stay under $500. What can you recommend?
Dave
I'm afraid it's not that simple. I've
reviewed both Axiom and Athena systems, as you can see in the archives here,
and I liked both products very much. Both offer a lot of performance for the money, and I
have no qualms about recommending either.
But preference is personal -- and
frequently predicated upon other circumstances, such as your room and décor style. I
can't tell you which system you'd like, only whether or not I like it.
As to receivers under $500, I've been
very impressed with Kenwood and Sherwood models in that price range....Wes Phillips
Has 7.1, wants 7.1
January 2, 2004
Wes,
I'm a rookie, although I have done some research. However,
I need your help on speaker type and placement for my room. After reading several reviews
and checking your sites, I've settled in on the following: Onkyo NR801 7.1 receiver,
Velodyne CHT-12 sub, Axiom VP-150 center, and Axiom QS8 rear surrounds. I have JBL
SVA1800s (dual 8" woofers with horn tweeters), bought some time ago, that I'd like to
keep for L/R mains if they do not compromise the overall performance.
My room is three-sided (16' x 22' x 18' ceiling),
essentially open along one boundary. The room is wired for fronts and rears, both seven
feet high and nine feet apart or so. The fronts are about two feet behind my L/R JBL
floorstanding mains and my couch is against the wall between the rears and about 11 feet
from the 60" big-screen TV and mains.
I'm trying to use all the benefits of my 7.1 receiver. What
speakers (if any) should I put at the front speaker locations, which are 7' off the ground
and behind the JBL floorstanding mains? I was considering wiring them as front/side
surrounds and use Quadpolar QS8s while wiring the rears for rear surround with QS8s as
well. Or should I just forget the JBL mains and use the Axiom M3tis here for front mains
with a pair of QS8s for rear surround? My concern here was why then do I need a 7.1
receiver if I cannot wire some form of front/side surrounds?
Bob
I'm afraid you have totally lost me here. I'm not sure
what you mean by "front speaker locations...behind the JBLs." Maybe we're just
getting tangled up in terminology, so let's review.
A normal 7.1 system consists of three front speakers (L, C,
R), placed equidistant from the listener, two side surrounds (placed up on the wall on
either side of the listener or slightly behind him or her), and two rear surrounds behind
the listener.
In that 7.1 system, the Axiom QS8s would be ideal for both
side and rear surrounds. The problem, as I see it, would be the JBLs. In a surround-sound
system, you really have to think of the front three channels as a single unit -- at least,
they need to match one another very closely in tone, so that the sound doesn't shift
drastically as it moves from left to center to right. I doubt the Axioms and the JBLs
would create that kind of seamless transition.
On the other hand, you don't have to buy everything at
once. As a learning experience, use the JBLs and watch a few movies. If you aren't
bothered by tonal shifts and a lack of continuity as characters and actions move back and
forth across the screen, then my concerns are academic and you've saved some money. If
you're bothered by these things, you can always buy M3tis when your budget allows.
As to wiring surrounds on the sides, I'm
assuming that your concern is where you're going to put the speaker along that open
boundary. There are a wide variety of tall speaker stands available, some of them even
décor-friendly. Another option is a ceiling-mounted speaker bracket, such as one of the
models I
reviewed here....Wes Phillips
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